NIGHT

it wasn't a miracle that night hissed and began to raise her hand, then, once she realized the flaw in both her speech and her map. "wait-- no, not like that!" and day stopped. "huh?" "keep your cloak on! why would i ask for it to be off in the middle of a forest like this?!" night met day's gaze if only to emphasize her bark back, just as the cloak was lowered, slow. "we're literally in the middle of a danger zone!" day paused, blinking just as calmly. "because my combat capability is completely made up and my numbers don't matter." was that sarcasm? a beat passed, just

how much further did they have to go? the more night examined the map, the more irritated she got, realizing the black of the map info's absence blended into the ambient night, and so too did it take on a strange appearance in such a low light environment. the duo were walking, easily taking long strides, and as much as night had wanted to consider the loot they'd gotten for any seemingly useful materials, right now all she wanted to do was figure when to tap out, excluding the use of teleport crystals for the time being. "day, stop walking for a moment." a strange request, and day d

night's progression on the map appeared to be going smoothly. if only the raw data was considered, then alongside the party's string of loot, perhaps the answer to that question was yes, things seemed to be going alright, after all. the reality was a little more complicated. the trees were growing sparser, by now, though it would've been difficult to tell to any outsider that wandered in without night vision. they were larger gaps between them, for as night were to look up to re-verify their time of day, it was because the height of the trees were extending beyond their usual means just p

"...really?" the player only rubbed the back of her neck, giving her companion a side-eye. even if nari hadn't meant to, night definitely felt the mood sour -- but only because the waters were mentioned. "you should've told me sooner. i would've brought a swimsuit." but in reality, night was better prepared for the fight, at least inventory wise, given her stock of spare clothes. the comment made for small talk, at least, while her mind was still set on what needed to be done. "well, these quests always start out with looking for the dragon's nest, too, of some sort. if we look out f

so optimistic. night stayed silent through that part, but bowed her head all the same, because she found that she couldn't disagree. and as they walked, finally then, side by side, her brows furrowed at the comment thrown out about their upcoming quest. "Plus, if I was really angry I'd do something like feed you to a dragon. So you've nothing to worry about." there was some hesitation in her return. "so much for trusting my life to yours." "Err...if I was planning to do that, I probably wouldn't have told you we're doing the Dragon Hunting quest. So...like I said, no worries."

oh of course things would go down hill immediately with a ""by any chance, have you seen my fiancé around?" whatever traces of guilt remained in night's eyes, surely that was enough of a wake-up call to have cleaned it up -- because night surely hadn't seen anyone's partners anywhere at all. even though she should've. once nari let go, the player's hand immediately darted to rub at her cheek, then dropped her hand once hirru was addressing the party. thank goodness for his summary. night hadn't been present since forever ago. but to crow specifically -- "no, i haven't." and that was

night followed without question, after her eyes had left the familiar hand wave. hand on her sword, she was more certain the blade was for her own, now, instead of in defense. because-- "I wanted to talk, and I figured the Dragon quest would be the perfect lure out. About us. The talking, I mean." -- she didn't come expecting a lack of pretense. had expected the issue to be addressed earlier. had expected to bury misgivings where she couldn't see them, in the footsteps left behind as they walked. "We're over, aren't we?" past the gate, it was only night's eyes to nari's bac

thread summary. total. + 6454xp | (461 * 14 * 1) + 386,913col | (128,000) + (257,945) + (xp * 0.15) + 137 materials | 98+38+1 + combat loot. | + 4 scales | + 6 shards

patience was the key. patience, as the light dug into the mesoursine until it reared its head back, opting to dart for its aggressor instead. final mistake -- for night took the opportunity to draw the sword back into her hand and pull out another crystal, just to ensure she'd put the beast down for good. a simple click of the button to the consumable's side, and an overhead swing, blade's weight in one hand. day had successfully danced around the bites of their target, taking into the air in her stride -- one leap, soaring over the creature, and she somersaulted into a dodge roll behind

another snap of the bear's jaw, now right upon her shoulder as night tried to duck out of the way. despite her struggle, it seemed without an intent of letting go. night had nearly dropped her sword in the strike, just as day's spear switched over to a set of claws, the construct's eyes set upon the maw locked onto its prey a struggle of outlasting. staying calm was difficult, yet achievable. the tip of night's sword found rest on the ground, inches deep, whilst her hand pulled forth a crystal to shatter just in case the extraction wasn't possible. the eyes on the bear started to close on

poor move. day could handle multiple processes at once, but still she only had one voice, and it went, "move!" without an answer, the one thing night sorely needed. even with a shove, the player remained transfixed at the horrendous thing as it swerved around, gunning for the only source of light it knew in its lifetime. only then, after it turned around, did night finally take heed of the advice given to her, blade at the ready. this happened to her once -- and it would not happen again in her life time, not if she could help it. "it's a meso-ursine! heightened senses with a lack of eyes

players were rarely shocked upon the battlefield, the intensity of war a bigger issue than one's nerves about frights. yet, the sudden widening of the various wounds proved them to be more than that -- eyes -- full black beady eyes that showed no signs of scleras, and the sharpest set of teeth and ferocity that a regular animal would show to her. no -- this thing couldn't even be called normal, given its apparent propensity for sight. and yet even as night's swipe against it loosened the beast's jaw upon her shoulders, it barely staggered as were most mobs to do, keeping sturdy as it fell back

night felt herself released from the gemini's hold, pausing in her turn if only to give the other some space. and day responds, at their matched gaze, by pointing in the direction she is certain there is an enemy present. the player wondered if she should've queried day further. deciding otherwise, night followed the direction set ahead of her instead. she felt no glimpses of seeking eyes as she walked ahead, attempting to be cautious. it was no surprise, then, that she found the target first. a bear, laying belly-down, head upon its paws. a number of gashes line its body in dark str

then something in the air shifted, past a certain step into the woods, and the horizon finally seemed to flood with an unnerving orange. orange, like the sun was setting, despite the lack of a light present. orange, almost tinted with red and pink, and a growing fog, returning, upon the recesses of the field. night's first instinct was to hold completely still, but while it was still fresh in her memory, she had to mark it down. a quick drop of her pad with a shortcut guided by fingers, and a brief tap -- only day was the one to pull her back quietly, not pass the threshold, but backwards

how far away had they been from the entrance of the forest? if there was even an 'entrance' to behold. from night's guesses upon the map, it seemed as though heading towards the edge of the map where the floor's walls were likely to be was the right move. with most of the forest appearing like a circle, it seemed as though appropriate not to continue along the circumference unless the duo were afraid of venturing inwards. not that night had any worries about facing on whatever might be in the forest. the trees only seemed to grow taller, from where they were standing, and her vi

what else was there to re-examine within the area that hadn't already been looked at before? debris, most likely. debris, because when the animals of the forest attacked, so too did the campsite get trashed. there was almost a certain level of guilt that night held onto as she surveyed the remains of what party had been here before -- the missing tent, plates, re-arranged campfire. the chopping board, however, remained sturdy and present. night almost couldn't help but hover over it again. i'm sorry, she must've thought to herself, though approached the center of the site to reorient

no attack cancel -- she hadn't predicted her opponents this much. but a single injury sustained was enough for her to bear, and that was before her companion dove in to sweep the single mustelid off its feet, too. day kicked it into the air, where it blocked out the light temporarily from above. the aftermath of her blows only scattered the worn tent into pieces, as they should have been eons ago. upon recovery, night chased that wolverine down with a simple cross slash. the second strike knocked it backwards against a nearby trunk -- to which the player found herself cursing, eyes upon t

vulnerable on all fronts, the best night could do was dodge the one ahead of her until she felt her body warn her of what was coming up behind. she ducked, weaving through the gluttons that were darting around like snakes, before sinking into the dark as she was accustomed to do. and, oh, she was certain the system could read her. that the counter offensive was obvious to cardinal, by how she most oft worked. yet instead of going directly for the nearest enemy, working her way into the bunch, she opted to take a leap of faith instead. sword edge raised above her, a simple sunder downwards

but the sinking feeling in her stomach was originally presuming the site was a trap. it was, in theory, but not in the way that night had assumed it to be. the moment she started walking towards day, the only signal that ticked her off about her suspicions was the distractedness of her other, and the sudden summoning of light from an empty grasp. a double bladed axe. night stared out into the woods once more, searching for signs of life. it was easier to read the dark once her counterpart told her what she should've been looking for. "wolverines. large ones." and she spotted the lunar bri

player equipment -- camping tools was more the accurate verbiage to use. an abandoned tent, presumed to be left out to disintegrate after it had been used. a few paper plates laid out in the open. a chopping board, with its durability worn. a makeshift fire pit, with its embers long snuffed out. the party who had been here must've been decently wealthy, or incredibly well prepared for the journey. night only stared at the board left behind, uncertain. "so, i get that most of these were meant to be for one-time use," she began, hovering over it, the latter found rested on a cluster of

no sooner past the first skirmish did another begin. just a little further into the woods. night couldn't tell if they'd been passing through any thresholds. she doubted it, by all accounts -- only the fact that the thicket above them was getting denser, and that there was still signs of life that were present, yet difficult to track. to her side, day was chopping out swathe after swathes of weeds. the cluttered vision didn't help night any, but neither did she complain; after all, easier footwork given these circumstances were a blessing. then they came upon a long-abandoned camp, a

"we're not taking that home," day decided. and night fully agreed, vanishing away the gunk into her inventory. the look on her face simply said it all. "i wouldn't either," she offered as a disclaimer. "so that's the first thing we'd drop off for bistro, whether she's in her shop or not. do you have a damp cloth?" after the player had wiped her hands, and day had swapped her weapon of choice, the two took some time to align themselves with their origins and their current position. they were headed further into the forest, sure -- but they had to make sure they knew their way back, if

night took a few steps towards the trunk she'd so disrupted earlier. the gash upon its form was gone, as was per system standards. the better question was what sort of ecosystem the forest was running off of that had brought the downpour of rodents to the floor. night simply gazed upwards, hand on the tree, eyes searching the black for anything worthy to note, but couldn't find a thing. so instead, her eyes were brought downwards, as though the dirt and grass had anything special to say about the skirmish. nothing much was found, save half of a fruit that had likely fallen from above, the

her estimation had been right, by the way. despite her disbelief in doing so, her other was still fending off a few more targets that refused to fall over and bleed pixels by the time night was done. and perhaps it had been showmanship, to pick a weapon least suited for cutting deep into the heart of flesh, but night rounded the field to cut off a few more stragglers -- the stacks rather than lone fighters specifically -- to watch day fell that final last guardian of the nest. night tucked away the bubbling comment about her sloppiness. all day had to do was reach out towards the pelt of

so they lunged forth. and, knowing the aptitude of the enemies often on this floor, night was more than prepared to take them down without issue. the grouping of targets together also meant that each blow was an easy fell of at least four units -- she was certain she would've been able to take out way more at once, had the system be more lenient, but it didn't matter. what scratches she did take from a dive of furry creatures here and there was only quickly mended by battle healing, and the occasional breather was won once she tumbled out of the frenzied arena. in that moment, night turne