Mangrale

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

I'm still alive, although I imagined that we'd hit standstills like this. I think it's fairly evident who'll be able to keep up out of all of us. I myself may not be around every day, but I can surely make a post a week.

The choice is Darkmoon Angel's. There is a chance that bumping the IC will attract more players, a fraction of whom may continue long term - that's about all I got if you want a bigger group.

The 20th Floor ~ Sword Art Online

Varen

The Warchief Ares' departure didn't really interest Varen as it would have on a different day, the spectacularly virtual display of dispersing polygons not all that different from the death of any other player. It may have tickled his fancy if the (Varen: sore loser) had actually been impaled on his spear, sliding down the shaft in such a fashion as to ensure Varen was the last thing he saw before his avatar shattered into nothing. But as it happened, Varen was less than enthused with the victory, seeing little consolation for the loss of his legs; he merely lay where he was, staring up at the sky with his weapon flat at his side.

If only my feet were here to see this, he passively thought, his head turning to see Athel leave him with a smidge of instruction before rushing back into the fray to fight Argil. "So I take it retreat isn't an option? No? You're going to cover the others' escape? Nope, you're... you're all just going to keep fighting... Okay... that's cool," Varen inquired aloud, very cognizant that Athel wasn't going to entertain his notion of quitting while they were ahead, but continuing to talk to himself anyway. He at fist wondered if both he and Athel would cover the siblings' withdrawal. But it became clear with everyone being locked in combat, that they were determined to stay and fight. "Blue-headed? What are cyber death games coming to nowadays," the red head chuckled aloud.

The subsequent fall of the Lieutenant at the hands of Akemi and Isamu had shifted total control of the small army to Argil, the PKers forming a formidable meat shield that prevented interference with his and Athel's duel. Varen would have loved to butt in on that duel and ruin the moment for both of them, but had to settle for a brisk crawl towards the offensive line that the Namikaze siblings had established, a relatively few of the Laughing Coughers (I know what I said) recognizing their former leader's conspicuous assassin and dashing passed the pair of them and head off to finish the spearwielder once and for all, they knowing as well as he did that there were only minutes left before his legs grew back and he'd surely (Varen: Smite them all into tiny bits! _{In my mercy}).

"He-hey guys!. Don't tell me you're all the kind who'd carry a grudge... heh..." Varen bantered in a tone suggesting nervous buffoonery, a hood or two already lifting their weapons up to swing down upon him. "Hang on a second!. Hang on now. You know... Some say that in someone's last moments, they show you who they really are..." His words thus far succeeded in staying their wrath for the time being, a grin growing as they surrounded him. "Now, with all of your friends I must have killed by now, Warchief included, you could say: I knew them better than any of you ever did... You want to know which of them were cowards?" Varen burst out in laughter, a sort of unsettled frenzied laughter that accompanied the scream of his first victim that saw his spear plunged deep into their stomach, Varen then lunging at him and tackling him to the ground, the first of many. Varen was only getting started.

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

Viranti

@Darkmoon Angel

Viranti might as well have been a tourist given his avid interest in sightseeing, content to observe as much as he could along the way as opposed to wandering off by himself. Deep down, he knew there was a task at hand that he felt strongly disinclined to frivolously abandon. What was more, he was growing ever curious of the kind of ruler that held sway over such a community, his expectations growing by the minute. He may not have paid the closest attention before, but he did take notice of what the Oracle said next, as well as her servants being sent away to secure shelter on everyone’s behalf. “Fine then. Let’s get going already. No more delays,” the dragonute impatiently concluded with a passive wave of his hand before continuing on the group’s collective way to the palace.

“This? This is where the queen resides? Seems... excessive, if you ask me…” Viranti was actually very impressed with the estate, its sheer scale and elegant design (at least when compared to anything he was used to) exciting his imagination as to what exactly goes on within its walls that would require such a structure. A single person wouldn’t need this much space. Perhaps the palace is also meant to house the ruler’s servants, guards and maybe even other members of their clan, at least that would be his guess. Passing by the grand statue of Vargas, the dragon could sense a faint flow of warmth, causing him pause for a second, him giving a faintly puzzled look over his shoulder and in the figure’s direction. The effigy itself was odd to him, but he wouldn’t have paid it much attention if it wasn’t for the sudden, sensation.

Even if he had bothered keeping a mental note of approximately where the group was in relation to how the palace looked on the outside, Viranti would have long lost track by the time they came across an armor-clad woman bent on impeding their progress, not that he had the slightest clue as to where the queen would be located anyway. “Stand aside human. I haven’t come all this way just to be denied by the likes of you,” the draconic warrior stepped purposefully forward, plainly tired of all these assumably clueless people getting in the way, his hand lifting to grip his sword’s handle as a subtly aggressive gesture. “If the queen will not see us, let her say so herself,” he sternly said, his hand trembling expectantly over the grip of his weapon. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something didn’t feel right, and although it felt just as unfitting to fight in such regal yet unsuitable surroundings, he wouldn’t shy away from a possibly pointless fight if it meant progress could be made.

Camp Castaway

@LiegeLord
It wasn't Cecilia's proudest step into the limelight. She did however, recognize that even if she did complete stage three by herself, she'd be just as tired and battered as she is now. Yet at the same time, she had a feeling that it would have been easier to deal with had she prevailed under her own strength. She smiled faintly at a kind of inside joke that neither James nor Neric might understand. The first day felt like quite some time ago, and yet she couldn't shake the notion that she still had a lot to prove. She chuckled alongside James, his infectious laughter cheering her up. After an embarrassing showing like, she appreciated his care and concern, even if a part of her would have liked to have been left alone. Her hand was trembling and quite dirty with the climb involving as much natural elements as it did. She wasn't expecting James to take it like this, but smiled bashfully when he did. "I could use a break, but I don't feel right just quitting here. Maybe you can go ahead and cli-wait! James look!" she simply glimpsed at the wall to notice Lin's predicament, her mind racing once again as she pointed hurriedly to her. "James! Neric! Isn't there something that you can do!?" Cecilia didn't enjoy having to admit to herself that she was effectively powerless to help, but knew that her friends weren't, focusing on that for the time being.

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

@Darkmoon Angel
Just a quick clarification to help me along. The main group is already inside the palace and somewhere inside (perhaps before the throne room or something) they're stopped by a guard?

Anyway, I guess I'll see my way to posting sometime during the weekend. I don't know: Viranti could act like himself and while the guard's busy arresting him, the rest of you guys can sneak in and see the Queen (unless someone beats me to it of course). We'll see. XD

---

I'll get it out later today.

Camp Castaway

@LiegeLord
Prior to James' and Neric's intervention, the only real option available to Cecilia would have been to give up and be lowered down, likely after her grip gives out and she lets the safety line catch her again. As it happened, she was rather oblivious to Neric's envelopment of James and their seemingly effortless scale of the wall to her aid. Her hand was just moments away from letting go. She felt lightheaded, which wasn't surprising given her overexertion, but she snapped out of it when she felt someone lift her by the arm and help her up the rest of the way. "Uh... James?" she seemed quite surprised to see him for a split second, then sort of shyly looked away as she wordlessly let him take her away from the edge. It was only natural that she'd be very embarrassed by this point, not even having the coordination to stand on her own for the time being, electing to sit for a time. "Well, that was a disaster..." Cecilia said, smirking a little at the understatement, still in the process of catching her breath. "It isn't too serious. I just got hit in the back," she continued, her right hand reaching around to her left shoulder blade, causing her to flinch at the painful localized surge.

The 20th Floor ~ Sword Art Online

Whew, finally got around to it.

What do you mean too lazy to read the post? I read the post. XDD

The 20th Floor ~ Sword Art Online

Varen

Varen was prematurely rehearsing a conceited and self-serving back-and-forth he imagined he'd have to take up with any member of his team that may have felt inclined to try and save him, his dialogue along the lines of "save yourselves", "well I wouldn't say hero, but..." and many other hackneyed quips. He wasn't serious of course, rather just whimsically wasting time until his death. That said, he was intrigued at how the oncoming footfalls didn't really seem to carry with them the murderous intent of a Warchief who'd been taken down a peg. Perhaps the cliche was coming true after all in a touchingly unexpected display of camaraderie, the likes of which...

"Ach! Okay okay! I'm awake already!" Varen surged with life, although not by choice, his arms hoisting himself up with a bit of a glare in Ethel's direction for disturbing his self indulgent waste of time. "_{Kick on my wound all 'harmlessly' like that, you little... I'll teach you to-} What?! My spear!?" him frantically jerking his head from side to side until he caught sight of his weapon just a few feet away. Retreiving it wouldn't be considered a monumental task, yet he did only have a second or so before the debuff wore off. Using his leg stumps and arms to fling himself closer, Varen just kind of flopped front first, close enough to reach the tail end of the shaft, having to pin said end into the ground to help himself get right side up.

Varen's eyes beamed wide at seeing the the Warchief stagger in his direction, the others having forced him by way of a final push towards the spearwielder. He had thought of at least two one-liners to say at this point. But as he pushed himself forward to add in that little extra force into a final, desperate pierce at Ares' core, he decided against them as they were too cliche, even for him. He simply grit his teeth under a guttural growl as the blade of his spear found purchase, the weight driving the other end to the ground once again.

Camp Castaway

@LiegeLord
“Ha ha, very funny,” Cecilia facetiously remarked with a smile to match when she turned her full attention back at James. Her hand opposite him, now free, moved to rest itself over his forearm. She didn’t mean to make him feel left out in any way and was keen to make it up to him when she had the chance, that is, if she could still move after this whole climbing thing was over with. During a somewhat long sigh that sounded more plaintive than she would have liked, she glanced at the next phase they’d have to scale. “I guess we shouldn’t put it off, huh?” she said, referring pensively to their next stage.

Since the two of them seemed to have lowered themselves down after their successful attempts, there may have been a bit of walking they’d have to do to get to the top of stage two before tackling stage three itself. Cecilia would rather take the trip with James and Neric, electing to simply hold hands with the boy so as not to risk either of them tripping on the other’s feet while walking up the perhaps uneven dirt path. She’d be blushing throughout all this of course, somewhere along the line beginning to silently fret over how clammy her hand was getting, between the late summer morning, worrisome anticipation and just being with James.

“This is it… I-I’ll just go first and you can meet me at the top. Sound good?...” Cecilia would ask, getting progressively unnerved just by being in proximity to the wall. She approached the start, intent on going first anyway, attempting to confidently look back at James and Neric with what she felt was a rather convincing facade, though she honestly doubted she was fooling either of them at this point.

Cecilia might as well have been in a dentist waiting room with the wall towering over her as she just sort of went through the motions of being hooked into the safety line. Getting started as soon as the okay was given, she found the first third of the ascent easy enough, the small break serving her well through the initial toeholds. Yet no sooner had she reached the halfway mark when her muscles started to ache under the strain, her arms finding each new hold harder to reach than the last. Cecilia’s pace slowed to a stop, her depleting energy being devoted towards keeping her from falling rather than any kind of progress. After a quick glance the rest of the way up, her head slumped downward under a tired and frustrated sigh. If there was any silver lining to all this, it was that, instead of a skirt, she had actually been sporting some outdoor hiking legwear, which was just a few pockets short of being considered cargo pants in her opinion.

The welcome assurance of not being particularly leered at would only pleasantly distract her for a few moments, the burning in her extremities serving as an ever present reminder that, if she didn’t make it to the top soon, she’d most certainly fail this challenge. She had originally chosen a mostly artificial route primarily featuring placed grips, however she decided upon a shorter but more arduous course. Her fingers felt the burden especially, and although she was glad she wasn’t the kind of girl to insist on long or elaborate nails, she could tell the natural ledges and slits were getting narrower, her finger tips beginning to carry her weight with every move.

It came to the point where Cecilia just couldn’t hold on, her hand losing it’s tentative grip while she was laboriously outstretching her other arm. Very much aghast during the ensuing free fall, her helpless gasp came prior to a yelp in pain when she fell backwards and slammed against a relatively jagged section of wall, her safety line abruptly halting her descent and drawing her into it, her left shoulder blade getting the brunt of the impact. Cecilia winced in pain, her right arm reaching out to grab onto any handhold to continue, having to make up the distance as well as the rest of the final third of the stage under a very stinging handicap.

Progress was grueling, Cecilia’s bruise and her limbs especially feeling as though they were on fire as she was forced to take the longer path, her incessant, heavy breathing and pained grunts at the more challenging portions: a very good sign that she wasn’t having a good time. When she had finally reached the top, her right arm would try and pick up the slack and cling to the edge of the cliff, he left arm just about spent in light of a sharp throbbing from her bruise whenever she moved said appendage. Though success was in her grasp, she was completely exhausted. She rested her head sideways against the ledge, eyes closed as she effectively shut down, her perception fading amidst her own labored breathing. Her turn might not have been over, but it sure felt like it was.

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.