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.u. -> POST ACTION: ST-B vs Belregor.

Shadows clung to Ariel like a second skin. Nihilim’s Wrath trembled in its saya—a live wire of hunger. Dark flame licked the scabbard’s rim, whispering of defences unmade. Dracul’s taunt hung in the air, holy light painting him a perfect beacon. Taneuma took the bait, lightning gathering in its maw. She moved. No flourish. No war cry. A single fluid motion— calculated Iaijutsu. The blade cleared the saya as shadowflame lingered. Steel met Taneuma’s crackling flank. Silence. For one fractured second, voltage and void warred. Then shadowflame consumed. Midnight fire boiled th

Liquid light surged toward me—a tsunami of raw voltage roaring across the lake’s mirror surface. Guardian’s Oath flared in my grip, the rose-etched steel humming with holy energy as I planted my feet. Memories of Suterusu flashed: my sword swinging through empty air, knees sinking into mud while spectators jeered. Never again. The shield slammed down hard, carving a furrow in silt as blue rose motifs ignited. "OVER HERE, HORSIE!" Focused Howl tore from my throat—a sonic hook burying itself in Taneuma’s storm-core. Impact. White noise. Crushing force. Holy light flared around the shie

Birches thinned to reeds, then surrendered to barren silt. Before them stretched the Lake of Reflection—an immense mercury mirror, blindingly bright and treacherously depthless. Nihilim’s Wrath burned against Ariel’s hip, its shadowflame writhing like a chained beast scenting freedom. Dracul halted, knuckles bone-white on his weapon's hilt. "No clouds. A sniper’s sky." Millicent knelt, pressing her palm flat to the damp mud. "Energy convergence confirmed… focal point dead center." Her coat’s grey-blue hem darkened as water seeped into fabric. Darius unclipped his supply pack. "Trench lines? Ca

ph *** *** Thread Closing: @Simmone receives 2 guild tokens from 4 guild members in the thread. Rencesvals receives: X EXP (Word Count [X/5*4] + Quest [0] + 5% Guild Rank bonus) X col (0 page [0] + Quest [0] + 5% Guild Rank bonus) 1 Guild Token 1 Mon Jeeves receives: X EXP (Word Count [X/5*4] + Quest [1000] + 5% Guild Rank bonus) X col (0 page [0] + Quest [15000] + 5% Guild Rank bonus) 1 Guild Token 1 Mon 1 Demonic Shard Foyle receives: X EXP (Word Count [X/5*4] + Quest [1000] + 5% Guild Rank bonus) X col (0 page [0] + Quest [

crafting//

A bird’s nest fell out of a nearby tree, brushing her shoulder before colliding with the ground. Lydia jumped, a startled chirp of a scream falling from her mouth. She looked down at the remnants - the broken bundle of twigs and the shattered eggs and sighed. Okay, maybe not ice in the veins. But certainly woman enough to stand on business. Maybe. Time would only tell. There was just so much she didn’t know. Spending so much time in her cocoon had been the only way to survive, but it left her without any concept of living. She’d done well, she thought, eking by day-by-day. She w

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Lydia had a thought towards the future. What would she do once she got out? She was quite certain that her family would make a huge media circus about it. “Pop idol escapes death game” certainly had a certain appeal to it. It made her wonder how much they were milking the fact that she was trapped here. She was probably lying in some hospital bed somewhere, hooked up to feeding tubes and fluids and monitors. How was her real body doing? Did they even visit her? Did she even want them to? Lydia exhaled heavily, shoulders slumping forward. She lifted her blood-red shades, pinching the

But the bad came with the good. The guilt for not realizing that she could have been doing this the entire time crashed down on her like a wave. How many people could she have helped - or potentially saved - if she hadn’t spent her days dancing in front of a fountain? There was some small part of her - a tiny voice - that told her that it was silly to think such a thing. At the end of the day, it really hadn’t been her responsibility. But saving her - twice - hadn’t been Abellio’s. Killing Terra Firma hadn’t been Oscar’s. It would have been so easy to tell her that she was too l

Lydia didn’t really know what to do with herself, actually. She tried to recall a time where she wasn’t constantly stressed out and perpetually tired. Maybe there had been a time, once. When she was too young to remember it. But she had to stop and make a note that she had never, not one time, took a walk through a meadow to literally smell the flowers. Not unless she was doing a photo shoot. Or a music video. Something for work. And she supposed that this technically counted as work. But she remembered that old saying about doing what you love. It didn’t feel like work. Probably because

So did it actually not matter what the material was? Lydia failed to understand how an apple would help with recording music. Was Landon going to eat it? Did he factor in all of the costs? It seemed rather dumb, but she wasn’t going to go down that road. Not when she had her goal in mind. That was her thing, really. Working. Grinding. Pushing ever onwards toward that goal. This might have been the first goal she had ever set for herself. Everything else had been dictated by her parents. Her advisors. Managers. Corporate assholes. Every instrument, every language. Even developing her

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Lydia felt a little bit more confident strolling out of town now that she had a few levels under her belt and some new gear at her disposal. There was just something about seeing triple digits on her health bar that made her feel cozy on Floor One. Sure, it was in the low-triple digits. But still, there was a sort of satisfaction that washed over her at the sight of them. Plus, if all else failed, she could use her new Hiding skill to keep herself away from any danger. Not that there was much danger to be found. As she wandered the rolling hills of Floor One, Lydia came across boars.

Ariel cut through this false paradise with blade-sharp precision, her form a dark stroke against the sickly-sweet greenery. I matched her pace, the emerald trim of my coat flaring like a challenge banner in the deceptive calm. This tranquility was poison. Even the moss trembled with the monster’s subterranean heartbeat, each pulse vibrating through my bootsoles. Darius pointed toward a crumbling bridge ahead, its timbers slick with emerald moss and rotten core. "Structural integrity seems compromised beyond safe parameters. I recommend a perimeter scan for a stable crossing alterna—" My l

ph *** Freyd's Action Enemy's Action

Spotting his captain rounding right, Foyle moved to flank from the left, hoping to find a clearer shot from Ren's far side. Unfortunately, the dancing demon-girls were making that challenging, and he was still concerned that they might turn on the party any instant. Also, as impressive as Ren and Jeeves' first strikes had been, readily hampering their opponent, they seemed to lack their usual punch. Less optimal than his usual direct approach, the archer had found himself wondering whether the straightforward appeal of his shift choice might need to be reconsidered. Something for futur

Earning a Living - Performer Her outing with Oscar and Abellio had proven to Lydia that she could do more than simply dance in front of the fountain for spare change. That wasn’t to say that she didn’t enjoy it. It was quite the opposite. Lydia loved those quiet hours more than anything. They were, and would remain, an important part of her routine. She would simply relocate. Do more. Because despite how she got the skills she had, she still had them. They would be useful here. Morale was important. And keeping morale up without music was a sorry affair. So she did her research. Ask

"Yeah, yeah. Your fancy new hammer did all the work." Without missing a breath, Jeeves lined up a short, threading the needle through the bonfire to stick their enemy with am infectious concoction to properly decimate it from the inside out. The dancing women strangely ignored their sudden melee, spreading themselves around the broader plaza and ringing the impromptu battlefield like a bunch of oni cheerleaders. "Is this the Ravana dude they keep muttering about? Can't say he's been overly impressive so far." Chatting as he reloaded, the delicate windings of his wrist-activated m

Ren's eyes were already captivated by the gaggle of undulating she-demons dancing around before them, the pack of them frolicking like infernal nymphs around the smoldering embers of a recently doused fire. One of them grabbed the veena from him in her passing, laugh turning more sinister as she tossed it into the pit, instantly restoring its flame. "Way to go, chuckles." Jeeves shook his head, pulling down his goggles as the boss opened his eyes and drew his weapons before turning in their direction. "Well, you woke him up. Seems only fair you should also be first to mess him up, no?

"This was... not what I expected." The same held true for the rest of them. Far from some fire and brimstone infested underground torture chamber, they passed through the portal to find themselves in a farm field like so many others they'd seen during their sojourn around Ronbaru. A grain of some sort, unfamiliar to him, but closely resembling wheat, grew all around them. "So, where do we go now?" Freyd and Foyle exchanged glances, unsurprised that their academic friend had deciphered the initial puzzle, but struggled the moment he was actually in the thick of it. Ren was always

The teleport gate’s light bled away behind them, Coral’s rustic warmth shrinking into the birch forest’s embrace. Ariel led, her kimono stark against the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy. Creek water chuckled over smooth stones—a sound too gentle for the gut feeling she had. False peace, she thought. Floor 22’s serenity was a held breath, a fragile illusion before the storm. Every rustle of leaves, every birdcall felt like a countdown. Dracul’s emerald-trimmed coat rustled as he scanned the canopy, his gaze sharp and wary. "A sky this blue feels like mockery," he muttered, the wor

"Hmpff... hope that means my bow will still be useful. Shooting fire at things native to a fiery realm doesn't seem likely to be very effective." "Not necessarily," Ren replied, eager to reassure. "Resistances remain a rarity, at least in most of the content we've encountered thus far. And your new weapon has a few other tricks on offering. I'm sure you'll be fine, Foyle." The old man nodded with gratitude, nuances of gaming still largely eluding him. He kept trying to treat Aincrad like the real world and bumping into its more unusual conceits. "Ah. Alrighty then. I'll

"Strong associations with blood and fire were found in the available texts, suggesting some sort of infernal realm, or potential devil/demon association. Given that these came from drop during Diwali, the nature of floor twenty-seven, and other miscellaneous corroborating evidence, some sort of infernal connection seems highly likely." The other three men stood, stunned. Jeeves had actually participated in their pre-mission discussions. Normally, he just grunted and grimaced, keeping to himself and plotting the demise of some poor house pet - presumably. He wasn't the type to share.

"Prudent and wise. Event-related content can be unpredictable. Thanks for letting us know immediately, Ren." Freyd was already passing around hot treats to warm their bellies before they entered the newly found gateway. "We found four of these sets. Presumably, each can be combined to open a similar portal. Everyone has teleport crystals? Good." Glancing over his companions, Freyd was grateful for an unexpected reprieve from combat near the outskirts of Ilridge. They were holding, but gaining nothing. It was exhausting, and even the most stalwart required rotation away from the f