[F09-PP] <<Guardian of Fire>> Red Sun

[NIGHT 0]

<<Guardian of Fire>>

It didn't occur to NIGHT the irony of the truth; where her doppel had tread forth on red stone pavements covered in ashes and dust, so too did she on her leave from the teleporter, one of the only few occassions she'd given herself passage into the region of the ninth. It was sweltering, stifling -- and by her memory, she'd have to spend the next few days out in weather like this, the once comfortable heat becoming nothing more than a signature to her tremor, the sign that things would be unwell in the future.

But that was all in her head. And, for what it was worth, the trek to the hound of hell's domain would be more than worth it just to get her companion adapted to questing rituals once more. She could only imagine how things had panned out with ChaseR and her other, their figures silhouetted against the backdrop of the settlement in her memory, her image chasing after the blue. As her eyes settled on the murky warm colours of the city, she finally hit the send button on her message, inviting her aide to her location.

NIGHT: meet me @ floor 9

@Koga

	NIGHT   | HP: 1590/1590 | EN: 171/171   | ACC: 4 | DMG: 19 | EVA: 4 | MIT: 79 | BH: 79   | KEEN: 1 | PRLYZ: 1 | ABS. ACC | TAUNT | LD: 5   | Stealth Detection: 5 | Stealth Rating: 7
- - -
[Examine] [Equipment] Dragon's Gaze -- [ Keen | After a successful attack, gain +1 BD until your next successful attack, at which point this bonus is removed. Another successful attack will reactivate this enhancement. ] -- [ Paralyze I | Natural successful attack rolls of 9-10 remove the enemy’s action on their next turn. Paralyzed opponents lose any evasion properties. ] -- [ Absolute Accuracy | +1 ACC. Attack rolls of 1 no longer automatically miss. ] Reinforced Black Tracksuit -- [ Mitigation I | +54 MIT. ] -- [ Evasion I | +1 EVA. ] Silver Crescent Necklace -- [ Accuracy II | +2 ACC ] -- [ Evasion II | +2 EVA ] [Battle-Ready Inventory] - - - - - - - - - Skills Skills Mod Count: 8/8 Two-Handed Straight Sword | Passive | RANK 5/5 > Ferocity, Precision, Finesse Light Armor | Passive | RANK 5/5  > Athletics, Sprint&Acrobatics Searching | Passive | RANK 4+1/5 > Reveal Hiding | Passive | RANK 5/5 > Blindside, Vanish, Surprise Attack: Trickster Extended Mod Limit | Passive | RANK 3/3  Battle Healing | Passive | RANK 5/5 Energist | Passive Quick Change | Active Parry | Active Charge | Active | RANK 3/5 [Extra] Survival | Passive  Concentration | Active -- CD: 3 Familiar Mastery: Fighter | Passive | RANK 3/3 Consumed Buffs Spoiler Bialas Statue | +TAUNT - - - - - - Misc. Buffs Spoiler Dimensional Backpack, Item Stash | +2 Battle-Ready Inventory Slots. Well Rested | -1 EN for the first three expenditures of each combat.  Relaxed | +(5 * Tier) HP per out-of-combat post. Full energy restoration occurs after two turns out of combat. Squeaky Clean | -25% DoT damage taken from the first DoT applied to this player in a thread. Skylight: Searching | +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cooldown of 30 days to reassign. Multipurpose | +1 LD/Prosperity/Stealth/Detection to one post per thread. Can be applied after a roll. Filling | +1 T1 slot to a food consumed by this player in a thread. Can exceed Cook enhancement caps. Col Deposit | +5% col from loot-minimum mobs, +10% col from treasure chests.

[Koga 0]

Spoiler

Koga
Level: 31
Health: 620
Energy: 62
DMG: 13 // EVA: 0 // MIT: 36 // ACC: 4
BRN: 24 // BLT: 24 // FALN: 4 // REGN: 10

Inventory
>> T2 Demonic Katana <<Tsuki no Hikari>> [Burn // Blight // Cursed // Fallen]
>> T1 Perfect Necklace <<White Owl Necklace>> [Accuracy // Accuracy // Accuracy]
>> T2 Demonic Light Armor <<Wrathful Bracers>>  [Cursed // Mitigation // Mitigation // Regen]

Skills
>> [Rank 1] Curved Sword
>> [Rank 5] Katana
     // Ferocity
     // Precision
>> [Rank 0] Martial Arts
>> [Rank 2] Familiar Mastery: Fighter
>> [Rank 0] Survival

Battle-Ready Inventory
---

Buffs
>> <<Well Rested>> -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat.
> <<Squeaky Clean>> The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down).
>> <<Relaxed>> Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.

The small message icon appeared in the corner of Koga's vision, alerting him to a new correspondence. The man set aside then weapon he'd been inspecting, and with a small gesture, opened up the new message.

'Meet me @ floor 9,' it read. "Huh. Guess the mysterious messages are just gonna be a thing now," the man said to himself before getting up and taking off his forge apron. He signaled Okami with a sharp whistle, and the wolf immediately sprang to his feet, looking at this master excitedly. "C'mon boy, we're going to the Ninth...again." Okami looked decidedly less excited.

Koga hated the Ninth floor. That was about all he could think as the teleporter deposited him in the floor's main settlement, and he stepped off the platform. But, at least this time he had company. The swordsman quickly scanned the area, looking for NIGHT, and it wasn't long before he saw her figure. The man put his hands in his pockets and began walking towards his friend. "Yo," he greeted her, "what's up?"

@NIGHT

Edited December 5, 2020 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

His footsteps had become unfamiliar after so long -- then again, it was arguable if they had ever been registered in her memory in the first place. She'd turned around at his voice, before her gaze bounced to her familiar. NIGHT never knew he had a wolf. "Cerberus," the woman stated as he fell to her side, a finger pointed towards the distance, red skies a raging inferno on the horizon. "It's one of the quests that should be well suited for someone your caliber. But the journey's long -- figured you might appreciate the company before you ever caught wind of the hunt."

It was a lie; the focus for her companion was more on the creature's experience. And yet, she couldn't help but wonder if the expedition would give her enough time around Koga to understand his habits and his experience. To gauge his strength, to gleam some morbid insight without having to ask for what had happened during his disappearance.

"-- Let's go. It's best to start as soon as possible."

[Koga 0]

Koga blinked in confusion when NIGHT pointed into the far off distance and said the name of Tartarus' guard dog. "I'm sorry, what?" It wasn't until NIGHT explained fully that the man understood, and even then he was a little confused. "Well, I'm not gonna complain. I appreciate it, thanks." Koga also wondered if there was another reason NIGHT was practically handing him a quest on a silver platter. Well, okay, the questing part wasn't that odd. In a bygone time they asked each other for help with other quests all the time. But this was a little odd. Time would tell what was actually going through the woman's head, Koga supposed.

"Lead the way," Koga said, gesturing with his hand, given he had no clue what this quest even was. "So, what do I need to know about this mysterious quest?" he asked, seeking to rectify that one small oversight.

[NIGHT 0]

"It's a three days journey, to start."

The first few paces out of town were a breeze, but they would be incomparable to the hike beyond them. Rigorous, monotonous -- NIGHT could only wonder how best to approach filling the void in between that space. "There're some outposts here and there we can rest at," she continued, stepping down a slope as they strayed away from the safe zone. "Most of them natural, if you know where to look. I assume it's something you'd be used to by now, having been out on your own for so long and making it through."

If perhaps one of her excursions out to the wild had gone on for an extended period of time, NIGHT wondered if she would've done the same, hiding out and camping under the stars of the floor she was on. The comment was short; the player at least hoped she wouldn't be pulling teeth with it, but it was still up to her companion to be at ease with their conversation after the long moments of solitude and quiet.

[Koga 0]

The only thought that Koga had when NIGHT mentioned the three day journey was that he didn't pack any food. Sure, the player in SAO didn't actually need to eat...but the taste of food was so good...well, there were worse fates Koga could suffer, and had suffered.

The man nodded as they walked along the path that would surely only become more and more strenuous. "Works for me. It's nice to sleep under the stars sometimes." The man looked around for a moment, then sighed as he came to a rather disappointing realization. "I guess that's not much of an option here though..." Did Floor Nine have any redeeming qualities? At all. At least the other floors offered a psuedo-sky. Here, it was just obscured by clouds of ash, and failing that, the light of the magma and lava flows made it downright impossible to see the glowing 'stars'. What a bummer.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

The player nodded at his statement; comforting to know that he too found the ninth as dreary as she did. They'd strolled for a good measure before NIGHT found the confidence to speak up again. "Never did like this place, actually," she murmured out aloud, glancing back at the time on her interface. "You venture here much when you were out on your own?"

"I think around the time our group was starting to split," she continued, "I'd gone and trained my familiar here, alone." There were shakes in her hands, sure -- NIGHT could feel them just as she'd stuffed them in her pockets, thumbing the outline of her familiar as Nyanko was balled up in her jacket against her wrist. "The isolation wasn't the difficult part. Rather it was the work of some... actors here that made this place more unsettling than it needed to be."

"Never got better from there."

[Koga 0]

"On my own, no, not really," Koga answered. He'd avoided this Floor like the plague. Not for any other reason than he simply hated it. He'd had enough of blistering heat in the real world. It didn't matter how deep into self-hatred the man was, he'd never come here without an explicit reason. "I...came here a couple times with Noct though," he admitted. He was still getting used to talking about her again. Still getting used to the fact that she only existed in memories. "I don't remember all of them, if I'm going to be honest. I know once was to kill a phoenix though." In fact, they'd had to come back a second time for that quest, as the first time, they never even managed to find the flaming bird of legend.

Koga looked over at NIGHT as she told him about her misadventure on the floor. Or rather, the things she didn't really say. Koga went to put a comforting hand on her shoulder but paused. Was that okay for them? He couldn't ever recall any kind of physical contact between them, aside from the briefest jab, even though he was a rather...huggy...person. In the end, he decided against it. "Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked, extending the offer to listen.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

"You too, huh?" It seemed that the Phoenix was a much greater hunt than she'd first realized -- but the idea that most players would go through the quest without any slight repercussions did unsettle the woman to a fair amount.

"How'd it go? The bird hunting."

Perhaps it was out of desperation that she'd posed him to elaborate further, gaze briefly sweeping over his form with a faint look of curiosity. NIGHT must've been unaware for the way her form had seemed to be frail; when Koga had asked her to talk, that momentary weakness must've burned through enough for him to ask.

Maybe. She figured little reason otherwise, other than the fact that they were adventuring buddies once.

"... I don't suppose you've heard of the Gemini quest line on your lonesome. Have you?" NIGHT paused, already starting to feel her heart race, danger creeping up her throat and tightening its grip around her words. "They're... they're the cause of it," she quickly finished, "and let's just leave it at that."

[Koga 0]

"It went...okay, I guess. Had to go back to town to buy some LD trinkets and buffs, but after that it was fine," Koga answered. It had been a tedious affair, wandering around aimlessly, looking for the bird of legend's nest, but once they had found it, it had been a rather straightforward affair.

Koga nodded along with NIGHT's line of questioning. "Yeah, something about having to duel your doppelganger, right?" NIGHT's words simply hung in the air ominously, no real information having been gleaned from her words. But it was clear what ever happened still troubled her. Once again, Koga nodded, more so to himself, at NIGHT's request to leave the topic be for now. "Alright," he said, "but, if you ever need to talk about whatever happened with someone, you can talk to me. Okay?" Koga hadn't taken that quest yet. It was one he'd intended to, eventually, but he hadn't heard of anyone coming out of it quite like NIGHT had. The man began to wonder if something went wrong with the quest in the system, and just how badly that was.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

No signs of fowl play -- NIGHT murmured her acknowledgement, the hope that someone might share in her experience still tightening deep within her chest. Everything other than the fight with the Phoenix had been relatively tame, even as the player had been on edge her entire journey to the bird and back beyond.

How it had plagued her dreams with its song was still up for debate. But NIGHT was still reluctant to speak on it, dropping the topic entirely when she'd heard Koga ask about the doppel.

"Likewise." The offer hadn't been out of courtesy, though NIGHT would hope that her friend had deemed it as such with the nod of her head and the glance she gave to him. Rather, she felt, it would be best had her investigations into mischief of Cardinal start somewhere close to home.

There was literally no reason for the system to have picked a random player such as herself for one of its strange and unorthodox experiments. Surely.

"Whatever happens... If you're undertaking that quest, let me know."

[Koga 0]

There was something about the Phoenix quest that NIGHT wasn't telling Koga. The way she looked...tormented the longer the conversation went all told him that much. She was looking for some sort of answers, but just what those were, the man couldn't tell, nor could he give them.

The Gemini quest seemed to be just as torturous the woman, what in the hell had happened to NIGHT? "I...I was thinking about doing it pretty soon actually. Not exactly sure when, but soon. Is...there something I should be watching out for?" the swordsman asked. It wasn't a lie. Well, not a complete lie. He had been planning on taking the quest soon, but this whole business might've just cause the man to accelerate his plans. He was almost certain he could comfortably complete the quest as he was now, but he'd planned on giving himself an extra level or two before taking it on. If there was something wrong, he wanted to get to the bottom of it as quickly as possible.

@NIGHT

Edited October 18, 2020 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

"No."

A point-blank dismissal. She kept her eyes on the road ahead, footsteps shuffling in silence, sifting through the warnings at the edge of her tongue. After a brief period of silence, NIGHT spoke up once again.

"No-- unless... you manage to let it go."

It was difficult to grapple with the idea that no other player had a similar experience with the quest; either their doppelgangers had been tame, or they had decided to proceed with wiping out their other half, a scenario that the player couldn't manage to fathom in the slightest, especially when they wore the faces of the players they were trying to kill.

That sense of brutality... was it supposed to be commonplace to begin with?

"You can choose to spare it, is all I'm saying," she dryly added, finally shifting her sights across the landscape in earnest. Though they had only been walking for a short time, the floor's directive was to set the sun on them; shelter from the elements was going to be necessary, soon.

[Koga 0]

NIGHT's response was curt, short, and to the point. Almost.

'Manage to let it go?' what the hell was NIGHT going on about? If anything Koga was left more confused by this conversation than in any way shape or form certain. "Is...that what you did?" After all, why would NIGHT have said it like that. It was beginning to sound to Koga like NIGHT had made some sort of mistake she was regretting in sparing her doppel...which, to be honest, was a pretty terrifying concept now that Koga was thinking about it.

He'd heard the stories in the past. A doppelganger of someone, claiming to be them, committing terrible acts, destroying relationships, ruining the real person's reputation and such. But...as far as Koga knew, which was admittedly very little, none of that had occurred. He was almost certain that he would have picked up on something if NIGHT had suddenly become public enemy number one in the time he'd been gone. This was just generating more questions than answers.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

She let the conversation stall for a moment, searching the beyond for a small enclave, somewhere amidst the wall of mountains to their left. When NIGHT finally took note of a tiny outcrop, she gestured Koga to follow with two fingers.

They trailed along the slope in a steep ascent, rough dirt and stone lending necessary friction to their paces.

"--Yeah."

The first person she'd willingly tell this to, and it had to be an apparition in the place she hated most. Perhaps, if it had been anywhere else, the secret might not have been meant to die, taken to the grave.

"I let them go, Koga. I don't know if it was right of me to have faltered-- or not."

Even as she'd climbed the natural steps, her breath was quaking from the languish, doubled with the appreciation of relief from being able to admit it. That comfort that could only be brought from the players she'd once started her adventure out with; the singular group which she might call home.

"But one thing's for certain."

As they reached the space above, the stone roof's shadow was fast beginning to approach them with the fading light of the sun. NIGHT turned around, expelling slow, staggered breaths.

"This," she pointed, her index towards her own image. "This isn't the face of a killer."

[Koga 0]

The climb to this tiny piece of shelter was arduous. It did nothing to help with this conversation. And this was the kind of conversation, Koga needed to pay every bit of attention he possibly could to. With every step, loose rocks and gravel tumbled down the hill. Koga could taste the ash and dirt in his mouth and smell it in the air.

"This. This isn't the face of a killer," NIGHT said as Koga met her at the shadowed outcrop.

So...she let her doppelganger live. That was...a troubling thought. Koga wasn't sure he'd make the same choice. In fact, he knew he wouldn't. The world didn't need two Masato Kasais. One was bad enough.

But NIGHT on the other hand? Well, she wasn't him. And whatever the reason she let her double live...

"You're right. It's not the face of the killer," Koga said, his voice as even as it could be, despite being out of breath. "It's the face of someone who made the best choice they could have with the information they had."

Whatever her reasons, he trusted her.

Koga looked around briefly, before turning back to NIGHT, "It'll be dark soon. I suppose we should make camp here. Doubt we'll find a better shelter." If she wanted to tell him more, she would, the man figured. They had the whole night ahead of them.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

-- And his words were accepted graciously. Almost like a guiding hand to pry off a portion of the burden she'd placed on herself.

But the moment passed her by in light speed. The present was much more a pressing matter, and NIGHT nodded to his comment, pacing over underneath the shelter. "Agreed."

The darkness seemed to swallow her whole. But there was just enough light left in the day to be able to discern figure from grey.

"I'll take first shift, then." Her instruction had been given just as she'd taken a seat upon the rough floor, fingers grazing over the porous stone as she rested against the singular pillar that kept one edge of the roof together, solid upon ground. "See how long I can hold out for. Haven't done something like this in a while."

Her eyes filtered out the environment's silhouette upon the darkening crimson sky. "I know you're used to it, but you deserve the rest too. Don't worry, I won't be going anywhere."

[Koga 0]

"Don't worry, I won't be going anywhere."

Koga was glad NIGHT couldn't see the bitter frown on his face. He'd heard those words before. He never wanted to hear them again. At the end of the day, no matter what, it'd be a lie. One way or another.

"Wake me up when you need a rest. I'm a light sleeper," he said instead, perhaps a little curt. The man retreated to the furthest corner of their tiny shelter, and removed his sword from his hip, cradling it in his arms, easy to access should he require it, as he pressed his back against the wall and tried to force his body to relax itself. Okami seated himself beside the man, circling the ground for a few moments before fully settling himself.

It took a while, but finally, Koga fell asleep.

It wasn't a restful sleep that Koga experienced. Seldom did he have those, even before he entered SAO, but this was different. Shapeless shadows drifting back and forth, and whispered voices, just quiet enough for the words to be obscured. The man shifted back and forth in his sleep, not quite finding the rest he needed.

@NIGHT

Edited October 19, 2020 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

Quiet, forward, straight to the point. Either something NIGHT had mentioned earlier had startled the man into reticence, or perhaps she barely ever knew Koga just as well as she figured she did with the rest of their group mates.

It only made sense, the player pondered, watching the falling of the sun and the emergence of stars above. With how busy he had been with family, it only made sense that the man would've stuck close with them until the bitter end. Only too bad that the fairy tale had to come to an end, and nothing but ashes and a scrawl on a stone tablet were left of their remains.

Morbid. The woman could taste the sorrow on her tongue as her thoughts drifted late into the night. Though watching the world and trying to memorize the cosmos overhead were entertaining to pass time, eventually she could feel sleep rasping at her door.

A few paces over to the uncomfortable player. A gentle jostle, then a rougher one if it hadn't been enough to wake her companion up. "Sorry for the interruption," came her graveled, tired voice. "But I believe its your turn for the next shift. I can take over if you still need some rest, later."

[Koga 0]

The shadows swam back and forth behind Koga's closed eyelids, what was once shapeless forming obscure features. Tendrils became strands of hair. The  formless blobs becoming an eye here, a mouth there. The whispers grew louder, frantic, but no words ever formed. Just undecipherable utterings that wouldn't be out of place in a Lovecraftian film.

"Sorry for the interruption."

Koga was jolted awake, his hand moved reflexively to the hilt of his sword. But it was NIGHT's face he woke up to, and he stopped himself before his fingers even brushed against the hilt's cotton wrappings. "Don't worry about it," Koga said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, hoping the motion was enough to hide his initial reaction. "You sleep, I'll wake you in the morning." The swordsman stood and walked to the edge of their encampment. Okami lifted his head ever so slightly, before deciding he could sleep more and settling back in again. "Good night," he called to his companion. "Sleep well."

@NIGHT