[F8-PP] In Your Arms (Opal)

[Phillia 0]

Phillia had no clue as to why she started roaming the eight floor, maybe it was because of the high rewards involved in it, or just the thrill of adventure. She didn't know, and neither did she care, the girl would just sit behind the trunk of a tree and hear the ambient sounds lost in thought. A nice breeze came by and cooled the air around her. 'I could sit here forever!' In a short time, Phillia began to feel sleepy, and even drifted off to sleep. The rest was short lived as a couple of orange players made their way into the forest. The leader looked at her and said "What do we have here, a girl! She's cute, whadd'ya guys say we mug her?" The other players shouted in joy and brought out their weapons, "Look kid, we only want your items. Hand them over and nobody gets hurt. Isn't that what were supposed to say Kayosuki?" She shook her head and brought out her own weapon paying close attention to the leader.

Phillia 24/24 HP 6/6 Energy

Kayosuki (Leader): 40/40 HP

???: 20/20 HP

???: 20/20 HP

???: 20/20 HP

[Opal 0]

Opal had not explored much of floor eight in all her time in Aincrad. There had been better floors and the treacherous paths of the stilted lodgings that rose beyond the water's edge seemed like not a very plausible place to hunt for mobs. Yet, the woman knew she may end up needed something from this floor sooner or later and it was better to get the floor data she needed rather than go it alone blind. She was uninterested in mobs on this floor and as such the woman faded from her white pristine armor to a shade of green as her <<Stealth>> kicked in. The woman had been saving all her skill points for such a time when they were needed to be spent. Sure, she could carelessly give herself more damage for her initial attacks by adding on her <<Charge>> but the impulse buy of the skill was now becoming more of a regret. 

The mobs would not be able to find her in her camouflage, but her ears picked at the sound of noise coming a bit aways from her. Curious, the Vice Commander continued to tread upon the shallow forest floor, her steps light as a feather as she moved along the trees as if she were a ghost. A group of four orange players had surrounded something, Opal could not see from an obstructed view and getting closer could be dangerous. Orange players...murderers, perhaps? But everyone had a reason whether it was good or bad to be tainted with such a thing. She had known players of the cursed mark, it did not make them bad people, then again...a crime is a crime. Opal leaned on the tree casually listening to the conversation, so they had expected to poach from younger player. A small girl by the looks of it, this could get ugly if Opal kept her mouth shut. How did she end up getting in this mess? It wasn't hers to begin with, on such a floor like this in for the forest, you'd be sure to run into a few thugs. 

Ill prepared newbies was something that happened quite often, was it Opal's duty to help her, this young girl? She shook her head, the stealth becoming disengaged as the woman spoke, "Orange players!" the voice boomed behind them catching their attention, "I'll give you a chance to walk away from this situation or else you will leave me with no choice..." 

"Hahaha...and who the hell--" the man looked at Opal, it didn't take a genius to figure out whom the colors belonged to, Opal the Vice Commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath. They were more than welcome known even to the Orange Players that dotted the areas outside of the villages and towns. 

"Why does the Vice Commander care about what happens to the players down in the ghetto? So far from your Front Lines? This matter is of little importance to you, and this girl even more so. Leave us to our business...Or things might get a little intense here. You fight mobs...we kill players. There is a world of difference between the two."

Opal laughed, her red lips curling into a smile. She ignored the threat and her voice, sweet and soft called out to the young girl with the blue hair, "I'll let you decide what we shall do with them. They are the ones who were about to wrong you, it is best fitting for you to decide their fate." The woman raised her hand as a massive large sword felt into her hand. The Masamune X, one day in the past, she told someone that this very sword would be forever known to all the people of Aincrad. And now, as the long blade appeared in her hands they knew very well of what the Masamune was, already the name was becoming legendary.

"Hey Boss...maybe we should...just forget about this whole thing? She looks serious..."

[Phillia 0]

Phillia looked at Opal in awe, was that really the vice commander of the Knights of The Blood? She thought it was fishy, but as soon as she saw the Masamune X, she was sure of it. The leader of the orange players, Kayosuki ordered them to attack the low leveled player (Phillia). "Don't just stand there idiots! Attack her! If things go south we can just use our teleport crystals! C'mon, this is only your third PK, don't just sit chicken out when there's a high level, we can take her out!" With those words being spoken, two of the orange players attack Opal, and one focuses on Phillia. Kayosuki's crystal turns green and he gives the two a wicked smile before using his teleport crystal. (He only hit a player once and his orange crystal naturally turned green over time.) The one that attacked Phillia used his sword art <<Snake Bite>>. Two orange player who targeted Opal also use sword arts (<<Snake Bite>> and <<Uppercut>>) What they didn't know was that Phillia had thorns and could easily finish the three of them off (excluding the level 10 leader)

ID#48477

Mob 7

Success!

6 DMG (Not counting mitigation)

ID#48478

Mob 8

Success!

4 DMG (Not counting mitigation)

ID#48479

Mob 1

Fail!

Phillia: 23/24 HP 6/6 Energy

Opal: 140/144 HP 36/36 Energy

???: 11/20 HP 5/5 Energy 3 DMG

???: 20/20 HP 5/5 Energy 2 DMG, 1 ACC

???: 20/20 HP 5/5 Energy 2 DMG, 1 ACC

 

Edited February 18, 2016 by Phillia

[Opal 0]

Opal stood in her place as she watched the insignificant damage whittle her HP bar. She sighed and shook her head, orange gashes over her body soon faded with time and she could do nothing more but sit idly by and watch them attempt to make a futile attempt at her life, the woman stepped forward brandishing her weapon, "We can do this all day long, and you'd still not be able to take me down. Her on the other, you could probably kill. But today, that is not going to happen. And it won't happen tomorrow either..." the Vice Commander took another step forward, her words weighing heavy on their minds as they looked at one another, "Do you honestly get paid enough to die for a man such as your leader who runs away from his own battles to leave you here to rot? Be smart about this...run away while you still draw breath. And if you so much touch another hair on top of that girl's head, I swear I will hunt you down and decimate the very thing you hold to value in this world. Now...Leave."

Opal raised her hand as if she was about to unleash her Masamune X, the katana slowly coming out of the saya as she attempted to make it as agonizingly slow as possible for them to get the idea out of their head that they could win this battle. It was a futile attempt, and Opal was not in the mood to dampen her blade with the blood of idiots. She had not crossed that line and she was told by her late master that she would one day be crossed with such a decision, yet she gave them a chance to run like cowardly dogs to at least see the light of day once more. But her threat to harm the little bluenette was far from a bluff, Opal's eyes showed burning fire and an unsettling rage. Should they prove to press her, they will most certainly never forget this day.

[Phillia 0]

"She's bluffing! Everyone, rotate, this is going to be tough." The orange players only smiled, were they that bloodthirsty? Two of them were aiming to kill Phillia (Dumb choice cause she has Thorns) while the one with the highest damage targeted Opal. "This is your last chance ladies, give us your items or die!" All of the ruffians shouted inaudible language in unison, probably PK'er speak. The bluenette didn't give them a chance to stand there idle without doing anything, so she used her sword art <<Sweep>> to get this over with, killing the orange player that targeted Opal while dealing significant damage tp the ones attacking her.

ID#48542

Battle 10

Critical Succes!

Phillia: 23/24 HP 2/6Energy

DMG: 7 Per Hit (5+2)

Opal 140/144 HP 36/36 Energy

???: -3/20 HP Dead x-x

???: 6/20 HP

???: 6/20 HP

Edited February 20, 2016 by Phillia

[Opal 0]

Opal's right brow raised slightly over the other as she watched them continue their futile attempt to dispense her. The woman lifted and arm and pressed it to her forehead and gave an audible sigh once more as the curtain of ebony drifted side to side. Orange eyes then shut and for a moment they had not the idea of what she was up to. With her thumb nail, the woman flicked Masamune's guard and the blade came out with a click. There was a flash of silver, but nothing else. The two man standing still only saw locks of their hair pixelate before their eyes as once agains the Masamune X was safely within the confines of the ornate saya. With a low voice and a stern tone, "Leave. You are testing what little patience I have left of you. I can kill you both. Do the smart thing and walk away from this, I am being too nice with the likes of you. You harm players, that's fine. But not in my presence, never in my presence. Do you understand...that was a warning slash, the next one will find it's way to your limbs and I will kill you slowly. I've enough bullshit from Orange Players and their ploys of intimidation...now I ask once more...Leave. NOW!" her voice boomed ending the threat, she almost seethed with anger as she clutched the hilt in her hands walking towards them. If she had to she would break their souls before she broke their bodies, she would humiliate them until they had no dignity. There were things far worse than death...and Opal knew all the tricks of the trade.  

<<Battle Engaged>>

Opal: 140/144 
EN: 34/36
Sword Art: 

???: 6/20 HP
???: 6/20 HP

ID: 48724
BD: 2+3 = Miss

Edited February 20, 2016 by Opal

[Phillia 0]

The two orange players watched as their friend became only a shower of sparkling pixels. A lesson was finally drilled into their heads, they couldn't win this battle without dying. After the sudden realization, they wept and got on their knees, "Please miss! Don't kill us, we were only trying to get m-money for g-gear..." Their faces went from murderous to pitiful, unwilling to accept the path paved before them. Maybe they really did want peace? You never know with orange players, they're as ignorant as they come.

[Opal 0]

Opal slid the ornate saya across one shoulder over the other, that was the end of that. Looking to the young woman she shook her head, "Does this happen often with you? In the company of such great men like that? More so...what are you doing on this floor alone? It is better to travel with a group of players instead of moving along with yourself, unless you are working the Front Lines." Opal examined the girl, her orange eyes shifting up and down. She didn't look like someone she recognized from the Assault Team, nor has she seen her on any of the higher floors, perhaps she was just lost? 

"Umm, I can lead you back to the city if you want. It would be better to go back to the lower floors until you are ready to take these upper ones on. Of course I won't tell you what to do, but its better to plan ahead with a party. Orange Players seem to becoming a bit more aggressive lately with their attacks. If you hold any value to your life, don't you think you should be traveling with someone else? In the meantime, are you hurt or do you need some healing? I'm not a medic, but I have some potions that might help you along the way."

Opal placed a hand to hover over her menu and swept through the many items in her inventory. Looking once back at the girl, she smiled softly, "It is a brave thing you do if you are trying to solo, but it's not in your best interest. The higher you go on these floors, the more dangerous it becomes. Yeah...this should do..."

-Trading-

x1 HP Recovery Crystal [+15 HP]
x2 Cure Potions [+20 HP]

"It's not a lot, but it should help out with some low level grinding until you have a higher constitution." The woman swept her finger once more sending over the trade screen, it was bad to see player go without some help at the very least. She wondered about the dead player as well, if he could have been saved like the other two idiots who had already run off. Opal shook her head, another death in the game...for some chump change? It wasn't worth it. It never is. 

[Phillia 0]

Phillia slightly blushed (You probably know what that means) when Opal sent her a trade request, after noticing how hot her face was, she accepted the trade request and looked at Opal with truthful eyes. "Because nobody wants to party with a little girl, and the ones who do just turn their backs on me when things get tough. This is a death game, and I can't trust anyone seriously, look at me. I'm kinda short and look harmless, that's why nobody thinks I'm for real when I ask them to do quests with me." The equipment of the girl would suggest she's poor (I am poor) and went through a lot of painful battles, many of which she came out with only a sliver of HP remaining. Phillia looks at Opal with a hint of sadness, rage, and fear in her eyes, "Tell me how you become strong."

[Opal 0]

"I ugh..." the woman was caught off guard by her answers. Opal had frowned slightly, it was sometimes horrible to find that those who were trying to survive were not given much chance to do so. And from what she relayed in her story, a sad one, it was the truth. Players were normally bound together by friends, but what if you didn't have any friends going into this death game and you were pretty much on your own. 

Opal shook her head, "Well, I had a Master that taught me the skills of the sword. But it was my decision to get stronger in the first place. The first step of becoming strong...is to know that you are weak. I was weak and I didn't know what to do with myself. I was able to get by on looks alone for a little while but after that...As you said, no one takes you seriously." The woman saw much of herself in this petite girl, how she wanted to get stronger.

"But being strong is not everything you need in this world. Discipline, commitment, and self-esteem. You need to want it, grab it, and never let go. Do you understand this? If you want power, you have to take it for yourself. No one is going to give it to you for free." The woman pressed her fingers to her forehead and looked around the area. They were pretty safe for the most part, no roaming mobs trying to get in their way as she spoke up once more.

"I suppose it can't be helped..." Opal once more took it upon herself to find the menu she was accustomed to. Her finger hovering over a certain button as she looked back at the young woman before her, "Alright.." and with a click of the button, Phillia would obtain the contact information from the woman herself, the Vice Commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath. 

"I am normally not charitable when it comes to sending out my information unless a person has proven themselves to me. But you seem to be around the age of my younger brother, Ren. If anything, I can't let you die out here because of that. Do you have a place to stay tonight, you have Col for food?" the woman scratched the back of her head, the ebony locks of hair shuffled with each movement.

 

[Phillia 0]

Phillia stares at Opal and listens attentively. "Place to stay? But I've got one right here." The girl looked at Opal and walked up to her, hugging the vice Commander with both arms then sitting on her lap. She momentarily yawned, then fell asleep without even thinking of what would happen if the stranger was actually evil. Within two minutes Phillia was already in deep sleep and dreamed about her childhood that never was.

[Opal 0]

"Woa..woa...I..." the woman flailed for a moment when she felt the embrace of the teen girl, Opal...was not used to children, or teenagers, sure she had a younger brother, but this was different, a stranger. The Vice Commander soon had realized the young girl was sleeping soundingly, between her wrecked nerves and unable to fully grasp the situation, the woman had fallen asleep. 

"How...what? Why?" is all Opal could muster up the young woman slept soundly. She must be exhausted to be put to sleep so fast, she was unsure of the background the young girl had but it couldn't be anything good if she was careless like this just sleeping about in the middle of the forest. Shaking her head, the woman lifted her up, her legs buckled for a moment before she held the girl in her arms. 

"I can't very well let you sleep out in the middle of nowhere...Hey..wake up. Ugh..." there was no point now, the young girl was safely sound asleep. Opal shook her head, getting into such a mess like this. She wasn't one for babysitting, and she couldn't just let her sleep in this place. So, like a good person that she was, Opal turned on her foot, with the girl in her arms and headed back to the closest village. 

It was a headache to do this as well as evade passing mobs in the area, but soon enough the path before her feet was starting to lighten up, a familiar trail coming into view and the Treetop Settlement soon thereafter. As Opal ascended the root worn trees and its earthen path, she was getting plenty enough of stairs from people from the girl sleeping in her arms. Opal's gaze continued to look straight, finding an inn to place the girl at. She would at least be safe enough there without the predators in the woods coming back to finish them off with other PKers. 

"A room please..." Opal said to the Inn keeper. The man looked at her with a fishy look, "It's not what it looks like. Give me the damn room, already..." the woman scowled at the player character. The man handing over the privileges to the room upstairs, which was another treeborn path to ascend. She got the door open with some miracle without the young girl falling out of her arms and placed her upon the bed.

"There...You'll be safe here. I should leave...She has my contact information if she needs me. My conscious is clear from this point on..." Opal was attempting to persuade herself that she would be fine and alright, waking up in a safe place like this. The woman exhaled loudly...and shook her head. She pulled up a seat, folded her arms over her chest and sat there. Against her better judgment, the woman could not leave her here alone. This might be new territory for the young girl and she might not know where she was. Opal would wait it out until the girl woke up.

"How do I get myself into these messes?" 

 

[Phillia 0]

Phillia heard screams echo across the station, what was going on? "Get back!" Shouting can be heard from three feet away, wait, was she really this close to the seen? That's when it happened, a bullet came racing through the air and penetrated the man's skull with ease. Phillia smiled and turned to her mother while admiring the fed color of the blood, "Look mom, isn't it pretty?" The innocent little girl smiled while looking at it, and so did the man who shot the gun. "You're a tough little girl are you? Well then... SEE YOU ALL IN HELL!" Looks like the next victim of the bullet was the shooter himself, such a shame he didn't do more damage. Everyone began to scream as chaos engulfed the scene, "Mommy, where are you?!?" She only saw a flash of white and opened her eyes, back in the real word. While the little girl slept, she said some really creepy **** like, "Mom, blood, pretty, bullet, and hell." Phillia looked at Opal and whispered "Mom?"

[Opal 0]

"Hrm?" Opal leaned forward, the girl was kicking and yelling out some pretty horrifying imagery with the words escaping her mouth as she dreamed. Opal had been bitten by nightmares for a long time, they never seemed to cease. Even when she was awake, the images still persisted unto her like they were feeding off her very soul. Opal stood up and sat down on the bed next to her, a hand over her head as she swept the small fibers of hair from her face, "Shh, shh..." Opal was not very good with little people, children, young teenagers or the like. So when she was confronted with this situation, she could only do one thing and try to ease the young girl's nightmares. 

Then in a snap, she awoke. Opal's eyes wide as she heard the girl speak the name, 'Mom,' to her. Opal cracked a thin smile, "Your Mom isn't here...You had fallen asleep so I brought you to this Inn so you could be safe. It's not safe outside the boundaries of the city, especially on such a floor like this. You were already confronted with Player Killers, why would you continue to seek danger when you know its ya know...Dangerous?" Opal shifted her body and stood up.

"Looks like you are awake now and safe. Do me a favor, yeah? Don't go to the higher floors without some help from other people. If you really wanna go out and adventure, just give me a call. I'll come help you with what you need done. Just...Just don't do it alone, by the way. I don't think I ever got your name, I believe I saw it for a brief instance when I sent my contact info, Phillia was it?"

[Phillia 0]

Her eyes widened as Opal said her name, "Woah! You know my name?!" She was surprised that anybody actually knew her name besides a few people, Phillia was living in SAO for too long without any friends, on top of that she had no role model to look up to (But that's not really a problem.) "When I go on higher floors, I get a chance to meet stronger people and feel alive. Don't you feel more alive in this game than in the real world?" Her voice suggests that deep down in her heart was a girl with a very warped view of life, it's almost an unhealthy one.

[Opal 0]

"When you do trade requests, it gives you a pop up of players in the immediate area as to who you want to send the request to. I put two and two together," Opal offered a small smile in return to her shock. As she sat there, Opal's amber eyes slowly blinked at the question. 

"I ugh...Well, I suppose for the first time in my life, I actually feel like the person I am supposed to be. But then again, I believe I am who I need to be because of the way the game worked itself out. Had we not been stuck in a death game, or if this was SAO with no strings attached, I might still be the woman from my past. I don't know how much of that you understand. I was a different woman before all of this happened, I had a different lifestyle. But...I've had some interesting stuff happen in this game that could not be done in the real world, but also, I also want the real world back. Many people do...they want to experience freedom again. Right now, we are all just little birds locked in a really big cage." 

Opal shifted in her seat, smoothing the curtain of ebony hair from her orange eyes. This girl was interesting, but Opal didn't know if it was a good interesting or if it was because she just too young and the game ended up warping her somehow. In either case, "Well, I think you should still be very careful about going towards the higher floors. Yes, you will meet new and powerful people, but not all of them wish to be met. Those PKers...they would have killed you, ya know? Don't you find your life to be a bit more valuable than that?"

[Phillia 0]

"Life?" She asked curiously. "How am I living life if I don't take risks, I need to beat the odds to survive." Phillia regained her energy after waking up and was ready for another round of exploring. The little girl looked at Opal directly in the eyes and asked her "Hey, where do you come from in the real world? I'm from Japan, what about you?" She waited patiently for the response (But somehow her legs wouldn't stop moving! Hyper children everywhere!)

[Opal 0]

"Where am I from?" the woman offered a small smile, "I live in the Unites States, I am...was a Chem Major student at a university before I was pulled into this death trap.I was working on my final year before graduation as well, so I kinda got unlucky with all of this happening. But the things I have learned in the game and the people I have met here, I don't think I would change any of it. I miss my home and my family, but...I dunno. This Aincrad is becoming all more familiar as days pass by..." the woman swept hair from her face noticing the girl kicking about at the edge of her bed. 

Opal had remembered she was this energetic as a child, so out going and wild. That lifestyle was pretty much how she lived all the way up to the start of the game, then everything around her changed. 

"It is one thing to take necessary risks, and another for taking unnecessary ones. I can't tell you how to live your life though, you'll have to go through those lessons on your own. You will make many more mistakes before the end of all this." the woman noted marking her earlier statement from the little girl. 

[Phillia 0]

"The united States? Does that mean you're in America right now?" Phillia was surprised that she met someone from the U.S.A., movies in Japan portray Americans as demons, but she's never actually been around them besides the occasional foreigner. Maybe they weren't so bad as everyone thinks they are, maybe they were more culturally forward than Japan. "What's it like in America? I heard that there's a lot of fat people there, is is true? How about the food, is it really that greasy and oily?" Curiosity sparked in Phillia's mind, although she's heard some things about America she wasn't entirely sure which ones were true.