Vigilon

"You fight with me, against me." The Dragon then stated. "Do you even realize the irony of your situation?"

Vigilon was now confused. "What the heck are you even talking about? How could one be fighting with and against someone, unless you're being redundant, that is?" He asked.

He then heard the voice hyperventilating or something, it didn't help at all, nor was it something Vigilon was able to understand. Double confusion.

He dodged the next attack and activated his sword art, managing to deal a bit of damage to his opponent, bringing its HP to yellow.

Then The Dragon stopped playing around and got serious.

Vigilon was grabbed, lifted into the air as The Dragon took flight, then he was tossed to the ground, pounded, and then came more fire upon him. Vigilon found himself unable to utter any words after such a severe beating. He needed some ice...maybe more...

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ] {Burned}

Bahyolvokun: [                     ]

Vigilon prioritized not getting hit over dealing damage, which was a good move, since that fire breath was difficult to avoid. The Dragon was mostly stationary, so it would be easy-ish to attack...right? He attempted to maneuver around and managed to activate his sword art, striking his opponent...and then getting swatted to the wall by said opponent's tail. Ouch.

"This is getting ridiculous..." Vigilon wheezed, trying to catch the breath that was knocked out of him by the impact. After falling to the ground, Vigilon got up, with some difficulty, and saw he was in range for another breath attack. Time to get moving.

He bolted off to the right, then suddenly the left. He barely managed to escape the attack range. If this kept going on, he didn't know if he'd be using several of those strange crystals, or if it would be just as simple as the last three times.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ] 

Bahyolvokun: [                     ]

How was Vigilon going to get himself out of this one? What he saw was some kind of semi-demonic infernal dragon that would gladly go on a rampage and cause a massacre, regardless of which side asked him, and that was enough to get Vigilon to attack on sight. Problem was, he may actually be out of his league here.

Sure was "Last but not least" in the situation of these four battles, definitely...but how was he gonna do it? How was he gonna get through this battle without getting scorched out of the Mindscape? He needed a plan...but that was the issue, he never specialized in making plans. Strategies, maybe, but this was in the middle of combat and-oh, he took too long overthinking and another breath attack was on its way. Vigilon rolled to the right, and actually managed to dodge the attack this time.

Guess he'd just have to improvise and hope for the best.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ] {Burned}

Bahyolvokun: [                     ]

Vigilon was in trouble now, if he wasn't before. The Dragon got up, and Vigilon had to dodge a widespread cone of flame that was breathed out from the monster.

It was far from easy, because he still got caught in the edge of the attack. He then prepared his own attack, and unleashed his sword art against Bahyolvokun, dealing a fair amount of damage. What he was going through now made the times he'd gotten whipped by Corruption seem like nothing at all. He then realized he'd been afflicted by burn, as his side was still stinging and he noticed he may or may not be on fire right now. He stopped, dropped, and rolled, just to get slammed by a clawed hand that probably belonged to his enemy. Vigilon crawled out, used Galaxy Destroyer, and was then caught in the dead center of the next flame cone as the Dragon breathed fire again.

Yeah, this was gonna be fun.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ] {Burned}

Bahyolvokun: [                     ]

It took a bit of a short while, but he did eventually spot the building. It was almost as large as the center building that was blocked off by the battles he had yet to win. This had to be the place.

He walked along a burning hall, making his way over to a large room, and then, he saw it.

Once more he looked, and behold, a Great and Terrible Dragon of Fire, Darkness, and Ire. It's scales were the color of obsidian, and its eyes were like an ever burning blaze. His fires burned with heat that could destroy entire cities, and the Dragon's name was Bahyolvokun.

This Dragon would wage War to all that dared cross him, and his Wrath was infernal.

Vigilon stood there, staring at this monstrous creature. To him, its appearance made him think of not only a dragon, but maybe even a being of evil. That, however, was one man's perspective.

[RP combat initiated, Stats will not matter]

[Encountered Elite Demon Bahyolvokun]

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

Bahyolvokun: [                     ]

Vigilon continued along the labyrinth, looking for the one building he hadn't found yet. He soon found something he hadn't seen yet, but it wasn't a building...it was yet another creature.

It seemed to be a spectral creature of some sort, appearing a translucent white with an eerie blue glow. When it saw Vigilon, it let out a deafening screech, and two others appeared. Vigilon readied an Area of Effect Sword Art, and attacked them all at once. Only the last one that appeared survived the attack, and it slashed at Vigilon, leaving really bad gashes on him. Vigilon attacked once more and the fight was over. He sighed, now confirming to himself that every major battle he wins causes a new enemy to show up. Hopefully this would be the last one. 

"Someone...anyone, just say something..."

Ah, yes, that voice was still present. it was getting kind of confusing as to why it's still there.

As he waited, he wondered if taking the understanding route with Corruption was really the right choice. She literally tried to corrupt his heart, and yet he chose to spare her?

Well, there was nothing he could do about that, so he waited for his HP and energy to regenerate to full, then he moved on and left the building.

There was only one more building to find, and one more fight to win, there just had to be. He'd faced many things so far. He'd fought against the memory of that group from his middle school days, he'd obliterated the combination of two dragons and proceeded to question himself on whether or not he wanted it to be that easy outside of Aincrad, deep down inside. He'd had a close call with the possibility of death and failure, and he'd encountered and forgiven a shadow of his father's killer. Now, he had also faced his sister and convinced her to remove the mask, he'd clashed with a beast that called his efforts futile, and turned the tables on those words, and recently he'd just battled one who sought to dip his heart into darkness, and chose to spare her despite it.

What a ride this had all been.

Corruption seemed to be in thought for a short moment. "I have to die if you're to move on. Then again, not all death in the Mindscape is permanent, some of us who are understood can be reincarnated...I want you to finish me...and I'd like you to use this." She explained, before handing Vigilon her whip. Vigilon hesitated, but in the end, he took a deep breath, and dealt the final hit. Corruption shattered, and the whip in Vigilon's hand, which apparently had the word "Seeker" engraved onto its handle, then changed into a simple dagger after a few seconds. Now engraved on its blade was "Desire", and the word previously on its handle disappeared.

Light came into the room, and a box appeared before Vigilon. He picked it up, and opened it to find more of those red crystals. Three small, one larger. Clearly, he would need to wait and regenerate HP before moving on. If these crystals really did heal, he'd need to save these for combat situations...and now that he thought about it, he could have just used one when his HP was starting to run low.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

Corruption: [                     ]

Vigilon focused on evasive action as the figures assaulted Vigilon. In time, he noticed more complexity with the attacks of one than the others' attacks. Vigilon had taken a fair amount of damage, so it was all down to this.

Vigilon attacked one figure...and to his relief, he chose the right target. The other figures shattered, as they burst into colors of blue and violet. Vigilon saw that his opponent still stood, but she reverted back to her original form, and the surrounding area was the room it used to be once more. Corruption fell to the ground, then looked up to Vigilon with eyes that seemed to be pleading. "So, you've got me...well, what are you waiting for?"

He was agitated during this little decoy-puzzle, and he really disliked being messed with. He took a deep breath, he didn't even know what was possibly being corrupted during that moment...but now he had peace, and an answer. "You asked me who the real enemy was. It wasn't those decoys...but it wasn't you, either...in fact, I think its what you represent that is the enemy here." He decided.

Corruption's eyes lit up. "You're...sparing me?" She asked, surprised. "You've treated just about every monster in your Mindscape as they were seen as: Monsters. You killed them all...so why...why spare me?"

Vigilon shrugged. "You're not all bad. Sure, your name is literally corruption, but as long as there's something good in you, isn't there hope? I can't always guarantee that I'd spare someone. Heck, I know for a fact that there are definitely some people who I won't spare, for the sake of protecting others, or simply to defend myself if I'm alone."

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

Decoy 1: [ ]

Decoy 2: [ ]

Decoy 3: [ ]

Decoy 4: [ ]

Decoy 5: [ ]

Decoy 6: [ ]

Corruption: [                     ]

The battle was nearing its end, but Vigilon needed to be careful with his targeting and his energy if he wanted to win. Each opponent tried to whip Vigilon, but only one managed to hit. He falsely tried to attack each one with a basic swing, and two of them simply stood there, ready to take the hit, and only one tried to dodge. "There you are..."

He then used an actual Sword Art, spending the rest of his energy on the attack, and it would seem Vigilon's tactic worked. The figure took damage, and the other ones simply burst into yellow and green without damaging Vigilon. Almost there, he was almost there...but now he was exhausted. For now, he'd have to endure or dodge a barrage of attacks to recharge his energy. After not doing anything for a few seconds, Corruption split into three again. Now how was he going to figure this out, assuming the other decoys were smarter than those who came before?

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

Decoy 1: [ ]

Decoy 2: [ ]

Decoy 3: [ ]

Decoy 4: [ ]

Decoy 5: [ ]

Decoy 6: [ ]

Corruption: [                     ]

Maybe he could handle this with an AoE attack. So he did, but the problem was that because he struck both targets, he not only found the real one, he got hit by a burst of orange. Now he knew he was gonna need to be more careful. Corruption cracked her whip, attempted to attack Vigilon, then split back into three. Two of the three figures were probably more danger decoys.

He'd need to be clever about this. He should have waited. "I really should have thought this through." He remarked with a sigh. The three figures laughed simultaneously. "Missing The trials of passion already? Well, you're the one who asked for a different region of your heart to explore!" They all said at once. "What do you think of such trickery? You are one to be strict with your code, but surely you're loose here. You wanted a fight, yes? Can you tell who your real enemy is?"

This was getting annoying real fast.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

Decoy 1: [ ]

Decoy 2: [ ]

Decoy 3: [ ]

Decoy 4: [ ]

Corruption: [                     ]

Vigilon attacked once more, and Corruption seemed displeased. "So, you pulled yourself too tight on this one...maybe we can try something else instead...it's intensely rough and very relieving, you'll love it..." She said as she slowly transitioned back to a mischievous smile, and then she changed form again. The battlefield changed form, too.

The room they were in once appeared to be a grand, beautiful room that was dimly lit, but now it looked like an actual battlefield, except the battle was over. Vigilon couldn't see Corruption, but there were three armored figures, with helmets concealing their faces. They all had red cursors, but there were no names displayed. Vigilon attacked one, and with a burst of red, the figure he struck shattered, but the burst of color seemed to deal damage to Vigilon...

Ah, this was one of those "which one is the real enemy" tricks. He should have seen this coming. Now he just needed to wait for his opponents' attacks and figure out which one was real.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

Decoy 1: [ ]

Decoy 2: [ ]

Corruption: [                     ]

It was then that he saw his opponent's name above her head. <<Corruption>>. Ah, it all made sense now. This particular foe wanted to corrupt and twist Vigilon's heart...and taking Krysta's form, trying to get him in areas where he might be weak...oh, now he knew what she was trying to do.

"Oh..." He uttered out in realization. "You've got to be kidding me."

What was this game rated again, or did that even matter now that the players were trapped? Why would such an opponent with such goals exist unless it was to directly mess with Vigilon's mind?

"It's getting warmer in here...what am I going to do? How am I going to get out of here?" Spoke the voice that must be haunting Vigilon at this point.

"Corruption...so, that's your goal, to make me feel stuff I shouldn't be feeling, instead of what I should  be feeling?" Vigilon asked, ignoring the voice since it couldn't see nor hear him.

Corruption sighed. "Alex...why be so hard on yourself? Get a life while you still can! I know I'm not truly that lovely woman you've become emotionally attached to...but I can help you practice with her...or even help you let loose on me alone if you have to. Unlike what you believe she's like, however...I'm not afraid to get rough."

Vigilon hastily shook his head. "Nope, no thank you." He quickly responded, before gripping his sword again and charging his sword art.

A swing and a whip, both combatants had taken damage.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

Corruption: [                     ]

Vigilon had to do something, he couldn't just do nothing and leave this at a permanent standoff. But if he took action, he'd be falling into whatever trick or trap his opponent had for him. With a false step forward, Vigilon moved up and back, then Corruption would practically fling herself towards him. Now Vigilon was being held close to Corruption, and Vigilon could only guess there was some kind of advanced, high damage attack on the way if he didn't manage to free himself from her arms in time. "Stop resisting, stay close to me." Corruption said with an expression that meant nothing good in this particular moment and scenario. "Let me go." Vigilon countered. "Oh? Any reason why you'd resist being close to someone special to you?" Corruption asked. "I may only appear like her, but please, you need to lighten up..." 

"There are many things I would do for Jewel. I'd fight for her, I'd guard her, I'd even face whole armies for her....but not for you." Vigilon stated.

With that, he finally managed to struggle himself free of Corruption's grip and attack with Galaxy Destroyer.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

Corruption: [                     ]

So far, Vigilon hadn't been able to successfully deal any damage to his opponent, and he'd been distracted and lost in thought, instead of, well, actually hitting his target. Whatever the case, he slapped himself with his left hand, then used both to grip his sword and try another attack.

He only grazed the tail.

"Man, you're fast." Vigilon noted. "That weapon's no common blade, it will be difficult to block or deflect, so maybe I, too, should try an evasive strategy..." He thought aloud, knowing he'd be heard either way.

"Oh, really now?" Corruption asked. "Do come and try your luck. Hehehe, come closer....closer...."

Vigilon now believed he should be scared. Something wasn't right, this was obviously an opponent luring him in, probably because she had a trick up her sleeve....not that her outfit had a sleeve. Vigilon prepared a sword art, but he kept his distance and waited for his opponent to make a move.

The obvious result was a standoff.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

Corruption: [                     ]

Why? Why did it have to be this? Why did his opponent have to disguise herself as Krysta as an attack on his moral compass? "You're not her, you're not...and you can't pretend to be, either. I'm an intelligent human being, not some animal guided only by instinct!" Vigilon called out.

That voice picked a really bad time to be speaking up again. "What is this feeling...? Someone, help! Where am I? Why can't anyone find me? Why can't I see anyone?"

Vigilon was very confused. Was the source of this voice traveling near or with him? What he felt next was Corruption's whip striking him again. He'd gotten distracted and now he paid the price...except he was distracted by something other than Corruption's appearance. Unexpected, but still worked in the enemy's favor.

"Focus, Alex, you gotta do it! Fight, get this over with so she can't have any chance of getting to you!" Vigilon thought as his left hand was placed upon his head. He then tried to shake off what may be a mental, auditory hallucination and focus back on the fight...just to see the whip right before his face got hit.

For trying to focus, he clearly wasn't doing a good job with that.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

Corruption: [                     ]

"Can you not?" Vigilon asked as his left hand moved to try and ease the pain. No luck, but it was worth a try. He then readied his sword art, but timed it to try damaging or cutting the whip, as soon as the opponent attempted her next attack. Cutting the whip didn't seem to work, as the weapon did not get sliced. Heck, it wasn't even scratched. At least he was able to deflect the enemy's attack this way, of course.

Corruption laughed. "Did you really think my whip would be made from frail, crude materials? Of course not, it's core material is not of your world, nor is it of Aincrad's. Besides...I want to make this experience even better...who was your flame again? Oh, I know..."

With that, Corruption's form shifted. She still had a pair of white leather wings and a white tail that matched, but she now looked a lot like....

"You already saw what she looked like before, not to mention the wings and tail give it away...that's not Jewel, Alex, that's not Jewel!!" Vigilon thought to himself as the figure now looked shockingly like Krysta.

"Aw, trying to convince yourself that I can't show you what you're missing out on?" Corruption asked. Right, Vigilon's thoughts could be heard by any creature in his Mindscape. Oops. "You know you love her dearly, don't you? Why are you afraid of the truth? You're even in a relationship with her, and you still can't muster up that bold courage of yours to take the next step?" Corruption continued.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

Corruption: [                     ]

The figure smiled and chuckled in reaction to Vigilon's presumption. "I will give no such problem for you...you need not hide, nor should you feel like nothing... you could take life by the horns, you could reach for whatever you wanted..." She spoke. "Of course, there's always the option of a...rough demonstration...would you like one?" She asked as she readied her whip. Vigilon had a bad feeling about this. "Um, I'm just gonna say no." Vigilon replied as he drew his sword, with an uncomfortable expression on his face.

The smile on his opponent's face signaled nothing good, and there was a certain glint of mischief in her eyes. "Rough it is, then."

Vigilon rushed in to attack, but Corruption swiftly dodged the attack and proceeded to successfully give a lash to Vigilon's rear. "Agh!!"

Yeah, He was in for a bad time on this one...or just an uncomfortable combat experience.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

Corruption: [                     ]

Astreya seemed eager for the next objective, and the Dragon would show Vigilon where Carsar was hiding via a rough sketch of the area that was drawn on the surface of a large, flat stone on the ground. The Dragon also appreciated Krysta's healing and breathed on the trio of players, and...they got an evasion buff from it? As confused as Vigilon was, he wasn't gonna argue with this. His map was updated, Astreya was eager for a rescue mission, Krysta was ready and determined, and Vigilon was ready to set things right and settle this little score between the dragons. Krysta asked for Vigilon to lead the way, which made enough sense as it was his map that updated. Maybe the others' maps would update as well if they saw the claw sketch too? Not that he minded leading the party on this little adventure, but still...

Vigilon looked over to the Topaz Dragon. "Thanks for the help and directions, we'll be back with everything Carsar stole from you." Vigilon said with a smile. "Let's go, everyone." He finished as he turned around while gesturing the others to follow. Sure, there may be three players in the party, but despite their meager contributions, it would be six if counting the players' familiars.

@Astreya

Vigilon managed to find another true building, styled similarly to the ones that had a unique enemy to face.

Yeah, this had to be one of the remaining two places, there wasn't a lock to tell him no.

The hall was lit by crystals, like the other buildings' halls were. He just walked through like he'd done this before...because he had. But a sight unlike what he was expecting awaited him when he entered the wide room.

So he looked, and behold, a deceptively lovely figure with white, leather wings, sitting comfortably on a throne of jewels and silk. The whip in her hand was called Seeker, and the figure's name was Corruption.

So now Vigilon was up against a humanoid with wings, leather wings that just so happened to be white.
What were the chances?

Honestly, he never thought he'd be facing an opponent like this. He knew why he was here, so he drew his sword. "I don't know what your agenda is, but I'm pretty sure there's something wrong about it." He began. "Alyssa wouldn't let go of the mask, and that giant thing tried to crush me, trying to make me feel like nothing."

[RP combat initiated, Stats will not matter]

[Encountered Elite Demon Corruption]

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

Corruption: [                     ]

Along the way to the next actual building, Vigilon ended up walking into the aggro range of a blood beast and two metal swarms. He was able to tell the moment the blood beast screeched. He quickly drew his sword, and realized that the sound had caught the attention of other blood beasts...oh, no...they were now heading in Vigilon's direction.

Vigilon started by using an area of effect attack to get rid of the initial three enemies, thus the arriving three blood beasts would be the last of this little squabble. Vigilon was struck several times, these freaks knew how to make rapid strikes and slashes. He managed to dodge and deflect some of the enemy's attempts to strike, and with two more area of effect attacks, the monsters shattered.

Now he had to rest again...it was like the more victories he won, the more monsters began to show up...but seeing that the denizens of enemies didn't increase in number when they were slain, it seemed to suggest that their increases were inevitable, since Vigilon had to fight the much stronger enemies anyway in order to get through this little challenge.

Vigilon took a moment to rest and regenerate his HP, then he continued to wander the area in search of the next foe.

Then he remembered how easy it was to get lost in this labyrinth...then again, it might be even easier to get lost in worse labyrinths...this should be nothing...right? Heck, it didn't even look like a labyrinth! It was like some kind of "empty" city of sorts, with strange formations of stone and metal being in place of the buildings, and the place was crawling with monsters that could inflict actual pain!

It was by dwelling on this fact that got Vigilon to start reevaluating his options, though it was kind of tough doing so without instinctively trying to talk to that strange voice. "It's warm in here...if you can't speak, is there something else you could do to communicate?" The voice asked. 

It couldn't hear Vigilon's words, nor could it hear his thoughts. This was starting to get a little crazy.

Vigilon walked outside, and the voice in his mind continued to speak, wondering if someone was truly there. 

What was waiting for Vigilon outside, however, just so happened to be another monster of the isle, one he had yet to see.

He walked outside to see a screeching figure that looked like a skinny bipedal creature with sharp, bleeding teeth and claws as well as a single burning eye in what appeared to be its head, and the creature itself looked like it was made of frozen blood.

Well, shit.

Vigilon drew his sword immediately, and took a defensive position. The creature let loose a flurry of slashes and swipes at Vigilon, striking him only one time. Vigilon then used Galaxy Destroyer to dispatch the monster. Finally, after the enemy shattered, Vigilon moved his hand to his new wound. "Sheesh, what is this all coming to? First a bunch of levitating swarms of metal shards, then came sentry crystals that blasted me with some kind of power, now blood monsters with burning eyes?" He thought aloud.

Man, what a time it had been...and it was probably going to get worse.

Was the voice even hearing him? It seemed to be within his head, yet he couldn't see a single being...he sure felt something, though...but what exactly?

Vigilon looked towards the throne of bones, which crumbled into nothing, revealing a single large red crystal. He walked over and took it.

"I... where... hm? Someone's there?" The voice asked. "Hello? Hello is anyone there? Where are you? Who are you?" 

Vigilon was very confused. "I'm...right here? can you hear me?" He asked as he looked around for the mysterious speaker.

There was no one to be seen.

"I feel like there's someone there... where are you? I do not see you. Can you say something, whoever you are?" Spoke the voice.

Ok, so the voice couldn't hear him...but he could hear the voice? That doesn't make very much sense... As much as he wanted to find the source of the voice, he had to get a move on, so it was time to walk down the hall, and search for the next major fight.

Astreya's familiar would return from a certain location, and Krysta's familiar would then suddenly take off towards that direction. Veriost tilted her head in curiosity, then took flight to follow Krysta and Yolviinsil. "At this rate, I'm pretty sure there is." Vigilon replied to Astreya upon seeing the familiars' courses of action.

Following Astreya and Krysta, Vigilon would eventually reach the destination. Upon Krysta reaching the territory, a topaz dragon would roar out what Vigilon guessed was a warning call. Krysta's familiar then landed between Krysta and the dragon, then started to...converse with it? Oh, right, this topaz dragon and Yolviinsil were both dragons...of course they could communicate with each other.

The topaz Dragon then permitted the players to enter her territory. The spoken words also revealed to Vigilon that the topaz Dragon knew human speech. Due to Krysta asking what happened here, The dragon would reveal that another Dragon, by the name of Carsar, had killed her husband and stole her hatchlings, as well as her treasure, too. Finally, the Topaz dragon looked over the party, then requested for their help. Vigilon stepped forward. "We will help you." He decided. "Although...you don't happen to know where his nest is, do you?" He asked, hoping the party wouldn't be searching for Carsar's nest blindly.

He then looked to Krysta. "Hey, is there something you can do about her wounds?" He asked while gesturing to the topaz Dragon.

Oh, he almost forgot... He then looked over to Astreya. "Well, looks like we're doing this. Do you think you're ready for a rescue mission?" He asked while scratching the back of his head.

@Astreya