Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0 Posted June 1, 2020 Author #21 Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 (edited) "There was some reason for that, more than the obvious 'you should always try to improve' one." there were more to it or she was reading too much into it but nonetheless she offered her point of view, speaking confidently as she had first hand experience with it. "There is a waiting period before you can take try to take the exams for the next dan, which keeps incrementing." she took a small break, as if mentally counting something. She turned and looked Crow into his eyes, trying to read his age based on his appearance. A little silly considering that you can slightly alter your appearance in this game. "He probably saw some potential in you and wanted you to get an early start on your advancements. You wouldn't want to be around 80 years when you get the 8th dan!" the last statement was a joke, but she decided to be more specific. "Take me for example, I have to wait until next year to be able to advance to the 6th dan, four years have past since I got my current 'ranking'." She let out a weak smile: "That was before we got stuck here, who knows how long it'll be until we go back to real life. And how this game affects us back there." while harsh, it was the truth as she saw it and it visibly frustrated her. Clearing floors seemed to take more time with every new raid they did. Watching the leopard, she cracked a smile and answered: "I'll try not to judge.. to much." regarding his last statement. She then added afterwards, a little calmer: "We didn't knew how to help that girl either but we still managed to reunite her with her mom." she said with a smile, hinting at probably their first quest together in the past. "I have no doubt that we're gonna do great! Shout if you see a bear!" Edited June 4, 2020 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion Link to post Share on other sites
Crozeph 0 Posted June 4, 2020 #22 Report Share Posted June 4, 2020 "That's a lot of years for reaching the highest" he uttered. He would have no chance of reaching it with his current skills. While his movements were enough to dodge, his attack rarely hit anything and he has to work on it, fortunately he's with Ariel now and it's a good chance to see how a champion-level practitioner moves. The last time he was with her was during the cave quest. "I can't even believe we managed to finish that quicker than I thought, the darkness of that cave was enough to make me move slower than usual" he told her as he remembers it "maybe I'll do fine or maybe not, depends on how the situation will work for us" he added. Crozeph looked around his as they walked to where the location of the bear might be "I don't see any yet, maybe if we try to find a tree with honey on it" he held the hilt of his katana as they continued, a bear attack can get vicious and dangerous within seconds and even with Ariel with him, he still doesn't know if he can actually fight it if the bear ever makes an attempt to ambush them. "Bears hide in caves and its easier to hear their steps because of the size and weight," he thought "I just have to concentrate hard enough so it won't catch me off-guard" Crozeph looked left and right, wherever the bear might be, he was preparing himself whether he should defend or attack it. Link to post Share on other sites
Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0 Posted June 18, 2020 Author #23 Report Share Posted June 18, 2020 (edited) The blonde materialized her currently favorite weapon: 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. She gave it a flourish before resting it on her shoulder, ready for whatever would come their way. "I wonder..." she muttered, not ending the thought but letting it float in the air. They didn't have to wait much more it seemed, a merchant came running in their direction, fear visible all over his expression. He only uttered "HEEEELP!" before a roar came from the woods behind him. A large bear made its appearance and sniffed the air, as if looking for the NPC. A louder, second roar followed as it eyed the two players, apparently it prefered them over the fat NPC. Ariel took a second to assess the threat: named «Kumatetsu», the mob stood on his two hind legs and was holding lis fore paws in front of him. Oddly enough it reminded the blonde of a boxer. Crowzeph stats Ariel 1490/1490 HP | 146/146 EN | 79 MIT | AA +5(6) BD | 1 EVA | KEEN | Taunt «Kumatetsu» 300/300 HP | 75 DMG | 50 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA Spoiler Dodge and Parry: On a player's natural attack roll of 10, the attack will miss «Kumatetsu». Instead «Kumatetsu» will gain a +2 Accuracy and +15 Damage for his next attack. Beast Form: When «Kumatetsu» is reduced to 150 (or lower) health, he will transform and turn into a bulked-up creature, increasing his damage to 100, but losing his Accuracy and half of his mitigation Ferocious Roar: When «Kumatetsu» rolls a CD of 10+, he lets out a mighty roar instead of his attack, paralyzing the party. Edited June 18, 2020 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion Link to post Share on other sites
Crozeph 0 Posted June 18, 2020 #24 Report Share Posted June 18, 2020 (edited) ID:153965 BD: 3 + 2 ACC = 5 - 2 EVA = 3 fail CD: 6 [Recovery] proc I +4 EN Crozeph I HP: 600/600 I EN: 60/60 I DMG: 12 I MIT: 44 I ACC: 2 I EVA: 1 I FRZ: 1 I REC: 2 Ariel 1490/1490 HP | 146/146 EN | 79 MIT | AA +5(6) BD | 1 EVA | KEEN | Taunt «Kumatetsu» 300/300 HP | 75 DMG | 50 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA Spoiler Dodge and Parry: On a player's natural attack roll of 10, the attack will miss «Kumatetsu». Instead «Kumatetsu» will gain a +2 Accuracy and +15 Damage for his next attack. Beast Form: When «Kumatetsu» is reduced to 150 (or lower) health, he will transform and turn into a bulked-up creature, increasing his damage to 100, but losing his Accuracy and half of his mitigation Ferocious Roar: When «Kumatetsu» rolls a CD of 10+, he lets out a mighty roar instead of his attack, paralyzing the party. Crozeph was surprised, not by the bear appearing but by its stance "um, is that bear on an attack stance?" he asked Ariel. It would've been really weird if Kumatetsu was indeed doing a stance he saw on some MMA or boxing fights. He drew his sword and waved at Ariel "I'll try taking on it, see if it has a specific moveset" he told her before dashing forward to attack the bear. Crozeph slashed as he tried to keep his balance. Bears usually charge head-on when seeing prey but this one was different, Kumatetsu is dodging his attacks. Crozeph could see it dodge just inches away from his moves. After several more attempts, he jumped back and bit his lip "that was weird" he thought. He wasn't sure how the bear did it or he's just dumb when it comes to this kind of mobs. Not that he really was good at it, he wasn't expecting the bear to dodge all of his attacks. Edited June 18, 2020 by Crozeph Link to post Share on other sites
Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0 Posted June 18, 2020 Author #25 Report Share Posted June 18, 2020 (edited) "Looks like its... boxing?"she concluded out loud, her head slightly tilted to the side as she came to the realization. Seeing Crow engage the mob, made her connect the dots in her head on how to approach it. They had range advantage thanks to their weapons, the blonde more so than anything with her tall two handed spear that with a small flourish she brought it in a attack stance. With one sharp exhale accompanied by short shout 'Hyaa!' she charges into the fight, her concentration unwavering. There was no doubt that her strike would pierce, the target was too big to miss... however she didn't feel the familiar sensation of her weapon making contact. "Huh?" she uttered more than a little dumbfounded as the bear literally punched her spear away from itself. Effectively deflecting with precise strikes from the side, making the sword art miss. "It does... martial arts?" her confusion visible on her expression as she put some distance between the bear and her as soon as the post movement delay allowed her to move. She managed to avoid the swing coming her way but when a third, Ferocious Roar came their way. the blonde lightly cursed as she found herself unable to move, same as Crowzeph. She'd underestimated it, and now was paying the price. ID# 154010 BD:10 (Miss!!) -2 EN ID# 154011 BD:1 (Miss!!) [0] Crozeph I HP: 600/600 I EN: 58/60 I DMG: 12 I MIT: 44 I ACC: 2 I EVA: 1 I FRZ: 1 I REC: 2 [PARALYZED] [0] Ariel 1490/1490 HP | 144/146 EN | 79 MIT | AA +5(6) BD | 1 EVA | KEEN | Taunt [PARALYZED] «Kumatetsu» 300/300 HP | 90 DMG | 50 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA Spoiler Dodge and Parry: On a player's natural attack roll of 10, the attack will miss «Kumatetsu». Instead «Kumatetsu» will gain a +2 Accuracy and +15 Damage for his next attack. Beast Form: When «Kumatetsu» is reduced to 150 (or lower) health, he will transform and turn into a bulked-up creature, increasing his damage to 100, but losing his Accuracy and half of his mitigation Ferocious Roar: When «Kumatetsu» rolls a CD of 10+, he lets out a mighty roar instead of his attack, paralyzing the party. Edited June 18, 2020 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion Link to post Share on other sites
Crozeph 0 Posted June 19, 2020 #26 Report Share Posted June 19, 2020 (edited) paralyzed [1 turn] Stats [0] Crozeph I HP: 600/600 I EN: 58/60 I DMG: 12 I MIT: 44 I ACC: 2 I EVA: 1 I FRZ: 1 I REC: 2 [PARALYZED] [0] Ariel 1490/1490 HP | 144/146 EN | 79 MIT | AA +5(6) BD | 1 EVA | KEEN | Taunt [PARALYZED] «Kumatetsu» 300/300 HP | 90 DMG | 50 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA Hide contents Dodge and Parry: On a player's natural attack roll of 10, the attack will miss «Kumatetsu». Instead «Kumatetsu» will gain a +2 Accuracy and +15 Damage for his next attack. Beast Form: When «Kumatetsu» is reduced to 150 (or lower) health, he will transform and turn into a bulked-up creature, increasing his damage to 100, but losing his Accuracy and half of his mitigation Ferocious Roar: When «Kumatetsu» rolls a CD of 10+, he lets out a mighty roar instead of his attack, paralyzing the party. Crozeph never thought a bear would be utilizing martial arts or whatever Ariel said was about the predator's fighting style. Whoever came up with this kind of programming was full of good ideas and bull****. He was about to moved in as soon as Ariel's attack was deflected and saw her dodge when a roar struck them. Crozeph couldn't move the way he wanted to, he was stuck at a stance with a lot of openings. "Looks like our info was not that detailed" he struggled to speak as they remained paralyzed. "This bear had a skill to use martial arts and can paralyze us?" he tried to calm himself despite the situation. Breathing slowly would make their muscles tense less but the feeling of being attacked would still be their, it's better than being all worked up but can't do anything. Crozeph could feel his body slowly recovering but for now, no attacks can be made. he could only hope that the bear would never have the chance to maul them or punched them to death and both sounds really awful for him. Edited June 19, 2020 by Crozeph Link to post Share on other sites
Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0 Posted June 19, 2020 Author #27 Report Share Posted June 19, 2020 (edited) She couldn't help but chuckle softly at the situation. "Yeah, she... didn't mention anything... about this. This... it's no standard mob..." she added in a low broken voice as it was all that she could muster. While not unfamiliar with this status effect, it had certainly been a while since she was directly affected by it. It was as unpleasant as she remembered. Seeing the bear get closer to them, she wanted to shout to get its attention but her throat felt dry and she could barely utter words. The blonde only watched with annoyance as the bear closed in to Crowzeph and started punching him mercilessly. ID# 154089 CD:2 MD: 9 90 -44 =56 DMG > Crowzeph [0] Crozeph I HP: 544/600 I EN: 59/60 I DMG: 12 I MIT: 44 I ACC: 2 I EVA: 1 I FRZ: 1 I REC: 2 [0] Ariel 1490/1490 HP | 145/146 EN | 79 MIT | AA +5(6) BD | 1 EVA | +1 Hate «Kumatetsu» 300/300 HP | 90 DMG | 50 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA Spoiler Dodge and Parry: On a player's natural attack roll of 10, the attack will miss «Kumatetsu». Instead «Kumatetsu» will gain a +2 Accuracy and +15 Damage for his next attack. Beast Form: When «Kumatetsu» is reduced to 150 (or lower) health, he will transform and turn into a bulked-up creature, increasing his damage to 100, but losing his Accuracy and half of his mitigation Ferocious Roar: When «Kumatetsu» rolls a CD of 10+, he lets out a mighty roar instead of his attack, paralyzing the party. Edited June 19, 2020 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion Link to post Share on other sites
Crozeph 0 Posted June 19, 2020 #28 Report Share Posted June 19, 2020 (edited) ID: 154102 BD: 2 + 2 = 4 - 2 EVA = 2 CD: 10 [recovery] proc +4 EN Stats [0] Crozeph I HP: 544/600 I EN: 60/60 I DMG: 12 I MIT: 44 I ACC: 2 I EVA: 1 I FRZ: 1 I REC: 2 [0] Ariel 1490/1490 HP | 145/146 EN | 79 MIT | AA +5(6) BD | 1 EVA | +1 Hate «Kumatetsu» 300/300 HP | 90 DMG | 50 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA Spoiler Dodge and Parry: On a player's natural attack roll of 10, the attack will miss «Kumatetsu». Instead «Kumatetsu» will gain a +2 Accuracy and +15 Damage for his next attack. Beast Form: When «Kumatetsu» is reduced to 150 (or lower) health, he will transform and turn into a bulked-up creature, increasing his damage to 100, but losing his Accuracy and half of his mitigation Ferocious Roar: When «Kumatetsu» rolls a CD of 10+, he lets out a mighty roar instead of his attack, paralyzing the party. Soon enough he had gained his movements again but before that happened he was punched by the bear as if he was some kind of sandbag. Frustrating? yes, it was, painful? definitely. Crozeph wiped his cheek with the sleeve of his yukata as if he was wiping the blood off when it was clearly nonexistent and launched multiple attacks on the bear. The bear was dodging his attacks by bobbing its head and pivots its body to dodge Crozeph's attack. He wasn't even sure how a huge target could dodge the reach of his katana as if it was a boxer, a few hours ago they were talking about martial arts and now Crozeph is seeing a weird demonstration of one of the popular form of it. He made a downward slash and still didn't hit the bear who just moved back "wow" the only reaction he could give right now, for a mob who excels at it. Edited June 19, 2020 by Crozeph Link to post Share on other sites
Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0 Posted June 19, 2020 Author #29 Report Share Posted June 19, 2020 (edited) Slowly, she clenched and opened her free hand fist repeatedly as the paralyze faded. She let out a smirk and readied her weapon with both hands as she watched Crow engage it once more. So far none of them managed to land a clean hit on it and it started to frustrate the blonde. Taking in a large breath of air, she expelled it with her eyes closed, focusing her distraught thoughts into one point. She assumed the attack stance once more, and once again her attacks were skillfully deflected her strikes with its bare ...paws. "Who would train a bear to do that???" she shouted as she backed off, evading the counterattack it just threw her way. "It can't be self taught in martial arts..." she mutters, glancing at Crow for confirmation. "Could it?" then again, she remembered that this wasn't a regular bear but a avatar made and ruled by the Cardinal system. she frowned at the thought that the AI would come up with such a ludacris concept. ID# 154117 BD: 10 (le sigh) -2 EN ID# 154118 MD: 1 CD: 8 (Miss Ariel) [0] Crozeph I HP: 544/600 I EN: 60/60 I DMG: 12 I MIT: 44 I ACC: 2 I EVA: 1 I FRZ: 1 I REC: 2 [0] Ariel 1490/1490 HP | 144/146 EN | 79 MIT | AA +5(6) BD | 1 EVA | +1 Hate «Kumatetsu» 300/300 HP | 105 DMG | 50 MIT | 5 ACC | 2 EVA Spoiler Dodge and Parry: On a player's natural attack roll of 10, the attack will miss «Kumatetsu». Instead «Kumatetsu» will gain a +2 Accuracy and +15 Damage for his next attack. Beast Form: When «Kumatetsu» is reduced to 150 (or lower) health, he will transform and turn into a bulked-up creature, increasing his damage to 100, but losing his Accuracy and half of his mitigation Ferocious Roar: When «Kumatetsu» rolls a CD of 10+, he lets out a mighty roar instead of his attack, paralyzing the party. Edited June 19, 2020 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion Link to post Share on other sites
Crozeph 0 Posted June 19, 2020 #30 Report Share Posted June 19, 2020 (edited) ID: 154129 BD: 10 I Dodge and Parry activated CD: 9 [Recovery] proc +4 EN Stats [0] Crozeph I HP: 544/600 I EN: 60/60 I DMG: 12 I MIT: 44 I ACC: 2 I EVA: 1 I FRZ: 1 I REC: 2 [0] Ariel 1490/1490 HP | 144/146 EN | 79 MIT | AA +5(6) BD | 1 EVA | +1 Hate «Kumatetsu» 300/300 HP | 105 DMG | 50 MIT | 5 ACC | 2 EVA Spoiler Dodge and Parry: On a player's natural attack roll of 10, the attack will miss «Kumatetsu». Instead «Kumatetsu» will gain a +2 Accuracy and +15 Damage for his next attack. Beast Form: When «Kumatetsu» is reduced to 150 (or lower) health, he will transform and turn into a bulked-up creature, increasing his damage to 100, but losing his Accuracy and half of his mitigation Ferocious Roar: When «Kumatetsu» rolls a CD of 10+, he lets out a mighty roar instead of his attack, paralyzing the party. Ariel's attack didn't connect also, Crozeph didn't expect that to happen twice. The bear must be really good, he can't let that get into him and lose his cool. He slashed at the bear again trying to figure out the proper distance to make his attack land. The info was about a bear causing trouble on some people but it felt like he was facing an event mob. All of his attacks won't connect again, he tried moving in to attack but the bear would easily jump back. For someone of its size, it would be really hard with it standing on its legs. Crozeph could only remember them moving fast when in all fours but this one was really starting to annoy him a little. "Can you even be that good on being self-taught?" he asked and then remembered how they are in a game. He fought a lot of weird mobs already but this one was special because it feels like facing a pro athlete. "Whoever came up of programming a bear to act like it was trained in a gym is full of..." he took a deep breath, he must control his anger or he'll be missing his attacks again. Edited June 19, 2020 by Crozeph Link to post Share on other sites
Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0 Posted June 19, 2020 Author #31 Report Share Posted June 19, 2020 (edited) She could see Crowzeph getting slowly frustrated and she wouldn't blame him. Twice already, this bear had managed to evade and parry all they threw at it but alas, it started showing signs of fatigue. The blonde still couldn't believe that it managed to stand up against them the way that it did until now but even such a beast had to get tired eventually. She found it weird that it walked on two feet to begin it, on top of that it evaded their attacks with its massive body, now it was paying the price and the blonde would cash in the opportunity. With a frustrated look, she dashes towards the mob and stabbed it four times near its shoulder and knee joints; taking full advantage of the range her three meter spear gave her. With a smirk she watch as the bear, unable to support itself fell on all fours and to the ground. She ended her attack with one big overhead slam of her weapon, hopeful that it would confuse the bear enough that Crow had time to deal the last blow. "Finish it!" she commanded like a drill sergeant as soon as she was almost done with her attack. ID#154134 BD: 6 (3+5-2, Keen proc.) Dimension Stampede x15 (19) =285 -50 =235 DMG > Kumatetsu (Beast Form proc.) ID#154135 CD:7 MD: 4-1 (Miss!) [0] Crozeph I HP: 544/600 I EN: 60/60 I DMG: 12 I MIT: 44 I ACC: 2 I EVA: 1 I FRZ: 1 I REC: 2 [2] Ariel 1490/1490 HP | 131/146 EN | 79 MIT | AA +5(6) BD | 1 EVA | +1 Hate «Kumatetsu» 65/300 HP | 205 DMG | 25 MIT | 0 ACC | 2 EVA Spoiler Dodge and Parry: On a player's natural attack roll of 10, the attack will miss «Kumatetsu». Instead «Kumatetsu» will gain a +2 Accuracy and +15 Damage for his next attack. Beast Form: When «Kumatetsu» is reduced to 150 (or lower) health, he will transform and turn into a bulked-up creature, increasing his damage to 100, but losing his Accuracy and half of his mitigation Ferocious Roar: When «Kumatetsu» rolls a CD of 10+, he lets out a mighty roar instead of his attack, paralyzing the party. Edited June 19, 2020 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion Link to post Share on other sites
Crozeph 0 Posted June 19, 2020 #32 Report Share Posted June 19, 2020 (edited) ID: 154160 BD: 1 critical fail Crozeph gained 12 health [Battle healing] 544 + 12 = 556/600 CD: 6 [Recovery] proc +4 EN Stats [0] Crozeph I HP: 556/600 I EN: 60/60 I DMG: 12 I MIT: 44 I ACC: 2 I EVA: 1 I FRZ: 1 I REC: 2 [2] Ariel 1490/1490 HP | 131/146 EN | 79 MIT | AA +5(6) BD | 1 EVA | +1 Hate «Kumatetsu» 65/300 HP | 205 DMG | 25 MIT | 0 ACC | 2 EVA Spoiler Dodge and Parry: On a player's natural attack roll of 10, the attack will miss «Kumatetsu». Instead «Kumatetsu» will gain a +2 Accuracy and +15 Damage for his next attack. Beast Form: When «Kumatetsu» is reduced to 150 (or lower) health, he will transform and turn into a bulked-up creature, increasing his damage to 100, but losing his Accuracy and half of his mitigation Ferocious Roar: When «Kumatetsu» rolls a CD of 10+, he lets out a mighty roar instead of his attack, paralyzing the party. He saw Ariel land an attack strong enough to almost deplete the health points of the bear. He sheathed his blade before her attack could finish, it might be a chance to try to hit someone with a sword art he's been practicing. He wanted to be able to use it without messing up and with Kumatetsu, the animal was already weak and won't able to dodge it. "But what if I mess up?" he thought. He quickly switched position when Ariel said the command, hoping he won't mess up. For a long time, this sword art of his has been rarely used because of his doubts about using it. He gripped the hilt of his katana and made a quick draw aiming at the neck of the bear. Now the weird thing is the bear just rolled back and then Crozeph's attack didn't reach. It was fast but his aim was thrown off by the bear just by rolling. A failure of an attack and it was embarrassing, Crozeph could see the sharp edge of his katana reaching nothing "f***" he uttered. Edited June 19, 2020 by Crozeph Link to post Share on other sites
Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0 Posted June 19, 2020 Author #33 Report Share Posted June 19, 2020 (edited) I expected Crowzeph to act quickly, it was the perfect opportunity presented to him on a silver plate. Ariel takes in a couple of breaths and still, no extra blade end's the bear's troublesome existence. As I turn, I see the aspiring kendoka frozen in place, unsheathing his sword in a typical iai movement. 'Too late...' I though as I felt the boxing bear move away, displacing my spear's end as well. I let out a annoyed sigh and only eye Crow, by his brief curse seemes he was already aware of his mistake. Right now she had to end the deplete what remained of the bear's heath before it would try to run away or activate some unknown ability. And so it did, reverting on four feet his body somehow seemed bulkier, having renounced momentarily his boxing habits. Before it would try anything new, the blonde side stepped and start to briefly spin her spear to gain momentum. Next she would perform a single vertical swipe that cut the bulking bear in half, removing all its remaining HP. It let out a deafening roar one more time before exploding in the familiar death pixelated animation. "She took a couple of second to get her breath after control, then after looking around them, her gaze returned to Crow: "Mind explaining to me what was that last thing you did?" she asked with a frown, and serious tone. ID# 154241 BD: 7 (3+6-2) Divide x8 (19) =152 -25 =127 DMG [0] Crozeph I HP: 556/600 I EN: 60/60 I DMG: 12 I MIT: 44 I ACC: 2 I EVA: 1 I FRZ: 1 I REC: 2 [4] Ariel 1490/1490 HP | 131/146 EN | 79 MIT | AA +5(6) BD | 1 EVA | +1 Hate «Kumatetsu» 65/300 HP | 205 DMG | 25 MIT | 0 ACC | 2 EVA Edited June 19, 2020 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion Link to post Share on other sites
Crozeph 0 Posted June 20, 2020 #34 Report Share Posted June 20, 2020 Crap, she might be angry... Crozeph turned around slowly as he heard Ariel ask a question after she killed the bear. She probably wanted to hear his side on what he did, how he failed an attack on a bear that is almost close to death. With Ariel finishing it off, he can already feel a sense of fear inside him. The last time this happened a certain player snapped at him and almost gave him paranoia. In the same situation, Ariel was rooting for him to deal the finishing blow while the other rooting for him to land a successful AoE. While he knew that Ariel wouldn't be as mad as that girl, he still felt bad about it even after putting upgrades on his equipment. "I tried using Iai on the bear and I missed" he answered like a kid who was trying his best to explain to an older sibling. He slid his katana back in the scabbard and looked down. It was probably not the best decision to use a sword art that he rarely uses on mobs. "I thought I could land it this time, I've been practicing it for a while but I rarely use it on mobs I encounter, seeing the bear weakened I used it but made a mistake" he explained. If it was Hidden he wouldn't even be able to explain himself but somehow there's this feeling that Ariel didn't approve of what move he made. Knowing that she had a way more better background of it, she probably saw his main problem. His problem of making wrong decision when attacking or trying his best to follow it strictly only to end up failing. He tried to prepare himself of what Ariel would say about it, he would accept it but he was already feeling bad, what more could Ariel add about it? Link to post Share on other sites
Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0 Posted June 20, 2020 Author #35 Report Share Posted June 20, 2020 (edited) She let out a large sigh after listening to him trying to explain himself. She closed her eyes: "you're wrong!" she said in a calm voice, mentally chanting 'meikyo shisui' akin to a mantra. "I want you to realize why you hesitated and how it made you miss." she the pointed her spear towards his head and started drawing closer, she let go of the weapon which returned to her inventory and poked Crow in the forehead if he stood still. "You think to much." she scolded him, unconsciously entering something akin to a teacher mode. "It took you too much to act at the right time and you missed your chance. Whatever sword art you'd used I'm sure you would've been the one finishing it." she moved her finger from his forehead and started poking at the left side of the chest. "Act more with your heart, you training everyday so summon that muscle memory by impulse instead of wasting time thinking." her little rant ended as she stopped jabbing her finger at him. Edited June 20, 2020 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion Link to post Share on other sites
Crozeph 0 Posted June 21, 2020 #36 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 Ariel wasn't wrong on that, while fighting requires some thinking, overdoing it will always result in unpleasant results. Crozeph could only make a weak awkward laugh as Ariel began to act like a teacher to him and despite it being much more different than Hidden's uncensored words, Ariel made valid points it still stabs him. "yeah I should act more on muscle memory if it comes to my sword movements" he said as soon as she's finished explaining to him his flaws. Thinking too much of the distance, how he should move his katana, his footsteps, it takes a toll on him at times slowing him down. He couldn't help it, like what the two of them talked about before looking for the bear. He wasn't good at using the striking part, maybe decent enough to hit something. With that in his mind, he always held back when attacking, thinking how to do it properly and not let his own body complete the motion. He sighed "I'll try my best not to think too much about it," he told her. Now that the bear is gone, their quest is over or maybe just that part. Once again the flaws of his attacks was seen by another person, and he got schooled again "maybe I could try to learn more if Ariel is with me, with Baldur teaching also I might take out the bad parts of what I do in fights" he thought. "Sorry about that Ariel" he told her while scratching his head. Link to post Share on other sites
Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0 Posted June 21, 2020 Author #37 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 (edited) "Don't apologize to me I have no use for it and you have no need to do it. Instead apologize to your body for your lack of trust in it." she replied, her features softened after the impromptu scolding. "If you've been training for as much as you say and I can tell that there is some truth behind those words. You should have more confidence in yourself, that includes mind and body."... " 'Meikyo shisui' at this point I know I'm repeating myself but it's easier to exemplify the concept with what just happened. 'Clear and serene; still water like a polished mirror' would be a rough translation to english; which is not nearly enough to explain the meaning but just enough for what I want to say. Now, imagine your mind being undisturbed, immovable... still... like the water surface of a lake. So still and calm in fact, that it turns into a mirror. Don't worry about what the mirror reflects, that's a topic for another lesson. " she stopped, letting out a smile before continuing. "Now if you were to throw mud or dip your toe into the water, the mirror would become distorted and wouldn't function as intended, right?" she paused, looking for any hint that he understood so far. "The mud or foot in your case is your insecurity in your abilities, you hesitated and muddied your mind with unnecessary thoughts instead of letting your body act naturally. You know what you can do and what not, you know your limits. Now trust yourself to act without second guessing or overthinking." that was where she had to stop herself. This sermon was probably not what Crowzeph wanted to hear right now but she couldn't help herself once she started. Luckily it ended, and the blonde turned her gaze to where she finished of the bear, searching for whatever it left behind. Edited June 21, 2020 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion Link to post Share on other sites
Crozeph 0 Posted June 23, 2020 #38 Report Share Posted June 23, 2020 "Apologize to my body..." he looked at himself. His attire that looked like it would blend well with muddy areas, places with swamp water. He indeed lacks the trust in his body. Ever since he grew up he didn't trust it, he was frail that's for sure but even with the game making things easier for him, he still finds it hard to trust his body. "Maybe I should start trusting my body more" he thought. Now would that yield better results? he didn't know but he trusts Ariel's advice to him. He realized now that practicing would be put to waste if he keeps on thinking about what he practiced rather than doing it. Her words were enough to make Crozeph re-evaluate his actions and his way of practicing and then he heard it "Meikyo Shisui..." his eyes gleamed like he remembered something. He was looking at Ariel like someone listening to a trainer. The words, her explanation and the terms used... it was all familiar but somehow he can't remember how he knew it. As Ariel walked past him to check something the bear dropped he remembered it "gramps..." he uttered. The old master of the first and last dojo he joined, he heard it again now and it stung him, he liked those lectures about the mind and now he's messing up because of his mind. Good thing Ariel brought back that feeling, it seems he was so absorbed with his inferiority he forgot what it means to know kendo. "I've heard about that, Meikyo Shisui," he said as he turned around "I didn't pay much attention to it but just like you, I was reminded by how clouded I was when it comes to striking" he added. It wasn't because he lacked the talent or skills, it was because he wasn't believing in himself that he can do it already. Always pushing for perfection of the move rather than applying it to better his fighting. "Thank you for reminding me again of what I always lack" somehow he saw the enthusiasm of the old man in Ariel, how they both treasured the art. He still had a long way to go but he was thankful that this time Ariel is helping him. Link to post Share on other sites
Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0 Posted June 23, 2020 Author #39 Report Share Posted June 23, 2020 "Oh!" Interjected the blonde as she dropped to one knee to pick up a Col pouch, only to discover a couple of vased cherry blossom bonsai. Only then did she notice that the forest that surrounded them also had some sakura trees. Making a connection between the loot they got and the surrounding, made her entertain the idea that the bear was attacking merchants for a more noble reason. But their deed had already been done, she would force the thought out of her head and think it better not to mention it to Crow. Instead she beckoned him to come closer: "It left behind something for us!" she prompted, returning to her cheerful attitude after her momentary waver. She lightly tapped one of the two items' ceramic base and read the item description: "A trophy..." she added, closing her eyes, picturing the rivers in her mind. She certainly picked up the scent that was described but couldn't know for sure if it came from the item or their surroundings, the barely audible sound of flowing water make her lean towards the former. Link to post Share on other sites
Crozeph 0 Posted June 23, 2020 #40 Report Share Posted June 23, 2020 Just like always, Aincrad had floors with a really vibrant forest, the sunlight would illuminate the area and show the bright green leaves and some insects flutter around. The quest had been done and it seems that Ariel found something on where Kumatetsu was slain. He moved closer as Ariel tried to reveal something "a trophy?" is this some kind of contest or like a quest with some other quests connected to it?" he asked her. It felt weird to him having a trophy for killing an animal, a bear that can box its way out of their attacks. Mostly in games, there is more than just one trophy or achievements and usually, those are connected. he also caught the scent it gave off "that smell, it kind of boosted the scent of the area" he said as he squinted his eyes to take a closer inspection of the item. He looked around to see if there are more of it but it seems it is the only one "a drop of Kumatetsu" he thought. "So what are we going to do now?" he asked her, this quest was a no brainer for Ariel and she might be having other quests he could be of assistance or simply just for the adventure. Link to post Share on other sites
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