[PP - F11] Fifteenth Floor Boss Raid Meeting

[Jomei 0]

Jomei hurried into the KoTB meeting hall. He had been running a bit late to the meeting, and wanted to make sure to ensure his spot in the next boss fight. After walking through the tower for awhile, he pushed open one of the oak doors and emerged into the white stone room. Many familiar faces scattered the room, in fact, none that he had never met before. He recalled his first boss meeting, which was led by Mari on Floor Ten. If he remembered correctly, he did not fight in that boss fight.. but he still accompanied Lowenthal. When he walked into that meeting, he recognized very few faces and felt like a burden, like he did not belong there. Five floors and many months later, Jomei felt welcomed at these meetings as a front liner. Jomei smiled sheepishly, waving with one hand and rubbing the back of his neck with the other, "Sorry I was running a bit late.. Got caught up helping someone on the way here." Once he noticed where Zandra was standing, he began his walk towards her. He turned to look at Takao, who had the information and was running the meeting, "Did I miss anything important?" 

[Greg Baxen 0]

Greg had arrived on the scene. Why was he told to come here in the first place? It's not like he was going to be contributing much in the first place. He groaned, before looking for Mack to complain to him about Greg being here despite not being of any use. Was he just supposed to stand here as a sort of background object? He was one of the newest members of the KoB, and he didn't have any information on the boss at all. It just baffled him completely, and he would much rather be out levelling up rather than sitting here at a meeting he has no right to be at.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Greg Baxen

[Takao 0]

Words and conversations entered in one ear and left out the right, little more than white noise among the jumbled up thoughts he tried to reign in. He heard something along the lines of an argument, more offers to join the Knights of Blood yet he wasn't quite sure if they were actually directed at him or not, and some attempts at diffusing the arguments; the topic of player levels seemed to have arisen at some point. He was beginning to see a few issues arise with the Guild's offer to host the meeting. Raid meetings were simple in concept, nothing that Takao found to require preexisting experience to be prepared for. They did, however, require a good deal of planning and consideration for the battles themselves. Prospective front liners very well could have valuable skills for the planning phase, yet with what little he'd been paying attention, it didn't seem as though that was the case in this particular scenario. Lifting his head from the table, the brunet did a quick head count. About eleven front liners, and some stragglers from the hosting Guild's ranks. More than enough to justify starting.

"O-...Nngh. Okay." Takao said as he stood, shaking away the urge to shiver as he mused over the information he would relay shortly. "Let's get this over with." His voice raised to capture the attention of the attending players. With steeled nerves, he exhaled a breath and began the briefing.

"The boss room is on the twentieth floor of the fifteenth floor's labyrinth. The boss itself is named «Limbo». It's a giant... spider." He said, the last few words slowing to a crawl. Another exhale left his nostrils and he refocused. "I wasn't able to make out major details. It was like Vantablack, I could barely see a thing. It had four health bars, so 'bout two thousand health points. Didn't see any armour on it, so mitigation is likely very low-- at least in comparison to Rohk." Takao's voice cleared as he continued speaking, focusing solely on the technical and mechanical aspects was proving to be just the distraction he needed.

"Boss minions spawn in groups of two for every player in the boss room. They had no armour at all, and about a hundred health. Give or take. I'm assuming we'll be expecting to see anywhere between twenty and forty of them. They didn't respawn when I tested them out, but that's not to say the boss won't spawn more, since they are... like... hatchlings." He continued, one hand raising to rub his face vigorously. Could he maybe skip out on this boss fight? What sort of hindrance might he be to the effort if he froze up in the middle of combat? A deliberately slow inhale flooded his lungs with air and he shook the thoughts away. If something were to go wrong in the fight and he wasn't present, the blame would undoubtedly fall onto him. The brunet refocused once again and addressed the room one last time. "The boss room wasn't really anything that special. It was covered in webbing, so I'm imagining penalties to mobility. Given the nature of the... boss... poison or venom seems likely too, so everybody should have antidotes on hand just in case." He said, adding emphasis to the end in order to stress his desire to be prepared this time around.

"The blitzkrieg that Zelrius tried didn't work, and in the end we lost two people. He's a strong player, nobody can disagree with that, but I'm beginning to seriously doubt his ability as a tactician and strategist. Endangering both is own life and the lives of the others in the first group on a gamble like that wasn't worth the risk. That's why I'm giving Mack the opportunity to plan the raid this time around. He has military experience that we can all benefit from, so I'd like to ask that everybody listens to him." Takao said. He cast a sidelong glance to the red-haired behemoth and sat back down, offering up the opportunity for him to speak. The brunet found himself idly chewing on his tongue, suppressing the desire to speak more on the blunder that was their alleged Hero's rush strategy. Azide and Cora's death couldn't be blamed on him, nor could Takao find it in him to do so; there had been elements and factors at play that were entirely unpredictable. But what could be blamed on him was the arrogant, half-witted risk taken just to clear the floor as quickly as he wanted to. The speed in which they cleared the floors was entirely pointless if there were lives lost in the process, especially ones that could've been prevented with a bit of caution.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Takao

[Amira 0]

Manta was not enjoying all of the stuff that was going on because her words had been misinterpreted. It seemed as though everyone who had heard her had assumed that she had a hostile intent, or wanted all of the lower levels to leave. Of course, she had said nothing about the player leaving, in fact, all she had done was warn him against going into the boss battle unprepared, which had nothing to do with the boss meeting. Perhaps it would be best to say nothing and just let people attend the boss fight and die. Except for the fact that that went against her morals and would put everyone else in danger. If all of the lower levels in the last party hadnt been there, maybe Azide wouldnt be dead. That Cora girl however, she would have died no matter what. It was likely that no one had warned her of the dangers of the boss battle. She didnt want that to happen again. As Takao started to speak, giving them information on the boss, she opened up her HUD and started to take notes. It seemed like she would need to make some antidotes as well as damage and safeguard potions and health crystals. So much work to do, and likely only a little time to do it. At least she wasnt running low on materials thanks to Taki.

She made another note, that there would be two spider minions for every player. That meant that they couldnt afford to have extra players who couldnt hold their own. Hopefully no more "Cora" 's would decide to join. She took down another note. Mitigation potions. If the boss had little to no mitigation, it was very likely that it would be a glass cannon boss of sorts, with high damage. Even more to do. Hopefully her and Zandra could team up to provide the necessary potions to save even more people. She glanced over in Zandra's direction, hoping to make eye contact.

[Grave 0]

The room slowly became more crowded as more KoB and Azure Brigade members fell into the meeting room and gathered into the masses. When enough people were present, I assumed, Takao began to present the information he had gathered on the boss. By the way he had said the word 'spider', the swordsman's greatest fear had been revealed, but everyone surrounding left the subject alone, at least for the time being; I knew little about the Azure Brigade members' personalities, so who knew who might pick on the boy about that?

The actually important information soon came along; four health bars, no armour. From my own build, I could tell that meant one thing; high damage output. I held my tongue until the end, though, making a mental note to suggest regenerative abilities too. Looking to the platinum haired female whose fingers were flying across an interface, her eyes seemed to speak of the same ideas that I had. The minions were next; if there were so many of them, energy was likely to drain like water from a bathtub. Two necessary items noted.

Last to be mentioned were the webs and a likelihood of poison; something else I could help with. Having taken note of everything I could do to help, I simply listened to Takao's offer to Mack to let him do the planning for this Raid. Before anything more could be said, I raised my right hand. "If I may interject with an offer..." I deep voice carried across the room. "As a Cook I can craft Mitigation items, Energy restoratives and semi-antidotes, removing points of damage from effects like bleed and poison. If you need, I can craft as many of these items as needed, provided Cardinal is in my favour." I offered with a kind smile, hoping my suggestion was not in vain.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Grave

[Zero 0]

Zero casually arrived late to the raid meeting, being the on duty leader for the Azure Knights he was asked to attend as a means of being a third party with connections to both of the main groups at the meeting. The young had gotten to the meeting just when tensions seemed to be at their highest, some form of argument or disagreement occurring. It seemed to revolve at the amount of players of below recommended levels that wanted to join the fight, mainly their involvement being capable of causing more unnecessary deaths to the Front Liners. He managed to catch Takao explain the information of boss concerning its room, possible minion capabilities and the boss itself.

His eyes scanned the room, finding his fellow AK members, and lazily raised his hand up after another player had offered to create consumables for the fight. "Hope you don't mind me also speak my mind on this Takao, Mack." He lowered his hands and slipped them inside his coat's pockets. "While it's true Zelriu's blitz strategy didn't get the job it was not the main reason for the boss fight going south so fast. Now I haven't been in Raids for almost a year I'd say, but I have kept myself up to date with their progress so I can confidently state that underprepared and under leveled players were also a huge factor in the mess that occurred against the previous Floor Boss, Rokh. There's a clear disregard of safety from them as well, so no one can solely blame Azure Brigade on this one since even some of my own recruits found themselves severely underprepared for that boss and nearly perished."

He carefully pulled out a chair for himself and sat down, leaning back on the seat. He glanced at the people at the room then leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "All minor characters should just leave for their own good, before you get yourselves hurt...or worse." He sighed as stretched and relaxed, showing little care for the actual subject. "This isn't to say that all of you should drop out because of your level, like Takao said earlier regarding potions and antidotes. However, you should think about this well and not just charge in because you want to play hero. Floor Bosses are no joke so if you have any respect for the people who know what they're doing then I suggest you leave if you're incapable of becoming stronger or coming properly equipped." He pulled out his Twinfire blade and stuck it into the table. "Hindrances will be dealt by myself personally as to avoid causing either party any resentment for each other." He grinned and opened his eyes, looking at them all. "It is the duty of the third party to settle matters in a non-biased manner after all."

The platinum haired boy sats up and placed his elbows against the table, resting his chin between his hands. "As for strategy I can understand Mack being chosen if he has military experience, though remember that bosses always have something up their sleeve. Every boss I've faced or studied has had a clear theme to them, from Orochi's Alcohol Caskets to Hydra's multiple heads. Hell even Rokh had one with those eggs of his. Anyway, all of you who know you'll be a hindrance leave and those who are ready to put any petty issues aside to listen to Takao and Mack stay. I'm going to take a nap so wake me up once everything's settled." His body swayed back to its previous position as he closed his eyes and quietly took a rest.

[Zandra 0]

Zandra greeted Jomei with a nod and a smile. Not to be rude, but she was focusing to get in every little detail that was said in the room. Her eyes darted between Takao and Mack, Manta and the non-familiar and alot others. She rolled her eyes when she herd the conversation between Manta and the boy. Didnt he get what Manta said to him. Not many moments later she had dropped it and returned to the more important information. Mack asked for a potuon."Sorry Mack. Im here to observe and decide what I shall make to keep all of us alive. I dont take any orders." She said it with a smile so he knew it wasnt personal and hoped he wouldnt think she was rude. Then Takao told them about the bosd. So the boss was gonna be a spider. Several thoughts and ideas grew in her head. She scratched her chin and thinking. When she looked up she saw Manta was making eye contact. She nooded at her."Im gonna go over talk to Manta." She said to Jomei. She couldnt say it wouldnt take long since she didnt knew if it would. Then she walked over to the other hot girl."Hi Manta. I do have an idea what to prioritize. But what do you think?" Both Manta and she knew they was probably the only alchemists that was gonna supply this boss fight with potions.

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru walked in quietly. He still wasn't entirely sure whether or not he would go to the next boss fight or not. He was still shaken up from his friend Azide dying. But he had made a promise to his friend that he would find Xanatos, who could be ahead on upper floors, and he had to find him for Azide, if it was the last thing he did. He breathed and looked around the room. A few players we're strewn about the room, with another player seeming to lead by the name Takao. He looked around, and saw that Ariel sat close to him. He breathed and came over, taking her hand in his and giving her a warm smile

"Sorry I didn't come with you... But I couldn't stay at home when I knew this was going on..." He said with a sigh. He gripped onto her hand and waited to hear what the man had to say about the upcoming boss. He hoped it was something that he could handle, and this right here would be to see if they knew anything about stats and such that he could help with. He breathed and decided to see right here and now if he was fit to fight the boss

[Ssendom 0]

Dom could feel the irritation in himself building when Takao made mention of the failed strategy of Zelrius. And even though the man was making a small attempt to alleviate the blame on the golden haired cocky boy, Takao continued to put quite a large sum of the blame on the man after it was all said and done. Dom was about to stand up and begin showing his irritation before he was interrupted in motion by Zero entering the meeting room. The Platinum Haired boy that Dom had never even taken a parcel of time to meet but was in a sub-related guild in affiliation with the Azure Brigade spoke many of the thoughts that Dom was having.

Once the boy finished his spiel Dom pushed himself up and the chair back leaning on the table with both fists down on it, he then looked to Mack to demonstrate that he wasn't going to sit quietly for the moment, "Sorry to stop you before you begin Behemoth. But I would like to go on record that Zero is definitely correct that the blitzkrieg strategy wasn't failed in part to the poor planning but the under prepared players. Hate me all you wish, and I feel for the loss of the two players. From what I understand that... Azoo... Azed... Whatever his name is, I again apologize for the rudeness in not knowing his name but I never had the chance to promptly meet him in person." His anger was flaring to the point that he had little care for the personalities he hurt.

He cleared his throat, "We need to take a lesson and put praise in the man who fought with everything he had and died. He didn't have any mitigation and that is a huge issue for those that continue to come to the boss fight without it. They're souring his name and disgracing him by not heeding the warning that he promptly showed us." He stood back up and crossed his arms, "And furthermore, I will not stand here and let you all tarnish the Hero as you call him because of his failed plan. He is only a teenager and everyone is putting all the weight of this world upon his shoulders, and he is doing his damnedest to bare it all. He is fighting to his last breath exhausting all the energy in an attempt to win this game and get everyone the [CENSORED] out of this hell hole of a game." He has no regards at this point to what people thought or cared about him, nor did the Berserker ever did. He would step on people's feeling if he thought it was the best way to move things along.

He sat back down and sighed, "And finally... No one should be blaming him for the failed strategy. He came to me and informed me about everything the boss would do long before he held the boss meeting. I informed him that a Blitzkrieg strategy was the best to employ to knock the boss down before things got crazy, but the plan was ruined due to players have a lack of placing their blades in the boss. Me and him dealt devastating blows to the massive bird, and almost everyone else had missed quite a few times before the flying bastard began snatching people and delivering it into it's nest where we couldn't harm the thing." He gritted his teeth and his eyes showing the rage and passion he had in his voice as he stared directly at Takao, "If you want to blame someone for the deaths of the two players, then you pin them on my head. I bear the orange crystal and I'll be damned if you tarnish the boy's name. If he tries to take claim in the strategy, he is lying... And if you don't like what I said... Then stick a blade in me right now." He leaned back and crossed his arms again, "That was all I have to say." He finished.

[Takao 0]

Biting his tongue had proved more and more difficult as the conversations went on following his briefing of the boss. He'd anticipated a response from Zelrius's companions and thought himself more in control of his desire to speak, but the itch in his throat to speak was dying to be scratched. "I'm not blaming Zelrius for the deaths of Azide or Cora. There are factors in this game that we won't always be able to anticipate, and that Boss was one of them. But I am blaming him for the foolish strategy that put people's lives in danger. All it would've taken was one tank in the main group to alleviate that risk, but he wanted to clear it fast, and that was stupid. Everybody in the first group was jeopardized," Takao said, his head turning and returning Ssendom's stare. "and that risk had nothing to do with their inability to hit the boss. Saying that the strategy was ruined because it was ineffective in practice as a result of a few players missing is ignorant. It was a failure, both in concept and in practice, because it put people's lives in danger-- not because they didn't hit the boss. Their lives were gambled on a strategy whose risk vastly outweighed its reward, and that's unacceptable. It's just as much his fault for approving the plan as it is yours for conceptualizing it. Did you ever stop to think what might have happened if they missed? What might have happened if the boss wasn't dead by the time the first group's attack had ended, and what would happen to them without a tank to draw the Boss's hate?" In contrast to the rage and passion Ssendom exhibited, Takao was calm. He had a point to make, and he was ensuring that his words came through clear. Mistakes had been made, and regardless of how it had turned out, the risk had been entirely unnecessary. There were players to be held accountable for that needless gamble of lives.

"We are all fighting to get out of this, Ssendom. Not just Zelrius. We're all fighting beside him, just like he's fighting beside us. Everybody's working hard and everybody is exhausting themselves, and I don't see anybody here putting the weight of this world on his shoulders. If he wants to pretend to bare it all while everybody here is working together, that's on him." Takao's gaze never once left Ssendom as he spoke. Their golden-haired alleged Hero dealt damage in quantities that nobody could hope to match, but that's where his contribution seemed to end. No credit was given to the alchemists and the cooks, nor the armourers or the weapon smiths that supplied the front lines. No credit was given to the tanks for putting themselves directly in harm's way, when the strategy permitted at least, nor was any credit given to the combatants that dealt their damage in smaller intervals to both the boss and the minions that impeded their progress. It annoyed Takao to see their contributions ignored and dismissed in favour of one person whose numbers were higher than everybody else's, yet he didn't display his displeasure. He maintained a straight face.

"And for the record, I've never called him a hero."

Edited March 26, 2016 by Takao

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Things was unnecessarily friction even before the actual planning started. 'Why can't we just shut up and wait to listen to Takao's info?' thought the blonde as she looked at Mack. Who was her being seated made her be mistaken? she didn't knew... or had a burning desire to find out what he meant. She brushed it off as something minor and sighted as she made her way back towards the table. As Takao started explaining, as if reading the blonde's mind Manta started taking notes so the blonde couldn't help but get behind her sit and peek on what she was writing. "I hope you don't mind me dear." said the blonde in a low tone from behind the platinum haired girl. Next summoning a typical japanese white fan with a flowery model and began moving it slowly. Her overall appearance would make some think of the geishas from her home country. "I don't think you were wrong." she added in a whisper while bringing the fan to cover her mouth, as she put her free hand on Manta's left shoulder. She wasn't very well acquainted with her fellow guildmate but her guts tell her she wasn't as arrogant as some players she knew and meant well with her actions.

In the meanwhile, her favorite Irishman and not so favorite Lewenthal along with some other random guys she didn't know, or had any desire to know... had joined the meeting. She waved her fan at them as a greeting, not to disturb the brainstorming session. 'Finally we're making progress' though the blonde as a one of the guys she didn't want to know about made a pertinent suggestion. He earned a point in Ariel's book for talking about the actual planning. "Preparation will be key." she said more as a note to herself but could still be heard by those who wanted to hear her.

What came after was quite of a surprise.... even shock to her as she stopped moving the fan while tracing her future husband's figure as he had finally decided to join the planning. "Glad to see you could make it!" she lightly replied, planting a small kiss on his lips then showed a smile as she spotted with her silver eyes, a male platinum haired player that lately joined this planning session. "look who decided to join us!" she added as a smile arched on her expression.  She then listened intently to his explanation and really had little to argue. His laidback attitude on the other hand ticked her a bit, as if he wasn't taking this meeting serious. It was not because that, more on the lines of making his own guild look bad in the process.

As Zandra closed in to probability start talking about dividing the supply team's work, the blonde walked away from them with a small bow and headed right behind Zero's seat. She closed her fan with a snap to make sure he knew she was behind his chair, then put a hand on top the the seat and started tapping it with the tips of her fingernails making sure to do enough noise to prevent him from actually falling asleep. Of course that was a secondary intention. What she wanted to prove was that she was backing up Zero's words and stood behind him.

But at the mention of her friend's name she froze completely..... with the mention of the her fallen friend, all the 'happy' facade she'd put up until now... shattered. She let go of Zero's chair.... and looked around the room in search for help. She didn't want to break down in front of them all, not in front of all these players, not during such an important meeting. Her eyes were starting to get watery as she finally saw Hikoru and started running towards him. She buried her head into his chest and started lightly screaming, her shouts being muffled by his attire. 'How can they be so petty!!??' she said between sobs. She wasn't sure if anyone other Hikoru heard her and couldn't care at this point. "Just stop arguing. They're already dead... let them rest in peace. Who gives a damn about Zelrius? he isn't even here. Everyone is guilty in one way or another.... even Zero-senpai! These guys keep arguing about the same thing... just make them stop, please!" she said between tears and sobs. muffled by her lover's chest. She wasn't screaming..or did her best not to but could still be heard by any who would listen carefully.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Amira 0]

Manta thought about this for a moment. She kind of wanted to stick a blade in Dom, just to do it, but she barely knew Azide aside from his name, so she had no excuse. Ariel on the other hand seemed to be freaking out, having run away over to Hik and starting hugging him. She turned to Zandra. "I still think we should prioritize safeguards, with antidotes next on the list." She replied. She sighed, glancing over at Ariel. She had no idea what she could do to help those who had lost someone important to them in general, other than to help everyone get out of the game and keep them from dying through her potions. She didn't understand what she could do on an emotional level though. She gave Zero a discreet thumbs up for his speech, agreeing completely with everything he had said about underleveled players joining the boss fight. She made sure it was discreet though, unsure if she would get mobbed by some of the lower levels at the meeting if spotted. They seemed like an impulsive angry bunch. She sighed, deciding to speak up...

"It was a dangerous fight. My health and many others dipped into the danger zone. Azide didnt deserve to die, but we were unprepared. As such I would like to encourage everyone who is going to be participating in the boss battle, to stop by my shop and get a health crystal or two when I have them in stock. We dont want another disaster happening."

[Zandra 0]

Zandra let out a sigh when listening to everyone arguing about the last boss fight. Whos fault it was they lost players, was it to quick advancement, the players should have been better prepeared. She knit her hands into fist and took a breath to calm down. She couldnt lose it here. She was one of the least experienced players here and it wouldnt sound very good if she let out her irritation. Instead she turned back to Manta."Yeah, thou I think the antidotes would be enough if they are rare quality. When we have enough we should go for perfect mitigations and rare health crystals. And uncommon only health crystals."

Next she took a look around. She was still the only first aid user present. Even when she was grandmaster at it and had the mod, it wouldnt be enough to keep all off them health. Also, she didnt knew what guild Eb and Shizuka belonged to. She had to point this out. And hopefully it would get the meeting back to topic."Ehem. I just have a question. How are you planning to form the groups? Seems the other two healers isnt present. Do anyone know where they are? And more important, if they gonna join in on the fight."

[Tristan Delaney 0]

Tristan had entered the meeting earlier, but was watching from further back before he joined the conversation. A number of ruckus had occurred in the time that he was in the room, with insults, challenges about the level of players and further being flung around. He was rather glad he filled a large glass with his Cask of Eternal Ale earlier, since this meant he could keep himself calm by distracting himself with sips of his drink. Plus he was rather heavyweight on alcohol, so this made drinking for pure enjoyment much more possible. When it got to a point where he felt he should step in, the tall armored figure of Tristan walked towards the table, glass still in hand, and began talking calmly.

"First things first, I'd say the state of the most recent boss fight is something everyone is to blame for. Players became careless and somewhat indulged in past preparation, such that players were too lax. I for one while warning that safeguards are typically a good idea and to take care, did not expect so many crowd clearing attacks, which meant my role was rather limited at best. Crowd clearing is..." Tristan took a breath to collect his mind. "It was the same thing that claimed two past lives in a floor boss, namely Rue and Alkor.". Tristan had a sudden memory of the party Rue threw just before the boss. It was really enjoyable, and he missed seeing her cheeriness. Alkor also was supportive, having quested together and offering him the shield that made Tristan what he is today. "We fell for something that happened before. I should of known, but instead I'm burdened by having witnessed the most deaths to floor bosses in this entire game. Redirection of blame is of no good, but to dwell on it now is also of no good. Instead, it should be a reminder to be careful and to prepare more thoroughly. Now, onto the boss.". Tristan took a sip of his drink. "If we are seeing as many enemies as it seems we will be, we should be doing a great focus on defense, so as to avoid us being overwhelmed by 'Death of a Thousand Cuts'. Knowing spiders, they are also toxic, which means receiving damage players like I will simply not be able to mitigate. I would recommend taking multiple tanks to the fight to absorb the blows of the enemies, with me heading as the main tank to also absorb boss damag. If mobility is going to be reduced, then we will just have to ensure our tanks are up to scratch. It is safe to say that safeguard, health potions and antidotes will be vital. However hopefully, this boss doesn't drag on the fight as long as the past one did too. One issue I noticed with the last is there as ironically not crowd control on our side in attacks. We should remedy that and have anyone area damage focused to do exactly that, lest we risk further death. As for minimum levels or strength, I won't forbid anyone from joining. But to join low levelled is on your head. I try to keep people alive, but there is only so much I can do, as was seen last time. To be at least level 25 to 30 would be recommended. So instead of focusing on berating others, let us make an effort to help players get stronger. I'm not sure how much free time I have to help players grind, but I'm sure others will have more.

At this point, except for ironing out details and ensuring arrangements are made, I don't think much more discussion will be required." Tristan took a final gulp of his drink, then waited to see if anyone were to respond.

[Brax 0]

     Standing outside the Knight's of the Blood Oath planning hall, Brax wondered idly if he should attend the meeting for the next boss fight.  Having witnessed the chaos of the previous one, his first, the Stalwart Stoic was...not the least bit impressed by the actions of those who had gone before him.  The fight had been botched from the very beginning, starting with the blond headed 'Hero' who had offered nothing to anyone about a plan or general strategy, believing in his own hype enough to think that he alone knew what was best for all.  While he had proven himself strong, which none could deny, his capability to lead was...severely lacking.  However, given that this particular fight might be led by the cooler, calmer heads that helmed the KOB, specifically the Lady Opal and her mysterious guild leader known only to Brax by the name Heathcliff, perhaps a more sound plan would be enacted.  Thus, the heavily armored man opened the doors and stepped inside as quietly as he could so as to not interfere with the meeting if it had already started, which it seemed it had.

     Taking a spot in the back of the room, Brax overhead the end of a brunette's speech regarding the actual specifics of the boss itself, a spider and it's kin.  Having heard that it possibly possessed little in the way of armor, the man turned his thoughts inward a moment to contemplate what he may need in terms of supplies.  'If it is to be insects, then my first step will be antidotes.  Secondly, this time I will try to seek out some crystals of mitigation and damage, so as to add to my survival and attack capacities.  That means...an alchemist trip in the near future.'  As he contemplated the situation, Brax heard voices raised in anger spar across the planning table as an argument was made against the leaders of the last battle, as well as what was being referred to as 'weak' frontliners.  Having no ego to bruise, the man took no offense to the comments.  Not only that, but he was also of a minimum level to wield 2nd tier equipment, thus giving him a decent enough ability to both survive and assist in useful ways.  However, he found the bickering to be...unseemly, especially if one considered how many times this had already been done before.  Keeping his ears open, the stoic kept listening for anything else the meeting had to offer, specifically any formations that still needed to be hammered out, and where he might prove...most useful among them.

Edited March 27, 2016 by Brax

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru grit his teeth. Dom was talking about his friend, and had the audacity to not even try his name. Soon, he heard Ariel run towards him and put her head into his chest, screaming and sobbing about Azide, and tears welled up in his eyes. He held her for a moment, then when she seemed to be done. He held her and brushed her hair. He grit his teeth and pushed her away, then approached the Berzerker. He stood for a moment, then he pushed him into the wall and held him against it. Anger welled up inside him, and he looked at him with pure hatred in his eyes

"It's one thing to diss a friend by not even remembering the damn players name." He said, and he grit his teeth and tightened his hold around the players shirt. "But it's another to make my wife cry. I know you're my friend and ally, but this is pushing it. We had a player die that..." He felt more tears, then he breathed as he soon came into a clearer vision of what he was doing. He looked at the player, and saw nothing but pure honesty. He let go, and looked at his own hands. What had he just done? He had lashed out at a friend, and all because of one player? No, not one player, a friend. He breathed and looked at Ssendom with an embarrassed look, and backed away quickly "S-sorry..." He said and he left the room quickly, not sure if he could control his thoughts or actions after his outburst

[Ssendom 0]

Takao wasn't backing down from his opinions. Not that Dom truly cared, but the conversational argument that was being exchanged through the intense stare of the two players was becoming powerful, he sighed and closed his eyes, "Sorry if my words were blown out of proportion. Everyone is doing their equal share, but it's best if people don't throw around blame because it is the easiest thing to do. My apologies for taking my words farther than they should have." Dom recanted, trying to dispell the feeling of animosity from the air.

He didn't really think about how his words were to affect others, the focus was solely on the person who obtained the information for the floor boss fight. As he stood up to re-adjust his sitting position the boy who had invited him to his wedding got in the face of the Berserker, trying to be non-confrontional he backed up as the boy displayed his emotions willingly. Shouting into the face of Dom. Dom's eyes went blank as words whispered into his head.

An easy kill. Shove your blade through his throat!

Dom finally gained conciousness as the boy apologized and walked away, a cold sweat began to drive it's way down his spine. His eyes wide, making it seem like Hikoru surprised, heck probably intimidated Dom. He removed the Hydra skull and wiped his forhead with his Guantlet. Something about Dom's demeanor was amiss, he looked around at everyone and couldn't remember a thing that happened in between, "Sorry, Tristan you take care of the rest of this meeting. I need to get some fresh air." He informed his fellow Commandant, something was definitely off about his tone. Instead of the confident and proud voice, he somewhat trembled through his words. He promptly exited the building brushing past Hikoru without even acknowledging his existence as he past by.

[Takao 0]

Takao retained his gaze on Ssendom; his intention had never been to escalate the discussion into an argument, yet he was set in his opinions. As Ssendom apologized, Takao's expression eased back from its harsh intensity and settled back into one of comfort. He'd wanted proper credit to be given to everybody that participated, and with the statement that claimed otherwise recanted, Takao dipped his head slightly. "I'll apologize too. I just wanted everybody to be acknowledged for their contributions. We're all doing everything we can, Zelrius included." He remarked. In the moments that followed, his emerald gaze moved over the other players in attendance. Ariel was upset, Tristan made good points that would be wise to be taken into consideration, and Hikoru was angered by Ssendom's forgetfulness. The meeting was very quickly being diverted from the main subject at hand: the Boss.

"Okay, we're getting away from the meeting now. Let's all settle down and let Mack run us through the plan, yeah?" Takao said, his tone finally returning to that familiar, comfortably warm cadence that was much more typical of him. He glanced to Mack and gestured toward the table with his head.

[Heathcliff 0]

The meeting had already began but Heathcliff found himself finishing a couple of tasks that were guild related. The silver-haired man thought that it would be a good idea to tend the floor meeting, although he believed that with the Vice-Commander there as well as the leader of the Crimson Blades, there was nothing to worry. The Commander made his way down road and reached the Guild hall that he had just purchased. There were banners of both the Crimson Blades as well as the Knights of the Blood Oath. He walked up and opened the main doors. "Apologies for being late. Had some last minute tasks to finish." The man said as he saw the seat next to Opal open. The Commander made his way to the chair and sat down. He looked over at Opal, "Thanks for saving the seat." Heathcliff said while listening to what was being said. "From what I have heard, players came unprepared in the last fight. One way we can change that is once the lower leveled player's health hits 50% we immediately switch them out for a player with more health. With this being said, we will need a reserve squad of at least 3 players. Heathcliff said while thinking of the best way to make sure no one dies in this fight. The lower level players can start off in the vanguard so they can deal the damage they have while helping to keep the hard hitters unharmed until they switch. Each squad should be balance with healers, tanks, DPS, and another support." He said as he sat back in his chair and listened to the responses.

[Oikawa 1]

Chaotic. A good word to describe the meeting at hand. Not long after arriving on the scene, the blonde had opted to wait outside, unsure of how hings would unfold once he entered. Emotions were sure to be running high and the shouting match within certainly was a testament of that. Remaining outside a bit longer, he had finally decided to enter when a man decked in crimson gear and air of superiority, passed by him without even a notion to his existence and entered the room. Exhaling a sigh of regret, Oikawa stepped into the guild hall and followed the man all the way to the meeting room.

Entering just behind him, Oikawa quietly placed himself against the wall and listened as the crimson player laid out some ideas in regards to how to proceed and be better than the last raid, which almost costed Oikawa his life while simultaneously taking two others. Takao was the one to lead this meeting but if he recalled correctly, Mack was also supposedly in on it which was proven further as Takao gave the burly red head the floor.

Keeping to himself, the ex-azure raised his hood and listened as things finally began to calm. The strategy for this raid would be revealed soon enough.