Telrenya

Panting heavily, Telrenya straightened her spine and lowered the golden blade of Celestial Dawn to her side. The woman wore a victorious smirk after seeing the notification that displayed her as the winner of their duel, but her brows narrowed into a playfully suspicious gaze a moment later. "And you got distracted." She said matter-of-factly, almost disappointed by the fact. She brought the tip of her rapier to its scabbard at her side, sheathing the weapon and taking a couple of steps closer to the man. "I have half a mind to call for a rematch." She placed her hands on her hips, still catching her breath as she watched him open his menus and read over a new message.

She blinked in surprise to recognize the sender's name. A man she had met on only one occasion, but a friend of Jomei's and Beatbox's alike that she had the pleasure of sharing a drink and conversation with. "Pirates?" She echoed, taking just a moment before her chocolate-brown eyes widened and practically began to sparkle. "Ohhhmygosh, this is perfect! I have just the thing!" She hurriedly went through her own menus to her inventory. Keeping Erin's Favor hanging from her wrist and Celestial Blessing around her neck as usual, the girl swapped out her typical battle attire for something much more befitting a pirate-themed quest. A color palette of cream, yellows, and greens, Telrenya gave a small bounce in the outfit she wore, looking back up to Jomei with a bright smile. "What do you think? I picked it up in Sapphire's shop after Halloween."

"Hmm~?" The sound of Jomei's voice from the balcony cause Telrenya's head to tilt as she hummed out a small, curious reply. The woman sat cross-legged in the middle of their bedroom with Adere perched contentedly atop her right knee while Willow hovered closely enough to her opposite joint that the wisp could be seen as sitting on her left. Telrenya was scratching gently at the feathers beneath Adere's beak, eliciting a small coo from the owl. The trio all seemed to turn their attention on Jomei when he turned from the darkened railing he had leaned against, and Telrenya's head tilted just an inch further as he suggested the holiday-themed quest that seemed to have lingered a short time while players enjoyed the festivities around town.

"Tunnel of Love? You're right, that does sound cheesy." She echoed before adding her own comment with a small chuckle. Her hands tucked beneath her ankles where they crossed, leaning forward slightly as a smile broke out on her face a few seconds later. "Buut, it does sound kinda fun, too." She agreed. Her eyes turned back to the wisp at her left, Willow spinning in place to meet her gaze with bright white ovals. "I'm glad we didn't miss out on all the silly Valentine's stuff. It's overplayed, but I kind of like it." She admitted with a hint of embarrassment. She would perk back up, looking back to Jomei with a nod."So yeah, let's go check it out."

Telrenya's head shifted slightly side-to-side as she nuzzled into his chest for the duration of their embrace, holding him tightly as the threat of danger and the leftover tension gradually subsided. When they would separate again, and Jomei's hand gently grazed the skin of her cheek, the woman couldn't help taking on a soft smile while her eyes locked with his. It stretched a bit wider with his affirmation of their success, and she chuckled softly at the sight of the demolished castle. "Mm," She nodded, the feeling of accomplishment coming back to her again. "But, from now on," She continued stubbornly, forcing the corner of her mouth to twist into a small pout, "We always have a teleport crystal. Both of us."

After her simple demand, a pink tint covered her cheeks when Jomei drew attention to the ring on her left hand, and her expression shifted into a warm smile again. "Yeah... That sounds really nice." She agreed to the sentiment of a celebration, her mind working to come up with a clearer suggestion. "That tavern on the fourth floor was pretty nice," Her shoulders picked up a bit while she looked up to meet his gaze, fingers curling around the hand that had taken hers. "How does dinner and some warm drinks sound?"

Thread Complete!

• Telrenya: +7 SP, +11,575 col, (1) T1 material, [Rare T1] Weapon, [Perfect T2] The Blade of the Fallen Dragon - +2 ACC, +1 Fallen
• Jomei: +7 SP, +11,575 col, [Perfect T2] The Blade of the Fallen Dragon - +2 ACC, +1 Fallen

"Nngh!" Telrenya let out an audible grunt of discomfort, her hands raising to press her palms against the ears behind her charcoal hood. It was almost impossible to tell if the high-pitched wailing was coming from somewhere else, or if Cardinal was feeding the sound directly to her brain, making her feeble attempts to block it out all but meaningless. Blinking open the jade green eyes she had wrenched shut, Telrenya glared through the disorienting feeling, spotting the flickering form of the banshee looming before them. Seconds later, four new creatures had begun shambling towards them, and Hestia was quick to draw their attention.

"R-right!" She managed, lowering her hands from her head and drawing St. Andrew's Bane from its scabbard with a quick motion. Regaining her wits, Telrenya followed Hestia's instruction without question, locking her sights past the banshee's zombie-like guardians and onto the ethereal woman herself. Digging the toe of her boot into the wooden floorboards beneath her, she shot forward and weaved through the obstacles that stood between them until she could extend her arm forward to pierce through the Banshee's tattered gown.

"Huh?" She blinked in surprise, freezing in place for a split second. The thin blade of her rapier had sliced through the Bashee's form, but to her surprise the health bar that hovered beside her hadn't moved an inch. With a sudden pang of regret, Telrenya recoiled, hopping backwards in an attempt to disengage. "Alright, okay, fighting a literal ghost... Let's try to figure out how to hit it first." She spoke mostly to herself, mumbling directions as she tried to think quickly before making another attack.

ID#: 98378 | BD: 2(+4)(-2)=4 - Miss!

• Hestia: 1044/1065 HP | 92/102 EN | MIT: 181 | Thorns: 54 |  Bleed: 36 | DMG: 3 | Regen (Heal 15 HP - 3/3)
• Erin(Telrenya): 740/740 HP | 72/74 EN | 13 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 59 MIT
   
• <<Undead Guardian>> 1: 40/40 HP | 120 DMG | 15 MIT
• <<Undead Guardian>> 2: 40/40 HP | 120 DMG | 15 MIT
• <<Undead Guardian>> 3: 40/40 HP | 120 DMG | 15 MIT
• <<Undead Guardian>> 4: 0/40 HP | 120 DMG | 15 MIT
• <<Banshee>>: 196/250 HP | 2 EVA | 200 DMG | MD 9-10 ignores MIT
  • <<Banshee's Screech>>: Screams on a MD 10, paralyzing all players for 1 turn.

Telrenya began to mull over the options he presented to her. The last was one she was most tempted to take, but then his reasoning behind it caused the girl to falter. "H-huh?" His chuckle quickly indicated that he was only joking with her again, and her shoulders dropped with a breathy chuckle of her own, relieved that the man hadn't honestly thought her to be so distrusting.

"It is starting to get late..." She mused, more to herself than anything as her eyes drifted to the landscape of Snowfrost that stood on the other side of the parlor's large windows. She would be the cause of worry if she didn't return home before the night stretched on too long. But before that, she would need to change. They were on the fourth floor already...should she go to Aereth's shop? But he wouldn't know to expect her, so what if he wasn't home? And she couldn't go straight to her own home in Taft...

With an inward sigh, Telrenya tried to convince herself that she was settling on a compromise, despite the effort that the man would be putting in being all for naught. "There's an inn in Delilah that I usually stay at." She lied with a half-smile, thinking of the place she did indeed frequent before she began living with Jomei. "I appreciate the company, so if you'd like to walk and talk I certainly wouldn't mind."

With a loud rumbling that echoed across Tartarus, a new path was suddenly revealed to them. A satisfied smile took over Telrenya's features, and she was quick to leave her post at the now-deactivated rune in order to regroup with Hestia in front of the dark hallway. She let out a nervous chuckle with Hestia's mumbled prayer, but kept her left palm cautiously at the edge of her scabbard.

The two women walked a short length, with nothing but their footsteps echoing off of the stone bricks that surrounded them. Telrenya's eyes strained against the darkness, and she let out an audible sigh of relief a minute later as a light source made itself visible to them. Emerging from the darkened hallways, the chamber they had been let out into nearly had a shiver running down her spine. The entire room looked ancient, decrepit, and uncared for. Cobwebs were strung across the corners and crevices of the room, and Telrenya could swear she felt a slight drop in temperature. Her eyes flickered up to spot a single chandelier in the middle of the room, alit with seven candles that glowed with a blue flame to match the color of the runes they had found earlier. "This is...creepy..." Telrenya admitted in a small voice, frozen in place while she looked over the large, eerie room.

ID#: 98529 | LD: 3(+4)=7 - Fail

Just as the pair of players were about to depart from the thieves' encampment with Cassim in tow, it seemed there were still a couple of enemies left crawling out of the woodwork--or in this case, slinking out of the shadows. "Uh oh," The girl mumbled under her breath, pulling Celestial Dawn from its scabbard with one swift movement.

"Oh, nice one!" Telrenya called out with a hint of surprise, watching as a powerful right hook from Ruby made quick work of the first thief. Setting her sights on the second, the blonde flourished her thin blade before the ball of her foot dug into the sandy earth. She pushed herself forward with the activation of her charge skill, closing the gap between her and the remaining dagger-wielding thief in only a second. Her golden sword pierced through the monster's flimsy leather armor, and his torso was quick to take on a barrage of gashes and stab wounds from the girl's chain of attacks. In a flash of light, their two foes were defeated nearly as quickly as they appeared. "Heck yeah!" She gave a small cheer, grinning towards the rosette. "We really should do this more often, we're kicking butt tonight." She said with a chuckle.

@Ruby

Combat Rolls:

Combat Stats:

Thief Sword Arts:

Telrenya kept her guard up while Hestia moved forward to poke at the inscription on the wall. A quick glance over her shoulder, keeping an eye out for danger. But nothing seemed to happen. The woman cocked a brow behind her mask, and shifted her weight with clear puzzlement. "Huh... I don't think I remember seeing anything like this in here earlier." She wracked her brain to try and figure out what purpose the pulsating rune could possibly serve.

"Oh! Hestia, one second." Telreyna's eye finally caught on another soft glow in the distance, on the other end of the hallway. She jogged the length of the passage, bringing herself to an identical rune etched into the wall. "Oh, they match!" She called back to the raven-haired tank. "Maybe try them at the same time?" She suggested with a small shrug of her shoulders. She brought up a gloved hand, palm hovering over the glowing symbol and awaiting instruction should her companion agree to coordinate their experiments.

ID#: 98528 | LD: 6(+4)=10 - Fail

"Gaahh, Rubyy," Telrenya softly whined as the tone of the rosette's voice made her emotions obvious. She felt the gentle tickle running through her throat and nose that threatened to cause her to choke on her own words. They pulled away from their embrace, and Telrenya took on a crooked smile. She nodded with a silent affirmation when she explained the ease of catching up to the higher-leveled players. For a moment she felt a bit conflicted, considering the past month or two she'd dedicated herself to training as far from easy, but she kept the thoughts to herself.

The women went on to turn their attention to the last half of the quest objective: finding Ali's brother and escorting him back to the safety of town. They split up to take a look at the interiors of the tents that were set up around the encampment, and soon Telrenya found the man in question. Taking Cassim's arm, she assisted the shaken man outside of the tent and to his feet, to which he offered the women his thanks. The blonde flashed Ruby a grin, "Alright. Shall we?" She prompted, resting a hand on the pommel of her rapier.

Turning to walk alongside Hestia, Telrenya let out a curious hum at her question. "Oh, well... I don't always do everything by myself." She prefaced her answer with a small disclaimer and a shrug. "Although I don't really have a 'questing partner'... I've been meeting some people along the way, teaming up sometimes. It's a little nervous at times, but it's turned out well so far." She said with a small chuckle and a hint of optimism. "But...hmm..." She seemed to fall into deeper thought for a few moments as they entered the ever-changing labyrinth that was the fail of the undead.

"I suppose it's a little bit of pride, and a little bit of stubbornness." She admitted with falling shoulders. Her free hand ran along the stone bricks beside her as she walked, and after a few turns in the first handful of corridors Telrenya had already lost track of the similarities from her last entrance into the building. "Man, this place really does change..." She muttered under her breath. A few minutes of wandering later, and the woman perked when something in the distance caught her eye. "Oh, what's this?" She approached cautiously, stopped at the end of another corridor before turning to Hestia. A single, softly-glowing run was etched into the stone wall before them, and Telreyna turned to the woman at her side. "A clue?"

@Hestia

ID#: 98287 | LD: 15 - Found <<Banshee's Lair>>

Telrenya was about to remove the silvered mask from her face, half in an attempt to allow her to more easily catch her breath, and half to fully express the concern she felt for the player she had quite literally knocked to the ground. But as soon as she registered the woman in front of her as her own guildmate, Hestia, she froze for a second, silently asking herself why she kept having to run into the few people she didn't want to be around when she was out training on her own. "O-oh, Hestia... Yeah, good to see you again." She offered a partially-absent greeting while straightening back up. A hand found the nape of her neck in a nervous gesture as she was confronted about the safety of her actions, although a quick recollection of her time thus far in Tartarus had her a bit on the defensive.

"Well, honestly it hasn't been too exciting in there... Just confusing, and easy to get lost, but the monsters haven't been an issue." She shrugged lightly, hoping to instill at least a fraction of confidence towards herself in the raven-haired tank. At the mention of Hestia going it alone herself, though not much by choice, Telrenya's brows rose in concern behind her mask. "Oh... Of course! I'm not too sure what the boss in here is going to be like, so I'm happy to work together to take it down." Her tone carried the smile that she wore, and she placed a hand to rest on the pommel of her rapier at her hip. "So, shall we?"

ID#: 98285 | LD: 5 - nothing

Telrenya was surprised by Spencer's sudden embrace, but by no means was it unwelcoming. The tension released from her shoulders in another small chuckle, and she brought her arms up to return the brief hug before giving the man a nod. "Nothing to thank me for, Spencer. I'm happy to spend more time with you." She admitted, suddenly realizing how distant she'd been. Her masked adventures had left her with so little time for her friends, that she may had inadvertently been drifting away from them.

After the group had decided to move on, Telrenya kept a gloved palm on the pommel of St. Andrew's Bane at her hip. She watched with mild interest as Kimi and Kairi celebrated over the discovery of a chest, but the mood was quick to shift when the disguised monster lashed out at them. She ripped the rapier from its scabbard and flourished the weapon while the rest of their group took quick action against the monster. She began to wonder just how hard her attack might hit, with the monster's hovering health bar already teetering on the half-way point. With a steady exhale, she lowered her stance and then pushed forward. Her charge skill kicked in, and she slipped past her other party members in the corridor in order to sink the tip of her sword into the Mimic's wooden 'flesh'. She pulled her arm back to place another powerful strike, and another, until the monster sported fourteen fresh stab wounds. Its health drained quickly and steadily until the colored meter vanished completely. A bit surprised that she had mustered enough damage to kill the creature, Telrenya straightened as the Mimic burst with the familiar death animation and she held her blade down at her side.

@Hestia

Telrenya ran the last stretch of midnight blue and softly-glowing turquoise that made up the cave floors, eyes still flickering regularly to the pair of health bars at the edge of her vision. She was nearly there, she kept telling herself. Just a bit longer, and she would be there, and she could find Jomei again and they would walk away from this together.

As if on cue to counteract her affirmations, the bar that represented the man's health began draining once again. She tried not to worry. It had only been dropping a little bit, and by the time she'd reach the castle's front entrance he should still be fine. But it didn't stop this time. Its color shifted to yellow as it reached the halfway mark, and continued further still. Telrenya could have sworn her heart skipped more than one beat inside of her chest as she watched it change to red. "No, no no...!" She whispered through ragged breaths. The tiniest relief finally rippled through her when the colored meter stopped moving, and she fought against panicked tears as she approached the demolished castle.

Panting heavily, Telrenya stopped and her eyes managed to find the familiar green-clad avatar of Jomei through the clouds of concrete dust and smoke, knelt on the ground in the distance. "Nick!!" She called out his name, running forward to kneel in front of the Irishman. She placed a hand on his shoulder, distress clear in her voice. "Are you okay?! Are you hurt?" Either she wasn't thinking clearly enough to register that their virtual bodies couldn't sustain serious injury, or she didn't care. The woman placed her opposite hand on his cheek before she would help him to his feet, making sure to receive confirmation of his well-being before anything else.

But once she had that, the girl bristled with frustration. She raised a loosely-balled fist and brought it down weakly against Jomei's chest. "You...you didn't...have a teleport crystal for yourself?!" She asked angrily through heavy breaths. "You--! You dummy!" Telrenya scolded him to the best of her ability, but her frustration was quick to subside. Her hand slid to the side and her other arm reached forward to wrap around the Irishman. She pulled herself close to him in a tight embrace, fighting back tears again. "Oh my god, I was so worried about you."

Appearing once again in the middle of Yomi, Telrenya wasted no time in carrying herself from the main settlement. The blonde ran for Varalys' castle, doing her best to recall and follow the path that they had taken to reach the massive structure when they had first arrived on the floor once she was outside of the safe zone. As she moved, her eyes regularly flickered upwards to the health bar that sat nicely below hers. It was stable, thankfully, but with the castle that was coming down around them--not to mention any other dangers or surprises that might be waiting for the man--she had no idea how long that would last, and the uncertainty terrified her.

"Nick, you--! I swear, you better be okay, or so help me...!" She let out frustrated half-threats under heavy breaths as she ran. Finally reaching the tall hill overlooking much of the floor after an unstable incline, she stopped in an attempt to catch her breath. She was suddenly thankful for the lesser punishment of pushing her virtual body in the fabricated world while her palms pressed against her knees.

Suddenly the sound of far-off rumbling caused her head to pick back up. She could see it: the remains of Varalys' castle sitting in the distance. She watched as one of the tall spires fell and crashed into the side of another, a cloud of dust pluming from the collision. In that same moment, Telrenya's eyes went wide with another drop in Jomei's health. Ignoring the burning of her lungs, the blonde pushed herself forward. "Please be okay..."

In a bright flash of light, Telrenya's surroundings suddenly warped and shifted. The smell of sulfur was replaced with crisp air that carried the scents of the city. The broken pieces of rocks and rubble at her feet were now a smooth, cobblestone walkway. And as Telrenya opened her eyes, blinking against the bright sunlight, the sights of Taft washed away the remains of Varalys' castle that had been falling around her. The woman's chest rose and fell with heavy breaths as she slowly came down from the adrenaline of her escape, and her head quickly whipped around to look over the surrounding teleport plaza for the familiar face she hoped to see appearing after her.

Seconds stretched longer, and her brows turned up on concern. "C'mon Nick, what're you doing...?" She asked herself in a small whisper, crossing her arms over her stomach as she took slow, nervous steps to have her pacing in the center of Taft. Her heart continued to beat quickly, now out of apprehension for the ginger's safety rather than the fear of her own. Then a sudden movement in the corner of her vision caught her eye. Jomei's health bar had dropped again, and Telrenya froze with a held breath as she watched it fall. She only let the air escape from her lungs when it stopped moving, and she looked back to the center of the teleport area. It had only been a minute since she appeared on the eleventh floor, but that was more than long enough for her to realize that he wasn't going to--and likely had never intended to--use a crystal of his own to escape the crumbling castle. With a couple of hurried steps, Telrenya called out the name of the tenth floor's settlement and Cardinal carried her back to the cavernous floor in an instant.

Telrenya winced at the first sound of heavy stone crashing against stone as a slab of the castle's ceiling came crashing down into what was previously Varalys' lair. She quickly separated from the man and focused on keeping her footing on the unstable ground. Her eyes shot to the door just the same, but Jomei quickly urged her to use the teleport crystal for a speedier escape. So then he would use one too, right? Just as Telrenya opened her mouth to seek confirmation, the words were replaced with a quick gasp, eyes wide with the sight of the structure crashing down on the Irishman. In the corner of her vision, the green bar of his health dropped slightly. "Nick!" Ignoring his instruction at first, the woman rushed to the edge of what remained of the fallen pillar, using her own weight to shift the rubble and help the man out from under it. "Are you crazy?" She moved to his side in order to help the man to his feet.

Hearbeat quickening in her chest, Telrenya was being stubborn with the thought of leaving his side like this. The crumbling castle, however, seemed to have different plans for her. With the growing heat of the flames, one of the tall, stained glass windows at her right burst and shattered, causing the girl to stumble backwards with one arm raised to shield her face from the shards that flew across the room. Her chin tilted upward, the dark sky--or was it the ceiling of the tall caverns of the tenth floor?--visible through the cracks and holes in the castle walls. Eyes widened at the sight of the large stone bricks that came tumbling down, and Telrenya was forced to take another few steps backwards to avoid being crushed beneath them. Her jaw clenched as her back pressed up against the wall, and a huge crash caused her to flinch, bringing her arms up in front of her while she felt the sudden tingling sensations of the loose brick and glass that rained down on her avatar. When she opened her eyes again, she was met with an imposing barrier standing before her. An entire section of the tower wall had collapsed along the length of the room, leaving Telrenya trapped as she was separated from both Jomei and the door that would have served as their means of escape.

"Nick!!" Her palms crashed against the stone upon their severance, and she clenched her teeth with a silent, mental curse. Her left hand reached down to retrieve the blue crystal while she hesitantly backed away from the partition, and she bit down roughly on her bottom lip. Looking to either side, she was clearly left with no choice but to use it. But why did she have such a bad feeling about it. "Nick, I--I'll see you in town!" She called out. She wanted to add something, some sort of confirmation that the Irishman would be appearing at the teleport gate right beside her, but at the same time she didn't want to leave any room for doubt. Her grip tightened and she squeezed the crystal in her palm, the item giving off a glow as it activated.

@Jomei

ID#: 98163 | CD: 6 - 100 DMG
Used Teleport Crystal

• Telrenya: 620/720 HP
• Jomei: 1170/1270 HP

"This. Place. Is awful." Telrenya grumbled to herself. She had been wandering inside of the ever-shifting landscapes of Tartarus for half an hour now, still empty-handed in regards to finding the lair of the banshee that the old woman she had spoken to instructed her to search for. She was only thankful that the number of monsters and other traps she had encountered in the run-down prison of the tenth floor were minimal. Though, that was not to say the ones that she had weren't more treacherous than she had expected. Not to mention rather annoying.

Telrenya caught sight of her avatar's arm glowing a soft, pulsating blue as her gloved hand trailed along the side of the passageway she walked down. The girl scoffed lightly, "Well, do you have any better ideas?" Her mouth turned down into a pout behind the silvered mask she wore. Telrenya was speaking to the ethereal familiar that hid itself away 'inside' of her, as per usual. "Couldn't you like, go through the walls and scout around for me? Oh, wait a second,"

Something grabbed the girl's attention away from her complaints, and she jogged over to a thin metal level sticking out from the side of the wall in between a pair of abandoned jail cells. Without much thought, she pulled down on the handle, fingers mentally crossed as she hoped for it to reveal what she had been looking for--or at least maybe something nice to make al of her time spent more worth it. Instead, she let out a short scream as the stone floor of the labyrinth's second floor crumbled beneath her feet. She hit the smoothed smooth stone, her curled body continuing down the pitch-black, slide-like tunnel while her arms hovered instictively over her face. Moments later, she was falling again as the tunnel reached its end. Telrenya had essentially been evicted from Tartarus, crashing into a heavily-armored player just as soon as Hestia was about to enter herself. "Ugh... I take it back, it's absolutely the worst." She grumbled underneath her breath before she had realized what--or rather, whom--she had landed on top of.

"O-oh gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" She momentarily forgot about her discomfort as she worked to pick herself up off of the other player.

ID#: 98030 | LD: 7 - nothing

With a tiny sigh of relief, Telrenya was allowed a moment's respite from Varalys' sights. She hadn't yet seen how much damage the final dragon knight was capable of, and she wasn't eager to find out. She twisted her blade in her right hand as Jomei took his turn to riddle the knight's armor with a whole new set of gashes and stab wounds, preparing herself for the next opportunity she would get to do the same in just seconds.

"Thank you~!" She called out past Varalys' form with an upbeat tone. The knight was stumbling backwards yet again, and towards her this time. With a steady exhale, Telrenya shot forward to meet her target with the tip of her rapier once more. The same successive strikes of her most powerful attack ran through the pitch black armor to force Varalys' health even lower. Well into the yellow, it took only a second to drift into the a dangerous red. And as the fourteenth thrust of the brilliantly glowing blade sliced through the center of the knight's chest, Varalys let out a powerful shout in a language neither of them were able to understand. Curses, maybe? Telrenya hadn't paid attention to catch any real meaning behind them.

The imposing figure that had stood between them vanished in a burst of glimmering shards, and the blonde was left standing across from Jomei in the stillness of the empty castle. After a second of silence, the familiar dialogue window that informed them of a completed quest appeared in front of each of them, and a wide grin broke out over the girl's face. Dismissing the menu and sliding her rapier back to its sheathe, she rushed forward and threw her arms around the Irishman, bubbling with excited laughter. "We did it! We really did it!" She exclaimed into the man's chest.

Though their moment of victory would be short-lived. The ground beneath their feet shook, suddenly and violently. The fires in the mounted pyres around the room seemed to grow in the intensity that they burned, the yellow tint of brimstone taking over and filling the room with an eerie glow. Telrenya turned slightly in Jomei's arms, eyes running over the length of the room with newfound concern. "What...what's going on?"

@Jomei

ID#: 98025 | BD: 8(+4)(-3)=7 - Hit!
(13 base) x (14 sword art) = (182 DMG) - (80 MIT) = 102 DMG

• [2] Telrenya: 720/720 HP | 47/72 EN | 13 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 59 MIT
• [3] Jomei: 1270/1270 HP | 120/139 EN | 18 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 52 MIT | 2 Savvy | 38 B. Heal
   
• Varalys the World’s End: 0/650 HP | 250 DMG | 5 ACC | 3 EVA | 80 MIT
  • <<Dragon’s Judgment>>: Natural MD 9-10 causes a symbol of a dragon to appear over his target's chest. The player is frozen in place and loses all Evasion properties for one turn.
  • <<Dragon’s Ascent>>: LD 15+ heals Varalys for 25 HP and raises his base DMG by 10.
  • <<Dragon’s Last Roar>>: Upon hitting 0 HP, Varalys shouts in dragon tongue. Brimstone rains from the sky while the castle itself begins to crumble. Players take 4 posts each to escape the building and rolls on each. CD 1-8 results in 100 unmitigatable damage.

ID#: 98029 | LD: 14 | CD: 6 - 1950 col, (1) T1 material, Rare weapon acquired

Telrenya swallowed down her apprehension, right hand crossing her body to wrap its fingers around the hilt of Celestial Dawn at her hip. Drawing her weapon, it took only seconds for the battle to begin. Jomei sprung into action, circling around the right side of the room with impressive speed. Not wasting a moment, Telrenya leaned forward to do the same, mirroring his movements just a few steps behind as she ran around the left side. The corner of her mouth hooked into a tiny smirk. Although their opponents was heavily armored, his trident was currently locked in a failed attempt to keep the Irishman at bay at his back. Before Varalys had the chance to bring the weapon fully forward to deal with the second of his attackers, the tip of Telrenya's rapier had already plunged deep into the center of the boss' chest.

Celestial Dawn's golden blade gave off an almost blinding white light that flashed with each of fourteen powerful slashes and stabs across the knight's front. The final strike, Telrenya dragged the edge of her blade upwards from one corner of Varalys' torso to the opposite. As her body twisted slightly with the wide diagonal cut, the knight's balance was broken and he stumbled backwards, a faint light from two glowing eyes locking on her behind his helm. With the falter in their opponent's guard, Telrenya called out to her partner in order for him to push the offensive, "Nick, switch!"

ID#: 98023 | BD: 10 - Critical Hit! Over Radiation (x14) +charge Active
(13 base) + (2 critical) + (3 charge) = (18 DMG) x (14 sword art) = (252 DMG) - (80 MIT) = 172 DMG

• [2] Telrenya: 720/720 HP | 59/72 EN | 13 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 59 MIT
• [1] Jomei: 1270/1270 HP | 129/139 EN | 18 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 52 MIT | 2 Savvy | 38 B. Heal
   
• Varalys the World’s End: 261/650 HP | 250 DMG | 5 ACC | 3 EVA | 80 MIT
  • <<Dragon’s Judgment>>: Natural MD 9-10 causes a symbol of a dragon to appear over his target's chest. The player is frozen in place and loses all Evasion properties for one turn.
  • <<Dragon’s Ascent>>: LD 15+ heals Varalys for 25 HP and raises his base DMG by 10.
  • <<Dragon’s Last Roar>>: Upon hitting 0 HP, Varalys shouts in dragon tongue. Brimstone rains from the sky while the castle itself begins to crumble. Players take 4 posts each to escape the building and rolls on each. CD 1-8 results in 100 unmitigatable damage.

It would have been a lie had Telrenya tried to claim the thought of marriage hadn't crossed her mind at some point throughout their relationship. Though it had only been a few months' time since they became an official couple, the trials and tribulations they had face in that span had only strengthened their bond and brought them closer. Even so, Telrenya had only regarded such thoughts as girlish fantasies, telling herself it was far too soon or that she just didn't know if she was ready for such a thing. Sure, the game had a marriage system that they could easily benefit from the mechanics of, but for the couple it would mean so much more. And to know that Jomei had been wanting to take such a meaningful step forward in their relationship made Telrenya's heart feel as though it might burst.

He lifted her hand, and the woman's gaze fell as he carefully placed the ring upon her finger. Her eyes began to sparkle as brightly as the gemstones affixed to the rose gold band. "Nick, it's...simply beautiful." She breathed out, lifting her chin after a few seconds to look back into the man's eyes, just in time to catch a signature wink that had her already-pounding heart gently fluttering. She smiled warmly as she felt his palm then rest upon her cheek, and it persisted as she returned his kiss. Before they had parted, a soft blue light gradually appeared between the two lovers. Telrenya had only noticed Willow's round head poking out from the center of her chest after Jomei's attention turned to his own inventory for a moment. "H-hey!" Her eyes met the familiar's bright white ovals as they stared up at her, and the blonde quickly grew flustered under the wisp's curious gaze. "Willow, c'mon, you're embarrassing me." She whispered, and they gave in to her urging after a moment or two, emerging from her avatar completely and looping back over her shoulder in a fluid motion.

Jomei held out a crystal, gently urging the girl to take it. Her brows turned up just slightly, but one look at his face and she could hardly refuse his request. She wore a smile of slight defeat, and accepted the blue crystal before slipping it into a pocket where Cardinal then registered it to her inventory. Their attention then turned back to the large set of doors that had been standing in front of them all the while. She laughed softly, and the corner of her mouth picked up into a small smirk as she returned his sideways glance. "Ready for anything, darling."

The newly-engaged couple moved forward, each of them pushing into one of the ornate doors that made up the room's entrance. The rounded room that they walked into was brightly lit by the ten mounted pyres spread evenly along the walls. They burned brightly, the normal orange flames accompanied by the dancing bright yellow of brimstone. On the other side of the room from which they entered stood an imposing suit of blackened armor to tower over the two players. Behind the figure, a pair of scaled black dragon wings sported sharpened talons at their tips, and whether it was the figures helmet or perhaps protruding directly from the monster's skull, two large, twisted horns rose above his head. There stood Varalys, the name of the final challenge hovering above his form with a set of two health bars hovering alongside his armored shoulder. In his hands, the polearm of an impressive trident was gripped tightly, and the whole suit of metal shifted as he registered the players. Doors swinging shut of their own accord behind them, the World Ender stood and took on a fighting stance, ready to face the couple across from him.

• [0] Telrenya: 720/720 HP | 72/72 EN | 13 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 59 MIT
• [0] Jomei: 1270/1270 HP | 139/139 EN | 18 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 52 MIT | 2 Savvy | 38 B. Heal
   
• Varalys the World’s End: 650/650 HP | 250 DMG | 5 ACC | 3 EVA | 80 MIT
  • <<Dragon’s Judgment>>: Natural MD 9-10 causes a symbol of a dragon to appear over his target's chest. The player is frozen in place and loses all Evasion properties for one turn.
  • <<Dragon’s Ascent>>: LD 15+ heals Varalys for 25 HP and raises his base DMG by 10.
  • <<Dragon’s Last Roar>>: Upon hitting 0 HP, Varalys shouts in dragon tongue. Brimstone rains from the sky while the castle itself begins to crumble. Players take 4 posts each to escape the building and rolls on each. CD 1-8 results in 100 unmitigatable damage.

Telrenya swallowed as she took in the sight of the large metal double-doors at the end of the hallway. She was nervous. Incredibly so. But they hadn't come all this way to back down from the final challenge that these quests held, and so she did her best to steel herself for whatever might lay beyond. A giant dragon, or even another army of knights--as long as Jomei was by her side, she reminded herself that the two of them could surely take on anything this world tried to throw at them.

She had just started to close the remaining distance between them and the intimidating entrance when a hand clasped around her wrist. Telrenya blinked in surprise at the Irishman's sudden call for pause, but quickly turned to face him with an inquisitive expression. She swallowed again, first thinking that he was offering a kind of pep talk similar to the mental one she'd tried to give herself just a minute ago. She nodded in nervous agreement at the thought that whatever they would face on the other side of those doors certainly wasn't going to be easy. But then he continued. He seemed nervous, moreso than she would have expected from the man who was usually quick to flash her a confident smirk in such a scenario, and Telrenya's expression shifted in slight concern. Their eyes locked, and she listened to each of his heartfelt words, the warmth and weight behind them carefully wrapping around her chest. She gradually took on a smile that paired with a soft blush, feeling a touch of embarrassment from his meaningful sentiments.

And then her eyes fell on the small black box that he retrieved from his inventory, and the ring that he revealed from it after he had dropped to one knee. Her mind seemed to falter for a second, as if she knew exactly what was happening but also didn't understand it at the same time. When the question reached her ears, Estelle's hand automatically moved to hover its fingers over her lips. With wide eyes, the woman was suddenly hit by a rush of overwhelming emotion. Her mouth opened, but no sound escaped her for a moment. "Nick," She managed his name in little more than a whisper. "I-- You--!" Her breath and voice caught in her throat as the tears made themselves visible at the corners of her brown eyes. Her other hand joined the first, only partially covering the warm smile that took over her features. The girl seemed to finally realize she hadn't properly responded to the man that had just proposed to her. Again, she tried to speak and failed for a second, and so Telrenya nodded for a second until she had found her voice again. "Yes! Yes, of course Nick, I--" She was cut off by her own breathy laughter, and her feet carried her the short distance to him. She reached forward to take Jomei's face in her hands and leaned forward to bring their lips together in a passionate kiss, serving both to solidify her answer as well as release a portion of the overpowering emotions she felt.

Breaking away after several long seconds, Telrenya laughed softly again, sliding her palms away from Jomei's cheeks in order to wipe away the small pools of moisture from the edges of her eyes. "Ohh my gosh, I must look like a mess right now." She half-joked in an attempt to calm herself down. She looked back up to the Irishman moments later, still beaming with excitement. "I... I had no idea you were planning anything like this..." She admitted shyly, the color on her cheeks burning more intensely. "But, I... I feel the same way. You've done so much for me and, well, I've managed to change for the better ever since I met you. With all of your encouragement, and care..." Her shoulders raised with a widening smile as she reaffirmed her response. "I really do want to stay by your side. Taking on quests. Getting into trouble," She chuckled, "and...everything else."

Telrenya: 708/720 HP | 72/72 EN
[3/3 Energy Recovered]

The sound of her name, paired with the concern and regret in Jomei's voice, snapped her attention back on him. "Nick..." Her brows were turned up in her own concern, voice small as she took a step closer to the man and placed her right hand gently against his arm. She took on a reassuring smile, wanting to keep the man from being too hard on himself over the whole ordeal. Her eyes closed for a moment and she shook her head softly before returning her gaze to meet his. "Don't be sorry. I got caught up in the fight, too." She admitted, the rush of an exciting battle between just the first Forgotten or two coming back to her. "If there didn't end up being so many of them, it would've been a lot cooler." The small chuckle she let out held a hint of nervousness before she would pull herself back on track.

She brightened a bit when Jomei's expression shifted, and the cheek that his hand then rested on burned a soft pink with his compliment. Her free hand pulled up and rested atop his for a moment, leaning into his touch slightly before he would eventually pull away. She picked herself up to the balls of her feet, pushing forward to plant a short kiss against his cheek. "Mm, I'm glad too. And as long as we're a bit more careful with monsters around, I'm sure it'll be fine." She kept her optimism high. "If we're lucky, maybe we can find a happy medium between one bad guy, and a whole army." She chuckled.

Their attention would turn to their surroundings, and she silently agreed with how unsettling the moss-ridden slabs of stone felt at the sight of them. She looked back to the top of the staircase where Jomei pointed out the lack of an obvious exit, then began to drift around the overgrown remains of the cathedral in search of some kind of clue or path they might unveil. Past the scattered tombstones, against what remained of the back wall of the building, Telrenya would eventually pull back at a tattered, dusty marroon cloth that hung down from a tall mantle. "Woah..." She breathed out after revealing the stone surface underneath. A small mural looked to be painted over the bricks, worn with time but still clear enough to make out its details. "Nick, take a look at this." She called over her shoulder, pulling back the worn material further to give both of them a clearer view. An earthen-toned figure was depicted, the upper half of her profile stretching nearly the entire height of the wall. Hair that resembles long vines flowed freely behind her, with a multitude of autumn-colored leaves covering her body in the shape of a simple garment. An outstretched hand reached across the stone bricks, where an index finger pointed down at two much smaller figures--a person, and an animal. Perhaps the latter was a deer, or some other kind of horned beast, but Telrenya couldn't quite make out that much detail. She studied the painting for several long seconds before her eyes drifted back to Jomei. "What do you think all this is?"

"Phew," She brought the tip of Celestial Dawn to its scabbard at her hip, sheathing the weapon away now that the threats had been reduced to pixels and faded away. Ruby caught the girl's attention as she continued on, and a slight heat burned at Telrenya's cheeks with a faint blush. She unconsciously brought up a hand to scratch lightly against the skin with her index finger, looking away with a shyness that crept into her voice. "Heh, aww, Ruby..." She mumbled at the woman's heartfelt compliments. Her hand fell back to her side just as the rosette stepped forward to pull her into a tight embrace.

She let out her own chuckle, bringing her arms around the rosette's slender frame to return the hug. "Don't go crying on me or anything," She jested, though she knew that she would likely be brought to tears of her own if her friend were to get so emotional over such a thing. After pulling away from Ruby, she flashed the martial artist a smile. "I'm just trying to catch up to you guys, really." She admitted with a half-smile and a tiny shrug, referring to both Ruby and Jomei, as the members of the Holy Dragon Alliance that represented them at the last boss battle.

"Ehheheh," Telrenya let out a small laugh that was laced with exaggerated nervousness as she played along with his teasing. "Yeahh, about that..." She let the sentence hang as it obviously had no conclusion to come. For the first time in a long while, Telrenya's guilt, regret, and the other sour feelings that had built up over the past month were forgotten about. Or rather, they had finally begun to fade away.

The couple separated in order to face each other, and she took on another smile when he confirmed his willingness to help her train further. Her chin dropped and head tilted to one side slightly when he made mention of her adventures in disguise, and once again she wondered if and when she should offer more details about all of the things she had done while taking on the false name. Luckily, before she could dwell on the topic, Jomei held out a hand and urged them in the direction of the next challenge that awaited them.

Fingers interlocking with the Irishman's, Telrenya took careful steps up the large spiral staircase that circled the edge of the room. The colored stats in the corner of her vision gradually recovered with time, and the higher they climbed the more curious the girl grew. The sight of the dark stone ceiling above that would become a new floor had her mind busy, wondering what lay in wait ahead of them. As they breached the surface of the next story in the castle, chocolate eyes were quick to move around the room. Close to identical as the room below them, save for the pedestals that had housed the nine Dragon Knights, there was no lack in other decorations. More tapestries hung and lined the walls, this time displaying impressive landscapes of Aincrad's first ten floors, the dragons absent from their weave. With no threat of danger able to be seen, Telrenya's eyes widened, and she allowed herself to become lost in the massive portraits. Another grand chandelier hung from the tall ceiling, providing them with a fresh light source. And to the side, a faint flicker eventually caught the girl's attention. A wide hallway stood, lined with torches and leading to an ornate castle door, to which Telrenya presumed would hold their next, and possibly final, challenge. "These are beautiful..." Glad for the tranquil setting that would allow them to regain the last of their energy, the blonde's shoulders relaxed and she turned her attention first to Jomei, then back to the picturesque tapestries along the stone walls with a warm smile on her face.

Telrenya: 678/720 HP | 6/72 EN
[2/3 Energy Recovered]

'Guild Mom'. Where had she heard that before? Telrenya took a moment to think, and then as she saw Kimi approach the group she remembered seeing the red-headed girl in her Artisan shop on the third floor. Her blush persisted as she recalled the girl addressing her as such out of nowhere in the past, something she had practically forgotten about by now. "O-oh, right." She chuckled softly.

"Ah, hi Ruby." She greeted the rosette with a bright smile once she had announced her arrival. "Sorry we didn't hang out much at the dance. Your dress looks amazing, though." She offered both a quick apology and a compliment to the woman.

As Jomei moved to have a word with their host, Telrenya figured now would be the perfect time to introduce herself more properly to those members of the guild she hadn't yet gotten to know. Moving herself towards Kimi and Hestia, her shoulders picked up with a bright smile. "Hi Kimi, and you're Hestia, right?" She asked for confirmation, giving a nod of her head in greeting. "I'm Telrenya, nice to actually meet you."