NIGHT

“no worries.” and night let down her guard, finally, watching day walk off behind voscira, slowly overtaking her in speed. the look over her shoulder and the gentle wave helped ease the player further, and night let out a breath she hadn’t expected to be holding. cosmic devourer faded from her hand. “the waterfall’s just up ahead. cyness shouldn’t be too hard to find.” * though their pace had slowed, the journey towards the quest point for calming the soul was with ease. they appeared just down the road leading up to that secluded, calm spot, where the baby dragon had been praying at

(though, the spectacle was ruined with a series of harsh blinks from the tossed woman, in disbelief.) night threw her last few arts against the aggravated swarm nearby, quickly eliminating them. then, she was quick to scoop up the herbs, offering the pouch over to voscira as she approached. with a light shove, she placed them in the woman’s hands. “there.” night looked almost distant, head turning, distracted by the growls of their threats around them. “now don’t say i didn’t help out with getting the flower for izzlath, alright?” day shuffled up behind voscira, e

it was then that day jumped back, just as night started to withdraw, too, from their destination. “what’s wrong?” “i– i don’t know– ” but night did know, because she immediately spotted one of the lizards with a familiar leather pouch dangling from its maw, pacing in the other direction that voscira was leaping towards. she pointed to it before breaking into a sprint – “there! that’s our herb! one moment –” so as the player tore through the scattering reptiles, just in case they were quick to turn on her again when she assassinated their thief, day leaped into act

to the busied voscira, night hollered for her attention again. “we’re getting close now!” she was able to add, after reviewing their positioning on the map in a quick gesture. so too was their pursuitants thinning, and their true lead’s tracks easier to read when the crowd was less busy to deal with, so they cut through the moat sectioning off a different part of the jungle and dove back into the foliage to lose the uninspired stragglers, running towards their waypoint where visibility was much better for following directions. it was only after they’d broken into the canopy shelter t

and though she’d slipped, nearly falling into the water, the wave of lizards coming for her meant that she was able to jump onto a solid horde instead, before skipping her way out of the chaos, dangerously so. it was in poor taste to gather so many creatures up in their rush towards somewhere, trying to be discreet – but what could night do, having seen voscira charge head first into the fray? night last saw day at eye level, believing her hair to be her identifier, after noting her lack of cloak from the soak earlier. but a scan through the environment told her she wasn’t present as

and night wondered if voscira had expected things to follow suit prior, getting caught up in the chase of lizards as the player signaled day’s direction. it wouldn’t be difficult to catch the blonde in midst of the green and chaos, would it? “this way!” if voscira had shouted back an affirmative, night didn’t hear it. instead, all she heard was a choir of shrills and growls, and for a moment, the player imagined nethag behind them – the squad of monitor lizards definitely sounded ferocious enough. getting her kicks wet wasn’t exactly her most favourite thing in the world –

night did the next best thing – stealing the amazonian’s kills. “-- hey!!” she hadn’t expected it to work; in truth, the most important part of the plan was making sure voscira was unharmed, at least until they got to fighting nethag. but the added bonus of being chased again by drawing voscira’s ire was beneficial to their wade through the lizards. through snapping bites underfoot, the player got to work culling the entities bit by bit, though each swing was exaggerated to night’s distaste with getting close to nature. similarly, voscira’s own jabs were getting wilder by t

it was a little too late of a call out, but nonetheless, both outsiders went after the hunter in a hapless pursuit to keep her in check. if they weren’t careful, she would get injured beyond the means of the quest, and they would have to try it again with an awful memory. or, their advantage could quickly be erased if voscira messed up somewhere. and the only construct they both knew of not to make a mistake was day. so the latter started routing a path to the waterfall, bounding along and weakening the lizards up ahead. meanwhile, night darted towards voscira to tug her away from ch

“so long as it’s not nethag,” voscira had said, “i can handle the threat on my own. let’s go.” they did, cutting through the foliage with several strikes of night’s blade. day had her own similar means, like an apparition in the way she followed them. they eventually came into a passing stretch – a river bank, where several monitor lizards were basking under the sunlight. and they eyed the party carefully, with toothy grins. just as night was about to make a comment on having stumbled upon these creatures rather than the tree snakes she was expecting, voscira made a run for

“one should be enough,” night replied definitively, eying the quest log pulled open with two fingers. voscira looked like she’d wanted to say more, sighing, thoughtful, before starting to walk ahead. “let’s go pick up cyness, then.” “let’s.” and night wanted to follow, but couldn’t help looking at her map and their positioning. voscira was beginning to wander far as the player put two and two together, outlining a shortcut near diagonal rather than the L-shaped path their guide was going to take. so she stopped the party with a raised hand, and a hesitant, “wait.”

"uh," night started, hand to the back of her neck. did she? the two undead were finished off unceremoniously, once nari had passed the draw of the blade over to her. blue gashes opened up where red cloth once stood, and then they were no more. the player was more preoccupied with trying to recall what happened the last time she was present. she totally completed the quest, of course, that's how she knew. "... sword in the stone, maybe?" okay, not quite. night winced as she was lost in thought. whatever she said felt approximately right. even snapping her fingers wasn't help

ANDROMEDA | Approved. Total EXP: 15800 Total SP: 100 Current Level: 20 Notes: n/a.

so night looked to day, thumb still shifting on the back of her hand. and the construct bowed forward, slightly, returning the grip stronger. as faint as the rustling of brush they were surrounded by, when grazed by a weak breeze, she spoke in a hushed voice with a small smile. “do you trust me?” the player only needed to nod, before feeling the bump of day’s shoulder behind her own. “then forget this for the time being. take the lead – leave the rest to me.” their held hands were squeezed tight. then, night stepped forward with the shake of her head, trying to present hers

voscira kneeled, fishing out a knife. meanwhile, night hadn’t moved, simply speaking under her breath. “it’s the flower we’re looking for.” part of it was an attempt at focusing on the present, but mindfulness had never really been her strongest suit. and the hunter turned her head to face the player, as she made the fateful cut. “yes, it is. no thanks to you, by the way. it’s been me walking you around and finding the herb.” as she stood up, she tucked the flower away in a side satchel. “that, and you keep talking under your breath about something else.” night wasn’t sure

the quick bump back she’d gotten from her other was supposed to be reassuring. “well, you shouldn’t have worried.” day was trying to catch night’s gaze from being cast upon the ground. the more her hand was gripped onto the doppelganger’s, the more night wondered if she did seem like a lost puppy. “i’ve got your back, remember? i can take care of this. and you. you should be believing in my capabilities more, night.” night hated feeling like this, but the circumstances were honest and true. still, the play of her hand upon her companion’s was in frustration – not

voscira seemed to be comfortable taking the lead up to the waterfall, so night let her, because she was uneasy the entire walk towards it. when night’s hand reached out for day’s, it was in search of comfort and certainty – that her doppel wouldn’t start their transformation or regression back into the past. all the gemini could do was keep her distracted through absurd jests. “so,” day started, prompting the player to focus at the sound of her voice, instead of being cooped up inside her head. “why is it that you went with voscira earlier? i figured this was a fight you could handle

voscira took the crystals, but inspected them, suspect. and then examined night, just as suspect, too. but, without retort, she stormed off to collect her fallen equipment, frustrated as she did. “you know, it’s not courteous of you to grab someone off the middle of town and start talking to them about things that are difficult to believe. at least be gentler when you’re talking to somebody else.” night shared a glance with day, the latter cupping the side of her neck bruised from earlier. and the player sighed. “okay. yeah. i’m… sorry, about that.” “you should be,” came vo

izzlath dipped her head as she retreated into her cavern. meanwhile, as voscira was taking her leave, night grabbed her wrist, just as rudely as she’d left. “wait.” she was promptly acquainted with the tip of the hunter’s spear, the woman reeling backwards from the sudden show of force. “no,” voscira began, but was just as abruptly interrupted with a swift, painless kick to her hand – a disengagement maneuver from day. spear flown out of it, the weapon rolled on the ground beside her, and voscira had to wonder, just then, if there was an external force that was shifting her fates aro

“very well. if the two of you are able to work together, perhaps nethag may be stopped once and for all.” izzlath raised her head again, her eye on the stream. she addressed them with a side glance. “but do be careful. nethag is viscous, and he will show either of you no mercy.” night was already beginning to look through her inventory just as izzlath took her water break. and voscira seemed a little impatient, picking up her spear as she started to walk off. the dragon caught her before she left, however. “the herb you might find – it’s called the emerald bulb flower. it always appe

the player simply cut in with a, “we?” – enough to shut the amazonian up, if only for the time being. it was enough time for izzlath to contemplate the plan, turning her head to face night. “hunter, won’t you lend her your strength? surely, if you have slain a great many dragons in your time, the residents of this floor would stand a chance with your expertise on their side.” so night rolled her eyes, arms folded. “... yeah. sure, i will.” she hadn’t exactly planned to gatekeep her services, anyway. but she simply didn’t want to hear voscira questioning

“... well. i too have been unable to move enough to find the flower myself. and if this other dragon were to descend upon us, i am hardly fit to defend my family right now.” night contemplated the situation, somewhat seething. under her breath, she could only complain, tapping her foot, “well if you don’t trust of nethag running around, why exactly is your daughter allowed to make the pilgrimage in the first place…?” her volume was instead overpowered by an eager pipe from voscira. “i’ll go,” she said, taking a step forward, weapon in hand and at the ready. “i’ll see to it

so voscira had to sit with this information for a moment, just as night began to speak again. “nethag. what’s he like?” “another of my kin, with a penchant for toxins and hiding in the shadows.” she paused to consider her own choice of abode. “much like myself. though i am not quite in a state to be terrorizing the lands that others so live on.” i should hope not, day mouths, before looking to voscira. “even if i were… it makes little sense to disrupt the ways of life for creatures less hearty than myself in my regular state.” night gestured to izzlath w

voscira shoots a glare at night as izzalth speaks, recoiling enough to be held by day, who does so with a sly smile. “though i am not accustomed to your ways, amazonian – there must have been some hunts with drastic outcomes, were there not? a party or two of eight to ten strong, only returning with half of the size, or with multiple grim injuries on survivors…” instantly, the hunter knows what is being commented on. “the veningale? surely not. i figured it was always a force of nature, a turn of fate rather than a mythical beast… such as yourself.” izzalth speaks

night played with her fringe, feeling the water from earlier causing it to hug her skin. she hummed, in thought, just as day returned to her side cloakless, with a new attire of turtleneck and jeans on. voscira was made to decipher the answers for herself, instead. “...child? so there are other dragons on this floor, much like yourself?” “indeed.” izzalth but chuffed as a sigh. “my daughter, cyness. she’s presently at the waterfall of the sage for a pilgrimage, for safety and blessings. i suppose she only wanted to do so for my own sake, in fear of my health.” “bu

so beast and man together waited for the quest initiators to clean themselves up. night trudged up first, in a basic shirt and pants, whilst voscira wore the same look she’d given the player at the use of the word ‘we’; the player wasn’t going to address that error again, however. they were much more occupied with the resting dragon trying to conserve her strength. and izzalth chose not to move this time, instead responding to their approach with the opening of her eyes. “ah. dragon hunter. you’ve made it here after all.” and night folded her arms, having not expe