Mangrale

Camp Castaway

@LiegeLord
Cecilia beamed as she rode out the uniquely pleasant sensation of Neric's affection, feeling his nebulous plumage against her cheek. She delicately held her arm over the Void, about as close to a hug as she'd imagine possible with a bird-like being. She too momentarily looked on at Lin's hard-fought climb to the top, a brutal trial of a display that, besides prompting her to avert her direct line of sight out of a kind of modesty and respect, was something of a bad omen that loomed over her, given how much more capable the girl seemed compared to herself. Her concerns weren't completely selfish however, as she was very cognizant of how painful and embarrassing it must have been for her. However, Cecilia would soon consider how it wouldn't be long till she too would find herself more than a little acquainted with a similar degree of difficulty. She couldn't help it.

James referencing stargazing helped take Cecilia's mind off the whole thing for a time, her response with a tinge of delightful surprise. It appeared as though he was preoccupied with something for a second, Neric shuddering just enough for her to sense something was up. They could have been just as perturbed as she was over the next stages, but somehow she doubted it was that clear cut. "Oh, right. I'm looking forward to it. I've been looking forward to it," she said under a rather excited smile. She was concerned with what could have been bothering them, but decided against bringing it up for now; they'll share what they're comfortable sharing when they're comfortable sharing it. And what with two more walls in the way, she didn't want to cause James to lose focus just to satiate her curiosity.

The 20th Floor ~ Sword Art Online

I imagine I had jumped the gun with that last one. If you'd like me to rework it, just let me know.

Camp Castaway

@LiegeLord
With a low and quick exhale, Cecilia gave a long blink, her worries alleviated for the most part. "That's a relief. (Light Giggling) And I shouldn't forget about your guardian angel here," she added with a little extra pep when the Void perched himself on her shoulder. "Thanks for helping out, Neric, you were awesome," Cecilia gratefully commended, one of her hands coming over to pet and caress his feathers. She was enjoying herself like this with James and Neric, during a blissful moment between nerve racking bouts of rock climbing, high on the feeling of accomplishment for completing one stage and before having to warily face the next. But James drew her closer, reminding her about stargazing. No surprise she was a tad embarrassed at the gesture, but she was also very surprised that he remembered. Cecilia agreed that it sounded like a fantastic and relaxing activity when compared to climbing, but there was a pretty good reason that now wasn't the best time. "I'd love to, James... But maybe it's best to do so during the evening. Chances are, it'll still be, at most, mid afternoon when we're finished here, _silly..." she said, gladly wrapping her arm around his. "I think today will be the day though. I'm sure it'll be worth the wait."

Camp Castaway

@LiegeLord
Cecilia really didn’t mind Neric not supervising her ascent as he did with James. Practically speaking, she knew that if she messed up or met with a suitably difficult situation, the Void would come to her aid in a matter of seconds. But beyond that, she knew that the two of them were watching over her, and although she constantly fretted over not letting them down, she knew she had their support. She doubted she would have met the challenge as well as she did otherwise.

James seemed to think she did well, a stance that she wouldn’t be in total agreement with, but it was sweet of him to think so. When he asked if it was his turn, Cecilia simply chuckled along with him, though while he squeezed her hand, she couldn’t shake the thought of how, if she had her way, he wouldn’t need to go next or maybe even at all. It was a ridiculous thought, but it would resurface now and again during his turn. Regardless, she cheered after him with a sunny “Good luck, James! I’ll be rooting for you!” sighing while onlooking his approach to the wall.

“Take your time! You can do this!” Cecilia called out as he reached the midsection, him slowing down to handle the increase in difficulty. She didn’t want to cheer him on too often, not keen on getting on people’s nerves nor disrupting James’ concentration. A hush would fall over her time and again, especially as James readied himself for a full on jump in order to progress. Her hands subconsciously locked themselves together over her chest. In that very moment, she felt even more tense than when it was her turn. It all sort of culminated when James missed the handhold and plummeted a short distance, her heart sinking just as quickly. She let out a helpless gasp, a worried countenance about her that she couldn’t shake off for a while until she saw him make it to the top.

The chances of any real harm coming to James was slim to nil, yet Cecilia couldn’t help but feel the way she did, an “overreaction” she told herself, seeing him reach level ground and approach her. Not about to give him a hard time over it, she smiled warmly again, taking his forearm near the wrist and lightly massaging it between her hands. “A-Are you alright? You really had me worried for a minute there.” She meant to play it off rather cooly, but he could probably tell she was indeed genuinely concerned.

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.