[PP-F11] The Awaited Meeting- F11 Boss Planning (Invite Only)

[Oikawa 1]

Important: Only the following will be admitted. All Azure Members being that we're hosting the meeting. 2 Members from each active guild (Guild Leader and 1 representative).Last but not least, 2 Solo Representatives (PM before posting so I can officially send the invite!). Let it be known that the meeting is just that, a meeting. Those attending or not attending aren't guaranteed to go into the actual boss battle.

 The cathedral. A rather large high ceiling building consisting of several large stained glass windows and architecture that would even make Michelangelo happy. Within it stone doors, sat rows of benches, arranged to form a circle around a podium that was removed from the stage. Standing, or rather sitting on top of said podium, was cloaked figure. His blonde bangs covering his blue eyes as he went over the goals of the meeting in his head.

Declare a headcount. At least a rough estimate of those attending. Discuss everyone's strengths and weakness, team placements and setup, oh and most importantly, the boss information itself. I suppose I should notify all the current guild leaders of this location. We need to get this moving along as soon as possible. Zel is certainly capable of running this shindig so I'll probably give him and Tristan the reins and just confirm points of interests.

Swiping through the air, the blonde, prepared a pm for all those he knew and before long he had hit send. I'll have Zel PM those I'm unfamiliar with. That way everyone is accounted for. And now we wait.

[Rebekah 0]

Rebekah paused for a second before entering into the cathedral. As it stands there, she was mesmerized with the amount of detail it had, with each piece of stain glass. She was never a religious type, but that did not stop her from admiring the design. Inside stood a single player on the podium, and a circle of empty chairs around him. That player, one she know all too well, was in his white cape as usual. As one of several Azure players, she went inside and sat there waiting for everyone else to show up. Whether or not, this meeting was going to be successful was up in the air. She had seen the first floor 9 boss raid fail in disaster, and was part of the last two floor raids. She had seen casualties, players who gave up halfway through battles and those who were just not strong enough yet. "Fancy seeing you here, Oikawa. I just hope that this time more than four players go on the raid," she spoke referring to the last raid.

[Zelrius 0]

Zelrius had gotten the message that it was time for the Meeting, Again. The boy laughed to himself, The Hydra Fight of Floor 9 had also had two meetings, one a failure, one a success. Though, It was more or less, both meetings succeeded, just not both fights. The first fight became an absolute diaster, and after that of which it was up to Zelrius to hold the next one. Most of old Azure had gone off to that first Hydra Fight, and he hadn't seen them since. Whether they were alive or dead, the golden haired boy did not care. Now, It was whom sent the message that piqued his interest. It was from none other than his fellow Commandant, Oikawa, of whom he had not seen in quite a while. He looked at his surroundings, thinking for a second. The trees rustled slightly with a warm wind and leaves began to fall from the branches of Floor 2. It would appear Autumn was approaching in Aincrad, meaning that the year was coming to a close. Despite having no calendar or way of telling time, Zelrius remembered the details of last year. It was at this time that he had gone toe to toe with the Phoenix on Floor Nine. Where Zero had gotten the last hit and made his pact with Zelrius, the sword going with it.

Now here he was, a year later. A Full set of unique gear, and only about double the level he was then. The boy sheathed the aforementioned  blade of flames in the golden sheath on his right hip. Standing up straight, the boy pulled back the white gloves on his hand, straightened any frills or creases in the rest of his tuxedo and fixed his bowtie to make sure it was straight.  With that, the boy strolled off to the nearest town with a teleportation gate. Upon entering the town, all he could think was the same thing that went through his mind everytime he walked between the buildings and through the roads. It's still strange not being attacked by guards when I enter towns anymore. Damn am I glad to be green again. Upon reaching the teleportation gate, Zelrius whispered the name of the eleventh floor's main city and was taken there. 

Upon appearing the boy looked up and around. As always the Skyline was filled with Bell and Clock towers that reached high into the sky. And above them, at the center of the hill that the city was built on was the glorious Cathedral. Zelrius himself extremely disliked religion, and also hated people who talked to him with it. Nonetheless, the Cathedral was a sight to behold, as most were. The boy walked up the inclined roads and to the two giant doors that allowed entry to the Cathedral. He had been here once before, with Shaya. He had to play it cool then, pretending he wasn't the least bit impressed with the structure, as she gazed and wandered about. Knowing the place already, The golden haired boy had expected they'd be in the main room, and for the most part, he was right. Of course, the boy was used to showing up late to these meetings unless he was the on chairing them. However, he learned that upon entering the room, he was infact early. The only other people there were Rebekah and Oikawa, fellow Commandants of the Azure Brigade. His flat line of thought curved into his ever so arrogant smile.

"It's hard to run a Brigade without Five us, you know this right Mr. Faint?" He meandered to the podium, speaking in a teasing manner

"And what about you, Miss? It appears I have not seen you in quite a bit either. Did you two miss me? I know you did."

[Tristan Delaney 0]

Tristan walked into the meeting with casual clothing, seeing as he wouldn't be fighting anyway very soon. The boss was this time held by Azure Brigade, of which he was one of the Commandants. The reason for this is that the player Mari had to become absent for some personal reason and thus, it fell on Oikawa who with Ssendom had gathered boss information to host the meeting. As he walked in and smiled, giving nods of greeting to his fellow comrades and sitting down, Tristan was too busy pre-occupied by personal musings to engage conversation. 

Should Calrex tank main boss? Or take the dregs? I'm not sure who will be able to deal or take more damage necessarily. Plus Calrex can take more with his HP, but I can deal more back in thorns. Thoughts such as these occupied his brain as he thought, leaning back in the chair he sat on. Once everyone was present, he would begin presenting his ideas, though it did honestly rely on the idea that those fighting would also be present or at least message their interest to participate in the upcoming fight.

[Mack 0]

Mack stepped from the teleportation portal in the city of Taft and moved purposefully down the handful of steps that led from the portal gate into the plaza proper. It seemed that the Azure Brigade was hosting a Boss Raid meeting for clearing the eleventh floor and, as the Grandmaster of the Crimson Blades the blonde behmoth had warranted an invitation to the meeting. Mack couldn't help but thinking that his recent quest parties with Tristan Delaney, whom he knew to be a member of the Brigade, had likely had something to do with the receiving the invitation. Not that Mack was one to complain about such reasoning. Before a player could be expected to take a place on the front lines as a member of the assault teams there was clearly a need for them to demonstrate that they were capable of contributing and capable of not being a hindrance to the team. Slinging Guillotine down off of his back, Mack planted the butt cap of the weapon in the paving stones of Taft's Cathedral Square and, standing in the shadow of the massive house of worship, the blonde man waited patiently for his Seneschal to arrive, standing like a crimson cloaked sentinel before the stone steps that led up to the heavy oaken doors of the cathedral and, from there, into the building proper.

He didn't have long to wait.

Once Xion had joined him, Mack nodded once in a silent and curt greeting to his second-in-command, shooting Xion a look that said he clearly expected his second-in-command to act like they had been in on these kinds of meetings before. Sheathing his axe at his back so that the bladed head protruded above his left shoulder, Mack proceeded up the steps to the doors. Pushing the doors open in a manner that was neither overly flamboyant nor overly timid, the grey-eyed leader of the Crimson Blades moved into the cathedral's main sanctuary, noting the high vaulted ceilings and the brilliant colors shining on the floor as sun poured in through the stained glass windows. With a soft swish of gold trimmed crimson robes, reminiscent of those warn by Sword Art Online's creator when he had made the announcement of the death game on the day it had launched, Mack and Xion moved directly down the center of the cathedral's main room, with Xion behind and slightly to the right of the Guildmaster.

"The Crimson Blades are reporting, as requested," the blacksmith rumbled in a booming voice that reverberated slightly off of the walls and support pillars of the massive room. Feeling there was nothing else that needed to be said on the matter, Mack drew back the deep hooded cloak of the Crimson Blades and nodded a greeting to Tristan. "I'm Mack, the guild's Grandmaster and this is Xion, my Seneschal and second-in-command."

[Xion 0]

Xion's form materialised at the gate in Taft not long after Mack had, his eyes scanning the area for the Grandmaster of the guild, who wasn't hard to find seeing as he was a hulking blonde man. Xion himself was a blonde too, but much shorter and with shoulder length hair. He nodded to Mack politely as they walked towards the grand cathedral before them, his mind racing as he did. The player had been in his shop when he received a message from a player whom he did not know, and after reading it had gathered his equipment and rushed to floor 11 as fast as he could. While the sender was an unknown, the purpose of the message was clear: A call to arms. 

 

Both he and mack where sporting similar gear, Xion in his Maelstrom armour set, which had a crimson shoulder piece with a gold trim resting upon his left shoulder, with a cloak which covered the arm and back of the left side of his body, showing that he was a member of the crimson blades. As they entered Xion's eyes widened, he had been on floor 11 before, but he had yet to set foot in the cathedral. It was a true work of art, the beautiful stained glass and general design was awe inspiring. 

 

Xion looked at the players assembled there, he knew only one: Tristan, whom he had completed quests with on the lower floors. He smiled, nodding politely towards the red haired giant as he entered. "I told you I would make it here Tristan..." he said with a slight smile, before taking a seat on one of the benches, waiting patiently for the meeting to start. 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei stood just before the warp gate, pacing back and forth. "Where the hell is he? He said he'd meet me here..." Jomei placed his hand to his chin, taking a quick glance at the blue ring. He was waiting on his friend and Guild leader, Lowenthal to show up. Now that Oikawa was back, he was running a new meeting to take place of the last one Mari was supposed to host.. but complications kept it from happening smoothly. The ginger haired player stopped his continuous walk and looked up at the sky, he had to have been waiting here for quite awhile.. and he knew he was going to be late to the meeting. Biting his lip, he decided to just show up and take notes for when Lowenthal finally decided to show himself. Quickly turning, his green cloak floating behind him, he made his way through the streets of Taft to the large cathedral where the meeting was being held.

After a short walk through the rather large and much more intricate city, he finally found the building where the meeting was to be had. His eyes widened as he looked at the gorgeous architecture of the cathedral in front of him. He had never seen anything like it.. even in the real world. He shook his head, he could admire the beauty of it later.. for now he needed to get inside. Pushing open the large doors, the inside was just as exquisite as the outside.. as well as full of different doors. He looked up and down the hall for any sign of where the group would be.. only to eventually figure they would most likely be in the largest hall of the building.. The doors for said hall being the first ones straight in front of him. Opening the doors, he found his guess to be correct. Already at the meeting were Oikawa, Zelrius, Mack, Rebekah and Xion. There was also the crimson haired fellow who's name he had still never gotten.. And of course, no Lowenthal. He let out a light sigh as he walked forward to meet the rest of the group. He lifted his hand and gave a small wave to the already present players, stopping in front of one of the benches and crossing his arms.. "So.. Any idea where Lowenthal might be?" he scratched the back of his neck, feeling embarrassed that his guild leader is nowhere to be found. 

[Lowenthal 0]

As lowenthal stepped into the Cathedral, he was amazed by it's simplistic elegance. Perhaps the Velvet Room could learn a thing or two from it's design. As he saw that a good number of people had showed up, he entered. As he did, he heard someone asking where he was. "It's alright, everyone relax. I'm here." He said, grinning like an idiot. Finally happy he was able to use that line in public. He leaned against the table, and not wanting to waste time, unlike the other meeting. "Alright, where do we stand? Oikawa?" Lowenthal asked his personal rival, and the only one in the room who knew what the boss room was like. 

As Lowenthal listened intently he took a peek around the room, nothing the players. Oikawa, Zelrius, Tristian, Mack, Xion, Jomei, and himself. As well as a woman he recognized from the last meeting, but he had yet to actually 'meet'. No matter, eight people should be enough to take care of the boss. That was twice as many from last time, or so he heard from the proverbial grapevine. He knew that there was a good force in the room. Zelrius, Oikawa, and Tristian were a force to be reckoned with, and Lowenthal was glad to be allies with them.

[Calrex 0]

OOC: Got permission from Oikawa over Skype to enter the meeting :)

IC:

"Certainly an interesting place to hold the meeting. I thought last time they were having it on the tenth floor. I guess that was when Mari was hosting it."

Appearing at the teleportation circle of Taft, Calrex opened his eyes as his blue hair flew upwards for a second as his avatar completed the teleportation sequence. Since they were still within the safe zone, he was wearing the Grand Dragoon armor over his casual combat clothing, without any weapons currently equipped. However, pinned to the left chest pocket of his jacket was the ocean-like blue shield that served as a personal marker for his affiliation: Although unofficial, it was the group of individuals he considered to be the ones he trusted most, the Spectrum Coalition. After arriving on the floor he made his way to the cathedral, "Most likely they have already started, or are about to start. Hope I haven't missed any keynotes for this, especially since this is my first time."

He gave a calming breath before opening the doors and entering inside. His <<Reveal>> skill temporarily flashed over his eyes as he saw past the cover that the various pillars and other structures inside provided to the people there. So far he recognized everyone that had arrived. There was Oikawa, one of the commandants of the Azure Brigade, one of his closest friends, and a fellow SC member. Rebekah, another Azure Brigade member whom he had briefly met in the past. Zelrius, the proclaimed most powerful player in SAO and another Brigade commandant. Tristan, the redheaded tank of SAO, winner of the S&Z first season, and yet another Brigade commandant. Mack, head of the Crimson Blades and so far the only two-handed axe wielder he knew. Xion, another member of the Blades and a up and coming tank. Jomei, a member of the Velvet Room and former opponent of is during the S&Z season. Finally, there was Lowenthal, whom he had assisted with when the orange-headed player was first starting out, founder of the Velvet Room, and self-proclaimed Master of Shadows.

"Wow, they've certainly got a cast of characters gathered here so far. With this many high-level and veteran floor boss players participating, this one should be a breeze. Course I'm still not really sure what I could exactly bring to the table that everyone else already has."

As he approached the circle he gave a wave before integrating himself into the circle, putting his hands into his jacket pockets as he gave a nod to Oikawa, "Sorry if I'm late everyone. Have I missed anything important?"

Edited September 7, 2015 by Calrex

[Oikawa 1]

His wait was far shorter than he thought would be, as Rebekah pushed open the doors and entered. The second of three blondes of Azure quickly seated herself as she greeted Oikawa, while noting she hoped for more than four players attempting this raid. His gaze shifted to her in compliance with him shifting from his perch on the podium. "Fancy seeing you here as well. Though it was to be expected given your experience and talent. As a fellow Commandant, I expected nothing less haha. As for your remark, I agree. Though I'm sure Azure alone will guarantee at least five attempting the raid. However, knowing what I know, we'll need far more than five for this raid." Just as he finished, the doors creaked open once more as another Commandant entered the cathedral.

The tuxedo clad honcho of sorts, also the third blonde of Azure, Zelrius, stepped into the room with an air of egotism only he could muster. His opening statements only echoing the haughtiness he seemed so determined to uphold. Turning to face his leading Commandant, Oikawa suppressed a chuckle as he replied. "Ahh, I was unware my absence would have such an effect on the guild. My apologies Lord Blackfyre. As for missing you, well-", being cut short; the blonde looked up to see yet another familiar face, who also just so happened to be a Commandant. "Well save for Kiru, the gangs all here," he stated as Tristan meandered through the room with the expression of deep thought plastered across his face.

Just as he thought, a few more players began to trickle in one by one. Two players stuck out to the blonde like a sore thumb. Luckily they introduced themselves as they filed in. The one known as Mack seemed to be running the show for what Oikawa assumed was a newly formed guild. Nodding to him and the one introduced as Xion, Oikawa glanced back towards the door as Jomei and Lowenthal of the Velvet Room made their presence known. The blonde simply smirked and waved at Lowenthal despite his Zel-esque comment. "All will be explained shortly Lowenthal. Patience my friend." As if on cue, a blue haired fellow, that many of the people in the room knew already, stepped inside. One of his few good friends, rivals, and as far as he knew the highest current leveled player in Aincrad, Calrex had joined them at last.

Returning his wave, he shook his head in response to the bluenette's inquiry. "Your're actually just in time. I'm starting."

"AHEM! Attention to all those gathered here right now. We may have a few more join us later, but I'd like to get this thing underway. As it stands, we have nine people in attendance which includes myself. From what I've heard and gathered, we will need at the minimum twelve or so. And the reason for that is, this Boss is unlike any we've encountered before. We are on a new set of floors and as such the difficult will surely have increased. Our objective, The Forsaken Crusader, resides in the boss room of a cave not more than forty-five minutes outside the settlement. Now, I will read off the description I was given, followed by some ideas my fellow commandants and I have come up with and then i will leave it open to comments and questions. Before I begin, I Zel and Tristan will be heading the tactics on this raid. If this is going to be an issue for you make note of it when I open this for discussion. Now for the description: "

"A walking giant of a man, strong in appearance and with a body demonstrating the experience of a hundred battles. He wears a worn and tattered Crusader armor, carrying a bloodstained and rusted sword in one hand, a cracked and worn shield in the other. His hair which was most likely once brunette is now a dark red, and his skin which was light in color now covered in grime and dust. His eyes hidden within the darkness of his helm, though their gaze is easily felt, and what appears to be a cross is impaled into his back. The inside of a rundown cathedral is the scene found within the boss room, the strong smell of some form of incense in the air. Confession booths line the sides of the room while stained glass covers the ceiling allowing the room to be illuminated, though barely, the glass demonstrating the image of a crusader falling into a pit of flames."

"From this description we gathered that the Boss will make use of the effect Bleed and the skill Block. We also determined that the room itself will have a few nasty surprises regarding the incense, the stained glass, and the confession booths. Maybe additional mobs as well as additional effects that may hinder us as the battle progress-," realizing he had run out of breath, the blonde paused to allow some air to return to his lungs. Calming himself, he continued. " ..as the battle progresses. That being said we have decided on possibly breaking up those who wish to participate, into three groups. The Main Attack Team who focuses on pure boss damage. A Support Team who focuses on exactly that, support. They need to be the most versatile, able to provide healing items, Main Attack support in the form of attacking as well or switching out to help those low on health as well as doing the same for the Tank Team. Which as you figured is our third team. We speculated the boss will have minions and from what we gathered from the pink player who is missing among our ranks, theses nasty little guys will be relentless. The job of the tank team is to keep the minions off the Main Attack Team." Taking another deep breath, he relaxed and looked at those around him.

"So comments and questions?"

[Kiru 0]

As per usual I was late to the meeting. "What floor was it on again? What floor am I now?" I asked myself as I sprinted through the town towards the teleportation gate. I pushed through a couple people and knocked maybe one or two players over but I could've been worse. I was actually trying to avoid hitting people today. I rushed past the all the shops and buildings until finally I stood in front of the gate. I pressed my hands against my knees and took a few deep breaths while scrolling through my PMs. "There it is. Floor 11? Cathedral?" I swiped through my menu again and brought out a crystal. I stepped onto the platform and whispered the location in the PM. The crystal in my hand smashed into tiny pieces of data and I was transported to The Eleventh Floor. I couldn't figure out why but every time I used the teleport gate I felt the need to close my eyes during the process. I imagined that if I opened my eyes during the teleport I would be blind or something silly. I chuckled at my sheer stupidity at the moment and forced myself off to the Cathedral. 

Once in front of the large structure, I stopped. I had already been to the Cathedral once but I still couldn't help but to look at all the details into the stained glass. It was probably just a computer program but it was still very realistic to me. It was crazy to think that this wasn't real, nothing but a bunch of number, letters, and symbols used to create a masterpiece. After a good four minutes of just staring I realized that I actually had to be somewhere right now. I didn't have time to just watch the hours roll by. 

My hand wrapped around the giant handle to the cathedral, but I stopped before opening it. I hesitated on going in. I groaned and looked up to the sky. It wasn't that I didn't want to attend the meeting, I was just a little...scared? The last I went to a boss meeting was with Zelrius. At the time I wasn't even in a guild, definitely not a guild leader but I was told to come anyways. The meeting went just fine and I was trusted as a squad leader but the effect of that was horrible. I was an extremely bad leader and barely talked during the battle to my team, thus leading them not to victory, but one of them to death. I deeply regretted letting Rue, a girl in my group die. I knew that I needed to move forward from that. I knew I've changed since then but there was still something holding me back from entering the meeting. "Come on...!" I thought, angry at myself for avoiding entry for such a foolish reason. "Okay. Three...two...one!" I said and yanked the door open, even a little too hard. It went past me and caused a breeze, making my hair fly upwards and in all different directions. I stood in the doorway for a moment, then smirked and walked towards the group of familiar faces in the center of the room. 

Oikawa was currently speaking to everyone and giving the info about the boss. I smiled. He used to think of Keith and I in such high regards. Keith saw him as a threat the first time he met him because Oikawa poked me while I was asleep. Looking back at it now I could laugh at how stupid we all were. Oikawa had grown so much as a player since then, in levels as well. He was almost catching up to me it seemed. In front of him stood Rebekah, a girl whom I still didn't know very well. I knew however that she was an awesome rapier user and was super quick. The next person I noticed was none other than Zelrius. As I predicted, he was wearing a signature tuxedo, complete with a bow tie and his striking blond hair. There was no doubt in his absolute power, so I didn't even question why he was here. Standing close to him was Tristan Delaney. Last time we met it went well compared to last time. We talked it out and eventually ended the evening with me being a little sick. He worried about me a lot, but it wasn't a bad thing at all then. Now, in battle, he would be a good asset and a strong tank. Speaking of tanks, Calrex was here as well. I went on a quest with him so I experienced first hand what kind of power he had. Once again I saw Jomei, but didn't really know who he was. Next to him was Xion, standing by Mack. Xion and I had a duel the other day and the outcome was interesting. Mack and I weren't on good terms nor bad terms. He seemed a little to loud and proud for me to handle. Something that stuck out to me was the orange cursor above Lowenthal's head. I was confused, how did he manage to kill someone? And how did he get in the town without being literally killed by guards? Those questions stopped when I finally was with the rest of the group. I stood behind Tristan and nudged his arm a little to let at least someone know I was here. "Nice to see everyone again..." 

Edited September 7, 2015 by Kiru

[Mack 0]

OOC: As near as I can tell, there's no established posting order in this thread. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

As Xion moved to take a seat on one of the benches that filled the main sanctuary of the Cathedral, Mack swung Guillotine down off of his back and planted the weapon's iron butt cap on the smooth stone floor before leaning on the weapon by placing his right forearm across the unsharpened top of the axe's head. Given that there were only a few people present, so far, it was clear that the meeting would not yet be starting. Still, as this was the first time that the Crimson Blades had been invited to take part in a floor clearing operation it was far better to be punctual and on time than it would have been to be late. Making a positive first impression was essential, even if Tristan was already acquainted with both him and Xion.

Within a few moments Jomei, followed closely by Lowenthal, entered the Cathedral and Mack nodded a greeting to both members of the Velvet Room. The Crimson Blades had recently hammered out an agreement for an alliance between themselves and the members of the Velvet Room and while the blonde haired Grandmaster had hoped to see Piera at the meeting rather than Jomei accompanying Lowenthal, Mack understood why it was that Piera wasn't at the meeting since she clearly wasn't ready yet to be clearing floors. Within a few more minutes Calrex had also entered the Cathedral and Mack was glad to see that he had arrived. Between Calrex and Tristan there were some very powerful tanks in the room, which wasn't to say that the Blades' tank, Xion, wasn't a very capable tank as well, but Calrex and Tristan were two of the very best. After Calrex had made his introduction, Oikawa stepped forward and began the meeting in earnest, and Mack made careful mental notes of everything that was said. He was just about to launch into a few things on his mind for the raid when Kiru made her appearance as well. When she greeted everyone, Mack inclined his own head respectfully in her direction.

"The Blades have three players that we can contribute to the strike force," Mack rumbled, his deep resonate voice filling the room. "Xion is our Guild's tank, and would be valuable on any of the three squads, though he might be a bit superfluous on the tank team if both Calrex and Tristan are to be part of that squad. Beoreson would be a good player for the support team, he's not strong in any one area but he can do several things passably well. Finally, I'm running a glass cannon build and I can fight the boss' bleed effect with the same fire, therefore the attack team seems most logical. I will also speak to Grave and Opal, they should be able to supply all of us with food items to boost BD and healing and antidote items, though neither is of a high enough level yet to be able to safely engage the Floor Boss. Beyond that, my forge stands ready to craft any items that may be needed for the battle, I will do the work gratis though a little help with the mat farming would be appreciated. As for fighting this Crusader, we should also consider, I think, that the incense may be representative of a paralyzing item. Do we have any stat information on the boss in terms of HP or Damage output? Do we know if the boss can be paralocked?"

Edited September 7, 2015 by Mack

[Takao 0]

Takao ran a glove-clad hand over his face as he walked through the streets of Taft. His eyes momentarily focused on his health gauge, where the once familiar guild icon that he had grown accustomed to seeing over the months was now gone. Like so many others, it had fallen inactive over time, and he only knew of himself among the other members to be achieving any sort of notable progress. With the boss meeting up ahead and the guild's lack of interest in participating as a whole, he had found himself with a decision to make. It wasn't such a hard choice to make if he were to be truthful, given that he had spent less than a day collectively with the entirety of the guild, yet it still left him with a feeling of emptiness - the feeling he was hoping to quell by attending the meeting. His hand went over his face, through his hair, and finally hooked around his neck as he approached the location that had been arranged for the raid meeting. Had he been in less of a hurry and without a clouded mind, he might have stopped for a moment to admire the architecture, but instead he continued onward and pressed one of his hands against the Cathedral's doors. The brunet halted for a minute after hearing the muffled, incomprehensible speaking that came from within, but his hesitation lasted for less than a second before he pushed them open and slipped inside.

As the doors shut closed behind him, he put on his best smile, which didn't seem particularly genuine at the moment, and proceeded inside. "Sorry I'm late!" he said in a tone not particularly loud enough to be considered annoying, but still able to be heard. "Did I miss anything important?" His arm dropped to his side as he began a quick mental head count of everybody that was present. Plenty of faces, both familiar and otherwise, made up a very impressive looking raid group, and he could actually see their faces this time around. The brunet didn't stand for long before he found an empty pew to seat himself at, and directed his attention forward.

[Rebekah 0]

Before she knew it the whole room was full of people ready to discuss about the current boss raid. While she did not really knew a lot of players there, only knowing a handful personally, she was glad that all the Azure members are there. Particularly both Kiru and Tristan, as they were going to need every person they can. Rebekah knew that most of the best fighters were in Azure, with possibly the exception of Mari, Ariel, and Calrex who is here today. She thought if there was enough people to divide into several groups, but that was something that was going to get decided today. She knew that there were not enough true tanks in the game, and that made her happy as those were the most annoying to duel for someone such as her.

She spoke right after one of the smaller guild masters have spoken, speaking from experience as one of few active players to participate in back to back floor raids in recent history. "As some of you may not have been in a boss raid before, what I want to add is I cannot stress the importance of healing potions. I, myself, have picked up a Banner of Support by soloing the quest alone, but unfortunately it has a lengthy wait that sometimes the raid may be over before I get a second usage of the item in the battle. If you are interested in taking on the quest, I suggest you do it in pairs unless you are significantly stronger than me. Even though the last floor raid squad did not suffer casualties at all, even with half the strike failing to report on duty. It was a miracle, rather Mari who carried that boss fight. Without Mari, Shark and Crozeph may possibly be dead as a result of their stupidity." She paused for a second before showing everyone the item that she has picked up, before continuing, "I do not want a repeat of last time." While she knew that a few players will try to laugh off her warning, she knows that she is not going to be held responsible for them being killed if they were idiots out there.

[Calrex 0]

As the comments and questions began after Oikawa's expalanation Calrex gave a nod first to acknowledge the information the blonde had shared with the group, beginning to think of all the possible things that could occur, comparing it to the information he knew from the previous battles, at least in terms of rumors and such. "With Rebekah here we definitely have first-hand knowledge of the most recent floor fight. Most likely that will be relevant to the upcoming one."

First came Mack, with what Calrex most likely was going to be asked. A lot of players seemed to be knowledgeable, and more willing to exploit, the status effect of Paralyze, or as they seemed to now coin, paralocking: This meant keeping the target in an indefinite paralyzed state in order to keep it from attacking, as well as negating and evasive qualities they possessed. No matter whether a person had Evasion or Block, they were reduced to zero while under the status effect. It was definitely a valid point, especially if the floor boss wields a shield, "Knowing the difficulty of the bosses, I wouldn't put it past the designers to give the boss a maximized or past maximum stat in the Block skill. It's already formidable with a grandmaster rank, anything past would be even worse."

Next came the incense, stained glass, and confession booths. "It would be likely that the confession booths could be potential spawning points for mob creatures. From some games I've seen, it might be also likely that we can destroy the booths in order to prevent them from respawning. The stained glass I can't be sure will come into play other than possible messing with the lightning of the room. As for the incense...it is possible that it can provide a environmental effect, possibly similar to poison or some other damage over time. We'll definitely need to be careful."

His train of thought was broken as Rebekah began to speak, making note of bringing health potions. Calrex made note of it, as well as the fact that apparently in the last boss fight Mari was carrying the team, "I'm not surprised. Before I got to my current level, Mari was the highest level player within SAO and also the most experienced with potions. But I'll definitely need to look into getting either high level healing or mass healing crystals, so that they will be useful in combat. However, I'd better save my third level damage potion to use before the battle starts. However, there was one question still on my mind."

He looked over at the others, specifically those who were veterans of past boss fights, as well as Oikawa, who had scouted the boss room, "I have yet to participate in a floor boss fight, but would it be a safe bet to bring a teleportation crystal as well? Other than that I have no questions."

"I'll pretty much work in whatever team they feel I'll function best in. With my damage potion active, I can deal just as much damage as any of the strikers unenhanced, although not as much as Zelrius. With the Grand Chariot I can function as a tank, although not as powerful as Tristan. Finally, with a mixture of each, combined with some mass-healing potions, I can also function as a support role.

[Tristan Delaney 0]

Tristan listened quietly to Oikawa, processing the information he received and thinking on how to go about with it all. The bleed would probably be the biggest problem, along with the hidden surprise of the incense. The shield could hint strong defensive abilities too, meaning it may take time until the boss is down. Sadly bleed and a long fight were not a pleasant combination at all. Kiru came in too and nudged him, to which he smiled at her, before returning to a face of concentration.

He thought for a bit more, then stood up, hands on the desk and his fingers spread wide. "Okay, I believe I have an action plan of sorts, however it requires several dependencies to work with. More players may enter at this point, but with guild leaders of the active guilds present and solo players too, along with all of my fellow Commandants, I believe I can reveal what I have in mind.". Tristan traced on the table roughly where groups of people and enemies were as he discussed the next several things.
"First of all, the dregs. While peons, added in power they will be a formidable force to combat. I want to make Zelrius leader of dreg duty because his sword arts excel in covering a wide area, meaning he will be able to fight the dregs efficiently. Calrex will accompany him as the tank, absorbing the majority of the damage, while also using wide area sword arts with the flexibility of one handed swords. Sure, one handed swords aren't the best damage dealer but that's for Zelrius to cover anyway, so I'm not concerned about that. If any more players want to do dreg duty, they can, but otherwise the rest of the slots for that will be filled by any lower level players that excel in wide area attacks, along with some support players.

Our main concern though, the boss, will be different. I will be the main tank for this fight, however if I cannot have enough support players to heal me with First Aid, I will need a secondary tank that keeps at relatively the same hate as me so that we can switch targets with ease. I am worried though that this boss will have wide attacks that will affect all players. On a whole though, I want all fighting in one group, unlike the Hydra fight. The main damage dealers will be Rebekah and Lowenthal and Mack, the first two using high powered weapons and Mack having a stunning weapon, although I'm not sure if the boss is affected by stuns or not. Either way, they will be dealing the most damage.

The only thing I'm worried about is if we have enough players with First Aid. With the bleed and any other possible hidden surprised, damage received will be high regardless of mitigation and that Block of the boss will cut down the damage they receive, prolonging the fight and worsening the Bleed with the duration. I will also ask that all players take potions and/or crystals for healing, antidotes and a teleport crystal in the situation that we must retreat. The former two I'm sure are rather obvious in their roles. Roles for the fight will be fully established before we enter the fight itself, as I wish not to make a roster based on players that may become absent for whatever reason. Any questions?". Tristan remained standing, though now straightened his stance from leaning forward, his height showing.

[Mack 0]

"With the recent rebalancing that we were... gifted with, my ability to dish out damage has increased to fairly impressive levels. In the re-spec I had to sacrifice my armor skill and athletics, but just managed to keep my master-level for two-handed battle axe. With Crescent Avalanche and a plus two crit. I can land a seven hit combo for just over sixty damage. With a plus three damage potion I push that damage rating to the mid-eighties. I can also throw out basic stunning strikes all day long," the blonde man said in his low resonant tone, his grey eyes swiveling to meet the gaze of everyone present. "I believe that makes me one of the top DPS players in the game, for the time being. Once again, though, do we have any idea of the stats on the Fallen Crusader? HP, damage output, any sword arts he might possess?"

[Jomei 0]

Jome found place on one of the benches around the cathedral and sunk into the seat. He shifted his eyes to look at Lowenthal as he appeared, sighing lightly. He always seemed to just appear out of nowhere whenever Jomei mentioned him or tried to get in contact with him. He propped his arm up on his knee and rested his head in his open palm, waiting for this meeting to start. A couple more players trickled in after Lowenthal's entrance, and once Calrex entered the cathedral, it was almost like a cue for Oikawa to start. 

The blonde haired man began to talk about where the boss room was located, what we would need to succeed in a fight unlike any before, and .. of course.. that Azure was planning the whole thing. Right after that, it was time for him to describe just what it was they were going to be fighting. The Forsaken Crusader, a hulking giant with a large shield and sword.. and a cross impaled into his back? Guess it makes sense for being in a run down church like this one.. He went on to mention, as well, that there were different things that were to notice, a strong smell of incense, the large stained glass windows above the battlefield, and multiple confessionals around the perimeter of the cathedral. The group, of hopefully at least twelve people, would be split into three groups to make sure this battle would go as smoothly as possible with as little casualties as possible. 

Jomei slowly moved his hand from his cheek to his chin, as he began to gently pull at the hairs there, listening to their plan. Once finished talking, Oikawa opened up the field to any questions or comments. The first, of course, being Mack, the Guildmaster of the more newly formed guild, The Crimson Blades. He spoke his piece, followed by Rebekah, who shared some information from her last fight and a healing item she possessed that could possibly save them, and finally Calrex. After that, people seemed slow on the reply, even Lowenthal. He let out a light, inaudible sigh.. might as well start acting like a field commander..  "It would definitely seem like we are going to need some hard hitters to be able to break through this boss' defenses.. especially if he makes use of the Block skill as you said. Some tanks to take the pressure of of them as well.. Maybe we could even look to some of the quicker players, maybe even ones with higher sneaking skills, to flank around the Crusader and do some damage from behind.. It is possible that where the cross impales into his back could even be a spot of weakness, but, that is just an assumption. As for the environment, theres no doubt all of those things will place some sort of hinderance on us during the fight. With the incense, like you said.. it could poison us, or even paralyze us.. Or another thought could be reduced visibility. If the light from above on the stained glass window increases, it could cause the smoke to seem thicker and reduce our ability to see, for I can't see any other way for light to affect us." He stood up at this point, "Also, an idea for fighting the mobs that may come out of the confessionals.. If our assumption is right in those being their spawn points, maybe we could assign one, even two, players from that squad to cover the areas, and take out the mobs as soon as they spawn. This could help prevent them from getting past those players and surrounding the main attack groups." He turned his head towards Rebekah, "Also, I would like to find where this Banner of Support is myself... Could definitely be the turning point in the battle. Aside from that, The Velvet Room also has a gifted alchemist of our own who would be more than happy to support us with healing agents." 

[Xion 0]

Xion nodded in silence as he listened to the others talk. They raised many valid points, including the new balances, and the possible side effects of the incense. Xion himself knew how horrible and deadly paralocking was, and didn't want anyone here to fall victim to it. 

 

"May I suggest that we invest MATs in any and all skilled alchemists currently in the game then? We will need the antidote, healing and teleportation crystals in case things go pear shaped. As for the change, I now have some respectable MIT but barely any damage, but this should be easy enough to fix within a few weeks. Also, what is our fall back plan if the main tanking or dreg squads are forced to retreat, or taken out? Shouldn't we have at the least secondary squads, or a dedicated healing squad, assuming that people have the new first aid skill that is" Xion said, his calm voice resonating throughout the cathedral. 

[Oikawa 1]

The floor was open but the group seemed hesitant at first. His blue eyes skimmed across place of worship. Taking note of the late arrivals, he let a faint smile cross his face at the sight of Kiru. It's been some time since I last saw her. Glad she could make it. A voice suddenly took the floor as he his gaze continued making its rounds. Looking up, he words came from a newer player, at least to Oikawa he was new. That player was Mack. The towering blonde raised a few points and inquiries as well as mentioned the ways his guild could contribute. Taking mental notes, Oikawa was surprised to hear more voices erupt into the air as ideas and plans filled the room. Rebekah offering her wisdom and Tristan his plan was a welcomed and expected. Given their experience and knowledge, I expected nothing less from our Commandants.

Once the others settled down, the blonde attempted to address the concerns and questions left unanswered. "Great points, plans, and questions from everyone. To my knowledge, this is all we have: Mack, as far as hard stats go, we have none. I believe that information was only given to Mari of the now disbanded Cerulean Silence. All the information we have is what I've already stated." Turning to Calrex, Oikawa offered a few words. "To answer your inquiry, I advise everyone bring one just in case. We have only partial information on what we're up against and if it comes down to it, I'd rather have everyone retreat and get out alive than mess around die. I can't prevent stupid decisions. I can only advise against them. As arrogant and rude as it may sound, I think it would be plain idiocy not to bring one. We won't know if we can use it until we get there, but at least the option is available." Turning back towards the general populace, he addressed the other matters.

"As Rebekah explained. I can not stress anymore the importance of bringing healing items. I myself have taken a few ranks in First Aid. I plan to help those who lose health a bit quicker than the rest. That being said, I will be lending my efforts to the support team as well as dreg duty. As Jomei has pointed out, there are a few more strategies we can employ, I personally think we can assign those roles. If it we do in fact have to accommodate for certain situations, everybody will already know what to do and where to go, otherwise I think we should stick to our current plan. As far as what Xion has said, That can and should be applied to not only alchemists, but smiths, tailors, cooks, artisans, and fisherman. Hell almost all the professions can be effective. Often under-rated the performer could be a huge help if we do in fact have to worry about the minions. Monster grenades are more useful than ever given the update. We shouldn't underestimate them."

Giving the group another look over, he offered a final statement. "If there are no more statements, questions or concerns, I will formally begin the sign-ups for the fight. I hope everyone is prepared. I wish to begin the trek to the bosses room no later than two weeks from now. I will issue a final call two days in advance. Last call, any comments?"

 

Edited September 12, 2015 by Oikawa - The Faint