Scale Emblem Meeting: Advance

A meeting had been called within the recently rebuilt Tolbana. Where once there had been a village in severe disrepair, there is now a bustling village, with walls being built around it. The Amphitheater at its center, even if it's not been fully repaired, is filled with people across the various levels of seats.

On the main stage, four people stand. To most of those present, they aren't unknowns. Standing on either side of one-another, Krusty of former D.D.D., and Heathcliff of the Aincrad Liberation Front. As the ones who have led the guild to aid in rebuilding Tolbana, they stand at its center.

On either side of them, Gardenia of the Odysseia Knights, and Naobi of The Divine Dragons. Gardenia, notably, standing a bit further back. She isn't one who takes the forefront unless she absolutely has to. On the other hand, Naobi remains close to the ones at the forefront. His strange Were Fang appearance notably tall and broad. Most of it hidden by his clothing and hat.

Heathcliff has always been the more outspoken one of leaders, raising his hand up to quiet the gathering groups.

"I will keep this matter short. As many of you have a great deal of things to do. We have finally come to the third floor, well above us. But it's taken us long to get there. We have gotten used to this new world, and have come to understand this tower a little better. Three Floor Bosses have fallen to us through great cooperation and we have built a town of our own here, where once there was only wreckage - abandoned by an unknown NPCs."

The man lowers his hand slightly. "But our progress has been slow. It is time we pick up the pace. Especially with the revalation of the Waves of Calamity. The longer we take, the more the Others' irritation with us will grow. Some of them will get used to the NPCs, as if they were their friends. We are Humanity after all. We love." He motions his hands outwards.

"But we must not forget where we came from. We must not forget what is /Real/. The families waiting for us. We must grasp opportunity and continue our climb for the Twilight Key." The man then moves his hands back to his sides.

"To that effort, to help with that very climb... we need more commanders."

Vertina had been out helping the patrols around the growing village, so it's little surprise to see the Salamander dusting herself off as she comes in to claim a seat. This was a nice touch though, holding the big meeting in the town they've already been putting an effort into making more than it once was to farther their ventures forward and upward.

BlackRose was here, as she had helped set things up beforehand in an attempt to help out. Now she was sitting attentively, listening to what was being said and nodding occasionally. While she would usually have things to say, she's choosing to hold off until the time is right.

Zorin sits near the front of the amphitheater, a position giving him a clear view of the leaders of the Scale Emblem Alliance. It has been a busy couple of months and it was rare to see all of them gathered together as they are now. Whatever might be decided upon today would impact the alliance moving forward.

Looking around at the others in the amphitheater he recognized several familiar faces. Many of them showing expressions of curiosity or interest, while a few just looked tired probably having recently come back from missions in the tower. Perhaps some of these would soon become new commanders?

Settling his gaze back on Heathcliff who was one of the leaders for ALF, Zorin waits patiently as the man continues to talk. He gives a small nod in agreement as Heathcliff reinforces their priorities and what truly matters - the real world and their families there. This was why Zorin was part of the Aincrad Liberation Front, they had their priorities straight.

Among those gathered from Scale Emblem is Kita Blackthorne of the Odysseia Knights, though perhaps she is more known as the founder of the Lost Adventurer Network. The blue and white-haired imp sits on one of the lower rings of the theater, paper set in front of her, a pencil in her hand as she seems to have taken on the role of note-taker. Her hand moves, recording the names of those present, who is speaking, and likely a summary of their words.

However, that doesn't mean that she doesn't have her own thoughts on the matter. Raising a hand, the gothic dressed Imp speaks, "I appologize, Lord Healthcliff. About your wanting to push more quickly through the tower." Kita has some sense of politeness as she speaks. "There are parties within our Alliance who are concerned that pushing the tower too quickly will lead us into situations we are ill prepared for. It leads towards more risky behavior, possibly even sacrificing people rather than traditional ways of gathering intel and forging tactics." She explains, "That it could lead to being little better than those recently found to be taking advantage of new players for their own personal gain."

It's clear she isn't speaking from her own point of view, but perhaps sharing some commentary that was addressed to her by others. "If we rush against the floor bosses, don't we risk treating our own people with a similar lack of care?"

    Amalthea is here. Having taken time out from her gruelling solo work to come see this meeting, the old Odysseia Knight is settled into one of the amphitheater seats just behind Zorin, wrapped up in the folds of her cloak, heavy shield and sword resting angled at her feet.
    "Mm." She muses, listening intently to Heathcliff's announcement, cobalt eyes regarding the varied guild leaders at the amphitheater center as she rubs her jaw.

    Misa stands towards the edge of the amphitheater stage, off to the side of the group of leaders that are currently addressing the rest of the crowd. She doesn't seem to be paying much attention to what's being said. Which is probably no surprise, as she likely already knows most of it already.

    Instead the alliance administrator glances amongst the various audience members, before glancing down to look at the clipboard she holds in her hand, before nodding a little at something.

    Misa returns to observing, moving to hug the clipboard to her chest as she monitors the meeting.

There are people standing up on that podium who by all rights Prophylaxis has seen maaaaaybe twice around town coordinating this or that or the other. But hey, guildmaster privileges right? That's just how it goes. Nevermind that much of the reconstruction process was organized by a certain doctor whose clinic just opened a little bit ago.

If he wasn't used to having to kowtow to the bigwig senior medical staff, this would probably be a bit of a problem. But so it goes, Japan's magnificent organizational hierarchy demands it...!

Not that he's going to entertain the screaming voice of dissent at the back of his head right now. Still referring to the Landers as NPCs doesn't quite sit well with him-- not just from a humanitarian standpoint, but certain revelations have made the good doctor question just how easily they can write the Landers off as harmless. If they can produce adventurers too, then... That changes the game.

For now though, the doctor sits and listens from the amphitheater's ample seating space. At least, until discussion proceeds onto a topic of particular interest. "We've been here for several months and have only conquered three floors of a tower that has at least dozens more," Prophylaxis says with a shrug. "I'm not sure how long we might have available to us in here. It could very well be that we're on a timer, if not from an in-game perspective, then from the standpoint of our bodies that still remain in reality. Being trapped in a prolonged comatose state is hardly good for anybody or any body, you know. One way or another, we do have to pick up the pace a little, I think."

As the first question comes, Heathcliff raises his hand to silence all others for a moment. "Let her be heard." There's a commanding tone to him that no doubt has helped him ensure discussions do not fall into chaos before. "Those parties are right to be concerned. And we have seen some of that risky behavior already from some of the Guilds present here~" He smiles towards Gardenia. "~ who enjoy proving themselves on their own terms."

The man then looks back towards Kita. "It is exactly that reason, why we've decided to call this meeting. This is a world now populated by millions of Adventurers who all decided to celebrate New Years. We may all be together in this, but many of us are used to small groups of organization. But what worked in the past, will no longer work going forward. We need more organization. More people." He motions towards Prophylaxis for a moment. "Indeed, we should pick the pace up for that very reason."

He then motions outwards to Misa Takayama. "We've had fantastic leadership helping set up the supply lines. And other who have created fortifications and homes such as these. But what we still lack now, are people truly in /Command/. Voices that go heard, but lack some of the respect they are due in order to bring people together."

He looks to Krusty in that moment. "It was Commander Krusty who came to me with this idea in fact." Who Misa would no doubt know only did something like this, if he saw things as inefficient, or creating work for him.

"As such, we have all chosen names to take up those positions. And will continue to be on the lookout for further people who can help speed up this climb, while carrying on a careful and well minded approach. Some risk is unavoidable, but it is through leadership we best mitigate this."

The other leaders then nod amongst eachother.

"I will start announcing names in just a moment for the people we would like to nominate to aid us in future endevours, and communicate more personally. But, first... I must be selfish and make a first announcement. Zorin, if you will step forward, I have an item I must grant you." As he motions his hand, and attempts to start a Trade with him from his position.

Vertina is just listening, but she nods as probably one of the hotter topics comes to question right at the start. Maybe it's good to get it handled right away.... and it certainly seems like the leaders were ready for that very subject to come up. The the problem with limited time is they didn't know what the limit -was-, so they had to take some risk, even with planning.

She pauses in her musing on the answer made to look up with a slightly quirked brow as Zorin is called to the front.

There is a nod and a look of appreciation from Kita as Healthcliff allows her that question. Her hand moves as she records the response. As one of those who focuses more on the background side of matters, the transcript she's writing will likely be made available after the meeting, making sure that others who couldn't be there have the ability to see their concerns addressed.

"Thank you, Lord Healthcliff. I'll make sure this is passed to those who voiced concerns." Then, she falls silent, taking up the role of recorder as she watches, pushing her glasses briefly up her nose as she looks over towards Zorin.

He has certainly done a great deal for the Alliance, so it seems no surprise to her to see him called up individually. She does look between him and the leadership, though, brows lifted curiously.

    A hand sets on Zorin's shoulder firmly from behind.
    "Whatever it is, I'm sure you've earned it." Amalthea says gently before releasing him to go center-stage.

Watching as Zorin goes on stage, BlackRose tilts her head with a slight smirk on her face. "This should be quite interesting," She says to herself out loud.

With a single brow slightly raised in curiosity Zorin rises to his feet and makes his way down towards Heathcliff. As he arrives he give a brief but respectful bow to the guild leaders. "Heathcliff. Krusty. It is always a pleasure."

Making a couple of gestures in the air accepting the trade request. He then looks at Heathcliff, a gleam of appreciation in his eyes. "This is quite the honour!" and then gestures a little more in the air and his full set of heavy armour suddenly blurs and is replaced by another set of heavy armour, but this one has white and red cloth detailing. It is a set of armour for one of the Knights of the Blood.

Lifting his arms he inspects the new armour briefly, it fitting him perfectly, before looking back to Heathcliff and bowing once again. "It is with a great pride I wear this armour now, and I look forward to this opportunity to be one of the Knights of the Blood. Until we are able to return home I will do everything in my power to make sure that reality comes as swiftly as is possible!" he says this loudly enough that it carries throughout the amphitheater.

    Mizuki fought against both bosses and both waves. Besides, she wants to see what will be said at the meeting! It's not like she can just watch it on Nero at her convenience.

    At first, she's nodding along, beaming. Yes, they've done so much! But then she grows concerned. The Waves of Calamity ARE a disruption to the landers... and she's come to start thinking of people who want to build a life here as having a valid point too. She looks down at the arena floor, ears splayed, tail drooping as Heathcliff emphasizes that only the outside is real.

    As people speak up about the rate at which they're climbing the tower, she... agrees with Heathcliff on that. "Working on clearing the tower faster doesn't mean we have to rush it to the point of recklessness. Although uh... what's been keeping us from the floor three boss? Have we not found the next dungeon yet?"

    After that she sits back down to watch. And Zorin's getting... a mysterious quest item? What could it be? Some ancient artifact with new lore about the world? She shakes her head. Don't be silly, Heathcliff's their guild leader not a questgiver NPC. He wouldn't have anything like that. But what is it, though?

Climbing the tower was always going to be a long-term project, but it's easy to overestimate one's capabilities at the outset of a task. Now, at a pace of about a floor per month, they have to face the fact that conquering each floor would be an arduous undertaking, and completing the climb would possibly take years, if they keep at the same pace. Worse, as they climb higher, logistics become increasingly more difficult to coordinate. Stopping to build another Tolbana every few floors just doesn't seem like a prudent thing to do. "It would be nice if we could figure out some way to just... skip floors. Or to teleport up the tower rather than having to go slow all the way up," Prophylaxis murmurs to himself as Zorin is honored by the leader of their Alliance. He glances upward in time to see the warrior's armor shift and change, taking on the colors and livery of the Knights of Blood. "Oho," he says, then, "Congratulations."

He looks to Mizuki, then shrugs. "I think we can pretty much expect that each boss we encounter is going to be harder than the last, and we're soon going to begin exploring beyond where King Gilgamesh's advice and experience can guide us. If anything, I figure that our progress is going to /slow/ somewhat in short order. More time will need to be spent fighting each boss, learning its patterns and behaviors, and cultivating strategies to defeat it. I'm a little concerned, to be honest. We'd essentially need to throw people into a meat-grinder to figure out boss mechanics if we want to make meaningful progress."

The 'selfish man', Heathcliff, smiles broadly as Zorin suddenly changes on the spot. "I do not believe the other guilds have a similar title to grant at this time. But as the leader of the Aincrad Liberation Front, I have the particular honor to welcome our newest member of the Knights of Blood - Zorin."

He then plants his armor down and places his both hands on the top rim of the massive towershield. "The Knights of Blood will once again start accepting applications for the Best and Strongest of the Aincrad Liberation Front." Krusty smiles to Zorin as he gets close, and motions for him to stand right in between the two of them.

With that offered, he steps back as both Gardenia and Naobi also step on forwarrd. Gardenia just... pointedly stares at Amalthea. Her mouth seems to be moving, but she isn't saying anything. Instead, she's using the Chimlink DM feature to directly message Amalthea, and ask her to step forward and let her own actions and words speak for her appointment.

Naobi on the other hand, not as loud as Heathcliff, decides to point. Pointing directly at the man who'd spoken up earlier, Prophylaxis. He then commandingly motions for him to approach. "Prophylaxis aided in the building of a clinic that has helped our Spriggan aid within Tolbana, and was wise to start reinforcing this city, after feeling the discontentment growing at the base of the tower."

    Misa nods approvingly as Heathcliff proceeds to announce that he's bestowing an item upon Zorin. Specifically the armour of the Knights of the Blood. Misa has naturally kept track of the contributions of the more noteable members of the alliance, which she has of course reported to the guild leaders. So something like this is to be expected. As will the announcements that follow.

Wow, Zorin got accepted into the Knights of Blood! That's a big honor for that adjacent guild. And looks like others are getting due recognition for their contributions as well. Vertina nods in approval and joins in applauding as appropriate.

Kita looks over to Prophylaxis as he seems to address the similar concern as she had earlier, but for now, the Imp keeps her mouth shut and just keeps recoring what is happening. She may even do a quick sketch on another page of Zorin in his new outfit. Nothing finished or polished, but enough that she might be able to complete something later.

It is no real surprise when Prophylaxis gets chosen, the Imp giving a nod of agreement to that one as well. "Here here. Prophylaxis has been one of those working hardest for the Alliance." Kita misses exactly what is going on with the other guild leadership, perhaps not quite being able to read glances.

Complying with Krusty's directions Zorin moves to stand between Heathcliff and Krusty. He stands tall - a pleased but determined expression on his face as he watches as the other guild leaders call up individuals. Gardenia seeming to call up Amalthea and Naobi calling up Prophylaxis. He curiously watches as the familiar faces approach.

    That stare... Cobalt eyes meet Gardenia's and Amalthea sits up slightly more in her seat. The woman's mouth moves but only the old Odysseia Knight gets to hear what she has to say.
    Slowly, the old Paladin stands herself up, looping her sword back into her belt and casually slinging her shield to one arm.
    She doesn't look all that surprised that Prophylaxis is called out as well as she makes her way to the amphitheater center, standing herself before the leader of the Odysseia Knights, placing one hand over her own chest.
    "You've called. And I answer. I'll do my best going forward every step of the way from here on out to make sure we do nothing but progress."

Naobi has always been something of a mystery, even after transferring over from the Sleeping Knights in the wake of all this... craziness. How many people have ever seen the guildmaster in person? How many have ever seen him without his hat and cloak on? Are the rumors true? Is he really a gigantic humanoid chim underneath all those clothes?

Well, right now the truth is meaningless, because Naobi is his guildmaster. Prophylaxis' reverie is abruptly interrupted by the sound of his own name being spoken from the amphitheater's raised dais. He glances up, confused for a moment before he grasps the context and rises to approach the central platform. "Huh, I certainly didn't expect this. But I suppose if you all need someone to keep an eye out for our players and make sure the wheels go on turning without a hitch, I'm well suited for the task. I accept, guildmaster."

Still watching but not saying much, BlackRose looks very interested in what's happening here. Her smile still remains and she has her head tilted to one side. Of course, if anyone wants her to take part at all, she'd be willing to do so.

Heathcliff and Krusty both place a hand on Zorin's shoulders. They're definitely the more outward of all the people here. They've also dealt the most with various nationality of players in former years of playing games, so they have picked up some different mannerisms. "You'll do great." They both note.

Naobi stares at Prophylaxis from beneath his hat. His eyes glinting as the Doctor steps up to him and then breaks that eye-contact and stares out at the crowd again. Certainly, a man of few words, but he's nothing compare to Gardenia on that ground.

Gardenia welcomes Amalthea forward, even taking her both hands and smiling at her. Then, the Alliance Leaders step back. "This is the only announcement for right now. To speak on a previous topic, the Climb will soon resume. We're letting the Tournament, which is taking place and keeping quite a few of our Ace raiders busy, run its course, and then resume with doubled efforts." Krusty notes, before they begin stepping off and leave poor Zorin, Prophylaxis and Amalthea standing on the podium, as multiple people cheer for them.

And others no doubt bombard them with questions on what their next plan is, now that they are promoted!

Flipping a page in her notes, Kita does another series of quick sketches as Amalthea and Prophylaxis take their own kudos, making sure to at least capture where everyone is standing. She'll likely have to finish the rest from memory or track them down to get the details later.

Then, she double checks the transcripts, pushing her glasses up on her nose as she flips through them, lips moving as she seems to be reading over everything. "I'll get an official transcript started, and get it to you by tomorrow morning for sign-off, Lord Heathcliff. Then I'll get it posted up at the Alliance hall."

Zorin smiles back at the guild leaders. "I led a team in the real world and I will bring those skills to bear here as well. I appreciate your trust and look forward to your guidance!" He again gives a small respectful bow, his Japanese business etiquette ingrained into him.

As the leaders step down Zorin turns to Amalthea and Prophylaxis grinning. "Congratulations to you both! May we all work together to return the players trapped here home to the real world safely!" And he gives each of them a respectful bow.

Turning to the audience Zorin then speaks loudly so his voice carries. "I will do everything in my power to make sure we climb the Tower both swiftly and safely, but it is each and everyone one of us working together that will make that happen. I am honoured to work with such talented individuals and look forward to our combined successes as we continue forward!"

    Amalthea's grip is firm when Gardenia takes her hands. But then there she goes, leaving the old knight at the podium with Zorin and Prophylaxis.
    "Mm, congrats to you both as well. You've earned it really." She says, nodding. "I'm looking forward to going home just as much as the next person, so let's all do our best."
    Then she turns to those in the audience, smiling faintly.
    "Aye. And the Odysseia Knights will be right there clawing up the tower with you." She agrees with Zorin, "While we break this place over our knee to find the way home. I'll be looking foward to working with all of you, then."

There's something eerie about Naobi's stare. Prophylaxis can't quite put his finger on it. Is it the look of a man who knows too much about what's going on and is desperately trying to cry for help using nothing but the slight oscillation of the feline iris...?

Nah, it's probably just that Naobi's got spooky cat eyes.

The doctor answers with a respectful nod and soon the festivities draw to a close. Prophylaxis gives his chin a bit of a rubdown-- responsibilities! They are his again. He isn't quite sure whether to celebrate or embrace the forboding sense of doom. For now, he just gives Zorin and Amalthea a smile, "We'll do what we can to keep everything together. Hopefully we can track down an elevator or something to make the next few floors a little easier."