[PP-F1] Confusion and Parties (Flints, Emerath) - Complete!

[Emerath 0]

Emerath had been getting some distance on the two while Endilix presumably told his date exactly how horrible he was and why they shouldn't have come. That was pretty typical of Endilix. But then, Emerath found the girl walking right alongside him. Hm, it seems this girl has a bit more to her than some little kitten Endilix gave a treat. But then she gave a quip. "...a worthy craft. For those who cannot fight..."

Emerath just about stopped dead in his tracks, the words ringing in his ears. He put a finger in the ear near flints, as if to gesture that he wasn't quite sure that he heard her, before turning to her, very slowly. He grated his teeth a bit as he tried his best to smile at the smaller woman. "One who can't fight? My dear, I broke a rock in half with my bare hands to become a martial artist in this game. I beat my brother in a duel, and then proceeded to show my superiority against actual monsters while Endilix flailed about like a mad man." He looked Flints over, recognizing the starter clothes and basic axe, "You're what, level one? Look at me, I have actual skills. Are you sure you want to challenge me?"

[Flints 0]

Just what she wanted. Him to stop. But she didn't, and to show how worthy he was of her basking in his glory she continued walking and didn't look back as she spoke, knowing his demenor would easily pick up on her lack of fear. "but I doubt you can say you can break a rock outside the game." she let the statement trail off as she continued to distance herself, she was leading them now. Not knowing exactly where she was heading but she wasn't going. Not waiting for an answer she scoffed, "I bet you also can't say you're also an alchemist in real life as well either." She turned around walking backwards, the ultimate sign of not having a care in the world, but she was ready, ready to fight if she had to. Flints smiled and starred deeply into Emeraths eyes, she could see his rage she could see his jaw tensed. She mimicked his beckoning motion from earlier and turned around to continue walking smirking at her own saucy actions. 

[Emerath 0]

Emerath continued to grit his teeth as the woman walked right past him. He watched her saunter off, spewing her garbage. He gave a bit of a growl of his own as his fists clenched before finally he had gotten tired of watching her. He had started walking towards her, an anger inside him that he didn't usually feel. Who is this girl. This little witch, that Endilix has gotten a hold of? Who does she think she is? Emerath called after her, "I'll have you know that I am a very successful individual in the real world. I don't need to pound down rocks with my fists when my brain can win me any battle in the real world. But it can't do that here. And so I excel in other ways. Does it matter if I can break a rock in the real world? No. It only matters if I can do it here. You know why? Because here, your life can end, just like it can out there."

Emerath's fists began to glow, as if preparing a sword art and readying to strike the woman.

[Endilix 0]

Endilix watched all of this devolve into madness as the two challenged each other. He had known this would happen, and his fears were being confirmed. Endilix saw his brother's rage well up inside him. He saw him grip onto what dignity he had left in the face of such accusations. And then he saw Emerath's fists begin to glow. "NO!" Endilix shouted as he leapt forward, grabbing Emerath under the arms and pulling them back. "Brother, do not do this! She is only level one! You will kill her!" He pulled on Emerath as hard as he could. Despite that the man was a higher level, sheer willpower was keeping Endilix going in this very moment. "You are better than this brother!"

[Flints 0]

Flints heard all the commotion, she turned around as she felt her breath taken away by the feeling of the sword art being activated, it resonated inside of her soul, something she didn't posses called to her being. she knew it was something she needed to posses in this world. Her eyes glowed brightly and she showed no fear, she walked up to Endilix Who was trying his hardest to hold his brother back. 

"release him...if he wants to kill me then so be it. Give the man his wish." She smiled and drew her weapon. And aimed its Halibeard like spike at Emerath. Unfortunately I'm not going to let you take my life that easily. But by all means. Go for it." She held her pose. 

"If you're really so established, why do you need to prove it to someone you hardly know" she scoffed further egging on Emerath. She knew her forked tongue would get the best of her, but she was going to let this man know that his level meant nothing to her. 

[Endilix 0]

Endilix stared hard at the woman. Her fire, her soul. He looked into her eyes, though she wasn't looking at him right in this moment. He could feel his brother's power coursing through their bodies as Endilix held him. What would happen if Endilix let go? Would this girl, this sweet, but dangerous girl, die? He had hardly known her. What did it matter? Why did Endilix care so damn much? He struggled with his brother, but the longer he looked at Flints. Saw that fire. The longer he knew it wasn't his place to get in the middle of this.

And so Endilix took a step back, and let his brother go.

[Emerath 0]

Emerath Strikes Flints

• ID: 32340
• BD: 7 (Success)
  • Sword Art Activated: Flash Blow 1x1 (2 Base x 1 = 2 DAM)

Emerath hadn't been surprised when his brother came to protect his little witch. He struggled against his brother, the glow of his fists not fading. And then the girl had the nerve. The nerve, to come back and get in Emerath's face. And then, suddenly Endilix let go of Emerath. And in one fluid motion, the pent up power that Emerath held in his fists carried him forward in a flash, a punch flying past the woman's ready axe and into a solid blow to the chest. Emerath could feel the power strike the woman, and as he watched her HP bar drain, for one frightening moment Emerath thought he had killed someone. But it stopped halfway, and Emerath stumbled backwards, the power fading from his hands, his breath ragged.

Strike Results:

• Flints: 4/4 -> 2/4
• Emerath: 24/24
  • EP: 6/6 -> 5/6

Edited September 22, 2015 by Emerath

[Flints 0]

Before she could throw herself at the brothers Endilix released Emerath, and on an exhale she felt it. A blunt pain against her sternum, that resonated throughout her body, a pain she knew all too well, yet In this game, it felt so new, as if her body had never felt the blunt force of someone's fist. Because it truly hadn't here. The little air left in her lungs released, she felt her jaw clench and her body shake from the force behind the attack. It was a fraction of his real power yet the loud unmistakable crunch of bone was heard beneath the skin. Her hands had released her weapon and instinctually grasped his fist although to no avail against his quick motion. She stood very still holding his hand with both of hers. She let out a cough that make the unsettling crackle In her chest rise again. But she quickly wiped the blood from her mouth before they could see. A small ragged growl escaped her lips. And she could hardly speak. 

"As I expected. You couldn't kill me. Even your eyes showed you have no clue what you're doing." She turned away and kicked her weapon so she didn't have to bow down to pick it up from Emeraths feet. As it was out of his way she leaned down to get it and her world quickly flashed black, but she steadied herself and walked off speaking no more. She needed to stop. Flints needed to heal. But she  walked away slowly ignoring her body. "I'll be fine" she assured herself. 

 

[Emerath 0]

Emerath looked at his hands as the woman continued to taunt him. He looked at them long and hard, not even hearing Flints anymore. He was... almost a murderer. The witch was right. Emerath had no idea what he was doing. He could have killed her. Emerath gave a long, ragged breath as he exhaled, staring at his hands. He was visibly shaken. What was he doing? This wasn't just a game. This was a person's real life. And now his hands were covered with someone's blood, even if they didn't die. He had struck them. Considered killing them. Did that make him any less of a monster?

Emerath stood there, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Flints continue to stumble away from the brothers. Finally, Emerath remembered who he was. Who he wanted to be. He reached into a pouch by his side. The woman appeared to be intentionally staunching the out of combat regen. Emerath wasn't even sure if that was possible, but he just sighed. Seriously though. Who is this woman? Emerath pulled some herbs out of the pouch and walked up to Flints, which wasn't hard as she stumbled along. With his mortar and pestle he ground up the herbs into a poultice and smeared them on a linen bandage. He doubted that Flints herself would let Emerath do the healing proper, and so he put a light hand on her shoulder.

"Look, just. I'm sorry. Here." Emerath said as he held out the bandages for the girl. "I may not be an alchemist in real life. But at least I'm one here. Please heal up. It's dangerous out here." And then his eyes softened, and Emerath looked sad, "And you were right. I don't amount to much in the real world. Even with all my smarts and high statuses in college and whatnot. I don't have what it takes to survive out there. I don't even know if I have what it takes to survive here... I just thought. I just thought if I put on a brave face like Endilix, I could make it. I don't... I don't want to die." A tear rolled down Emerath's face and he wiped it away and then just pushed the bandage at Flints again, "J-just, just take it! Please!"

[Flints 0]

Flints eyes found it hard to focus on anything, lights and shapes blurred in and out of her vision as as she remembered the first time out of SAO she fought. Never had she been hit this hard. But then again they didn't have sword arts either. The lack of oxygen became apparent as she starred up at Emerath and his big confession. "he needed to admit this, not for himself but his brother as well" she thought. Her refusal of regen was a difficult task, it was as if the game tried to save her. She wasn't dying, just hurt. Why did she need to heal? Then she saw it. Emerath showed more emotion, she couldn't hear him but instinctually she placed her hand at his cheek and gently thumbed away his tears before she contradicted her actions with words. 

"Dont you dare heal me yo-"  it was too late, the light from her eyes faded and she fell face first into the ground beneath them. Her last thoughts were of how stupidly weak she was. And how she Probably should have walked away faster. 

Edited September 22, 2015 by Flints

[Emerath 0]

Emerath made an attempt to catch her as she fell but he wasn't quite fast enough. She had wiped away his tear and then passed out, and for another frightening moment Emerath was scared that she had died. But her HP bar didn't move. She was still breathing, and not exploding into a flurry of pixels. That was a good sign. Emerath sighed as he bent over, and slowly rolled the woman onto her back. He took the bandages in his hand, and began to wrap them around her wound, and the game took over Emerath's hands as his first aid skill kicked in, taking care of the rest of the process.

He sighed when he was done, and then reached into his pouch. He found a small packet of smelling salts, and snapped open the makeshift package he had made in his lab, and placed them under the girl's nose to wake her up again.

Edited September 22, 2015 by Emerath

[Flints 0]

Maybe refusing to "sleep" since she entered the game was a bad idea, her body was extremely tired but she didn't feel comfortable enough to sleep in a place like this. Her thoughts were scattered in her current state. 

A strange scent suddenly filled her nostrils, it stung really badly and woke her in a jolt, although she didn't move. She looked up at Emerath who of course, healed her. She felt incredibly heavy but without thinking she looked around for Endilix, a deep blush came across her as she realized he witnessed the whole pitiful affair. She needed to get away from them. For once she felt incredibly embarrassed. And tried to stand quickly but ended up smacking into Emerath. 

"Well I guess I'm just gonna have to deal with the consequences of my actions.." flints thought. 

[Emerath 0]

Emerath hadn't considered the fact that when Flints woke up she might try to stand up. He quickly tried to steady her. It wasn't in game HP, so it had to be something else. Perhaps the woman was just tired. Perhaps she had actually needed to sleep afterall, though this was a horrible place to be doing it. He felt the woman's weight stagger against him as he tried to help her get to a standing position. Though she was moving away. Is she trying to escape? Oh no, I scared her or something! Emerath thought to himself as he tried to calm her. She was reacting like a panicked patient who had just woken up in a hospital bed, not knowing what happened to her after a coma. It was certainly an odd reaction. He had thought she would be happy he healed her. He grunted a bit as he tried to keep her steady.

[Endilix 0]

Endilix had been watching all of this happen with a close eye. He had seen the rage in both. He had seen his brother attack a woman he cared for. He had watched someone he cared for, someone who is family, turn into a monster, for only a moment. He had seen remorse. He had seen fear. And for one fleeting moment, he had seen his brother despair. And that was when it all came crashing down on Endilix. Emerath wasn't different. He was just acting tough. Emerath had been thrown into a world he couldn't live in. A world where he had to be strong to survive, and it was a strength Emerath didn't necessarily have.

He had watched Flints try to reassure Emerath, despite her hard exterior. He had seen him heal her. He had seen anger, violence, compassion and healing, all in the span of only a few moments. He took a deep breath, as he watched his brother struggle with the woman, and he finally walked over, and placed a hand on Emerath's shoulder, and slowly pushed him away before putting an arm under Flints weight. He lifted her up with one arm, and then put an arm under her legs and hefted her off the ground.

He looked to his brother, and looked to Flints. "She needs to rest," he said, matter of factly. He looked hard at Emerath, the sadness in his eyes. The fear. Before saying, "We all do." And with that, Endilix began to walk back towards the city, Flints cradled in his arms.

[Flints 0]

Flints' pitiful attempt to escape was more than a little interesting, Emerath was holding her up trying to..help her? As she tried to break free from his grasp she felt her chest oddly crack again, the pain was almost unbearable. She gave up. Her fight gone. Her eyes a deep muddy green, Dim and broken. She began to act unlike herself as she slumped against Emerath, finally giving in and holding onto him. She didn't struggle or fight him. She didn't speak. Her mind kept dancing with the idea he brought her back to finish her off whilst she was awake. When before she could attempt to move she felt herself lifted off the ground and cradled in Endilix's arms. Her eyes met his and she became flustered again, she couldn't escape at all this time, being carried she let out a small whine and watched as the world slowly passed by her, she relaxed in Endilix's arms not knowing what was to become of the mess she made. For now at least, she held her tongue and watched the brothers as she drifted in and out of sleep. 

Edited September 22, 2015 by Flints

[Emerath 0]

Emerath watched his brother, almost having forgotten that he was there. He had gotten so absorbed in the moment. It had seemed like Flints had almost given up there at the end. She wasn't dead on the outside, but Emerath couldn't help but feel like he had broken something. Something a bit more significant than a bone. He hadn't seen the fire that the girl had shown, and that worried him. But perhaps she was just tired, like Endilix said. Emerath stood and brushed himself off, and put his tools back in his inventory as he rushed after his brother.

"Where are you taking her?" he asked as they walked.

[Endilix 0]

Endilix heard his brother's footsteps behind him, as he caught up to him and Flints. He looked over at his brother's question and said simply, "I'm gonna take her to the fourth floor. To my bar. She can rest on the couch there, and it will be better than paying for an inn." Endilix wasn't honestly sure if that was a good idea. For all he knew the woman would get up and disappear in the night. But Endilix supposed if that was the case, that was her choice. Until then, she needed to rest. He looked down at her as her eyes would close and then flutter open again, as she watched the stars of the night sky pass by. Or was she looking at Endilix? Staring at him? Endilix flushed a bit and gave a warm smile for the woman, despite all that had happened.

[Flints 0]

She could feel the two talking back and forth but she couldn't really hear what was being said. She was lost in thought and focused on the low rumble coming from Endilix's chest. Which she assumed was him speaking. She gazed up at the sky, the stars so much brighter in Aincrad, it was as if the galaxies and planets where in reach, it was as if they were just as complex as in the real world. She would occasionally glance at Emerath and then back at Endilix, till he caught her gaze, to which she would look away. She hated feeling so weak.  

"where are we going?" She whispered as the brothers talked. "Actually..I don't care where we go. So long as we are all together." She buried her face against Endilix and let sleep finally claim her.  

[Emerath 0]

Emerath was a bit confused, "So let me get this straight. You're going to take a wounded and tired girl all the way to the fourth floor?" He sighed. He supposed it was better than an inn. And it was only a teleport and a jaunt away from the teleport gate at that point. He huffed and decided to let Endilix have his way, and his alone time with this girl. He supposed it was nothing new anyway. Endilix always got the ladies, and Emerath just turned into a sissy. After he had punched a girl. Man, this had been a very interesting night for Emerath after all. And all he had been doing was reading and pretending that his brother forgot about him. Finally, Emerath said, "Just don't ever let me hit a girl again. Even if she upsets me."

[Endilix 0]

Endilix watched as Flints fell asleep in his arms, and he continued to smile down at her. He heard Emerath talking, but it was distant. It had certainly been a day for all of them, that was for sure. Endilix continued to walk towards the gate. Eventually the three made their way into the city proper, which was pretty well fast asleep at this point, just like the woman in his arms. As they reached the teleport gate, Endilix activated it, and made his way to the fourth floor. He hugged Flints tight to keep her warm from the chill of the floor as he made his way to his bar.

When he reached it, Endilix pulled his keys out of his inventory and used them to unlock the door to the bar. After walking in, he closed the door with his foot and locked it behind him, as he walked to the couch by the bar. He laid the sleeping Flints on the couch and then stretched his arms from having carried the woman so far. That was about when he realized that Emerath wasn't with him. Endilix looked around, but supposed that perhaps he just went to his shop next door. He shrugged, and figured Emerath might be tired as well.

Endilix watched Flints for a moment, before leaning over and giving her a kiss on the forehead and brushing some hair away from her face. Finally, he plopped down in a seat nearby. He didn't want to sleep. He figured he would stay awake and make sure Flints was ok. But, it was only a matter of time before Endilix's eyes began to droop, and soon, he was fast asleep himself.

Thread Complete!

Rewards:

• Endilix
  • +400 Col
  • +1 SP (Thread)
• Emerath
  • +400 Col
  • +1 SP (Thread)
• Flints
  • +400 Col
  • +1 SP (Thread)

Edited September 22, 2015 by Endilix