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Asher Damons (a.k.a. The Voice of Treason)

"Tenkou mitsuru tokoro ni ware wa ari, yomi no mon hiraku tokoro ni nanji ari..."

0 · 2,004 views · located in Chapter 5 - Stolen and united

a character in “Antiva Chronus Online”, as played by Asher MstrImmortalis

Description

Nickname: The Voice of Treason
Real name: Asher Damons
Gender: Male
Age: 16
Appearance: Asher is white skinned, 5”11’, and has short black hair with blue eyes. He has a slight muscle build, but still slim. He is normal weight, maybe 100 lbs. In real life, he usually wears blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and a black hoodie, whilst listening to his music on his iPhone10 with headphones. In the game, his eyes become icy blue, and his hair turns white and a little longer, kind of like Dante Sparda’s hairdo.
Personality: Asher is friendly to all and hostile to enemies. Asher loves his friends and likes to keep them close. He would protect those important to him with his life, is necessary. Asher isn't the wisest or the smartest, but he is still above average. You won't see him boasting about it, though. In fact, Asher isn’t one to be in the spotlight, or become a leader. However, he can teach people, and if he can’t help it, lead a group.
How Asher fights is simple: Lay back and be in defense to analyze the enemy. Then, Asher would adapt to pick on the weaknesses of said enemy. Asher isn’t one to charge in and barrage. In fact, Asher only uses 3 skills before going back on defense. Because of his skill, Asher can easily counter attacks, and he won’t make a mistake (usually). Unless you can trick him up, Asher is not going to fall for a little deception. Asher prefers faster and weaker spells than stronger yet slower spells, so he can be able to cast multiple spells in succession.
Asher has a calm attitude most of the time. Being a black belt, it’s hard to piss him off. Asher loves to be around his friends, and he loves to have a friendly duel.
Real Life:
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In-Game:
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Biography: Asher had a normal life until he was locked inside the game. He went to school, became an above average student, went to high school, and enrolled into all the honor classes. Asher also took martial arts. Currently, he is a 1st degree black belt as well as an instructor in his school. All in all, he was pretty much an average Joe.
Asher liked to try new things from time to time. That included video games, especially the “Insitus Gear.” However, Asher never let the game take over his life, unlike most people. He was deeply saddened by the fact that most of the students in the martial arts academy were too sucked into the gaming system. When the new Insitus Gear came out, Asher finally bought it along with the Antiva Chronus, just to curb his curiousity in the game. However, he too was trapped in the game, like every other player.
Asher was… well, disturbed that all this was happening because of the people being sucked into the game so much. He hoped that the person who did this will rot in hell, and that justice will be served for all the people who died in this game. Asher is surprisingly calm about it (then again, he was always calm), and has a lot of determination to beat the game with all the closest people to him in this game.

His username came from the fact that Asher has a very persuasive voice. One time he was able to disband a club, and the leader branded him "Voice of Treason." Instead of taking it as an insult, Asher kept it as a personal "title." It stuck around, so Asher used the title as his username.

Equipment:
Mysterious Cloak: Asher wears this to conceal his equipped weapons and belongings. It’s hard for bandits and thieves to get anything valuable from him because of this cloak, and overly-confident newbies won’t know what to expect when they challenge him.
Bladed Sheathe: A normal sheathe, but made of strong material. It’s sharpened to act like a sword. However, it’s also sheathed in another layer, so that anyone holding it wouldn’t cut open their hands. Asher uses this with his skill, second later or not. The second layer is more fit for defense. The sharp layer is more fit for offense. Any new challenger wouldn’t see the second “blade” coming.
Raven Wings: Black wings that sprout from the user's back without damaging any clothes that it might normally pierce. Only used for decoration.
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Darkened Dawn: A black and red scythe that Asher uses sometimes for long reach and to get through the defenses of enemies.
Blazor Edge Abyssion
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Element: Fire
Atk: 1250
M. Atk: 750
Special Ability: It slightly raises the attack stat of the user depending on how many enemies he/she had killed whilst equipped.

The Devil's Eye Blade

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Attack: 2750
Magic Attack: 3000
Description: A blade hated by many humans because of it's unique ability to allow the user to quickly memorize the skills of his/her opponent and use it back at them. While it isn't evil in itself, people still shunned it for being too much of a nuisance when facing it in battle. It can seperate into two seperate swords, and comes with it's own sheathe.
Special Ability: Allows the user to have up to 3-5 slots to copy an opponent's skill- depending on the level of the weapon. The skill must be seen and used in battle by the opponent, and the user must meet necessary requirements to use said skill. It currently cannot copy passive abilities.
Copying more abilities than the sword can handle would result in deleting a previously copied skill.

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(Costume also includes a Fedora)
Dark Enforcer Armour
A set of clothing, thick and durable. It used to be worn by a lone vigilante who went after higher-ups who abused their power. It is said that the want for justice of the original wearer flows through the current wearer.
Defense: 1500
M. Defense: 1250
Resistance: Darkness
Weakness: Light

Magic abilities:
(Added in Chapter 1:)
Fireball: Basic fire spell. Four words
Chant: Burn by my hand!
Wind Blade: Command the wind to strike in front of the user like it was a sword. Basic wind spell. 7 words.
Chant: The silent breeze will cut you down!
Icicle Rain: Basic ice spell. 7 words.
Chant: Rain down frigid wrath upon thy enemy!
Eruption: Cause flames to erupt from the ground in a small area. Basic Fire spell. 7 words.
Chant: May hell rise up and take you.
First Aid: Basic Healing spell. 3 words.
Chant: Healing Power come!
Indignation: Ultimate lightning spell. 23 words (plus some unnecessary wording; Currently locked because of the level reset.)
Chant: I, standing in the full light of the heavens, call upon thee who opens the gates of hell! Thy Lord’s wrath, come! Indignation!
(Added in Chapter 2)
Critical Heart Break: Send lightning at the opponent in a form of a spear. If it hits the chest area, 1.75x damage. Intermediate lightning spell. 8 Words.
Chant: “Feel your heart beat for the last time…”
(Added in Chapter 3:)
Scarlet Sign: Nightless Castle: Slam the ground, creating a flame that takes the shape of a cross when viewed from the right angle and distance. Intermediate fire spell. 12 words.
Chant: “When the stars no longer exist, and the eternal sun draws near…”
Bloody Howling: Chant and open a gate to darkness. A beast within roars, and enemies near the gate become paralyzed and get damaged. Intermediate Dark Spell. 11 words.
Chant: Oh roar that shakes the very foundations of the earth, resound!
Absolute: Call on an iceberg to appear via flash-freeze. Advanced ice spell. 15 words.
Chant: Rest in a merciless embrace, and freeze from a hell colder than the devil himself.
(Added in Chapter 4:)
Royal Flare: Advanced fire spell. Creates a giant ball of fire that can be thrown at the enemy. Can separate into multiple fireballs as well. 22 words.
Chant: See the great power of an inferno, condensed into a giant ball of flame! Let’s see you try and come out unscathed…


Special abilities:
Passive:
(Added in Chapter 1:)
Sword-Sheath: Allows the player to wield a sheath in battle, and thus use it as a companion to a sword.
Scythe-Wielder: Allows the user to fight with a scythe. It cannot be dual wielded.
Mana Blade: Allows the player to combine magical attacks with physical attacks at full power. Some of the attack is changed to combine the magic and physical skills.
Close Combat: Allows the player to fight with his/her hands or feet. Asher uses this in combination with the scythe, sword, sword-sheathe, and magic.
(Added in Chapter 2:)
Endangered Threat: When the health bar is lower than half, physical and magical attack strength is raised.
Regenerate: Automatically heal over time.
(Added in Chapter 3:)
Survival Tactic: Deception: When health bar is lower than a third, defense is raised for physical and magical attacks.
Critical Moment: When health bar is lower than a quarter, critical rate rises by 10%
Survival Tactic: Pressured Strategist: When health is lower than a quarter, intelligence is raised.
Survival Instincts: When health bar is lower than one tenth, all stats are doubled. Does not stack upon other skills that raise stats from low health.
(Added in Chapter 4:)
Dual Wield: Gives the player the ability to wield two swords.
Devil's Eye: Plagiarism: Gives the user the ability to mimc a limited number of skills.

Active:
(Added in Chapter 1:)
Devil Lance (Sword only): Throw the sword into the air, then jump and kick the sword so it flies straight at the enemy.
Soul Harvest (Scythe only): Spin the scythe in a 360 motion.
Tempest: Front flip midair many times and slash the enemy.
Tempest Reversal: Back flip midair many times and slash the enemy upward with each flip. (Shorter range, but more damage compared to Tempest)
Assault Slash: Jump high into the air and slam your weapon down into the ground. Works best with scythes. Also works best on downed enemies.
Savage Wolf Fury: User suddenly moves extremely fast around the enemy, and slashes multiple times before landing a final hit. (Locked from level reset)
(Added in Chapter 2:)
Ghost Wolf: Quickly dash through the target and slash from behind.
Heavenly Tempest: Send the target high into the air and slash it upwards in a multi-hit combo. Then, horizontally spin-slash at the enemy and send it back down to earth with a final slash.
(Added in Chapter 3:)
Roundtrip: Throw the currently equipped weapon at the opponent. The weapon spins and orbit around the target to slash it. The user can equip another weapon and attack the enemy while the first weapon orbits the target. The user can also throw another weapon in his inventory, and attack with the currently equipped weapon.
Guardian Field: Stab the ground and make a magic circle, causing any allies in it to heal and enemies to become damaged.
Shining Dragon Swarm: Spin the weapon on the user’s hand, slashing the enemy. Then, make a downward-slash-spin-hook-kick-repeat combo.
Clearing of the Six Senses: The user clears out all worldly distractions of taste, sight, smell, feel, hearing, and thought. The user concentrates on slashing at the opponent without thought, only acting on instinct. The user slashes at very high speeds, running around the target. The path in which the user would leave a glowing lotus shaped-mark on the ground. Then, the user sends the target sky-high, and slams him/her/it down. The lotus disappears on the impact of the sword. It takes a lot to get out of that state once the skill ends, and even more to stay in the state the user should be in to use the skill.
Savage Wolf Fury: The user circles around the enemy. Occasionally, the user slashes at the enemy. The user gets progressively faster and more aggressive. Eventually, the user slashes one after the other from different directions, just being one image of when he/she slashes. The user finally ends with a final five hit slash. Also, it is the only non-mana blade skill to have an incantation. 20 words.
Chant: O brilliant blade as cold as steel, rend the infinite darkness and crush my enemies to nothing, Savage Wolf Fury!
(Added in Chapter 4:)


Close Combat Skills
Windmill: Spin and kick every enemy surrounding the user. Easy to use, hard to master.
Drop Kick: Jump, flip, and force all your energy into your feet, and send it at the enemy through a drop kick.
Somersault Kick: Spin three times, kicking the enemy in different target areas. The user’s foot is engulfed in flames.
(Added in Chapter 3:)
Shoryuken: A reference to a former famous video game character. Jump spinning flame uppercut
Respite: Rest a little bit in battle, recovering a little bit of health and mana.


Mana Blade Skills:
Blaze Dragon: Jump high into the air and slam your weapon into the ground. The flames that rise up form a dragon rising from the ground. 7 words.
Chant: Face the burning rage of the dragon!
Indignation Judgment (Sword only): 5 slashes, then throw the sword above the target. The sword comes down moments later, charged with lightning, as well as several bolts of lightning itself. 28 words. (Locked form Level Reset)
Chant: I, who stand in the full light of the heavens, call upon thee who openeth the gates of hell! Come forth divine lightning! Receive your judgment mortal sinner!
Grand Cross: The user charges an opponent, and does a slash through the enemy using the momentum. The user leaves a trail of light. The user then drops from the sky and does a slash that makes a light trail that intercepts the first trail. The trails make a cross, with the enemy in the center. The user, still dropping from the sky, stabs the enemy and the cross, causing an aura of light to rise and damage the enemy even more. 24 words.
Chant: Oh holy power, grant me your strength! Aid me in my battles, and help me to win over my enemy, no matter the adversary!

Other Skills:
Blacksmithing: Rank 2
First Aid: Rank 1
Cooking: Rank D
(Note: This is going by Mabinogi Rankings. F, D, C, B, A, then 9 to 1. F is the lowest, 1 is the highest.)

Extra:
Theme Song:Emiya- Guitar Version

So begins...

Asher Damons (a.k.a. The Voice of Treason)'s Story

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Character Portrait: Asher Damons (a.k.a. The Voice of Treason) Character Portrait: Canon
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Roaring, several minotaurs stampeded forward at once. Canon grimaced. If she'd had any mana left or any time to use a crystal, she'd have just used a Sylphae Ward to stop the rush. But, having neither of these things, and not wanting to risk the massive shock damage attempting to block a charge attack would deal to her, she had no choice but to take a somewhat different approach. Backpedaling for several feet before the oncoming hoard, she brought up her backhanded blade just in time to strike the lead enemy as he emerged from his rush animation, using another <<Reverse Guillotine>> to deal a slash across the creature's throat before finishing it off with a backhanded stab to the heart, using a <<Reverse Straight>> to finish the enemy. But by the time this enemy had shattered, the other three had gathered, already beginning to flank her. From the other side of the passage, she noticed Asher being pushed back as well, and grimaced. They wouldn't be able to hold out after this group. Still, if she tried to turn and run now, she'd just get cut down by the remaining three minotaurs. No choice. She'd have to eliminate them as well, then flee before the rest charged in at once.

Flicking her blade front-hand once more, Canon didn't so much as stop as her second skill finished, instead using the momentum of the <<System Assist>> to carry her right into her next attack. Stabbing forward at the center minotaur, she cut directly into its chest, turning this into a slash that tore clean through the beast's side. Coming about behind the enemies, she cut once, then leaped overhead, finishing the creature off with another perfectly executed <<Whirlwind Piercer.>> But as she landed, she knew she hadn't been fast enough. Two roars resounded at once the moment she touched down in a crouch, her back to her remaining adversaries, and she dived forward in fright, trying to avoid the sweeping claws she knew were coming. Even this was not fast enough, however, for in the next instant, two faint registers of pain allowed her to realize that she'd just taken two hits across her back. Her hitpoints dropped straight past yellow and then slowly crawled down into the red as the <<Bleeding>> effect she'd already been inflicted with renewed itself. One more hit like that, and she'd be dead. The fear she'd fought so hard to suppress grew stronger, and she found herself fighting the urge to simply flee from the fight. But if she did that, Asher would be surrounded. He'd die. She couldn't allow that.

And so, she rose from where she lay on the ground, spinning about as the enemies roared once again. The first charged, only to be sidestepped and met with a three-hit slashing-type sword skill, <<Turning Swallow,>> which dealt a trio of intersecting cuts across the enemy's entire upper body with remarkable speed. If the user had practiced it enough to know not to resist the <<System Assist,>> then the attacks would end up almost instantaneous, giving any target within striking distance absolutely no time to evade. This minotaur was no exception, having half of its health chipped away in an instant as Canon's blade tore clear through its abdomen, carving out through its back just in time to transition into a <<Vertical,>> severing the arm of the second minotaur as it attempted to cut her down. The first roared, entering berserk mode and striking at her, but she leaped back, taking the blow on the flat of her sword. The impact caused her health bar to creep down yet further, but she avoided being inflicted with a fresh condition, which meant she wasn't in danger of dying unless she took one more hit. But, as things were, even blocking would probably be enough to kill her at this rate...

No time to think. The enemies were continuing their assault. With both in berserk mode, their speed was phenomenally increased. They moved like twin blurs, catching up to her almost the moment she landed, forcing her to roll aside as their claws swept through where she'd just been, coming up in a crouch and immediately cutting at the legs of the first minotaur with a <<Horizontal,>> then using an <<Upper>> - a diagonal lunging slash from the hip to the shoulder - to finish the creature off. The second beast, lacking one of its arms, had to turn to face her, and by that time, she'd already stood up, braced herself, and, kicking off the floor, leaped to the side to evade its next strike. Using a <<Straight,>> she impaled it from behind, and this last enemy, like those before it, shattered into a radiant blue field of pixels.

"I can't keep this up any longer!" She called to Asher, hoping he heard her. Already, more enemies were flooding through her own choke point, as she'd been driven back by the last assault, allowing them access. "Run, before we're surrounded!" With this, she turned, and began to dash for the door they'd come in by, giving a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure Asher followed before she swiftly opened up her inventory and, removing a rare-grade healing crystal she'd been so lucky as to successfully create through alchemy, she swiftly used it. Instantly, the pink haze that had covered her health bar vanished as <<Bleeding>> was cured, and her health shot instantly back up to a point very close to the maximum. Next was a similarly high level mana crystal, which she swiftly used as well, restoring her energy. As she reached the door, she began to chant, and then turned about, preparing to fight the minotaurs who were already close on her heels. There was only one group of them left, which meant they'd be able to take them on together with ease. Just according to their plan.

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Character Portrait: Asher Damons (a.k.a. The Voice of Treason) Character Portrait: Canon
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"Run! Before we're surrounded!" Kanna shouted out. At this time, Asher got hit by a claw, the blow cushioned by Asher's sword. "Alright!" Asher called out, and gave up his offense and retreated alongside Kanna. He saw Kanna take a few potions, and Asher did the same. One of them wasn't as efficient as Kanna's health potion, but it did get Asher's health back to 2/3. Not too high to take a lot of hits for the Endangered Threat status, but not too low to get killed in one blow. You could say that Asher was a bit reckless for his health bar, but only for the Endangered Threat skill to be used.

Asher also drank a mana potion, filling the bar up instantly. Asher turned around while he was running and chanted his first spell. "Burn by my hand! Fireball!" A sphere of flames appeared in Asher's hand. The Voice of Treason threw it as if it was a grenade, hitting a minotaur on the head and knocking it down. The poor generic enemy was soon to be trampled over by his fellow kin, droping it's health to zero.

Once Kanna stopped, the two turned around to see the group of enemies almost upon them. Asher had already chanted his two spells. "May hell rise up and take you... Eruption! Rain frigid wrath upon thy enemy! Icicle Rain!" The two spells activated simultaneously, and a wall of rising magma and icicles damaged the group. It took a large chunk out oftheir health bars, but the group still charged, with full intent to kill. "Kanna! Go!" Asher shouted. He brought his sword up in defense in case there were a few minotaurs left.

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Character Portrait: Asher Damons (a.k.a. The Voice of Treason) Character Portrait: Canon
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(DERP. Wrong chapter again. X.X Sorry.)

That was her cue. As Asher rained death upon the last group, Canon spun about, finishing her chant. "Pierce through without fail! Fire, Sylphae Arrow!" With the enemies all lined up and forced into one space by the Voice of Treason's attack, there was nowhere for them to run as Canon fired off her trademark twenty-shot spreadfire attack. The front two minotaurs that remained were mowed down instantly, pinned against the rising tide of lava and obliterated, while those behind were all knocked straight into berserk mode. Canon wasted no time, casting yet another spell. "Fly, Sylphae Step!" With these three words, she leaped forward, a vermillion halo forming around her as she shot forward with tremendous speed, even compared to her normal lightning-fast mobility. Darting safely between the dying remains of Asher's spells, Canon drew her sword, leveled it, and executed her fastest, most powerful skill, an ability that required such a high speed stat to actually trigger that she could only use it while boosted by Sylphae Step, as of yet. Her blade gleaming with a pale white light, she triggered <<Diamond-Dust Hurricane.>>

Crashing into the first minotaur with tremendous force, she collided with a shoulder-charge reinforced by the spell accelerating her. The creature stumbled back, only for her to plant her feet firmly and pivot, plunging her blade through the beast's torso before slashing clean through its side, spinning about, and slashing straight through its waist. As it split apart into two halves which swiftly vanished into cerulean light, Canon was already moving in to the next target, twisting this slash back about into an upward cut from the next enemy's hip clear to its heart, then twisting this upward, severing the minotaur's arm and bringing down a mighty blow clear through its head. Drawing back her sword from its shattering body, Canon targeted the last enemy as it raises its arms to attack her, and lunged as her skill went into its final stages. Piercing, concussive echoes rang out as the blade released a shockwave of wind with every impact as Canon began to stab repeatedly with tremendous speed. The first lunge pierced the enemy's collarbone, then twisted into a shallow slash through its shoulder that then twisted downward into a stab through the gut, which carved out of its side as Canon drew back her arm once more. Her blade flashed brightly as, with a roar of exertion, she dealt three final stabs straight through its vitals, reducing what was left of its health bar to zero instantly. The creature faded into light just as Canon's buff skills ended, leaving her standing amidst the rubble of Asher's arcane assault, breathing heavily as the spoils screen came up, handing out a variety of materials, trinkets, and other such nameless accessories to both party members.

Canon turned, smiling slightly as she sheathed the Sword of Elinsore. They'd cleared the second wave. Now, there was only one more before they got to the bossfight for this quest! They were almost there, and, at the rate they were going, although she was still too scared to grow complacent, she was at least confident that they wouldn't be killed.

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Asher whistled when he saw Kanna's hidden skill. "Damn, girl. Remind me NOT to spar with you when we are done." Asher commented, smiling as he walked to her. "So, that leaves one last wave, huh?" Asher asked, checking the inventory for the spoils. 5 HP pots, 10 mana pots, 3 minotaur's horns... The list went on and on, until Asher spotted something very... eye-catching.

Infernal Blade
Atk: 500
Magic Atk: 550
Description: A sword that strengthens fire spells. The flames of the blade show the will to fight, and will grow and shrink depending on the user’s will to fight. The flames are just for show, and will not hurt enemies.

Asher smiled as he looked into his inventory and saw the all-too familiar sword. "So you crawl back to your master, eh? good boy." Asher muttered, then equipped the sword into the weapon slot. Asher was around this level at the level reset, so he didn't lose much. In fact, Infernal Blade would be classified as a Beginner-Intermediate Ranked sword. It wasn't all too powerful, but it got the jobs done. Infernal Blade would really be of use now, especially in this enviroment because of it's enhancement of fire spells. However, it wouldn't last after a few level-ups. Asher would have to buy yet another sword after this. The longsword was already weak enough. The Infernal Blade didn't succeed the Longsword that much to the extent of being of use for the next 10 levels or so.

Asher looked back at Kanna. "So, let's go? Or should we rest a little and let our health and stamina get back up?" Asher asked her.

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Character Portrait: Asher Damons (a.k.a. The Voice of Treason) Character Portrait: Canon
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Canon flushed slightly with embarrassment at her companion's rather direct compliment. "I-I'm not a-all that good," She quickly stammered, trying to be modest. Admittedly, even she was just a little bit proud of having learned such a high-level ability, but it was still something she didn't want to brag about. "T-that may be an eleven-hit skill, but its speed stat is so high that to use it, I've had to almost completely neglect strength. Even still, I can only use it with a speed buff on, and because my power is so low, I can only do damage when I critical hit." She didn't mention that her critical rate, with the enchantments on her sword, was now actually somewhere close to 75%, and her critical damage was similarly high due to her wind-element focus, making the skill quite lethal regardless, given her expert aim and control of her skills even when using <<System Assist.>> After all, she'd been playing this game almost since it was first released, and had gotten quite good at utilizing its combat mechanics in the intervening time.

"A-anyway," She said, quickly changing the subject. "I-if it would be alright, maybe we should wait a minute before we continue. I just leveled up," She explained, swiping her hand across the air and opening her character window, double-checking the new number "22" that was displayed there. Five stat points were now available for allocation into her various abilities, and, with a practiced hand, she quickly shunted one into intelligence - boosting magic and adding a modifier to critical hits - two into dexterity - boosting critical hits, critical damage, and the speed at which skill animations went through - and two into speed - increasing her actual movement speed. She smiled innocently, feeling as though a small but noticeable weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She always liked the feeling of increasing your speed. To be able to move at velocities beyond what Humans in reality could dream of... that had been one of her favorite parts of ACO, before the survival game had begun.

"Huh?" Canon asked, glancing up to see that her partner, too, was swapping equipment on his own character sheet. Glancing down as a light flashed near his belt, the young introvert realized he had changed weapons. "Is that a new sword?" She asked. "I-if you'd like, I can probably upgrade it once we get done with this quest. Some high-class elemental jewels and rare materials have a high chance of dropping from the treasure chest after the boss, so..."

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"Thanks." Asher replied. He took Kanna's word and rested a bit. He saw her screen and realized that she leveled up. Thanks to his ability to read backwards, something Asher had done in ACO when idle and bored, he saw that most of Kanna's stats went to dexterity, speed, and one last point for intelligence. This wasn't shocking, since Canon's fighting skills relied on speed, and not on strength. This was bad against more armored enemies, because a low strength stat wouldn't do much unless you landed a critical. However, Asher wasn't so sure that he should be worried, since he saw how often Kanna got a critical during a fight.

Out of curiousity, The Voiceo of Treason also brought up his stat screen. Unlike Kanna, Asher is a more balanced stat. His main stats were equal distribution of intelligence and strength, speed and defense, then dexterity . The intelligence and strength gives Asher an advantage of getting high damage when mixing spells and physical attacks together, and allows Asher to adapt to the defense orientation of the enemy. The speed allows Asher to move faster when his health bar activates Endangered Threat. The defense allows decent protection should Asher's health goes into ET mode. Dexterity allows a good chance for criticals and a decent attack speed. However, it wouldn't be that high. Plus, attack speed was also affected on how fast Asher moves, which was extremely fast because of his slight muscle build yet extreme physical training for martial arts.

Asher sat down near Canon. "Thanks Canon. However, I suggest buying a new weapon for the both of us, mainly because this sword, Infernal Blade, is only for the lower-Intermediate levels, and wouldn't be that useful after a few more levels. If we buy a new weapon right after this quest, we would have extremely powerful weapons, enchantments considered. The new weapons would last for probably another 15 levels." Asher explained.

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"W-well, I don't think we'll have to worry about that," Canon replied somewhat cryptically to Asher's comment about buying new weapons. It might not have been clear what she meant until she quickly spoke again, taking just a moment to find the right words before she did so. "S-see, this quest gives some really nice rewards. There are two unique evolving weapons the boss drops, f-for one." She had to admit, she felt a little nervous at sharing this information, since it seemed selfish, in her opinion, to just claim these both for herself. She looked down, not wanting to make eye contact, and began to slowly kick at the dirt beneath her feet, gazing down at the ground which suddenly seemed fascinating compared to the expression that Asher would probably be giving her in a moment. "T-that's why I wanted to come here. If you get both of them, y-you can unlock a unique skill. I... I used it before the reset, so I kind of... that is, I thought I'd try getting it back." She looked up, unable to resist the nagging fear of the discontent she so dreaded seeing in her partner's eyes.

"T-that's not to say those are the only rewards, though!" She quickly added. "There's also a chest... i-in the back room, which also drops powerful gear and lots of crafting materials. I heard from someone before the... well, the announcement... that there's even a chance of unique weapons dropping from that as well... a-although, when I played through the quest, I just got a lot of crafting supplies." She trailed off. This was so awkward, trying to assert herself and lay claim to something! She just hoped Asher wouldn't be mad at her for hiding this fact, or for trying to claim the best items for herself. Although, if he demanded it, she probably wouldn't have been able to say no to handing over the swords - and, by extension, the skill she so wanted to re-learn. She'd be too scared to go against him. He was, after all, the main damage-dealer of their party. It didn't make sense to give her the best loot, and she understood that. But, she hoped, it would be alright for her to be just a little bit selfish, just this once. Or at least, that's what she wanted to hope. As it was, even though she tried to hide it from him, she was beginning to wilt beneath his gaze now that her desires had been exposed for his perusal. If he decided it wasn't worth it, then she... she didn't know what she'd do. Cry, maybe, like the coward she was. But what else could she do? She didn't have the courage to deny someone, even her only friend. Especially her only friend, in fact.

"A-anyway," she said weakly, hoping to change the subject. If he never stated his opinion, at least, it might give her an excuse to ninja the loot. Although, he could then still force her to surrender it, she supposed, crestfallen. "W-we should probably continue..." She mumbled, turning red and gloomy as she averted her gaze once again. Why had she even spoken up in the first place? Now she'd just gone and made herself look like a selfish idiot, and probably made Asher mad, too...

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"Ah... I see..." Asher responded to her explanation as to why Kanna chose this peticular quest. "Well, then, let's hope I get lucky when we get to the chest." He smiled and stressed "when", attempting to give hope to the girl. He stood up when Kanna suggested to continue on with the quest, and walked with her. "Alright... So I guess for wave 3 and the boss, we are blind?" He asked.

Asher looked on as they walked down the familiar tunnel. "So what's the plan for the next wave? We can draw some of them out using controlled attacks, then kill the whole group little by little?" He suggested. She seemed sad for some reason... Why? Asher wondered.

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Canon's gaze shot up from the floor when Asher spoke. His voice was gentle and polite, something she hadn't expected, considering how rude she was being. Well, actually, rude didn't even begin to describe it, since she was in essence making him risk his life just so she could take his main reward from him, when he probably could have used it much better than she could ever have hoped to. And yet, despite all of that, instead of denying her request, or at the very least pointing out how selfish she was being, he just accepted her plan and then moved on to the next subject she'd brought up, as though it wasn't even all that important anyway. The young introvert took a moment to grasp this, but once she had, the tension that had filled her countenance evaporated, and she gave one of her rare, earnest smiles. It wasn't a large thing, some excessive grin of joy. Rather, it was just a slight curling up her rosy lips upward that somehow made all the difference in her features, a picture that painted perfectly exactly how the shy girl felt about this response. And, although it wasn't much, it was enough to cause her whole countenance to brighten noticeably, giving a timid face an innocent, happy look it didn't often hold. In an instant, she was following close by Asher's side, making her way down the tunnel along with him. For a moment, she didn't speak, but when he brought her into her comfort zone by asking about strategy, she took a moment to consider, cast off her usual hesitation, and responded as best she could.

"Actually, we do know a few things about both this wave and the boss. The party that came before us defeated this next wave and fought the boss, but they confirmed that the latter's attack patterns had completely changed." Canon stopped for a moment, opening her notes and looking on them with a slight worry in her countenance. "The boss' new combat strategy, however, might only be the second biggest problem to deal with. This next wave is larger than both the others, and takes place in a large, open room with very little cover. The enemies' aggro range is too wide for us to lure out just a couple enemies at a time, but they spawn so far from the door that we won't be able to simply hold them at a choke point, and, anyway, the door is too wide for just two people to defend. This would be easy if we had tanks, healers, and backup mages, but with just the two of us, it's probably going to be very difficult. There are at least thirty enemies, and no easy way to separate them. The best strategy I can think of in this situation is to try to take out as many as possible in our first attack, then split up to divide their aggro and use speed to stay out of range while we use as many ranged attacks as we can to thin their numbers. Then I guess we just regroup in a corner somewhere and try to keep them off each other, like we usually do. But that sort of plan will only work to an extent. If we knock an enemy into berserk mode but don't finish it, it'll catch up to us and slow us down long enough for the rest of the wave to jump us. What's worse is that the boss appears right after we finish the wave, apparently, so we won't have time to heal without one of us switching and taking the boss' aggro entirely to buy the other time. It's going to be dangerous, no matter what we do." She trailed off slightly as the door came into view up ahead, a giant archway carved out of sheer rock that hung high overhead as the tunnel widened out, revealing a gigantic, grand hall on the other side of the portal. Far off at the opposite end of the room, a long line of minotaurs was assembled in a mockery of an army's practiced formation, ready to block the path of the intruders. Canon stopped at the door, and looked with some trepidation in at the enemies standing there. This was going to be difficult, and, although Asher had done his best to encourage her just a moment before, she still felt the nagging fear that something might go wrong, and that she or, even worse, Asher, might end up dead. Although she didn't want to think of this possibility, she decided that it would be best to actually speak up this time. Usually, when Asher was nice to her, she'd show how she felt through a similar smile to the one still lingering on her lips, but be too nervous to actually say anything. For whatever reason, Canon didn't want to let this chance slip. And so, glancing back at her partner with a somewhat timid expression, a blush of slight embarrassment forming upon her face, she spoke. She said only a few words, but, she hoped, their meaning might reach the boy who had done so much for her.

"Erm... Asher?" She began quietly, with a tone in her voice that seemed to say "It's not much, but please accept how I really feel. This is the most I can say or do right now." Pushing back her failing self-confidence before she could second guess herself, she took a deep breath, and then, giving a shy, nervous look somewhat like the expression of a puppy craving the approval and affection of its master, she spoke her mind.

"Thank you... f-for everything. I'm r-really glad... you decided to help me."

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"I don't like those odds either, Kanna..." Asher sighed as the door up ahead became larger. He saw how the minotaurs were positioned, and got ready Infernal Blade. "Erm... Asher?" Kanna called out quietly. Her tone and her face said that she wanted to tell him something. "Thank you... f-for everything. I'm r-really glad... you decided to help me."

Asher looked at Kanna worriedly. "Kanna... You say that as if we are about to die..." He whispered. "We are going to make it through this quest... No matter what... Got it?" At first, Asher thought it would be an I love you, but he was proved wrong. However, what she said worried him. It was if she didn't think they were not going to survive. "You know... We were taught in my martial arts school... That we can't be unsure in battle... We have to follow through with the plan, or get out because it was ruined... But we can never, ever back out because of uncertainty... So I'm saying to you now that we WILL get out alive..." Asher said. His face had "Determination" written all over it.

Asher quietly chanted his spell Eruption, but held it from activating until Kanna gave the signal. "On your command, Kanna..." Asher said. It was a good thing my experience bar is so high... Asher thought. Just after this wave I level up, and then I would be at full strength to take on the boss... I hope I can draw it away from Kanna as well.

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Canon quickly shook her head, looking rather crushed by the way Asher had taken her comment. Her face flushed red with shame as she struggled to correct her mistake, feeling more and more guilty by the moment. She'd messed up again, it seemed. Really, all she'd wanted was to say how she felt - although, she supposed, fear had probably played a part in it as well - but she'd ended up making Asher feel insulted, making herself look like a coward in the process.

"I-I didn't mean that!" She said hastily, her voice coming as close as it ever did to seeming noticeably hurt and frustrated, although it was pretty clear that the sole target of her irritation was herself. "I... I just... I thought... I mean, I...." She stopped. In what way could she explain the complicated message she'd intended to send? In what way could she speak her heart without saying something she didn't mean to? Why was this so complicated? Every time she tried to actually say what she felt, it always came out wrong and only served to ruin things... Maybe it would be better if she just shut up.

Looking down at the ground, her shame made evident by the system's overstated animation, she simply trailed off, trying and failing to suppress how she felt before her sorrow registered in the form of tears. Judging by how blurry her vision suddenly became, however, this was much less than successful. "Never mind," she mumbled, not wanting to just make things worse by continuing to protest. If he had taken her comment to mean she was a coward, there was no sense in objecting to that. It's all she really was, anyway. If he hadn't been there by her side, likely her false confidence would have been in a much different state. She'd just rely on him, she supposed, and try to be a little of a burden as possible. It was all someone like her could hope to accomplish.

"Y-you're right," She said quietly, trying to laugh it off but only making it painfully evident that she was just trying to hide the hurt she was feeling at being misunderstood thus, and, more importantly, her despair at yet another colossal failure at social interaction. "I g-guess I was just a little scared. That's all. I'll try my best, a-anyway. D-don't worry about me." Wiping her eyes on her mantle, she gave a painfully forced smile, as though her previous expression of relief and happiness had just forgotten to disappear when she'd begun to cry, and, with nothing else to do, had simply remained, becoming twisted by her pent-up self-hate. It was a mask, and it made no attempt to hide this fact. It was a face that said "Sorry to bother you. I was wrong. I'll just shut up now and quit being a problem. It's not much, but it's the best I can do." "I-I'm fine," She added, but it sounded more like the person she was trying to reassure was herself rather than her partner.

Slowly, she glanced down at her sword, and numbly, with painful slowness, she simply drew it, not really knowing what else she should do. She supposed she'd have to fight, and maybe make up for the grave mistake she'd just made. She had hoped that Asher would understand her when she thanked him, would realize how she felt and simply accept it like always. Instead, now she only felt like she'd become farther away from him than ever. It was just more evidence of how inferior she was in comparison to him. He always managed to talk to other people so easily, and to say what he meant to. She just bumbled about, stammering and stuttering and always worrying that she'd make some stupid mistake like she always did, and never managed to express herself at all. She was just a coward, weak, scared, and afraid. The best she could hope for was not to weigh her strong, fearless partner down, and even that seemed like a mere, distant dream no matter how much he tried to reassure her. Actually, all of his compliments and kindnesses just made it all the more obvious to her what the difference between them was. He was just trying to support her because he felt obligated to, and, although she never stopped in her attempts to repay the debt she'd incurred, it always felt like she was just leaning on him more and more regardless. She was just a nuisance... wasn't she?

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"I-I didn't mean that!" Kanna defended. Ooops... Bad interpretation on my part... Asher thought. Before he could apologize, Kanna continued. "Y-you're right... I g-guess I was just a little scared. That's all. I'll try my best, a-anyway. D-don't worry about me... I'm fine."

Asher felt like hitting his head against a wall. Bad move, Asher! Bad move! his mind scolded him. "I'm sorry..." Asher apologized. He saw how down Kanna was, no matter how hard she tried to hid it. Asher looked down as well, ashamed. Asher had just made a big mistake. He didn't mind Kanna being anti-social. However, Asher had momentarily forgot that she's mentally vulnerable for being so anti-social. Asher didn't mean to hurt Kanna, not at all. Unfortunately, Asher did. "Kanna..." Asher mumbled. There was dead silence as thoughts ran through Asher's mind, and probably Kanna's.

"Look, Kanna..." Asher paused for a second, thinking Shit... How should I put this...? "..I didn't mean it like that... I just wanted you to get some encouragement... I thought you mean something else, that's all... I-I guess I hurt you instead..." He knelt down and hugged her. She seemed that hurt from what I said... Asher thought. "Kanna... I'm sorry..." Asher hugged her, disregarding the task at hand. "Look... I'm not hurt if you are worried... and I didn't mean to hurt you... Okay?"

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Canon gasped as, to her surprise, she suddenly found herself caught within an unexpected embrace. The two white-haired warriors stood, a single silhouette, as Asher tried evidently to undo the damage he thought he'd done. But... why was he apologizing? Canon didn't understand. It had been her fault, right...? She'd failed to convey her thoughts properly, had made yet another of the grave errors she so dreaded when it came to social interaction. So why was he apologizing? She felt what small composure she had left break entirely as she realized exactly why he was doing this. He'd pitied her because she was sad, and, not wanting her sudden anguish to get in the way of the battle to come, for both his sake and her own, he'd decided to take responsibility for her sorrow. This was just another way in which he was taking on needless burdens, just to try to protect her. He was trying to correct her mistake for her, because she herself had become an issue. Although he was trying to be kind, she couldn't help but see the implication behind his actions. He was uncomfortable with how she was acting, and thought she was a problem that needed fixing. He tried to hide it behind his usual kindness, but it was there. It had to be. Why else would he pity her? In fact, why else would he have pitied her to begin with? He'd seen her, lost and confused amidst the crowd, and had taken her under his wing, not wanting to live with the guilt of leaving her alone. And now, just like any other time she felt sad, he was trying to be her knight in shining armor, always there to take the pain for her, to take responsibility for her own failures, just because he didn't think she was strong enough to handle it by herself. There was probably some truth in this philosophy. She was just a coward. That was all she was and, in her mind, would ever be. She couldn't handle the problems of reality herself. She wasn't strong enough. That was why she'd run away to begin with, wasn't it? She'd wanted to live in a world where she didn't have to be afraid, where she could actually rely on herself. But whatever strength she had thought she possessed within ACO, that had all just been a lie. Now that this deadly game had become its own reality, had anything really changed? She was just as weak as she had always been, just running away from the world and its sorrows and hiding behind the back of someone stronger than her. She was like a princess locked away in a castle, unable to even save herself from the trap she'd fallen into. No, she needed the help of someone else, someone willing to be a white knight, to sate her own selfish needs, to even pretend to be strong. That was why she'd followed Asher, wasn't it? She'd just been scared, too afraid to do anything by herself. She'd needed the help of someone who could actually live within the lethal world they'd become trapped in, and had even been so selfish as to assume that Asher was her "friend" rather than just being another guardian.

Pity. Pity and selfishness. That's all the "friendship" they had shared amounted to in the end, wasn't it?

Numbly, Canon let go of her sword, allowing it to clatter to the ground by her side. With trembling hands, she took hold of the arms that wrapped around her, and, before Asher could bring his much higher strength stat to bear, quickly pulled herself away. For a moment, a blush at how close the Voice of Treason had just been to her flickered across her face, but that was swiftly replaced by another expression, one that she had never shown Asher in all the four months in which they'd traveled together.

Canon was angry. She wasn't just upset, wasn't simply sad. The piercing light in her eyes showed plainly a righteous anger that could no longer be contained. The clash from her usual expression was astonishing, almost as though she'd suddenly transformed into a different person altogether.

"You don't need to act like I can't handle my own failures," She said quietly. Her voice had barely changed, and yet there was something accusatory about the way she spoke. "I know... I already know...! I know I need help. I know I can't do anything but rely on you. I know I'm just a coward, alright?! You don't need to make it so obvious that you're just trying to shield me from everything because you know just as well as I do that I can't cope with things!" With these biting words, she reached down and took up her sword. "I know I'm just making you protect me. I already know all of that. You don't have to remind me," Her voice at this point cracked, trailing into a stifled sob as a single, rebellious tear allowed itself to fall from her eyes. Taking up her sword, she didn't even look back at Asher, or wait for him to prepare himself. It was reckless, suicidal even, but Canon had decided. If only to try to prove him wrong, she'd do this without waiting for him to take on all of her responsibility and all of her pain himself. Her mind clouded by anguish, she resolved upon one thing - to fight just one more time without being afraid of anything. And, if she died in the process, then she'd at least do so with the knowledge that just once, she hadn't run away nor hidden. And, most importantly, she'd do it without forcing Asher to be her knight.

"I know it was selfish of me, but I enjoyed being the precious thing you had to protect. I'm sorry I troubled you so much. I'll try not to be a coward and burden you any longer," She murmured blankly, her face utterly crestfallen as she gazed single-mindedly forward, looking upon her enemies through the haze of despair. "I'm going. If they catch me, don't worry about saving me. And... forget what I just said."

With those words, Canon braced herself, and, with astonishing speed, leaped forward. The eyes of the minotaurs in the chamber flashed as they turned to face her, watching as she came recklessly on, dashing across the vast chamber with blade at the ready.

"Fly, Sylphae Step. Sever and Transcend, Sylphae Blade. Pierce through without fail... Fire, Sylphae Arrow!" With these three roars, Canon released almost half of her mana all at once, not even giving either Asher or the minotaurs time to make their move before she struck. A vermillion rain tore into the assembled ranks, and at least one enemy was killed outright. In the next instant, two whirling blades were already following after the first attack as Canon used her throwing weapons to finish off another two enemies who were wounded by the first attack. Catching both blades as they spun back to her, she hurled them again, leaving her just enough time to raise her Sword of Elinsore and execute a <<Horizontal,>> bisecting the first enemy she collided with. As the next few came on, she shot upward, catching her blades yet again as they finished cutting down another enemy and again throwing them one right after the other with her free hand before landing on the opposite side of the enemies. Dropping into a combat stance, she dropped the returning blades into her inventory at last, and then bounded forward, sword at the ready to attack. Yet, despite the damage she'd done to the front group, there were still so many enemies left as to make a lone person trying to take them all on nigh hopeless. Her Sylphae Step was already beginning to run out, and if she was struck just a few times, the bleeding condition would be more than enough to finish her off. And yet Canon, always scared of meeting her own end, suddenly charged forward without fear nor consideration for her own survival. Because if there was one thing she hated the thought of more than dying... it was being a coward for any longer, especially when the one who thought that of her was someone she'd assumed was her friend!

(So, yeah, she's snapped. Since I didn't get to have her breakdown and subsequent character development caused by Shineda, I figured I'd just improvise and have her realize she was being White Knight-ed. Ah, this probably won't end well.)

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Asher was confused. That's what she really thinks...? He thought. But... I don't think she's a coward... Maybe I had done it a bit much with the hug but... His thoughts were interupted when the angry Kanna- one kind tht he had never expected from her- said "I know it was selfish of me, but I enjoyed being the precious thing you had to protect. I'm sorry I troubled you so much. I'll try not to be a coward and burden you any longer... I'm going. If they catch me, don't worry about saving me. And... forget what I just said."

"Wait... What?" Asher's eyes widened as he tried to process what Kanna had just said. Suddenly, she dashed into the next room and casted numerous spells. Yes, she wounded and killed a lot of enemies in her barrage of attacks, but now Kanna had gotten herself surrounded, without anyone to protect her. Asher dashed across the room, not as fast as Kanna, but still pretty fast. "Burn by my hand! The silent breeze will cut you down! Rain down frigid wrath upon thy enemy! May hell rise up and take you! Fireball! Wind Blade! Icicle Rain! Eruption!" Asher chanted multiple spells at once, and let the chaose begin.

The fireball hit a minotaur from the side, and the icicle rain spayed several with icicles. The Eruption spell engulfed other enemies in flames, and the wind blade cut down the nearest few enemies near Kanna. Suddenly, Asher jumped up. "Face the burning rage of the dragon!" He shouted, and slammed the sword onto the ground, creating a pillar of flames that took on an appearance of a dragon rising up from the ground. His attack was directed at the group right in front of Kanna.

Asher stood up and looked at Kanna, with pissed off eyes. "I'm not trying to be your knight, princess!" He said, angrily. "We are working together to get out of this fucking mess!" Suddenly, a minotaur charged at him fron the side. Asher jumped up and Dropkicked it into the ground. Asher stabbed the thing, and didn't even watch it disappear into pixels. "If you think that I see as a coward, you're wrong... I know you can hold up for yourself. But if I see you hurt, what can I do?" Asher kept on fighting incoming minotaurs as he ranted on. "Burn by my hand!" Asher chanted, and slammed a fireball into a minotaur's abdomen. "I try to comfort you. That's what friends.. Argh! Are for!" Suddenly, Asher raised his blade and cut his arm open.

Asher's health bar dropped into the half-way point. He is in Endangered Threat mode. His eys started to glow red, as well. "If you really aren't a coward, you would've been fighting. Even if it's with me, you have!" Asher intercepted a slash from a minotaur, then did a palm heel into the monster's side. "So stop whining about me making you a damsel in distress! Plus, you've been fighting on your own against these things, too, remember?" He Dropkicked another enemy, and walked to Kanna. As he got close, Asher swung his sword to intercept an attack from a minotaur behind Kanna, then jumped high and did yet another Dropkick on it. "It's one thing to prove that you aren't cowardly by fighting on your own... But it proves you foolish to run head-first into a pack of enemies..." Asher said, catching his breath. Suddenly, a minotaur came up behind Asher and clawed at him, knocking the Voice of Treason off to the side, as well as knocking him out. Due to his Regenerate skill, the Bleeding effect was countered, but his health bar stayed at one place.

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(I apologize in advance for the length, Ageha. Essentially, I'm trying to finish Canon's part in this chapter within the next couple posts, so as not to delay you all.)

<<Linear.>>

<<Horizontal.>>

<<Hurricane Piercer.>>

<<Diamond-Dust Hurricane.>>

The minotaurs screamed in contrast to the whirlwind of vermillion light that plowed silently into them from behind. Driving her blade clean through one's body from behind, Canon twisted immediately into a sideways slash, bisecting the creature before turning with her momentum and carving into another enemy as it attempted to flank her. It didn't even have a chance to react before she'd cut it twice, leaped over its head, and finished it off with three quick stabs. As the other enemies turned about and came on as a single wave from the front, they broke against her mightiest skill as, with the last few seconds of her Sylphae Step's duration, she became a whirling storm of slashes and cuts, tearing apart several enemies and scattering the rest, injured. She could do this. She could win. She wasn't going to be afraid, wasn't going to force Asher to save her this time. She was herself, and she wasn't a coward!

Roaring, the enemies wounded by her last attack came storming back in, most of them in berserker mode, using their charge attacks carelessly from all sides. Had this been a two-dimensional MMORPG, Canon doubtless would have been crushed down to the very last scrap of HP. But, of course, there was a jump function for a reason, was there not? With her tremendous agility stat, it was simple to leap high overhead, causing the enemies to instead collide with each other, causing several of them to shatter under the weight of their own attacks. For those that weren't killed, Canon swiftly chanted a <<Sylphae Arrow>> and picked them off with a rain of magic. However, as she completed her flip overhead and landed in a crouch, she only had just enough time to raise her blade to intercept an incoming attack as every last one of the remaining minotaurs began to pile on top of her, sending her skidding backward as they encircled her. No matter. She'd known this was a possibility. Even if she died in the process, she refused to be afraid. She'd keep fighting, and either die or become strong! That was the only thing left she could do. She was just preparing to cut her way out when a loud roar snapped her back to reality, and she hesitated. This hesitation perhaps saved her life, for in the next instant, a terrific hailstorm of spells plowed into the enemy lines from the other side, mowing several down as the figure she'd dreaded appeared. Why was Asher here? She was going to do this herself, she had to do this herself! Why was he still trying to take on all her burdens for her?

"If you really think all that, then why are you still acting like you have to save m-" Canon's eyes widened in surprise as Asher, in the middle of his speech, failed to notice another enemy rushing up behind him. Leaping forward on instinct, she tried to stop the attack in time, but the berserk minotaur was faster than her. She could only watch with horror as, with a triumphant howl, the enemy's attack struck home, hitting Asher right in the vitals and sending him crashing against a wall, a flare of red light erupting from his side as he slumped. His health bar dropped drastically, nearing the red zone even though his skills saved him from the <<Bleeding>> effect. But even though the meter didn't turn pink to signify the slow death of blood loss, it turned a color far, far worse: gray. Unconscious status.

"A...sher...?" Canon murmured quietly, her eyes wide with disbelief. This... this wasn't happening. Asher was strong, far too strong to be taken down by a simple enemy mob. It couldn't happen, right? He'd been doing all the fighting for both of them, and... and... he'd been trying to save her. He'd been... distracted. He'd... He'd been hit because he was trying to save her. It was her fault that this had happened!

""I'm not trying to be your knight, princess! We are working together to get out of this fucking mess!"

He'd been angry. He'd been busy scolding her for making another mistake. She'd been trying to do things herself when she couldn't hope to accomplish something like that. She'd just gotten in his way, and he'd finally had enough of it.

"So stop whining about me making you a damsel in distress!"

Canon had just been making an issue out of something that couldn't be helped. She had been selfish, thought that she didn't need Asher... She'd just been conceited, and because of it, Asher had been hurt. He'd wanted to protect his friend, but she... she didn't even deserve that protection.

The minotaur darted towards its fallen target, its hand raised to fell its prey. It gave a triumphant roar as it brought its claws down...

...then a cry of pain as its hand was severed completely. Canon's blade, held backhanded, flashed brightly as, with a downward <<Reverse-Vertical,>> she cut off first the beast's arm, then its head with a <<Reverse Guillotine>> as a follow-up. Tears streamed from her eyes, but she hardly even noticed the blur across her vision as her body went numb, turning almost of its own accord to face the regrouping horde. There were seven minotaurs left, and, even as their comrade shattered into pixels before them, they were already preparing themselves to attack despite the somewhat severe wounds that all of them had sustained. The lone warrior stood before them, her eyes wide with fear. What was she supposed to do? Asher had been knocked out and was now in danger of dying, all because of her. The blind drive to succeed she'd felt before was all gone, leaving her alone and scared, unable to even flee lest the friend she didn't deserve die in her place. There were too many, far too many. How was she supposed to take on seven at once? Her mana bar was all but depleted, and her Sword Skills wouldn't be fast enough to cut them down without the animation delay exposing her to even more attacks. Not even the single-hit attacks would be able to strike without leaving her vulnerable. But... she couldn't fail. She had to eliminate them, or else Asher would die!

BGM: Worldend Dominator

Well, then. That just left one option. She'd just have to beat them without using Sword Skills. At that moment, it didn't matter to her that, without the <<System Assist,>> it was almost impossible to achieve the necessary precision and speed to actually register as major damage against an opponent. It didn't matter to her that the plan she had in mind was nothing short of suicidal. The only things that mattered to her were her own blinding, overwhelming fear, and her need to overcome it to save the boy lying unconscious behind her. He was stronger than her. He didn't need her. And yet, he'd been hurt because of her. Even if it meant her death, she wasn't about to let him die unless she died before she could finish protecting him!

Two blades appeared in a flash of light, their hilts held between the fingers of her right hand while her left numbly raised her sword before her. Time seemed to slow down as the blade appeared on her screen, the air around it whirling and flashing. With the effects of Sylphae Blade, which dealt damage upon contact, killing the minotaurs without the use of <<System Assist>> might just have been possible. However, she'd need to do it quickly. The buff only had 47 seconds remaining before it timed out. Well, she was already set to do the impossible, so what did it matter if her job was made just a little more difficult?

Canon's violet eyes gazed blankly upon her enemies. They were coming. A clawstrike to the head. She recognized that pattern. It would try to drive her to the side, running her into another enemy's charge attack. If she was hit even once, it would be all over, both for her and Asher. Almost unconsciously, she moved forward, raising the twin dao swords held within her right hand as, at the same time, she ducked beneath the sweep at her face. The claws passed just above her, and, in the next instant, her blind strike connected. A jolt ran up her arm as, unlike the smooth cutting of the Sword Skills, she had to force her blades every inch of the way through the enemy's body. But she didn't stop. She never stopped. She couldn't stop. Giving a cry of despairing rage, she kept on cutting forward until her twin daos emerged from the enemy's stomach, leaving it but a cloud of bright blue light that scattered behind her. Twisting with her continuing momentum, Canon next dealt with the incoming flanker from the left, hurling her blades into its gut and cutting it off before it could reach her. It groaned and collapsed to the floor, skidding to a stop and shattering as its comrade had. While her blades cycled back around, Canon pivoted backward, turning the force of her first attack back around on itself and, with both hands on her sword, slashing upward just in time to bisect a third minotaur.

"It's my fault," She murmured, raising her blade before her face and cutting upward, turning aside the claws of two more enemies. Their arms were knocked upward even as Canon was sent skidding back, her health bar decreasing significantly. But before they could follow up, finishing their opponent with a dual charge attack, they were suddenly split apart by Canon's returning blades, which once more faded into her inventory as she rose shakily. The remaining two minotaurs came on at once, but she wouldn't surrender an inch of her ground. Above all else, she wouldn't cause Asher any more pain! She wouldn't be useless, even if she was a coward!

"Everything's my fault," She cried once again, parrying one claw attack into the other, an act which sent her spinning backwards, skidding across the ground from the force of the blow, even if it didn't lower her HP. In an instant, however, she'd rotated fully about, raising her sword and hacking at the stumbling enemies with a <<Horizontal.>> The lead minotaur blocked, crossing its arms before its head to intercept the force of the blow, and staggered backward. Canon was forced, meanwhile, to bring down her sword, not quite fast enough to turn away a lunge from the side as the second minotaur recovered from its loss of balance and struck at her. She was forced to block it, and another chip depleted from her health bar. "I'm a coward. I'm afraid of everything!" She shouted, almost as though accusing the mindless beasts now assailing her of the fear she now felt. "If that's the case, then everything should just die!" With this roar of rage, Canon rose once again, hacking blindly upward. The second minotaur, like the first, parried her blow, but fell backward from the sheer force of her attack, collapsing on top of the first one. As they fell to the ground, Canon leaped on top of them, her blade held high over her head and angry tears screaming from her eyes.

"DIE!" She howled, bringing down the blade again and again in three vicious stabs, scattering a shower of scarlet pixels all around her as she ripped apart every last one of both minotaur's vitals, piece by piece. "EVERY! LAST! ONE OF YOU!" Even as the beast's health were both reduced to zero, she didn't stop, and instead continued on hacking away, even once the enemies' bodies had already begun to shatter. "ALL OF YOU, JUST... DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" With this final scream, the enemies beneath her at last finished disintegrating into dust. By the time they'd finally completed their death animation, their entire upper bodies had just been a single mass of shining red, torn completely into countless bits as a veritable rain of vermillion shards of light, like a shower of gore, spread across the entire surrounding area.

Canon, meanwhile, staggered backward as the living platform she'd been standing upon faded beneath her, sending her stumbling backward. She collapsed weakly against the wall, all her strength leaving her as her sword clattered softly to the ground by her side, slipping from between her numb fingers as, slowly, she crawled over to the side of her fallen friend.

"Asher..." She sobbed, the tears that had streamed down from her purple eyes now dropping from her face and staining her unconscious ally's coat as she cradled his limp form. She had to get him out of here, before-

Before...?

Wait. She was forgetting something. Didn't the message say... once the minotaurs were dead...

Canon's eyes widened in terror as an enemy target registered across her vision, a blur of light and motion appearing abruptly from the left. Instinctively, she leaped away, grasping her sword with one hand and blindly raising it in the hopes of turning the enemy blow away while at the same time using every last ounce of power in her body to cast Asher across the floor, sending him tumbling away from the threat that now presented itself while Canon herself skidded across the hard stone ground. But, quick though she was, she wasn't fast enough.

An overwhelming wave of wrongness, if not outright hellish agony, erupted from her right arm as she rose to her feet. Glancing down, her eyes went wide with horror as she connected the dots, her mind finally comprehending the sudden numbness she felt just as her sight was filled with a gruesome image. With a dull clack of metal on stone, her sword dropped point first into the ground, and with a flash of red pixels and a quiet thud, her right arm landed next to it, and shattered into light as a condition window opened beneath her health bar.

<<Dismembered.>>

The boss, <<Fallen King Acheron>>, simply raised its long, curved sword once again, the clattering of its armor the only sound it made as, with its scarlet eyes gleaming brightly from beneath its helmet, it took a step forward. One health bar filled next to its name, then another, then a third, and finally a fourth. Canon's health bar, meanwhile, plummeted, stopping just a few centimeters above non-existent. Slowly, the beast raised a large shield, and prepared itself for battle. Canon's eyes went wide with agony and fright, and even her tears were stopped short by the sudden wave of absolute terror that filled her very being. This... This just couldn't be done. The boss was four levels above her! It had nearly taken out an entire party from one of the greatest guilds in the area! Just one hit from this thing would be enough to end her life, and this time, she didn't even have Asher to protect her. With one of her arms severed, her partner unconscious in an area where no other players could enter until both Canon and Asher either exited or died, and both her health and mana almost entirely depleted, there was simply no hope of victory. But she couldn't even run away. Without a doubt... she was going to die here. And yet, she had no choice but to fight.

The boss braced itself to leap forward.

Canon numbly opened up her inventory window, drawing out a health crystal and using it quickly, restoring her health to half.

The enemy roared triumphantly and leaped forward.

Canon clutched the hilt of her sword and drew it forth from the ground, crossing it over her body.

The boss raised its sword to attack.

Canon braced herself, and charged forward.

A mutual roar, the one of mindless, murderous fury, and the other of hopeless determination, rang out through the caverns and into the open sky.

(To be continued... Tomorrow.)

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Character Portrait: Asher Damons (a.k.a. The Voice of Treason) Character Portrait: Canon
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(Here's part 1 of the collab. Since I ended up going way overboard again, we're dividing it up based on whose PoV it's from.)

Steel clashed against steel as the vermillion-clad warrior darted aside at the last moment, the black giant's sword sweeping downward like the hammer of an angry god, but striking only the air where Canon had just been as, at the same time, she swept up her blade in a diagonal cut, executing a three-hit sword skill. The boss raised its cross shield, batting her sword upward, but, undeterred, Canon gave a mighty roar and twisted into a horizontal strike, only for this to be deflected as well. Twisting this into a one-handed stab, her blade struck against the enemy's shield yet again, sending her stumbling back as the boss executed a bash with its formidable ward, using Canon's blade as leverage to hurl her backward. She flipped head-over heels, but came down standing, skidding to a stop and immediately leaping forward again. The boss only had just enough time to raise its shield as she began another shower of attacks, forcing it once more onto the defensive. And yet, no matter how much she accelerated, with only one arm, she didn't have the speed or the precision to carve past its defenses. Slashing at its chest, she used the momentum of her attack's deflection to duck and spin beneath the enemy's sword, trying to get around behind it only to be met unexpectedly with a reverse-roundhouse kick from the black knight's armored foot, which intercepted her blade and cut her off before she could even execute her trademark <<Whirlwind Piercer,>> once more sending her skidding backwards as the giant braced itself, leaping towards her and cutting upward with its mighty blade. Canon darted in close, moving fast and low as she cocked her head to the side to avoid decapitation, at the same time using the enemy's overextension to stab in beneath its shield, dealing a light cut across its side, then using the force of this blow to spin about on the ball of her foot, rotating and raising her Sword of Elinsore just in time to parry a follow-up slash from the <<Fallen King Acheron>> as it gave an angry roar. Its first health bar crawled down slightly as Canon once more darted in below its guard, executing a <<Triple Stab>> from the side, beyond the reach of the enemy's shield. With its sword turned aside, it once more failed to block. And yet, the damage from these four hits was almost entirely insignificant. Canon grimaced as the enemy brought down its blade once more, forcing her to leap backward, the very tip of the enemy's sword grazing past her just inches from her face. The boss roared incoherently and rushed after her, its blade already raised to attack once again, but Canon once more evaded it by inches, rolling to the side at the last instant. The enemy staggered past her, only to impact with the cavern wall, stunning it for a moment. Taking her newfound opportunity, Canon let loose with a five-hit combo of single-handed slashes across the enemy's back, giving her just enough time to raise her sword a final time after the last stroke as the boss whirled about, crying out angrily as its first health bar was reduced by half, and sweeping its shield upward like a bludgeon. Blocking this attack directly, Canon found herself literally picked up off of her feet and sent flying several yards by the force of the impact, her own HP dropping clear past the halfway point and hovering just above the red zone as she landed in a crouch, her feet gaining no purchase on the smooth ground as she slid backwards.

Bracing herself against the ground, Canon yet refused to stop for an instant. If she didn't keep attacking the boss, its aggro might instead fall upon Asher. If it attacked him while he was unconscious, she would almost surely be unable to block the attack completely, and his life would be in danger. That was something she absolutely, positively, could not allow. And so, she wasted no time. From the moment she landed, she was already struggling to launch herself right back at the enemy. And her enemy, the <<Fallen King Acheron,>> wasted no time in, at the same instant, leaping after her.

Cutting upward in the hopes of circumventing the enemy's defenses by eschewing pre-programmed Sword Skills, which the NPC would doubtless be programmed to react to, Canon found her blade once more intercepted by the enemy's shield as it forced her weapon aside and hacked downward with a strike of its own. Bringing back her blade, she spun, stabbing downward and running the enemy's sword off of her own, before cutting upward in a backhanded <<Reverse-Vertical.>> And yet, the enemy's ever-present guard turned aside this counterattack as well, as, moving with the force of her own parry, the beast hacked upward at Canon, forcing her to flip high overhead to evade a blow that otherwise would have bisected her. Dealing a backhanded cut downward from where she flew, head-over-heels over her target, she aimed to slash across the boss's armored visor, yet even this was thwarted as the enemy twisted yet again with the force of its own slash, causing the blow to graze nigh-harmlessly across its armored shoulder as it spun around, bringing up its sword to hack at the young warrior once again as she landed behind it, momentarily turned away from her enemy. But Canon was a skilled combatant - at least, in the virtual world - and had been expecting just such a counter. In an instant, she'd brought back her own sword, pivoting about on the ball of her foot. Twisting the incoming slash away from her, Canon gave a roar of exertion as she locked blades with the boss, then, using the counterattack skill <<Guillotine,>> slid her own weapon along the edge of the falchion of her enemy, carving upward along its arm as its own attack arced out wide, missing her completely. The boss howled as its first HP bar vanished completely, and lunged upward with the end of its shield, aiming to strike Canon's right side, forcing her to rotate as she completed her cut, spinning around behind her stumbling enemy and chaining her <<Guillotine>> attack straight into a <<Whirlwhind Piercer,>> following up her attack to the front with a horizontal slash across Acheron's back, then leaping over its head yet again as it spun to attack her and carving three gleaming rifts of scarlet pixels into its upper body as it screamed in pain, its second health bar dropping into the yellow. Canon landed just in time to have her next attack, an upward cut from a crouch, deflected by the enemy's sweeping shield, sending her skidding backward once more. Her health bar was depleted yet again, but this decrease was minor enough. As it was, she could still manage to block at least one more attack directly before she died. So long as she didn't take any direct hits, she could still keep fighting. And, difficult though this enemy was to fight, she was beginning to grasp its attack pattern. Maybe, if things kept going as they were now, she might actually manage to do the impossible and save both herself and Asher!

And yet, these hopeful thoughts were abruptly cut off by an audible crack as a small warning flashed up in her vision. She grimaced, glancing down at a status screen for her sword as it opened for a moment. The Sword of Elinsore's durability was rapidly decreasing. If she kept having to block attacks on the level of the boss' furious slashes, or kept having her own attacks blocked with such frequency, then the weapon would surely break. In short, if she didn't end this soon, she'd be both dismembered and disarmed. The boss still had two and a half health bars left, and still had some sort of trick up its sleeve. After all, the party that had sold her the quest information had said it used a "style change" which took them by surprise, killing two of their members. That meant she'd need to be on the lookout for unexpected attacks in addition to worrying about both her own lack of an arm and the fact that her weapon was beginning to break down. And yet, despite the fact that she should have been terrified, should have been afraid of the almost certain death she was staring in the face, Canon felt nothing but an eerie calm, and a determination to keep fighting, even if it meant she'd be killed. It was a feeling she'd known well during the days before the announcement of the survival game, a desire to win even in situations where she knew it was likely impossible. When faced with an enemy she knew she couldn't beat back in those days, she would just keep on fighting until she somehow won anyway. Even if she died, it was only a minor inconvenience back when she could respawn. And yet, now that death here would mean a permanent end to her life, somehow, she couldn't bring herself to realize exactly how scared she was. Actually, in a sort of sick way, this sort of battle was actually kind of fun! In this situation, there was only one thing she could do: fight.

The boss was growing predictable. It always seemed to open with a cut from its sword, which it would then chain into a second slash. At the same time, it kept its shield firmly over its vitals, moving it ever-so-slightly to intercept any incoming attacks, then using a bash attack to force her back once she got in close. Yet, if she could just lure it into overextending itself with its first slash, she could cut beneath its upraised blade, circumventing its shield entirely. Once she hit it once, it slowed down somewhat, beginning to flail about in a futile attempt to catch her. In short, if she hit it once, she could continue chaining more and more attacks, keeping it too busy trying in vain to stop her rain of blows to actually counterattack! Its defense was powerful, but its offense was clumsy, and one slip-up on the enemy's part was all she'd need to start turning the battle in her favor.

As the boss leaped toward her once again, Canon did something that, she realized, she'd never expected to do in a situation like this - she smiled. Raising her sword, she, too, rushed towards the enemy, twisting to the side to avoid a stab at her head, then parrying the enemy's sword with her own as the boss aimed to turn its initial attack into a slash downward. Grinding her weapon off that of the enemy, she spun about, aiming a whirling cut right for the <<Fallen King Acheron's>> throat. The boss stepped backward, raising its shield to defend from the attack. But this time, Canon was ready. Accelerating her slash mid-stroke, she brought her blade in partially around the enemy's defenses, striking the side of the boss' shield and forcing it aside. As her blade was knocked back by this, she reversed her momentum, spinning about yet again for added power as she cut upward through the newly opened gap in the black knight's defenses, forcing it to raise its sword to block, only to have this, too, turned away. This time, a small cut was dealt across the beast's chest, and it actually began to backpedal. But it was too slow, far, far too slow. Canon's sword let out a tremendous flare of vermillion, and her smirk broadened. Its shield and sword had been knocked completely aside, and, now that it had been dealt a blow, it would momentarily slow down, staggering backward from the impact. With its movements slowed and no means of defending itself, this was her chance, if ever she had one. The beast roared impotently as she began her attack, but she merely smirked and activated a Sword Skill, <<Gale Waltz.>>

"I'm not scared of you!" She roared, giving voice to the determination she felt boiling up inside as her blade plunged forward, dealing an X of cuts across the enemy's torso from each shoulder to the opposite hip. The beast howled with pain, cutting at her face, but she tilted her head aside, causing the weapon to only graze nigh-harmlessly across her cheek. The giant staggered, carried forward by the force of its failed blow, only to be met by the Sword of Elinsore impaling its shoulder before rotating clean out through its arm as Canon came about with the force of her cut, slashing yet again across the boss's waist, releasing a gust of wind from the sheer speed of her blade's movement that actually picked the hulking black knight up and sent it skidding backward. Canon gave a mighty cry and, raising her blade high overhead, charged forward. The boss screamed, trying to raise its shield to defend itself, only to be sent staggering back yet again as a fifth strike connected, carving clean through its visored helmet and then down into its other shoulder. Yet again it slashed, this time an overhead stroke aimed straight downward at its nimble enemy, but again, Canon evaded it, twisting her slash outward as she spun, flicking her sword backhanded as she drove it clean through the enemy's chest yet again with the force of her rotation, then cut upward. The Sword of Elinsore carved straight through the boss' shoulder, then flew from Canon's grasp and up into the air. The enemy twisted its first attack into an upward strike, but this, too, was dodged as Canon leaped high, the blade passing harmlessly beneath her as she caught her sword fronthanded. As gravity took her, she gave a mighty battle cry, and then plummeted downward, her sword raised to split her enemy from its head to its waist.

The eight-hit Sword Skill had done massive damage. Almost every stroke had connected with the boss' vitals, reducing its second health bar completely and carving a good chunk out of its third. With this last stroke, she'd get an almost certain critical, which would be enough to eliminate the creature's third HP bar entirely. She could then use another skill to knock out the last of its health while it recovered from the impact. In short, from the moment this attack connected, she'd be assured of victory. And yet, she realized, there was something yet to be accounted for: the boss' style change. Most bosses would change the weapon they used after sustaining a certain amount of damage, usually half of their health. So... wait. Didn't that mean-

Her thoughts were cut off by a piercing screech from below as the boss rose, and, drawing back its shield arm with the momentum of Canon's own attacks, it braced itself and, with speed far beyond its earlier, lumbering movements, hurled the thick metal ward upward at her. Or, more specifically, at her sword. She was cut off before she could even finish her coup de grace as the projectile impacted her blade, breaking off her last attack and sending her flying clear across the room. She crashed down to the ground in a crouch, and her health bar was reduced to a tiny red sliver, while her sword's integrity dropped by several dozen levels, nearly reaching the breaking point. Her violet eyes widened with surprise as the boss gave a second roar, reaching over its back and, with a groan of metal on metal, drawing a second falchion.

Dual Blades?! Canon thought with disbelief. But that's a high-end ability at least ten levels beyond this area! Even with Unique Skills, it's almost impossible to get that ability at this point in time! This boss' attack stat must be on the level of a level 35 enemy, at the very least! But she had no more time to analyze the situation, for, to her surprise, the boss hurled itself forward, crossing the distance between them with a speed that was at least on par with her own. Canon gave a cry of shock and darted backward as fast as she could, the enemy's blades nearly bisecting her despite her hasty retreat. The boss halted for a moment, giving Canon just enough time to hastily plant her sword in the ground, then to use a healing crystal before it lunged again. Taking up her sword, Canon was suddenly forced onto the defensive, leaping, rolling, and backpedaling frantically beneath the boss' sudden tempest of attacks. The <<Fallen King Acheron's>> swords glowed bright red as it began a furious combo attack, cutting upward and forcing Canon to dodge to the side, only to bring itself back around in a reverse spinning cut at her throat, forcing her to parry, then to duck as its first sword carved over her. Forced into a crouch, she raised her blade over her head as the enemy then brought down both swords at once, reducing her only just regenerated health bar to the red zone with this dual attack despite the fact that she'd blocked it. Her sword, meanwhile, began to crack, its durability all but exhausted as, giving a triumphant howl, the boss leaped into the air, flipping head over heels as Canon fell backward from the powerful impact of its last attack. Doing a complete aerial somersault, the boss brought down both blades yet again. Canon's eyes went wide as she realized that she could dodge nor raise her sword to block in time. This impact would absolutely, without a doubt, connect flawlessly, dealing not just one, but two direct hits, more than enough to have killed her twice over. She gave a cry of horror, trying to scramble backward, but found this impossible. The boss' blades cut down, down, down...

"CRITICAL HEARTBREAK!" The vengeful roar from Canon's left was punctuated by a sudden torrent of scarlet energy in the shape of a massive javelin collided with the boss from the side, sending it flying away from her in the instant before its attack would have connected. It rolled across the ground, landing several yards away, but then slowly rose, preparing to attack again. And yet, at the same time, a black clad form stepped in front of the fallen warrior, its sword already raised as it prepared for battle.

"A...sher?"

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Character Portrait: Asher Damons (a.k.a. The Voice of Treason) Character Portrait: Canon
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The Voice of Treason’s health bar started to turn from gray back into the red. Asher started to stir during this process, and found himself completely open and against a wall. His vision was still blurry, and any sound heard still sounded distant.

Asher shook his head a few times, then looked at the scene that unfolded before him. Canon, or Kanna, was currently fighting not the multitude of minotaurs, but the boss. It looked like Kanna had the advantage of speed, forcing the boss to block all her attacks. But for some reason, she can’t hit the thing and do massive amounts of damage.

Asher glanced up to the boss’s and Kanna’s health bars. The boss had four levels of health. It still was a little under half-way drained. Kanna, however, wasn’t doing so hot. Her health bar is extremely low, and he saw Kanna being cautious with her attacks. This was the main sign that a weapon is about to break. Shit… Asher thought. I need to get up and fight…

However, none of his spells in his arsenal didn’t have a knockback effect, nor were they THAT strong. Any attack would seem useless until…

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!


Asher looked down to his side to see a blinking icon. Asher touched it, and saw a menu of his stats. This menu gave him hope. The level number, which used to be 24, had turned to 25. The level up points appeared above the few main stats that made up his battle performance- at least, coming from the game.

5 points remaining. It said. Asher tapped the main stats that he would use against this boss. Strength. Dexterity. Speed. Endurance. Strength. That was the order Asher tapped the stats, and they rose by one. The Voice of Treason felt himself get stronger, and yet another window opened up before he fully stood.

-NEW SKILLS LEARNED-
Assault Slash
Tempest Reversal
Somersault Kick
Critical Heart Break


Asher smiled. Every one of these skills would provide more options to combo enemies and cause even more devastating damage. However, that last skill, Critical Heart Break would be extremely be of use right now. Asher closed the window, and looked on to what was happening right now. Kanna was on the ground. Her health bar was only a sliver of what it was before when it was at maximum. The Sword of Elinsore was cracked as well. The boss itself was high in the air, carrying dual blades in contrast to the lone sword before, and slashed down in a manner similar to Assault Slash.

Something snapped inside Asher. Suddenly, he chanted his newly discovered spell. ”Feel your heart beat for the last time… “ Lightning started to crackle in the Voice of Treason’s right hand. It slowly took the form of a large spear, and the spear turned into a scarlet red. Asher brought up his spear in hand and spun it. It stopped spinning, pointed at the boss. ”Critical Heart Break!”

The spear flew through the air in a flash, and it struck the boss in its side. Not only did it cancel its attack, but the attack knocked the boss away from the fallen Canon. For a few moments, it was in a daze, trying to figure out what had just happened. It slowly got up, and faced Canon… behind the blade of The Voice of Treason.

“A….sher?” The confused Kanna asked.

Asher smirked. “I told you… It’s foolish to go up against a pack of monsters on your own...” He said. Asher swung his sword in various ways and pointed it at the boss, The Fallen King Archeron. “However, I guess it couldn’t be helped. Sorry I let myself be knocked out…” He said. His face was full of confidence, confidence that this boss will be defeated.


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Character Portrait: Asher Damons (a.k.a. The Voice of Treason) Character Portrait: Canon
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Canon's heart sank as the first words out of her partner's mouth merely picked up where he'd left off before, telling her how foolish it was to have kept on fighting on her own. But what was she supposed to do? She couldn't have just run away and left Asher to die. And yet, it seemed that, despite how it had seemed at the time, in her partner's more accurate opinion, her choice to protect him had been the wrong one. She gazed guiltily down. Canon had tried her best, and yet, despite that, she'd still failed in the end, forcing Asher to risk himself to save her. And, judging by his next comment, he was even taking responsibility for the situation again! So nothing had changed. If he really believed that he was just being a good friend, that he wasn't making himself a martyr for her sake, then why was he still insisting on taking all of the duties, burdens, and pains that should have fallen upon her shoulders onto his own?!

"Sorry," She mumbled quietly, her expression crestfallen. "Should I just stay back and use some crystals, then...?" Idly, she noticed something. Her mantle had fallen closed across her body when she'd been knocked backward, and Asher, as he didn't comment on the painfully visible wound she'd sustained, must not have noticed it at all. It was for the best, though, she supposed. She didn't want him worrying over her when he was about to go into battle with such a dangerous opponent. And so, not wanting to be a further nuisance to him, she remained silent, a decision she'd perhaps later come to regret...

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Character Portrait: Asher Damons (a.k.a. The Voice of Treason) Character Portrait: Canon
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“Yeah… I suggest you stay back, considering your health bar… Join in once you’ve healed.” Asher responded. “I’d heal you, but then the boss will catch us both by surprise.”

Suddenly, the boss made a battle roar and charge at The Voice of Treason. Its swords were high in the air, prepared for a downward X-slash. However, the swordsman armored in black stepped to the side, and thrust his sword into the boss’s side. The boss, using the momentum from the charge, narrowly escaped the full damage, but had been scraped by the blade, as well as its health bar. However, Asher wouldn’t let it escape with barely an injury, and side stepped to his right to make another slash. The hit was successful, and the boss’s health bar decreased once again.

The boss jumped up and flipped. Then, it tried to do another Assault Slash mimic. Asher jumped and did a blackflip, using his new skill Tempest Reversal (not to be confused with Kanna’s Reverse Tempest). Asher successfully caught the boss, and made a few slashes before slashing it downwards. Then, Asher brought his sword down and used the force of gravity to power his skill, Assault Slash. The boss didn’t even have the chance to roll out of the way, and Asher’s sword slammed into its chest. Because the move was especially effective on downed enemies, the hit registered as a critical, and the boss’s health bar showed itself as 2 bars left.

However, the boss roared, and got up while simultaneously grabbing Asher’s hand and sword. The brute then threw Asher across the room. Asher flipped midair and planted his feet on the wall. Had Asher not recovered in time, he would’ve been in shock from the impact on the wall and the boss would’ve followed up with a devastating attack. However, the boss still followed up with astonishing speed and slashed at Asher, who jumped from the wall and used Dropkick, landing both his feet on the boss’s face. The boss fell down on his back, his health dropping to 9/10 of its health bar. “Rain frigid wrath upon thy enemy!” Asher chanted Icicle Rain, and a small white orb appeared just over the boss. It rained down a multitude of icicles on the downed enemy. Because Asher made it appear so close to the boss, the orb’s icicles all hit their mark. The boss, after being sprayed point-blank by a bunch of icicles, was then slammed down by another Assault Slash.

Asher jumped off before the boss could grab him again, and followed up with three flaming kicks from his Somersault Kick skill. The boss was knocked back again, but still on its feet. Asher followed the combo with Tempest, Ghost Wolf, and ending the combo with Heavenly Tempest. The boss’s health was reduced to 1 and a half bars. It still stood strong, and, while Asher had just landed on the ground, charged at Asher. Because the boss attacked while Asher was in an open position, his hands and sword down, the boss’s slash connected, and Asher was knocked back. The hit registered in as a critical, leaving Asher with 2/3 of his health. “Damn…” Asher cursed.

The Fallen Kick Archeron tries to follow up again, this time using the downward X-slash. Asher responded by throwing his sword into the air and doing a spin back-kick on it, sending the sword straight into the center of the boss. The boss stumbled back, and Asher used the opportunity again. This time, Asher used Windmill, kicking his sword deeper into the boss and eventually sending it out its back. Then, Asher activated Ghost Wolf, using it's firt part to rush behind the enemy and grabbing his sword, then turning around to slash it from behind. However, the boss, even though it got hit, turned around quickly and slashed using the momentum from the spin. Asher jumped back, only to see the boss following it up with a stab using the other sword.

Asher's response was to bring his sword up in front of him in a vertical position. He leapt left even though there was no time to dodge and tilted the sword so the boss's stab with slide off the blade and to the side of Asher. The tactic worked, but the sword ended up stabbing Asher in the far right side of Asher's abdomen. Because of Asher's momentum from the leap, the sword also found itself unintentionally slashing Asher and coming out of his right side. The mark it left was shone with a large line of red. Asher's health bar was decreased to just under 50%, bringing him into Endangered Threat mode.

The two opponents made a standoff just then. Neither of them moved... Until Asher charged at the boss. The boss, in return, charged at Asher, preparing for a side slash. However, Asher ducked the slash and got in close, chanting "Burn by my hand!" and slamming a Fireball into the boss's upper abdomen. To continue his combo, Asher jumped up and used Dropkick and sent the boss away. Then, Asher chanted for another Critical Heart Break and threw it at the flying target, followed by Asher's Devil Lance skill. The boss's health bar was reduced to 1/10 of each bar's maximum. Asher started to run to the boss, only to be stunned by the sheer force of its roar's soundwaves. Asher quickly chanted his Wind Blade skill and sent it at the boss. It hit the boss in its neck, making a critical hit once again. Furthermore, the second bar broke away into pixels, leaving the final health bar left.

This didn't come without consquence, however. The boss suddebnly roared its loudest, causing the ground to rumble and small debris to fall. Asher's sword, which used to be impaled in the boss's abdomen, flew away from the boss when it roared. The sword spun midair and caught Asher's left arm. It was a major scratch, which also caused a Bleeding Effect that slightly outmatched Asher's Rejuvenate skill, and stuck itself on the wall near where Kanna rested.

Before Asher could go into the menu and equip his spare Fluted Short Sword, the boss charged at Asher and football-rammed him. Asher flew across the room and also landed near where Kanna was rejuvenating. He was under the Dazed State, meaning Asher had blurred vision and difficulty to move. "Crap..." Asher managed to let out a curse. His health bar was at 33%, and dropped by one percent every few minutes. His health bar also turned completely gray. Asher's situation wasn't serious, fortunately.

"Sorry Kanna..." Asher apologized. "You're gonna have to handle this bastard from here..."

BGM: SW3 OST- Life or Death
Alternate BGM: SW3 OST Battle of Honnoji

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Asher Damons (a.k.a. The Voice of Treason) Character Portrait: Canon
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Roars and the clashing of steel filled the young warrior's ears as, planting her sword in the ground to free up her arm, she swiftly opened her inventory and began withdrawing several crystals from it. Using two health crystals, she swiftly brought her HP bar back up to full, and then withdrew a mana crystal and used it as well. However, with only one arm, it took her a bit longer than it otherwise would have, as she had to stop operating the inventory screen every time a crystal was withdrawn. Still, she managed to finish recovering, and then closed her inventory screen, preparing to draw her sword and assist Asher...

...only to see her partner come crashing down a few feet to the side of her, slamming into a nearby wall and dropping his sword. His health bar once more turned to gray, but it was a slightly lighter hue than that of <<Unconscious.>> This distinction hardly mattered, however. In a fight against such a powerful, nimble enemy, <<Dazed>> condition was just as much of a death sentence as was being knocked out. The boss gave another terrible roar, and came lunging toward the both of them, swords raised to finish off both of its tired enemies. Canon grimaced, knowing all too well what was about to unfold. The boss had most recently been attacked by Asher, who had dealt more than enough damage for the enemy's aggro to change over. The first person it would try to kill was him. Disarmed and barely able to move, he'd have no way to defend himself. And, with only one arm, she wouldn't be able to move him out of the way in time, which meant that the only option she had left was one that she had already realized the futility of. None of her spells had sufficient knockback to stop something moving that fast, and, furthermore, her Sword Skills wouldn't be quick enough to interrupt its skill animation before its finishing attack had already connected. Which meant that the only thing she could do was... to try to block the beast's attack directly, with only one arm and a swiftly weakening sword. Remembering Asher's previous lecture to her, she wondered if he'd be angry if she did something so foolhardy. Most probably, it would just mean that she would die along with him. It was a disheartening thought, realizing that both she and perhaps the only person she'd ever called her friend were very likely about to die, and that he would die hating her for getting killed meaninglessly along with himself. And yet, Canon realized, this was the only option available to her. So long as there was even the slightest chance that she might save him, then how could she, in good conscience, stand and do nothing, then live the rest of her life knowing that he had only died because she was too cowardly to try to protect him?

And so, with a mighty cry, Canon reached down, clasping the hilt of her slowly breaking sword and wrenching it forth from the ground as she leaped forward. The black knight came on, its blades raised high overhead as it prepared to bring them down upon the fallen form of Asher. Giving a crow of victory, it cut down upon its target. And yet, its triumphant howl was cut abruptly short as a vermillion blur flashed between it and its target at the very last instant, a flashing white blade already rising to meet its twin black swords. A tremendous shockwave burst across the air as the swords met, a flash of light and sparks spreading in all directions. Canon grimaced as her health bar instantly dropped by more than half from the sheer impact, which, although taken largely by her sword, was still enough to force her to her knees almost instantly. The black knight gave an angry roar and began to press down harder, as, at the same time, cracks began to spread across the blade of the Sword of Elinsore as a warning screen appeared.

Durability: 10/300

Her blade began to be forced back towards her as her strength gave way.

Durability: 8/300

Cracks spread across the surface of her weapon. Within another few seconds, it would break, and the boss' swords would cut clean through her, then her partner.

Durability: 5/300

It was hopeless. There was just no way to force the enemy back! She was, without a doubt, going to die.

Durability: 3/300

No. No. No! It couldn't end this way! There had to be something she could do! She had to at least save Asher! She couldn't let him down, not after all of the mistakes she'd made already!

Durability: 2/300

Canon's eyes flashed with determination, and her sword abruptly stopped giving way before the enemy's blades. The boss, nonplussed, simply began to force down upon her defenses harder. In another instant, it would have killed her for sure, but Canon never gave it the chance.

"I told you," She hissed. "I'm not... afraid of you!" Forcing upward with all her might, she watched as the Sword of Elinsore was reduced to its last point of durability. But it had to last, just a few seconds more. She'd make it last!

"Sever and Transcend... Sylphae... Blade!" Roaring out this spell, Canon used up every last bit of the mana she possessed, and cast her final magic. The sword flashed brilliantly with light, and once more, a powerful shockwave expanded outward. This time, however, it was the boss that was knocked back, its swords forced up over its head as it staggered backward. Before it could even recover, Canon had already made her move. Giving a roar of exertion, she rose to her feet, drew her cracking sword back with all her might, and hurled it forward, impaling the enemy boss through the torso with the gleaming weapon. The <<Fallen King Acheron>> screamed, but its voice was cut off in the next instant as, sweeping back her mantle, Canon reached down, taking up the sword planted in the ground beside her. The Infernal Blade flared to life with a tremendous surge of flames as, rising to her feet, Canon leaped forward, putting every last ounce of her strength into one last attack. Lunging forward, the gleaming blade flashed briefly with a scarlet light as the <<Linear>> connected, plunging directly into the boss' chest, reducing it down to a sliver of its last health bar. For a moment, it seemed as though Canon had failed to finish her enemy. But, no. She'd struck exactly what she'd been aiming for. The boss gave a final roar, raising its blades to attack, only to be cut off by a sudden flash of blue light from within its own body as the Sword Skill connected with the blade lodged in the creature's abdomen. The Sword of Elinsore shattered into countless pieces, exploding out of the boss' back in a mixed storm of crimson and azure pixels, and, its angry roar turned into a pathetic death wail, the boss dissipated into light.

Canon smiled weakly as the quest completion and spoils windows opened. Accepting the rewards of both, she staggered slightly backward, her strength all but gone. Giving a dull thud as it slipped from her grasp and fell point-first into the ground, the Infernal Blade once more lay beside its owner. Canon turned slowly around, giving a feeble grin to her fallen partner.

"We... did it," She murmured, her expression becoming somewhat distant. "It's... over." Reaching out with her remaining arm to help her partner up, Canon's vision suddenly became blurry. Her legs felt weak, a sudden wave of fatigue rushing over all of her senses as her mind suddenly realized exactly how tired she was. Her helping hand didn't even reach Asher before she lost the ability to stand, and toppled forward, collapsing to the ground next to her companion.

"S-sorry..."

cron