Vigilon

                           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 

                    The time was coming, sooner than expected, in fact. He knew Krysta would be coming, though she might arrive a minute after Vigilon, for she had something she was in the middle of dealing with. Things were starting to pick up, though Vigilon had yet to find out how or why. All that mattered, is that he needed to take a look at the situation. At the rate things were going, he might find himself doing one of the most dangerous things in this game...but hopefully he'd know what he was doing at that point.

            What he wasn't expecting, however, was for the place the meeting would be held in, to be a treasure in itself. Whose place was this? How were they able to afford it? If anything, it would be wise to act carefully, as a physical slip up would probably lead to a hefty fine. "Man...this place is a real sight..." He thought as he took in the view as he slowly made his way to the area of the room where the meeting would be taking place. At a glance, he only recognized three faces. Night, Jomei, and...Freyd.

       He probably didn't have much time to talk before the meeting started, so he could only hope this would go well. He listened intently, though he was a terrible note taker, so he'd have to remember listening to all this. The current theory was that there was an elemental system at play here, based on an Eastern Five-Element system. Vigilon, of course, would only see little more than a web full of lines. While it could have easily been a circle based element counter in terms of what is good or bad against what, Vigilon was already trying to see in his head if he could use Pokemon logic to figure out the weaknesses. Didn't necessarily offer very much, so of course he'd also have to consider the current suggestion that was the elemental circle that even had the arrows there. Maybe figuring out the advantages was a mid-fight puzzle? Hopefully they'd be able to figure it out before the fight even begins...

            A woman with red hair would give her thoughts on the scenario, and mention that she could provide static. Vigilon took a deep breath. This would be his first time speaking in a meeting that planned out a floor boss raid. "Time to shine, bud. Don't screw this up..." He thought. "I have a weapon I'm almost done restoring. When it's finished, which will be soon, the weapon will have Fallen, Blight, and Burn. If we are considering the Tai Chi concept as well as the Elemental advantage theory, I should be able to get some fair offensive coverage with it. The downside is that it's the only unique weapon I have, so I don't think I'll be swapping anytime soon." He explained to the gathered players, hoping they'll understand what he wanted to communicate. "However, I can't help but shake the feeling that, although I'm probably wrong and the boss is likely to be resistant, if not immune to it, what if bleed was an applicable ailment in a case like this? There is iron within blood, though I'm honestly not sure where such a not-so-special ailment such as bleeding out a mass of liquid and cells containing lots of iron and water, would fit in a scenario like this." He added. "Stop it, you're embarrassing yourself!" He thought, for he was not confident in this attempt to add more options in the slightest. "And what of Rending?" He continued, though he was likely to be wrong here too. "Having a Rending Familiar myself, I've come to learn that different familiars might apply Rend in different ways, depending on the creature. Because of this, I actually don't know if Rend will work at all, though the Cardinal is unlikely to apply anything better than the originally intended damage for the Rend ailment, due to the wide range of methods that familiars can use to inflict it." He noted. "Stop trying to act like you're thinking what nobody else has considered! Are you really lacking the stuff that's actually important??" He thought to himself yet again, as he attempted to hide his insecurity under his expression, not that he knew it was leaking through to a slight degree. "What I'm trying to say is, there might be more options than meets the eye that aren't easy to spot, which could be helpful to any here who might be uniquely impaired." He stated, finishing his barely baked thought. "Though, admittedly, with the concept of blood, Vampiric might make more sense against it if it were a lifesteal thing..." He muttered, unintentionally thinking out loud, not to mention not knowing how the Vampiric enhancements actually worked due to not having used any or knowing that a defensive variant of vampiric existed. Resting his left elbow on his leg, his left hand held up his forehead when he lowered his head, nearly sighing in self-frustration over the fact that he knew he could have done or said something better, yet didn't.

                                Vigilon was clever in some aspects, but not all of them. There had to be something he could get right in this scenario... "There's gotta be something we're missing...why haven't I thought of anything viable yet?" He thought to himself.

Stats and Equipment:

                 Vigilon thought carefully about what he'd said after taking Dazia's outburst into thought. He could have easily passed it off as just Dazia being angry on a regular basis, and he probably did, but when he really put the words to thought, he realized some key details. He might not have seen what she did, but he was there, too. "That was...that was the fallen event on floor thirteen, wasn't it? I wasn't there in time to see the frontliners' battle, since I was busy helping the non-frontliners that showed up fight a demon-possessed priest. Could you explain more of what happened if you really saw it?" He asked. If anything, this information could be helpful, even if it's just a memory of what things used to be on the front lines.

     Vigilon began to reconsider his words as Night spoke. From what he could guess, the satirical sarcasm that Dazia displayed may have gone completely over Night's head, though the initial point Dazia got across was clear: She didn't want to fight for the frontlines she knew of. Vigilon nodded his head. "I can see why you'd want nothing to do with them. From the perspective you shared, they'd probably get you near death if not killed. I saw them after my end of the double raid ended, and I didn't see Night among them, maybe the frontliners roster has become more reasonable? I'm not pushing you to join them, I'm just saying things might have changed since that day, not that I've been in touch with the frontlines either so of course I can't guarantee." Taking a deep breath, he would gather his thoughts before continuing. "I'm in agreement with Night on this one, this isn't a matter we should rush each other with." His expression would be calm, yet serious. "We certainly wouldn't want to get ourselves wiped or chased off for being reckless, after all."
                         His last two cents in this matter were more his personal thoughts on the matter. The enemies of the frontliners never messed around, thus selfishness, recklessness, or arrogance on anyone's end could potentially be a fatal mistake that could turn a battle in the enemy's favor. Every decision counted.

             Dazia vanished from sight, probably to finish the first enemies quickly with an attack from stealth. Night would gesture to the enemies, for the players were just outside their aggro range...all Vigilon needed to do was catch their attention with a first strike, and the other two players would do the rest.

            Vigilon roared out as he charged towards his enemies, then unleashed an area of effect sword art. The first Infernal Hellhound would jump back, barely escaping Vigilon's attack. The other two, however, were not so lucky. Dark power erupted from Kyrkuran, blasting the second hellhound into nothing in a burst of fallen energy, and afflicting the third with blight.

      Yeah, this wouldn't take long.

[Charge used. +8 Energy Cost, -1 Accuracy, and +3 base DMG for this Sword Art.]

ID# 213530 BD: 3+4-3=4(miss)

ID# 213531 BD: 8+4-3=9(hit, Fallen Activates!)

ID# 213532 BD: 9(Critical, +1 Base DMG, Inflicted Blight!)
 

Draco Rend(AoE-I):

45x15-50=625 Damage to Infernal Hellhound 2!

30x15-50=400 Damage to Infernal Hellhound 3!

Thorns Damage: Vigilon takes 50 Damage

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

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

Infernal Hell Hound#3 | HP: 50/450 | DMG: 125 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2 | THORNS: 25/40 | MD9/10: +25/50 DMG | BURN ON ATTACK [T4 Blight: 2/2 turns, 32 DMG, -20 MIT]

[0-0]NIGHT | HP: 1242/1242 | EN: 146/146 | DMG: 27 | ACC: 6 | EVA: 6 | BH+HB: 122 | HLY/FLN: 16 
[0-0]Dazia | HP: 782/782 | EN: 86/86 | DMG: 28 | MIT: 104 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 6 | FLN: 8
[0-2]Vigilon | HP: 847/897| EN: 87/112 | DMG: 26 | MIT: 138 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 4 | BLI: 32, -20 MIT | FLN: 16 

         Night sent a friend request to Vigilon as they were finishing up on the terms of the agreement, to which he accepted.

                     Night would state an unexpected set of terms for Dazia when she attempted to get her hands on Adjudicator. The floor boss raid...
             Vigilon looked to Dazia. He knew that the frontlines were gonna need all the help they could get, but was Dazia really willing to risk her life for a sword? He knew enough to guess that she wouldn't throw herself blindly into the fray, and was likely to bail if things got too dangerous for her. He'd seen her fight in raids before, but not a single one was a floor boss. Vigilon himself had considered the thought of helping out at the frontlines from time to time, but he wasn't feeling super confident back then. Now, he knew that he might stand a decent chance if there were enough people. This would be more difficult of a request for Dazia than for Vigilon.
                   "...I mean, it wouldn't hurt to give it some thought." Vigilon pointed out. "You've fought in raids before, did well in plenty of them, only the first one you were in gave you any trouble." He recalled. "And, well, we're both at the maximum tier and level, paragons excluded, I know I've got twenty five paragon levels to my name, I'm sure you've got a fair number yourself." He continued. "Many hands make light work, and there is strength in numbers. I'm sure you'll be fine, and if things start to go bad, well, you've always got a teleport crystal, right?" With a sigh, he would continue. "This Cerberus is a bit of a toughie in terms of offense, from what I've heard. Maybe you can consider this a test of survival, help you mull over whether you can last or not. Should help with the decision, at least." He finished, placing his hand on her shoulder. Hopefully this didn't trigger her over height or anything, he just wanted to encourage and reassure her.

               Regardless of what Dazia's decision might be, it was time to move on and continue the quest. He would accept the party request sent to him, and the journey would begin. There wasn't much room for words along the trip, aside from the strategy that Night suggested. Vigilon nodded in understanding. It wouldn't be long before the trio would arrive at the cave's entrance.

                  The other player would ask what Vigilon's sword needed. "Based on what's been grayed out as well as crossed out on the weapon's stats, I'd say the missing enhancement is Burn, which I've heard is supplied by that drop the Cerberus we're after has." He answered.
             Dazia asked Vigilon if he was able to convince Krysta to give up the chase. He ended up scratching the back of his head nervously. "Weeeeelllll..."

        "Let's just say my last attempt didn't go as well as I'd hoped, she's still too heated to lower her guard about the subject..." He admitted sheepishly.

                   Every mood changed when Vigilon pulled out the weapon he'd found. Dazia asked where he found it, then asked the other player, referring to her as Night, if that was her weapon. Based on Night's reaction, it seemed that it was indeed the case. Before he could speak another word, however, Night pulled a weapon out of her inventory and offered a trade, stating the stats and terms of the weapon she was offering in exchange for Oathkeeper's return. Vigilon smiled. "I will gladly accept the trade, and return this blade to its rightful owner." He stated, handing the weapon over to Night. "So let me just make sure I've gotten this straight, you're saying you'll give me Adjudicator after dealing with this fight you have after tomorrow? Did I get that right?" He asked, making sure he understood how this trade would go, even though he'd already held to his end of the bargain by returning Oathkeeper as soon as the trade offer was made.

                      The moment the terms were cleared up, there came some abruptly spoken words from Dazia.

   "I want it."
                 If it weren't for the trace of confusion in Vigilon's expression when he turned to look at Dazia, it would have been a blank stare. "...Come again?"
            "You heard me." Dazia began. "Adjudicator. I want it. You can already handle yourself well with the weapon you're working on restoring, right? You'd have less use for Adjudicator at that point, it'll just be sitting there in your inventory."
                              Vigilon let out a sigh, then seemed to be in thought for a moment. "If Night's fine with it, I suppose we can work something out, but as she explained when mentioning its enhancements, it's a fully unique weapon. That's gonna cost you." He decided. "If you don't have an item of close enough value, we can easily negotiate col, I think about twenty-two to twenty-five grand would be fine, what do you think?" He offered, and from his perspective, this amount of col could be grinded easily at Dazia's level. Dazia would then make a preposterous counter offer of six grand. "Ok fine, how about just solid twenty grand, then?" Vigilon shot back. Another counter offer, this time it was nine thousand. "For a high tier unique item like this, both the power and value would, at least at this point in time, be considered as over nine thousand, like maybe eighteen thousand." He remarked. Yet another counter offer, this time it was ten thousand. "Erm, close but not quite, I'd say sixteen thousand might do." He considered.
             "Thirteen thousand, and that's my final offer." Came Dazia's response.
       Vigilon took a few seconds to consider it. With a mild sigh, he made his decision. "Fine by me, but since it's Night's item, I think she should have the final say on it." He looked over to Night. "You cool with this?" He asked. Since Night was Adjudicator's current owner and the one who offered to trade, she should have a say in this.

     Once Dazia had her consumable fill, Vigilon would be offered the tray of consumables to take his pick of what was left. 
               ...If only they tasted better, though. "....You got this from that wandering camper, didn't you?" He asked. The tasteless and near-tasteless foods were familiar enough to make a guess on. Taste wasn't exactly the best, but it got the job done when there was no one else supplying buffs in the area. When he got the chance to down the potion, however, that was a different experience. With a chuckle, he'd remark, "Well, at least this makes it all go down smoother."

            Once he was finished, he looked to the two other players. "Are there any preparations left to take care of, other than forming a party?" He asked, hoping he'd made sure the three players were finished before setting out.

-Given [T4]Oathkeeper to Night

Consumed:

-Smores(EVA II)
-[T4]Yaki Hatahata((MIT III)
-Creme Brulee(ACC II)
-Beef Stew(Overhealth III)
-Liquor of Light(DMG III)