[F08 - PP] A crow and a lion find a «Ferocious Foe»

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

"How did she know that about this?" was the question on Ariel's lips as she arrived at the eighth floor. Here she was go find wild overgrown bear that was going berserk outside the safe zones. Normally the blonde would glance past such quests but this one in particular came from a NPC dear to her heart. The master tailor urged her to come to this floor and put an end to the wild beast's rampage so that she could receive her material shipment from this floor. 'Of course it was for such a selfish reason.' she though with a smile, thinking how much the two had in common. 
She doubted that the bear would pose a threat to her but she still wanted to have someone by her side, to help pass the time. While scrolling through her now small friendlist, she stopped next to a person she'd meet... no, found out was still alive, recently. It's been such a long time since she saw him that her memories of that period of her life we're fuzzy, to say the least. She did however remember those three were happier times, when they went to to find a missing girl in the caves, the adventures with the Square 1 (of which she wasn't officially a member of but still welcomed).

She'd message him to join her on a bear hunt, maybe to see if she could bring back some of those happy times. She'll have to wait until he gets here, so the blonde took a seat on a nearby bench where she sat cross legged with her arms on top of the backrest. Her position alongside the dark colored clothing, black army-grade boots and crimson cape that was slightly tattered around the rims, gave the blonde a rather rogue-ish look that attracted worried gazes from the passersby.

Message:

Quote

Hey, how's the order coming along? Wanna take a break and come help me out with something?
I got intel on a bad bear that's been misbehaving on the 8th floor. There's a small bounty on its head.
We could use the opportunity to chat a bit while tracking it down.

XO Ariel                                                                                                

---

Spoiler

Stats:

• 1,490 HP (73 x20 +30[athletics])
• 146 Energy (73 x2)
• 79 Mitigation (25 +54[armor])
• +4 Accuracy (1[precision] +1[weapon] +2[trinket])
• +1 Evasion (1[Sprint & Acrobatics])
• 19 Base Damage (1[base] +7[weapon skill] +1[athletics] +9[familiar] +1[ferocity])
• +4 Fallen Damage (Successful attack rolls of 6-8 (before modifiers) add fallen damage to your total base damage.)
• +48 HP Holy Blessing (After taking damage, heal [8 per slot * Tier] HP at the beginning of your next turn. Can only trigger once per round.)
• +44 HP Battle Healing (While in combat, recover 3% per rank of your maximum HP (rounded down) at the beginning of your turn.)
• +5 LD ( +3 LD more when searching for sub-dungeons: 15 posts CD and labyrinths: 3 posts CD)
• Absolute Accuracy (Attack rolls of 1 no longer automatically miss. Gain +1 to the BD when attacking. Cannot be used to trigger a critical hit.)
• Taunt ( +1 Hate generated from Howl, Focused Howl, and successful attacks.)
• Keen (After a successful attack, gain +1 BD until your next successful attack, at which point this bonus is removed. Another successful attack will reactivate this)

Skills: Pic at 510x450 Downscaled to 385, right side alignment

  Equipment: 

≪Shi’s Talon# 134787≫			≪Leonidas' Strength#151568≫			≪Finger Claw Filigree# 151884-1≫
T2: Absolute Accuracy | Keen | Fallen			T3: Holy Blessing | Holy Blessing | Mitigation | Mitigation			T1: Accuracy | Accuracy | Taunt
A long two handed assault spear made of polished maple. Its tip is a brilliant golden colour and is surrounded by tufts of white feathers.			A blood red cape with a black inverted V design in the middle of the back, if worn as light armor; one of the trademark items worn by the Spartans that fought until the last man.			An intricate golden chassis to be wrapped around one's finger. It's incredible sturdy, sharp and shiny, capable of aggravating enemies with a well-placed redirection of light.

  Inventory:  

• ≪Basic Teleport [Crystal]≫
• ≪[T1] Blank Dungeon Map≫

  Buffs:

• None

 

Edited June 18, 2020 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Crozeph 0]

Whatever was inside his head, it made him feel uneasy. Crozeph couldn't figure out whether he should be doing something or not. Shirogane asked for a break after going with him telling him that she needs to practice her spear-wielding techniques. It was fine for him, relying too much on the game's mechanics can get bad considering they're also using their own bodies to move and not some avatar that will follow certain commands. He got busy with the items that Ariel brought to him like it was some sort of contract, something he never experienced being a merchant for a while. He stretched out his hand and tried to do some walking inside his shop and tried to wake his sleeping legs. He had made considerable progress on the identifications, it should make things easier once there area only weapons to identify.

As he walked out of his shop towards the teleportation portal, a notification appeared before him, someone has sent a message. He opened his inbox and saw that Ariel is taking on something and asks for his help. It was obvious to him that Ariel can literally kill mobs quickly once she gets her momentum going but hm being there might just make it less boring for the lioness.

Crozeph entered the portal and found himself standing inside the settlement of Floor 8, an old English style settlement that Crozeph rarely visits. He opened his inbox and replied to Ariel's message, the woman is just somewhere and easy to spot "If see Kimba or a blonde woman, there's a high chance that she's Ariel" he thought. Crozeph resumed his walk while typing his message to Ariel

 

To @Ariel - The Crowned Lion

I'm on Floor eight, where are you? should I try to look for you? I just finished near the half of the items, a break would be nice. I'm down to take down a misbehaving animal.

	Crozeph [Level 30]   | HP: 600/600 | EN: 60/60   | ACC: 2 | DMG: 12 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 44   | FREEZE +1 | RECOVERY +2 |
** Rank 2 Merchant - The Night's Watch ** WARNING: Mitigation cannot fall below 0!
Hide contents [Equipment] Lamina De Skadi [T2 Rare] -- Freeze +1 - Natural critical attack rolls of 9-10 (1 slot) or natural successful attack rolls of 8-10 (2 slots) remove the enemy’s action on their next turn. Frozen opponents lose any evasion properties. Striking a frozen enemy before the effect ends will end Freeze and deal an extra (12 * Tier) unmitigatable damage. [Must hit to activate the status condition.] -- ACC +1 -- A katana with a black hilt and an azure blade like a clear,  blue, lake water. The name translates into "Blade of Skadi" a goddess who also represented hunting and winter, signifying its use as for hunting or attacking foes by freezing them. When equipped, the user 's breath will be like one who is breathing in a cold place and the freeze effect is seen as some kind of water splashing that freezes upon contact with the target. Cloak of the Oath -- MIT +2  -- EVA +1 -- A black haori who belonged to a vice-president of the Shinsengumi. It enables the wearer to withstand attacks and also evade it. Caster's Mystic Code -- Recovery +2 -- ACC +1 -- A platinum band for the wrist with runic inscriptions worn by a Babylonian king who had access to magecraft. This item gives a boost on accuracy and ability to restore energy to cast more spells just like how the previous owner wanted it to work, it glows a vibrant blue when it activates through the lettering. [Battle-Ready Inventory]   x3 T2 Perfect Fiery Dragon Roll [MIT] x2 T2 Rare Udon Bowl +2 ACC X3 T2 Rare Mochi +2 LD X3 T2 Rare Ramen Bowl +2 EVA      Skills   Hide contents Mod Count: 1/5 Katana | Passive | RANK 5/5 > Finesse R3 Light Armor | Passive | RANK 2/5  >  Battle Healing | Passive | RANK 2/5 >  Curved Sword | Passive | RANK 1/5 >  First-Aid | Active | RANK 2/5 >  Extended Weight Limit | Passive | RANK 0 >  [Extra] Survival | Passive  Meditation | Active I +10 EN Familiar Mastery: Fighter | Passive | RANK 2/3 Misc. Buffs   Hide contents  Relaxed | Passive | House buff >

Edited June 18, 2020 by Crozeph

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Shortly after she send the message, she got a reply. Ariel allowed herself a small smile at the sight of the positive response. She took a look around her to see if she could locate him but failing to do so, she wrote a short reply to which she tried to add her coordinates. The fact that the village was suspended didn't help much with setting out a clear landmark and she would see the multiple verticality being an issue on a XY map. "Hey do you still remember Crow?" she asked her feline companion, which replied only with a wide mouthed yawn before curling into a ball near her feet. "I was thinking that you could use your nose to get to him..." but it seemed that the attempt to spur the lioness on a hunting expedition like a hound failed. "You're no fun..." muttered the blonde, while tilting her head backwards and closing her eyes for a few seconds, taking in the fresh air unique to this floor.

"I'm on a bench looking at a 'white' river below. Shouldn't be far from the settlement's teleport plaza." 

[Crozeph 0]

He wasn't lost, he just didn't know where to start looking. It would be troublesome if he tried to search more, the best option is to wait for Ariel to reply. How long has it been? the times she spent with Square One was enough for Crozeph to remember her. Most of the time he is reminded by how Ariel was always trying to be on par with Oikawa, and one time X had to ask for a duel. Those were the good times, back when Azide led them. "I think we also finished that quest with bats on it," he thought as he stood alone, her appearance in his shop was a surprise. His shop was hard to find, only a few found his little storage room and it wasn't even his fault. 

A few minutes later and he received a reply and it looks like Ariel is near the plaza. He immediately made his way to the coordinates that Ariel gave him, it'll be rude to make a woman wait after giving him her location. Crozeph easily found the place where she was. There were players and NPC around but Crozeph always knew one thing, Kimba is always accompanying Ariel. Pramanix was following behind him, it seems that the snow leopard isn't ready yet to partake in battle and as much as he wants to, it only has been a few days since. She followed Crozeph while looking around her warily, Crozeph shook his head as he scratched hers gently "it'll be fine, we'll go training after this so you can fight back " he told her. A soft purr was what he heard as a reply, it was enough for him and made his way to Ariel.

"You're easy to find in a crowd," he told her "seeing Kimba is enough to let me know that you're here" he added as he talked to Ariel who sat on a bench. Crozeph stretched out his hand towards her familiar "remember me?" he asked Kimba. Pramanix began to tug his cloak back as he tried to pet Kimba "no need to be scared Pramanix, Kimba is a good girl" he told his familiar. "So you got any leads on where we're going to find the bear later?" he turned his attention back to Ariel while Pramanix kept on pulling him back from Kimba.

@Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

As she heard a familiar voice, the blonde let out a cheeky smile as she turned her head to the one addressing her: "That's because I'm not trying, you'd have to work much harder to find me if I was using the Hiding skill." She gave a wink and watched the small exchange with her familiar. The lioness raised her head and sniffed Crow's hand a couple of times before biting and nibbling on his thumb. A sudden rustle from behind him made her stop and go investigate. Seeing the leopard act so possessive Kimba slowly drew closer, despite her intent she looked more like a cat trying to stalk her objective.

"It's said to attack merchants and travelers close to the forest, so I say we take take a walk around the more popular roads. " she said matter-of-factly if not a bit bored. "You know how these quests go, we're bound to bump into it one way or another." she brushed several loose locks of her golden hair behind her ear and eyed the man from head to toe before continuing. A teasing smile intertwined with more interest in the topic: "But i must say, I was surprised to see how much you changed, Karasu-kun! Seem that japanese attire has also become a fad since I left. Is the traditional attire that interesting to wear?" her curiosity sparked, as the tailor inside her was genuinely interested, if she'd decided to open again her shop for the general public. 

[Crozeph 0]

Pramanix was still getting used to having a lot of people around her, after all, she was part of an elusive species that was also on the list of candidates for extinction. the snow leopard shied away from the lioness and began to move back circling on Crozeph's feet as she keeps her distance. Crozeph scratched her head gently "be nice to Kimba"  he whispered gently. Crozeph took a seat beside Ariel as they talked, Pramanix followed him and sat just beside the bench, her nose onto the scent of Kimba. "Well that suck for the merchants on the road, bad for business, no wonder it was put up as a quest" he replied. Ariel was right, they were bound to bump into it sooner or later but for now, some catching up might be enough to pass the time

"Oh, you mean the clothes?" Crozeph looked at his garb, he has indeed changed a lot since their last encounter "back then I wore a black trench coat"  he told her. Crozeph's attire back then reminded him of being a witness to a murder, not that it still matters today. "You should've seen me a few months back when I tried going out a little, I was wearing a set of samurai armor" it was back then when he had Hestia as a tank, he hasn't heard from her for a while "I've been adjusting my build ever since I met Baldur and caught wind of Jacob's Ladder, I'm also planning to move my shop there once I finish your order"  he brushed up his hair as he talked "these are much lighter and comfortable to me plus it goes well with my katana" he added. "How about you? I've been seeing familiar faces for a while and you're the fourth one that I met" he was happy about it, despite having difficulty expressing it, Crozeph was glad that they've been coming out of whatever cave they've been hiding.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

The blonde nodded, her memory kicking into gear at the mention of the trench coat. She next suddenly imagined him wearing full armor and couldn't help but laugh softly as she added: "Please tell me you had also a helmet with a oni mask." she would then cast her eyes to his familiar and notice how Kimba tried to creep slowly to her while sniffing the air.
"Glad to hear Bal's doing ok, maybe I'll visit the ronin when I get some time. Who else did you meet? After the boss fight on the 21st floor I..." she didn't knew how to put it, so she kept watching the familiars with a downcast gaze: "I isolated myself from the rest of the world, took a long time to sort some things inside my head... well until recently. As you can see, I've won and went pass it! And I'm ready to join the good fight again! "She came to an abrupt stop and changed the subject, surprise and interest now predominant now in her tone: "Jacob's Ladder? what's that?" this was the first time she heard that name and could make some assumptions but wanted to hear more from Crow before jumping to her own conclusions.

Edited May 28, 2020 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph had one reason why he didn't wear a samurai helmet and oni mask "headgears are nice but I don't want to get sweaty hair by wearing one" he told her. The armor was enough for him back then and a weaker version of the katana he has now. "I understand the isolation, I can only imagine that being part of the frontlines can be jarring to some players" his thoughts went on the players whom he knew had joined the frontlines "I had joined one boss battle too, I didn't do well most of the time during the battle but I did give a considerable bump to the damage output" he then crossed his arms "the next battles were more dangerous from what I've heard, we even lost Azide. Baldur and Oikawa had to witness it, Bal did manage to be fine but Oikawa..." he then remembered the former guild member "... he had a hard time dealing with it, I don't know if you were there but a lot of them had been scarred by bad planning" he added.

Ariel's question about Jacob's Ladder was expected, it was a new guild, founded by people who have seen things and experienced gruesome things inside the game "back when Baldur found me on Floor ten staring at the Stygian, he mentioned something about founding a guild. It was a good plan and I offered my help for some things like providing equipment with my merchant profession or at least train some members." Placing a finger to his lips as he tried to remember the details, Crozeph was planning to join the guild "Baldur and Oikawa are there, if you know Mari she's also a founding member along with a guy named Shield who I haven't met yet or maybe I did but only knew his face" he then raised his index finger "I wouldn't join the guild if it weren't for the three of them, I'd hate to affiliate myself with guilds, you know how I have a habit of disappearing and being hard to find." Crozeph could still remember leaving his previous guild without notice, he just disappeared without a trace.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Listening to him talk, the blonde kept alternating between being pensive about the past and happy that he seemed to be doing well for himself. Until he mentioned Azide's passing. She remembered how close they all were, and how much of a loss it was for everyone that day: “I was there… on floor 14" muttered the blonde in a low voice, one would doubt even hearing her. "I couldn’t do anything but watch as that f***** took Azide in his claws and… and…” she stopped. It pained her to describe it in detail, her whole body jerked as she was gazing forwards. The blonde could vividly recollect what happened and could see it in front of them, her memory as clear now as it was when she lived through it.

“Before that, it took me high up to its nest outside the fight, gave me front row seats to what was to happen... It was horrible Crow, after taking his life, it landed next to me. I swear it was mocking my inability to save him, I... I think I snapped.” at this point, Ariel’s memory started to get fuzzy but she would keep telling him what she knew and felt: “I attacked it, used the most powerful sword arts again and again while screaming my lungs out. It took away my… our friend.” Her eyes tearing up, she could already feel her nose running and after a couple of sniffs she continued:  “but all my shots bounced back. It had the <Immortal Object> status and couldn’t care less for me attacking it. After a while it tossed me out of its nest and I rejoined the fight below… but by the time I regained my senses, the fight already ended, the rest of the raid team took care of the bird.” The blonde didn’t even notice until now that there were light streams of tears running down her cheeks. She tried to wipe then with her backhand as she continued her story that nobody asked for.

“But I had my revenge.” her sad expression gaining a more feral look, satisfaction clearly present in her savage smile. “It was a long time after that but there was a special event, you see. ‘The Child of Rokh’ it was called and it involved the offspring of that winged floor boss. Needless to say that I took it the moment I learned about it. And I made sure that baby falcon suffered before I sent it to its mother. It was even kind enough to drop this for me!”  Her hand dances through the air and moments later a long spear appears; she grabs and brandishes it: “Its plumage had this maple wood color and few white ones around its head, like this spear has.” she twirled her fingers around the tufts of white feathers around the spearhead  ” It's been serving me well for a while now.”

At this point the blonde realized that she began telling a story that Crow didn’t ask for, so she let go of the weapon, returning it to her Inventory before it hit the ground. “Sorry for turning this into a sob fest.” she said with a smile, taking a large breath of air while wiping off any remaining tears. Her expression also reverted to a genuine smile. Taking a second to remember what else he said, the blonde continued: “Oikawa is there??? Even Mari?” she was a bit incredulous about that last mention but didn’t show it. “I take it that it’s frontliners guild then?” she added, her interest peaked.

Edited May 28, 2020 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Crozeph 0]

As Ariel told him of her point of view, it was clear to Crozeph, they were caught off-guard by Rohk. He wasn't there when it happened, he only heard stories of how the frontline were almost wiped out by the creature, the floor boss. They suffered casualties, Ariel could still remember the day it happened, Crozeph wasn't expecting her to tell the whole story or have her relive the memory. Ariel's tears were enough for Crozeph to know that it also got into her. He couldn't imagine himself surviving the fight or even if he did, can he live with the feeling of losing someone he respects.

He placed his hand on Ariel's head patting her as she sobbed and slowly pulled it back "I'm sorry I wasn't there, I could've helped if I weren't slacking off for so long" he told her "at least we're all safe still, sacrifices have been made but all those are not in vain" he added. "When I heard about it I decided that I don't want to be a player who acts on offense, I can't let it happen again. Baldur told me it was about how support was scarce for some players, that if only they were able to provide enough support to keep their HP up then deaths could've been avoided." Crozeph leaned back as he kept on talking "I don't want to fight while others die around me, it wasn't easy to change my stats and build but if I don't then I can never help anyone" he added. The weapon that Ariel took out was a spear that indeed looked like something made out of a large flying creature "a souvenir huh?" he uttered as Ariel placed it back in her inventory "there are still floors that need to be cleared, if we ever get the chance to join in again, you'll see me providing support rather than fighting all the time" he told her "I'm still on the experimental stage of what I can offer but I'm getting there."

"Yes Oikawa and Mari are there," he told Ariel, knowing Mari wasn't even a surprise for him. The woman is known to a lot of players and her capabilities are not going unnoticed to some, there may be times that it invites challenge. "They told me that Shield is the owner by paper but it's run by a council of the founding members, with the three of them the very friends we know," he said. Jacob's Ladder, as far as Crozeph knows, isn't focused on going to the frontlines "from what Mari and Oikawa told me, it seems to be more of a leveling guild, pretty much how Square One runs back then. With Baldur part of it, I knew it would involve some resource gathering and training of members, he's a leader material after all." 

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

It was nice to see that the guy next to her showed some compassion, how long has it been since she'd received or shown some herself. It ashamed her to admit that she didn't remember the answer to both of those questions. Lightly biting her lower lip, she focused on his words. Support? its true they had always been a rare breed, a more endangered species than the tanks. She knew they reason why as well. "Until you reach a certain level, you need to think primarily about yourself... and pick the skills needed for survival, support skills aren't that seeked until people are sure they have the necessary kit to keep them alive. How many support skills have you got? On my part is a big zero and I don't plan on getting some anytime soon. I'm sure a majority of others think the way I do. 'Put yourself before others!' " she claimed with conviction and continued in a lower tone: "You're no use to anyone if you're dead." That was about the only advice she could give on that topic.

The topic shifted once again to this new guild. Shield's name rang a heavy bell but she couldn't really nail from where she knew it and right now she didn't want to dig too deep in her memory. 'It'll come with time.' she thought, filing the thought for another time. The association with S1 made the blonde crack a smile again: "As much as we want we can't bring back S1, times and people changed. Not even Azide, when he made a new guild, didn't bring it to its former reputation even as he recruited OG members. " She leaned back on the bench and looked up to the skies: "But Mari... I never took her for a team player, I'm almost shocked to hear that she helped lay the foundation for this new guild. I know she had her own one back in the day but still..." she let the words float in the air, no trace of mockery or malice in her tone, just pure curiosity and maybe a tinge of hope. They never saw eye to eye and seemed to tick off one another everytime they crossed paths, maybe now they could have at least more pleasant conversations. The blonde was certainly willing to try as during her hermitage, she learned to forgive others before starting to forgive herself. 

"I think I'll come visit sometime!" came the random idea that she didn't even hesitate to voice. Ariel turned towards Crow and looked him in the eyes, her expression showing a small degree of childish anticipation. something Like a kid that couldn't wait to play their games after diner. "See where your new base of operations will be, maybe do a little catching up with the rest if they're around." the more she talked, the more appealing the idea was for her. "I have no idea of the current state on the front lines except for some half baked reports that I managed to get from info brokers. But none of those snakes are actively participating in the clearing effort so I doubt the reliability of their info. They tend to watch from a distance and take notes with minimum involvement."     

[Crozeph 0]

Crozeph made a hearty laugh as Ariel told him to put himself before others "well that's the beauty of being a support, you're not supposed to be alone" he told her. It was a tough decision for someone like him who enjoys solitude and at the same time suffer from it "being one will force me to be with people because that's how I'll only function someday" Crozeph opened his skill menu "for now I only have a healing skill, I'm still a damage dealer you know, its either I help with some heals and buff or help decimate monsters as much as my strength permits" it was the big picture that he kept on reminding himself. There will come a time where he will be more effective on support and when he does, he'll gladly accept it.

"I didn't know that Azide tried to bring back Square One, my god how deep did I hide that I didn't hear about it?" he uttered. If there ever was a guild that he joined that made a lasting impression to him, it was Square One. He had been part of Tempest Lost and Guardians of the New Dawn, he even became part of Mari's guild, Cerulean Silence but Square One was a guild he always remembered. "I was part of Mari's guild back then right after Square One disbanded, she wasn't as charismatic like Azide or had the moving words Baldur can give. In that short-lived membership I had, she was more of a mother to her brood, she would snap at those who are being an annoyance and shut down the one who talks smack" he kept a low profile even when part of it "she tried her best to keep us in line as she stood in front but a single person is limited with what he or she can do, Mari was no exception." Crozeph stretched out his hand to pet Pramanix, the leopard was already at ease but still curious to Kimba "the guild runs by the plurality of leaders, so four of them should have a to agree on something before it gets implemented" he added.

Ariel's excitement over knowing the guild was unexpected. As Crozeph saw anticipation in her eyes he knew he had to say something "yeah you could, though I don't know where it is yet at the moment, I only heard that it will be near Baldur's house where I'm also moving in. You see I'm trying my best not to hide again, making my build more useful with groups, joining a guild again, and moving in with the Gaijin Samurai, and relocating my shop near the guild also" Crozeph smiled at her "you should catch up with them, I'm sure they'll be happy to see the crowned lion again." Crozeph then turned his attention to Ariel's web of info brokers "wow you really are watching out for a lot of things with those info brokers" he told her "I better make sure you don't hear any weird information from me" he added. 

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

"Under a rock, obviously!" chimed the blonde then continued to listened to the details partaking Crow's guild history. "Please don't tell me you were part of the handful of people from her guild that she took to fight the floor boss. Without giving the rest of us any heads up. " said Ariel, seemingly more upset at the fact that she hasn't been asked to join, than that by bringing a smaller raid group she endangered its party members. However she did learn about another aspect of pinkette that she didn't know about.

"Heh, I wonder about that..." muttered the blonde with a little disbelief in her tone, before her 'retreat' on the 22nd floor, she wasn't exactly miss popularity not in the positive way. "Don't worry I'll find the place one way or another." she added with a mischievous smile. 
She stretched her hands upwards and let out a small yawn, her familiar doing a similar action but stretching her fore paws. She couldn't say that she wouldn't feel the same about meeting them "Oh and before I forget, people started dubbing me as a sage now since the place where I took the time off was a cave high into the mountains of the 22nd floor. Somewhere close to the 'Lake of reflection'. Which I visited regularly. " she claimed, not sure how familiar he was with the floor's topography. "I'm planning to buy a house there!" hew tone significantly but more excited about her next statement. "Put down roots and start a martial arts school, continue the family tradition."

[Crozeph 0]

"Unfortunately I didn't buy that idea of hers back then" he replied to the blonde "even if I was part of that guild I managed to keep my existence low enough not to get unwanted attention" he added. Crozeph disappeared afterwards and emerged only to find the guild disbanded, it was a good thing for him, the leader was straining herself with her duties. Ariel seemed to be intrigued by the guild, unlike him who plans to join because people he knew were there and also he gave a commitment to Baldur about helping him and the only thing different now is who name was etched at the guild leader. "I'm sure you'll find it, I'm just a little lazy to pinpoint the exact coordinates but maybe it's somewhere where no one can access unless given permission."

"Ariel the Sage" he uttered with amusement "it has a nice ring to it you know?" he told her while smiling. Being called a sage can mean different things and for Ariel, it seems like her stay at a certain cave near a lake made her earn the moniker. "Maybe you are one, just starting to be a full-fledge sage" Crozeph then was surprised about Ariel putting up a martial arts school and the mention of family tradition "your family practices martial arts in real life? that's awesome! no wonder whenever I see you fight you've got hints of doing attacks naturally, it all made sense now" he said with amazement, he was a practitioner of kendo outside of Aincrad and even with the background he has, he can't apply what little he knows. "So what martial arts are you going to teach?" he asked her, eager to know the woman's current plan.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

"More like the sage of the 22th floor. I didn't want people knowing who I really was so I left it just at that." she added with a little pride towards her wittiness. There wouldn't be much anonymity if she's retreat somewhere and use her real name. It was nice to have someone to share this with, at that time she barely had any interaction outside the less than a handful of  people that knew where she was. After that she was a little worried about breaking the unspoken 'taboo' of not revealing information about you from the real world. Which Ariel wasn't a fan of as she'd often introduce herself in the past by her full name name. Seeing as Crow didn't mind her slip, she added some more details.

"Well, take your pick. Dad was a Veteran category fencer in his country and mother was a heiress to a traditional school of japanese martial arts. So honestly I know a little bit of everything." she said proudly, omitting the part that her mother never picked up a weapon to train. "I'm living proof that they passed through the language barrier and archaic beliefs." she made an exaggerated gesture to present herself but stopped as she noticed that she was starting to deviate from his question.

"I earned a name in the fencing community by stepping in dad's footsteps but of course I also learned kenjutsu from my grampa. He really wanted to show dad that the Katana was a better, more noble weapon, than the sabré so he didn't give it a rest until I earned the Godan rank in kendo." she looked for a moment in the distance, reminiscing those times then turned to Crow. "You should've seen how happy those two were when I came home with the sabre senior national champion cup. They forgot their differences and celebrated all night." She blinked a couple of times, realizing again that he didn't ask about that. Taking a moment to think about it, she replied: "I specialize in fencing but also I can become a kendo teacher, I've practiced the katana and some other weapons." Ariel pointed at his hip before continuing  "I have to admit though, that hand to hand combat is my weakest point."

[Crozeph 0]

"Oh damn it sounded more awesome with the family background you have," he told her with such admiration. He knew there are people who value martial arts or rather its discipline and he wasn't expecting Ariel to be one of those people. "A family that practiced western and eastern martial arts, you've achieved a lot and made your family proud" Crozeph smiled at the idea of having proud parents, not that his father wasn't proud of him, Crozeph just wanted a simple life. "you can probably collaborate with Baldur on the teaching part, he's also aiming for it. Maybe have both your schools do a friendly duel if you begin teaching and if he's still onto the plan of doing it also" it would be a cool thing to watch, two different schools of martial arts making sure that tradition is kept intact even inside the game. "Maybe one day I'll take up some lesson from you to help me improve."

Crozeph then remembered how he was practicing when he is alone, what meager information and practice he had from the outside world, and honing it and incorporating on his sword arts. "I was also given kendo lessons during my time in high school, a friend of mine told me I needed a much more healthier hobby than playing games. The next thing I know I'm getting beaten by my seniors" he told Ariel. He could still remember how he was dragged in the Kendo club even when he didn't want to "I hated that club because I don't like to put a strain in my already fragile body but I don't want to be labeled as a coward also so in the end, I became an official member". He then looked at his hand "unlike you I was no good at striking, I can't even land a Men-Uchi properly. What I lack in striking finesse I made up with footwork and I managed to learn Kote-Uchi" he laid down the details of his unexpected club membership "but still at the end of the day I can't win more than one sparring so I'm really impressed by how you have a championship cup. When I moved my practice to a proper dojo I can't even beat those on my same level. I was stuck in Shodan forever." Placing his hand back inside his sleeve, he smiled at the thought of having one "at least I get to practice here without disturbance, just look for an abandoned house or a really thick forest and I'm good to go. At some point I tried practicing Batto Jutsu, it's a knock-off version though" he added.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

The prospect of teaming up with Baldur was certainly welcomed: "I'd love to do that but I still have ways to go: finding a place where all this would happen, getting the necessary funds to buy it, setting up the dojo and adjacent accommodations and not to mention getting members to join, setting up some sort of curriculum... " she started counting the step with her fingers and already reached her second hand before she stopped. It'll take some time since she wanted to do this properly: "Most importantly, I'll have to find a new name for it, something original and related to this world. Using the family name would feel inappropriate, like I'm just using it as a given instead of earning it. It would be a simple ryu instead of a koryu. " the lack of a proper name was the main reason the blonde hasn't told more people about her plan yet.

On the other hand, listening to how Crow came in contact with kendo made her feel a little jealous: "How lucky..." she muttered softly, not wanting to interrupt him. Being home schooled for most of the time, she didn't have much knowledge of that aspect of life except through various media or through the recollections of others like Crow here. "Can't learn much without getting some bruises." chimed the blonde, fondling remembering her own training sessions with both her dad and her grandfather. "But more than being able to do moves rank up, it builds up character and discipline. 'Meikyo shisui' " she lightly tapped her temple for emphasis:  "As much as a cliché that saying it, it still holds true. You're practicing even now when mostly the system can control your action, not only to train your body but also your mind. Some believe that once you rid your thoughts of any impurity/distractions , whatever those are to you, you can tell what your opponent would do before they do."

At this point, she realized that she'd already started talking like a Sage, staying true to her moniker. With a chuckle she lowered her finger and added: "You can look at it as a knock-off but let me ask you this. Why do you think there are so many schools, they all have the same core but people practice it in their unique modes. Same with your Batto Jutsu." 

---

TL Note: ryu/ koryu - 'school/ old school'
Meikyo shisui -  'as a polished mirror and still water'

Edited May 30, 2020 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Crozeph 0]

The amount of information given to him was almost overwhelming, if he didn't have a fair background of kendo he would've drowned at every words she told him. "I'm sure you'll do fine on choosing a name, it's not like you have to name it fancy to attract students, I think having one or two students is enough for others to see that your soon to be school is a good one." Crozeph tried to remember a story of a style with which has one master and student "you know that fiction of a certain group where there's only one master and one student, it was a cruel style of discipleship because once the student has proven himself or herself then she had to kill her master" he tried his best to recall the memory of it "I'm not saying that you should apply the student-kill-teacher concept, what I'm saying is through the method, people knew how disciplined or skilled that person is considering that this student has no master anymore" as a finishing for his logic he tried to summarize the idea "take one or two students, train them and let the other players here see how good of a teacher you are just by those two. No fancy name, no over-the-top dojo, just pure skills passed down like how it should be... traditionally."

He can even believe that he's saying these things. For sure Ariel knew about these things, she was more capable and talented than him. "The dojo that I joined was owned by my friend's grandpa, even with my incompetence on fighting he would always comfort me," he told the story to the woman beside him, "he told me that rankings are sometimes poison to others and he told me that I always held back, like I never wanted to be part of it but at the same time I was already picking up the important part... discipline, just like you told me." Crozeph scratched his head all of a sudden "it's not like I'm as disciplined as you, it's just that..." He stretched out his hand to Pramanix "... I was practicing the same moves over and over again, I never ranked up but I almost mastered the basics" he added. "Sadly after the transfer of ownership I got cemented on the same rank so I quit, there's no one to comfort me there anymore, grandpa left the dojo in the hands of a younger practitioner who valued strength over mastery" he was certain about the memory, whatever equipment he had for kendo back then, he hid in a box.

Ariel's advice definitely sounded like something a sage would say. It was informative and Crozeph knew that he had to keep his skills in check based on how Ariel described the discipline she acquired. Her words about Batto Jutsu was obvious, there were different school who had different techniques but the core was there. He had been practicing drawing his katana faster, most of the time he'd fail to reach the reaction and drawing speed that he wanted but at times it came in handy in battle "I don't know about the different styles, I saw my seniors practice it and when I got stuck here I tried my best to recall how they do it..." he raised his finger "one was a quick draw but instead of a slicing motion it was more like a stab and the other one was the common core which you know, draw it and slice at the vital points." Crozeph tried to show her the motion of the sword as they talked "I still can't use it in battle as fast as it was supposed to be, maybe someone like you who has a better background of fencing can do it fast plus I need to be a bit far away so I don't leave myself open for a counter-attack" their conversation was an opportunity for him to learn things, maybe Ariel was the person for the job.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

She eyed Crow with false suspicion while he told his story about the master and the student, almost ready to crack a joke and as if he was going that route with Baldur. But ultimately decided against it and kept listening and occasionally nodding. She let out a soft sigh when she heard how his experience at the dojo ended: "I'm happy to hear that it was a positive experience overall, I'm sure your sensei would also be happy and proud that you picked up his teachings and even now try to improve based in them." at least she'd like to think of it what way. She knew how much learning 'the way of the sword' meant to both her father and grandfather and was sure Crow's teacher felt in a similar fashion.

"I feel like for this one I'll have to step out of 'traditional' thinking though. I fear there's little use for traditionality in this game except for aesthetics." she looked at him top to bottom then continued. "There are little skills to pass as one can reach combat mastery with literally a push of a button then the system assists your aim while using sword arts and based on stats. You don't have to learn how to properly hold and use a weapon or even something like puttin on a kimono since you just equip it. You can get rich flavoured tea, also with a press of a button instead of someone taking the time to make it. " and the list could go on but she stopped herself and stated her conclusion:
"One thing the system doesn't do for you is think. You still have to do it for yourself and it seem to be challenging for a lot of people that became complacent with the convenient way that this world works. My plans for when I'll open the school is to teach people how to discipline their minds via training and study. Which I feel is ultimately the goal of every martial arts school ever made." 

She rose from the bench and stretched her arms forwards: "That's the basic idea anyway. There's a long way to go but one of the steps is finding that bear and cashing in the reward on its head." she said with a lopsided smile. Trying to redirect them to their initial goal.

[Crozeph 0]

"But still..." Crozeph stood up after her "learning it properly can get good results even if the game controls some of the process" he told her as he secured his katana in its place. Ariel was much more knowledgeable and she was right about it. "It made me happy too that he didn't get angry at me but he did always tell me that I should try to at least rank up" he told her. All those memories were only the good one he had practicing kendo and the rest, getting hit on the head easily. 

Crozeph felt it too, how everything inside the game was there with a push of a button. It was more like how fast a person accesses his own skills and equipment rather than mastering his craft. He dealt with it rather differently, there are some things that can be done the easy way but in the end, innate skills will still come in handy. He would assume proper stance while doing battle, most of the time he ends up missing or leaves himself open for attacks. It was frustrating but eventually, he began to memorize the feel of doing it naturally, or technically, he began to recall all that was taught to him. The conversation with the lioness made Crozeph admire her more. During the time she was with Square One she was already displaying skills and insights that only a person who learned it can. Now that he knows her story, of how her achievements brought her family more closer to each other, two arts taught to one and turned out to be better than expected.

"Well I don't know how to hunt a bear," he told her jokingly, as Pramanix began hitting his leg with her tail. "This will be a good chance for me to learn something from you, from a champion" he added. Crozeph then placed his hand on his chin and thought of something "if that' the case then you'll see my terrible forms and inaccurate strikes" he said "this would be embarrassing but at least I can get the chance to learn something."