[SP-F6] Mental Renewal <<Calming the Soul>>

[Vigilon 0]

At first, the figure standing in front of the building looked human. He wasn't close enough to make out most of the details, but he did see that this figure might have been female and may have had pink hair.

But before Vigilon could get a closer look, the figure turned around and saw Vigilon. The figure then immediately was surrounded in some kind of glowing light, and the figure started to levitate slightly. Vigilon couldn't see a person within the glowing, human-shaped figure now, and he believed he should be running...but he didn't, for some reason.

When the figure was close enough to Vigilon, he saw the cursor above it turn red, and he saw a name, <<Crystallizer>>.

And to top things off, he saw two HP Bars fill up.

Vigilon was in for it now, he had yet another foe to face. Hopefully this would only be as bad as the four he'd faced before...it couldn't possibly be worse, right?

...Right?

 

[RP combat initiated, Stats will not matter]

[Encountered Crystallizer]

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Crystallizer:

[                     ]

[                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon stepped back, and the two voices Vigilon kept hearing seemed to know something was up...as they started freaking out.

Vigilon attempted to dodge a blast that fired out from Crystallizer's arm, but it struck his left arm anyway...not only did it deal damage and cause the arm to sting a little...the pain was growing.

Vigilon looked at his arm, to see that...there were crystals on it?? And the crystals were growing??

Vigilon screamed, he knew nothing of this. He stared at his opponent, and screamed again, now that he realized it all.

This was what was killing the other monsters around the isle, this was what littered the isle in crystals, this was the danger that showed up so suddenly...and based on the damage that was dealt, and the probability that getting too many crystals on him might immobilize him, he knew this was definitely some kind of miniboss. Even if it could be solo'd, a miniboss was still a miniboss.

 

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Crystallizer:

[                     ]

[                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

It was time to do what every player in a third person RPG should do...focus on evasion and run around not getting hit until he can find the right opportunity to deal as much damage as possible.

He was able to see a fair amount of enemy attacks, which were mostly just blasting some kind of energy that crystallized whatever it hit, and sometimes what seemed to be an Area of Effect attack in the sense that it had a considerably wide range...kinda like those cone flames from the Bahyolvokun fight, actually...

When he finally found an opening, he managed to attack three times, and hit twice, before retreating and getting struck again. Vigilon felt his back with his left hand, there were already crystals there.

As strange as this battle was, it was getting more and more painful the more and more crystals were practically being planted on him.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Crystallizer:

[                     ]

[                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

He didn't understand why it had to be crystals, he didn't understand why it had to be a miniboss, and he sure didn't understand why it felt like he might have been a little under leveled for this. He was feeling pain, he was taking too much damage from enemies' attacks, and these two voices wouldn't stop freaking out for whatever reason.

Maybe this was the point of how difficult it was supposed to be, he didn't know before, and he could only hope he could make it to see the end of this. It was time to use these disturbing healing gems more often. He started with the large one, and a good amount of HP was restored. He got some energy back, too. "Alright, let's see what you can do against a second wind..." Vigilon remarked before attacking again, striking twice before having to dodge a sudden attack.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Crystallizer:

[                     ]

[                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

So, the good news was that he had a solid strategy for this battle...

But the bad news...

"Wh-where am I? What's going on??" "Something's not right, what is this?" "What is this place? Why do I feel imprisoned?"

More voices.

Just what Vigilon needed at this time.

Now Vigilon was starting to question how exactly they show up. The two other voices soon joined into the apparent freak-out conversation, and Vigilon really didn't have time for it if he was going to be able to hear himself think. It actually got so bad that Vigilon messed up on an attack or two, and got blasted once due to picking the wrong direction to dodge. At least he still managed to get another successful hit during all of this.

"Can you talk like the others did?" Vigilon asked the miniboss. There were only the voices already present, and none of them heard Vigilon. Was this entity mute or something, or did it just choose not to speak?

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Crystallizer:

[                     ]

[                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

So much evading, so much dodging, he really wanted to stop hearing these voices, he didn't even know how they were showing up.

"There has to be someone else around here, I don't think we're alone..." The first voice spoke.

"..."

"Do they have anything to do with where we are?" The second voice asked.

"..."

"Or do they KNOW anything about where we are?" Questioned the third voice.

"..."

"I don't think any of us know what's even going on. We're clueless..." Claimed the fourth voice.

"..."

"But if there was someone other than us, do you think they would have spoken up by now?" Asked the fifth voice.

"............."

Vigilon broke the conversation. "Just....just shut up for one minute! I can't even think straight over all of you talking! You can't even hear me and yet I keep hearing every last one of you! How are you even showing up? Where are all of you??????"

Suddenly there was silence. What just happened?

Just when he thought he actually had a moment, he got blasted again.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Crystallizer:

[                     ]

[                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

No time like the present to fix past mistakes. Vigilon took cover immediately and used two of the smaller healing gems.

"Did...did anyone hear that?" Spoke the first voice.

Wait, did the voices just hear him? Wasn't that not possible? "What...what kind of prison is this?" A new voice asked. "I didn't hear anything other than you just now. Where are we, by the way? I can't see anyone around..." Added another new voice.

Vigilon was once again confused. The five voices that were there before the two latest additions began to wonder if there was something else around that knew of their presence, and were considering trying to make contact, while the two newer voices were getting used to their new situation.

Vigilon thought for a moment...so each time a new voice came in, it was...right after using one of those healing gems...wait, but wouldn't that mean...?

Oh, no...

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Crystallizer:

[                     ]

[                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

Why didn't he realize this sooner? Every time he used a smaller gem, one voice would be added into the mental traffic. When he used that larger one, three joined the fray.

Blood red gems, disturbing blood red gems...it all made sense now.

"Argh, damn it, those gems had souls trapped inside!" He exclaimed. If anything, these were just random NPC voices, and it may or may not have been some kind of punishment system for not going in properly prepared, from what Vigilon could guess. Well, it was time to return to the battle, but he hoped his head wouldn't end up as a buzzing, screaming well of voices by the battle's end.

He emerged from his hiding place to just barely avoid getting blasted aagain, then he continued his evasive tactics until there was an opening for him to attack. Three attempts, two hits and a miss. Well, it was better than missing all his own attacks and getting blasted out of the Mindscape, let alone crystallized entirely like those other victims of this miniboss.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Crystallizer:

[                     ]

[                     ]

Edited August 23, 2021 by Vigilon

[Vigilon 0]

The miniboss's HP was down one bar and had reached yellow. Hopefully he could finish this battle without running out of energy. His opponent had a new trick now, as expected, actually. Vigilon ran as fast as he could when Crystallizer seemed to be charging up energy...in a spherical pattern.

As Vigilon guessed, it turned out to be one of those fancy supernova attacks, which he'd barely gotten out of range of. The miniboss then zoomed over in attempt to continue its assault. Vigilon attacked the miniboss head on as it was coming for him, and with that, he'd depleted more HP of his enemy. More dodging and waiting later, Vigilon would attack again, and again.

Vigilon was exhausted again, but his foe's HP was down a bit from getting hit three times. Now Vigilon just had to survive, maybe use a weaker sword art for the last attack...maybe. Hopefully the voices' mental traffic wouldn't be too much as it was earlier in the fight.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Crystallizer:

[                     ]

[                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

After taking a careful look at how much damage he'd been dealing, he'd need to do a lot of dodging attacks to get enough energy back to finish off the miniboss. "This may feel like a while..." He thought.

As tedious yet frightening as the experience was, he needed to do it anyway. Though, it was a bit of a strange experience, too, trying to do that with a bunch of crystals all over him.

And so he hid, he fled, he stood still until the right moment and leaped away, he rolled to his sides, he did basically any form of dodging he could thing of, and he ran whenever he saw the "supernova"-like attack charging up.

In time, he managed to recover the energy he needed. He then waited for the right moment, despite getting blasted one more time, and managed to successfully strike down his foe. Crystallizer shattered, and the battle was finally over.

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ]

 

Crystallizer:

[                     ]

[                     ]

[Vigilon 0]

With that finally over, he fell down, more exhausted than he should have been.

When he finally woke up again, He saw some more gems where his foe once was, but they weren't red and disturbing...they were blue...and much less disturbing. He picked up the gems and added them to his inventory. He then looked at these gems in his inventory, learning that the small ones restore some energy, the larger ones restore more energy, and the largest of them could increase his energy for one battle...

He had some of the HP soul crystals left, and now he had Energy-based supplies...and he still had yet to enter the center structure...no, wait, he can't jinx it, he can't take this as a bad omen, he needed to finish this, NOW.

He walked over to the center structure, and he saw four crystals near the door start glowing, one by one. When the last one started glowing, the strangest thing happened.

[Vigilon 0]

The local enemies of the area all looked up, and Vigilon decided to as well. He saw some strange energy gathering up at the top of the structure, which was pretty large, to say the least. He looked back to some of the monsters around, and they...started to flee?

The metal swarms moved away from the center structure, the crystal sentries literally lifted themselves off the ground and started moving away, the blood beasts shrieked and ran, and even the horrific specters fled.

Something was very wrong here.

A voice repeated in his head.

"Beware The Meta"...

This "Meta"...what could it possibly be, to be feared by all entities like this? Well, Vigilon needed to enter the structure and move on, but it looked like he was in for one last fight...

The voices(or, as Vigilon knew them at this point, souls) were silent during his walk into the center structure. He walked into the circle within the center, and he was then lifted up by some kind of force.

There would be no turning back now.

Edited August 23, 2021 by Vigilon

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon found himself in a strange place. It was like he was in another space entirely.

Streams of light and metal shards were levitating upwards, and the floor was made from some kind of metallic material. It was shaped like some kind of arena, but there were no borders to keep one from falling off, no walls surrounding the area. It was disturbingly cloudy throughout the whole sky, and it may have been nighttime, though the area was lit by the levitating streams.

Vigilon walked over to the arena platform itself, and the entryway to it disappeared. Guess it was do or die now. He then looked, and saw a figure in the center of the arena.

This figure, at the current distance he was away from Vigilon, well...Vigilon couldn't tell if the figure was taller or shorter than him, but he really couldn't tell very much, either. The figure then turned arond to look over at Vigilon. This figure was all black, all except the eyes, which were white...blank white. Its shape was almost exactly like Vigilon's, but there was no strange smile, so this wasn't that entity that was guiding him through his Mindscape earlier, this was something else... Then three HP bars appeared over the confirmed enemy, who then seemed to conjure a large blade from something...but Vigilon couldn't tell what exactly.

The battle had now begun.

 

OOC: The soundtrack I chose for this fight is in the spoiler below...)

Spoiler

 

[RP combat initiated, stats will not matter]

Vigilon: [                    ] [          ] {7 souls}

 

<<Crowned Meta>>

     [                     ]

     [                     ]

     [                     ]

        {29 souls}

Edited August 23, 2021 by Vigilon

[Vigilon 0]

Three Health Bars, dark arena, black, shadowy humanoid figure...

Ah, so it was a boss...and it was that kind of boss, too.

Vigilon gripped his sword, and waited to see what would happen first. The figure, which Vigilon now confirmed to be this "Meta" everyone in the Mindscape seemed to fear, rushed immediately for Vigilon with its abnormally long blade. Vigilon raised his weapon to block, but it seemed that the boss was expecting that move, for he found himself taking damage anyway.

This felt different, this sensation...it felt like it could tear into the soul. He didn't know what kind of fight this was anymore. Was this a mental test? Was this a genuine fight to the Death? If so, why against a boss, or was it designed to be solo'd, despite having three health bars?

Vigilon prioritized escaping from harm's way immediately, and he took this chance to use that huge blue gem while he was trying to flee. He saw a temporary increase in his Energy meter, so now all that was left was to prioritize not getting hit by the boss, and get a hit in every once in a while.

Vigilon: [                    ] [                    ] {7 souls}

 

<<Crowned Meta>>

     [                     ]

     [                     ]

     [                     ]

        {29 souls}

[Vigilon 0]

The Souls that were with Vigilon seemed to have felt the boss's attack as well, for at this point they started to freak out, and that was doing nothing good for Vigilon's senses.

The Meta was already coming to attack again, and Vigilon needed to do everything he could to avoid getting hit. The result was a bit of a long chase, but then The Meta threw its sword at Vigilon, who wasn't expecting the attack and barely dodge rolled away in time. The sword flew out of the arena's boundaries and shattered...then The Meta simply formed a new one. Wonderful, it had some kind of weapon-summoning technique...and Vigilon had to do something about it.

Vigilon got up and started running again, as The Meta was wasting no time trying to attack relentlessly. This was an enemy that didn't mess around, that was for sure. "When am I gonna catch a break from this attack barrage?" Vigilon thought.

Vigilon: [                    ] [                    ] {7 souls}

 

<<Crowned Meta>>

     [                     ]

     [                     ]

     [                     ]

        {28 souls}

[Vigilon 0]

If he got hit too many times, that was it. He didn't want it all to end this way, he had to fight back somehow...

"Run all you want, you can't escape this." Came a sudden voice.

Vigilon stopped, confused. He quickly turned around to block an attack from his foe. "You couldn't escape the imminent clash with Elverond either, couldn't you?" The voice continued, as The Meta seemed to stare into Vigilon's very being. Was this voice just The Meta talking? The souls that were with Vigilon continued to react, as if they seemed to be figuring out what was going on. Were they seeing through Vigilon's eyes at this point? He couldn't tell, but he was starting to get worried. "Either help or stay quiet, I need to be able to beat this guy." Vigilon thought, despite his assumption that they couldn't hear him.

"Pathetic, you don't know how to use them." The Meta remarked.

Right, Mindscape.

Vigilon managed to push back his foe. "Ok, so you can talk. what do you want from me?" He asked, assuming this had something to do with him or his past.

"Your Soul." The Meta Answered.

Vigilon: [                    ] [                    ] {7 souls}

 

<<Crowned Meta>>

     [                     ]

     [                     ]

     [                     ]

        {28 souls}

[Vigilon 0]

Oh, how original.
Since this was possibly a genuine fight to the death, it was also a terrifying response.

"And uh, why the heck would you want it? I'll never give it to you, but..." Vigilon asked. The Meta would attack several times, and one attack managed to hit Vigilon. He felt the attack rip through him, and the pain was severe this time. Vigilon fell to the ground, but he wasn't defeated just yet. His HP had seen better days, though...

"Look at you, you had so much potential back in your life, even in Aincrad." The Meta began. "Clearly, however...you yourself? Such a waste...I'll be sure to put your soul to better use, once I have it in my possession."

Yeah, Vigilon wasn't gonna let it happen that easily. He used a small red Crystal to regenerate his HP, and then he got up and tried to strike back.

"Just try it, creep." Vigilon responded. "I'll never give in."

Vigilon: [                    ] [                    ] {8 souls}

 

<<Crowned Meta>>

     [                     ]

     [                     ]

     [                     ]

        {28 souls}

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon couldn't see a smile, but he felt the presence of a sinister grin for some reason.

"Don't think a sudden burst of courage will give you power." The Meta claimed. "You had one when trying to defend Ayaka, and look what good that did you." 

Vigilon raised his weapon to block The Meta's attack. "Who cares that I got thrown in the dumpster, I saved her life!" He responded. "I saved her life so who gives a damn if I couldn't beat those bullies?"

Vigilon pushed back at his opponent and moved in to strike immediately after. The Meta thrust its hand into Vigilon, and he heard a scream within his mind. "I'll be taking this then, since you won't use it." The Meta decided, as its HP was restored slightly.

Exactly what just happened?

The souls that were with Vigilon seemed to be the same number, but they were all suddenly freaking out again. "You can feel their presence, can't you?" The Meta asked. "The Souls, which you seem to have no proper use for."

Figures, an entity after Vigilon's soul had a "soulsteal" attack. No wonder the new voice suddenly screamed and went silent.

Vigilon: [                    ] [                    ] {7 souls}

 

<<Crowned Meta>>

     [                     ]

     [                     ]

     [                     ]

        {29 souls}

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon needed to heal quickly, but if he used a bunch of soul crystals, his opponent just might spam that soulsteal attack. Was there a way to protect the souls and negate the attack? He didn't know, in all honesty. Maybe for now, he could use one crystal and prioritize evasive action, seeing that his opponent had a lot of HP and he didn't. Bosses like these, it always needs someone running around in circles, trying to find the right opportunity, the moment to let loose.

He used one more small soul crystal and dashed to the right. The Meta was expecting him to run, it seemed, but Vigilon was still able to block the attack. "You ran from Elverond then, and now you run from me. Why are you so intent on repeating what you've done your whole life? You confront and then you run. Are you picking battles you know you can't win, or are you just innately weak or cowardly?" The Meta questioned.

Vigilon: [                    ] [                    ] {8 souls}

 

<<Crowned Meta>>

     [                     ]

     [                     ]

     [                     ]

        {29 souls}

Edited November 9, 2021 by Vigilon

[Vigilon 0]

"I don't care if I'm all three, I'm doing something other than just standing around being useless, so I'll keep going and have hope for the future." Vigilon responded before bolting again. The Meta chased after Vigilon, but it was a stalemate at this point.

The Meta stopped and raised an arm to the sky. Three lights shot into the air...that can't be good. Vigilon rushed in to attack as soon as the lights came from his foe. He managed to hit twice, but was blocked the third time, and all of a sudden, sharp, small blades of similar material to The Meta's weapon were raining down on the battlefield.

"Aw, crap..." Vigilon thought. He did the best he could to avoid the rain of blades, but at least its duration was shorter than expected. One blade was larger, and it stuck out of the ground. Maybe if Vigilon could interact with it...

Vigilon: [                    ] [                    ] {8 souls}

 

<<Crowned Meta>>

     [                     ]

     [                     ]

     [                     ]

        {26 souls}

Edited November 9, 2021 by Vigilon