Dazia

Vigilon didn't seem to have enough time to make any more detailed responses other than recognition. At least he was keeping his head in the game, so that was good. Princess refused Dazia's help, as expected. "Look, Princess, I don't like that you're involved in this any more than you tolerate my presence, but we're both green and anything that isn't a player here is going to try and kill us. So let's call a ceasefire for until we get out of here." Dazia responded. Astralin looked worried, and with good reason. Princess started this fight, and it was her fault that Dazia now considered Princess to be her current nemesis.

Besides, there were always worse things to worry about.

Vigilon alerted Princess and Astralin to the wolves behind them. Good move. Princess attacked four, missing one that proceeded to catch her sword in its jaw in hopes of disarming her, then Astralin finished off the three that Princess had damaged, and knocked the one playing tug of war aside, creating an opening for Dazia to finish it off. She rushed in, knocked the wolf further and used her sword art, Shadow Cutter. She proceeded to thrust her blade into the target and twist it, causing the creature to yelp in pain as its HP was reaching zero. Then it shattered, its last remains scattering like dust.

She could trust that the others would at least weaken the rest of the pack.

ID# 202405 BD: 7+3=10(hit, Fallen Activates!)

Shadow Cutter(ST-I): (21+8)x12=348 Damage to Mossy Wolf 9

ID# 202406 CD: 6, LD: 5+1=6(3720 col, 2 materials, and <<Unidentified T4 Rare Trinket>>)

Vigilon: HP 740/740, EN 51/88 | 21 DMG | 78 MIT | 4 ACC | 2 EVA | PAR | 6 LD | 3 Prosperity

Krysta: HP 660/660, EN 51/86 | 21 DMG | 78 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 LD | 3 Prosperity | Holy: 8 | T4 Bleed

Astralin: HP 480/480, EN 36/66 | 20 DMG | 45 MIT | 5 ACC | 2 EVA | 3 Prosperity | Freeze: 9-10

Dazia: HP 620/620, EN 44/80 | 21 DMG | 44 MIT | 3 ACC | 4 EVA | 1 LD | 3 Prosperity | Fallen: 8

              Enemies:

Mossy Wolf 9: HP 0/372, 124 DMG, Leeching Fang | On a natural MD of 9 or 10, this mob heals for 10% of the final damage dealt to its target.

Dazia watched as a pack of moss covered, earthen wolves appeared out of the foliage, sniffing around the area. Some sniffed in the trio's general direction, while the rest sniffed around the area, as if looking for something...or, perhaps, someone.

Vigilon and Princess attacked, and Astralin followed. Vigilon managed to deal a good amount of damage to all but one. It seems he still hasn't gotten over his problem. Dazia shook her head. He'd do a lot better if he just paid attention to the little details. Princess's attacks caused a bright light to shine as an energy of sorts struck two of the wolves. Was this the "Holy" enhancement she'd heard about? Too bright for Dazia's preferred killing methods. Astralin finished off the straggler with a chilling sword art, then three of the other pack members moved in to face the trio...but that wasn't all. The other members of the pack were on the move, surrounding the trio so that if they wished to escape on foot, they couldn't.

On the chance that they didn't have the energy to handle this alone, Dazia would need to take action. Sure, among the trio was a vengeful Princess that wanted to kill her, but the other two are in more of a neutral standing with Dazia. Maybe they could help her see reason, if Dazia showed up willing to help...

"Here goes nothing." Dazia thought as she readied her sword art. As if it was just a thought, Dazia found herself swiftly slashing at the wolves with her fallen weapon. While the fallen energy did not reach them, the damage was enough to put the entire pack on high alert for her.

All eyes were on Dazia now, and from what she saw in the wolves eyes, the one they were looking for had just shown up. Figures that the wolves would have tried to pick up her scent, not that her skills would make it easy.

Dazia looked to the players. "What? They have you surrounded. If you're going to get out of this alive, you may need some help."

ID# 202385 BD: 4

ID# 202386 BD: 3

ID# 202387 BD: 2

Action Taken: Surprise Attack(Assassin)

Infernal Crescent(AoE-I): 25x11=275 Damage to Mossy Wolves 5, 6, and 7!

[0-0-0]Vigilon: HP 740/740, EN 69/88 | 21 DMG | 78 MIT | 4 ACC | 2 EVA | PAR | 6 LD | 3 Prosperity

[0-0-0]Krysta: HP 660/660, EN 67/86 | 21 DMG | 78 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 LD | 3 Prosperity | Holy: 8 | T4 Bleed

[0-0-0]Astralin: HP 480/480, EN 54/66 | 20 DMG | 45 MIT | 5 ACC | 2 EVA | 3 Prosperity | Freeze: 9-10

[1-1-1]Dazia: HP 620/620, EN 55/80 | 21 DMG | 44 MIT | 3 ACC | 4 EVA | 1 LD | 3 Prosperity | Fallen: 8

           Enemies:

Mossy Wolf 5: HP 97/372, 124 DMG, Leeching Fang | On a natural MD of 9 or 10, this mob heals for 10% of the final damage dealt to its target.

Mossy Wolf 6: HP 97/372, 124 DMG, Leeching Fang | On a natural MD of 9 or 10, this mob heals for 10% of the final damage dealt to its target.

Mossy Wolf 7: HP 97/372, 124 DMG, Leeching Fang | On a natural MD of 9 or 10, this mob heals for 10% of the final damage dealt to its target.

"Damn it all..."

It was just her luck, there was only one NPC that made it possible to enter the area known as "Little Eden", and a party with Princess in it just so happened to be following him already. Dazia would have to stay out of sight if she wanted to enter unscathed. She shadowed the party, since they were with her only way in. She just needed to stay out of the others' sight. As long as they were looking to each other, distracted in conversation, and not looking behind them, they wouldn't even have a chance to notice she was following them.

"Well, here we are. Welcome to Little Eden." The NPC stated at some point.

Wait...when did everyone get there? Was Dazia failing to pay attention due to that little conversation Astralin started, that Dazia happened to be eavesdropping on during her shadowing?

Dazia dashed for cover, as the NPC was turning around towards the party.

"It's great to see some new faces around, I hope you enjoy your time here!"

With that, the NPC walked off into the foliage of the garden.

Surely if the NPC was the only one who could lead players into the garden, there was no way that Haimi could cause problems in finding mobs to kill for the time being.

[How many are left? Did I lose count?]

ID# 201942 LD: 10+5+1=16 Stealth Rating: 16

Consumed: Mousse(Prosperity 3)

Stats and Equipment:

Why...just why?

Even though they were NPCs, Crozeph was starting to tell the Treants about Dazia's siblings. He better not reveal too much, so Dazia hoped...

When the two players arrived, the Treants appeared to be making final preparations for an assault, probably on the elves, no doubt. The other Treants looked towards the one who arrived, soon noticing the other players, mainly Crozeph, who was riding one on their arm, whereas Dazia had latched onto the other's leg, not that it minded.

...Still, even if Dazia was taller by human standards, she'd still be, in comparison to the Treants...short...

A feeling of unease washed over Dazia, but she refused to let it show. 

"The time is coming to end this conflict once and for all, and now we have here two adventurers who have agreed to help us." The Treant Dazia was latched onto began. "I can feel a great resolve within them, perhaps with their help, we may actually claim victory at long last, and their fiery magics shall plague us and our forest no more."

The Treants seemed pleased to have some help, and judging by some of their expressions, things weren't looking so good for the moment.

"The Elves will come to us with all their might. What if we fail to reach their queen?" One Treant asked. Dazia patted the leg of the Treant she was still gripping as to try and signal it. The Treant looked towards Dazia, and then over to Crozeph. Finally, it looked over to the other Treants again.

"Since we are coming to their gates to strike them down at their walls, perhaps our new allies could slip within the city, possibly weakening our enemies at the very least. If their main force's attention comes to the front, few will expect enemies to arrive at the heart of their settlement."

Not a bad idea... "If we do this, we may have to split up. Crozeph and I could head for the city separately from you, then they won't know whose side we're on until it's too late." Dazia noted.

No.

Not possible.

There was no way that some idiot would possibly set up a camp, without a tent, in the middle of the damn wilds, looking like he's just cooking and trading?

"Too convenient." Dazia muttered to herself. As far as she was concerned, it was probably a trap, with ambushers. She did what she could to hide herself in the foliage, and began moving slowly as to seek out any potential ambushers, either to confirm it was a trap, or to catch a potential enemy off guard.

About half an hour of searching later, she came up absolutely empty. This damn fool's setup was legitimate. How it hadn't been raided by players or monsters yet was beyond her.

Now knowing that this was, for some stupid reason, an actual "shop", she made her way to take a look at what was in stock. She was going to need some col soon, so prosperity would be a good choice for the time being.

-Purchasing Mousse[5/6/21]

Paid 500 Col to @Daemien

Apparently Crozeph still wanted to meet Dazia's siblings...of course, that other remark that he'd caught himself on...he wasn't the first to think that...and it was unlikely he'd be the last, either. "Shit, here we go again..." Dazia thought. Crozeph seemed to have a more positive opinion than certain others did, but it would be disastrous if he blabbed this around all of Aincrad. She and her siblings had once again been labeled as the seven deadly sins.

She was going to speak out her reaction to that, but before she could, she was lifted off the ground. She then tried to sort herself out to land safely and found herself getting caught in midair and being set down on her feet. Odd.

Crozeph's next words made Dazia aware of the treants' presence. She would turn to look at one that stretched its hand out to greet her. She reached her hand to peacefully shake the treant's hand, even if she could only grip one wooden finger. However, she was interrupted by the fact that Crozeph dared to pat Dazia on the head like she was but a small one and nothing more. She slowly turned around again, and proceeded to stare burning daggers at Crozeph. "I wouldn't try that again, if I were you." She growled softly. She then took what seemed to be a deep breath that unintentionally showed signs of frustration, aggravation, and exasperation. Self control was difficult when it came to being labeled as a small weakling. If only her Mother hadn't been so short, she wouldn't have ended up with this height...which just so happened to be the same as her Mother's.

She looked back to the treant again, doing her best to keep a normal expression. "I am an ally." Dazia began. "I have recently learned that you are embroiled in conflict with the Elves, and I am willing to lend my capabilities to assure that the odds will be in your favor."

Crozeph's opinion was...unexpected.

"Did...did you not hear a word I just said?? Amazing parents couldn't possibly have much trouble raising children into decent human beings, but instead, my family is a damn shitshow. Oh, and maybe some estrangement on the father's part that led to a divorce may as well have been the nail on the coffin for some of us!" Dazia ranted. She knew she wasn't affected by her father's absence as much as Aurelius, Hiraani and Haimi were. Not by a long shot, for she wasn't very attached to her father, despite somehow ending up with the approval that Haimi so desired for herself.

Dazia's next words of response came quickly, as Crozeph said he'd love to meet her siblings, all of them. "Trust me, it wouldn't be nice. Even if it seemed fine on the surface, it wouldn't do you any good."

Crozeph then gave his own thoughts about siblings, and shared some of his own experience. Still seeing siblings as family, even if there was something she didn't like about them...even if hating them was a natural response, that she'd still mean well for them in the end? The only ones she'd see herself doing such things for would be Aurelius, Hiraani, and maybe Galen since she cared enough to wake the lazy ass up ever so often. She couldn't give a damn about any of her other siblings, it's like they were each a lost cause...right? She couldn't be wrong, could she?

While being wrong in this case was a possibility, the chances were low. "It's bad enough that I've found evidence that five of my siblings are in this game. If I find out that Hern is here, too, I couldn't imagine what my Mother would be going through...If I was to try putting things into her perspective, she'd already lost her husband due to 'how the world changed him for the worse', and to lose her children, too, some of them possibly for good...well, I honestly don't know what I'd do if I was in her shoes right now..." If anything, she was probably hoping that Dazia and her siblings wouldn't turn against one another. She did seem to be aware of the ongoing quarrels between them all. But if anything did happen, it was most likely going to be Haimi's fault.

Upon Dazia trying to get him to think for a moment, Crozeph decided that maybe having Dazia attack him was a bad idea...but then he suggested that he be the one to make the first attack.

...Really?

"That's..." Dazia would groan and facepalm. "It may be less damaging to my cursor, but it doesn't make that course of action any less stupid." She noted. Seriously, it was a really bad idea. "You shouldn't sacrifice a strike on your cursor for something so trivial."

Dazia didn't exactly like the idea of being considered a problem child herself. She'd known that feeling long ago, and it wasn't exactly pleasant for her. All she did that day was stand her ground against those who wanted to crush her and others for the sake of their own pride, and instead of being thanked for taking care of the problem, she endured harsh, unnecessary "consequences".

Crozeph also had something to say in regards to how Dazia didn't seem to get along with Haimi(or whatever her username was, she didn't get a chance to know). Dazia chuckled. "A little bit? I wish it was that minor of a problem..." She remarked. Crozeph seemed to believe that it would be humorous if there were four of them in the family, with each one having a problematic category. "There's seven of us, actually." Dazia revealed. "...and yes, each of my six siblings have a bit of a problem...Aurelius wants to prove 'how great he is', Hern has a ridiculous appetite, Akemi's practically amassing a dragon hoard, Hiraani...she's kind and means more goodwill than my other siblings, but she's... Well, let's just say her desires are difficult to satisfy. Then there's Galen, who basically lied to himself enough times to be convinced that he's 'always tired', and then directly above me, is Haimi. I already told you about her."

Dazia took a deep breath, and exhaled. She didn't expect to end up rambling like this.

Crozeph seemed to think that if Dazia was going to go on a quest, that it might end up exactly like the time with the Frost Beast. He then picked up a stick and dared her to try taking a swing at him. Dazia stared at him a bit blankly for a few awkward seconds. "..."

"...You want me to take an infraction on my cursor?" She asked, trying to warn him of what he'd be getting her into on the chance that where the two players were positioned wasn't a safe zone. She was indeed confused, as most people in Aincrad don't ask to be attacked outside of a duel.

Dazia remained hidden and saw the players enter, one by one. "Damn it, Princess is here." She thought. She took the opportunity to get away when all three players were distracted by Vigilon and the vials Dazia couldn't take, and began making her way out by the ladders leading to the structure's upper story. She'd see a bunch of tiles covered in holes, and one tile was sunken and had a stone on it. She saw another stone on a sunken tile that spikes seemed to be coming from.

A Puzzle. She didn't have time for this. She looked around her, and thought that some of the junk laying about could be used to help her out. She managed to find a method involving two old wooden boards to get across without any punctured feet, and the boards she used were removed from the tiles as soon ans she got across. Might as well give herself more time.

Sitting there in the doorway was a frog, staring at Dazia. She pulled out her weapon and thrust it downwards at the creature. The frog shattered, for it was merely endemic life and too weak to count as a monster.

She then heard a voice. "what did that little guy ever do to you?"

Dazia looked in front of her, and saw a short skeleton wearing a blue hoodie...wait, that looks familiar...

Another frog was on the skeleton's shoulder. It hopped off, and into a small hole, safe from the scene. Dazia looked at the skeleton rather cautiously, and it spoke again. "something wrong? don't you know how to greet a new pal?" The skeleton asked as it offered its hand to shake, though something seemed off...

Dazia decided it was close enough to the description that unusual NPC had given. "Target sighted." She thought.

She attacked immediately, but her target was somehow beside her all of a sudden. 

"huh...guess not." The skeleton remarked. Looks like Dazia will have to be clever to handle this target. The stones below her started shaking as the skeleton's left eye socket suddenly had something glowing blue within. Seems that Dazia would have to dodge as well. Dazia jumped back as the stone flooring suddenly shifted, as if to knock something away, right where she was standing prior to her own dodge. Better strike back before the skeleton tries anything else. How it even pulled this off didn't matter to Dazia, what mattered was if she could take her target down. Her eyes darted around the area, and she saw an opportunity. She made a false, sudden step forward, and then sidestepped before continuing her advance. Sure enough, the environment seemed to shift in the direction of the false step she'd made, leaving the target open just enough for Dazia to strike, and it worked this time.

"you don't, by any chance, know a different hooded lady, do you? You seem much quieter than her, though, maybe a bit less excited, too." The skeleton asked. Dazia believed she knew the answer due to her earlier encounter with Haimi(or whatever her username was), but she wouldn't speak aloud about it. The ground shifted below Dazia, tripping her and giving the skeleton a chance try and get away. Dazia turned around, but with her blade swinging in the direction of said turn in the process, just barely hitting the target again. It practically bounced off the skeleton, or so it appeared to Dazia.

"man, i come out here to have a good time and honestly i feel so attacked right now." The skeleton remarked. "I don't care." Dazia responded. The skeleton shrugged. "alright, suit yourself."

Immediately Dazia was hit with enough force to send her flying out the doorway, and out of the structure entirely. She didn't know exactly what hit her, but it apparently had that kind of force. She got up, and dashed back inside, though the skeleton was nowhere to be seen, and the other players were probably back by now. "Damn it."

She turned around to leave again, and she started with a sprint. When she slowed down and took a deep breath, she began to walk back towards the settlement. She kept her eyes open for any potential threats...

But nobody came.

ID# 200936 CD: 5(miss)

ID# 200937 CD: 11(HIT!)

ID# 200938 CD: 10(HIT!)

Tags acquired: 2(10 materials, +5% Exp for the thread, <<Unidentified Perfect T4 Straight Sword>> x3)

Vigilon seemed to be against Dazia destroying the dummy. "I wanted to, why does it matter to you?" Dazia asked.

Vigilon and Dazia walked towards the end of the room, where...a puzzle door was. "You should look for clues before trying to solve it...or better yet, just leave it to me." Dazia suggested. Vigilon didn't seem to listen, so Dazia rolled her eyes and began searching this end of the room for hints to the combination. In the bottom left corner of this end, there was an etching of arms on the wall. Dazia ran over to the other corner, just in case, and found the etching of a creature in the bottom right corner. Vigilon got the answer wrong, as expected. "That's why I said look for hints first. From what I could see, The Creature goes in the right, and the arms go in the left." Dazia stated. Vigilon switched the two incorrectly placed symbols, and...then he tried again.

Wait, that worked? The rest of his guesses were right?

Now that the doorway was unblocked, it was time to continue on. Dazia looked around the area and saw two ladders leading to the story above. Maybe it was a way out? Dazia still entered the unlocked room as Vigilon did, just in case. She looked at the vials, and thought they might have some value. She took the red one first, but upon that, her hand passed through each other vial she tried to grab. She pulled out the vial of red and tried to examine it...

Dazia thought for a moment, and decided to keep the Red Essence, since she already had it. "Guess I'll just be taking this one, then." She thought aloud. There didn't seem to be anything else in the room, so it was time for Dazia to leave. She then heard footsteps from above, lots of them. She needed to hide, quickly. She practically vanished, and she might be able to avoid whoever was coming. Only Vigilon had a chance to try and find her...hopefully he wouldn't.

ID# 200914 LD: 19+5=24

Dazia's Stealth Rating: 24

Dazia would walk towards the doorway ahead of her, and once she left the room, The player she had spoken with came out of her hiding place, and began walking towards a crumbling wall. She pulled out a stone, and the portion that was crumbling collapsed, revealing another way out. She left in that direction, as she spoke to herself. "Kill them all, show the rest...soon, Aincrad itself, maybe even the world back where we came from, will be able to take a good, long look at the real Violet Grace... Hehehehehehehe, hehehahahaha!!!!"

Dazia noticed Vigilon was in the room she'd entered. "So the paths meet here, then." She noted, despite that it was obvious now. "Don't suppose you've found anything, have you? I found the one who was clearing the place out, by the way. She wasn't interested in killing any players, so we don't have that much to worry about."

Dazia looked ahead, and saw the dummy in her way. She drew out her weapon, and cut it in half. The training dummy shattered. "Honestly, what kind of dummy would have that in the way?"

There was only the room up ahead now...even if it seemed to be closed off by something other than a typical wooden door.

Crozeph noted that it still wasn't obvious to him, then he compared fighting battles to watering plants, proceeding to claim that Dazia was tending to something poisonous. Normally Dazia would scoff in her mind, thinking that she just needed to let off some steam by slaughtering enemies and training, as long as the enemies were no real threat. However, she did remember that moment back in the tenth floor..

If anything was potentially poisonous, it may have been her sister's words.

Before Dazia knew it, however, suddenly a Katana blade was nearing her shoulder, and her left hand went to her weapon almost instinctively. She got in position to block, but nothing else happened that moment. Crozeph then spoke again, saying that among his own circle of friends within this game, he just so happened to be the problem child. "Try living with six problem children as your older siblings." Dazia thought. When Crozeph sheathed his weapon, Dazia followed suit. Crozeph then said his own opinion on combat, before walking past her. Dazia continued walking, and Crozeph asked Dazia a question.

"I'm more supportive of trees than I am of most people. Don't get me wrong, not everyone's that bad, but not even good looking people are trustworthy unless they legitimately have a personality to match when you begin to learn who they really are." Dazia responded. "An older sister of mine, Haimi, who I recently learned is also in this game... I've heard a few people remark that she looked cute, but I know the real her. She's envious, and batshit crazy, too."

That was more than enough, wasn't it?

Dazia kept her hood on, her weapon at the ready, and her guard up. There was no way she was going to let anyone try to get the jump on her. To Dazia's surprise, a small frog hopped out of a hole in the wall. It must have been poisonous if it could survive in a floor like this. Dazia thrust her blade downward on it, and it shattered. Just an endemic life entity, nothing more. Soon, Dazia heard a voice at last.

"So, you must be this 'Dazia' I've heard so much about..." 

Dazia readied her weapon and looked towards the possible source of the voice. Out from the shadows came a hooded player, probably female. "Who are you?" Dazia demanded.

"Hold on now...I think I might know you..." The player remarked. Dazia was somewhat confused.

"You're Violet, aren't you?" The player asked. She then took off her hood.

"Long time, no see, eh?" The familiar woman remarked.

"Haimi..." Dazia growled. "Enough games you little shit, what do you want this time? I'm still sick of the constant hell you give me over something stupid, I wasn't even interested in what you wanted."

Dazia's sibling laughed. "Such big talk...even though you're who happens to be the little sister, you've gotten the roles reversed!"

It took so much for Dazia to keep herself from activating her sword art. "Just shut up and tell me what the hell you want so we can get this over with and behind us." She snapped. The woman seemed to be thinking it over. "So...you wanna end this? You wanna...get some resolution to our long, long struggle against one another? Hmm, that sounds nice...in theory...but if you really want to..." Her eyes then lit up all of a sudden.

She'd gotten an idea...an awful idea! Haimi Grace had gotten a wonderful, awful idea! A sinister smile crept on her face, then she spoke again. "You know what, I think I've got something... So, you know how there's been rumors of monster overpopulation going about? Maybe we can fix that." She claimed. "Yeah, let's cut the monsters down to size, kill them all! Tear them all apart, shatter them into shards, disintegrating like dust in the wind!" She explained with glee. "It can be a bit of a competition, if you want! It'll be good training for us both! Come on, I know you want to do it! Let's do it!" 

Dazia simply watched as her sister explained this idea of hers. The woman laughed as she pulled her hood back over her head. "Ahahahahaha, what a wonderful idea!" She said as she practically leapt back into the shadows. "...."

Dazia had nothing to say...but she just might actually do it.

Dazia's eyes darted around the room, there did not seem to be anyone in sight. She readied her weapon, just in case, and moved on to the next room.

Dazia looked around again, there seemed to be nothing but shadows. A creature suddenly emerged from one door, and Dazia struck it down. A weaker monster. Pitiful thing was no match. Who she was really looking for, however, was not in sight. Her eyes darted across the room, mainly towards the darker areas with less glowing mushrooms around. "I know you're here!" Dazia called out to seemingly nothing. "Show yourself!" There came no response, but the lack of monster activity kept Dazia alert, due to the fact that there was supposed to be a surplus of activity.

Someone was there, all right, but their silent movements kept Dazia guessing. A smile crept upon their lips as they observed Dazia and her actions. Was now the time to act, or was it later? Was this who they thought she was, or was it somebody else?

ID# 200632 LD: 14(could not find stealthed target)

Dazia was hoping that Vigilon would see with the perspective of "better safe than sorry", but it would seem that he found there was nothing but uncertainty all around, as he declared that both he and Dazia were pretty much lost.

"Well, I'm going back, one way or another...even if there's a little detour." Dazia decided. Soon after the two players entered the structure, the path split in two. Dazia took the left path, completely ignoring Vigilon.

It was awfully quiet, as opposed to the usual activity, which would have been more active thanks to the Overpopulation that was occurring...and that meant...

"Someone's here." Dazia thought aloud. How else would there be a lack of monsters in the current area?

The room Dazia entered wasn't that big, but it would seem there would have been something there if Dazia was there first. Her eyes darted around the room, but there was no one in sight. Either they'd left the room, or were hiding in a dark corner...well, that's probably the case, since that's what Dazia would do if she learned she might be followed.

She just needed to keep her eyes open.

ID# 200340 LD: 6(found no one)

Crozeph started talking about how the grove had "one hell of a Trojan War going on", which may have been tied to some sort of quest. Exactly what would be bringing war to a supposedly sacred grove like this one? ...Unless it was against monsters, of course? Dazia knew what one of her sisters had claimed... Although she did not see very much evidence of it just yet, there may be some excess monster activity she might need to cut down...there was always a number, always a drive, always a motivation for everything. Dazia had her weapon, and she was personally in the mood to kill.

Dazia pulled her head out of her currently dangerous train of thought when Crozeph asked her a question. She slowed down and turned her head around to look at him, her expression showing slight confusion. Ever heard of venting? Taking out frustration on enemies? Surely, stabbing something or someone you hated would have a good result, right? "Is it not obvious to you?" Dazia asked in response. The true calming feeling might come at the end, the fighting is just a good way to let it all out, isn't it?

"Clearly we'd be expected to go left, so maybe right is the better choice..." Dazia thought before the cavernous wall in front of the players crumbled before their eyes. Vigilon then decided to go to the place that was revealed by the wall's collapse. "I don't think that's the best idea, are you sure you want to go in there? We just recovered from a fall, and you think we can just make an extra stop over to whatever that is? We don't even know what's in there." Dazia asked. Sure, the two players had teleport crystals, but for this to become an option so coincidentally just didn't seem right. It was too sudden and it happened with such timing, it couldn't possibly be a coincidence...or, at least, that was how Dazia saw the scenario.

It was still an option, just not the best option.

So if they were going, it better damn well be worth it.

It was him. The other idiot. With his face stuffed like a chipmunk.

Good grief...but at least it wasn't Vigilon, who was the cause of her current mood. So, she'd see if she could tolerate this player's presence. "Do you have a tendency to stumble upon people when they're not having the best of times?" She remarked. "You know what, don't answer that, I don't have time for it." She suddenly decided, her hand out to signal stop. "I just need a place to calm down...or something to do, preferably combat-focused, whichever reasonable opportunity presents itself first." She added. "Maybe the center of the grove might have something..." She said, speaking her thoughts, despite practically muttering them. "I won't stop you from following me, but I won't guarantee that tagging along will be worth it." She would say to Crozeph before she started walking again. So far, she was feeling pretty tolerant...but it was time for her to hope that tolerance lasts if the player was actually gonna follow her.

@Crozeph

Dazia rolled her eyes and failed to keep herself from groaning upon hearing Vigilon thinking out loud about exactly where the players were, and she pulled up her map. "Here, dumbass." She said as she pointed to the players' location, marked on the map. "Did you seriously forget that we have maps?" She asked.

If it wasn't clear already, she was still irritated, and conversation would be a bad idea at this moment. She needed to fight something soon, but she would need to wait until her HP finished regenerating. At least she had the Survival Skill to speed that up...but she really needed the Disguise skill, not to mention something else she'd been needing...she couldn't let herself become weak in any way, lest she find herself meeting her end in this world of Aincrad.

But knowing she survived this, that one little fall wasn't able to stop her, she was ready to keep moving.

"...It looks like my HP is full again. If yours is too, we should get moving. Heading into the chamber to the south might be the best choice." Dazia noted.

Dazia wasn't hoping the day would go like this at all.

Monster populations had increased drastically, and there didn't seem to be much of an explanation...the fact that Floor 10 was rumored to have not changed much for the season did grab enough intrigue to prompt an investigation...and so far, it was going very poorly.

Falling down with an idiot cousin. Not how she pictured a potential death. Thankfully for her, she managed to survive the fall, so it might not have been that bad of a fall...or maybe there was something that broke her fall. Whatever it was, the result was there. She'd fallen and survived, but the damage was present regardless. Vigilon began to ask if Dazia was alright, but she wasn't in the mood for any nudging to see if she was alive. She was right there, so she wasn't dead, did he really need to nudge her to see if she was alright? "Back..." Dazia muttered. "Vigilon..."

If Vigilon didn't get it and kept trying to "help", or if he asked what she was trying to say, she'd say it directly...now that she was conscious enough to do so. "Back off before I punch you."

Dazia got up, and brushed herself off. "So, what's your next move? I'm about ready to just leave you here, but maybe I should give you the benefit of the doubt, you've only done one of three stupid things at the moment."

Stats and Equipment:

Why did Vigilon have to be such an idiot? Why was that dumbass even her cousin? Why was her cousin dating her sworn enemy, who would stop at nothing to kill her?

Just...why???

Dazia needed some time to herself, or even to just vent. She needed to fight something. She remembered very clearly what happened not too long ago, involving her and Vigilon in the cavernous depths of floor 10. She accessed her inventory and pulled out that strange Item she'd found and taken during the incident, a mysterious phial with a red substance within. What was the reason for its existence, and why the vague description on it? The item's name did nothing well to help her understand, either... <<Red Essence>>, it seemed to be called. With a sigh, Dazia shoved the item back into her inventory. Maybe the Grove of Baobab would have some answers...or at least a more serene environment Dazia could use to "calm down"...until her next imminent fight, of course.

Being found by someone she knew wasn't what she wanted right now...but chances were, it might end up happening anyway, whether she liked it or not. She stopped in her tracks, not looking behind her. "...I swear, if you followed me all the way here..." Dazia began. "I'll-" Her expression changed as she turned around to see someone other than Vigilon. "...Oh...it's you."

@Crozeph

Stats and Equipment:

The assassin made a bit of a display while disguised as Valna, as she threatened Dazia. So now another player had it out for Dazia. What else was new?

Krysta then...pieced together exactly what the "issues with most people" meant in Dazia's case. Great, now there was this to deal with, too.

Valna's expression uttered out what her lips couldn't. "SOS".

Dazia took a deep breath, but in the end it failed her. "...So that's what you think, is it?" Dazia responded, her eyes meeting Krysta's. What happened then would be one pair of burning eyes looking towards another. One burned with vengeance, the other burned with hatred. It was clear that everyone was now watching what these two were doing. "Humanity...is despicable." Dazia began. "Hope, true hope, is a rare sight, and a world like this can force the hands of many."

Dazia had her left hand gripping the hilt of her weapon, ready to draw it out the moment someone dared to make any hostile moves. Her enemies were clearly experienced, and Krysta's moderator could track her judging from the fact that he was able to pinpoint her location. If his words were genuine, he wouldn't be too much of a threat unless Dazia was to fight him, which she did not intend to do. The assassin was never seen without a disguise as of the moment, and was a definite threat regardless of what happened. The threat, the stealth, all of it, proved to be something to be cautious about. Dazia had fought Krysta before, they were often on par with each other, though there were times when Krysta had the advantage. Dazia kept her defensive stance, ready to strike back if anyone attacked. This was a safe zone, and no real damage could be dealt here. She wasn't going to start a fight...but she would be ready for it if it came. 

Valna had to do something fast, this was all going downhill faster than anticipated. All eyes were on Dazia, and if she spoke the last of her opinion, there would be hell to pay. She quickly accessed her inventory and pulled out a corridor crystal. Hopefully no one was watching her, as that would give her enough time to diffuse the situation before it got any worse. "Taft."

Dazia's expression changed as she heard Valna speak. "Wha-"

"We'll be having none of that, now!" Valna said as she suddenly lifted Dazia up, then threw her into the corridor crystal's portal. "Bye, now~!" Valna said to the other players, then ran into the portal before it closed.

Valna sighed, now that the two were even safer than before, though they didn't have much time, as far as she knew. "Whew, that was a close one... Violet, I know you've got that little problem, but you can't just speak out such a dangerous opinion! There were two others there, they were practically experts, as far as I can tell!" She scolded. "If it was just her and you, it would be your word against hers, plain and simple. But now look what you almost got yourself into!" Valna took a deep breath. "Just...I'm trying to help you, sis, but the more you self-sabotage, the less I'll be able to. Now go, teleport somewhere else before they follow us."

Reluctantly, Dazia nodded her head in agreement. "You're definitely right on that last bit, Hiraani. I had plans to get to, anyway. Now that I know what I'm up against, I'll also need to add skills and mods that might get me off the enemy's 'radar', and keep that damn assassin off my trail, too..."

The enemy had stopped playing around, it was time to lay low, gather skills, gather leveles and strength, so that she would be ready for her enemies' assault, should they seek her out...

Two Krystas...wonderful, that's just what Dazia needed right now.

Oh, and the captive was tossed a teleport crystal, too, so that leverage was gone. Should have bound his hands instead of his wrists.

Valna looked to the real Krysta, who seemed a bit taken aback by what she wore. Krysta asked why Valna wasn't freezing right now, and she was happy to oblige with the answer. "Survival Skill. Good for more than just regenerating HP faster." She replied with a wink. Dazia facepalmed over this. "Let's just get to why we're here already."

Krysta would then take note how both players cannot settle the issue with combat and still stay green, and...huh, she was actually on board with this whole thing? That's new. Of course, Dazia was reassured that this was indeed the real Krysta when she started with the beginning, how it all started, glaring at Dazia with suspicion. "Ah, there's the vengeful Princess I remember."

Now came the hard part. Honesty that was actually taken as it was. "We went out to hunt monsters. Simple, right? Well, it wasn't. For no reason, from what I know, he challenged me to a duel, a full loss duel. Neither of us knew how to back out of such combat at the time. So we fought. As quick as I was, he was more resilient than I expected. But by the time we both wanted to stop the duel, we didn't know any method but to keep fighting, we didn't even pay attention to the damn timer because we were so focused on the battle, both of us intent on living to see the next day." Dazia explained.

"He almost had a chance to win against me, actually...but he stood there and dared me to 'treat him as I would humanity'. I took it as a trap, and finished him off. There was foolishness on both sides. I won a battle of blood and survival, and he died a fool...it could have gone the other way, but here we are." Dazia finished. "Dazia here kinda has issues with...most people, so feel free to take her words with some salt." Valna suggested, worried that the way Dazia had put it in the end would provoke hostility. "Could you not?" Dazia thought.

The captive seemed to be in more of a neutral standpoint in all this, probably because, as he'd said, no matter what happens from here, he'll be free. It was true, so Dazia would need to make his freedom count for something. The spy also made a good point, if the assassin was still around, they could have used stealth and overheard each answer to use against Dazia. Although the chances of the secret Dazia spoke being heard by more than just Valna alone were slim, it was definitely a risk that had been taken. "Don't worry, I still have more where that came from." Valna reassured. "I can only hope Yinangi's okay, though. We don't know what could be going on..." Dazia noted.

Yinangi wasn't expecting Dazia to follow her into Florenthia, saying they need to get Valna out of the fourth floor. Yinangi didn't know what to think at this moment. "...I..." She did care about her friends, but since she teleported in front of one Dazia, said Dazia could have followed her, under the guise of the one who warned her. She couldn't tell which one was real...

And so she trusted neither. "I can't talk right now, I need some time to myself." She decided.

With that, the girl ran off, hoping to lose Dazia in the settlement. If there was always the lingering question of who was who, and no easy way to get the right answer, she would have to do the hard thing. Hopefully there would be a hiding spot she could take within a building once out of sight.

"She's a smart kid, still in a safe zone, too. I'm sure she'll manage." Valna reassured as the players continued on to the square. "I can only hope..." Dazia thought. Yes, she was smarter than most of the common rabble, but if she fled upon the slightest seed of doubt, what would happen to her if there was another who Freyd hadn't mentioned? For now, she would shake off the thoughts...she needed hope, not fear. After all, it was hope that kept her from going insane. She'd have killed a lot more people otherwise. Finally, the players made it to the square, where Krysta seemed to be waiting. 

"It really shouldn't be this hard to meet and have a simple conversation." Spoke the familiar figure. Dazia shrugged. "Kind of hard to meet up easily when it could easily be an obvious trap. I'd say better safe than sorry, although it's even harder to deal with a situation like this easily when someone tries to sow discord in what could have been a peaceful situation otherwise. By the way, where's that moderator you spoke of? I need to have a word with him, too." She explained. 

The first response came as expected, but the next words to come from Krysta's mouth were...completely unexpected. "Cut the crap." Dazia shot back. "You're clearly lying, there's no way you're over this conflict like that." She was actually trying to keep herself from laughing at this moment. "But on the off chance you did want to get this over with in words instead of blood, I too, came with a peaceful offering. We have your spy, and we'll release him to you peacefully...if you let us go in peace." Might as well play the card while she still could.

Valna looked Krysta up and down. "So, you're Krysta, then? Damn, she wasn't kidding when she said you were like a princess...heh, lovely like one, too. Name's Valna, I don't think we've met." She remarked and introduced. "I know Dazia pretty well, so I guess I could serve as her moderator...assuming this goes well, of course. You say you want peace, but actions speak louder than words. Go ahead, prove your intent, even if you can only speak it." She added.

What the hell was that just now? Dazia could have sworn the snow just moved.

The three players and their captive simply stood there in silence for about a minute or two. Dazia then looked to her allies and captive. Something wasn't right about the expression on Yinangi's face. "Yinangi, what's wrong?" Dazia asked. Yinangi would send a message to Valna, and the reason Dazia could tell was because Valna received a message as soon as Yinangi pressed send. Valna had a confused look on her face. "Yinangi...did...did you hear the details back over in the abandoned building? Kind of why we brought the spy, isn't it?" She asked. Yinangi pulled up her messenger, and sent another message. "What's going on?" Dazia asked. Yinangi pulled out her Teleport Crystal. "If it's you, I hope you'll forgive me for doubting you. Teleport: Florenthia!" After these words, she would disappear, and Valna would recieve Yinangi's message. After reading the message, Valna sighed and said, "Just...we need a reality check real quick. So it's a trap, and the plan is to reverse the trap...but Yinangi claims she heard you say that you, right here, were a copy." 

"What?"  Dazia thought. "That's not possible...the only way for that to happen would be to..."

The Assassin, they were here.

To have sown distrust with a false form, it have been Disguise...Dazia really wanted that skill, and now she was seeing more and more potential use for it...oh, the irony, that it would be used against her.

"Go ahead, ask me questions, I'm ready." Dazia said. "Surely a copy wouldn't know things only the real Dazia would know."

Valna nodded. "I've got many questions, of which only the real Dazia would know the answers to, but I'll stick with three for now, in case the other one shows up again." She remarked. "Mom's favorite bird." Came the first question to answer. "Raven." Dazia answered. "Next up is a tougher one. Over in Ao3, there were four stories written by a seemingly anonymous user going by 'Shadowflight'. Now, which of those four...was your favorite?" Valna asked. Dazia's face reddened. "You have got to be kidding me...you're bringing up THAT? J-just because I actually liked that one doesn't mean you can just bring it up wherever because you damn walked in on me reading it!!" She thought. With a grimace, and some hesitation, Dazia eventually answered with, "...S-....Starry Dreams...", as her face reddened even further.  Valna smiled. "Correct. Ah, Starry Dreams...I actually read it myself, you've got great taste in love stories! ...even if the title was a little cliche...the story itself was anything but, though." She remarked. "For the love of the world, please shut up and ask the next question, would you?" Dazia said, close to pleading as she pulled her hood over her head and practically hid her face in it. "Last Question...for now... Tell me...one of my secrets." Valna requested. Dazia leaned over to Valna, who lowered her head to listen, and Dazia whispered something in Valna's ear. The smirk faded from her face, and she looked almost embarrassed herself. "I was thinking of a completely different secret, but yeah that works. Okay, it's you..."

She slowly began to walk towards the square again. One ally lost to fear, but it was too late to turn back now. "I should probably talk to this Freyd character about his damn assassin..." She thought. He had a lot to answer for, such as trying to make Dazia come alone.

ID# 197034 LD: 9(Failed to spot Setsuna)