[CLOSED] Chasing Rumors

[Kaito]

"I'm no hero. I can't save my own life, let alone another. I was never a "Sapphire Samurai." Just a ronin fighting for ideals I can only hope to aspire to." ☒ relsialle ✐ 598 ✉ *swishy, swooshy sword sounds* Kaito Lv2

Kaito right now wasn't interested in trying to reply to her continued digging of his character (not wanting to even argue if they had body pillows in Aincrad) as he side-stepped across from another downward slam, feeling the wind on it's blow sweep the cloth of his beginner's outfit around him. Spinning around to catch sight of the kobold, Greyscale quickly swing right to follow after him only for the haft of the axe to be stopped by one of the young trees that crowded the giant lizard's movement before breaking and pulling it down with the heel of the axe head. It was a tight fit for Kaito as well as he weaved between trunks and deflecting away blows when he ignored horizontal swipes. It limited the monster's usable strikes but he was still formidable.     Just as he was beginning to wonder if the pink-haired punk had put the slip on him, that Irish accent pierced the night as well as Greyscale as his back and side were severed again and again, that dagger of hers glowing a menacing red as a green teardrop symbol appeared. He wasn't surprised that she'd have some poison-based Sword Art on her but now she had presumably used both her skills... and that she's in fact over level 4. Which made any continual cases of pissing her off maybe not the brightest of ideas. The giant kobold swung again, catching his axe on another grouping of trees, giving the rose-haired rogue time to slip away. But Greyscale was equally trashing the place to make it difficult for them to maneuver as well as himself. They needed to end this as quickly as possible. Now with his attention on Irish here, Kaito quickly glanced back to his HUD, just in time to see the cool-down bar for his own Sword Art finally end. Now he could finish this!... Hopefully.     But as he pursued her, the trees they had used for cover were giving him a disadvantage as while the rogue had plenty of time to sneak up and get a perfect angle on the monster ranger, every time he tried to get into position to turn on his Art, Greyscale would slip out of view, canceling the effect. Kaito cursed something in his adopted country's tongue as he chased after them, hopping over fallen trees and kicking up leaves as every second was a chance for one of those trees that might look stable enough prove wrong and cut her in twine. He finally found a suitable open route to him, abide the result of the kobold tromping through it. Logs and underbrush and branches were in his path and that monster was near the end of his range limit for this skill. She just had to hold out for a little while more as he crouched down, body in position and the light show of blue shimmers covered his blade and body. With a burst of speed, his vision went into streaks as he leap and jumped through debris, moving like a blue missile streaking towards his goal. Just as he could see the initial burst mode nearing its end and perhaps canceling the effect entirely, his first and second and third blow against those still glowing red streaks, hoping to pierce its leather armor. The third strike was an upward, vertical blow that turned that speed to launch him high into the air, finishing his “Kaze no Ha” with a shockwave of wind behind his blow as he crashed back to earth. Would this be enough for the killing blow?

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[Relsialle]

" Sometimes things are more fun with your life on the line…" ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ notes Relsialle Lv4 (Grayscale the Alpha Lvl2 – 10HP) –*Poisoned* Relsialle grinned wickedly as the massive reptile shuddered from the first round of its newly acquired poison status. The girl approving of the first operational test of her sword art with a soft smile, the attack obviously much more useful in terms of dealing damage than her paralysis, putting her now on par with some of the more famous damage dealers on the server thus far. A soft giggle sounded from her as Greyscale turned his considerable attention on her…the change of tactics all too predictable as the pair switched off on baiting duties in the heavy thicket. The kobold-huntsman swung its axe, the wind whooshing around the weapon as its muscles tensed to make the powerful strike…The pink-haired rogue ducking away at the last minute. The black edge of the heavy weapon crashing into the ancient tree beside her with enough force to cause the trunk to split and shudder… “Nice aim lizard!” The thief chided, sticking out her tongue at the increasingly bleak fate of the named patrolman…The joke had come a measure too soon as the ranger roared in frustration, its leather covered fist punching out to collide with the musician sending her flying back several feet to the ground with a thud. The girl stirred a bit as pain wracked through her nerves once again, her jaw tensing from the feeling as she moved to quickly get back on her feet. Kaito’s attack couldn’t have come at a better time…the quick slashes dragging across the back of the axe-wielder causing it to hesitate, a high pitched bestial whine leaving its masked maw as more thick red streaks appeared in its torso. The beast’s movements wavered as its health bar took the considerable brunt of the series of attacks…the reptile pausing to allow the pain to pass before pulling its weapon from its new home in the bark near him. It growled as the weapon pulled free, its actions obviously signifying that it intended to utilize every measure of its thin remaining health bar to attempt to take the pair with him. Stumbling back, its black eyes narrowed, seemingly detached from all measure of fear as it swiveled to punish Kaito for his attack, its axe raised high as it charged forward…bringing the heavy blade down in a deadly chop for the swordsman’s skull… Relsialle’s breathing shallowed as she reached for the needle pouch anchored on her bare thigh, her own HP gauge falling from the crippling blow that sent her flying, a soft groan exiting her throat as she rose up…her outfit covered in loose leaves and twigs as she pulled another thin needle from its home on her leg. Her fingers snapped as she sent the sharp weapon forward…the calcum dart embedding in Greyscale just as it raised its axe, the adrenaline pouring through the kobold allowing it to ignore the pain for now… (Grayscale the Alpha Lvl2 – 6HP) –*Poisoned*

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[Kaito]

"I'm no hero. I can't save my own life, let alone another. I was never a "Sapphire Samurai." Just a ronin fighting for ideals I can only hope to aspire to." ☒ Isley ✐ 524 ✉ *Obligatory FF Victory Music Here* Kaito Lv2

As the dust settled around him and Kaito pulled free his saber from the ground, the flicker of a tail through the underbrush and the fading glow of the multiple streaks on his back made him come to the startling realization that he still hadn’t finished off. D-Damnit! If I live through this, I’m pumping my strength next level! He thought, franticly stepping backwards away as the massive kobold spun about, looking like the his black eyes seemed to glow red with fury as that last sliver of health hovered over its head. It flew at Kaito with a speed that it hadn’t had before, as if its low health had triggered a sudden bursting in power as originally his straight shot to Greyscale was used against him, with no tree cover to jump behind now. He didn’t even have time to shoot out a string of curses as that axe was on him, yelling in terror followed by howling in pain as he threw up his sword with one hand behind the blade as the sheer weight smashed through his guard. The giant great axe slammed him into the ground as the axe head pushed the flat of Kaito’s blade smack against his shoulder, the only thing keeping the creature from cleaving him right through as two red marks formed between the pink of where his sword had saved him. This was no longer simply faked damage to let him know he had been struck, this was true, actualized pain as a mix of searing agony and blunt force bruising felt like it was already beginning to form behind that pink spot pulsating on his shoulder. He didn’t have the strength to block an attack like that again and swiping at him from this position before Greyscale struck true was impossible. As the giant kobold roared and lifted the axe back up for the final blow, Kaito put all the strength he had left through the pain and flung his saber, it’s edge making only one rotation before implanting itself right into the lizard’s skull. Its head slung back as a geyser of blood shot from its wound, signifying the final blow as the swordsman breathed a sigh of relief… before seeing its body begin to slowly drift forward. “Ohnononono~!” He stammered as he scrambled in the dirt and branches underneath him, spinning to the right as Greyscale’s massive corpse slammed down where he once was, bracing himself against a tree trunk as the mini-boss didn’t simply dissolve into pixels but practically explode into them, guarding his face at the brilliant colors as the darkened forest for a moment seemed to slowly rain stars around them, illuminating the mist like nebulas as Kaito began to catch his breath, his panting slowly evolving into laughter as it seemed that, finally, the Japanese man was getting the feeling the rose-haired rogue had during this entire fight. “Ha! Haha! We-We did it!” He gasped as he began to try and wipe his brow, wincing as he used the wrong arm but still chuckling it off, “That was… that was terrifying! T-That better have been worth it!”

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[Relsialle]

" Sometimes things are more fun with your life on the line…" ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ notes Relsialle Lv4 (Grayscale the Alpha Lvl2 – 0HP) – DEAD! Relsialle watched with a surprised gaze as the lucky throw had been pulled off by the swordsman, her jaw going slack as the kobold-hunter exploded into a dazzling array of bright light as the imposing creature had finally been surrendered to the void in which all deleted programs go in the dark recesses of the cardinal system’s memory. A quick blink was given as she flicked the thin blade in her hand to the side before rolling it into the leather scabbard that tapped softly on her bare thigh, the edge of the weapon scraping the metal lip of its home as it slid in with a soft tick. A soft sigh left her as desire to have the last attack fell away into a slight disappointment, her small hands moving over the black leather armor in an effort to clear it from the dust and debris of her fall. The girl couldn’t help but laugh as the disheveled man scrambled, his surprise at his own attack brining a smile to her face, a sign of his obvious lack of experience in dealing with the named kobolds and creatures that wandered around the more hidden locations on the first floor. The pink-haired kunoichi paced over…the remaining fog finally beginning to burn off in the heat of mid-day…a path finally revealed that very-well led to the exit. However, it was anyone’s guess if the event itself spawned such a rapid transition of the finicky weather system, but the warmth of the day provided a minor reprieve given the chaotic sprint that occurred only moments before. Her boots sounded softly as she moved to pull him up, her hand extended to help lift the injured man to his feet, a look of sarcasm on her sharpened features as Kaito finally expressed the exuberance that combat brought despite the high stakes that it demanded. “Bout time you had some fun!” Relsialle exclaimed, “Not bad for a basement dweller with an attitude…” The girl fired off before offering a sharp laugh, a wicked grin crossing her features. ((Prods for a last post before closing ^_^))

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Kaito]

"I'm no hero. I can't save my own life, let alone another. I was never a "Sapphire Samurai." Just a ronin fighting for ideals I can only hope to aspire to." ☒ relsialle ✐ 420 ✉ Dat word count doe. Ayyyy. Kaito Lv2

Kaito was still catching his breath as he began swiping the menu in front of him, going into his inventory as it seemed like some kind of magic (or more accurately scripted sequence) seemingly was lifted from the Black Forest for the moment as the clouds began to part and dissolve, light returning to the land as it were. It seemed… cliché but at the moment as Kaito shaded his eyes with one hand, he felt it was a damn welcoming sight. Though… now that the light of day had appeared again, with the rose-haired rogue now much more visible, that was also a bit of a nice side-reward too.     Materializing a health potion in front of him, he was about to pull off the top when that giggling little devil offered him one of her small hands to get him to his feet. She still was taking this with little seriousness but… her sarcasm was starting to grow on him. Returning that wicked grin with an amused smirk, he took hold of her offered hand and replied, “Not fun, just relief. Still, that was some pretty good teamwork there *nngh* for a misanthropic punk that is.” He returned with a chuckle as he seemed to be getting a hang of how far was far enough in their little banter.     It seemed that all was well and a small victory for them and a good chunk of the player base too as Kaito slugged down his potion, walking alongside the pink-haired punk while putting the finishing touches on the map towards Greyscale’s former position. In a few hours’ time, a new page was going to be found in the Player’s Guide with as much clarity as one can to the location and strategy of this event monster, sealing up a hole for income from those “info brokers” to try and gouge other players. “Well, that should do it. I’m going to advise a full team for this quest, that’s for sure.” He said out loud as he exited the map screen, giving her a full smirk as he said, “Guess in the end I still took your kill, didn’t I? So… how about this Irish.” Another swipe and a few pokes against his holographic screen and two bags, one a pretty significant coin purse while the other seemingly a present box as he gave his proposal, “I’ll give you half of what Greyscale dropped… if you give me your name. And as an added bonus, I’m Kaito, by the way.”

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Relsialle]

" Sometimes things are more fun with your life on the line…" ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ notes Relsialle Lv4 Relsialle looked out to the forest as her grin turned into an expression of warmth, pulling her hand away as the disheveled swordsman pulled himself up with the added effort of the short kunoichi. The woods seemed at least peaceful for the moment despite their mysterious and deadly reputation, the ancient trees of the deep woods almost giving off a spirit of their own despite their digital existence and creation. The soft chirps of birds seemed almost storybook as the warm sun finally made an appearance in the depths of where the pair had found themselves, a welcome measure of calm in the sea of chaos that was survival. The Irish girl nodded as she took a step back, turning her head as she rested her hand on the pommel of her sheathed weapon…one weary eye to the horizon in case if all of this imagery was just another trick upon the battle-tired players by an openly malicious cardinal system. The potion bottle feel to the ground discarded the liquid consumed quickly as Kaito’s health-bar rebounded, the vacant vessel bursting into digital information after a few seconds. “Yeah…Good teamwork…once you stopped running like a scared rabbit…” The girl said offhand, finally turning her attention back to her reluctant partner in crime, a smart-alec smile crossing her features. She nodded as a soft laugh escaped her, her footsteps softly beginning to push forward to the main path. Her eyebrow shot up as he mentioned his intentions, her jawline tightening as a soft fire appeared in her sea-blue eyes, “You’re turning this in to the guide?” The girl questioned half-exclaiming, turning back to him with a snap of her head, “Do you know how much this information is worth?!?!” The pink-haired rocker questioned with a sharp blink. The musician growled softly as she thought of the lost income, the information possibly worth more than the quest itself had brought them. She sighed defeated as his bleeding heart was revealed dooming her minor investment in its tracks…”Why me…always surrounded by these fucking wanna-be heroes…” The girl resigned, slumping her shoulders, the thought of robbing him blind crossing her mind before he spoke up about her portion of the reward. “Oh well in that case…” Her voice instantly changing its tone to be more amiable…her thin finger swiping accept before Kaito had a chance to rescind his offer. “The name is Relsialle…but I’d be careful, next time I see you I may be asking for your money or your life…” The girl said with a grin, placing a hand on her hip before stepping back rapidly, her avatar fading away with a quick wink. [CLOSED]

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS