NIGHT

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

admittedly, her attendance was delayed. but nyanko's memory (see, she knew he was the most efficient of their unit) meant that pending orders would not go unforgotten, and with a nip of her sleeve as she passed by the counter, night knew she had to get to work as soon as possible. the name was unfamiliar, and the presence of a shard implied a player who knew what they were doing, or at least had gotten used to the newer system. a quick modification of one of her older pin templates, and it was ready for a paper wrapping and collection notice. @Rencesvals Lark & Nightin

thread closing. [total] + 15120 xp | (840 * 15 * 1) * 1.2 + 78368 col | (xp * 0.15) + 76100 + 18 materials + combat loot.

r10 artisan | x14 daily crafting attempts | cd tool Lark & Nightingale Pin | [#208036] | TIER 1 TRINKET | ACC III, EVA [desc.]: Twin birds circling one another in a Yin and Yang pattern, one in platinum and the other black tungsten, each in profile and set with a tiny amber eye. Both figures clearly hold special meaning to the individual who commissioned the work. costs: x1 shards | [paid.]

a slight itch more, and she would have the other elemental. so this time, night made sure to pay attention, lest she waste the absorbed gold sliver of energy she'd gotten from her companion earlier. in the rush past hirru, night made sure to lead the elemental's club swing away from her party member; it was the least she could do in trying to play tank. a quick round about the field and getting close enough to the wood's range meant night had to dive right in after the bait to take advantage of the spirit standing still, and the player launched an old-fashioned straight to bounce herself

night's gaze remained on hirru, head turning from over her shoulder as he walked past her, until she could no longer keep her sights on his figure. she stayed quiet the entire time. then, loosening her fold, she followed after him, along the same path with steps just as silent; if her friend was thinking, she wasn't planning to interrupt it. "another tale about the twenty-third"; she knew enough from their conversation last, when they were travelling through the isles on the twenty-second to reach the outskirts of that floor's labyrinth. and night considered again, how her

day eventually picked up her player with an extended palm towards her, and a tight, forceful pull of the downed fighter upwards. and night got an earful, a sensual whisper; “see? i told you i would do it,” enough to make the player recoil. then, and only then, did night find enough in herself to stick her tongue out with an unintentional grin. day but laughed, and the two slowly made their way across the room, if only to pick up nyanko from the chest, which was very well, and very certainly empty. the familiar would know. he was the most efficient member of the trio, after all. night

hence, she was dropped upon by the guardian from the ceiling, the bite a single target strike that was not meant for her, but the weight of a statue pushed her onto the ground. it made sure that she wasn’t able to retaliate, nor prevent the next attack from her other from landing. not that she could have done much anyway, night realized, as she observed the construct round the player’s position and jump up into the air, angling her spear downwards, tip pointed towards the dog. with a rush and a spark of energy similar to that of an art, day finished off the threat with a final dive as her blow

so night made the playing field even just the same, piercing the corner of its jaw with adjudicator, enough to spike its health bar into an unfortunate looking orange, and invite its strategy from ankle-biter to getting the zoomies with enough energy to physically bounce around the room – a feat for a dog as big as its size. night kept an eye out, trying to track its form, and despite her well-meaning intentions to ensure she didn’t just get out of the boss fight scott free, it was her mirror image that was the bait of the canine, and the one it dove towards just as night inched closer to her

“‘cause i’ve decided. you’re not getting this one from me, this time.” day retreated before night could push the entity off of herself, and the player pulled her sword back up from the ground, too, as she surveyed the field once again. the box nyanko was peeking out of was now shoved into a corner of the room, just as the dog brushed through the room’s center with a hurried war path. the player’s challenger was already starting to wind up another attack against the hound that now stood no chance, and night dove back into the fray, uncertain if she should feel comfortable or threatened tha

“well, you seem to be doing quite well for yourself, aren’t you?” and as day struggled to regain her vision, night was prepared to intercept the oncoming beast, watching it bounce from wall to wall, front feet planted on the space above the room’s entrance, before hind feet switched to it. then the guardian extended itself, pouncing upon the mess of two labyrinth adventurers – only one of which had their steel out for an attack in his launch. night opened with a cleave, enough to shred out another inch of the boss’ massive health bar, and surely she would’ve lead that strike into a

she growled as she held on, sticking a rumbling adjudicator into the guardian in the hopes that she could draw its attention. she couldn’t. “that’s just what we get,” night yelled back, the wind from her ride’s violent leaps starting to pick up in volume, as its speed in the chase increased. “a player and their entity companion – hah! even showing up here alone is a difficult story for anyone in aincrad to believe. those are the rules we set for ourselves in stepping in here, a pair, alone!” all the player had to do was hang on and bide her time. the guardian was fast, but it would never

“i figured you’d protest if i went off hunting on my own,” day returned, eyes upon the guardian, just as night darted in to try and capture the opportunity of her opening. the brief thought of the entity, cheating, crossed her mind. night grew sour just a little, as the hound turned to snap back at the gemini, in time for her strike to connect against stone, and the damage from her own attack to apply just the same, though not of a scale to her secondary’s wondrous show. “but you must understand; we’d be fighting two of them in the same room right now if i hadn’t done so.” night grunted,