Mangrale

Camp Castaway

@LiegeLord
Cecilia gave a modest nod, smiling lightly to let James know she'd be alright given another minute or so. Her hands were laid flat at her sides by the time James set his hand on hers. Her face was already somewhat red before this, but she nonetheless looked up at him, her eyes softening. His line felt pretty corny, but she still giggled gingerly, it was admittedly very sweet and thoughtful of him to help her out like that. But there was something else that she noticed since then. James didn't seem to mind that she had failed to climb the third stage on her own. He probably had energy to spare and could have gone on to finish stage four without her, but he seemed to want to stay here with her, even now. Cecilia pondered for a few seconds about giving out contact info; her father had always cautioned her not to, in fact just about forbidding her from staying in contact with anyone from the towns and cities they visited. She never liked the idea, as one can imagine. She perked up with the squeeze of his hand, her voice daintily breaking as she realized she wasn't about to say no to him now. "... S-Sure, should I write it down for you when I get the chance(?)... Or if you have your phone on you, I can give it to you now."

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

My hands are more tied this months than I'd like, yet I don't want to keep anyone from posting if my response would influence what they post. So suffice it to say that Viranti will not attack for the time being, but his hand will not leave his blade's grip just yet. He doesn't look very amused, but it's hard to tell exactly what he's thinking. His posture is s little less hostile at least.

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

I'll try my hand at reviewing this stuff in an admittedly lazy fashion.

This is the post introducing Agni

This one is about where we are now

The Oracle has led the main group to the palace where someone stops them, saying they cannot see the queen.

Loralei has taken Nephele to an inn to rest, where she later wakes up and catches up with Loralei, who has run into Heinrich, a masked man who had arrived at the city earlier via airship, having been on the search for the Oracle ever since.

There's more to it of course, but I may have some main points down.

The 20th Floor ~ Sword Art Online

Eh, don't worry about it. I don't rightly care for how I ended that post of mine, it's kind of cliche but at the time I couldn't think of a better way to have Varen spend his time aside from waiting for either his legs to regenerate or death.

Take your time. By the end of this, you'll be in a better spot to start accepting new players again. GMs like you who don't quit are at a premium I'd say. :)

Camp Castaway

@LiegeLord
Cecilia was on the edge of her seat, her breath at a standstill until she saw Neric lowering Lin to solid ground. From a logical standpoint, she knew that the girl was in good hands, so to speak. But she found it hard to be completely analytical during scenarios like these, her inexperience showing itself and her imagination always apt to present her with unhelpful glimpses at outcomes she'd most dread. This incident seemingly resolved, her fears alleviated momentarily as James turned back to her. He and his void handled the whole thing in an effective manner befitting superheroes as far as she was concerned, reminding her of the sheer amount of experience that must have been between them. Cecilia's amazement could not be overstated, not that she'd even try. She merely sat where she was, smiling gratefully up at James, happy that things didn't take a turn for the worse.

Her respite wouldn't last long unfortunately for her, her train of thought from before the accident then returning to her. Cecilia had just about climbed three walls already, but she was far from feeling on top of the world. From where she was sitting earlier, stage four might as well have been a mountain. But now, after witnessing that potentially disastrous case of equipment failure, her misgivings towards further rock-climbing had gained a substantial edge over her pride. She looked tentatively over to Neric and particularly Lin, who seemed to be fairing well for someone who went through what she had. Cecilia, on the other hand, had had quite enough excitement for one day, and nothing less that the counselors' unholy wrath (or stern request) would prompt her to even attempt to finish. There was no small level of shame that came with that rationale, which complimented her aching body and post-exertion faintness almost perfectly. She timidly scooted further away from the edge so no one from lower levels could see her, gravitating instead to shade if there was any. Right now, she'd be glad just to walk down under her own strength.

Camp Castaway

I've had my hands full lately. I'll get a post out soon.

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.