Mangrale

The 20th Floor ~ Sword Art Online

Varen

"Not cool! Tell your fan club to buzz off! Unless of course, you really can't take a few upstarts by yourself!" Varen taunted in a snarky timbre, yet there was a clear undertone of frustrated spite at the turn of events. He ferociously swung his spear around, a threatening maneuver to brush the meddling horde away from him. He wasn't stoked about having to watch his flank the entire time, and would therefore be glad to see Azemi, watch his back, nodding to her before facing Ares again. "You call this living?! No one's walking away from this! We're both vegetables in a crappy hospital bed, getting our butts sponged to hell for all we know!... (Sinister Smile) But how about I do ya a favor?... I'll spare you from a fate worse than death!!"

Varen was attacking and counterattacking in a near frantic flurry of embers and sparks, more of a formality to buy time as his skills replenished. Even so, the Warchief wasn't without his fair share of successful attacks, though they were noticeably less often than what would have been the case had he fought someone other than Varen, the head hancho's blows definitely making an impact, stripping away up to a third of his health. Each brush of the sword against the spear wielder's person was a break in his concentration and rhythm, facets of his defense that he struggled to restore, instinct picking up the slack and guiding his shaft as well as his body until his mind took over, resuming the hectic, deadly dance. But within seconds, Varen realized that the player killer was stepping up his offense to a fierce degree, to the point that a clean hit was near impossible. The red head narrowed his emerald colored eyes. He couldn't keep this up for much longer.

Well s**t... (increasingly unhinged laughter)...

Okay... How about one more miracle you two? What do you say?... Pipe down already (playful chuckling)... What's a big bro for?...

Anyone not paying close enough attention would miss what was technically done within fractions of a second. Varen, after securing a relatively good amount of distance with a shove of his weapon, charged at Ares, his Flame Daybreak Spear igniting at the tip and glowing to signify the activation of <Daybreaker>. Keep your eye on the shiny, big boy... Spear trained forward, it looked like a head on assault until he started launching a few throwing knives mid rush, precise projectiles which Ares easily deterred with his blade, the last knife aiming low. In the exact moment that his sword met the low aiming shot, Varen launched himself up in the air, his body slanting leftward, his flaming spear in his right hand and another knife in his left hand. Twisting his whole body towards Ares, his left hand let fly with the knife that hindered the rising sword just enough so that it wouldn't interfere with the maneuver, let alone kill him outright. Yet rise the sword did, the resulting slash taking a whole other third from his health and a little more besides that. But all the same, the Warchief couldn't stop <Day Breaker>, which the very mid air Varen swung down like a hammer upon the leader's shoulders, a dynamic trail of fire streaming from behind the spear tip, a fuse that lead to an even greater explosion at the point where armor and spear met.

Slight of hand, baby! (laughter) I should have been a magician.

...

For what it's worth... there are worse ways to go... I can't think of anything right now, but it'll come to me, when it's too late... Heh...

F*****g hell... Those were my favorite pair too...

Smoke, dust and, if all went according to plan, crystalline shards of armor and such, engulfed where the both of them were. As the shroud lifted around the edges, Varen could be seen lying on the ground, facing upward. His spear was a few feet away, but he couldn't reach it, not seeing much point in doing so. Both his legs were severed clean off from Ares' attack, a fanciful, colored "gash" marking where his left thigh and right calf ended abruptly. "Wrong on both counts, j*****s!" Varen shouted into the sky after a laughing fit. "And for my next miracle!?!..."

"...No regrets..." he tiredly sighed as he slowly closed his weary eyes. His legs would have regenerated back to normal within a few minutes, but that may have been minutes he didn't have. Whether Ares was alive or dead, he was still a sitting duck. There wasn't a guarantee that the others could wipe out the rest of the PKers; retreat may very well be the best option, and there was no way he could make it to the watchtower now.

This is fine... Guess I'll come up with some epic last words... "(deep breath) Six out of ten... Community kinda sucks... Well... on the whole, anyway..." he muttered under his breath, a boyish grin on his face.

Camp Castaway

@LiegeLord
Sorry for the wait. I'll get back to you preferably tomorrow.

Camp Castaway

Cecilia gulped at the site of the next stage, it's completion on the part of Jack and Kyle was marginally less successful at comforting her this time around. And despite how the other girls arrival during Kyle's turn was a welcome distraction, Ivy's exuberance especially helping ease her nerves oddly enough, it all sort of fell apart when it came to the last thing the hyperactive girl said, Cecilia sighing and gazing apprehensively at the top.

@LiegeLord
"I'll go next... i-if that's alright?" she muttered, her voice leaving her. Mid a nervous smile, Cecilia tentatively let go of James and stepped over to the base of the new wall, getting outfitted for her attempt. There was a sense of urgency during the first stage wall, mostly from her desire to get it over with as quickly as possible as well as from the belief (or desperate desire) that it was the only stage, meaning there wasn't a real point in conserving energy. But as she now feared, this activity was looking to be more of a marathon than a sprint. She didn't stall for as long as she had before, but onlookers could tell by her first few moves that she was taking her time with this run, her three anchors being secured at the low area, mid section and near the top of the wall in very gradual succession. There was a moment where she pretty much stopped for a few seconds, her head peering upward from her position at the middle to reevaluate her path that accounted for her growing fatigue.

Cecilia made the rest of the way at a steady pace, but by the time she clambered to the top, she would clock in at a little over double her time compared to her first stage attempt. She wasn't very proud of this, but was happy to not have put her anchors to the test. She sat for a minute at the edge until she calmed herself, then being lowered down. She returned to James, her nervous smile now with a sense of momentary relief. "Don't know how much more of this I have in me," she said, trying to assure him that she was alright, casually stretching her right arm over her left shoulder. "I'm sure you can do it faster than me, but try and go at your own pace, okay? There may be other stages after this," she advised as lightly as she could. She felt like wishing him luck on his turn when it happens, but doubted that he would need it.

The 20th Floor ~ Sword Art Online

I'll try and get a post out sometime either tomorrow or on Monday.

The 20th Floor ~ Sword Art Online

@Zi
I wouldn't call it dead, although the final word should probably go to Noodles. We were in a skirmish of some kind when the guys we were with bailed on us. Noodles decided to pick up the slack for their characters and things just sort of went all quagmire on us. It's a slow but hopefully sure affair. Whether you'd be joining in immediately or after the battle is finished one way or another is something I'd like @Noodles to decide ultimately. I hope you understand.

Camp Castaway

@KatherinWinter
As far as I know, Lin, Cloak and Ivy haven't arrived to do the first stage of climbing. If that's fine with you, we can all just move on to the second stage as Jack has.

The 20th Floor ~ Sword Art Online

No problem :)

Camp Castaway

@LiegeLord
Cecilia's attention turned to him as she felt his hand over her own, a warm, pleasant feeling coming over her. She was a little surprised when James drew closer to her and perceptibly so when he asked what he did, her eyes looking to the side as she rather bashfully thought about it. "Um, I-I'm not sure..." she spoke in a hushed tone herself. When she thinks of going on a date, she tends to imagine a more private setting, but she supposed that needn't necessarily be the case. "It might be... though I'm not sure if rock climbing is my thing," Cecilia admitted jokingly, her other hand gently stroking his first arm's forearm before folding over his hand. This wouldn't be her first choice for a first date, but she knows how to make do. She had a feeling that there was in fact another course as part of this activity, but ultimately wondered if they would proceed to it already, or whether they will need to wait until everyone completed the first stage before the second would be unveiled. From where she was standing, there wasn't a great hurry, but would accept whatever is decided.

Brave Frontier: A New Legacy [Started/Always Accepting]

Viranti

@Ryougu

While brushing some persistent bits of grass and earth from his person, Viranti caught ear of Ryuuga's concerned inquiry, the dragon's ears twitching faintly, immediately followed by his head rising and turning to him. "Hm? I've suffered worse..." he said guilelessly, right before the man's follow up quip, to which Viranti merely frowned somewhat, a huff of heated air leaving his nostrils. He wasn't thrilled at what seemed like patronizing humor at his expense, but didn't feel like making a big deal of it. Most scenarios he possibly would, but now was different. He had just essentially been swallowed by a supernatural phenomenon and spat out in another world, so he was still dealing with that. Plus, the airship soon took up the lion's share of his attention and it's honestly a lot to take in.

---

"Air... Ship?..." Viranti repeated rather quietly to himself. It appeared that he was not the only one curious about the airborne contraption, but as odd as it was to him, he let his gaze leave it for the time being, instead directing it to the clear blue lake as the party drew closer to it. It was certainly larger than the lake he had encountered in the forest previously, the dragonute pensively studying every aspect of the body of water when he came near it. It was a wonder that there should be any conflict in a place like this with such plentiful water. He tilted his head to a small degree when he first noticed some scaly creatures drifting along in the lake, his eyes squinting, perplexed at the sight of them; his intrigue was less than subtle during the lake's traversal (whether that meant peering over the side of a bridge or eyeing them as he walked along the lake's edge). He's seen stranger critters, but none that resided in a pool like this. The dragon's tail perked up and waved about more than normal, himself wondering how these lake denizens would taste.

But in the end, he arrived with everyone upon entering the city, glaring at the guards as he passed by. As so long as there isn't anyone foolhardy enough to start a fight, there shouldn't be a worry of him having to finish it. Within the walls, he found there was something about the city, its sights, sounds and scents, all having a certain hectic liveliness that marked it as profoundly different from Edivid. Viranti smirked, feeling more than a little restless as he looked from point to point. He could see himself easily swept away after prolonged exposure to this new kind of energetic atmosphere. But for the time being, he was set on accompanying the Oracle to meet with the queen.

Brave Frontier: A New Legacy [Started/Always Accepting]

I'll possibly have a post by tomorrow.

Edit: Make that sometime tomorrow.