Krysta

Perhaps this task was more difficult than expected. Krysta continued to search potential places where a key might be hidden.

She checked under the rug, but there was nothing to be found.

She overturned the cushions on the armchairs, but there were no keys hidden. She walked over to one of the bookshelves that had yet to be emptied, and attempted to pull it away, pivoting it in hopes of revealing anything it may have hidden.

Only the wall seemed to be behind the bookshelf...and it had taken about five minutes for Krysta to pull away the bookshelf...but for the sake of the other players, she would have to push it back in as to avoid it being an obstruction for the other players.

With a sigh, she proceeded to push the bookshelf back in. Surely the pink haired player might be able to frisk it for any keys while Krysta searched elsewhere.

ID# 202784 LD: 13(no key)

A rather lavish study was the room the players had now found themselves in. Looking above, there were keyholes that probably blocked the way forward...or, more accurately, upward. If there were keyholes, there had to be a set of keys somewhere...

As long as whoever was in charge of the tower leaves the keys in this room instead of always carrying them, the players had a way through...all Krysta would need was evidence that there was a key around, if not a key itself. The ginger newcomer would speak up the problem for anyone who wasn't looking in every direction for the only way up, and thus the players began searching for the keys.

With all the floral overgrowth around the walls, it might be good to check that, just in case it happened to grow around a key.

After rummaging through and frisking the foliage, it would seem that the growths had not caught a key. "Well, who would hide a key where even a plant would catch it, anyway?" Krysta thought, rethinking her current course of action.

ID# 202774 LD: 13(nothing found)

Just when she thought she was out of ideas, Krysta would witness one of the oddest sights she'd see on this day.

The redheaded player had rallied NPCs from outside, all of whom were following her at that moment. Krysta did her best to try and jump back to the steps when she saw what was about to happen, but it came sooner than she had thought.

Once again, she was falling.

She got up to see that the NPCs were practically spilling down and all around the pit, forming themselves into a literal pyramid of people.

Krysta still preferred to take the steps, but when she reached the upper end of those steps, it would seem that the mass of people would still be the only way forward. Krysta did not like the idea of stepping on other people, physically or economically, so of course she would be reluctant to such a course of action as this. Some of the NPCs looked to Krysta, noticing her hesitation.

"What are you waiting for? Come on!" An NPC called out. "I do not like the idea of stepping on innocent people to get ahead." Krysta replied. "Then jump, we'll catch you and help you up!" Came the response.

Oh, the dilemma...

Krysta could indeed jump, but she'd have to be careful not to land her feet upon one's face if she did so. On top of that, she knew very little on what the general populace of the floor was like, despite that these individuals were rebelling against the current leadership...so she didn't want them to get any ideas as to where they catch and grab hold of her...

In the end, she hesitantly flung herself toward the NPCs...backwards. The NPCs would help her up towards the newcomer player in the scene, who would assist Krysta in climbing up to the area above. When the red haired player realized that the players would have to separate from the NPCs in order to progress further, she chose to stay behind and help the NPCs through. 

"We shall do our best, we will not let you down." Krysta said, and with a smile, she added, "Thank you for the help you've given us, all of you!"

Krysta ascends to the next level.

Only the unexpected seemed to happen from here.

Several players fell down after Krysta, including one who she did not recognize from the other players she'd encountered. It was as if there were more and more of them on their way, not that it was a bad thing...hopefully these newcomers were not followers of the Tyrant who Krysta had been quarreling with numerous times so far.

"I find this scenario to be unexpected as well." Krysta said in response to the newcomer's remark. She then looked up to the slab, it would be some time to climb back up. "Well, we mustn't stand around doing nothing, we haven't a moment to lose!"

Krysta began her way up the steps, and witnessed another player stumble once more from the slab. Once Krysta reached the slab, she saw that there was one player in position, and Krysta chose to take position on the opposite side for the sake of balance. Whoever her future opponent was, it was likely that this one was clever, to have devised a trap like this...

"There has to be another way to go about this..." Krysta thought. "There has to be."

ID# 202739 LD: 2

North Corner: 0/50
East Corner: 3/50
South Corner: 0/50
West Corner: 2/50

Astralin, like Krysta, had missed their attacks. However, Dazia and Vigilon proved to be too much for the Wind Dragon to handle. Nemo reverted to a human form, and his true intentions were revealed as he led the players over to the Garden's Warp Panel. Krysta pitied the Dragon, it must not have been easy being a lonesome guardian. Nemo chose to permit the players' actions, as long as they were cleaned up after and done in moderation, which was understandable, to say the least. It was doable, too. "Thank you, Nemo. It was a pleasure to meet you. I'll be sure to return someday." Krysta said, accepting the Warp Crystal.

Once the players were gone, there was one last unexpected matter to deal with.

"see? i knew you could find a non-lethal alternative."

The Skeleton was here.

"I'll have you know, I am more prepared than I was last time." Krysta declared.

"...seriously? come on, you just learned how to play nice, can't you let a guy be?" The Skeleton asked. Krysta, not understanding where the Skeleton was coming from, readied her attack anyway. She prepared herself to get past the Skeleton's onslaught of using the environment to try and push her away. She dodged and leaped, this was an evasive challenge for her as it was for the skeleton. Krysta activated her Sword Art when the time was right. It worked, and she moved immediately, and whether it was by luck or by paying attention, Krysta managed to avoid attacks and deal two more of her own. The skeleton had proven to be sturdy, however. "huh, guess you were right there. ...maybe i should have stopped going easy on you." The skeleton noted. "tell me, have I done anything against you that provoked your attack?"

The skeleton had a good point...

ID# 202681 CD: 10(Tag successful)

ID# 202682 CD: 10(Tag successful)

ID# 202683 CD: 9(Tag successful)

Tags Acquired: 3!(10 Materials, +5% Exp. for the thread, <<Unidentified T4 Perfect Straight Sword>> x3, <<Unidentified T4 Demonic Straight Sword>> x1)

Dazia spoke of her siblings, and why it would be a bad idea to meet them. For a monster, she was good at warning others about her associates...how odd. "And I suppose Valna's behavior explains her rather suggestive outfit?" Krysta asked, though the players would all know the answer at this point. "Not to mention, she actively tried to save your life back on the fourth floor, or do you not remember that night?" Krysta asked, wondering if the monster could truly see past her own hatred.

Vigilon counted up the flaws he'd discovered and heard regarding Dazia and her siblings, and managed to piece together....

"Seven Deadly Sins." Krysta said, as the realization hit Vigilon as well. "Vigilon, I offer you my sincere condolences."

Dazia pushed away Vigilon's point, and began to speak of her own father as if that man had done better than Vigilon's. She also mentioned this "Aunt Rebecca" of hers, though this knowledge was known only to Dazia for the time being. Finally, she revealed that Vigilon's father was...murdered. Vigilon gave his reasons for why he did nothing, that he was too young to properly handle the moment. Krysta couldn't possibly blame Vigilon for that.

Astralin changed the subject, probably for good reason, and the players began to admit they all knew nothing. Dazia also revealed herself to be the bearer of the Red Essence.

Vigilon suggested that the players retreat and regroup, due to the fact that they are likely to become swarmed more times than they can handle if they remained in the garden. "...Perhaps you're right, we need to get out of here...and the way we came was right behind us, so let's move."

Krysta followed the way the players came, but there was no way out in sight. Something was wrong here, and there were some monsters in view...many of them, in fact. Krysta looked around, there had to be another way. Perhaps there was something deeper in the garden that might give a clue as to how the players could leave?

About half an hour of fruitless searching later, the players found Nemo standing in their path, and he did not look very happy. "Stop right there, all of you! Your actions have not gone unnoticed, now had over everything you've stolen!" He declared.

"...Stolen?" Krysta asked, confused. She looked around her, trying to find any cursor marked with an infraction. "I do not see any evidence that we have stolen anything, what are you talking about?"

Her words fell on deaf ears. "Don't play dumb with me, I know what you did!" Nemo shot back. With that, his form began to change. Before Krysta knew it, the NPC's true form emerged, a dragon of winds. "Now return what you have stolen, or suffer the consequences!" Nemo threatened.

Nemo's cursor changed from Yellow to Red. This was a fight she could not avoid. "If hostility is the course of action you persist..." Krysta began. "I shall not fall so easily!"

Krysta attempted to attack with her sword art, Radiant Strike, but the dragon was swifter than she'd anticipated.

ID# 202677 BD: 2+3-2=3(miss)

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

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

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

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

           Enemies:

Nemo, Wind of Gaia:

A dark yet flashy set of cloth armor...wait, perhaps Krysta did know of this player. "Shadowed yet flashy...hmm...AH!" Krysta managed to recall the description. There was only one player who wore such a set of gear that Krysta had seen. "I've seen such a set of armor before. It was on a thief who had stolen our supplies when our backs were turned, do you remember that, Vigilon?" She realized. "She was swift, and I was only able to reach her with my blade. My intention was to stop her, but my base damage was dealt upon the weapon's contact, and I could see the username before she got away. If I recall, the thief's username was... 'RavenHarpy'?"

It was almost as if the players had forgotten Astralin was there. There was some awkward silence before she asked for the topic to change, unless Vigilon or Dazia were willing to explain more, the condition being "No Edgy Rogue Backstories"...or whatever she meant by that. Dazia found the beliefs of Vigilon's father doing the right thing to be laughable, and she claimed that his father was a coward who ran and tore apart his family. Vigilon then declared that his father was a great man who stood up for him until the very end...and...he had lost his father?

Vigilon wasn't the only one who had experienced the loss of a parent. "..."

Krysta placed her hand in Vigilon's. "I...had no idea your father had perished... I lost my mother when I was but a child...My father and I were devastated by the loss, and I had no siblings to share my grief with...only a cousin..." She then looked over to Dazia. "A Cousin who you had murdered."

Dazia claimed that she had another sister, and that said sister was the culprit, although she'd never managed to get a username from the player. "Such a serious lack of information leads me to not trust your words. At least give a description if anything." Krysta noted. If Dazia had an immediate response, the claims may actually be true...though without a username, it would definitely be hard to track down an orange player. Vigilon seemed to wonder how many siblings Dazia truly had. There was the mention of a "Galen" individual, but without more information it was just a name.

Vigilon then looked over to Krysta, claiming that there was something he should have told her a while ago. "What....what are you talking about, Alex?" Krysta asked. This seemed like a serious matter.

Vigilon then revealed the answer. He and Dazia were cousins, having never known each other due to the choices of Vigilon's father. "..."

Krysta would need some time to herself to process all of this, for if this was true, not only was Vigilon the cousin of a monster, but all of the monster's siblings as well. "I...." This was already quite difficult to hear, but it was good to know that it did not affect Vigilon's loyalty. "Thank you for telling me this...I do believe your father was doing what he believed was right." She added.

Her expression was both calm and surprised, but within Krysta's mind was anything but calm.

All three of the other players did what they could to handle the four wolves after Krysta's attempt, and Vigilon dealt the final blow against the Alpha. Vigilon seemed irritated at the sheer number of enemies that had come after the players during this battle. He then sheathed his weapon and seemed to be hoping for a peaceful method of deciding whether or not Dazia would tag along under a ceasefire. Astralin knew little of Dazia and her deeds, so she was likely to give the monster a chance. Krysta and Vigilon, on the other hand, would be suspicious of her presence at the very least.... "Surely it would be a tie if we voted. Dazia would vote for the sake of her own safety, and Astralin might want to give her a chance. Against our votes, that would be a tie." Krysta explained. "I'm not certain about a coin toss, but I cannot seem to come up with anything else on the top of my head...aside from..." Krysta looked back over to Dazia. "Were you saying something about a culprit before the interruption? Not that I'd take your word for it, at least not alone...but who would you suggest is the reason why the Monster Overpopulation isn't as noticeable as it should be?" She asked. "Anyone else have any clues?"

The last thing Krysta expected in this battle, as well as within the dispute between her and the monster, was Astralin's outburst. She scolded both players, having found faults in both their arguments. Astralin's words were true, Dazia was right about the players being surrounded...Krysta just didn't want to take a monster's word for it.

Astralin finished off the last wolf that Vigilon and Krysta were fighting against, and Dazia attacked the other wolves nearby before Astralin suggested that the two attack the other wolves. Vigilon dealt the finishing attacks to them, and now there were only four left. There seemed to be an Alpha among them...perhaps this truly was the last of them. Krysta readied a stronger sword art, taking position, and her weapon glowed. Her attack would be dodged by two of them , but the others were not as lucky. The Alpha proceeded to bite down on Krysta's blade in an attempt to disarm her as the other one had tried, but the physical strength was much stronger, so Krysta found herself using both hands to keep a hold on her sword.

ID# 202444 BD: 1(Critical Fail)

ID# 202445 BD: 8+3=11(hit)

ID# 202446 BD: 2+3=5(miss)

ID# 202447 BD: 5+3=8(hit)

Luna Regalia: 21x14=294 Damage to Mossy Wolves 21 and 23!

Vigilon: HP 740/740, EN 11/88 | 21 DMG | 78 MIT | 4 ACC | 2 EVA | PAR | 6 LD | 3 Prosperity

Krysta: HP 660/660, EN 18/86 | 21 DMG | 78 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 LD | 3 Prosperity | Holy: 8 | T4 Bleed

Astralin: HP 480/480, EN 25/66 | 20 DMG | 45 MIT | 5 ACC | 2 EVA | 3 Prosperity | Freeze: 9-10

Dazia: HP 620/620, EN 26/80 | 21 DMG | 44 MIT | 3 ACC | 4 EVA | 1 LD | 3 Prosperity | Fallen: 8

           Enemies:

Mossy Wolf 20: HP 372/372, 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 21: HP 78/372, 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 22: HP 372/372, 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 23: HP 78/372, 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.

Krysta was not willing to listen to Dazia's words. "Do not think I will listen to those words. They come from you, and therefore fall on deaf ears. You're up to something, otherwise you would not have been in hiding." She claimed. There was something, be it an ulterior motive, a trap of sorts, or some kind of plan that would require her to know more about Krysta's allies...there was something going on. "Tell me, why is it now that the effects of Monster Overpopulation are actually being seen here, but hardly anywhere else?" Krysta demanded.

Krysta was relieved to see Astralin help out, but she was angered when Dazia cruelly slaughtered the mossy wolf. Someday, Dazia would fall. Vigilon prepared himself to fight the next four wolves, and asked for someone to cover him. Krysta jumped in and readied her sword art, which was Celestial Sweep once again. She struck down all but one of the wolves Vigilon was facing, and checked behind her to see more wolves, but it seemed that they were only waiting at this point. 

ID# 202414 BD: 8+3=11(hit)

ID# 202415 BD: 7+3=10(hit)

ID# 202416 BD: 2+3=5(miss)

ID# 102417 BD: 9(Critical, +1 Base DMG, Holy activates! inflicted Bleed)

Celestial Sweep(AoE-I): (22+8)x11=330 Damage to Mossy Wolf 15, 21x11=231 damage to Mossy Wolves 12 and 13!

ID# 202418 CD: 10, LD: 8+3=11(4836 Col, <<Unidentified T4 Rare Light Armor>>)

ID# 202419 CD: 9, LD: 14+3=17(4464 Col, 2 materials, and <<Unidentified T4 Rare Trinket>>)

ID# 202420 CD: 5, LD: 6+3=9(3720 Col, 2 materials, and <<Unidentified T4 Rare Trinket>>)

[2]Vigilon: HP 740/740, EN 31/88 | 21 DMG | 78 MIT | 4 ACC | 2 EVA | PAR | 6 LD | 3 Prosperity

[0]Krysta: HP 660/660, EN 35/86 | 21 DMG | 78 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 LD | 3 Prosperity | Holy: 8 | T4 Bleed

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

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

           Enemies:

Mossy Wolf 12: 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.

Mossy Wolf 13: 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.

Mossy Wolf 14: HP 27/372, 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. {Paralyzed}

Mossy Wolf 15: 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.

Astralin would finish off the remaining mossy wolf with a freezing strike. "Good work, Astralin!" Krysta complimented, primarily to keep her morale up for the remainder of the investigation. Three more wolves appeared, and Vigilon was ready to continue fighting, but then the most unexpected thing happened.

A dark blur slashed at the three wolves, leaving traces of fell energy in the attack's wake. All eyes, both player and wolf, turned to see the identity of the surprise attacker. Krysta gripped her sword tightly at the sight of the player. She knew that armor anywhere. "Dazia..." She growled. Dazia claimed that the party was surrounded, and that they might need her help. "Do I look like I need help from the likes of you? We are holding out well on our own, we don't need another monster to tangle with!" Krysta shot back.

Of all the things Dazia could do, and she claims she's here to help? No, Dazia's Evil is too great for her to just "Help" someone, there is clearly something behind this, perhaps an ulterior motive. Does she plan to manipulate the players? Krysta would not allow it. Vigilon finished off the three wolves, then turned around to realize the players were indeed surrounded, and called for Krysta and Astralin to look out behind them. Krysta looked and saw four wolves ready to attack. Krysta readied her sword art and struck with Celestial Sweep. Her attack struck three, one of which was also damaged by the Holy Energy in Krysta's weapon. The Mossy Wolf that Krysta failed to strike bit down on Krysta's sword, attempting to stop her. "Hey! Let- let go!" Krysta called out to the beast. The two would proceed to tug against each other for the sword, and only a players interception would bring a stop to this.

ID# 202394 BD: 3+3=6(hit)

ID# 202395 BD: 1(Critical Fail)

ID# 202396 BD: 10(Critical, +2 Base Damage, Holy activates! inflicted bleed)

ID# 202397 BD: 4+3=7(hit)

Celestial Sweep(AoE-I): 23+8x11=341 Damage to Mossy Wolf 10! 21x11=231 Damage to Mossy Wolves 8 and 11!

[0-0-0-0]Vigilon: HP 740/740, EN 51/88 | 21 DMG | 78 MIT | 4 ACC | 2 EVA | PAR | 6 LD | 3 Prosperity

[1-0-2-1]Krysta: HP 660/660, EN 51/86 | 21 DMG | 78 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 LD | 3 Prosperity | Holy: 8 | T4 Bleed

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

[0-0-0-0]Dazia: HP 620/620, EN 55/80 | 21 DMG | 44 MIT | 3 ACC | 4 EVA | 1 LD | 3 Prosperity | Fallen: 8

           Enemies:

Mossy Wolf 8: HP 141/372, 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 9: HP 372/372, 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 10: HP 31/372, 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. | Bleed: 2 Turns, 48 DMG

Mossy Wolf 11: HP 141/372, 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.

The door remained unmoved, regardless of all that the swarm of players had tried. Before Krysta could suggest anything else, however, the floor suddenly gave way.

Thank goodness Krysta was wearing tights under her battledress.

This had been the second time she had been dropped into a new problem,and it was certainly...the Cardinal's fault this time. Krysta took a look at her surroundings, trying to find a way around all of this.

A long way up, and also a long way down. A single rope ladder, and nothing very damaging below, aside from what it seemed the fall might bring. It would seem that a trap had sprung.

The slab began to move erratically, and Krysta realized what was going on here. "Everyone move!" Krysta called out. "We need to distribute ourselves around the corners, lest we all fall further!"

With that, she made her way over to one corner, though almost fell as she'd barely held her footing. She was at the edge of the corner now, but it would seem that others were already choosing the same corner as she did as the others simply scrambled around the slab. "W-wait!! Evenly! EVENLY!!! Wh-whoa-whoa-WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGHHH!!!!!!!"

Perhaps keeping the players organized enough for proper teamwork would prove more difficult than Krysta expected, for she'd fallen further anyway.

Perhaps that blasted Tyrant had something to do with the chaos that led to Krysta's fall.

ID# 202332 LD: 18(Too high! Krysta falls!)

North Corner: 0/50
East Corner: 0/50
South Corner: 0/50
West Corner: 0/50

The many twists and turns would normally have made it all difficult, but a trail of destruction and claw marks...would be surprisingly easy to follow...as long as her foe was ahead of her. Eventually, it would seem that the Tyrant and her lackey were being stalled by soldiers, and Krysta had just caught up. She continued picking up speed as the guards were surrounding the two players. She leaped into the air, and activated her Area of Effect Sword art, Celestial Sweep, on her way down, knocking back a few soldiers, which was just enough for Krysta to barely leak past all enemy forces and take the lead...now she just had to keep it.

A maze of hallways awaited her as she took the lead, for there was no longer a trail to follow. She was left to guess which way was right, but she wouldn't let that discourage her. She had at least two motivations to keep her going. She stopped for a few seconds when a grand staircase came into view. This had to be the way up. She began her way up the staircase, but traveling up said staircase seemed to take longer than expected. How many stories up was she traveling? She did what she could to pick up speed, though it was generally more difficult to move up a set of stairs.

She soon reached the landing, though it was likely that the Tyrant wasn't too far behind at this point, and might have been following Krysta's path as Krysta had followed Nian's trail prior to taking the lead. There didn't seem to be much in her view aside from a grand portrait of a stag, and a locked door.

Perhaps another challenge awaited the players, of whom the rest were probably about to gather at this very moment.

ID# 202042 LD: 14

Progress: 154/150

Astralin questioned Vigilon further, asking him if he knew of any other method for carrying an unconscious individual, and if he knew anything about the meaning of the method Vigilon had gone with. Vigilon's answers were, kind of expected to say the least. He was a capable person, and his kindness was greater than his knowledge.

The NPC who was leading the players to the garden announced the party's arrival. Well, that was...kind of sudden. The players must have lost track of time during the discussion.

As soon as the NPC was out of sight, a pack of odd wolves that appeared to be covered in moss appeared, and they proceeded to stare and sniff around the area. Vigilon must have assumed their hostility, and attacked with his Sword Art. One of the wolves he'd tried to damage had disrupted the end of his attack. "Alright then," Krysta began. "My turn."

Krysta's words caught the four wolves' attention, and she struck all but one of them down with her Sword Art, Celestial Sweep. Light shone from her blade as Holy Energy struck two of the monsters she'd hit, and the last one standing was afflicted with Bleed. The other members of the wolf pack were likely to either join in the battle or flee knowing they could not win this fight.

ID# 201960 BD: 10(Critical, +2 Base DMG, Holy Activates! Inflicted Bleed)

ID# 201961 BD: 3+3=6(hit)

ID# 201962 BD: 10(Critical, +2 Base DMG, Holy Activates! Inflicted Bleed)

ID# 201963 BD: 3+3=6(hit)

Celestial Sweep(AoE-I): 23+8x11=341 Damage to Mossy Wolves 1 and 3! 21x11=231 Damage to Mossy Wolves 2 and 4!

ID# 201964 CD: 12, LD: 6+3+1=10(4464 Col, <<Unidentified T4 Rare Trinket>>)

ID# 201965 CD: 1, LD: 12+3+1=16(3348 Col, 2 Materials, <<Unidentified T4 Rare Consumable>>, and <<Unidentified T4 Rare Straight Sword>>)

ID# 201966 CD: 1, LD 11+3+1=15(2604 col, 4 Materials, <<Unidentified T4 Rare Trinket>>)

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

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

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

           Enemies:

Mossy Wolf 1: 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.

Mossy Wolf 2: 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.

Mossy Wolf 3: HP 31/372, 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. | Bleed: 2 Turns, 48 DMG

Mossy Wolf 4: 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.

To say that storming the tower was simple would be a lie.

Once again, the Tyrant would become a disruption in it all. Nian's actions revealed her true colors as a monster within human form as she rushed past Krysta, moving swiftly, almost on all fours, like some kind of creature. The snarling coming from the individual did not help her case at all.

Krysta's eyes came ablaze, and she picked up her speed, now determined to reach the destination with all due haste.

Nian was now a monster in Krysta's eyes, and she had to reach the top before Nian did. Krysta was not foolish enough to dare overlook cursor colors, so her only interest for the time being was to reach the goal before her newfound enemy.

For the sake of those who sought freedom, for the players who hadn't seen what Krysta had seen, and to prevent selfish conquest... This was now a race to the top of the tower.

And Krysta did not intend to lose.

ID# 201938 LD: 7

PROGRESS | 97/150

Krysta stopped suddenly as the statue that she and the Tyrant tumbled off of was somehow lifted and thrown onto the door. Killing two, and severely injuring one of the soldiers guarding the door, which was now opened by the force of the impact.

"...Well, that works too, I suppose." Krysta remarked.

The pink haired player rushed over to the injured soldier and- healed him? How was that...? Krysta didn't think it was possible to heal a hostile entity, and yet here this player was.

To add to the confusion, the player who had used Krysta's battledress as a rag, and panicked prior to the fall, began to rant about the current situation.

He dared to consider Krysta as one of those who she was trying to stop. "My intention is not to conquer." Krysta responded.

The player moved on to form a makeshift flag and open a path for the NPCs who were trying to get past the gates. The player was foolish, but perhaps his heart was in the right place. Krysta then continued moving forward. With her sword drawn, she approached the entrance.

"Forward!" She called out before she rushed into the tower. It may have not been a statistical call to arms, but hopefully with the door opened, the players will be encouraged with the goal being in sight.

ID# 201926 LD: 5

PROGRESS | LD 63/150

Letting Yona remain in the first floor to take care of some urgent matters seemed like a good choice for the time being. It was likely that the investigation would only become more dangerous from here on out. Vigilon would try to reassure Astralin that he only wanted to help, in regards to that moment back when the party was recovering from that encounter back in the tenth floor. He then proceeded to change the subject to the investigation, claiming that if the players' lead here came up with little to no results, that winter gear may be necessary to avoid excessive freezing in the fourth floor, where the other lead just so happened to be.

Vigilon pulled out a prosperity consumable, similar to one that Krysta had purchased earlier. She pulled out her own consumables, including two accuracy enhancing consumables. She handed her duplicate to Astralin. "After what happened in the tenth floor, I am certain you will need this."

Consumed: Mousse(Prosperity 3) x1, Creme Brulee(ACC 2) x1

Gave x1 Creme Brulee(ACC 2) to @Astralin

Stats and Equipment:

It was all one thing after another.

Nian's lackey didn't take the collision very well, but that was his problem, for Krysta wasn't aiming to do that, she only wanted to take back the controls that held the balance of life and death away from that blasted Tyrant!

While Krysta struggled to prevent a crash, one player started to panic, handing umbrellas out to everyone as he acted like some sort of flight announcer. Then the redheaded barbarian proceeded to mess around with- wait, an airship had an anchor??? Was that even possible? Thankfully, the barbarian also managed to dislodge the shift, then a sudden stowaway came out of hiding to suggest the usage of the brake, while the redhead addressed the other players around, admitting that no one knew what they were doing. Krysta took the pink haired player's advice, attempting to use the brake...but it would seem that Krysta was a few seconds too late, for there was enough sudden force to fling the players regardless.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Krysta found herself falling off the ship, plummeting down. This couldn't possibly be how it ended...

But it wasn't.

Krysta fell onto Nian, who was on a statue, and it was likely that the impact, though still non damaging to either, was enough to send them both tumbling off of the statue and onto the ground.

@Nian

"Urgh..." Krysta got up, with some difficulty, and shook herself off, and she took a look at her surroundings. There, an entrance was in sight! No more than three soldiers were stationed, and within the surrounding lawn, there were only a handful of guards, all spread out. Krysta would need to move quickly if she was to enter the tower without being swarmed by resistance.

Unfortunately for the soldiers, Krysta was no good at stealth, and was aware of it too.

She drew her blade, expecting resistance, and rushed for the guarded entrance.

ID# 201899 LD: 12

PROGRESS | LD 15/150

To find a player ran setup of sorts out in the wilderness of Aincrad was entirely unexpected. The encampment lacked a tent, and there seemed to be items set up, as if for sale. Upon closer inspection, they were consumables, and indeed, it would seem that they were for sale.

Krysta took a careful look, there were some items she was likely to need. Prosperity would prove useful in lucrative scenarios, and Accuracy was a reliable choice.

Having made her decision, she prepared the required amount of col for the items, and paid the unusual shopkeep before retrieving her purchases.

-Purchasing Creme Brulee[24/04/20] x2, Mousse[20/05/21]

Total Cost of 1100 Col paid to @Daemien

Another player walked into the room as Krysta attempted resistance, trying to push back when the Tyrant tried pushing Krysta as to make room for getting her way despite Krysta's attempts. "Hrrrrrrrrrrrgggggghhhh.....!"

While she failed in the end, what mattered was that Krysta wouldn't stand for it.

The player who arrived claimed that the players should be working together to avoid death.

Well, seeing that Krysta was trying to avert a blasted crash course, she was just doing what was necessary, and that tyrant clearly wouldn't give a rat's rear about the other players as long as she got whatever she wanted.

Nian would call Krysta a commoner while claiming that she was lucky she didn't consider Krysta's actions as an official offense, proceeding to ask if Krysta pushed people often. The look in Krysta's eyes should have been enough to say this was anything but a normal day for her. The Tyrant then stormed off.

Krysta had no time to say more to the Tyrant, nor did she have time to take a breather. The Airship was back on the crash course again and Krysta had to save those who knew nothing of what was going on by having the ship make a smoother landing at the very least. She gripped the shift stick and tried to reverse the damages. "Nyrrrrrgggghhhh.....hrrrrrrrgggggghhhhh!!!!!!!"

What witchcraft was this? The stick would not even budge! "Argh, blast it!"

Krysta would need more force to reposition the shift and prevent a crash. If the player who arrived to intercept the conflict was still there, Krysta would look over to him and speak. "This control is stuck, and the Airship is on a crash course! Please, help me regain control of the helm so we can make a smoother landing, if we don't, innocent players on this ship, possibly including us, will surely die!" She'd claim.

From her knowledge, it would be likely something terrible would happen if this wasn't stabilized.

@Alkor

[No action taken]

(OOC: SOS)

PROGRESS:

Navigation: 113/100
Power: 109/100
Supplies: 73/100

Before Krysta made chase for the Tyrant, a player spoke to her about said Tyrant, revealing her username and giving Krysta enough that she'd need to know about her.

"So that is her name...Nian...How befitting for a Tyrant, wasn't there a mythological Eastern monster known as a Nian?" Krysta thought.

Krysta was about to take action on the controls, then she heard a voice calling her despicable and ordering her to move. She turned to see that the Tyrant had arrived.

"As if you were one to talk." Krysta remarked, standing firm in her position. "I had a feeling you would be coming here, anyway."

The Tyrant forcefully took position at the center of the controls, and proceeded to, by sheer luck, pull up some controls that would make navigating the ship significantly easier. Unfortunately, it seemed that Nian was planning to have the ship moving at top speed...and that would make things worse, seeing that the ship was already on a crash course. "Just what do you think you're doing?" Krysta muttered. "We're trying to land the ship at the tower, not crash it."

Unable to tolerate the Tyrant's course of action any longer, Krysta shifted her own course of action in the situation from words to force.

"MOVE ASIDE, YOU RECKLESS TYRANT!!!!!!"

Krysta shoved at Nian, knocking her away from the controls and into her lackey.

@Nian @Plini

Krysta took a firm hold of the controls and began to avert the potential of crashing. Now she had to maneuver the ship through the storm clouds with as little damage as possible, not to mention hold the line and keep the controls out of the Tyrant's hands, or perhaps in this case, claws.

As chaotic as the rest of the player-crew seemed to be, hopefully they were capable of playing their part in keeping this ship from crashing and killing everyone within.

She could only hope.

ID# 201875 LD: 17 [Navigation]

PROGRESS:

Navigation: 113/100
Power: 85/100
Supplies: 73/100

The Tyrant seemed to look towards Krysta as if she were some kind of fool, before answering the question as though it were obvious, and what also seemed to be obvious was the arrogance she had in her words and her gesture to herself. But before Krysta could speak again, the Tyrant rushed past her, towards the surface deck once more.

Blast, that woman was swift.

Krysta tried to chase after her, but was stopped by several obstacles. The first of which was the red haired barbarian rubbing a foul-smelling hand upon her face. "Agh!! Why in all of-?!" She exclaimed, but she cut herself short because the tyrant was getting away.

@Celeste 

She continued on, only to face the second problem, a player who grabbed her battledress, and...used it to wipe his face???

 "Agh, Wha-!" Krysta glared at the player, who looked just as uncouth as his course of action. He may have been attempting to make amends by handing her a fish, but unfortunately for him, fish guts mixed with sweat were not easy to wash out. Upon receiving the fish, Krysta swiftly swatted the man with it before he fled. She then tossed the fish aside before looking for something in her inventory that might help.

@Nobody

She didn't exactly have duplicates of her equipment, so she would have to use another method for making a quick fix. She pulled out a rag, and looked over to see a bucket of water, which was probably for mopping. Mopping or no, it would be used to make an unexpected attempt to clean Krysta's battledress.

Once most of the damage was undone, it would seem that the rest would persist until a much more efficient cleaning method was used. Krysta let out an exasperated sigh, and made her way to the surface deck to seek out the controls.

The player previously at the controls was no longer there, and the controls were left relatively unmanned. Krysta quickly made her way to the controls and looked over them, hoping to figure them out. She looked ahead and looked back to the controls as she slowly started to get a vague idea...

Wait, something wasn't right...

Krysta slowly lifted her head to look in front of her, and the startling sight revealed the airship's current trajectory. Her eyes widened, a crisis was about to befall the players...

ID# 201849 LD 10 [Navigation]

PROGRESS:

Navigation: 69/100
Power: 57/100
Supplies: 63/100

Krysta was about to investigate a crate she had just found, but then she heard some sort of racket.

The sound of destruction could be heard, and Krysta immediately headed for the source. As she reached the source of the sound, she heard a player claim that the Airship was under "the emperor"'s rule, and then proceed to give orders and head belowdecks.

Krysta's eyes burned over what she had just heard and witnessed.

"What a Tyrant." She thought.

The embers within her eyes would surely become dancing flames if the first impression she received turned out to be true. Krysta hated tyrants, and she was highly unlikely to tolerate the presence of one.

Krysta decided to change her current course of action, and followed after the possible tyrant. Krysta took a second to adjust the levels of Helium, before continuing on to her intended confrontation.

Once a chance was in sight, and she was close enough to the individual, she took it and spoke.

"Quite the scene you made earlier." Krysta began. "Care to tell me who is this 'Emperor' you speak of?"

Thus did the landless noble subtly challenge the conquering tyrant. This player's cursor was green, but that had yet to hinder Krysta. She had yet to confirm to herself if this individual was truly a potential threat or adversary, but there was one way to find out...

@Nian

ID# 201807 LD: 7 [Power]

Progress:

Navigation: 31/100

Power: 40/100

Supplies: 31/100

At last, the ship was stabilized, thanks to the man who had boarded the ship before Krysta. Now it was time to get this airship moving. ...Now that Krysta thought about it, it was kind of odd that advancements above the feudal and middle ages were present outside of player dwellings, their shops included.

As for everyone around her, things were moving rather swiftly, so it was difficult to tell what kind of individuals she had now chosen to travel with.

Were they Players?

Pirates?

Both?

Well, there were certainly players involved, but Krysta could only hope she hadn't unintentionally joined a group of ruthless plunderers. For the time being, she needed to take a look around and get a grip on the situation. The man who came before had managed to stabilize the ship, so hopefully she could leave navigation to him. "Perhaps it would be wise to see what the NPCs had left behind..." Krysta thought aloud. Hopefully she wouldn't find any...personal belongings that would leave her disgruntled upon her impromptu allies' actions. Sometimes the acts of war were necessary, especially in a world like this, but hopefully the actions committed by the red haired woman would be the most of her worries, that nothing worse would happen.

ID# 201760 LD: 4[Supplies]

Progress:

Navigation: 0/100

Power: 0/100

Supplies: 4/100