The Gamers: The Arcadia Games- Round 1

BlueFlameNikku · Jan 26, 2017

Colt had been silently observing everyone for some time, not feeling much else to say as talk of plans about what to do next devolved into talk about the situation involving Rei. His new broad sword casually slung upon his shoulder, loosely gripped by his right hand. His expression wasn't easy to read as he processed information and cycled through various thoughts in his head. He watched and listened to Shouko's outburst and quick calming down after Tian spoke his words, Colt not seeing that fire in the eyes of the big guy like before. Then Kiryu letting loose at the majority of them about how they were behaving towards all of this.

The fighter closed his eyes and breathed a sigh before walking into the middle of the entire group discussing a stood there a moment as he aimlessly looked up, not particularly looking at any of them but would seem to address them all as he spoke. "He ain't dead." He said in a blunt and casual manner before smiling. "If I can believe that I've been transported into a game where my life is on the line then I can believe an asshole like him hasn't kicked the bucket."

He then looked around a bit at everyone before continuing, this time his smile reseeding just a bit. "You all talk about teaching skills and such but seem to lack so much trust and lose heart so easily. Moral makes or breaks those who fight and some of you reflect so easily that you've lost that moral. Seems you all need to be taught something that isn't just some skill in a game. The will and heart to drive on when obstacles block your way alongside the people next to you. This is life or death for us same as soldiers on campaign. Just because we are apart of a game like AI doesn't mean you should ignore the thing that make you human." He paused once more.

"I've shown I'm willing to take punishment and near death in order to get through this alive. If anyone here isn't willing to take risks in order to move forwards...then you can look at my back and watch cause I'll take you to the end whether you want to or not...cause even if I fall at least I'll do so knowing it was for a greater reason than for myself." His eyes flaring with passion as he finished his little speech. He wasn't really trying to inspire anyone more so than he was just speaking how he truthfully thought. He was ready to put the weight of keeping everyone safe on his shoulders if need be and in his mind not the grim reaper himself would deny him. He was done playing games here.

Renose · Jan 28, 2017

Everyone was handling the news differently. Some were much more proactive about it, Kiryu especially. Whether or not Rei was dead though would indeed have to be something that would just weigh on their minds for the time being, as would their various feelings on the youngest (which they would know Rei's age due to knowing that he was a first year high school student, and thus at least three years younger than most of them, a bit more for others), but most experienced, Gamer.

After the Camp had been taken, it was time to go pop Baits and hunt monsters. With a seven person team, it'd be possible to buy the better bait now to summon stronger Monsters. Of course, summoning more of these monsters at one time would be suicide. After all, if a squad of six Gremlin Archers could still give the Gamers some trouble, then there's no telling what a larger squad of more powerful Monsters could do.

They would still be getting good experience and EXP anyway, so summoning more monsters at a time was just a needless risk that could very well get them all killed.

Of course, between the fighting of Monsters there was not only much repairing of Armor on Tian-Gui's part, the Work Bench definitely being a help if they were to fight not too far away from the Station Camp, and teaching other their various Skills. Of course, for those who had different abilities, some of what the New Gamers learned from each other would turn into something different than what was being taught.

Overall, during the next two hours, the Gamers made a nice level of progress. New equipment for Kiryu and Shouko had been procured, Kiryu's equipment using Items and Materials from the Chest to be made (which is either knowledge that could remain privy to just him, or he could share), and overall the discovery of the purchase of Instant Armor Repair Kits for about 15 Gold Coins each was also quite nice.

They definitely helped the Gamers keep their Armor in shape if they chose to wear any.

Once that second hour rolled on by though, the Gamers at the base Camp would take care of any last minute preparations after finishing a bit of resting. After all, they would need to be at full strength in order to properly tackle this dungeon, and would need all the time they could spare inside of this Dungeon.

And after a teleport and a walk of a couple of minutes, the Gamers would stand outside of the entrance of Gekkoukan, the gates opening up in their presence. The school campus looked exactly the same as it did in the real world, but there is little doubt that going into that building would be alot different than going to school for those of the Gamers that did attend Gekkoukan.

Rather than completing the Dungeon, their goal was to secure the Cloak of Void. While of course progressing through would help with this, it is highly improbable that Arcadia just set up the path for freeing the Cloak of Void within the normal parameters of the Dungeon.

So they would need to most likely consult Ddi-rym on how exactly to progress to get to their real objective. Completing the Dungeon normally most likely isn't viable on how they need to complete this quest.

Regardless, it is most likely that the moment they walk through the gates and begin walking towards the building, the quest would begin.

Hopefully the Gamers prepared well and stocked up on provisions. For if they did not... then this very first Dungeon, could very well be their last. Especially since they are all 3 - 4 Levels beneath the recommended Level.

Omnial · Jan 30, 2017

With the mood of the group taking a noticeable shift due to the opinion that Rei could be dead, Alex's view on the group shifted as well. I really doubt he is dead. And the way these guys talk about it is annoying. He took note on what everyone's stance on it was.

Nonetheless, Alex did his share for the combat and grinding which lay ahead, he also managed to learn some knew skills with the help of the others, and to teach a few things to those willing to listen. In addition, Alex managed to finally learn his lightning talent, and picked up a few new spells along the way.

During one of the rest times, as the otheres did their thing, Alex went to the chest, taking out a handful of items. Why do we keep everything like this? There is a very good chance that this chest will simmply disappear when we finish this last quest. Might as well sell them and grab some better items. Maybe keep a few of the items for later as well...Alex rubbed his chin, thinking of what could be useful down the road if the box vanished. He smirked. Selling the junk to the abyss, Alex was shocked at how much they sold for. 2 orc great swords, 2 minor protect rings, 1 orc gnarl staff, 3 gremlin protection robes, 2 gremlin scepters provided him with 490 000 in cash. Keeping his expression calm, he continued quickly clicking away. Oh God, it is a good thing that Shouko hasn't noticed this yet. grabbing a set of items meant to boost his mana regen, and a few potions to increase his mana's strength for a small durration, Alex quickly went back to the chest to grab the items which he sold for the highest value. The goblin sceptors. selling the remaining ones. Alex got the items he desired and managed to net himself 360 000 in the process. Stepping away, Alex acted like he just got the items he desired and nothing more. Joining back with the group and acting like nothing happened.

"Well, given our circumstances, I would assume we are about as well prepared as we could be," Then tilting his head he addressed Shouko, "You should probably ask our friend on how to proceed." Alex then looked at the entrance to the 'dungeon' We can end these games with this, find some answers and Rei hopefully. "If anyone starts looking rough, use your potions, I'm willing to hand some of mine over if anyone runs out." Alex opened up his inventory and took out a bottle, "Celebration party at my house when we ALL go home." We aren't going to lose anyone during this, I wont allow it. Alex downed the contents of the bottle right as they entered the dungeon.

ERode · Jan 30, 2017

It was a frantic two hours, but at the same time…it couldn't be over fast enough. They were still too low-leveled, and they still didn't have enough equipment to truly make up for the difference in levels. No doubt, the battles ahead were going to be tough, but at the same time, Tian-Gui was already aware of every difficulty that laid ahead.

What was important wasn't clearing the dungeon, but in retrieving the Cloak of Void. Indeed, clearing the dungeon itself was such an insignificant task that the mission didn't even contain anything about it.

He let out a breath, only 15 minutes or so remaining until they had to seriously focus on completing the quest. His own purchase, a singular Ring of Toughness, was a quick acquisition, and the sandwiches that he got from the Abyss Auction were pretty much ready to eat as well, a UFO delivering a set of seven Gourmet Sandwiches over. No doubt, everyone else were preparing for the dungeon ahead in their own way, doing their shopping, developing their Spells, and all that other stuff.

Which meant that there was only one thing left.

The boons.

Tian-Gui closed his eyes, breathed in and out deeply, before addressing the thin air once more.

"Arcadia, a favour," he began, "Is it possible to procure better boons than just these minor ones?"

---

The Jester appears upon being contacted, and listens to the request, before just clicking his tongue and shaking his head. "Cmon now Tian-Gui. You're the one who wanted to show me how flashy and heroic you can be, what with you so eager to rush to the battle that killed Rei Amagi earlier. Why don't you take this as an opportunity to show me what you're capable of~" To this, the Jester just adds a chuckle, giving an outward stretch of his arms for added effect.

---

No matter what reaction the Jester was hoping for, Tian-Gui simply continued on with a steely tone, focused on the objective at hand. There was no emotion in his words now, and he didn't even feel the spark of anger that the Gamer's Mind would have allowed him to. A part of him wanted to take the Jester's arms and snap them off, but that was more curiosity than anything else, an inquiry of whether or not this was merely a talking illusion.

"These boons aren't for me, but for my allies. They'll need it."

---

"Sorry Tian-Gui. No can do. But... well, I guess if you're willing to fork over say... 30 Gold, then I may make one Boon better. I'm guessing the Force Boon right?" The Jester holds out one hand towards Tian-Gui.

"After all, you know just how much I hate giving away things for free." His tone grows a bit more still at this, and for a moment, one could swear the eye area on his mask... darkens?

---
That was pretty much what he had expected out of the Jester, and regardless of the darkening of Arcadia's gaze, Tian stood his ground, steel-blue eyes continuing to gaze into the mask. Should he push for more?

Of course he would.

"30 Gold if you make two Boons better. Set it so that every remaining team gets access to these upgraded Boons, so lowbies can play it a little more dangerously in these endgame circumstances."

"And if the higher levelled people purchase those Boons, well, that's just their way of paying to maintain the hierarchy."

---

Arcadia just chuckles. "Funny you'd say 'hierarchy' after what happened to that child leader of yours."

He just shakes his head, snapping his fingers. "There, I made two Boons better, just as you requested. And of course, 30 Gold Coins have been taken. Anything else, Dear Tian?"

---

Tian-Gui blinked. There was no smile, no snarl, nothing. Just a simple statement now.

"Rei was never that strong. People just thought he was."

---

"Doesn't really matter now does it? A fifteen year old child is dead, and you all aren't even batting an eye about it. Truly you all are quite the marvelous, mind broken, devilish adults aren't you? I really made a good decision in bringing you all here, as you are growing more interesting with each passing moment."

The Jester lets out a loud laugh, before he gives a bow.

"Well I bid adieu. I'd hate for you to keep my precious Dungeon waiting after all."

And with this, the Jester vanishes in a flash of confetti.

---

Tian-Gui nodded once. Perhaps he could have attacked Arcadia. Perhaps he could have denied those allegations. Perhaps he could have explained that they had already finished with their eye-batting and their angered grief. But he didn't. The Jester was right. They were keeping that Dungeon waiting.

He clenched and unclenched his Salamander Gloves, sparks flying out from the friction of his fingers.

"Three Magic Boons. Alex, Shouko, Kiryu. Two Force Boons. Xenon, Artisia."

They will clear this dungeon first. Then, with the assistance of the Cloak of the Void, they will rid Port Island of Arcadia. And, if the Jester still survived?

Tian-Gui was going to get stronger. He was going to find that Jester. And he was going to tear him apart.

Limb.

By.

Limb.

BlueFlameNikku · Jan 30, 2017

After the initial two hours of grinding, teaching and learning Colt went about accomplishing any last minute things. He needed real armor similar to his helmet and gauntlets, using some gold coins he purchased himself an Iron Breastplate to replace the leather armor he was wearing. If he was going to be an aggro producing front liner with his life on the line he was gonna do it while armored up like a true warrior class archetype. Additionally he browsed the Abyssal Auction for something in particular. Despite how rare it was he was able to find what he was looking for and purchased it fearing that he may not find it again. He kept this vaguely secret from everyone as after stowing it away aloud the next person to use the laptop or if not simple placed it back. It was something that gave him a personal goal in mind for him to personally work towards to better himself and the team at large.

Upon reaching the high school along with the rest of the group the fighter shakes out any last kinks. "Unless someone volunteers for scouting duty we all know how this works." "I'll be upfront in the marching order."

Valeric · Feb 1, 2017

Colt's and Kiryu's words restored some measure of hope back into Shouko. It was ironic that the two newest members of the team were the ones who spoke up. Regardless, the majority decided to push ahead for the Cloak quest. Whatever Arcadia's plans are, it had better be important. Shouko settled for firing off a private message to Rei.

Are you alright? Contact us when you can. We're going ahead to the dungeons, as Ddi-Rym had suggested.

At last, they were at the dungeon entrance, which happened to be the gates of Gekkoukan. It was an unfamiliar place since she moved to Neo Tokyo after completing her high school education. Shouko muttered a thank you at Tian-Gui for the Magic Boon. Any additional help was welcome when they were going to tackle such a dangerous zone.

She nodded at Alex's suggestion and promptly summoned Ddi-Rym.

"Colt, Kiryu, meet Ddi-Rym. He's the... thing that has been telling us that Arcadia is running a nefarious scheme."

Renose · Feb 1, 2017

With the chanting of the Void Elemental's name, Shouko's hand would suddenly shift and blink with bits of grey static. Despite how powerful this Magic or being seemed, nothing could be felt on Shouko's end as the Magic took place. Being in the gates of Gekkoukan, the gates behind them suddenly flashed, before their whole world would be taken to one of emptiness once again, the edges of this world flashing and moving with grey static.

After they were in this world, since they had no Orc Guardian to use as a medium for Ddi-Rym to speak with, Shouko's shadow would start to elongate from behind her, before peeling itself from the ground, vanishing and then appearing in front of them. It was a sort of weird, surreal, 3D human shaped silhouette.

Suddenly, in Shouko's voice, the being begins to speak.

"I have a little more time than before to explain a couple of things. It seems Arcadia's gaze is weaker here. Meaning once we get inside, you should be able to summon me in battle if you wish. I shall do my best to provide what support I can."

The being 'looks' towards the group, its 'gaze' lingering on Colten and Kiryu for a few moments. Its hard to tell what its looking at since it has no eyes or face to speak of, but a general position of its 'face' is a small way to guess. This also means they have no expressions to gauge on this being as well.

"This Dungeon's existence is powered by the Cloak of the Void, meaning it is his Domain, but due to the Seal of Subjugation it is Arcadia who controls this Dungeon. Meaning upon entering, we cannot let our guard down. We should expect many different traps, puzzles, and monsters to block our way in each of the different, yet familiar to some of you, rooms."

A proper Dungeon then. One from a real 'RPG'.

"It seems that, to proceed to the higher levels of the dungeon or to access any special areas one needs to collect Keys by clearing Rooms. However; we are not interested in clearing the Dungeon. Clearing the Dungeon is most likely what Arcadia wants us to do, so we should avoid clearing the Dungeon at all costs."

So 'Shouko' holds up one finger.

"We merely need to open one door, and collect one key. If you can get one key to that door" 'Shouko' points to the shed on the field and track in the distance, the one Rei had came from behind when they first met him. "I can utilize my connection to both my Wizard and my counterpart Familiar, and create a way for us directly to where the Cloak is being held."

This is where things seem to get harder though.

"Unfortunately, before we can free the Cloak, we may have to deal with Doppelgangers summoned by Arcadia. Unfortunately I do not have enough time right now to explain the dangers of Doppelgangers, but I will once we enter the Dungeon."

The grey static surrounding the empty area seems to fizzle, as the area starts to gain defined edges of dark blue static, both statics blinking and glitching around each other, with the grey static losing with each passing moment.

"I am out of time. I can answer your questions if you have any once we are inside since Arcadia's gaze cannot reach us there. For now... I can only do this for you. I will strengthen the Magics that have been placed upon you, but they will then expire once you exit the Dungeon instead of in their time limits."

Ddi-Rym holds its hands out towards the group. The Void Wizard Rings that the group posses all glow now, before windows would appear before the five Gamers who received boons.

For Xenon and Artisia

Your Max Damage goes up by 10 and your Damage Mod by 8 for all Attacks.

For Kiryu, Shouko, and Alexander

Your Magic SRs are increased by 10 and their MP Costs are decreased by 5, and then another 10%.

After this, the area would quickly be gone. No shattering, just gone. As if nothing had happened, with no fanfare, they were back within the walled off campus of Gekkoukan, with the main building before them. The gate behind them has closed, but a circle half the size of a Camp Domain appears on the ground before the gate with the words:

Exit
(But doing so forfeits your ability to enter the Dungeon ever again)

Floating above it.

There is no turning back now. If they had to retreat, they would never be able to go to the Dungeon again. The only direction would be forward, into the main Gekkoukan building. Where, as Artisia and Xenon would know, would have the lockers upon entering. Then there would be the main lobby area, with a staircase going up and one hallway going left, and another going right being their paths of progress.

According to Ddi-Rym, the stairs would be blocked. So upon entering, most likely, left or right would be their choice. Perhaps the 'Classrooms' would be Rooms they would have to clear. Ddi-Rym didn't have enough time to explain everything.

In the end though, with Shouko's help, they could at least summon Ddi-Rym inside freely without risk of Arcadia's interference in their conversations. So if need be, they could ask Ddi-Rym as many questions they wanted after Shouko's Mana got to the appropriate level, or even summon Ddi-Rym to assist them in battle if need be, and assuredly the familiar of a being like the Void Wizard would indeed be a very, very powerful ally.

For now though... moving forward is what would make them progress.

And if they want to free the Cloak of Void... then moving forward is what they would need to do.

ERode · Feb 2, 2017

One door, one key, and basically no advice outside of that, huh?

As the Void Elemental faded away once more, pseudo-reality reverting to normal, Tian-Gui breathed in and out deeply. They had forty-five minutes to search an entire school while also dealing with monsters, traps, and those Doppelgangers that Arcadia was going to send at them, huh? It was doable. All they had to do was avoid most of the monsters, find the key, and get everything done.

"Alright," he said once they were all within the campus, surrounded by dozens of empty lockers, "Shouko, summon Ddi'Rym when you can. If he can sense where exactly the key is, that'd be great. For now, let's go right."

They didn't have time for discussion at this point, and when no one had an idea of where to go, somewhere was better than nowhere.

★Under The Stars★ · Feb 2, 2017

Artisia stayed silent for a prolonged period of time when they reached Gekkoukan. She heard Alex saying that if they absolutely had to use potions, then they would. He said he was willing to hand over some of his potions, and if Artisia was asked, she would hand over some of her potions too. She didn't know how many everyone else had, but she had 5 Rejuvenation Potions, 6 Mana potions, and 5 Health potions. These potions were probably going to be the lifeline for her to use her Brand to its max capacity if they ever encountered an extremely difficult enemy.

Artisia readied herself for the oncoming battles that they would likely have in the dungeon. She thought that there would be a great number of enemies awaiting them. A great number of strong enemies, but the weird being who seemed to send them on the quest said that they might encounter some enemies, but the most of their worries should be the dopplegangers. Artisia had never heard of such a thing. And she had never encountered such an enemy before. She hadn't even heard of the word before, so she hadn't the first clue as to what kind of enemy they might be. That scared her, at least a little.

They entered the dungeon and they stood for a moment, noticing that the Exit said they could no longer enter once they exited. Artisia walked away from the circle and noticed Tian was opening a locker, finding it empty. However, Artisia did wonder whether there might've been something in any of the lockers, so while Tian spoke, she opened 10 or so lockers. In one of them, she found a note that said, "Mimicry is the best form of Flattery."

As she looked at the paper, she held a look of confusion on her face. "Mimicry is the best form of Flattery? What the hell does that even mean?" Artisia showed the paper to everyone else. "And also, why is Flattery capitalized? Arcadia must be stupid or something for doing that." After everyone had taken a look at the paper, she stuffed it into her pocket. It might be important. "Like Tian said, I think maybe we should head right. The infirmary is one of the rooms over there. I think it might be best to stop there first in case there's anything like healing potions or supplies there. If people don't want to go there though, the teacher's lounge is off to the left. Xenon and I can show you where it is. As much as I'd love aimlessly wandering and opening doors and smashing in the skulls of some enemies, there might be a better way to explore this place. We might want to start with the most-known rooms on the first floor. Those should have some important stuff in them, even if they'll have difficult monsters or traps in them."

BlueFlameNikku · Feb 3, 2017

Colt watched and listened on as Ddi-Rym more so creepily appeared and spoke. Throughout the whole occurrence he stayed on edge as of course he'd never met the "being" before and the first impression wasn't exactly very reassuring. "Ok um...one key, the door for the field shed...I think...and we gotta clear rooms starting at the first floor to find said key. Ok." The fighter says aloud primarily to himself. During the "briefing" the term Doppelganger came up which jogged his memory to skim through old monster manuals he used to read. The kind of exact creature usually varied a lot but they all shared a similar feature of having some form of mimicry, that much he knew.

Then a few moments later Artisia had piped up about the note she found in a locker. "Mimicry is the best form of Flattery..." He repeated to himself. "Sometimes mimicking someone could be seen as...flattering I'd guess. Also I know Doppelgangers usual have something to do which mimicry in some form another but that's about it."

He then nodded in agreement to start moving on. He wasn't greatly perturbed by the "not being able to return once you have left" entrance at his back as he knew that if he was running away there would be bigger problems going on. He also agreed with Artisia's suggestion about going through the more important rooms rather than just searching through every room.

Colt walks ahead of everyone and waits to open the door to the infirmary room as time is of the essence.

Renose · Feb 3, 2017

Three people began to head down the right hallway, heading straight to the infirmary. So far everything seemed like the normal Gekkoukan. Thankfully, they wouldn't need to proceed too far down the right hallway. It is the first room they would see getting into the hallway. This meant a very low risk of traps, going into the very first room.

Even the Infirmary seemed normal. Gekkoukan is a very nice school, so it has a very big Infirmary room, definitely the size of an actual classroom, since there are loads of files on shelves, medical supplies in locked cabinets, and other such things. All of the beds have curtains around them, but none of those curtains are drawn, so they are all in plain sight. They are all empty though, except for one.

A treasure chest, the size of the Purchase Chest, is sitting on one of the beds. Tian would have opened the chest, but Xenon offered and given his more deft hands and lightness of foot, he definitely is perfect for the role. He would creep over to the chest, and with deft precision begin to slowly open it, keeping his body at an angle that could allow him to move out of the way in case there was foul play involved.

There are no mechanisms on the chest that indicate traps. Rather, its just a normal chest.

However; a conflagration of dark static suddenly bursts, flaring up over Artisia's body. The paper she was carrying had burst into flames, as she suddenly would feel a very heavy pressure form upon her, her body growing much heavier now, making it harder for her to properly move.

Xenon, who had managed to open the chest very carefully from a somewhat safe distance, would be able to notice just in time a black tendril or... ribbon of some kind just out of the chest like a spear. Thanks to his careful opening, he would fortunately be able to quickly dodge and move backwards away from the Mimic's attack without tripping on the bed not too far behind him.

They would know the Chest is a Mimic now due to the text above its head. The chest's lid now has a bladed edge upon the bottom of it, where it would close, as does the bottom part of the chest, two more black, tendril like ribbons coming from its body. One of the ribbons is wrapped around the pommel of a sword, the other holding a shield.

Minor Mimic Lv 24

Furthermore, two of the Medicine Cabinets would suddenly burst open, two creatures in front of them now. They looked like Gremlins, but were a bit taller and had more bodily muscle. They also had the following above their heads. They were about 5'8", and one of them was wielding two crude looking long-swords while the other had a pair of sharp, painful looking knuckles upon its hands. Essentially they looked like smaller, thinner Orcs. Still, that didn't mean they weren't deadly. If anything, these seem to have more of a poise about them for combat given by the stances they adapt.

Young Orcling Lv 19

Furthermore, the door behind them has now slammed shut, a countdown appearing upon it, counting down from 18, with the words 'you must wait this long to escape' upon it. Meaning they were stuck in here for a total of 18 seconds if escape is the Gamers' intentions.

Still, they had three threats to deal with, one threat looking much more deadly than the others. Still, they would need to deal with all of them if they wanted to live.

The Gamers' first, and hopefully last, battle in search of a Key would begin.

Omnial · Feb 3, 2017

Continuing their adventure with his map open, Alex was focused on attempting to gain any advantage that their power had to give them a lead. "Well, on the bright side we will need a key to go upstairs so it should be on the ground level..." Alex just walked the course they said, he could do it blindfolded after how many times he had spent walking around the school with his friends.

Looking at the lonely chest sitting in the room, Alex looked around, nothing else seemed out of the ordinary, just the single box. "I was kind of expecting more from Arcadia, I'm a bit disapoi-" Before Alex could finish, he got exactly as he wanted, with the chest being a mimic and two monsters jumping out of medicine cabinets. "Well played."

Looking at his foes, Three melee fighters? Plausible magic from the box? perfect foes to fight my minion. "Come to mine aid, O Servant of Flame!" Alex acted first as he brought out his Elemental.

Shortly afterwards, A spark of ignition, then the roar of the flame, which swiftly formed itself into the shape of a man. "Focus on the box first, but take advantage of any opening they present us." Commanding the flame, Alex looked at the levels of their foes, Best to play safe and beat them, then rush in like a mad men.

★Under The Stars★ · Feb 3, 2017

Artisia walked with the rest of the group into the Infirmary. It seemed that her suggestion was one that made her seem slightly smart after all. She clung onto the piece of paper that she had in her pocket as they entered. She walked toward the middle of the room, seeing how this room was an exact replica of the one in Gekkoukan. With the exception of a chest that was sitting on top of one of the beds. Xenon took a crack at trying to open it and Art wasn't very worried. Xenon was being cautious and there's no way he could endanger the party.

Xenon didn't endanger the party, but he did happen to trigger a trap. The piece of paper Artisia was clinging onto burst into flame and she could feel herself getting heavier. "Son of a bitch! ARCADIA!" Artisia could feel herself getting slower as she got heavier. DAMN IT. I SHOULD'VE KNOWN. DAMN ARCADIA AND HIS TRICKS. Artisia gritted her teeth as she saw two more enemies come into view. Two level 19 Young Orclings, one that wielded two longswords and one that had sharp brass knuckles. Artisia stared the Young Orcling with the brass knuckles down. Time for this brand to give me an edge against that piece of shit.

Artisia clenched her fists as she said, "Mana Point 34!" She saw her MP bar go a little more than halfway down, which was a little disappointing. But it was well worth it for the amount of damage she could potentially do with the attacks she planned. "Colt, you take out that dual-wielding Orcling. I'll take the brawler." For now, Artisia was going to face her strength against that of a similarly styled opponent. It would be a good chance to gain ideas about how she should fight.

As she said this, she tried to anticipate how quickly the Orcling with the spiked knuckles could move. It seemed that they moved much faster than her, but she knew she could make it within enough range to hit one of the Orclings with her Mana Bolt. She moved as close to the Orcling as she could when the Brand finished loading mana into it.

ERode · Feb 4, 2017

Of course it was a trap. As the chest revealed itself to be just another monster, Tian-Gui stepped forward as Xenon dodged, eyes flickering from one Orcling to the other. The monsters were all higher levelled than the Gamers, and they had been essentially locked in the room for 18 seconds. Might as well be an eternity against these beasts. Nevertheless, there were things to be done, and he couldn't let this uncomfortable situation cloud his judgment.

Reaching out to grab at the sword and possibly wrench the weapon out of the monster's tendrils, Tian-Gui narrowed his eyes as he missed. Lvl 24 wasn't for nothing, it seemed, and he wasn't completely sure how he was actually going to grapple a chest monster, outside of tossing away all its weapons.

"I'll keep the Chest busy with the Elemental! Focus down the Orclings first, cause they'll all do a lot of damage, but at least I can soak up the Mimic's damage for a short while!"

Well, it was seven whole levels higher than him. HOPEFULLY he could.

Dragonslayer Ornstein · Feb 4, 2017

"Oh boy, school, just where I wanna be. Moved away cause some kids were asses to my friends and it was one of the few times I lost my cool..." He really didn't say it to anyone in particular and followed the others, both his rods in his hands. He looked around but didn't touch anything and smirked at the note "cheapest form of flattery I'd say though, I've always been a flowers and nice date kinda girl." Kiryu chuckles and continues right with the rest of the group.

He hung back when they got to the infirmary and waited, seeing the chest try to kill their teammate and then the other monsters popping out he chuckles and kinda sing songs "trapped in the closet...well guess it's more like trapped in the cabinet." Kiryu is going to cast mana shield on himself now and look to Shouko and move his head to tell her to get behind him. "I know I'm not a chest beating meathead...well in this place anyway, but I'll soak up damage with my shield at least."

BlueFlameNikku · Feb 4, 2017

Colt had followed everyone into the trapped Infirmary. As the trap was sprung the fighter quickly raised his weapon to bare and served the enemies. Seems Alex and Tian had the big baddy chest handled for now and Artisia gave out a reasonable command. She'd take on the fister while he would split off in the other direction at the dual wielder. A smirked a little at the situation before spinning on his heels; making his way to the orcling as fast as he could in his set of heavy armor. "Got it!" He responds to Artisia.

Nothing fancy here, he had to save his HP as much as he could, they were in a dungeon after all. He made a single heaving two-handed swing with his feather-steel bastard sword at the enemy orcling. He wasn't planning on being very defensive against this one currently as most other damage dealers were preoccupied.

Sairoh · Feb 4, 2017

[BCOLOR=transparent]

[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=inherit]The opinions on Rei's death were mostly objective, though understandably so. As Alex and [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=inherit]Artisia[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=inherit] had pointed out, there was a chance that the youngest gamer wasn't dead. Or even if he was, Tian [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=inherit]Gui[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=inherit] highlighted that they couldn't afford to mourn their short lived teacher. Though, for the red haired teen, he couldn't help but feel a stab of shame when [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=inherit]Shouko, as well as Kiryu and Colt to some extent,[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=inherit] rebuked perceived indifference among the group. [/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]