NIGHT

"two of the smaller ones at best. i haven't been to a gym in    years.”

night made a sound.

“wait, how did you say that—”

star didn’t answer, but they agreed upon her waiting behind. so there she was, idling on her lonesome, making sure the injured didn’t pick at their wounds. gravel sifted and fell through the cracks of the ceiling, but there was no sign of any activity that would send her to be on alert.

then the message game.

NIGHT: wym

she paused to think.

NIGHT: can we destroy the rock w/ a sword art

it was probably the worst possible suggestion for her to have made in that moment, given the risk of introducing yet another collapse within the caves. and yet, night struggled to come up with an alternate solution. she had half a mind to go wandering in the dark again, taking the other route less travelled by — maybe star did have a point to head down that direction after all. they could only be sure after they exhausted all of their options.

but while night waited on star’s cue to move, she eyed the walls of the cavern around her. were there any possible other exits? probably not, but it couldn’t hurt to try.

NIGHT: or all of u start singing to get their attention on the otherside
NIGHT: lol

how dared she ignore firefly? night shifted on the spot with a nod to the player, heeding her regard towards exploration rather than the offensive. her enthusiasm for new places seemed unparalleled. “just a few,” night started. “i haven’t tried being an escort for higher floors before. but if you think you can hold your own — at least, to stay out of danger — i’m sure i can lend a hand when i’m free.”

she couldn’t help but stare when firefly revealed her notebook, only to discover the language within was just a sequence of strange dots. but what mattered the most to night was the mention of floor six; it seemed, at least, she wasn’t alone there on poor experiences. all she could do was give the woman a silent nod. though she was adverse to the idea of ‘big bats’, even if they ‘wouldn’t be a problem’, night still closed her eyes and returned firefly a smile. “noted.”

then came the question from pollux. “how did you two meet?” she had asked. bistro shook her head when the idea was floated that night was a source of rumors. 

“on the contrary,” bistro said. “we connected when she was looking for another broker to source her quest information from, that’s all. now, i wouldn’t exactly be too familiar to why that was the case…”

with the shift of bistro’s head, night felt the former’s gaze settle onto her heavy, paired with a lazy smile. “it was nothing serious,” she tried. “i just… ran into a conflict of interest with the one i originally sought out.”

“so the truth finally comes out after a couple of years. dare i ask who it was that you’d went to in the first place?”

with bistro leaning forward, a hand now on her interface opened, discreet, it was night’s turn to roll her eyes.

“no — i figured you’d respond like this if i’d ever brought it up.”

“oh?” piped bistro, as her readied hand dismissed the menu to her side. “i’m sorry. i must be getting predictable, then.” she straightened her back and looked to her guild members. “jokes aside, it’s common practice for brokers like myself to curate their customers as investments… though i’ll admit i hadn’t expected night to be a returning customer. given she had stayed on for longer than i’d expected, i turned into an arrangement, which allowed me to expand my business towards catering to rumors of a higher caliber.” night eyed bistro with some discontent as the latter leaned backwards, adjusting herself steadily. “i’m sure star is intending to take the same approach with the trackers as well.”

“... what she means is,” night chimed in, “that i owe my life to her for the good she’s done me. you wouldn’t believe the different types of errands i’d have to go on: fetch quests, floor exploration, quest investigations, monster hunting—”

“—but if you were really against it,” bistro returned, “you would’ve turned my suggestions down, wouldn’t you?”

night bit her tongue.

“... of course,” she replied, her shoulders sinking, relief of tension. “it’s better — safer — to send someone who can handle the unknown elements cardinal is liable to throw at them, than to risk a green adventurer who’s unprepared to take the dangers head-on.” night's hand wrapped around the back of her neck. “there’s a lot more than just stats and enemies to consider. the game likes to play mind games with people; force your hand, make you contemplate on your options and choices.”

“i never took you for the philosophical sort.”

night brushed bistro’s commentary off, turning to firefly and pollux instead. she looked them up and down, their closeness — pollux seemed to have a tail that was comforting her companion’s head. their intimacy seemed familiar.

“but you two seem like a pair,” she stated, growing confident with her remark once she had heard it in her own voice herself. night’s stance shifted, head bowed slightly as she contemplated upon her evaluation further; a (potential) damage dealer and a support. “…yes. a good match. you two should do fine together.” then, night paused, looking towards the sky. “do the trackers operate on a partnership system?”

where night was concerned with the weather, bistro was busying herself with a lone crab leg, stolen off the sharing plate one of their other members had brought to the table. pollux, perhaps? it would need to be paid back for later. “and here i figured you preferred playing the lone wolf.”

night stole a glance towards firefly.

“i have my reasons,” she reassured herself.

thread summary.

NIGHT
+ 5156xp | (296 * 16) + 420
+ 773col
+ nemean fur (2).

Demian
+ 1604xp | (296 * 4) + 420

oscar's presence had slipped past her. seeing him slide into view from the corner of her periphery almost made her jump, but night played her stagger off as a minor bout of elegant pacing. she nodded as oscar examined her suit, noting her attire in comparison to her friend's.

"as you'd requested."

"so where's your date?" he'd asked.

relief rolled off night's shoulders as they drooped ever so slightly. so she hadn't misinterpreted his message, after all. there was a twinkle in her eyes, the reflection of the sun setting in the distance an implication of mischief, chicanery, the glint existing if only for a brief moment as night turned her head to the side, shadowing a smile. and, with oscar’s true intentions revealed, there was just one more condition that needed to be met for this to be perfect, so she believed.

she glanced behind her shoulder, the absence of a special someone noted between them.

“i did bring a plus one, mind you,” night commented, looking to their host as she reeled in her hopes. her mouth agape as she searched for the words, she stepped closer to him, leaning in, eyes set to the ground. “but i’d like it to be kept a secret, if you would. it would mean a lot to me… and her.” 

in her withdrawal thereafter, a subconscious wink slipped past her presentation. her shift towards facing the passersby behind them was to wave a bid of safety, assurance, as though it had been their decided signal prior to this meeting. it had not. but it might’ve been less discrete, she figured, than pulling up her interface to text her counterpart instead.

-- not that it mattered in a couple of beats. the notification came through to her messages, and she pulled the small window open to scan it as the clicking of heels away from her gaze sounded their approach. to the observant audience, it was as though one of the ladonians wandering about their provincial business had broken away from their route to consort with them. specifically because the players carried green cursors, and they didn’t? a close guess. but night had read better.

day: i’m right behind you.
day: are you sure it’s okay?

night hadn’t replied directly upon her eyes settling upon their visage. masked with the pretense of attending a masquerade ball, the woman, an apparent brunette donned mostly in bronze silk, offered an arm to night silent. she took it with an exchange of nods, then looked to oscar — as smoothly as possible without breaking character.

“she’s with me,” night spoke under her breath, then drew her attention towards the airship arriving in the distance. “so what inspired you on the idea of a flying restaurant? … i presume the idea is to deliver an experience similar to a short cruise, unless there was a way of transporting customers to and fro while it’s not docked at the port.”

belregor's health drained. night skimmed the perimeter of the field, eyes not leaving the boss as it darted to target after target, delivering its ire -- or having its victim escape otherwise. at the rate it was being depleted, she thought she only needed to count the seconds. standing at a complete opposition to belregor, she saw its health tick downwards. the tinge of red slowly faded from view--

-- and so did the rest of its health bar.

... what?

the knight screeched, and took to the sky once more. gauntlet raised, the flames beneath its scorched armor burned that of a deep crimson, of promised blood more than fire and rage. night skid to a halt just as the figure swooped across the coast, diving in her direction, buffet from the winds nearly causing her to topple over. she sunk her sword into the sands as she traced its reign across the air. no more would belregor suffer damage.

which left night with only one course of action:

to: bistro
night: its not dying

_{-> night does fa.}

[H:7] NIGHT | HP: 1334/1334 | EN: 107/154 | DMG: 33 | MIT: 80 | ACC: 8 | AA | PHASE | EVA: 3 | BH: 73 | HB: 59 | HLY: 16 | LD: 8 | MULTIPURPOSE 1/1 | [ST-B READY]

night took pollux's hand to shake, stunned by the comment about the loss of a duel that never happened for either of them. "um, likewise?" she had said; she held the same respect for each opponent during the tournament, but she wasn't sure where the enthusiasm for a fight had been beyond the occasion. her brow was raised at the thought. "we could always spar on our own terms, if that's what you'd like."

and with the matter of effort in climbing aincrad's perpetual ladder, they let go. pollux ran into an obstacle partway through. it made total sense, so night nodded towards it. "happens to a lot of us."

"a lot more than you think," bistro chimed in, quiet.

“Is it true that you rank highest among the frontliners?”

so night started stuttering. it didn't help that oscar jumped into the mix for a bit -- "yep," he'd said. night jumped as he approached from behind. she thought she couldn't blink any faster, trying to process the information about her own reputation. if anything, when she finally came to her senses once more, she turned to her friend with her arms folded.

"oscar."

(to be honest, night had been getting lazy on her own too.)

she cleared her throat, frazzled, then shifted her gaze to pollux. "there's no hierarchical structure in the frontlines, really. it's a mystery how everyone gets organized when the time comes to face a boss. first dibs on who gets to the labyrinth guardian first, i think? -- i also wouldn't say i'm the highest rank amongst them, either..." her eyes were narrowed as she bounced between oscar and bistro for clarity. "what've you two been saying about me behind my back...?" 

without waiting for a response, night's stance shifted as she considered the question further. "there's always going to be someone better, i think. believing you stand at the apex means leaving yourself no room for improvement. so there's no real point in..."

"she's being humble," said bistro.

"i am not!" night shot back, exasperated. then she sighed, looking back to pollux, a lock of hair curled around one of her indexes. "kindling probably said it for the tournament hype though. one of us frontliners has to be considered 'the best above all others' for the narrative, right? i'm pretty sure oscar could go toe-to-toe with me, even if we never got to test it." 

she hummed to fill the gap in the conversation.

"-- but, while we're on the topic of questions, what kind of rumors do you guys chase around here? do each of you specialize in a certain field, or is it free game for everyone...? i assume you have your own rumor board or something... right?"

"and here i thought i was the workaholic," bistro joked, to no one in particular but herself.

she dropped from the blade once she got close enough. belregor tore the sword from her grasp, and she rolled as she hit the ground. night immediately broke out into a sprint as she rounded the boss' trajectory; the knight crashed into the sands, and then tore through the crowd of players. not good. night held out an arm to buffet the winds from her vision. on the other hand, she'd been completely out of it's range, and so she took to the offensive while belregor had its back turned towards her. 

sliding down the fine grains scattered across the surface of the coast, night leapt early, calling forth oathkeeper before the apex of her jump. it was upon the sunder that it echoed out, bringing forth a light that pierced through the dark clouds gathered above, the beam that sliced into the back of the knight as she brought her blade down against it. belregor did not flinch; night didn't choose to stop either. once she hit the ground once more, she slid underneath his stance, rounding the field once more in preparation for another attack.

one would think, in a game that was built to increase its player’s capabilities beyond superhuman measure, that between night’s total strength pitched against yuki’s impossible defenses, neither of them would be liable to capitulation. and yet, here they were, on the day of yuki’s fated wedding, so was the bride struggling with sound tightness, and her bridesmaid, trying to make sure the kimono bent to her friend’s will.

“— sorry!! just, a little more—”

night had been working on getting the bow properly tied behind yuki’s back. the bridal kimono, a commissioned garment crafted with seven layers (soon to be eight), came with a set of strict instructions on how to properly don it. naturally, the first time yuki had tried it on was with the system’s help. now, night was playing the system’s part, and she wasn’t super certain she was doing things quite right.

still, she tried, and they managed. the bow was folded neatly into a presentable shape after some coaxing from night, and she drifted away from yuki for a moment if only to give her friend some time and room to breathe. this was her special day, after all, and night was simply there for her support; an accessory. she was what she made, and she was happy to fulfill the role for such an important and cherished friend.

“no worries. curse as much as you’d like,” said night, as she eyed yuki’s kimono up and down, panting, checking for any signs of imperfections. there were a few, but they were minor — night was sure she could fix them given time. “i’m just happy you like it, really! i can’t imagine wearing something that makes it so difficult for you to breathe. — not that we need to here in the castle, but…”

despite the occasion, there still was the universal matter of getting out of the castle. but those sorts of thoughts could wait, as yuki said. it was going to be the best day of her life no matter what!

so night shook her head of her trailing thoughts, watching yuki stretch and test the kimono out in the mirror ahead of her. she rushed to a nearby dresser and pulled the obi — the last layer — off from its surface. 

“okay, last one,” night started, “i should warn you — this is going to be the tightest one out of them all, and we’ve still got a few accessories of yours to go through. um…” once her friend had given her the signal, night swarmed yuki again with a long strip of cloth. at some point, they had to be done dressing yuki up for the ceremony, and night had been so focused on getting things right that she had completely lost track of looking at her clock. her eyes were fixed on the obi the entire time her hands were moving. “yuki, how’re we doing on time?”

[stats go here.] (and also, very sorry for taking this long to reply omfg ;_;)

the severed coast was all that awaited them by the time belregor decided he was done with his orchestrations. night had halted right when arabelle did, and turned to look, finally, as she took off towards the boss. his cleave was interrupted, and all that remained in the distance was one jomei, anticipating his teammates, with a thumbs-up to show for his stand.

night could only breath, deciphering the events unfolding before her eyes. belregor's hand extended, and the ground rumbled between the distance arabelle had cleared and night had stalled during the time she'd been faltering. from the sands, the blade of the knight came through edge-first out the buried rubble, only tilted enough to let the grains fall from belregor's retrieval. night's gaze bounced between the blade and its owner, before she started to move.

kicking off the steel wall, an obstacle to her forward path, she jumped, reaching for the top of the blade to grasp onto, resolving her lost footing thereafter. when the blade turned in the recall to its master, she stumbled, bracing herself to shift towards the sword's grip, and struck true once she'd gotten close enough to belregor amidst its return.

"i'm going to sit with the trackers," said bistro, starting to walk off, leaving night behind.

night tilted her head to the side as she snapped, "trackers?"

"you can meander around on your own, right?"

"woah," she started, blinking fast. "wait," replied night, and she jogged behind bistro in an attempt to tail her, keeping close to hear their voices above the noise of the crowd. "trackers? who are the trackers? you hardly sit with anybody --- you don't even go to parties, bistro."

bistro but shot night a sly smile over her shoulder, adjusting the parasol on her shoulder.

"i mean, you can tag along if you want."

so she did, even though something in her brain was telling her not to. and as she strolled past the masses, night thought she spotted an altercation brewing with a familiar red head involved, but thought the light was playing tricks on her eyes. that, or the bewilderment of the turn of events -- to think that bistro would have called her out for an event that wasn't based on combat. night definitely did not consider that a possibility, given the terms of their contract ages ago.

they strolled up to the trackers' table. night squinted upon laying her eyes on the attendees present, because there were still some familiar faces amongst them, even though most of them seemed otherwise.

"is that star?" she asked bistro, pointing towards him in the water, just past the trackers' table.

"yeah, he runs the guild."

night furrowed her brows.

"he runs the--"

then she turned to bistro, confused still. "i didn't know you were in a guild."

bistro shrugged again. "call it an extension of my business, i don't know."

"like for crafting, or..."

"but you do the same work they do," bistro continued, tilting her head over to the team. there was the familiar bride-and-groom pair she'd spotted on the front a floor fight or two ago -- wolfman? seyla? night couldn't quite remember their names. she couldn't quite remember on what basis they had joined the front, too, especially given she had heard no word of their becoming rising stars in the making prior to that. "figured it'd be a good opportunity for you to link up with them."

"the same work," night asked again, after a beat or two of idly watching over the party.

"rumor-hunting," bistro stated, before moving forward to join the group in earnest. night was left to the sidelines, in her quiet contemplation, as she watched bistro greet the rest of her guild with a wave and a "hello!".

very weird! oh well. grabby free stuff.

-> Horn of Battle (1) | Sounding this horn will grant oneself and their party +2 increased energy regen for a single thread.

to: @Wulfrin

late wedding gifts.

• x1 | Iron Will (1) | Applies BLOODCLOT to the user for a single thread.
• x1 | horn of battle. | +2 EN Regen for 1 thread
• x2 | Memory of Battle | Doubles bonuses from Scents of the Wild Totems.

a message from oscar?

at this point, she was sure she was more used to hearing things that oscar did second-hand, like with bistro and the mention of the crab party, but the direct message was... telling. suspect. mostly because night had no idea what the man was up to next beyond food-related endeavors. and neither was she exactly out on a mission to be aincrad's most renown food critic or sous-chef either, so she had no clue what oscar had intended with the message she received that day.

still, she did her homework. floor 26 sounded nigh promising as a venue for a walk with someone else (a date? no, that can't be right), but the last time she ventured down there of her own accord, she walked away almost branded a criminal breaking and entering some noble's arboretum. tough luck for night. even though she hadn't walked away dressed down for the crime, the thought of something just as ominous lurked at the back of her mind.

'Bring a plus one. Dress nice.'

-- if only the thought that oscar had planned something different would leave her mind.

to: oscar

night: i'll b there
night: time & place?

there were three things floor 26 was known for: its politics, its municipality and its airships. she figured oscar wouldn't be the type to dwell on the first topic, but the second and third? incredibly likely. for if time spent in the game had built them up to where they were now, the castle was almost their playground, and just as similarly as firm anima was reported to build settlements in far corners of the different regions, so too could individual players had they put their heart to it.

on this evening, night walked amongst the common citizen, ladonians, bustling about the port, passing by the occasional galtean participating in maintaining operations. she made a show of it not to give away the fact that she was being shadowed, but on the sole premise that her stalker would blend into the crowd, that was a difficult conclusion to deduce from the get go. night still wondered if she was properly blending into the environment, however, given the choice of fashion. suits were what she felt comfortable with, additionally decorated with a corsage saved for special events, but standing against the other nobles passing her by, night couldn't help but feel under dressed in perspective. she thought nothing of it after some time, checking in with her friend on her messenger when she stopped at the right port number -- she'd hoped.

to: oscar

night: here
night: wbu?

[stats go here.]

he didn't even reply!

in fact, the only sign that she received about oscar having seen her message (besides the inbox updating his status on having read it) was him rushing up to her, face to face -- hell, she didn't even notice him running over, night having stared at the chat for the entire period until someone came to her with more information about 'crab'. he looked her up and down, while night had her arms held out in front of her, shielding her gaze from the comically large cloud of dust her host had produced during the sprint of the olympics. and he had the gall to comment on her fashion choices.

"swimsuit shy--?"

he never finished his sentence. well, neither did night, because the last part of her retort was whisked away just as her figure was over oscar's shoulder, developing into a scream of surprise. she closed them, hands over her eyes, just as oscar jumped, and the sand threatened to dust up her face. when he landed, he was talking to bistro -- and night felt herself be swung off her make-shift vehicle, still unsure of who to funnel her complaints towards... or where to begin with them.

they split ways after the lighthouse. 

demian wanted out. night wanted to walk it off. in her head, there was much to work through: besides the report written to bistro about their encounters, jotted in haste on the boat ride back, she'd written the matter of demian's strange reactions out of their adventure together. no doubt the news of co-operation alone would catch their broker off-guard, which left her to stew on her lonesome on the vitriol demian had found himself unabashedly soaked in.

she left her mind off the matter of her own surroundings, placed onto discerning his image through her memories instead. almost like a shadow had been cast over him, night considered, the way his inclinations lead him to go after the target of the lighthouse in their stead. no falter, no warning signs, only movements telegraphed through observation. he was known to be level-headed: he was the reason day had a proxy to begin with on such a devastatingly treacherous floor. and laid against what they knew now about the proponents that once lurked in a landscape such as this, it was understandable why day had decided to back down from its approach from the start.

but it was the puzzle of his anxiety that had night trapped in meditation. his voice, cracked and strained against the weight of a force she had never applied, almost invisible. a trauma, perhaps? they all lived with ghosts. but what exactly melded him towards being the bearer of a truth he didn't wish to keep? and, if her guesses so were true, why bother to try and take up arms on their friend's behalf at all?

and so night traced the footsteps of players, trail unbeknown to her, route almost inevitable. one moment the path before her had been winding towards the teleporter, as far as her instincts were concerned. the next, locked in the dark and cold, rainfall came and swept her away in its growing tide. there had been a need for shelter in the fields shrouded in black, and with her way points towards home unknown, night stranded herself by fate at a tavern. how long had she walked? it was the light that gave her presence away, the lantern's glow a staunch watch for passersby out the window, and her shadow carved against the fields in its vicinity. against the downpour, it was all she could do to find cover as she burst through the door, a wet beast feral in contrast against the two patrons that were already present, lowlife, to players that were held somewhat in high regard.

night barely greeted them, spared them a glance. towel summoned forth, she was focused on cleaning herself up after slamming the door shut to cull the draft. a curt and stiff, "sorry," was all she managed whilst she had imagined them all to wait out the rain. only once she had been dried did she realize she was in the company of familiar faces.

and it only occurred to her, now, the politeness to remain quiet so as to not interrupt an (apparently?) intimate discussion.

[stats go here.]

she had landed just as belregor craned his neck skyward underneath that pile of armor. night shifted, tilting, blind to her positioning in the midst of the battle -- one moment she'd been ready to strike; the next, her reflexes abiding his telegraph lead her to back off. seconds later, she'd fallen, colliding with a figure unseen, and she swears bistro has no reason to be anywhere near her but there's an onslaught of french civility that greets her on the way down. 

"fuck--"

she nearly rolls. is stopped only by friction, the grain mix of mud and sand below. groaning, night's immediate reaction is to snap her gaze towards her would-be assailant, a curse spat through prepared growls in her throat, but a beat skipped between them as she hesitated elaborating, buffering, registering the words having originated from arabelle before the roar that shook the world stole both their attention instead. 

now was not the best occasion to start a dispute, so she understood quickly. but arabelle processed this fact faster than night did, and the latter found herself hauled, to her surprise, up on her feet. blade be damned in their jettison away from the immediate vicinity -- when there is a knight afloat in the air, sparking danger from the gathered darkness swarmed forth from energies emerging from the black, you lose everything you can to get the hell away from it as fast as possible.

arabelle went first. night could only catch her tailwind, smudging dirt off her cheek, shooting a glance over her shoulder as she awaited belregor's ultimate move.

| NIGHT  | Lv. 154 >> P. 120, Lv. 34  | Status: //  Notes:  //

Spoiler NIGHT | HP: 1160/1160 | EN: 154/154 | DMG: 21 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 4 | FS | BH+HB: 111 | HLY: 16 | PHASE | AA equipped oathkeeper. HLY II, PHASE, AA regards. EVA II, HB II signet. ACC III, EVA battle-ready inventory Teleport Crystal (3) | TELEPORT imugi's inspiration. (5) | MASS HP RECOVERY skills Spoiler mod count: 5/7 STRAIGHT SWORD | RANK 5/5 focus, stamina, precision shift: aoe CLOTH ARMOR | RANK 5/5 athletics, nimble COMBAT MASTERY: DMG | RANK 3/3 SEARCHING | RANK 3+1/5 BATTLE HEALING | RANK 5/5 emergency recovery ENERGIST QUICK CHANGE CHARGE FIGHTING SPIRIT HOWL focused howl SCOUTING FAMILIAR EXTENDED MOD LIMIT extra SURVIVAL CONCENTRATION HIDING untraceable, vanish, surprise attack-t buffs Spoiler statue KUMATETSU | +1 DMG YAMATO NO OROCHI | +1 LD MORETSUNA | +50 OVERHEALTH TANOS | +25 MIT MOTHRA | +2 EN BIALAS | +TAUNT consumables   paragon Lv. 5 | Gain additional col equivalent to 15% of EXP earned in that thread. Lv. 10 | +1 LD to looting. sword arts Spoiler en cost matches multiplier unless stated otherwise. shift underlined. ST | x12 -> x15 | x20 AOE | x15 -> x18 TECH-A | x12 | STUN | 13EN TECH-B | x12 | DELAY TECH-D | x12 | SHATTER TECH-F | x8 | AOE STUN  TECH-G | x12 | BURN misc. Spoiler housing Dimensional Backpack, Item Stash | +2 Battle-Ready Inventory Slots. Well Rested | -1 EN for the first three expenditures of each combat.  Relaxed | +(5 * Tier) HP per out-of-combat post. Full energy restoration occurs after two turns out of combat. Squeaky Clean | -25% DoT damage taken from the first DoT applied to this player in a thread. Skylight: Searching | +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cooldown of 30 days to reassign. Multipurpose | +1 LD/Prosperity/Stealth/Detection to one post per thread. Can be applied after a roll. Filling | +1 T1 slot to a food consumed by this player in a thread. Can exceed Cook enhancement caps. Col Deposit | +5% col from loot-minimum mobs, +10% col from treasure chests. foraging | r2 | xp: 69/150 Greenhouse | +2 G.EXP, +1 CD&LD to gathering attempts. Familiar: Profession | +2 G.EXP Demeter's Cornucopia | +1 CD to gathering attempts.

bistro: [attachment: co-ordinates - f24.]
bistro: go forth, goon.
night: goon???
night: sorry?
night: can i at least have some context here
bistro: did i stutter?
night: ???

bistro, in fact, did not stutter.

it had been a while since there had been any invitations to head out to the beach. honestly, with the way that certain floors were hubs for different locales, it felt as though they were being rallied to meet up at an appointed spot in a neighborhood. but night showed up, anyway, confused from the lack of further elaboration from bistro's memo, because she figured in being referred to as a 'goon' she'd have to fight yet another crab of some sort.

this time, however, nyanko was brought along so he could feast on the crab's meat fresh.

sword in hand, night took to the coast. saw no enemies of the sort. entertained a quick, confused beep from nyanko with a head-scratch to his head, and then looked towards the skies, as though the answer was to be found amongst the clouds.

there in the everblue was oscar's airship.

to: oscar

night: wtf
night: wyd up there
night: crab??????

<<Assist System Engaged: Assisting Warren>>
Level: 22
Paragon: 0
Tier: 3
True Tier: 16

Final EXP reward: +25% Final EXP reward

On 8/2/2025 at 7:27 AM, Wulfrin said:

EAL Quest Crafts:

Tailor: 

Scout's Cloak | T4 Light Armor | 248794 | Rec 2 | EVA 1
A green cloak with two feathered wings crossed over a shield.

Artisan: 

Looter's Splendor | T1 Jewelry | 248809 | LD 3
A gold band with an inset ruby.

Alchemist: 

Workaholic's Drought | T1 Potion | 248823 | Crafter's Respite
A cotton candy flavored drink that gives you a burst of energy.

Cook: 

Garlic Bites | T1 Snack | 248869 | LD 3
Bite sized garlic bites.

Performer: 

Drum Demo | T1 Debuff Song | 248897 | Lull 1
Simple drum track. It's more a proof of concept

Appraiser: 

HP Crystal | T4 Perfect Crystal | 248909 | HP Recovery 3
A blue crystal that restores health on use.

yeag oke

night was swallowed whole.

in the dark, she could only tap her blade for light. just her and belregor: an arena isolated suited to just the two of them. ahead of her, the knight didn't even appear to move very much, towering as it was. that brief respite, the claw of reality away from their immediate fold, but bore fruit into a momentary suspension of disbelief, and she weaned the sword to speak.

... was this thing on?

oathkeeper only sputtered to life, but it mattered none. the world flooded her senses, washing away vanta, night's vision tiding over to stormy skies and scent of brine whole once the combatants had been freed from the brink of void. night hadn't even clashed with belregor, then, almost forgetting the skirmish turned duel to even occur. and just as the knight vanished from her sights, taken away by the breath of reality, it appeared once more with a flash, an aftereffect: its failed transformation, dispelled by a party member. now it staggered from arabelle's immediate onslaught, but appeared none the worse for wear.

up to this point, everything past had felt like it had been but a momentary distraction. night shook her head as she gripped her sword in her hand. in the midst of a fight with a floor boss, she had no time to waste -- so she brought down the full force of her vengeance for its deliberate machinations against her upon belregor, brushing aside leniency for her blade to shout in her stead.

note to self: revise the message to bistro to 'it's real, and it's annoying'. because the way belregor had blurred over only to morph into player after player made her grit her teeth. clearly, it had stolen the attention of all other fighters, if only to plan for contingencies. night was just furious it wasn't a message to herself.

image after image, it switched. then what illusion it wore was repelled -- better for them, she thought, beyond the presence of a mimic in their midst. because belregor, towering and huge, would've been harder to hit had it taken on a player's form. once star (or was it arabelle?) had crashed through the falsehood, night dashed back into the fight. rushed towards the back of it, centering the knight in her own vision, sundering across the armor after leaping, preparing a diagonal back-handed strike.

this time, melody in tow, her sword did respond in song once her blow washed over belregor's metal.

this was the thing with players, they had observed. variable, indeterministic, they themselves as elements were the sole arbiters of entropy within a universe of defined limitations. demian could falter when he guesses what to do come face to face with an enemy beyond his means, no pressure. but he knows all he does is follow in suit where others had gone, unable, viably, to carve a path out for himself alone.  

in day’s steps, he follows. he thinks he would trust her, just as she did, and night pulls up with a message upon his interface as their mark breaks into polygonal fractals behind him. cardinal tells him of a reward delivered to his inventory; he refuses. silent as ever, his finger taps on a trade request to send to night, beyond his vision, and she accepts. he thinks her confused.

he deposits his item into his own depot. demian leaves, choosing absentmindedness, when the trade completes and its window snaps out of view.

in a heartbeat, he shifts from his form stoic. demian gouges the lion apart. all he does is beckon, and his tool finishes it for him, first piercing through an emptiness beneath fur, before following through on the cut. he recounts the anatomy of an animal as he does, visualizes a projection in his mind: the most optimal way to avoid the instance of damage would be to dodge its oncoming attack, but he can’t if he dedicates himself to the drawn art. so he cheats. 

it is in milliseconds that he finds the core of the lion enroute his blade’s path, and he exerts an effort so great as to penalize him on his recovery. demian commits, holding no breaths, and spurs the world on as his sword tears past the pride’s center. in resumption, as the world moves on, he throws his threat overhead further than it had intended to jump, and takes a few steps backwards: a forced stagger.

the world suffers another cry of pain from the hunted. the lion jumps backwards as it sweeps around, abandoning its previous objective: by now, the woman has vanished into the golden stalks. surrounding them. it takes a second to reconsider its options, but flight is not one of them, especially when its pride is at stake. safety for their numbers comes first. so it bides its time as the man scrambles to his feet, having rolled away from a delicate swipe that razes the grass behind him — still no luck in exposing his companion, but it registers this not, burying the task at the bottom of its list of immediate threats. the man, demian, raises his blade with one hand, blade stretched across himself diagonally, and holds out his other above it. staring into the heart of the feral beast, he goads it with a gesture hither into another attack.

a slash that was meant to strike the lion emerges from the ether ahead of the man. but his target is stricken by something else, instead. behind him, weapon at the ready, the woman lunges early a second before him, and invisible forces pull her through spatially to snap her into position ahead of his blow. she is trained to intercept it from his perspective, from her position, until reflexes faster than he is willing to perceive lead her to conduct reality in her favour instead. she jabs the lion through and withdraws her arm before an impact properly registers — their realm believes otherwise. her arm clicks into place for a second blow, following the first, as she raises it high, sword edge posed diagonally across her face. she brings it down on the lion; it recoils in a stagger in mid-air. she drops the lion to the ground — she, the player, falls — her hair barely grazes the tip of the projectile of sunder created from pure energy and mechanics.

| NIGHT  | Lv. 154 >> P. 120, Lv. 34  | Status: //  Notes:  stats for tier 3 sync.  PT: refunding all SP.  PT: biting x9 -> +18 DMG

Spoiler NIGHT | HP: 1175/1175 | EN: 134/134 | DMG: 44 | ACC: 8 | EVA: 3 | BH: 74 | HB: 59 | HLY: 12 | DOTE: 3/3 | AA | PHASE equipped oathkeeper. HLY II, PHASE, AA regards. EVA II, HB II signet. ACC III, EVA battle-ready inventory Teleport Crystal (3) | TELEPORT imugi's inspiration. (5) | MASS HP RECOVERY skills Spoiler mod count: 0/5 STRAIGHT SWORD | RANK 5/5 ferocity, stamina, precision shift: st COMBAT MASTERY: DMG | RANK 3/3 BATTLE HEALING | RANK 5/5 UNHINDERED extra SURVIVAL CONCENTRATION buffs Spoiler statue KUMATETSU | +1 DMG consumables Liquor of Light | DMG III Breakfast Fry | PROTEIN III* filled. Crème Brûlée | ACC II tiger's balm. | ANTIDOTE III paragon Lv. 5 | Gain additional col equivalent to 15% of EXP earned in that thread. Lv. 10 | +1 LD to looting. sword arts Spoiler en cost matches multiplier unless stated otherwise. shift underlined. ST | x15 -> x18 | x23 AOE | x11 -> x14 TECH-A | x12 | STUN | 13EN TECH-B | x12 | DELAY TECH-D | x12 | SHATTER TECH-F | x8 | AOE STUN  TECH-G | x12 | BURN misc. Spoiler housing Dimensional Backpack, Item Stash | +2 Battle-Ready Inventory Slots. Well Rested | -1 EN for the first three expenditures of each combat.  Relaxed | +(5 * Tier) HP per out-of-combat post. Full energy restoration occurs after two turns out of combat. Squeaky Clean | -25% DoT damage taken from the first DoT applied to this player in a thread. Skylight: Searching | +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cooldown of 30 days to reassign. Multipurpose | +1 LD/Prosperity/Stealth/Detection to one post per thread. Can be applied after a roll. Filling | +1 T1 slot to a food consumed by this player in a thread. Can exceed Cook enhancement caps. Col Deposit | +5% col from loot-minimum mobs, +10% col from treasure chests. foraging | r2 | xp: 69/150 Greenhouse | +2 G.EXP, +1 CD&LD to gathering attempts. Familiar: Profession | +2 G.EXP Demeter's Cornucopia | +1 CD to gathering attempts.  Spoiler field boss. NEMEAN LION | HP: 2090/2090 | MIT: 110 | DMG: 200 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2 | TURN%3: +20 DMG, +5 MIT | BD9+: 250 DMG, [BLD: DMG (0/2)] | CD9+: 225 DMG, lowest hp. | FURRY MANE  FURRY MANE | Any BURN damage to the Lion is doubled and will reduce the EVA to 1 for the duration of the status affliction.     drop. Neamean Fur (T3/Consumable/Single Use); For a single battle, provide the user with BLOODCLOT, as well as immunity to all action inhibiting conditions at the cost of 6*Tier MIT.

they’re on the seventeenth. dappled orange light flickers amidst plains of grass, all gold. they wade against the tides, all shifting with the wind.

ahead of them is mount olympus. 

none of them speak. there’s no point in the conversation, so either of them thought. they have their allegiances, their mutual alliance, a foundational trust built on a secret, the bond between them tentative and shallow. the wind nips at their faces, cold and chilly — the man amongst them doesn’t wince until the woman tailing behind him does.

they pace the outskirts. each entity present is looking for something. the ones with green cursors over their head have a shared objective. their prey, predators of their own, share another. but only one amongst them rise to the challenge, once the scouts have deduced the positioning of their victims.
the nemean’s pride, their leader, steps up amongst the brush. he remains unseen to the hunters.