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He put his hands to his knees and caught his breath, watching as his health bar slowly filled up. "Damn mobs." He was lucky he landed that attack; had he not it would've taken some time to take each of them out one by one. However, this ordeal seems to have backed some of the other mobs away from his location. He was free to continue on. Verus sheathed his sword and continued walking, spotting Horunka village just over the horizon. He smiled as he saw an NPC traveling past him. The computer was  dragging a cart behind him, causing Verus to believe that he was a traveling salesman or farmer. He waved slightly and Verus returned the action, walking past him and onwards towards the village.

Verus's eyes were transfixed on the weapon she brought out. It was completely foreign to him, and would probably remain that way even after he got to see how she used them. They brought thoughts of cat claws into his head, and how they would paw at whatever was in front of them. To use them in the midst of a battle was another thing however. They seemed more like a novelty item than an actual reliable weapon, but he didn't have any idea how they really could be used other than a swiping and punching motion. The cat claws did seem rather well put together though, which brought a wave of relief. 

He shrugged his shoulders, after hearing the other two members input. They were quick to accept a stranger. It wasn't a bad thing but they had just found her sleeping in a tree. For all he knew she could just be a lazy bum hoping to ride on the achievements of others. His thought bubble kept deepening before he stopped himself, recalling how he had met the other two. Those times were little different than this situation, and he cursed himself for being so hypocritical. He had teamed up right away with others, hoping to get stronger in a group. He had no reason to be questioning as much as he was. His realization could be seen on his face as he went from more critical and analytical expressions back to his normal calm and relaxed self. His eyes relaxed and softened slightly, letting a small close-mouthed smile appear. He would remain quiet for a little while and listen to the others, having gotten answers to his question. 

"Getting all handsy...." Verus poked fun at her, looking around at the dark in front of them. It had not changed for one second; leading him to believe that they were lost. He had hoped that that wasn't the case. Hopefully they had just been funneled towards whatever boss they needed to fight, but he had no idea. He should've paid more attention to the shopkeepers description of the quest. Maybe it would've given him some insight on what to suspect in the quest, but he had a slight feeling that unbearable darkness was mentioned. The ground they were walking on seemed to be lessening in width, almost like it was leading to something. The foliage that he could make out also seemed to back up his idea. It was about to start soon. "Adhae get your weapon ready...."

The trip would take him a while, but he was ready for it. The mobs nearby had seemed to either try and back away or almost taunt him in a way. It was a strange feeling being watched by several of the beasts, but Verus didn't really mind. He was confident that they'd be unable to get anywhere near him really, let alone fight. But his thoughts seems to backfire and he was quickly surrounded by three wolves. Each of then snarled and reared back, getting ready to pounce at him. With little time to react, Verus drew his sword, only to be jumped on by all three at once. Each took a turn biting ad his legs, causing Verus to let out a short yell. It hurt like a bitch, but he wasn't gonna fall to these three. "Sweep!" It was one of the sword arts he hadn't used but had wanted to try it out. It was an area of effect attack, dealing damage to all three wolves at once. They all fell quickly, dissipating into particles. "Filthy things..."

ID# 62487

BD: 10

MD: 7

Verus: 19/28 _{(3/7 energy)} 

Wolf: 0/4

Wolf: 0/4

Wolf: 0/4

(+3 MAT)

"The laziest of asses." Verus grinned and sheathed his sword, listening to the metallic sound it made. It was nice and calming, putting him into an even better mood. That kill had given him the boost that he needed to continue on. It was still darker than night but he felt just a bit better about himself. "Legs are a good thing to have. They keep me working you know." He joked, following behind her and listening to her speak of the quest. His energy was slowly coming back to him and he felt a good deal better already, but knew he would take a few more minutes to get back up to full strength. The two of them got to watch Adhae's armor play a huge role in that last fight. It took nearly all of the damage that elf did and neglected nearly all of it. With protection like that Verus felt rather good about their chances. "I'm coming, I'm coming no worries." 

-Summary-

Adhaerere: +100 Col + 1 SP

Itzal: +100 Col + 1 SP

Kooh:  +100 Col + 1 SP

Verus:  +100 Col + 1 SP

"Show me your weapon." Verus's tone had changed at the question, him now slightly paying more attention to the ordeal. He had toned himself out of the gathering his party had created and had been thinking to himself for a while. A new rapier had been clouding his mind for days now. His stock of Col had seemingly surpassed what he thought a new item would cost. Numerous hunts of mob grinding had gotten him plenty a Col and he also figured that Adhae would help him out a little. But that all faded out and allowed him to focus in on the new girl, staring her down. His eyes had thinned slightly into almost a glare and for the first time he studied her. She was pretty yes, but most all of the character's in this game were made attractive. He didn't notice before but she was wearing a cloak; a non starter item. Somehow that didn't register when she was up in his face, but it was apparent now. 

"Kept in your cloak right? Or do you keep whatever you fight with in your inventory?" Verus continued his questioning, trying to pinpoint what the girl would use. She didn't look like one to carry a giant axe like Adhae did, or one to use a two handed weapon. He stopped himself from asking anything else before she responded, not wanting to sound too intrusive even though he was asking what her primary damage dealer was. She could be a simple fisherman for all Verus knew. 

Verus stood and laughed at himself, hands placed firmly on his hips. He had felt little without his sword, which has laying down right at the waters edge. He waded over to it and washed the sheathe from the mud, make sure it was nice and clean. Once at an approval rate, he got up and out, planing to let himself drip dry. He held his sword and its straps in his hands, looking around to find where he left his clothes. However, a minute or so passed and his search concluded with him still almost naked and getting visibly colder. It wasn't pleasant. 

He began to check some of the nearby bushes, bending over and around to check the innards of the nearby foliage. Maybe he shouldn't have been so careless about his garments, as he was now starting to regret the actions he committed under his previously clouded mind. "Oh [censored] me." He whimpered, continuing on with his search. It wasn't windy so the wind was not the culprit, and his ears had not detected anything nearby. Did he accidentally drop them in the river and they floated downstream? All possible reasons flew by in his head. He ran his right hand through his hair and sighed in disbelief of the situation.

Verus had decided to take some time out of his day and set off on a different type of mission. He desperately needed some of Adhaerere's peach cobbler to survive. She hadn't had enough peaches to practice her newly acquired profession and he figured that he might as well go look for some if she would be cooking for him. He also felt like he needed a slight break from all the monster grinding. It really had gone to his head and he needed to relax; maybe peach picking could help him do so. 

He had traveled all the way back to the first floor only because it was the only place where he knew where an orchard was. The walk to Horunka was long and somewhat boring. The road itself parted the fields of the first floor, allowing some sort of guidance from the Town of Beginnings outwards. The surrounding area was almost infested with wolves, but the all seemed to stay slightly away from Verus. He out leveled them just a bit, and he wanted to believe that they knew that as well. 

A loud sigh escaped him and he stood up, soon realizing that the river was only a few feet deep. The water rose just above his thighs, but felt much deeper. It was slightly cold but he'd always been a cold bather anyway. The only thing that would make the situation better would be for it to rain again, but odds were that that wouldn't happen. The sounds of the running water calmed him and he closed his eyes, letting his head fall to the back of his neck. Oh how it felt to be clean again! The muddy armor he wore had melted away in the somewhat murky water, running down slope to wherever the river flowed. He promised himself not to get dirty again for a while. 

His eyes were closed but he still stared up at the clouds through his eyelids, watching as the sun cast red through his skin eye walls (that must've been the weirdest thing i've ever typed. I'm leaving it in though xD). His mind was instantly uncluttered, maybe due to all the sand coming out of his ears, or maybe due to the effects the sounds of water brought him. Rain left him elated and calm, and this stream almost had the same effect, but to a lesser extent. He was in a state of pure bliss, and in that state he raised up he began to roll his neck slightly, letting his bones pop and creak. Then he felt something.

"[censored]!" Verus immediately fell backwards into the water, landing face first as he had turned mid air to escape whatever was within the depths of the stream. Once above water he repeatedly wiped his eyes before reaching down to asses what had messed with him. He was sitting up in the water now messing with his toes, spotting a slight bite mark on one of his pinkies. "Damn fish..."

"Girlfriend? Oh i've already made the best friend a guy could have! This girl right here saved me from a vicious fight I got into at a pub once. Oh boy is it a doozy of a story." His voice was pure and just, responding to the girl quickly and happily. The thought of dating completely flew past his head, having misunderstood the new girl's question. The sun had begun to shine through one of the many clouds at just an angle to where it hit Verus's eyes, causing him to bring his hands up to block out the rays. It mildly discomforted Verus, causing him to fidget and move around every few seconds trying the dodge the sun's attacks on him. He was not amused. 

"Us? Oh we're just traveling. Looking for some mob's to kill and all. Isn't that what you're doing miss...?" Verus paused shortly after, recalling back to what Itzal had asked earlier. They didn't know her name. "Miss something right? What's you're name shorty?" After finding a spot with adequate cloud cover, Verus lifted his arms and placed his hands behind his head, relaxing himself as the others started to talk.

"Did you just?" Verus exclaimed before taking a step back from her now ground-driven axe in front of him. He could've lost a toe, or some of his beautiful hair. In all seriousness though it was rather close to where his feet were. That [censored] would have hurt like hell, being a giant axe and all. However, he held his composure and thrusted forward above the axe, landing his hit on the elf once again. It was a long and tedious process but the mob fell, turning into the ever-so familiar red particles. That fight lasted MUCH LONGER THAN IT SHOULD HAVE. "Jesus man....i'm out of it. Maybe i'm getting out of shape." He laughed his statement and slumped his shoulders forward, panting slightly. 

ID:62449

BD: 6

Verus: 24/24 HP Energy 0/6 (Basic used) 

Elf: 0/12 HP

(+1 MAT)

"We're getting barefoot when we get back to town and settling this. I am so taller than you." His mood had changed, and for the better. With each successful attack brought more confidence, almost like the snowball effect. Each hit on a mob would bring another hit, and another and so on. Verus just had to find his stride and stay on it for as long as possible. He currently was on one, as his next thrust pierced into the elf's leg, whittling down it's health yet again. He was too tired to use any of his sword arts, instead settling for the low damage dealing basic attacks. It would take just a few more to defeat the beast, and he'd need to rest again soon after. Who knows, maybe she would carry him again like that one time. He could only hope.

ID:62383

BD: 6

Verus: 24/24 HP Energy 0/6 (Basic used) 

Elf: 2/12 HP

"I aint a squirt, i'm taller than you. Sorta. In my mind SHUSH." He put up a small grin and went in for another attack, bringing his sword crashing down into the elf's left shoulder. It let out a slight squeal but quickly pulled away, causing Verus's follow up power to bring his sword swinging downwards at the ground. "Huh?" His hit felt off, like it hadn't done much damage. It was something he hadn't felt before, and he didn't really quite like it. He wanted to be able to do more, to use more of his skills at will, but he felt off. Something about him was drained and he had started to pant in between each of his attacks. Verus didn't want to admit it but he was getting quite tired. 

ID:62383

BD: 7

Verus: 24/24 HP Energy 0/6 (Basic used) 

Elf: 3/12 HP

He watched as the elf stabbed at her once again, landing each low leveled blow after blow. Luckily for them she had obtained some damn good armor and would be able to block most of what it dished out. However, it did slightly trigger something inside of him. A mix of emotions from not being able to hit the beast and it landing each of his attacks pissed him off down to the core. "Accel Stub." With what energy he had left he attempted and landed his best sword art, watching as he pierced through the Elf's armor. It felt good to land his attacks for once, refilling his...determination.

ID:62383

BD: 7

Verus: 24/24 HP Energy 0/6 (Accel Stub used) 

Elf: 4/12 HP (6 dmg (9-3mit))

Verus tried again to lash out at elf, only to just come short. The darkness had gotten to him in more ways than one. He wasn't quite thinking straight, as if something was messing with his mind. He needed to be spatially aware of his surroundings to function, and well all he had were outlines of two figures, one he knew that was evil. It was a very bas situation for him to be in. His hands were slightly trembling but he managed to get a hold of himself. He wouldn't miss this next attack, or so he hoped. 

ID:62377

BD: 2

Verus: 24/24 HP Energy 2/6 (Basic used) 

Elf: 10/12 HP (no damage)

"You alright Adhae? You're taking a few hits and I can take a few if you want me to." He began to walk towards the beast, trying to own up to his his two previous mistakes. He would need to land at least one hit this time, but understood that the darkness would make it difficult. 

He nodded, unaware that she was unable to see it. All he needed was to be able to see or something. It would have been much easier for him to buy a cheap torch and just always keep it with him. However, this would be treated as a learning experience after he got his free armor. "Remind me to get night vision....or something after this. I'm pretty sure I saw a skill tree for it."
 

Verus gulped slightly at the rustling sound to the sight of him, and his immediate response was to draw his sword. If they had made it this far he had no intention of running. The elf took first move, using it's surprise to land a hit on Adhae, which seemingly bounced off her armor. She must have been pleased that her purchase was worth it's cost. It filled Verus with...determination. 

However the determination alone wasn't enough to hit the Elf. What was needed was light, as when he tried to thrust his rapier at it, it was far wide. The dark was something he'd never fought in before, so he'd have to get used to it.

ID:62375

BD: 5

Verus: 24/24 HP Energy 4/6 (Basic used) 

Elf: 12/12 HP (no damage)

"The very one." Verus nodded at the description of his partner, slightly crossing his arms afterwards. "She happened to walk into here a while ago and well, I got pretty jealous of her armor to be honest." It was a silly thing to say, but all in all it was one of the main reasons he came in. That and he wanted to be able to do a great amount of more damage than he was currently dishing out. He turned and began to inspect the shop that the blonde owned, running his hands over some of the display armor. "Hell if it's as good as you promise I may come back and get fitted for some stuff later." Verus chuckles, knowing he was far too poor. He could still dream though.

Verus followed along, behind her, watching as she somehow pushed on. He was essentially being drug behind by her now, his feet almost cementing him to the ground. His eyes had become fixed on the back of her shoulder, not wanting to have them wander around only to find the ever-looming dark surrounding them. "Ambience my ass." His voice came out in a whisper and he decided that now would probably be the best time to ask. "You know...we can always just head back and maybe buy like....a lamp or something." Something felt off about the forest as they descended deeper and deeper. His feet were transfixed by slowly moving forward, as if he were drawn to some distant light. It was a strange and utterly terrifying feeling all in one. (short post sorry)

"Where's the goddamn river." Verus exclaimed his thoughts loudly, slightly upset with his muddy self. He had been wandering around for a while now looking for any source of water but to no avail. The rain hadn't lasted long enough, then again rain never lasts long enough. Maybe he would find a floor in the future that would just rain and rain and rain. That's where he would call his home. That's where he would set up camp and live; it would bring him the ultimate inner peace. But as of right now, the mud on all of his body had completely dried and his hair was rather dirty and messy. He did not look pleasant. With a slightly anger empowered groan, he gripped his hands. "That damn NPC lied to me...." There had been nothing but mountainous terrain, bushes and trees the whole way he'd been but he'd followed the direction the guard pointed him towards. He decided to continue on despite his thoughts of turning around, hoping that there would indeed be something ahead.

It must've been just a few more minutes of walking, but Verus spotted the sun glimmering off what seemed to be a running water source. His face immediately lit up and his pace quickened, turning more into a jog if anything. He would finally be clean! It had been far too long since he could see parts of his skin, and it bothered him immensely. The source of water was a decent sized river that seemed to have been running down from one of the many mountains. It looked quite appealing through Verus's muddy eyes, and without hesitation he started to strip down. His boots quickly got thrown off, the mud within them being flung left and right. His mud-soaked pants were next and thrown on one of the nearby bushes. His now muddy-handprintted white cloth shirt was tossed on a nearby bush as well. Verus had no intention of washing those first, as he wanted himself to be all good. The water was slightly cold as he waded in, but Verus got over it quickly. He plopped himself under to get his hair all wet and stayed beneath the surface for a few seconds, running his fingers through his hair to get all the mud clumps out. He breached for air and shook his head back and forth as a dog would. He was immensely happy.

The gates seemingly took forever to get to, and he made it there just in time as the mud on his body began to start drying. It was mildly uncomfortable, but he got over most of the dry, gritty feeling. He tried to break off the protruding pieces of mud hanging off the back of his arms and legs to assist him with walking a bit easier. Mud still filled the insides of his boots, and that had to be the worst feeling of anything he had been feeling. The squishiness between his toes had gotten to him with every step; the sloshing sound slowly driving him mad. After a short conversation with one of the guard NPC's, he was directed to the area he was told about that had a small river. He thanked the computer and began his new journey to get clean; a journey he would be happy to quickly finish.

-SUMMARY-

+1 SP

+3 MAT

+460 COL

After what seemed to be countless NPC's turning him down, he found an old woman who appeared to be trying to pass out something she was holding. He politely refused and spoke to her softly. "Do you know where a river is? I'm covered in mud. Mud isn't fun." The frail old woman held up her arm and pointed at the gate Verus had just came back from. He paused slightly and nodded to the NPC, grasping his hands together in a gesture of thanks. He must've walked right passed a reserve or pond or something, and it made him slightly upset. He'd enjoyed being all dirty and drenched before, but cleaning up was never as fun. He'd fix that soon, though.

The glares he received once he entered the city had not really phased Verus. He hadn't ever cared much about what others he didn't know thought of him, and doubted he would ever really care. What he did care about though was his mud soaked hair and if his rapier would be okay. Surely a little water and dirt wouldn't scuff up his child, but he didn't want to take any chanced. Every NPC he asked seemed to duck away from him due to his muddy looks, but he persisted on, dragging his muddy ass across the town and back looking for information. 

The goblin stumbled around, not ready for Verus's last attack. He took this chance of it's troubled state to try to successfully finish it off. It was a shame, he wanted more of a fight from the beast. "Accel Stub!" With three quick stabs to the mob's abdomen, the creature faded away, having lived a somewhat short and disappointing life. "Mud warrior Verus....no Mud Fighter Verus...no.." He mumbled to himself wacking his sword at the tips of his boots. He desperately needed a bath, but had no way of paying for one. He groaned just enough to where it was audible and picked up his feet, heading for the walls of the city. Maybe the locals knew of a nearby stream or river he could wash off in. 

D:62333

BD: 7

MD: 4

LD: 4 

Verus: 24/24 HP Energy 0/6 (Accel stub used) 

Goblin: 0/12 HP _{^{(He ded)}}

(+1 MAT) 

"Yes I'm right here" Verus whispered into her other ear, hoping to have scared her as he did before with the muffled screams he was making. He probably shouldn't have been doing them in the first place, but his instincts had told him to mess around with Adhae. Maybe it was his way of subconsciously trying to lighten the situation, because inside, Verus was scared shitless. The darkness had truly got to him in a matter of seconds; something that wouldn't have happened in the real world. It caused his feet to feel heavier, and they grew heavier with each step. He put his non-sword hand onto her left shoulder, feeling the cold armor beneath his fingers. "Sorry about that, but I'll be right behind you....hiding slightly. You got this girl." 

They took a few more steps forward before more screams were heard. These made Verus freeze up, the weight of his hand pushing down harder on Adhae's shoulder. He hadn't made those screams. Something made those screams. "Ad...ad..." His voice had tightened up, and it was apparent that he hadn't prepared enough for this. All he wanted to do was to get some armor, but he needed to see. He needed a light or something to function.