Dazia

Dazia could have sworn she just heard a whisper, one so faint that it was practically inaudible. She stopped in the middle of the snowy path, and asked, "Did any of you just say something?"

Only the silence in the air dared to answer. Dazia slowly began to walk once more, but she was just as wary as she was when she'd arrived. Her gaze darted around the settlement, looking left and right for any signs of danger. This may have been a safe zone, but players could still be grabbed and potentially restrained, for whatever hostile purpose a possible assailant had in mind. She knew her goal, of course. Negotiate release, exchange her allies' captive for her freedom, escape. The plan in mind was simple, but her enemies would just need to be cooperative for this to work.

Dazia's right hand was in her pocket, ready to draw out the teleport crystal if things went poorly. Yinangi had a similar idea, placing one hand in her pocket, while her other hand held onto the spy. Valna also kept a hand on the spy as Yinangi did, as to make sure he didn't try to flee, but there was no pocket on her outfit that could hold and conceal a teleport crystal. While she did like this "armor" very much, Valna considered having a talk with her preferred tailor when all this was over...

The Square was now in sight, and Dazia saw a familiar figure in the distance. She did not quicken her pace, but in fact slowed down a little. It was best to approach with caution.

ID# 196823 LD: 7(Failed to spot Setsuna)

The situation was simple. Dazia was being forced into enemy hands, and their spy was captured by Valna and Yinangi...maybe there was a way to convince the enemy to let her go.

Dazia pulled up her messenger.

Quote

To: Valna

Hiraani, the enemy has me cornered, forcing me to return to the safe zone if I don't want to be hunted by their own assassin. But they are clearly waiting for me in the safe zone, it's an obvious trap. I'd like for you and Yinangi to come with me, and bring the spy. Hopefully we can exchange his freedom for ours.

Be sure that you both have teleport crystals if this counter-plan goes poorly.

-Dazia

Even if it was still a trap in the end, The spy would still be bound, so numbers meant nothing if freedom had to come with forceful escape, as the actual numbers would be pretty even.

The casual smirk faded from Valna's expression as she read the message. "Damn, looks like this 'Princess' found some experts, rather than idiots, to help her out this time around." She remarked. She went back inside the room, where Yinangi was still watching the spy. "Hey, Yinangi, we've got a problem..."

Dazia would receive a message from Valna, revealing where they were keeping the spy. That would be her first stop. When she arrived, both allies were prepared, as each of the two players had a hand on the spy, so that he wouldn't try to flee. "The situation is simple in our case. I give you your freedom, as long as your allies consent to mine. If they're more reasonable than they are stubborn, we'll both be able to go on with our lives...but don't even think about making it worse for us both, we know someone who can track you down." Dazia explained to the spy. His hands were bound, and his legs were only lightly restrained, so that he could walk, but not run. With that, it was time to make for the settlement. After all, neither Princess, nor this Freyd character, had specified for Dazia to come alone...

The Town of Snowfrost was eerily quiet. This was definitely a trap. "Be on guard." Dazia whispered to Valna and Yinangi. "We don't know who may be watching." All this needed now was for there to be no disruptions...

Dazia received a message from Krysta. The spoken words, even if directing her to the typical safe zone, were more than suspicious. "It's a trap..." She thought, before completely dismissing the message. She then received another message...from a player named Freyd. 

How...how did he...how the hell did he know she knew they were coming??

"This is it." Dazia decided. "I've come to a point in my life where I need a stronger word than F**k." For some reason, she was outmatched. Her nemesis was luring her to an obvious trap, and the "mediator" had a killer of their own on reserve to hunt Dazia down if she did not head for the obvious trap. Were the Starglades an unguarded Safe Zone, or just a monster-free environment? Dazia wasn't in the mood to test that theory...unless...was their killer one of those types whose sworn to remain green? There was hope, though there wasn't much of it. She'd need to respond in some way in order to keep the enemy's assassin at bay.

Quote

To: Freyd

Funny how you claim to be of a neutral party, yet have someone on reserve to hunt down and kill a green player for refusing to go to an obvious trap, safe zone or no. I might consider heading over, but don't get your hopes up. Expect me in about an hour and ten minutes at the latest in case I decide to show up, I might need some time to think about this tight position you've placed me in.

-Dazia

She sent the message, though at this rate she was likely to have no choice but to head for the obvious trap...maybe if she could...wait, there was an idea...

Meanwhile, Yinangi wasn't too pleased with the spy's remark. "Why do I even bother..." This was starting to tire the girl. "I'm just gonna stop talking if all we're gonna do is say the same thing over and over, we're wasting our breath at this point." Sure, she'd still keep watch over the prisoner, but she had yet to learn of Dazia's idea...

Dazia soon reached the Starglades. Now all she needed to do was find a suitable hiding place and lay low. there was no shortage of patches of white around the wintry terrain, but were there enough branches or shadows to provide enough natural camouflage for her in this moonlit night? Dazia searched around, but didn't find much. It just had to be a full moon out tonight, and that always meant one thing for all nocturnal creatures reliant on darkness: Cover was sparse. For players seeking to hide, the situation would be no different for them. "Damn,"  Dazia thought. "Couldn't this night have been with a new moon?"

She wasn't about to give up on finding a hiding spot, though...she wasn't nearly close to that point. She was going to avoid the seemingly inevitable chase however way possible. She wasn't going to be found by Princess and attacked. Not tonight at least, that's for sure.

Meanwhile, Valna waited outside the door from where Krysta's informant was being kept. She didn't see anyone nearby, but the town wasn't too far from there either. Hey, as long as there wasn't anyone making a home or shop in this seemingly abandoned building, it was free to be used for any other practical use...so long as it was emptied before any snitches could get a good look. She decided to keep watch, she didn't know if anyone would try to stop by.

Yinangi heard the spy's question. "Another player." She answered. "She assumed I was up to no good, but there was no solid evidence to back it up. She planned on dueling me to the death, but then Dazia stepped in and took my place. I don't know if I would be standing here today if it wasn't for her." Yinangi's life had been saved by Dazia's actions, despite the lethality. Therefore she would do what little she could to preserve Dazia's lifespan.

Name: Soaring Shadow
Your Profession: Artisan
Your Rank: 2
Roll ID: 194262
Roll Result: 12
Item Type: Trinket
Tier: 1
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Accuracy(2), Evasion
Description: A trinket shaped like a raven in flight. Silver makes up the back of it, but also outlines the edges of its defining piece, an onyx. Like the trinket itself, the onyx is shaped like a raven taking flight.
Post Link: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19936-f11-rank-2-artisan-ombre-di-cristallo-pk-accessible-closed/?do=findComment&comment=641489

Name: Lesser Lucky Ring
Your Profession: Artisan
Your Rank: 2
Roll ID: 194263
Roll Result: 9
Item Type: Trinket
Tier: 1
Quality: Uncommon
Enhancements: Loot Die
Description: A simple Gold Ring. Can potentially add a little luck for it's wearer, but it's a simple ring otherwise.
Post Link: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19936-f11-rank-2-artisan-ombre-di-cristallo-pk-accessible-closed/?do=findComment&comment=641489

Crafting Results:

ID# 194261 CD: 6, LD: 20(Material Salvaged)

ID# 194262 CD: 12(Success, crafted Perfect T1 Trinket)

ID# 194263 CD: 9(Success, crafted Uncommon T1 Trinket)

Materials Consumed: 2

Crafting EXP Earned: 13

Crafting Results:

ID# 193466 CD: 3(Failed)

ID# 193467 CD: 1

ID# 193468 CD: 8, LD: 2(Salvage failed)

Materials Consumed: 3

Crafting EXP Earned: 4

Allies and Enemies

Story thus Far

Roleplay Log

[Alignment System Removed.]

old item:

Reason for Re-evaluation: Used <<Essence of Steel>>
Link to essence thread: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/20736-pp-f4-getting-back-what-was-earned/

New Item:

Current Level: 32
Current SP: 107
Link to SP Tracking: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/14985-dazias-journal/
Item Upgrades:

What an idiot.

The red haired drunkard was really getting on Dazia's nerves now. She was tempted to draw her weapon, but she decided not to. The fool drawled, calling Sketch "A real saint", and then proceeded to say some words that really shouldn't have been said. "Weakling." The false thought echoed in her mind, her own take on this fool's words, summarized with a single one. Dazia's fists clenched, her left fist shook. She was really close, all it would take was a bit more, and she would be more than willing to forcefully show this punk the door. Hellish embers burned in her eyes, waiting to become ablaze if the drunkard was to cross the line... She lost all focus on the scenario around her, there was just her, this dumbass, and the warning within her eyes...

This would go south if this idiot didn't stop. In fact, it would practically be inevitable at this rate...

The player gave his answer to Dazia's question. It was actually a good answer. "Looks like you're better than the common rabble, it seems." Dazia remarked. "Still kind of a dumbass, though, words sometimes go in one of your ears and out the other." She muttered in a way she hoped was inaudible.

The player noticed the wrath Dazia had...or, rather, a glimpse of it. He made a suggestion, but it wasn't like Dazia hadn't already tried that. If anything, she should appreciate the thought. The player would then ask if she knew of a tavern in the settlement that served something other than roasted duck. This player helped her get what she needed, and escorted her back to the safe zone. She might have had other plans for the day, but it would be simple to point this player in the right direction...better yet, lead him to it, in case his dumbassery made it difficult for him to follow directions on his own. Better safe than sorry. "I'm pretty sure The Frozen Owl's Perch has something up your alley." Dazia noted. "I'll lead you there."

Dazia may have thought the rest of this day would be simple, without any further issues...but if only she knew that her actions had already been spotted, and her enemy was on her way...

Summary:

Dazia Receives: 400 EXP, 200 Col, and <<Essence of Steel>>

@Crozeph receives: 600 EXP and 200 Col

Turns out, Dazia had slightly muttered her thoughts, and this dumbass made a show of it. Agitated, she glared at him, hints of the infernal Wrath showing within. "I share no affinity with the element of water, unless it is a torrent that destroys. You think I haven't tried various methods? What you speak of may be foreign to me, but it changes nothing." She whispered to the player in a growling tone. She took a deep breath before listening to the next thing the player had to say.

This Ariel person who the player spoke of seemed to be held in high regards from his opinion... Dazia raised an eyebrow and had a smirk on her face. "Quite the description you gave there...tell me...do you like her?" She asked, hoping for a reaction. As far as she knew, high opinions of women, coming from men, especially if appearance was complimented, often came from feelings towards those women. It wasn't always the case, but she wondered if it was with this player here.

Dazia? Calm as still waters? Like that's ever gonna happen.

"Do you know what else is still and capable of showing a reflection? Ice." Dazia remarked. "Sharp spears of ice that can pierce those who think they can get past me, or destroy me." She thought, unwilling to speak the rest of her opinion on the matter. "Who was it that scolded you? I'm actually curious to know." She asked after hearing the player's next words. The player told her not to let herself be talked into agreements that make her end up losing something. She needed to not laugh at this. "Did you seriously think I had a say in that matter? My hand was moved to the accept button against my will. It didn't count as a violent action, but at some point, there's gonna need to be some form of mild payback..." She explained. Hopefully it was crystal clear in this player's head, and he wasn't too tired or stupid enough to misunderstand it.

The player would give his opinion on Galen, even though Dazia had muttered those words, and hadn't told very much about him, either. "I don't know about that, but I'll say he's convinced himself that he's always tired...sleeping for two years, I never thought it was even possible..."

When the battle began and Dazia missed, the player made several remarks that made no sense do Dazia. So many terms she'd never even heard of. He also had the nerve to steal Dazia's kill...but she could let that go since he held up his end of the deal by tossing the Essence of Steel over to her. "Now all that's left is to get back to the safe zone without running into any trouble." Dazia noted. "What was all that you were even saying, though? I was focused on planning my next move, so I didn't see any translations on whatever you were talking about." She added. She wasn't too knowledgeable on Japanese terminologies, anyway. She may be clever, but she didn't know that much.

Dazia saw the skull in the distance, she knew what to do. The player Dazia was traveling with admitted that he'd been sleep-deprived for a few days, but blamed his environment. "Ugh, you almost sound like Galen." She muttered. The player seemed to remark on Dazia's Glare, but there was one thing he said almost inaudibly. Dazia didn't hear what he said, but she had a few guesses. "Were you about to call me short?" She inquired, her glare not fading. "You know what, forget it." She said as she turned around, and walked over to the bone and skull, proceeding to hit the skull with the bone, so hard that the bone shattered upon contact with the skull. Nevertheless, the target monster was awakened, and Dazia would draw her weapon, ready to fight. She charged up her sword art, and let loose her Sword Art, Over Radiation.

She missed.

ID# 186982 BD: 3+2=5(Miss)

Dazia: HP: 640/640 | EN: 60/62 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 48 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2

Crozeph | HP: 1150/1150 | EN: 106/106 | ACC: 4 | DMG: 19 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 45 I REC: 1 | BH: 30 | LD: 1 | FLN: 1

                   Enemies:

Frost Beast: HP 250/250, 160 DMG, [Partial Phase]: <<Frost Beast>>'s attacks always deal a minimum of 24 DMG instead of a minimum of 1 DMG when calculating Mitigation. 

"Are you hearing anything I'm saying?" Dazia asked, irritated. She was really tempted to slap this player, it might realign some of those scrambled brain cells. No, maybe slapping is too light, she should really punch this dumbass, but she didn't want to risk an unnecessary infraction. "Are you drunk? Sleep-deprived? Retarded?"

It wasn't long after those words, when a monster showed up. The player eliminated the creature, but he pushed Dazia out of the way like she couldn't handle it. While the player suggested that the two get moving, which was the obvious course of action, Dazia got up from the snow, straightened her gear, and glared at the player. "You didn't have to push me away like that, I can handle the typical monsters of this floor easily. Just...don't make me regret asking you to come along."

The frozen wastes were close now, so it wouldn't be long.

Vigilon clearly wasn't too happy about what Dazia did, which, honestly, was kind of expected. "Listen, you did the one thing I didn't want you to do: let your crazy ass girlfriend try to kill me. I just returned the favor, simply because you clearly aren't interested in Koharu...or, at least, I don't think you are, but I do know for a fact that she is interested in you. Hell, if something happens to Krysta, and it's not my doing, I will personally support a relationship between you and Koharu." She responded.

"Furthermore, you have got to learn how to say no. It'll be a weakness the ladies can exploit if you don't get that problem of yours fixed. I consider us quite even now, so please watch over your current girlfriend, and maybe I won't push you to having another. Got it? Alright, bye."

And with that, Dazia would leave Vigilon standing there in the safe zone of Floor 5. There were better things for Dazia to do, now that the laughable dumpster fire was over...for now.

Summary:

Both Players receive: 3 SP(1 Page completed[1], Quest completed[1], Quarantine bonus[1]) and 200 Col
Both players have unlocked the <<Survival>> Skill.

Dazia, Koharu and Arnemis would lay down the cargo they gathered before the NPC. It would seem that both parties managed to gather all the goods. It made sense that the goods all had duplicates, as there were two parties seeking it out anyway. Arnemis simply nodded her head in response to her party members' farewells, and she would then leave the vicinity.

Then there was Koharu.

She was happy with the results of this trip, and here in the safe zone again, there was only a warm yet pleasant breeze blowing through her hair. She looked over to Vigilon. "Thank you so much for letting me take the quest with you. I also can't wait to meet Krysta. Can you keep me posted on what she thinks? I won't mind if you say no...but if the answer is yes, just let me know and I can start suggesting great ideas for dates!" She said happily, before pulling Vigilon in for a quick kiss. She would then have to be on her way. "Goodbye Dazia, I hope our next duel will be better than the last! Goodbye, Alex-kun, daisuki~!"

After Koharu had left, Dazia looked to Vigilon with a smirk on her face. "I so enjoyed this quest. You and Koharu would make a nice couple, you know." She remarked. "I listened to every word, and my, is this something I'd like to hear more about sometime."

Arnemis and Dazia would go right to gathering the Cargo, as they did not want any of it to be lost in the sands forever. Koharu would help as well, but she'd stick by Vigilon as she did so. Dazia was strong-ish, but she found herself more capable of trying to pull or dig the cargo out of the sand instead. Must have been a height thing...she'll get strong enough at some point, and her height couldn't change a thing...but she still hated the fact that she was short, despite its usefulness. She just thought it made her feel weaker, and she was once bullied for her height...but that's enough short storytime for now.

Dazia looked around the area, and it would seem that most of the Cargo had been reclaimed. "I think that's everything, ready to go back?" Dazia asked. The sandstorm was still raging on, but it could get worse if the players didn't get moving.

ID# 186306 CD: 3(Dazia does not take Sandstorm Damage)

Dazia thought it couldn't get better than this, and Vigilon replied with, "You say that like I wouldn't miss a good friend, Dazia. Of course I missed her." Oh, this was bound to get better now.

Koharu seemed to really like what was said. "Alex-kun, I missed you too~" She replied sweetly. Dazia was unable to contain a chuckle at how hilariously mushy this was becoming. "Aw, how sweet..." Dazia remarked with a smile on her face. She was in a much better mood now, and Vigilon had then fallen into a bit of a disaster that was sure to make things worse for him, but better for Dazia. Vigilon's foot got stuck in the sand, and he fell, while Koharu was still holding onto him. Vigilon's first course of action from here would be to ask if Koharu was alright. Koharu looked deeply into Vigilon's eyes, and saw the genuine concern he showed, and it was a sign that he cared for her...and the only thing that Koharu would mutter out as she blushed was, "Ara ara, Alex-kun...how chivalrous of you..." She pulled herself together, and continued. "I'm fine, thank you for caring." She managed to answer.

Dazia tried to get over her own chuckling and snickering at this scene, but then she realized what Vigilon had really stepped in...was that cloth? "Ok you two, I know this is such a sweet moment, one that I support, but I think we found the cargo." Dazia noted, as she pointed to the other signs of the cargo, slowly being buried by the sand of the sandstorm.

ID# 186298 CD: 2(Dazia takes no Sandstorm Damage)

Vigilon was being fairly encouraging to Koharu, and this just made it all better for Dazia. Besides, if something were to happen to Krysta, well...he always had the loving Koharu to spend his days with...and due to the enmity between Krysta and Dazia...it was a given at this point that she was now supporting this humorous, one-sided union of Vigilon and Koharu. "So Vigilon, since you said you were happy to see Koharu again, did you miss her dearly all the years you were separated?" Dazia asked. She really wanted to know the touching tale of Vigilon and Koharu, and how they met, possibly even the time when Koharu first loved him...primarily because she wanted a good laugh to keep her going through this storm. "It can't get better than this." She thought.

Koharu took Vigilon's encouraging words very well. "In that case, I can't wait to meet her, Alex-kun." She decided.

ID# 186296 CD: 10(Dazia takes no Sandstorm Damage)

Arnemis decided to pull out her weapon, as to handle any monsters, or to settle any disputes between her party members. Their conversation seemed to become a bit heated, but it wasn't disastrous as of yet. Her eyes scanned the horizon, seeing no immediate threats for the moment.

Koharu hadn't been holding on too tightly, until the winds of the sandstorm began getting worse. She awaited Vigilon's answer eagerly, and, well...it wasn't necessarily a no. In fact, it sounded like a maybe, and he'd wanted to check with his other lover first. "I don't have many doubts there, I bet she's a lot of fun, knowing you!" Koharu remarked. "Oh, she's lots of fun, all right, as long as she's not trying to put your head on a pike..." Dazia added, muttering the second half of the sentence. "I'm sorry, what was that?" Koharu asked, wondering what Dazia was muttering. "Nothing, just this sandstorm." She lied.

ID# 186293 CD: 5(Dazia takes no Sandstorm Damage)