Vigilon

             First time for everything...

     Krysta hadn't drawn her weapon at all in this fight, let alone attacked. She was probably following Nari's orders, but this wasn't something that could be expected of her. Once Vigilon landed from the attack he'd previously dealt to the boss, He noticed that Mina had managed to deal a devastating blow against the boss as well, and by the surge of color, Vigilon could only guess there was a wide array of ailments involved. Vigilon's weapon had two notable powers that were enhancement based, one being a surge of fallen energy like he'd accomplished with his devastating attack, the other being a shadowed, hellish blaze that burned like a dragon's flame.

         Vigilon was about to make a complimentary remark to Mina when he heard Jomei's voice, congratulating him on his powerful attack against the boss. Vigilon turned to see him, and with a smile, his expression showing acknowledgment of Jomei's words, as well as his determination in this fight, he gave the ginger a thumbs-up. The other damaging players in his party let loose at the boss as well. All there was to do now was to simply keep going.

                         Then the HP bars of the boss were revealed.
                 ...Six. Six health bars. Didn't bosses normally have three? Maybe the fact that the players had already chopped down one of six and were already whittling the other one down meant something. Vigilon shrugged, and prepared his next attack. With yet another hit he managed to time properly, this was looking to be the easy part of this fight. If there was anything he knew about actual bosses, there was some kind of gimmick or trick up its sleeve... And he knew it had yet to reveal its hand, so to speak, for it had paid the players nearly no mind. The players had cut down one of its HP bars, and yet somehow the boss was acting like it was barely a scratch.

ID# 215502 BD: 2+5=7(hit), CD: 9(ST-B Available!)

AoE-I: 28x15=420 Damage to Wushen, Elemental Warlord!

+1 Hate(Note: Fixed Hate from previous turn, it got missed in the stat block)

                           The first person to meet Vigilon over at the safe zone's edge was Krysta. It was haunting enough to know that he was going to one of the riskiest and most dangerous battles in the game, but the fact that Krysta was going as well...it kind of hurt him inside, he wanted to be able to see her again, and he doubted he'd be able to forgive himself if something were to happen to her...
                                             He noticed the tiara that Krysta was wearing. It really suited her, and complimented her appearance, in his eyes. Deep down inside, he didn't want this to be the last day he ever sees her. Krysta tried to reassure Vigilon, saying that the two would be able to make it, even if the battle forced them to retreat. However, Vigilon had heard rumors of some combat scenarios disabling teleport crystals...this wasn't one of them, was it? Hopefully not...

          He looked at Krysta, his expression worried, as his fears couldn't be held down any longer. Before he could speak, however, a voice called out to the two. Vigilon looked and saw one of the players from the meeting. "Yeah, that's where the floor boss room is located, isn't it?" He responded. The player then asked if he could walk with Vigilon and Krysta. "Sure, definitely." He answered. "There's safety in numbers, after all, isn't there?" He added, on the assumption that there may be danger up ahead on the way to the boss room itself. With his luck, he doubted he wouldn't come across anything that one of the players would pull aggro on along the way. Then Alkor showed up, wearing the armor Vigilon had made for him. It really gave the guy a totally different vibe just by the appearance of the armor alone. "We were just about to head for the labyrinth. Since there's strength and safety in numbers, we might as well head there together, might reduce the chances of anything aggressive we find becoming a problem along the way, right?" He noted.

       The Shadow Lungwyrm nearly paid no mind as it basically swatted at the players. Would anything ever be enough? The players were surviving pretty easily so far, but...

                       This thing wasn't like anything else in Aincrad that he'd fought before. This impression wasn't from stats, not yet, anyway...but it was more about this creature's behavior, the way it carried itself...its absolute...indifference. In this beast, there was...nothing. Void.
               This monster, Wushen, was titled "Elemental Warlord", based on the name displayed above the HP Bars above its head, not that Vigilon was able to see it easily. This monster confused him. Was this boss an incarnation of elemental forces, an incarnation of void that used elemental forces? The boss did not speak, so Vigilon had yet to know anything about it, other than its name, combat tactics, and temperament so far.

             Nari called out her orders, and it was Vigilon's luck that he had the sword art he needed for this scenario. He charged up his sword art, which currently varied based on what power was currently flowing through his weapon at levels that resulted in a surge of power upon a successful hit. He took a deep breath, as his weapon began to glow both a deep violet and a burning red, laced with traces of dark energy. "Kyrkuran...zyn gre zhal xe shiul vyeil natho!" He knew not what he spoke, but he had heard the words before, and knew they were linked to his weapon somehow. When he spoke them, he felt a deep shadow within both the weapon and himself. Was this common with Kyrkuran, especially now that it was restored to its original power?
                       His Sword Art ready, he made way for the Lungwyrm, and with a flurry of strikes, digging his weapon into his foe with each hit, as the fallen energy surged throughout the attack, blasting when he finished the sword art with a forceful, focused strike.

             "Maybe this could be enough to at least leave a dent in its HP..." He thought, and hoped.

ID# 215193 BD: 7+5=12(hit, Fallen Activates!)

ST-B: (28+16)x20-15=865 Damage to Wushen, Elemental Warlord!

+1 Hate

                                A Lungwyrm; A dragon of Asian folktales.

           Honestly, given this game's point of origin and the factor of the Wuxing being at play, Vigilon should have expected this. However, little did the boss know that there was more than one dragon in the room(figuratively, of course).

               This was Vigilon's first time in a Floor Boss raid. Every decision counted. Krysta would activate Barrier, which would allow the players some room for trial and error for a short time. While the party leader was Nari, Krysta still felt the need to encourage and spur on the party as a whole. Vigilon was perfectly fine with it, however, as they were all a team; in this together. "You've got it, Krysta!" Vigilon replied. It was time to get this show on the road...

                          Vigilon held a firm grip on his weapon, Kyrkuran, and sped over to the boss, striking the monster with his sword art. This would only be the first of many hits, and given that this was a raid boss, it was probably going to take some time and improvising to get it right. All he could hope was that he was enough to play his part.

Charge used(8 EN)

ID# 214997 BD: 5+5-1=9(hit), CD: 12(ST-B Available!)

AoE-I: (28+3)x15-75=390 Damage to Wushen, Elemental Warlord

+1 Hate

                           It was about time that mess was taken care of. At least there won't be any nasty surprises from anything except the boss for the rest of the day. The problem, however, was time. He didn't know if he'd make it, but he'd sure as hell try.

            Running through the labyrinth at top speed, with Krysta following from behind, Vigilon began making his way over to the boss door where the other frontliners hopefully were. After all he'd been through so far, what came next should hopefully be able to go without a hitch. He didn't know how much time he was taking as he nearly sprinted his way over, and neither did he care. He just wanted to make sure the fight would go smoothly...and there was only one way to find out. 

          Entering the area where the others were felt like breaking into a room. Chances are, he may have just made things awkward. "*gasp*, *pant, pant* I'm... *pant, pant* Sorry I'm... *pant* Sorry I'm late, *pant, pant*..." 

                Absolutely embarrassed, he simply looked around the room to see the situation. The area was open, and everyone was making final preparations. He'd need to get to finishing preparations himself, especially since his consumables have worn off. He spotted a table with a number of feasts on top of it. He would take his pick, but he only had five. Hopefully everyone would be able to make it out of this situation alive...

                           The only people he truly knew were...well, actually, only Krysta. He had some acquaintances, namely Mina, Jomei, Night, Nari(barely) Morningstar and Alkor, who'd helped him and Krysta take care of something before it could become everyone's problem...oh, and Freyd was there, too. He never really understood the guy, especially when he left Vigilon at the mercy of his first encounter with the Knights of Cinnabar. Thank God he had allies for the most recent issue they caused...

                        With the consumables consumed, and the salve applied, he now needed to group up with the party he was assigned to. He'd taken notes of what party he was with, at least, so he had a list of who his party members would be.

Consumed the following:

1 Tiger's Balm(Antidote III)

1 Liquor of Light(DMG III)

1 Portion of Mooncake Gift Box(ACC II) B

1 Portion of Sou Platter(Protein II) B

1 Portion of [T4]Peking Duck Tray(MIT III) B

Stat Block:

Vigilon: HP 800/800, EN 114/114 | DMG: 28 | MIT: 98 | EVA: 2 | ACC: 5 | FLN: 16 | BLGT: 32 | BRN: 56 | LD: 6 | DOTE: 3/3

Stats and Equipment:

                         The day had come for the raid. He wasn't sure about this feeling within himself, the fact that he was heading off to help the frontliners in one of the most dangerous battles in the whole game...it was like this sense of dread had just welled up inside him within seconds, and the settlement was almost eerily quiet. Vigilon took a deep breath, and stepped off of the Teleport Platform. Well, that was the easiest part, next was to head over to the boss room, where the other frontliners would be gathering. The anticipation nearly made him shudder, and it was a different, yet similar feeling to when he first stepped outside the safe zone during his time in this game. Every decision would count, and one slip could cost him or his allies greatly.

                        Ronbaru was a large settlement, so he felt safe for a time... when he neared the edge of Ronbaru's safe zone, he slowed down, stopping at the edge itself.

     He didn't know if he was ready, but there was only one way to find out...that, however, will need courage.

Stats and Equipment:

Purchasing:

Teleport crystal x5(4000 col)

[T4]Immolation Potion x4(4800 col)

Total cost of 8800 col paid to @Banker

                               Vigilon had no gosh darn clue how he always came across this guy's nomadic mercantile encampment whenever he was in need of consumables. But having had consumables from this player in the past, he knew very well that it was both a blessing and a curse. While one would be lucky to come across this guy in their time of need, and the buffs were effective, the taste was either absent, or not good enough.

      But hey, sometimes you've gotta tread on thorns before you walk with roses....or, however else that phrase went.

            Vigilon looked over the various items and the buffs they provided, before grabbing a bunch of them and bringing them over to the shopkeep, along with a bag full of the col required to purchase them. "I'm not even gonna question anything anymore, I'm just gonna buy these since you're here." He said, nearly deadpanning.

Purchasing:

Creme Brulee x4(2000 col)

Smores x4(2000 col)

Gelato x4(2000 col)

Mousse x4(2000 col)

Skewer Roll x4(2000 col)

Total cost of 10,000 col paid to @Demian

                    Vigilon had a lot to do and he knew it. However, he also needed to be ready. He messaged Krysta, telling her that he would cover the cost of both their consumables. While this put a dent in his initial financial plan, it wasn't anything a bunch of grinding couldn't fix.

              He at least knew of one highly reliable place where he could go for consumables, so now he was on his way there. When he reached the player ran shop of Cintamani, he would waste no time picking out the consumables he needed, then he would place them all on the counter, along with the col payment this required. "I'll be buying all these." He began. "I'm not doomsday prepping, I swear."

Purchasing:

Liquor of Light x4(3200 col)

Imugi's Inspiration x3(9000 col)

Mortal Instants x4(8000 col)

Shadows Withal x4(3200 Col)

Total cost of 23,400 Col paid to @Bistro

            It hadn't taken very long for the man needing the armor to arrive. Upon recognition of the player, Vigilon would pull out the set of armor from under the counter, and place it on the counter in front of him. "I do believe this here is what you needed?" He asked.

                   Once the exchange was complete, Vigilon would wave the man farewell as he parted with his new armor. With that taken care of, it was time to continue on to the remaining preparations for the raid. He still had much to do in only a dwindling amount of time.

-Given [T4]Titan's Ward(MIT II, Taunt) to @Alkor

Name: Titan's Ward
Your Profession: Blacksmith
Your Rank: 7
Roll ID: 214887
Roll Result: Fusion
Item Type: Heavy Armor
Tier: 4
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Mitigation(2), Taunt
Description: A set of armor forged from an alloy tougher than steel, its design simple yet eye-catching. Pointed, angular pauldrons, gauntlets with sharp ends on their gloves' armored fingertips(despite them not counting as a viable claw weapon of any sort), armored boots appearing as though the feet were those of a beast, and a helm with a liftable visor, with said visor having a simple yet effective design, the face of a mighty warrior, and the helm itself having spikes and horns jutting from it, as though forming a battlecrown of sorts around it. When the visor covers the wearer's face, the wearer's eyes seem to glow from behind it. The full set even comes with a crimson cloak, drawing further attention to the individual who wears this armor. Its very appearance could make the wearer appear as a threat, like a mighty Titan standing tall and firm. On the front of its chestplate is a design resembling the head of a manticore, with trails of fire surrounding the whole of it. May he or she who wears this armor into battle fight with valor, and strike fear into the hearts of their enemies.
Post Link: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/15721-f7r7-blacksmith/?do=findComment&comment=674378

[Day 42] [8/2/2023]

Crafting Results:

Fusions:

Fusion Evaluation:

Item 1: [T4]Demolition(Straight Sword, Taunt, VAMP-O, ACC)[#*tag-2]

Item 2: [T4]Exaltation(Straight Sword, AA, ACC II)[206644]

-Gleaming Scale and Demonic Shard used, sent by third party to the Banker(see post for details)

Resulting Item: [T4]Cusp(Straight Sword, AA, VAMP-O, ACC II)

Post Link: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/15721-f7r7-blacksmith/?do=findComment&comment=674318

Fusions:

[T4]Demolition(Straight Sword, Taunt, VAMP-O, ACC)[#*tag-2] was combined with [T4]Exaltation(Straight Sword, AA, ACC II)[206644] to create [T4]Cusp(Straight Sword, AA, VAMP-O, ACC II)

-Demonic Shard and Gleaming Scale provided by Iris(See above post)

ID# 214843 [ID assigned.]

Finished Item: T4]Cusp(Straight Sword, AA, VAMP-O, ACC II)[214843]

               Vigilon was not expecting Krysta to laugh.

    He slowly turned to look at her, his expression having plenty of confusion with a hint of shock, his eyes wide, as she laughed in response to the girl's offer. She then proceeded to outright oust the girl on her shrewd negotiating, insisting that the weapon had a greater minimum value. Maybe...Vigilon was too used to being generous with his col charges. Even then, the shock value from hearing Krysta laugh would be the same.

                              Krysta would decide on a counter offer, and the girl seemed to hesitate before making her decision. Based on a lack of mention in terms of service access, it would seem that Krysta probably wasn't going to be considered welcome to her business anytime soon. The trade was made, and that was that.

                 Now that that was over with, Vigilon would look and see that it was too late to bring up the topic to the meeting itself, as people were starting to leave...so he'd just bring it up to Krysta instead. "So...we're gonna need consumables for this. Even if we can't bring it up to the gathering, what do you suggest we do about that other than the usual?" He asked, clearly referring to just scavenging around the local alchemists and cooks for available consumables for them to buy.

Fusion Evaluation:

Item 1: [T4]Kyrkuran(Straight Sword, Fallen II, Blight)

Item 2: [T4]Draco Fury(Straight Sword, Accuracy, Paralyze, Burn)

-Used one Demonic Shard for resulting item to be Demonic Quality.

-Used one Gleaming Scale for unique enhancement preservation.

Resulting Item: [T4]Kyrkuran(Straight Sword, Fallen II, Blight, Burn)

Post Link: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/15721-f7r7-blacksmith/?do=findComment&comment=674249

Fusions:

[T4]Kyrkuran(Straight Sword, Fallen II, Blight)[202641d] was combined with [T4]Draco Fury(Straight Sword, Accuracy, Paralyze, Burn)[187083].

-Demonic Shard used, Item Quality is now Demonic.
-Gleaming Scale used, Unique enhancements preserved.

ID# 214670 [ID assigned.]

Finished Item: [T4]Kyrkuran(Straight Sword, Fallen II, Blight, Burn)[214670]

Old Item:

Reason for Re-Evaluation: <<Cerberus Etching>> used.

Link to thread of acquired <<Cerberus Etching>>: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/39194-pp-f9-of-raging-fires/

New Item:

                   Vigilon saw how the meeting turned out to be way shorter than anticipated, and things were already drawing to a close. The latest arrival had mentioned something that everyone else seemed to forget, but before Vigilon could speak, someone approached Krysta about the Freeze Sword she had. Krysta made her explanation about the weapon, that it was a quest reward, but this one ended up becoming stronger by being upped to the current highest tier...kinda like how some of Vigilon's gear got upped after that weird black storm...maybe that had been the case for this item? Honestly, he couldn't explain that moment, but uh, who could possibly argue with results?

                        The girl named her price, and seeing that it was a Tier four item...only Rare in quality, despite the unique enhancement it had... "Yeah, that sounds kind of fair to me." He remarked. It was a generous price, but fair. 

            Vigilon was ready to deal with what looked like another new customer. When he received the order form, however, he'd take a short moment to look at the order form, then look to the player with confusion, look to the order form, then back to the player. "..."

            His confused look would persist for a few seconds, then his face straightened out as he spoke. "...Wait...I know you..."
                               With a chuckle, he'd continue. "With the hair color change, I'll admit, it took me a bit to notice. Heck, you were in the meeting and I didn't even recognize you back there!" He remarked. "So, given the enhancements and item types I'm seeing here..." He said, as he pulled out three items that he still had yet to put into stock for purchase(yet it looked like he wouldn't be doing that this time), and placed them on the counter. "I suppose you would like to have these three returned to you instead. Free of charge, by the way. I'm sure it'll help in the raid, after all, plus they were originally yours, anyway."

Offering to give to @Nari-Lanreth:

                                     The situation was going smoothly, both attack interruptions aside. Night and Dazia were cutting this thing down with little trouble at all. Dazia finished off the first head, and Night made a major assault against the remaining center head. Now all that needed to be done was to finish this.

              Vigilon had enough, it was past time he get this over with. He readied his weapon, prepared his sword art, and walked towards the monster. No fancy tactics, no elaborate leaps to try and get a stronger attack, just keeping it simple. When he got close to Cerberus, the remaining head growled, glared at him as if he were some sort of pest, then Vigilon unleashed his sword art, finishing the battle, and quickly, to boot. Cerberus tried to remain standing, but as the last head drew its last breath, the creature fell limp, then shattered. Vigilon let out a sigh of relief, it's about time.

         He then looked to the other players. "Thanks," He began with a smile. "I don't know if I could've done this without you, both of you." He then looked to his inventory, there it was, the item he needed to repair his weapon. He sheathed his weapon and put his hands in his pockets. "So then, is there anything else that can be done, or are we parting ways for now?"

ID# 214392 BD: 7+4-2=9(hit, Fallen Activates!)

Wyrmslash: 42x12-75=429 Damage to Cerberus, Inferno's Rage(Head #2)!

Thorns Damage: Vigilon takes 25 Damage

 NIGHT | HP: 909/1242 | EN: 120/146 | DMG: 27 | ACC: 6 | EVA: 6 | BH+HB: 122 | HLY/FLN: 16 | TAUNT | [CONCENTRATION (3/3)] | [BURN: 56 (2/3)]
 Dazia | HP: 632/782 | EN: 34/86 | DMG: 28 | MIT: 104 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 6 | FLN: 8
 Vigilon | HP: 797/897| EN: 75/112 | DMG: 26 | MIT: 138 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 4 | BLI: 32, -20 MIT | FLN: 16 

Cerberus, Inferno's Rage (Head #1) HP: 0/650 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2
Cerberus, Inferno's Rage (Head #2) HP: 0/650 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2
Cerberus, Inferno's Rage (Head #3) HP: 0/650 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2

                This battle was already off to a bad start on Vigilon's end.
        Vigilon got up, to see Dazia emerge from the shadows and land her sword art on one of the heads within a split second. The fact that the injured head yelped must have meant that Dazia's attack must have felt awfully painful to it. Sure, players couldn't feel pain, aside from phantom pain, but he sure wouldn't want to be on the other end of one of Dazia's sword arts. Of course, now Dazia and the third head were glaring burning daggers at each other, so this wasn't likely to end well.

             Night intercepted the conflict by finishing off the third head. One down, two to go. Vigilon set his sights on the first head, might as well finish the thing off. He readied his sword art, leaped forward to strike the head, but then a volcanic stalactite thrust into the igneous cavern floor, getting directly in Vigilon's way.
                         Sure, he din't let go of his sword, but he took a bit of a hard hit to his entire front side, including...
                 Vigilon's instinctive reaction proved to him that there was always one spot for a guy to get impact against that would almost always trigger phantom pain. While it only lasted for a second, the fact was that his attack failed and now he was sliding down the fallen stalactite, all the way to the ground, his mouth wide open from the apparent phantom pain.

         That could have gone way better.

ID# 214155 BD: 1(Critical miss)

[2,0] NIGHT | HP: 873/1242 | EN: 131/146 | DMG: 27 | ACC: 6 | EVA: 6 | BH+HB: 122 | HLY/FLN: 16 | TAUNT | [CONCENTRATION (2/3)] | [BURN: 56 (1/3)]
[0,0] Dazia | HP: 682/782 | EN: 42/86 | DMG: 28 | MIT: 104 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 6 | FLN: 8
[0,0] Vigilon | HP: 822/897| EN: 83/112 | DMG: 26 | MIT: 138 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 4 | BLI: 32, -20 MIT | FLN: 16 

Cerberus, Inferno's Rage (Head #1) HP: 80/650 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2
Cerberus, Inferno's Rage (Head #2) HP: 650/650 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2
Cerberus, Inferno's Rage (Head #3) HP: 0/650 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2

                        The host of the meeting seemed to take note of Vigilon's guess on the Vampiric enhancement. There was no further remark, so it was clear that everyone must have known that Vigilon's guesses were really just grasping at straws.

                          There was plenty of chatter as the meeting went on, and Vigilon actually had trouble keeping up. Maybe he should have tried to take notes, even if he was bad at it. With all that was going on, he almost zoned out for a moment there, simply overthinking. Krysta would have trouble understanding Freyd's physical input that was on paper, something about Hirru thinking it was a good idea to heal the boss. Which, obviously, would be a bad idea. Second sketch, however, Krysta spoke in another language. Now the accent made sense, it would seem that Krysta might be European. Now the question was, which of the many European nations was she from? He'd have to figure that out, and possibly learn that country's dialect, if he were to make contact with her in-person after escaping this game. "I stopped understanding the guy ever since he-" Vigilon received the sketch from Krysta, but he was just as confused as he was. "What the heck...? Did he combine the English language with the Doctors' favorite unreadable font or something? This on purpose or is it a habit? I can't freaking read it..." He thought aloud.

                 Players continued to speak. Yeah, he should have been taking notes. He'd played plenty of games before, but not nearly enough MMOs. Due to this realization, he was wondering if he was lacking in this regard. "That's a great point there. Not all MMOs are the same, but it wouldn't hurt to learn some things from either the traits they share or the way they handle their bosses." He remarked, supporting @Alkor's claim. "Plenty of bosses in various games tend to come up with their own little puzzles that players have to end up solving on the fly, so it's likely that even with speculation evening the odds slightly, this game is going to test our wit as well as our might."

         Vigilon saw a familiar face arrive, he hadn't seen her since Tanabata. "Hey @Elora! It's good to see you again, how have you been?" He said to her from where he was sitting. It was nice to know that Krysta, Night, and Jomei wouldn't be the only familiar faces in this raid...as long as they didn't get hurt too badly, that is. "I know I should have been taking notes, but it seems everyone else has, if you feel like asking around for a recap before this meeting's over." He added while scratching the back of his head. From what he knew, he and this player were acquaintances, but honestly, it wouldn't hurt to have more friends one can count on. 
                         Katoka would then give her words, before sitting back down with her cheeks flushed. Was she feeling embarrassed or something? Was this her first raid meeting? At least Vigilon knew he'd be able to relate to the latter, for this was his first time as well. When Krysta spoke to Katoka, Vigilon nearly spat out his drink when Krysta's words claimed that the timing of the player's cheeks flushing was suggesting some hidden emotion. Krysta then dragged Vigilon into this by making an example of herself with him, that their bond would surely grow further. "Of course. I haven't stopped loving you, Krysta, and I don't intend to." He said with a smile, while hoping his choice of words weren't sickly sweet or too cheesy. He just wanted to speak from the heart, he did love her, after all. Of course, his expression became slightly sheepish despite his smile as his brain screamed. "When and how am I going to tell her that my middle school friend Ayaka wants in on the relationship?" He thought. He really wasn't sure that she'd approve of another woman entering Vigilon's love life, and Vigilon still didn't know how he truly felt about Koharu.

                   When Jomei spoke, Krysta agreed with his point, and added her thoughts on it. Jomei appreciated her input. It was good to know that the players were all getting their thoughts in and theorizing on what they could be up against. Vigilon was starting to wonder if most of these players were new to the frontlines, almost as though a new frontlines was forming...not that Vigilon had any decent guess, of course, he hadn't been paying much attention to the frontlines, when he was already busy trying to deal with the many other things that took up his time. Of course, with the mention that there may be another big event going on outside of the raid, he figured that he should let someone know about it. He pulled up his messenger and sent a message alerting Astralin that there might be something occurring on the twenty seventh floor while the boss raid was ongoing. Hopefully she could handle the situation, with enough help, of course.

                 Krysta then got up, and boy, did she have a lot to say. He did his best to listen to every word, for her sake, if not his own. The thought of the elements being used both offensively and defensively...like, as in it could be more than one element? One offensive Elemental state, and one Defensive Elemental state? This was just confusing, and somehow it reminded him of a concept(or was it a gimmick?) within a game he never got to play due to this game. It was called...what was it, Tera Types? Since he wasn't able to play the game in question, the concept of Tera Types would remain a theoretical one until either if, or (preferably)when, he gets out of this game. "So like, Earth and Metal with Fire? No wait, it's probably not gonna have dual typing, um..." He muttered as he thought to himself, trying to find a way everything fit together so he could have better understanding of what he and Krysta, along with everyone else here, were getting into.

                        Night went on ahead, it would seem that the party was gonna go right into the fray. Vigilon shrugged, and began to follow. Dazia wasn't in sight, so it was likely that she had entered stealth and taken the same initiative as Night had. Welp, might as well get this over with while the cavern was hot.

                When Vigilon managed to reach the cavern's innermost area, he saw Night battling the target monster. It was Cerberus, all right, and it definitely looked bigger, stronger, and nastier, too. She managed to bring down one head's HP into the red, though all three heads attacked Night and managed to chip away a third of the player's health. Night called out to Vigilon, asking if he wanted to meet the condition for unlocking a specific Sword Art. "Thanks, but I'm content with what I've got." He answered. He then looked to the monster. Given how much HP Night had already chipped away, it should be possible to try taking down this monster more easily than expected. Maybe the party didn't necessarily need to drill away at one head at a time, maybe they could overcome this beast quicker if they all just unleashed their sword arts. Three Players, three Heads. Sounded simple enough.

                The problem, however, was outsmarting the monster. Vigilon readied his sword art as he ran up to the center head, then leaped into the air to attack. The center head maintained eye contact with Vigilon as he neared it, showing no fear. "I'll show you what I can d-oof!!!" Cerberus reared up and swatted Vigilon to the side with one of its paws, knocking him away. Vigilon landed on the volcanic ground, but momentum got him rolling a meter or two. Flat on his back, but still gripping his sword, Vigilon stared blankly at the cavern ceiling over this unexpected turn of events. "Right...stronger monster, is also smarter, too. Noted." He thought aloud.

ID# 214073 BD: 2+4-2=4(miss)

[2,0,0] NIGHT | HP: 837/1242 | EN: 144/146 | DMG: 27 | ACC: 6 | EVA: 6 | BH+HB: 122 | HLY/FLN: 16 | TAUNT | [CONCENTRATION (1/3)] | [BURN: 56 (0/3)]
[0,0,0] Dazia | HP: 732/782 | EN: 61/86 | DMG: 28 | MIT: 104 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 6 | FLN: 8
[0,0,0] Vigilon | HP: 822/897| EN: 81/112 | DMG: 26 | MIT: 138 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 4 | BLI: 32, -20 MIT | FLN: 16 

Cerberus, Inferno's Rage (Head #1) HP: 80/650 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2
Cerberus, Inferno's Rage (Head #2) HP: 650/650 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2
Cerberus, Inferno's Rage (Head #3) HP: 650/650 | DMG: 175 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2

                      When Dazia explained further, it was apparent that Dazia saw a side of someone Vigilon was acquainted with, a side he'd never seen of her. "Hestia..." He thought aloud. "That was...her...? I...how could she do such a thing?" He added. Hestia had seemed like a good person at first, from what little he knew. However, from what Dazia was suggesting, maybe she was a bit misguided? Dazia seemed to present her in a manner that made her seem like an arrogant perfectionist who wanted to be the main hero. This, however, was an MMO, so in actuality there never was any "Main Hero", just a bunch of imperfect people striving for freedom and survival. Vigilon wasn't sure what to think of Hestia anymore, but he wouldn't agree with Dazia's statement of "She should've stayed dead."

                      Night failed to strike down the last Hellhound after Dazia's attack, so she left that straggler to Vigilon. He nodded in agreement, and with a simple sword art, he finished off the last Infernal Hellhound. "There. All that's left to figure out now is if there are any more of these minions, or if the next fight is Cerberus himself." He remarked.

ID# 213786 BD: 4+4-2=6(hit)

Wyrmslash(ST-I): 26x12-50=262 Damage to Infernal Hellhound 1!

Thorns Damage: Vigilon takes 25 Damage

Infernal Hell Hound#1 | HP: 0/450 | DMG: 125 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 | THORNS: 25/40 | MD9/10: +25/50 DMG | BURN ON ATTACK

[0] NIGHT | HP: 1242/1242 | EN: 144/146 | DMG: 27 | ACC: 6 | EVA: 6 | BH+HB: 122 | HLY/FLN: 16 
[0] Dazia | HP: 732/782 | EN: 61/86 | DMG: 28 | MIT: 104 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 6 | FLN: 8
[0] Vigilon | HP: 822/897| EN: 79/112 | DMG: 26 | MIT: 138 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 4 | BLI: 32, -20 MIT | FLN: 16