Lugubrious

The Crucible - Winner Take All

@GreenGoat looks like things are getting heated up! Whaddya say we call the vote Monday morning?

The Crucible - Winner Take All

Knight Sylvestre vs the God Hand Round 1

Location: the Neighborhood – Grocery Store

Clear, loud, and abrasive, the clack of the drone's pincer touched off a powder keg without a fuse. It jolted the already-tense muscles of both combatants into overdrive, starting the match with a bang that sent them forward as if fired from starting pistols themselves. A scant fifteen feet separated the pair, and as their respective gears spun into action, they fell into their old grooves to trace the well-worn paths that served them well in the past.

No sense in holding anything back. I'll overwhelm her

Taunt him, test him, tire him. I'll pick his strategies apart

A silver effulgence consumed Cyril's armor and he exploded, glaive forward, toward his foe like a streaking comet. His feet slid across the ground as though it were ice, spurred on and kept stable by the short-lived magical aura around him. Juniper took just one step, pivoting her frame into a side-facing stance. Water did not get where it was headed by ramming into obstacles head-on, but by flowing around them, and the level-headed maiden pushed through her initial surprise at the knight's speed to step off to the side. She allowed the brunt of Cyril's thrust to breeze by her, turning as she ducked to put the full torque of her body into her retort. Her palm cannoned into the plated armor covering her enemy's lower ribcage, and it made him shout in pain as he slammed into the end of an aisle twenty feet away. At that point, the force had petered out enough to prevent a major impact, but he still collided with the shelf hard enough to send plastic jars of maple syrup bouncing across the floor. In a moment he pushed himself off and stood facing Juniper, just a little hunched over.

Stronger than anyone has a right to be, and clever

He's as crazed as I thought to risk a lunge like that

“Awfully eager...!” Before Juniper could complete her sentence, Cyril went on the attack again. This time he ran forward and reeled back his weapon with both hands, a slugger come to bat. Such a heavyhanded windup left him wide open, and the priestess wouldn't say no to an easy opening. She stepped up to deliver an ambitious side kick straight to the jawline of the vanguard's faceplate, but instead of performing his big slash Cyril lashed out with the butt of his halberd. Juniper realized too late, and her foot glanced off the shield affixed to his arm as the shaft smacked her right in the stomach. The sudden pain caught her off guard, and for a split second she could think of nothing else but getting out of dodge. Her racing mind guided her to use the force to fall backward into a roll, and doing so allowed her to avoid most of the followup swing Cyril threw out afterward. The blade clipped her garment, shearing through the cloth, but didn't cut into her skin. In an instant, the second exchange was over, and after her roll Juniper took a few steps back and behind a waist-high island with produce. While he would have wanted to keep at it, the vanguard took a moment to breath instead, and for a few seconds the two stared at one another.

This time, the shrine maiden took advantage of the silence. “Awfully eager to hack and slash me to bits, aren't you? You're just the same as every other madman in metal I've met: stubborn and pathetic, clinging to your mission 'cause you've got nothing else.”

“I'm not insane,” came the growl from behind the mask. “What I'm doing is one-hundred-percent rational. I really can't figure out why you're trying to tear me down.” Cyril walked forward, armor clinking, and jumped onto the solid wooden table. “You meddlesome idiot.” With very little ceremony he kicked some of the baskets of berries at his adversary, forcing her to act. She could have retreated, but everything she'd seen of the man up until his last words, even with his little feint from before, bolstered her confidence. Because of this, she accepted the challenge. Amidst the flying boxes and berries, she struck one with her fist to send it off sideways, but as she wiped away the obstruction she became suddenly aware of another projectile hurtling toward her.

His shield?!

Don't underestimate me, woman

Deep-seated muscle memory and lightning reflexes worked together to bring Juniper's hand back around, and with all the force she could muster she backhanded the shield upward. Its speed obliged her to strike its front to divert it in time, and an involuntary gasp wrenched itself from her throat as she discovered the teeth that discreetly lined its edge. Blood, along with berry juice, spattered the once-pristine tile and her fine robes. Even still, she would not be distracted, and with a tranquil frown she watched the knight jump off the table to belly-flop onto her and crush her beneath his armor's weight and hardness.

It's inelegant, but I hope you like it, miss

A ridiculous cheap shot—and it won't fly

Juniper extended her legs as one. The lack of one arm put more importance on her legs, and their strength wasn't lacking. They worked to turn Cyril's own momentum against him, and together the two forces kept the vanguard moving right over the priestess and onto the ground behind her. Despite his gear, Cyril managed to pull off a roll himself to get back to his feet. By that time, Juniper had returned to hers as well, and this time the two came together without anything in the way. Cyril struck first, using his extended range to deliver a quick diagonal cut. Though his foe ducked backward, the tip of the weapon managed to cut off a few locks of hair and nick the bridge of her nose. This, Juniper had already decided, was the price of her next assault. Now inside his range, she used her hand to steer his polearm away as she executed a roundhouse kick toward his midsection. It hit home, and she prepared a second, to which Cyril lifted his own leg in response. Shin-bone met metal greave, not positioned quite right to throw the vanguard off balance, and he let go of his glaive with his nearest hand to lean in with a right cross. Without enough room to deal with it, Juniper could only grit her teeth and bear the blow straight to the stump of her missing arm. Stars blossomed in her vision, followed by rage, and with that anger came adrenaline. She stumbled back, and her foe returned his weapon to his hands.

I'm sorry that it's come to this

...

With Juniper's guard seemingly down, Cyril saw an opportunity and maneuvered his halberd into position for a left-side chop. It seemed clear to deliver a decisive blow to her torso, but the instant before the sharpened edge connected she span away. Cyril couldn't quite tell what happened next; as best he could figure, a blinding light emerged from the priestess's necklace. White and purple filled his vision, and eight impacts rattled his body. As the world returned, the vanguard became aware of Juniper first—or more precisely, her jumping snap kick, which bodily popped him a few feet into the air. Before he could even hit the ground, her fist hit him like a pile driver, and he hit the dirt several yards away. Everything hurt as he struggled to his feet, but he wasn't done yet. Quickly he checked his equipment and limbs for breaks. Without a doubt, his armor would need to be pounded out after this. Only after getting it off could he figure out if that pain in his ribs meant broken bones. More pertinently: what in the world hit him? Battering strikes that his armor barely helped against plus dazzling, painful magic made for a terrible combination, for him at least.

Cyril's mind raced. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve, and one in particular that he felt might serve as an answer to this woman's uncharacteristic magic. With the moment afforded to him by Juniper's preoccupation with the blood dripping into her nose and mouth, he pulled the screw from his belt and jammed it into his forehead from the front. As expected, it passed right in, and a strange sensation filled the vanguard's brain instantly. “...Huh?”

I feel...sharper. More focused. But only a little, and something's off. It doesn't feel...quite right

Whatever trick that is, it won't help you. Let's do this

Juniper wiped the blood off on her sleeve and charged forward. Her armored opponent did the same, glaive in hand, and surrounded by silvery light.

Project Crossover [Video Game Crossover RP]

For those of you who have characters on standby (or just for future reference), any of you guys feel like trying out the Kill Sim (or anything similar) at some point? I thought it might be fun to actually make use of the training facilities when I got a good chance, but I was curious as to what y'all felt like doing, if anything. I don't have anything definitive in mind yet, so if anyone has any better ideas (or any ideas at all), feel free to run it by me.

@Etherean Fire

I'd be down for that

Overlord : Advent of the Gods

The Skydiving Prince of the Air

Behind the Scenes

Name: Emile Forsyth
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Bio: Childhood, such an important part of life, is destined to fade away. Even in his teens, Emile looked back on his younger, more immature self with loathing, but all memories of his early self faded away the year he turned nineteen and, filled with pride in his country, followed in his family's tradition of joining the Royal Navy. He steeled himself like all the others during the long days of training and drills, and when the time came to perform his duty, he went with his former fear squared away into the very corner of his heart. Putting his brains and brawn to use as an engineer in the bowels of the ship to which he was assigned, Emile spent months at sea at a time. Friendship with his comrades came easily, despite the trouble he'd once had socializing with others, and his life seemed like smooth sailing for so long he forgot that his ship was patrolling dangerous waters.

One day, the crew pulled a refugee from a lifeboat. Incoherent and gravely wounded, she babbled on and on about human traffickers, and was admitted to the on-board clinic. When it came, the helicopter attack was unexpected. A patrol cruiser wasn't prepared for aerial bombardment, and somehow the pirates knew just where to hit it. Emile's ship barely rattled off a distress signal before its engine was targeted and exploded, turning it dead in the water. Several of Emile's coworkers died in the blast, and he himself was sandwiched between debris. The pirates ultimately possessed too little firepower to board and take the ship, so by the time the coast guard arrived, they had already cleared off with whatever they could get their hands on. Emile was among the rescued sailors, but his right leg was in such a bad shape that the doctors were forced to amputate at the knee. When he awoke, it became clear that it wasn't just his leg that the freak incident had damaged.

Coming home after that was like traveling to a different world. For weeks, Emile lived and moved as if in a dream, sluggish and unresponsive. His worried family did what it could to help, but they were too poor to make a difference, and the awaited checks from the government never came. After a time, Emile's depression did start to break, due to the efforts of his young niece and her dog. This girl, the daughter of his older sister, was a ray of brilliant sunshine that reached out to him through his misery. Her dog, a friendly and empathetic Burmese Mountain Dog who chose to be Emile's constant companion, warmed his heart as well. To distract himself from a reality where he was crippled, jobless, and seemingly forgotten by all but his relations, Emile accepted Liana's invitation to a video game that she enjoyed. It had been a long time since he'd played anything, but Yggdrasil seemed to click instantly, and his trained reflexes surged back. For a time, he played only with his niece, and the two worked together to create a few NPCs to keep them company. Eventually, however, Emile connected with some of his old comrades via the game, and playing together with them proved fulfilling. Little by little, the man broke out of the shell he'd made for himself, even going on to secure a job at a nearby mechanic's. He never stopped playing, however, and dedicated a lot of his time to the game. Though he needed the escapism less, he never stopped enjoying it, and eventually began to speedrun raids and boss rushes with his own little guild. Though lacking the nerve for ultra-competitive PVP, he made a name for himself in the realm of PVE, and when Yggdrasil's developers learned that a disabled veteran was not just dedicated to but also excelling at their game, he and his friends were offered a place on the officially-sponsored guild Project Vicarious, a group of people like him. There, Emile felt less lonely and more engaged than ever before.

Life went on. Like many, even among the most dedicated to Yggdrasil, Emile's interest waned, but when he learned that there would be a grand celebration, he could not stay away. He and Liana, now sixteen years old, returned for the final few hours to reminisce about days gone.

---

The Avatar

Name: Carreau
Appearance: Tall and slender, Carreau's body is fully masked by his clothing, most notable of which is a storm-gray longcoat with gilded edges, a high collar, exaggerated shoulders. With a sky-blue lining, it has the look of thin cloth lengths layer like paper. He also wears a black silk sash, ivory-and-bronze shinguards, and ordinary shoes. This is a good reference. Were he to remove his crested helmet, it would become obvious that he is a Strigiforme, or owl man, of the Great Bubo variety. His features are like such
Race: Demihuman
Gender: Male
Character Level: 90
Alignment: 100
Racial Class:
-Strigiforme
-Great Bubo
Job Class:
-Comet Chaser (3)
-Air Raider (10)
-Spellsword (10)
-Outlaw (15)
Fighting Style: In short, versatile damage. He can flex between melee and ranged, DPS and burst. His signature weapons provide ample melee DPS when in physical mode and ranged DPS in magic mode. Using an 'ingenius' combination of class abilities and skills he can inflict extreme melee burst when flying around with Aether Wings, and after filling the battlefield with slow-moving magical projectiles can send them all toward a marked target at once with Brand of Destiny for crazy burst. Ultra-high mobility, used in combat for swift strikes and evasion, defines his fighting, and his game plan is the targeting and elimination of squishy casters and supports while his allies keep the tanks and warriors busy to build up for an Airstrike
Strengths: Carreau's highest stat is his Speed, and he moves and fights at a blistering pace even for foes higher-leveled than he. It allows him to negate vast amounts of damage by dodging, at which he is highly proficient. Coupled with his ability to fly, he can cover vast distances in very little time and outmaneuver the vast majority of enemies. Of course, his Skill is nothing to scoff at. Quick, accurate strikes are his bread and butter, supplemented with hand-to-hand combat. He can also parry, deflecting an enemy's melee strike before unleashing a deadly counterattack. All of these, taken along with his tricky offensive abilities, make him a nuisance at a variety of ranges, and give him the tools to build up enough momentum to take on most situations.
Weaknesses: Due to his race, Carreau has a weakness to arrows (as well as similar forms of high-speed piercing attack) and lightning. Most obvious is his lackluster defense and HP pool, which can be wiped out quickly if his speed is somehow impaired. Flexibility in terms of magic or physical damage also means that neither is quite as high as it could be. While he has a host of gimmicks and strategies, none are too substantial in and of themselves, and a quicker-thinking and observant foe can force him to fight cautiously. Arguably his worst weakness is not one in the game: he doesn't have a hyper-competitive spirit and can lose nerve in PvP battles, up to and including panicking
Equipment:
Euphoria – a pair of sabers that appear ordinary at first glance, save for the flawlessness of the gleaming, silvery blades. However, Euphoria is actually a type of divine-class item known as a Possessed Weapon. It was part of a set of fifteen, given to Project Vicarious by Yggdrasil's devs as both a symbol of the veterans' resolve to overcome all the challenges thrown at them -both in the game and in real life- and a challenge in and of itself. Possessed Weapons start off as simple knives that, when used on another weapon in the user's inventory, eat that weapon and gain its value. They start off as useless, but possess extreme potential, and Carreau put in the time and patience to cultivate his. Euphoria's first meal was the treasured pair of dual swords he'd used and upgraded since early game, which gave it its shape, and from then on Carreau fed it every high-quality, lightweight sword he came across. Eventually he started adding magic catalysts to it, and after a while it came to possess the Transmute enchantment, which allowed the blades to switch from physical to magic damage on the fly, and the Air Razor enchantment, which enabled it to create wind slashes, tornado discs, and even twisters while in magic mode. Eat or be eaten—the law of nature. Demonic tools known as Possessed Weapons destroy and devour weapons they come across, growing and evolving with each meal. Like living things they accumulate strength and character, invariably becoming weapons of legend
Galecycler – a repeating crossbow with a revolving barrel magazine that, once made to spin, is able to magically take in and compress atmospheric pressure and create somewhat slow-moving but explosive bolts. It was a random drop from a high-level dungeon raid, very unique but not too powerful, and since then Carreau's put a lot of resources into upgrading it into a powerful part of his arsenal. Once a magitek marvel, this repeating crossbow, able to replenish its own ammunition has been made brittle by overuse
Sylphic Visor – Carreau's distinctive crested helmet, which contains enchanted eyepieces that enhance his already-splendid Strigiforme vision. In particular, the left eye can cast Discern Enemy, and give a readout on the lens of an enemy's level. The right eye can cast Life Essence and give a readout of an enemy's HP. A magical crafted item made by one of Carreau's guildmates during an attempt to make a visor that could cast the spell Identify to tell what magic enemies are using, and subsequently thrown away when it didn't do what he the guildmate wanted. Forest sprites have more than their fair share of secrets, and while artifacts like this helmet may leak to the outside world, their knowledge never does
Abilities:
Comet Chaser – a class that becomes available to a character of a winged race who can complete the high-level solo quest On Top of the World and ascended to the dark, starry realm called Outer Heaven. Becoming a Comet Chaser involves a massive infusion of aether, the undiluted magical essence of space, which at a base level grants increased MP Regen, increased Luck and offers other bonuses based on attunement to the individual's core element. If those bound to the earth dream of flying, what do those with wings dream of? Many have brushed against the starry, sorcerous void above the sky, but few dare to go even further beyond
Aether Wings – one of the bonuses granted to Carreau by the attuned aether of a Comet Chaser. His wings become magical energy, able to be summoned or dispelled at will, and freely changed in size. Using them, he can fly with the speed and force of a comet, launching off the ground to blaze through the sky. Striking with the black wings themselves, or a part of his body while empowered, inflicts physical damage, and he leaves a green-blue magic trail behind him while flying. Only the freest and most tenacious of spirits ever reach Heaven, and once there, may find themselves rocketing through the skies like the brilliant skylights they once admired
Aether Body – one of the bonuses granted to Carreau by the attuned aether of a Comet Chaser. His aether forms a cushion around his body, and if he suffers damage, an amount of the aether is broken off and turned into wind orbs according to how much damage was dealt. No magic below Super-tier, or spells made to penetrate barriers, can deplete the Aether Body and Carreau's HP in one go; in all other situations, the barrier's destruction prevents any damage from bleeding over. Reaching Outer Heaven does more than awe the mind; its aether fills the body like a parasite, sacrificing itself to offer defense and retribution against those who harm its 'host'
Air Superiority – a skill inherent to Carreau's Air Raider class that grants him bonus attack against other fliers and bonus evasion against aerial projectiles. Any kind of pirate, driven to the untamed sky by restless ambition and tenacity, quickly learns how to handle its inhabitants
Flying Guillotine – a skill inherent to Carreau's Air Raider class that gives his main weapons the Boomerang trait, allowing them to spin through the air when thrown, flying with exceptional precision, and to return to Carreau afterward. Flashy combat is a tried-and-true mainstay of Air Raiders, who differentiate themselves from everyday pirates with a unique blend of style and skill
Brand of Destiny – a curse native to the Spellsword class, manifest in a magical dagger cast from the palm, that leaves a mark upon a hit target that, for 1 second, sets the victim's Luck stat to 1 and adds double the stolen Luck to the caster's. So long as the victim isn't extremely unlucky or low-leveled, this effect invariably causes all of the caster's preexisting projectiles to immediately pick up speed and home in on the target, and the homing effect persists even after the Luck is restored. Carreau calls the annihilation of a target with projectiles scattered through a fight an 'Airstrike.' Spread too thin among their different attributes to really specialize, Spellswords fall back on all many of tricks to maximize their lethality. Brand of Destiny, able to send all of one's spells toward a hapless foe in a single destructive finale, is a favorite
Rally Spectrum – an upgraded ability from Carreau's old Bandit class, gained after 300 uses of the temporary stat boost 'Rally' Bandit ability as party leader. It allows Carreau to choose a stat to increase by 20% for his entire party, lasting for 20 seconds. Being a leader is more than being the first to charge forward; it's knowing your allies, and how to evoke in them what is needed to secure victory
Camaraderie – a passive holdover ability from Carreau's old Bandit class that increases physical vulnerability on a struck enemy for 5% for every ally targeting that enemy alongside Carreau. Teamwork is essential to thieves who rely on numbers, rather than stealth, to shake down their targets
How a normal human would view me: A normal human, looking at Carreau, might see him as an eccentric rogue or foreign mercenary. Many might treat him with suspicion, but he does not give off a bad vibe

The Crucible - Winner Take All

Yep, looks like.

Fungal Knight vs Blood Devil Round2 goes to Banana. Battle Score is 1-1, a tie game

Overlord Roleplay?

With so many characters and such going on, and a bit of chaos in things, i think i will be withdrawing my interest for the time being to see how this plays out.

@Crusader Lord

If it's any consolation, as many as 50% of the players will drop out immediately or almost immediately, thus clearing out room. But no worries.

The Crucible - Winner Take All

@Lugubrious Were you going to make an "official" announcement of the round 1 winner, or are we good to go ahead and start round 2?

@ProPro

Oh, sorry about that!

Cereal Killer vs Book Keeper Round 1 goes to ProPro! Battle Score is 1-0 for K Runch!

Round 2 is free to begin. In other news, Fungal Knight vs Blood Devil Round 2 is also active. Give it a look, everyone!

Overlord Roleplay?

After much work, I feel as if I've created a character worthy of Overlord's amazing world! I hope he will suffice.

The Skydiving Prince of the Air

Behind the Scenes

Name: Emile Forsyth
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Bio: Childhood, such an important part of life, is destined to fade away. Even in his teens, Emile looked back on his younger, more immature self with loathing, but all memories of his early self faded away the year he turned nineteen and, filled with pride in his country, followed in his family's tradition of joining the Royal Navy. He steeled himself like all the others during the long days of training and drills, and when the time came to perform his duty, he went with his former fear squared away into the very corner of his heart. Putting his brains and brawn to use as an engineer in the bowels of the ship to which he was assigned, Emile spent months at sea at a time. Friendship with his comrades came easily, despite the trouble he'd once had socializing with others, and his life seemed like smooth sailing for so long he forgot that his ship was patrolling dangerous waters.

One day, the crew pulled a refugee from a lifeboat. Incoherent and gravely wounded, she babbled on and on about human traffickers, and was admitted to the on-board clinic. When it came, the helicopter attack was unexpected. A patrol cruiser wasn't prepared for aerial bombardment, and somehow the pirates knew just where to hit it. Emile's ship barely rattled off a distress signal before its engine was targeted and exploded, turning it dead in the water. Several of Emile's coworkers died in the blast, and he himself was sandwiched between debris. The pirates ultimately possessed too little firepower to board and take the ship, so by the time the coast guard arrived, they had already cleared off with whatever they could get their hands on. Emile was among the rescued sailors, but his right leg was in such a bad shape that the doctors were forced to amputate at the knee. When he awoke, it became clear that it wasn't just his leg that the freak incident had damaged.

Coming home after that was like traveling to a different world. For weeks, Emile lived and moved as if in a dream, sluggish and unresponsive. His worried family did what it could to help, but they were too poor to make a difference, and the awaited checks from the government never came. After a time, Emile's depression did start to break, due to the efforts of his young niece and her dog. This girl, the daughter of his older sister, was a ray of brilliant sunshine that reached out to him through his misery. Her dog, a friendly and empathetic Burmese Mountain Dog who chose to be Emile's constant companion, warmed his heart as well. To distract himself from a reality where he was crippled, jobless, and seemingly forgotten by all but his relations, Emile accepted Liana's invitation to a video game that she enjoyed. It had been a long time since he'd played anything, but Yggdrasil seemed to click instantly, and his trained reflexes surged back. For a time, he played only with his niece, and the two worked together to create a few NPCs to keep them company. Eventually, however, Emile connected with some of his old comrades via the game, and playing together with them proved fulfilling. Little by little, the man broke out of the shell he'd made for himself, even going on to secure a job at a nearby mechanic's. He never stopped playing, however, and dedicated a lot of his time to the game. Though he needed the escapism less, he never stopped enjoying it, and eventually began to speedrun raids and boss rushes with his own little guild. Though lacking the nerve for ultra-competitive PVP, he made a name for himself in the realm of PVE, and when Yggdrasil's developers learned that a disabled veteran was not just dedicated to but also excelling at their game, he and his friends were offered a place on the officially-sponsored guild Project Vicarious, a group of people like him. There, Emile felt less lonely and more engaged than ever before.

Life went on. Like many, even among the most dedicated to Yggdrasil, Emile's interest waned, but when he learned that there would be a grand celebration, he could not stay away. He and Liana, now sixteen years old, returned for the final few hours to reminisce about days gone.

---

The Avatar

Name: Carreau
Appearance: Tall and slender, Carreau's body is fully masked by his clothing, most notable of which is a storm-gray longcoat with gilded edges, a high collar, exaggerated shoulders. With a sky-blue lining, it has the look of thin cloth lengths layer like paper. He also wears a black silk sash, ivory-and-bronze shinguards, and ordinary shoes. this is a good reference. Were he to remove his crested helmet, it would become obvious that he is a Strigiforme, or owl man, of the Great Bubo variety. His features are like such
Race: Demihuman
Gender: Male
Character Level: 90
Alignment: 100
Racial Class:
-Strigiforme
-Great Bubo
Job Class:
-Comet Chaser (3)
-Air Raider (10)
-Spellsword (10)
-Outlaw (15)
Fighting Style: In short, versatile damage. He can flex between melee and ranged, DPS and burst. His signature weapons provide ample melee DPS when in physical mode and ranged DPS in magic mode. Using an 'ingenius' combination of class abilities and skills he can inflict extreme melee burst when flying around with Aether Wings, and after filling the battlefield with slow-moving magical projectiles can send them all toward a marked target at once with Brand of Destiny for crazy burst. Ultra-high mobility, used in combat for swift strikes and evasion, defines his fighting, and his game plan is the targeting and elimination of squishy casters and supports while his allies keep the tanks and warriors busy to build up for an Airstrike
Strengths: Carreau's highest stat is his Speed, and he moves and fights at a blistering pace even for foes higher-leveled than he. It allows him to negate vast amounts of damage by dodging, at which he is highly proficient. Coupled with his ability to fly, he can cover vast distances in very little time and outmaneuver the vast majority of enemies. Of course, his Skill is nothing to scoff at. Quick, accurate strikes are his bread and butter, supplemented with hand-to-hand combat. He can also parry, deflecting an enemy's melee strike before unleashing a deadly counterattack. All of these, taken along with his tricky offensive abilities, make him a nuisance at a variety of ranges, and give him the tools to build up enough momentum to take on most situations.
Weaknesses: Due to his race, Carreau has a weakness to arrows (as well as similar forms of high-speed piercing attack) and lightning. Most obvious is his lackluster defense and HP pool, which can be wiped out quickly if his speed is somehow impaired. Flexibility in terms of magic or physical damage also means that neither is quite as high as it could be. While he has a host of gimmicks and strategies, none are too substantial in and of themselves, and a quicker-thinking and observant foe can force him to fight cautiously. Arguably his worst weakness is not one in the game: he doesn't have a hyper-competitive spirit and can lose nerve in PvP battles, up to and including panicking
Equipment:
Euphoria – a pair of sabers that appear ordinary at first glance, save for the flawlessness of the gleaming, silvery blades. However, Euphoria is actually a type of divine-class item known as a Possessed Weapon. It was part of a set of fifteen, given to Project Vicarious by Yggdrasil's devs as both a symbol of the veterans' resolve to overcome all the challenges thrown at them -both in the game and in real life- and a challenge in and of itself. Possessed Weapons start off as simple knives that, when used on another weapon in the user's inventory, eat that weapon and gain its value. They start off as useless, but possess extreme potential, and Carreau put in the time and patience to cultivate his. Euphoria's first meal was the treasured pair of dual swords he'd used and upgraded since early game, which gave it its shape, and from then on Carreau fed it every high-quality, lightweight sword he came across. Eventually he started adding magic catalysts to it, and after a while it came to possess the Transmute enchantment, which allowed the blades to switch from physical to magic damage on the fly, and the Air Razor enchantment, which enabled it to create wind slashes, tornado discs, and even twisters while in magic mode. Eat or be eaten—the law of nature. Demonic tools known as Possessed Weapons destroy and devour weapons they come across, growing and evolving with each meal. Like living things they accumulate strength and character, invariably becoming weapons of legend
Galecycler – a repeating crossbow with a drum-shaped magazine on the top that is able to magically take in and compress atmospheric pressure, creating somewhat slow-moving but explosive bolts. It was a random drop from a high-level dungeon raid, very unique but not too powerful, and since then Carreau's put a lot of resources into upgrading it into a powerful part of his arsenal. Once a magitek marvel, this repeating crossbow, able to replenish its own ammunition has been made brittle by overuse
Sylphic Visor – Carreau's distinctive crested helmet, which contains enchanted eyepieces that enhance his already-splendid Strigiforme vision. In particular, the left eye can cast Discern Enemy, and give a readout on the lens of an enemy's level. The right eye can cast Life Essence and give a readout of an enemy's HP. A magical crafted item made by one of Carreau's guildmates during an attempt to make a visor that could cast the spell Identify to tell what magic enemies are using, and subsequently thrown away when it didn't do what he the guildmate wanted. Forest sprites have more than their fair share of secrets, and while artifacts like this helmet may leak to the outside world, their knowledge never does
Abilities:
Comet Chaser – a class that becomes available to a character of a winged race who can complete the high-level solo quest On Top of the World and ascended to the dark, starry realm called Outer Heaven. Becoming a Comet Chaser involves a massive infusion of aether, the undiluted magical essence of space, which at a base level grants increased MP Regen, increased Luck and offers other bonuses based on attunement to the individual's core element. If those bound to the earth dream of flying, what do those with wings dream of? Many have brushed against the starry, sorcerous void above the sky, but few dare to go even further beyond
Aether Wings – one of the bonuses granted to Carreau by the attuned aether of a Comet Chaser. His wings become magical energy, able to be summoned or dispelled at will, and freely changed in size. Using them, he can fly with the speed and force of a comet, launching off the ground to blaze through the sky. Striking with the black wings themselves, or a part of his body while empowered, inflicts physical damage, and he leaves a green-blue magic trail behind him while flying. Only the freest and most tenacious of spirits ever reach Heaven, and once there, may find themselves rocketing through the skies like the brilliant skylights they once admired
Aether Body – one of the bonuses granted to Carreau by the attuned aether of a Comet Chaser. His aether forms a cushion around his body, and if he suffers damage, an amount of the aether is broken off and turned into wind orbs according to how much damage was dealt. Reaching Outer Heaven does more than awe the mind; its aether fills the body like a parasite, sacrificing itself to offer defense and retribution against those who harm its 'host'
Air Superiority – a skill inherent to Carreau's Air Raider class that grants him bonus attack against other fliers and bonus evasion against aerial projectiles. Any kind of pirate, driven to the untamed sky by restless ambition and tenacity, quickly learns how to handle its inhabitants
Flying Guillotine – a skill inherent to Carreau's Air Raider class that gives his main weapons the Boomerang trait, allowing them to spin through the air when thrown, flying with exceptional precision, and to return to Carreau afterward. Flashy combat is a tried-and-true mainstay of Air Raiders, who differentiate themselves from everyday pirates with a unique blend of style and skill
Brand of Destiny – a curse native to the Spellsword class, manifest in a magical dagger cast from the palm, that leaves a mark upon a hit target that, for 1 second, sets the victim's Luck stat to 1 and adds double the stolen Luck to the caster's. So long as the victim isn't extremely unlucky or low-leveled, this effect invariably causes all of the caster's preexisting projectiles to immediately pick up speed and home in on the target, and the homing effect persists even after the Luck is restored. Carreau calls the annihilation of a target with projectiles scattered through a fight an 'Airstrike.' Spread too thin among their different attributes to really specialize, Spellswords fall back on all many of tricks to maximize their lethality. Brand of Destiny, able to send all of one's spells toward a hapless foe in a single destructive finale, is a favorite
Rally Spectrum – an upgraded ability from Carreau's old Bandit class, gained after 300 uses of the temporary stat boost 'Rally' Bandit ability as party leader. It allows Carreau to choose a stat to increase by 20% for his entire party, lasting for 20 seconds. Being a leader is more than being the first to charge forward; it's knowing your allies, and how to evoke in them what is needed to secure victory
Camaraderie – a passive holdover ability from Carreau's old Bandit class that increases physical vulnerability on a struck enemy for 5% for every ally targeting that enemy alongside Carreau. Teamwork is essential to thieves who rely on numbers, rather than stealth, to shake down their targets
How a normal human would view me: A normal human, looking at Carreau, might see him as an eccentric rogue or foreign mercenary. Many might treat him with suspicion, but he does not give off a bad vibe

Konosuba: This Wonderful World's Alternative Paradigm

𝓠𝓾𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓵

@DracoLunaris @Lunarlors34@Lucius Cypher@Spriggs27

The battle of attrition couldn't be said to be going well.

Despite giving it his all, Quarel simply lacked the mass and the strength to perform such a heroic act as forced the jaws of the toad open. Most animals, having sensed that they'd taken a critical wound, would have abandoned the fight and fled to avoid further damage, but this oversized amphibian appeared to stupid to realize how much blood it was losing through the holes in its mouth. Of course, Quarel hadn't hedged his bets on being able to overpower the brute, but rather on the initiative of his allies to come and help him. When adrenaline made every second feel like a minute, though, the lack of aid stung even more.

In the moments that followed, something strange happened. The toad's tongue, still tugging away at him in an effort to drag the strigiforme down the monster's gullet, began to loosen. An odd pressure surrounded Quarel, but given the pressure of toad jaws already bearing down upon him, he failed to notice. The first change he really became aware of was a sudden flinch throughout the toad's entire body, followed by a shifting of its weight. It could mean only one thing: someone's attacking. Quarel gave a grim, angry smile. About time! More blows shook the creature's body, until the duress was too much for it to keep hold of its would-be prey. As spitefully as it could the toad hawked up the owl, and spat him in a spray of blood and saliva into the outstretched arms of Yuji. Quarel gasped in shock as he landed, taking in the oh-so-fresh, wonderful air through his real mouth. After a moment he stumbled back out of her grasp, and seeing the toad in trouble, he was spurred by his rage to help finish it off. After just one step, however, he collapsed, his whole body sore. “Nuuugh.”

He lay there with his mind still rearing to go, and his body pretty much unable to move. At about the same time, two things occurred to him: that he'd have to thank Yuji later, and that his knives were still embedded in the toad's mouth. On one hand it wouldn't be a problem if the adventurers killed the monster, but if it just left, he'd be down his essential, one-of-a-kind weapons. The thought filled him with fear. They were the only nice thing he had, and given their alloy properties, the most promise he had for improvement in the future. He had to get them.

“Gaaaaah!” With a herculean effort, Quarel pushed himself to his feet. A quick inspection confirmed that body the toad's arms had been severed, but they were hardly the sum total of such a creature's mobility. Any second now it could turn and leap away into the water, never to be seen again. He glanced at Yuji, and in an apologetic tone told her, “Gotta get my knives.” Quarel steeled himself to run around the toad before jumping onto its side. Another novice had begun his own attack at the same time, leading the strigiforme to believe that killing it before it escaped would be possible, but nevertheless he clung tight to the monster's warty hide and started to climb toward its head. Perhaps he could claws its eyes out on the way.

The Crucible - Winner Take All

Alrighty, ill be working on that combat post now. It is combat post round now right?@Lugubrious

Also, just for clarification, hes the type to go in with all guns blazing from the start yeah?

@GreenGoat

Yes, and yes, though keep in mind there's a difference between aggressive and idiotic.