Vigilon

Kiyabu seemed to be fighting off dark thoughts, then went back to a plan of attack. Vigilon tried and failed to dodge his relentless assault. Of course, he'd gone back to stun tactics...how wonderful, in a scenario where there was something there that was beyond simple explanation. Vigilon managed to keep his head clear as he laid on his back, stunned and only able to view the monstrosity above. Those sanity tablets were doing wonders for him right now, as his mind was making peace with the fact that the material of the creature's flesh was indeterminable, and that it should close itself off t

Vigilon: First thing to note, be careful if you're planning to go to Floor Five, there's something pretty serious going on in there and I haven't assessed whether or not we can handle it. Second, Feel free to watch some matches in the Clash of Blades Tournament, and don't worry, you don't only have to support me! Astralin: How have I not heard of this already?? That's it, I'm watching your next match! Hope to see you win! Vigilon: I'll do my best, it's been a crazy six weeks so far. Those Thirteen Energy Drinks were a real doozy. Krysta: Thirteen!? Heavens' mercy, how are you still aliv

Vigilon looked towards his opponent. The sanity tablets seemed to help him keep his head on straight. He could see without feeling like his mind was being invaded, and yet, he could still hear that second voice in his head. "̴̙͆O̶̢͆u̷̲̎r̸͙̂ ̷̰͝o̴̖͌p̶̖͘p̵͓̽o̷̢͒r̴̩̚t̷̪͊u̵͙̓n̵͇̾ī̸̝t̷̻̽y̶͉͂ ̵̱̔h̴͓͌a̷̹̿s̸̓͜ ̷̖͊c̶̜̈́o̸̤̓m̶̺̆ẻ̶͓.̴̙̔ ̶̬͆Ṡ̴̰t̷̡̋r̷̻̐ǐ̷̜k̵̗̈́e̷̛̹ ̷̮͝n̵̠̑o̶̯͌ẘ̷̬,̵̨́ ̷̙̽s̸̢̔o̷͔͂ ̴̬̽t̷̹̆ḥ̴̛a̶̰̍t̴̰̎ ̶̮͘w̵̭̓ë̶̖́ ̴̳̐m̵̛̭a̵̟̿y̵̯͊ ̸̝͝f̴̧̈́ḭ̶̽n̷͕̈́i̸̻͋s̸̲͝ẖ̴̈ ̶̰̉t̸̺̿ḩ̴̅i̴͚͗s̶̱͒.̸̤̊"̸̗͑ Vigilon nodded, then looked to his weapon. The "eye" on the hilt opened up to l

-Both players have had their desperation for victory in this battle. What started off as a duel for the two to test themselves had become a struggle to stay afloat in the relentless crashing waves of competition. Telrenya was now feeling more severely than Vigilon was, based on her response to Vigilon and his words. He hoped to encourage Telrenya, as a close match like this one would surely be a sight for the crowd to see, regardless of who wins. In Vigilon's eyes, both had been tested, with neither opponent found wanting. He could only hope the crowd would see the same, for he couldn't read m

Vigilon got on his feet, only for Telrenya to alert him to her attack, which landed regardless of his attempt to defend. The crowd's noise flared to life as the true climax of the battle began. Vigilon's HP was definitely getting chipped away at, but so was Telrenya's. It was looking really close at this moment. In this battle, which had now truly become a close fight in which both combatants had a lot on the line; a lot to lose. Vigilon took deep breaths, and his focus dipped into the recesses of his mind, and he would find himself soothed by familiar voices deep within

Ah yes, Vigilon's luck, or lack thereof, had struck again. Knocked to the ground, paralyzed and bleeding, Vigilon was left at the mercy of his opponent as the floor itself seemed to sizzle and sear him like a rack of ribs at a barbeque. Vigilon simply stared at his opponent. One slip might cause one's downfall, but it might not either. There was always time for a miraculous comeback. He might not have one in words at the moment, but he was definitely thinking up a few strategies on the fly since he knew very well he couldn't move in this state. "I'm not the only thing that's cookin',

Oh sure, just leave the other player to suffer at the tendrils of whatever in oblivion was terrorizing him, that's cool and sportsmanlike in a situation like this. "I'm freaking stunned, you could have at least pulled me out and stabbed me after!" Vigilon thought. Well, at least it wasn't Vigilon's good shoulder that was damaged, but the bad news remained that Vigilon was gonna have to contend with the appendages himself, and speaking of which, more appendages came over for the freshly damaged shoulder. "Damn it, what do they want with me?" His thoughts questioned before the stun wore off. The

This all started with a willingness to test oneself. He didn't think this tournament would become so wide, so known, so populated, to the point where it just wasn't a simple set of duels anymore, and now there was a multitude of witnesses to the whole event. One little slip could cost Vigilon everything...and he could only hope that what happened next wouldn't ruin him forever. Vigilon nodded his head in agreement when Telrenya noted that the two players succeeded in putting on a show, regardless of the result. "Agreed." He stated. Well, what was needed now was a good finish

Vigilon's hyper focus in this battle managed to help him notice the timing required to dodge his opponent's charge attack. "Predictable!" He remarked, followed by a chuckle. He then prepared himself to attack again. Boreas took evasive action, leaving Vigilon to chase after his opponent for almost half a minute, slowly gaining, and gaining, and gaining on him further. Realistically, one would suggest that Vigilon should be taking damage over what his heart's current BPM might be, but this was Sword Art Online and thus regardless of what the avatar went through, who was to say his real self's h

Who'd have thought that the can pack would turn out to be thirteen? 12 is reasonable, and thirteen would either trigger the superstitious or anger the OCDs. Vigilon couldn't care less, but his concern was that Cardinal might. Vigilon put on his sweatband and put on an amulet with glass in the center instead of a gem. His reasoning for this was because he put the Phoenix Soul inside the glass and socketed it in. It's protection should help in this manner. He then downed seven cans of energy drinks before he began making his way to the arena, drinking the other six along the way. When Vigilon's

The fighters had slowed to a stop, both of them each taking a moment to recover their energy for their next moves. While the noise lessened, the tension remained in the air. Who would take the opportunity to strike first? If so, could the other dodge or deflect before taking action themselves? The question was not if one would take action, but when? Vigilon nearly fell to the ground. He stuck his weapon to the ground to try and hold himself up. This battle had taken a toll on both combatants. Maybe for now it would be best to keep an eye on his opponent, right? "If I lose to h

Just as the hype for the climax arrived, it would become silent tension once more. "I've got one shot of my momentum left in me..." He thought. But alas, Vigilon lacked the energy needed for the focus that could have nearly won him the battle, and his attack missed by half an inch. The onslaught had left both combatants run ragged, both Vigilon and Telrenya were left with little choice but to catch their breath and recover energy in hopes that they would be able to go back to clashing, or more specifically, attempting a winning attack. Unti

It would be nice to have kept up momentum, but with Telrenya making use of her own momentum in the fight, Vigilon's ended up disoriented...and he wouldn't notice until the charge he readied and timed after Telrenya's hit would simply zoom past her as she dodged with ease, leaving him to crash into the wall. Vigilon slowly peeled himself off of the indent in the arena wall he'd accidentally made, nearly stumbling and fumbling as he tried to get himself set up straight. "This...isn't over yet..." He assured. Both players were inching closer and closer to the red as the fight dragged o

"Watch her movements, see if there's a pattern or style that can be countered or exploited..." Vigilon thought. There was never reward without risk, nor consequence without action. Sometimes a little hit is all it takes. Vigilon braced himself as Telrenya managed to get in too close to dodge, but he dared not close his eyes. His eyes lit up as he managed to spot it. "Now!" He thought. An immediate swing after her attack finished in order to disorient her and create an opening, then Kyrkuran's flames would blaze to life as he readied a sword art in this moment. The crowd's voices roared as the

So much for trying to outmaneuver his opponent, being outsped turned out to be a bigger disadvantage than first anticipated. Vigilon began to wonder if the battle from last week was causing him to slip. He'd already tried a number of things to keep the nightmares out, was he starting to falter, or was he just being tormented by some other power above, yet certainly lesser than divine? This tournament, he wasn't middling so far, he was struggling, so after all he'd been through, why was he not managing to deal with even a simple fight like this? Now he was in a

Vigilon always knew there would be no way to escape the chance of error, no strategy or defensive maneuver would ever be perfect...he just wasn't expecting to slip this soon. But hey, that's what he'd gotten the Trial By Fire stone for, wasn't it? A blaze emerged to strike back at Telrenya, thus her successful hit against Vigilon had a cost. Telrenya asked why she got the feeling this was going to be an uphill battle. Vigilon smiled. "Heh, well that's because I'd prepared for one myself, as you can see. The stone I'd fitted into this beltbuckle's socket isn't exactly for show,

Vigilon had awakened to one of the worst possible scenarios yet. Kiyabu was no longer stunned and he was now ready to strike. Vigilon prepared to ready himself, but he'd notice that he did not have Kyrkuran in his grasp, leaving him helpless to his opponent's attack, which left him stunned, thus helpless still. Unable to move he fell to the ground, and could only watch as Kiyabu managed to avoid the appendages reaching for the players, while Vigilon was powerless to avoid them. Some neared him, others grappled at his damaged leg. "Get off me...GET OFF ME!!" Vigilon panicked as he failed to eve

Well, at least the battle was livelier now. Vigilon chuckled at Telrenya's claim. "Ha! Joke's on you, she hasn't cheered on anyone, no man, woman or even sports team, for over a decade!" He responded. He hadn't seen Alyssa at all during his time in this game, leaving him on the current assumption that she wasn't in this game at all. His eyes quickly scanned the crowd, no sign of Alyssa anywhere, and he'd have been able to recognize her from a mile away if she was present. Regardless, Vigilon was appreciating this battle more than any of the others that came before. Was he...actually enjoying h

Well, suffice to say, the two players must have been figuring out each others' fighting styles at this point. Vigilon managed to correctly guess each attempt to strike, deflecting every thrust and slash. Honestly, the only thing that would keep a different weapon from stopping a thin saber or rapier would be the weight of the deflecting weapon. Similar to fencing, deflecting a fencing weapon with a one handed tool all relied on the wrist, and the faster you could move it, the more easily you could stop an opponent's slash. Ah, but prediction and notice of detail can easily go both w

Vigilon wouldn't have to look up to receive the effects of being under eldritch influence. He could no longer comprehend a single word. First a great eye, then a grotesque mass of tentacles, then a plunge into the depths, all danced across his vision... This realm...it was unlike anything else he'd seen on Aincrad, this floor was a different world with different rules, and different truths. Every battle was a hunt. Every spillage of blood that wasn't consumed would be left an offering for anything else. to know, to feel, to hunt, to bleed, to seek, to...

Vigilon could see that Telrenya was on full guard. Maybe a few easily deflected blows could provide an opening for another sword art. Vigilon didn't need to advance, however, for Telrenya darted over and the two players would clash their blades. Telrenya would duck under one of Vigilon's attempts to get her to block and open herself to a sword art, then she held up a Glass Mirror. Vigilon deadpanned. He totally saw this coming, he just didn't want to be correct. His expression unchanged, he pulled out his own Glass Mirror with his free hand. "Oh, no you don't

Vigilon could feel his heart rate accelerating. A call, a hunger to punish, to avenge, to tear something apart...but what? But Why? None of it made any sense, where was the reason for that? "̶̫̽Ì̷͚t̴͑͜ ̶͙͆m̵͍̓å̷͖ẗ̴̟́t̸̨̂ȩ̶͝r̵̦̒s̴͎̊ ̸̰̿n̶͇̚ò̴̥t̶̼̎.̶͔̔ ̸̱̌D̴͒ͅō̷̘ṅ̵̲'̷̥͌t̸̠̉ ̸̣̃l̴̡͑ė̷̠ṫ̵̹ ̸͔́y̴̨͑ó̸̺u̵̗͑r̸̘̔ ̸̫̄t̷̡̍h̶̤̉o̷̲͒u̸͎͐ǧ̷̠h̸̳̀ť̵̝s̶̕͜ ̶̠̕b̸̬͠e̴̝̓ċ̸ͅo̸̗͌m̶̟̂e̶̮̚ ̶̖͗c̴̖̐l̶̩͛o̴͖̓u̷̗̕d̸̙͌e̸͉͒d̶̼̓ ̵̻̽ḇ̸̄ỳ̷̰ ̶̦̓ạ̴̕n̵͓͑y̵̜͝t̷̤͑h̸̻̊i̵͓͒n̴̬͐g̶͕̽ ̶̦͝b̴̻̏ǔ̷̻ṱ̵̌ ̷̹͊o̷͉͊u̶̖͘r̷̦̎ ̴͖́p̴͕͑ǒ̶̞w̵̨̋ȇ̸̻r̶͍̅.̷̫͛ ̵̱͠Ţ̶͠h̴̬͒i̸̙͝s̸̖͂ ̸̗̕i̵͓̕ṣ̷͛ ̴̤̄a̶̗͠ ̵͓̓t̵̟́e̶͖͐s̵̪̋t̶̃ͅ,̵̘͝ ̷͑ͅi̵̭̎s̴͍̓ ̶̯͌i̶

Telrenya reciprocated Vigilon's bow. After all that happened in the previous weeks, Vigilon was just itching for a fair fight. No non damage build to beat with little resistance, no absolute bullcrap, no nasty tricks hidden from view, and of course, no eldritch nightmares or voices in Vigilon's head. While this may have been Vigilon's chance for a fair fight for once, he kind of felt bad that a victory for him would also lessen a potential friend's chances of making it into the brackets, and he was really looking forward to her at least making it that far. In the end, however, this was a compe

Well, if there was one thing that was certain, the crowds were now much more in number, and dedication! Vigilon also did not expect to see banners that resembled something oddly close to what he was once thinking of...and, well, if his latest connections with a few individuals were anything to go by, someone must have made use of the emblem he'd drawn up as a prototype...and, oddly enough, it was looking good here at the moment. Maybe he'd keep it that way. He noticed a few familiar faces in the crowd that supported Vigilon. Obviously there was Krysta there in the crowd. Aside from the madness

Vigilon nodded his head in response to his opponent's agreement. If he was gonna win this, he'd have to make it quick...not that these voices in his head were making it easy. "Just...block them out somehow, there's gotta be a way to block out the voices so I can focus on the fight..." He thought. "Y̷͜͝è̵̦s̴̙̈́,̵̼̈́ ̵̭̽d̵̳́ȍ̸̼ ̸̺́k̴͇̈é̴̢ȇ̸͜p̶̣͊ ̸̮̄y̶̼̕o̸̠̒u̵̬̕r̷͈͝ ̴̢͘f̸̻͒ó̸̖c̵̦͛ủ̸̼s̵̳̈́ ̴͚̇ő̶͈n̶̘̊ ̸͍̿t̷̞͝h̴̹̊ẽ̸͙ ̸͔͝b̵̼͌a̸̝̾t̴͈͌ţ̴͒l̸̖̿ė̵̙.̶̤͠ ̴̪͛P̶̙͊u̶̳̒t̴̨͒ ̶̟̉h̷̡̄i̶̊ͅm̵͚̏ ̶̺̈́i̴̛̫n̷̘̍ ̵̟͒h̵̪̉i̴̙͒s̷̖͂ ̵̹͆p̷̞̕l̶̖͑ǎ̷͜c̶̭͒e̶͈͋,̸̜̄ ̸͚͐t̶̛͙h̴̛͓ȩ̶̉n̶̠̐ ̶̩̾c̸̪͘ř̷̝ṷ̸̇s̷͈͛h̷̜́ ̶̝̈́h̷̾