NIGHT

and to pay attention to the boss meant trying to decipher its madness, the act of protection for the people – if the floor was the people it was protecting, then what exactly was the boss going to be? night blanked for a moment, only to stagger on her dodge out of the way of another fist – she’d kicked off the boss’s hand reaching out towards her in an attempt to grapple, to widen the distance between her and her threat’s range for a moment of time. night had plenty of time to fight and just a little to think – damn her poor memory, that she couldn’t remember those scraps of information she’d

for a moment, she wondered if bistro was right. that the golem’s health would go down nigh easier if she’d just taken a second to try and strike its core. but there was nothing to target, from what night could see, and she wasn’t going to waste a bit of energy just to see if it would be stunned – even tempest wasn’t in right shape to bring down an enemy of this size, usually! a tap on her shoulder as they both skirted danger – night caught the sight of her companion and knew quickly she had to stop herself from sinking deeper into her thoughts. her strategy of just hitting the boss as hard as

because what if that meant actually destroying the protection on the world outside, beyond them? taking down the boss itself was one action, breaking what it stood for was another. and night switched gears, pulling out her crystal, the first of many to be wasted upon such a fight. she thought about her friend as her voice filled the room – nari would hate for ronbaru to be eliminated from existence, if that were the case. even night would feel a little disappointed, she had to admit, if the entire floor’s settlements were slowly removed, demolished bit by bit after the crack of the core.

night thought about how much she’d wished to have left nyanko at home, because surely the ambient damage would’ve gotten to him after a while. as she thought of that, however, her gaze was upon the tiny black dot that had leapt from day’s shoulder over to the golem’s, and she’d struggled between laughing or crying. how much more dangerous could it be up there on stoneheart’s shoulder, than to be below him, fighting the guardian head on? it turns out, protection also lent itself to nyanko – which pressured night to consider the outcome of this fight a little more as she continued her

hellstorm worked well. so too did shatter. and with every growing strike, night was becoming more aware of her need to be quick on her feet, because the golem’s reach was much larger than what she was used to. a brush here, and her companion on the other side of the room followed. her gaze was upon the walls, wondering if she could use any outcrop in reach to her advantage in dodging the hazardous attacks, but to no avail. there was the ambient damage, too, whenever the guardian would reach out towards night and smash against system-fortified walls instead. the rumble itself was alre

if anything, she was decently sufficient with the presence of a familiar figure and their familiar, because the long fight meant that it required intense focus, and that meant no time spent worrying on if she was going to make out of a claustrophobic room alive. no – her broker had prepared her, as best as her immediate community could, so after she’d applied the necessary materials, it was time to spring into action. the doors closed behind them, and night had to release her companion’s pinky before raising her sword for the fight. stoneheart was the guardian’s name, and it was diff

four players? night wouldn’t have it. part of her was afraid that they’d get stuck on the way over, and the other part of her was engaged with the challenge itself – if not on part of herself, then perhaps in part due to bistro, who had been rallying her contacts over trying to determine how best to counter the boss. so the plan was simple: get to the crystal as soon as possible, and demolish it before demolishing the golem. night wasn’t bent on having any of that, however. the more she thought about it, the more it seemed possible that suited for a party larger tha

she knocked twice on each statue as she passed them by. each of them made a faint, hollow noise that echoed through the hall. she didn't touch the item they held, however. usually, night would've taken stock of the dualities on display, but while she appreciated their presence, she'd only briefly remembered that there was an item like the one she had consumed the other day. the horn of battle. casually, night approached the statue that held it. wrapped her hand around its body, looking over it as the figures started to fade from view, almost like they'd never existed. and with the lo

thread closing. [total] NIGHT + 2760 xp | (336 * 0.5 * 15) + 240 + 814 col | (xp * 0.15) + 400 + Hellstorm (3) Basuke, Demian + 576 xp | (336 * 0.5 * 2) + 240 Nian + 576 xp | (336 * 0.5 * 2) + 240 + Hellstorm (1)

bistro: so how did it go? bistro: if you’re lying, i’ll know. demian already sent a report back to me. night is typing… bistro: just kidding. night: it is so hard to know when you’re just kidding night: but yeah there was a stranger who tried to get an extra consumable from us through an almost last hit or something real big balls move bistro is typing… night: its okay i got it under control though night: just let me know if i’m wanted anywhere or whatever night: i’m allergic to witch hunts u know bistro: demian never said anything about this.

maybe she would have to let demian take the responsibility over her own call, after all, grudge aside. because she was in no position to be lecturing someone about a judicial system when she could barely recall what had gone into one while she was still in her own body, rather than stuck inside a video game. instead, demian had offered to take basuke back to the teleporter instead, which was apt, because she believed that they both had teleport crystals in the same manner that their mystery stranger did. why not take them instead? night put that aside though, focusing on the items she’d r

“who?” “ace,” he reiterated, feeling proud of knowing something his peers seemed not to know. “like ace attorney. that’s his name, isn’t it?” and it took demian a little longer to react, even though he’d hoped to make the man laugh. instead, that reaction came from night’s snort instead, her hand covering her mouth, looking towards the distance and trying her best not to show her emotions. “basuke,” night finally mentioned, with a sly smile. “his name is phoenix wright. he’s an ace attorney because he’s the best at his job.” basuke turned to demian, just to see if he knew it. an

and now was the question of whatever in the world they would do with the stranger that had just appeared. in total honesty, night couldn’t be bothered with trying to handle another player right now, and it seemed as though demian was having the time of his life trying to play sensibilities with whoever this nutjob was. ganking? that was so… no, she couldn’t remember how long it had been since they were trapped in her. but all she had to do was step closer and brandish her blade, and it was apparent that she was regaining control of the situation. demian’s words rang at the back of her min

so in came night, frustrated and annoyed, with her hand on her blade’s handle at the ready – she was told that the phoenix would resurrect in time. was it preparing to do so already? with all the chaos, it was difficult to get a look at the health bar– so she unleashed an attack before the situation could get any worse. it paid off; the shudder of the phoenix was enough to send their ganker for a whirl, and as it dissipated into the ether, the perpetrator fell upon the ground with a disgraceful thud. and she was the first to get a look at who had done it. night hovered over the strange fo

oh come on, what now?! night was already having one of the worst days ever. go kill the phoenix again. see day’s favourite chef again. his food wasn’t even that great! how did bistro manage to send him – and now basuke was getting tailed – and almost killed – by some random stranger in pursuit of his stupid behind! except basuke was safe, if a little disoriented. leave it up to mister hero to run into the fight and pull her friend out of it – just as she was getting ready to understand the situation at hand proper. with a huff, she let her sword do the talking for her instead. s

<<f09-phoenix.>> by bistro’s orders, she was going there. and damn, she was not at all interested in returning, at all. to the ninth floor they had to go, with her broker’s promise that the trip would be worth the effort. funny, because nothing was worth the effort of attending the mountain top, to slay the same damn thing that had given her a nightmare ages and ages ago. still, if it was for the greater good, then perhaps it was worth some amount of effort. night never truly believed her thoughts, but she was ultimately there, weapon in hand, staring up towards the sky a

so what's in reserve? "a stash of dragon's breath is all i got," was what bistro had informed her. and night needed to clear her head, so a simple message and collect was all the player needed to get her hands on a lot. which meant the alchemist needed to do more work, but such was her life, and she was dedicated to it. a brief exchange of acknowledgement, no words said, was performed, and night walked out, parcel in tow. bistro: you could have gotten a briefing about the plans for the hunt too. night: sorry? night: i wasn't even aware they were completed. n

[16/07/23] | #e

"you know, i just had the weirdest encounter i'd ever experienced in aincrad thus far..." it was a fib, far from the real truth, but the nugget that gave her story credibility was in the way night had felt unnerved. she'd strolled into nari's shop, distracted, again by the various wares on display. the player was looking for the stock she'd cleared out previously – because according to bistro, it may have been of adequate precaution. night was now in need of more. "some guy with the same name as mine," she spat, picking up a crystal and examining it over. "could you imagine that?"

all night could do was wince and scowl at the man, her eyes narrowing into a squint. really? she chewed at a cheek just as a throw-away towel was summoned, and nyanko beeped once at the blacksmith, as though for communication, though his words couldn't precisely be deciphered. with the cloth wrapped around her own hand, she shook ren's, noting how much grime there was on the rag after she'd pulled away. "pleased enough," was all she said, before pulling up her interface and dropping another sack of col onto the counter. with adjudicator in hand, she headed towards the door, only giving hi

how did she get here? ugh, don't ask. but if you had to, she was lured in by the sign, and night would end it at that. the player dragged herself in, her entrance lead first and foremost by nyanko, once the door opened. if there was a counter, he'd surely had hopped onto it, watching his owner warily with wide green eyes. not that she minded her familiar's gaze, but she was just as surprised that he knew of an active blacksmith. with a sigh, she turned to the operator present, hand ruffling her hair before she set down her items. two swords, a shard, a scale, and 25k col. "the d

one of the last things she was expected to get: a new piece of equipment from iris, only she recognized it as somewhat a familiar component piece to one of her friends, who was now feeling ill. so she examined the piece, touching it with caution, afraid to even give the broken blade a swing. night had almost wanted to speak up, in clarification of the plan, but as her gaze travelled across the table over to iris, hard at work examining the data she'd collected, the player opted to shut up, instead. over by the lounge, even jean and a third stranger were lost in discussion over bistro

Skill(s) Being Dropped: Searching 4 | 22SP Scouting Familiar | 10SP Mod(s)/Addon(s)/Shift(s) Being Dropped: From Searching: Reveal | 6SP Tracking | 4SP Detect | 4SP Night Vision | 3SP SP Refunded: 39 Cost: 22,000 | paid w/ scouting familiar in mind, but i changed my mind. send it back maybe? :(c

r10 artisan | x14 daily crafting attempts | cd tool infinity. | [#210452-1] | TIER 1 JEWELRY | EVA III, ACC I [desc.]: a small black braided tassel, lined with beads, meant to be looped onto sword handles or attached to clothing. costs: x1 shard

wow, tough crowd. night felt the weight of all eyes on her, and despite her experience, if she hadn't been in her tracksuit, she might've shriveled up from embarrassment. in truth, night knew that her investigation would be going easier and faster if she did work at the case alone. but seeing how often her trail went cold (better; it never began at all) when it was simply herself present, it made sense to try and stick with a party... this time. she gingerly, though reluctantly, pulled her hand off the npc. "sure," night spoke aloud, though turning to star, as though her once-ac