Vigilon

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

The floor was strange, devoid of human life, permanently overcast or stormy...not to mention it reeked of Abyssal Eldritch activity. There was no crowd of NPCs, just an unknown entity that none with a sane mind would dare acknowledge, watching the small little players that served as a reminder of what once was in this desolate, forgotten realm... Vigilon felt a presence bearing down on him as he neared the location of the arena. By the time he entered the ring, it felt like an inescapable gaze. "Don't look up." He thought, feeling the gaze more then ever. "Just, don't look up..." He

Why, why was it all happening like this? What kind of opponent was he dealing with here? Was he experiencing an actual nightmare this time, despite what last week had felt like? Was this all just one big nightmare? No, no! It can't end like this! Vigilon shook his head, his HP was already in the red but he was unwilling to accept defeat so easily. If Acanthus wanted to win, she'd have to knock his lights out for it. He had one last hope. He readied his focus, and he prepared one last charge. This was his only opportunity, he wouldn't get a chance like this again. His sword glowed as the system

Vigilon had to stay on his feet, or he'd miss his chance. He saw the mark noting the availability of his strongest attack, so he'd need to make sure he wouldn't find himself lacking. Avie quickly made her way over to him with all due haste, before unleashing the Dagger Variant of Blazing Bite. Looks like she wasn't gonna need to score a critical to inflict a burn with a sword art like that...where did she get it? Regardless, Vigilon felt the tingling from his burn. "We may be even in ailments, but maybe it's time to even the odds again." Vigilon decided. He took a deep breath as his weapon beg

Turns out, Avie was not above stabbing a disabled opponent. She lifted him up with her free hand, then struck his defenseless back with her weapon. Turns out, Vigilon didn't have enough proper protection behind, but at least he didn't suffer any criticals. Hell, it didn't even look like she was aiming for a weak spot, it seemed more like she was testing his equipment for a moment there. She then rapidly moved her free hand from gripping his equipment to gripping his left arm. She squeezed it, as if looking for details hidden by his equipment. "Ah...Anticipated? Unantici

Other players had taken notice of what was unfolding here now. All of them were members of the Knights of Cinnabar. Vigilon and Avie would be directed to the hideout's sparring arena, where Avie would proceed to send a duel request to Vigilon. She must have used proximity challenge and selected the username she didn't recognize, but at least she guessed correctly, as the request popped up in front of him. Vigilon would accept the duel request, and take position. Vigilon drew Kyrkuran, and waited for the timer to start the duel. Various Cinnabar players gathered to watch, won

Vigilon blinked. He wasn't sure what to do. Avie continued looking towards Vigilon. "It looks like you will need to be tested, before you can help." She explained. Well, sure? Like, what's the worst that could happen? He was still missing information, and that player's uniform looked suspiciously similar...but what could possibly go wrong? "I accept." Vigilon answered. Avie then removed the desert cloths obscuring her actual apparel. Turns out, Vigilon would find himself in for a surprise.

Vigilon would follow the girl, who would knock on what seemed to be a door. She knocked multiple times in a specific pattern, by the looks of it. What pattern that was, however, was still unknown...especially when something knocked back. The girl would start knocking again. Was this Simon Says or Morse Code? Vigilon was having trouble telling. Soon, the doors opened, and Vigilon was able to follow the girl inside. The structure, from what he could first see, seemed to be filled with plenty of papers plastered across many different points on the walls, either depicting wh

The girl would nod her head, and the two players would begin making their way to the currently mystery destination. Despite the lack of sandstorms on this current day, the heat made the trip a harsh one. It seemed harsh enough to parch the two players. "Energy...decreasing...hydration...low..." The female player spoke as she began to slow down severely. Vigilon pulled out two glass bottles of water from his inventory, and offered the colder one to the girl. The girl's eyes lit up slightly. "Thank you..." She stopped to take the bottle, then she popped off the cork and drank what she needed, be

Vigilon needed to think this through. If he took too long to act, he'd lose his chance to go for a comeback. Luck clearly wasn't on his side here so he was left having to go to any and every tactic at his disposal. He needed to become less predictable. That little stunt he'd pulled earlier seemed to help, so why not try confusing his opponent? He would poisition himself to begin a Sword Art, but spun around to kick up another dust cloud instead. He then leapt to the side, advanced towards Acanthus, , but stopped with a spin halfway to try and kick up even more sand. He leapt to another spot, l