Sparring buddy

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Ariel was now standing inside a almost empty arena. Of course it was like that, most of the people went to see the official S&Z matches hosted by Zelrius. In a way she was relieved, cuts off the pressure of 'performing' in front of a large audience. In the other hand she was more than used to that kind of pressure as she was a professional fencer IRL and this empty arena made her miss being in the center of the attention. Such were her worries as a certain 'Ultramarine Knight' entered the stage. Her competitive spirit piqued as she watched him drew closer. She in turn headed towards the pedestal in the middle. She'd already fought with the new pvp system and placed her hand on it once she reached the orb. 

Today they were here to 'train', or at least that was the excuse Ariel made to bring him here. It was half of a lie as she heard rumors that Mack, guild leader of the Crimson Blades, challenged them in a 2 vs. 2 duel against him and Takao. Either if that was going to happen in the official tournament or something they did on their own, Ariel wanted to do a bit of training while assessing her partner's capabilities for herself.

"Okay Cal, I for one can't say no to a challenge. Even less from somebody of whom I barely heard of. Not going to badmouth the guy too much but if he didn't have a guild... and the sword art update wasn't released, his participation in the floor boss fights would've been close to 0. But let's not talk about that, now I want to duel ya as a warm up:D what say you?" she asked changing tones from serious to mischievous. 

[Calrex 0]

It was certainly a different feel from the S&Z battles. As Calrex entered into the area there was the absence of cheers from the crowd. He, for one, appreciated the change in ambient noise, as the yells and cries of the crowd could be distracting in a way. Plus he always fought the way he wanted to fight.

However, today wasn't just a casual training session. As both he and Ariel were aware, Mack, the leader of the Crimson Blades, had issued a four-person matchup. He was to be paired with the Crowned Lion, while Mack was to fight alongside Takao, one of the only other one-handed straight sword users among the frontliners. Giving a small sigh he made sure all of his equipment was at the ready. It seemed these past few weeks he had to make use of the Grand Chariot less and less, the originally iconic blue armor that Oikawa made now being replaced by the Grand Dragoon of Meokka..

Walking over to the arena's crystal he gave a nod to Ariel as he approached, "A duel sounds perfectly fine. I have a feeling that some practice is in order should that exhibition match actually be realized."

Giving a smirk he took his hands out of his jacket pockets, "I guess we're testing out the arena's new system. Whenever you're ready."

Edited October 17, 2015 by Calrex

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Pleased to hear a positive response, the blonde placed her hand on the orb in front of her, thus agreeing to the conditions of the new PVP duels. She felt a slight tingle as her HP  bar gained some extra stripes. "OOO this thing is pretty convenient." she said in amazement. As soon as Cal would do the same the duel was going to start. She was starting to get excited.... for a while know she saw Cal's abilities up close while fighting alongside him in the scouting party she, Cal and Teayre made. They discovered a little bit more about each other, further more deepening their friendship. Now she is to fight her friend and see if the tittle, Aincrad's Top Lvl Player is trully worthy of him or just a stats thing. 

ID# 35183  LD: 1 (well you can just attack since the dice gods have forsaken me)

 

Edited October 16, 2015 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Calrex 0]

OOC: Gonna go by normal rules and double post, one for the LD roll and the next for the attack XD.

ID: 35209
Loot Dice: 4 (Not by much XD)

Calrex gave a nod as he reached out and touched the crystal, looking up to see that an extra chunk of yellow was added to his HP bar, the overhealth of the duel crystal taking effect, "Huh, well that's definitely something safe to do. Alright then..."

Moving back so that he was on the opposite end of the arena he gave a calming breath as he reached back, drawing the Grand Blade as he gave a nod to Ariel, "Okay, no holding back alright? Give me the best attacks you've got."

A smirk came across his face as he readied himself for the timer to count down to zero. "I guess this is a way of finding out just how far I've come since the last S&Z series. Hopefully I've grown at least a little bit from before."

Edited October 17, 2015 by Calrex

[Calrex 0]

ID: 35210
Battle Dice: 5 (Accuracy +3 / Evasion +3 / Disguise +1) = 6
<<Disguise>> Activated (+1 to BD / -1 to BD for one turn) / Sword Art <<Nova Ascension>> Activated (12 Energy Used / 31 Remaining)

Immediately taking the opening attack Calrex wasted no time as he rushed forward, activating <<Nova Ascension>> and <<Disguise>> at the same time, temporarily transforming into Takao. As his sword lit up with a light blue hue he turned control over to the assisted system, "This may be a duel, but Ariel is still one of the frontliners. I'd better hit with everything I've got. Since she's more of an evasive player, it'd be better if I stun her first before unleashing Meteor Break."

Flying forward his momentum immediately stopped as he got into striking range. Unleashing a flurry of blows he temporarily became a blur of movement before he did a quick 360 spin, thrusting forward with the hilt of the Grand Blade. The move complete he leapt back as he saw the familiar two skinny zigzag lines representing the Stun condition appear next to the Crowned Lion's health bar, "Alright, now to press the advantage..."

Giving a small sigh the illusion of the brunette one-handed sword user vanished as Calrex's features appeared beneath.

HP List
Calrex: 477/177 (Overhealth: 300/300)
   Energy: 31/43

Opponent:
Ariel: 372/137 (Overhealth: 235/300) (10 DMG * 9 Art - 25 MIT = 65 DMG / Stunned Until Next Turn)
   Energy: 33/33

Edited October 17, 2015 by Calrex

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

OCC_ I rolled for some reason... forgot that I iz stunned.

The blonde nodded to Cal as he requested the same thing Teayre did in their tournament match, no holding back on each other. She thought she was ready for whatever he had in store for her but his first proved her different. In a instant, Cal's avatar got replaced with a brunette's she was acquainted to, Takao had suddenly appeared before her. He wasted no time in attacking her and managed to hit as she took a split of a second to regain her composure but that was enough for her to get hit."Tsk...stunned" she clicked her tongue in irritation as she sensed her body going stiff.'Got me with that one' she thought, that being the only possible action she could do in that moment.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Calrex 0]

ID: 35357
Battle Dice: 10 (Accuracy +3 / Evasion Negated Due to Stun) = 13 (+2 Damage)
Sword Art <<Meteor Break>> Activated (11 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 21 Remaining)

Confirming that Ariel was incapable of moving at the moment Calrex gave a calming exhale as his eyebrows narrowed, focusing on his opponent, "Now while I have the opportunity!"

The Grand Blade became covered in a sparkling golden aura as he activated his most powerful Sword Art, <<Meteor Break>>. The culmination of both his sword and Martial Arts skills combined. Flying forward using the assisted system his first attack was a tackle-like elbow strike before he spun a quick 360 degrees, unleashing a barrage of slashes before following up with yet another tackle. The slashes inbetween seemed almost akin to a combination of two real-life techniques he had used in the past, the Swallow Return and Plum Blossom Flourish. after the second tackle connected he slashed once vertically before leaping forward with a short hop, bringing his sword arm back as the finishing attack, a fully wound vertical slash, slammed down on Ariel's armor.

His attack complete Calrex leapt back as he gave a small sigh, "Alright, Ariel should be able to move in a couple of seconds. Better prepare for whatever she has coming at me." 

HP List
Calrex: 477/177 (Overhealth: 300/300)
   Energy: 21/43

Opponent:
Ariel: 265/137 (Overhealth: 128/300) (12 DMG * 11 Art - 25 MIT = 107 DMG / Stun End)
   Energy: 33/33

Edited October 17, 2015 by Calrex

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Next came a devastating blow from Cal's most powerful skill. There was nothing much that she could do since the stun effect was still there. The blonde let out a light sigh after seeing her HP bar plummeting even more. It was bad enough that she got sucker punched at the start but to finish the duel without actually hitting the guy was something she didn't want to happen. As she regained some sense in her members, the blonde accelerated towards Cal and tried a feint followed by stab to his left side..... she missed.

ID: 35368 BD: 4 (5+3acc-4eva)

HP List
Calrex: 477/177 (Overhealth: 300/300)
   Energy: 21/43
Ariel: 277/137 (Overhealth: 140/300) 
   Energy: 31/33

Edited October 17, 2015 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Calrex 0]

ID: 35407
Battle Dice: 9 (Accuracy +3 / Evasion +3) = 9 (+1 Damage)
Sword Art <<Vorpal Strike>> Activated (5 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 17 Remaining)

As Ariel's strike flew to his left side Calrex gave a nod. Since he twisted his left shoulder forward to avoid Ariel's strike, he fell into the position for activating <<Vorpal Strike>>. His sword glowed with a pulsing yellow hue he activated the assisted system, quickly closing the small distance now between him and the blonde as he thrust his sword arm forward, slamming it into her shoulder. While the single strike took effect it seemed the pulsating aura slammed into the strike point before it completed.

Leaping back he gave a small sigh as the overhealth fell into the last third before the match was called, signaling that Ariel's health fell into the buffer zone to ensure safety during the battles. Giving a nod he looked over as he gave a friendly smirk, "Nice match Ariel. I think I got lucky with that opening attack, and things just fell into place from there."

HP List
Calrex: 477/177 (Overhealth: 300/300)
   Energy: 17/43
Ariel: 265/137 (Overhealth: 98/300) (11 DMG * 5 Art - 25 MIT = 55 DMG)
   Energy: 31/33

100 overhealth buffer damage reached. Calrex wins

Edited October 17, 2015 by Calrex

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

With that last mistake of hers the blonde knew it was over. Even before the system announced the duel winner she had broken her stance. Despite the crushing defeat, she had a smile on her face and not the bad kind. "I kept thinking that you were still the same Cal that mindlessly attacked the mob that went after Teayre...since the first time we meet. Now I know I was right and wrong in the same time" she said, looking at him. "Wrong about thinking that way...bur right to go with my gut feeling that said that you had potential in you. Again...for me at least, the instinct beat the brain in fair battle." She the summoned her inventory and with a couple of elegant gestures swapped the steel-like armor parts to the new set she wanted to use in the boss fight. Lightly stroking the crowned lion logo on her left vambrace, which was about the only visible difference between the two sets, the blonde glanced at Cal once again with determination. "How about a rematch?"

ID#35417  LD: 9

 

Edited October 17, 2015 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Calrex 0]

"Heh, well know that more or less I'm likely going to keep rushing in to help her no matter the case. I'm just compelled nowadays. But in any case, I'm glad that you saw the potential, because I still question myself at times. Even with the level I'm at, it still feels at times like I'm still just starting out in SAO again."

Sheathing the Grand Blade he watched as the Crowned Lion's armament shifted, giving a nod, "Wait...does that mean she was holding back earlier? It looks like she's gotten even more evasive from earlier."

As she requested a rematch he gave a smirk and a nod, "Heh, looks like you weren't fighting at full strength earlier. Sure, let's go one more time and see what happens. The first one might have been a fluke for all I know."

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

She gave a light chuckle as she looked at the crowned lion logo and shook her head: "No, I was serious. And was using the old equipment because I felt more comfortable...no, grew accustomed to it. This is the armor I made for the boss fight, I was hoping if having it baptized while killing something." She then directed her gaze towards Cal and began unsheathing her blade as she drew closer to the pedestal that appeared once again in the middle of the arena: "Ready for my rematch?" she asked, placing her hand on top.

[Calrex 0]

"Ah, I see. Well let's see how it stacks up. It certainly appears to be more fearsome than your previous gear. In any case, yeah I'm ready. Let's do this."

"Right now my best in terms of overall arsenal is still this current one. I guess with this next duel I'll see how it stacks up, and where I might need to improve."

Walking over to the pedestal he set his hand on top of it, seeing the overhealths recharge back to their full amount, "Alright, same strategy as before. If I manage to get the first attack I'll focus on stunning, then activating my most powerful attacks. If I go second I might need to try and activate Meditation in order to recover, then since she'll have the advantage I'll be playing catch up."

Walking over to his end of the arena he turned around, giving a nod.

ID: 35487
Loot Dice: 5
Ariel goes first

Edited October 18, 2015 by Calrex

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

ID# 35488  BD: 3

As soon as the countdown reached 0 the blonde wasted no time in darting towards Cal. She unsheathed her blade as she ran and brought it forwards as one would do with a edged sword. But the move was unappropriated for a mere rapier so is was no surprise that she had missed him as she swung it down. Cursing random gods for her hastiness she would look at the man as he would not hesitate to strike her. Only a miracle brought by the same gods that she cursed would leave her unscratched in the next moments.

HP List
Calrex: 477/177 (Overhealth: 300/300)
   Energy: 43/43
Ariel: 265/137 (Overhealth: 300 /300) 
   Energy: 31/33

Edited October 18, 2015 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Calrex 0]

ID: 35494
Battle Dice: 4 (Accuracy +3 / Evasion +4) = 3 (Riposte Effect Failed)
<<Parry>> Activated, Half Damage Until Next Turn / (2 Energy Used / 41 Remaining)

As Ariel's strike flew to the side Calrex had prepared to counterattack, but as he did his eyes took note that the blonde's arm was still in a prime position to strike again should he make the wrong move. Deciding it was safer to play defensively for now he leapt back before raising his arms, activating his <<Parry>> skill.

The skill activated as his forearms were surrounded with a faint light blue glow. Giving a calming breath he prepared himself for Ariel's next attack.

HP List
Calrex: 477/177 (Overhealth: 300/300)
   Energy: 41/43
Ariel: 265/137 (Overhealth: 300 /300) 
   Energy: 31/33

Edited October 18, 2015 by Calrex

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

ID#36122

BD: 4 (5+3-4)

It seems her prayers were listened in this duel she would start to turn into a righteous believer of the unnamed gods. She had a urge to ask Calrex if he would assist her in giving them some kind of ancient worship pyre for them since modern establishments would be beyond the current system's capabilities. In any case it appears that she was left unscratched once again as Calrex, instead of striking her decided to enter a defensive position. She used that time to straighten her own stance and went on the defense as well. She didn't posses the system assist <<Parry>> skill but she was confident enough that she could see a normal hit...or at least use her vambraces to deflect the first hit or hits of a sword art, mitigating some damage.

HP List
Calrex: 477/177 (Overhealth: 300/300)
   Energy: 41/43
Ariel: 265/137 (Overhealth: 300 /300) 
   Energy: 29/33

Edited October 24, 2015 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Calrex 0]

ID: 36136
Battle Dice: 7 (Accuracy +3 / Evasion +4) = 6
Sword Art <<Nova Ascension>> Activated (12 Energy Used / 29 Remaining)

Seeing that Ariel had opted for a defensive stance as well Calrex decided to switch to offense, rushing forward with his <<Sprint>> ability to quickly close the distance. Following the same strategy he had used in the previous fight he executed <<Nova Ascension>>, managing to successfully break through the Crowned Lion's defenses as he finished his barrage with a hilt strike, leaping back to regain the distance between the two.

"That armor's definitely got more mitigation built into it. That didn't hit as hard as the previous barrage did. Nonetheless, it looks like I managed to inflect the Stun effect."

HP List
Calrex: 477/177 (Overhealth: 300/300)
   Energy: 29/43
Ariel: 206/137 (Overhealth: 241 /300) (10 DMG * 9 Art - 31 MIT = 59 DMG / Stunned Until Next Turn)
   Energy: 29/33

Edited October 24, 2015 by Calrex

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

The blonde let out a sigh as she saw the stun marker near her health bar. It looked like Cal was going to repeat the same 1 2 3 motion he did in the previous duel. 'To be expected from a normal player.' thought the blonde as she directed her gaze towards the skies then her opponent once again. She tried to move her dominant hand by only her willpower but found out that she couldn't budge even a finger. Resigned she awaited Cal's next strike hopping that it will release her from her invisible shackles. Somehow she half expected that her opponent would show a bit of professionalism and variate a bit his skill palette but she knew Cal was a practical guy and would stick to the winning formula that brought him success in the previous duel. Another reason why she missed the tournaments in the real world, where elegance and style were part of one's swordsmanship rather than simply relaying on a computer system assistance.

HP List
Calrex: 477/177 (Overhealth: 300/300)
   Energy: 29/43
Ariel: 206/137 (Overhealth: 241 /300)
   Energy: 30/33

Edited November 1, 2015 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Calrex 0]

ID: 36961
Battle Dice: 9 (Accuracy +3 / Evasion Negated Due to Stun) = 12 (+1 Damage / Sorry! XD)
Sword Art <<Meteor Break>> Activated (11 Energy Used / 1 Recovered / 19 Remaining)

"Just keep up the assault, although I have a feeling with that armor swap she used I might not be able to end this in two strikes. After this I'd better expect a fierce counter assault."

Activating his <<Meteor Break>> Sword Art Calrex flew forward as the Grand Blade was once again coated in the familiar golden aura of the attack. Coming into striking range of the Crowned Lion he unleashed the opening fierce table before beginning the barrage of slashes followed by a second tackle, ending his attack with a falling slash. As his sword met the ground, combo completed, he leapt back, lowering his stance as he gave a calming breath.

Checking Ariel's overhealth he saw that certainly there was still a good chunk remaining that kept her in the battle. He quickly began running through his techniques in his head, thinking of only three that could actually finish the battle: 1. <<Nova Ascension>>, which at this point would be a waste of energy, since he had just stunned her. 2. <<Meteor Break>>, which would be overkill and potentially waste energy in other senses. 3. Shadow Explosion, the other high damaging Sword Art he had not used quite as often since he unlocked <<Meteor Break>>

Deciding which technique he would have to use he prepared for the blonde's attack.

HP List
Calrex: 477/177 (Overhealth: 300/300)
   Energy: 19/43 (-11+1)
Ariel: 206/137 (Overhealth: 151 /300) (10+1 DMG * 11 Art - 31 MIT = 90 DMG / Stun End)
   Energy: 30/33

Edited November 1, 2015 by Calrex

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

ID# 37306 BD: 1

'What a surprise, another OP sword art' thought the blonde while unable to move... even the thought of dodging eluded her as Cal once again went after her and threw all he had. She just waited for the sword art to end... this whole idea might've been her own idea but she realized it was a stupid one. As soon as she could feel her senses returning to her she raised her left hand and simply said 'I forfeit' with a calm voice but her expression showed anger, it wasn't directed towards Cal but towards herself. 'I need to step up my game' she thought while ellegantly sheathing her blade in a fluid motion until a light *click* could be heard. She then looked at Cal and said: "Sorry I robbed your last hit satisfaction..in any case congrats." her tone was sincere even if it was a bit sad as she was stepping on her pride to acknowledge the truth. "I still have to learn" she muttered to no one in particular. "It was a good match, how about I take you out to a meal as your prize?" she asked, trying to speak in her usual self.

(you can end the duel and post the rewards..and send it for locking in the next post)

Edited November 4, 2015 by Ariel - The Crowned Lion