Noctua

After what seemed like a lifetime, she finally reached a pine forest. If she was lucky, this was going to be the one that she needed to be in. She wanted to see how well she could do this without needing the help of someone else. Athena, not liking that they were in a pine forest now, felt defeated as she perched herself on Noctua's shoulder. But to Noctua, this felt normal, right. It made her feel like she was somewhat whole once more.

She just needed that one other person to no longer hate her to feel completely whole. Perhaps she's being too mean to him? Not likely. She just kept walking in the forest, looking for any sign of this dragon. It had to be somewhere, and if it was the same size as the last one, she should be able to see it at some point. It was just finding the thing that was proving to be a little evil right now.

She stopped walking for a moment, because she needed to remind herself where the general area of this dragon was. She had heard that it was a trickster, but that was fine, she'd handle that when it came to it. But, it was the not getting lost getting there that was the issue for her. She read over the message and nodded, a forest. Awesome. Another forest. Just perfect. She sighed as she closed the message and shook her head.

This was going to be fun. Maybe she could avoid hitting a tree this time. Maybe. She shall see. Her luck wasn't always the best in fights, which was what was going to make this a little dicey probably. That's why she brought her potions. She can't use her first aid on herself, which sucks a little, perhaps she should look into battle healing? She shrugged lightly as she started to walk once more, keeping an eye out for this pine forest that the dragon was supposed to be in.

Thinking on that, took her mind to what she wanted to do when the game was officially going to be done. She kind of wanted to go to the beach first, she was certain that she'd be able to find one before leaving Japan. She wanted to see the actual stars, hear the actual waves crashing on the sand. To hear the actual sounds of the world that she's been missing so long. Just the thought of the stars and the ocean made Noctua smile lightly.

She couldn't wait for that day to come. She couldn't wait to be able to crack a mythology book open again. She wanted to learn everything that she could, and she was going to, mainly because she knew what it was that she wanted to do. She might not have the person whom she wanted to do it with anymore, but she could happily do it on her own. Wouldn't be the first time that she's done things alone after all.

Absentmindedly, almost as if the feelings that she had been denying for almost a week now, she touched the pendent that was on the necklace. It had been made to remind her why she couldn't miss anything. Why she had to hit things. But now, it wasn't a good reminder. She took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. She wasn't about to delve back into the mindset that she had when she went into that cave to save that stupid child.

There was no point. The past was the past, and that was where she needed to keep it. So, she looked at Athena, the white owl was at least starting to fly a little closer to Noctua. That was a bonus. It meant that her relationship with the owl was a good thing. That meant that she was at least going to have one person, or animal, in her court. Maybe.

She needed to stop thinking about that. Instead of dwelling on the broken-hearted, she started to focus on what it was that she could do. That was why she was out here. She was out here, about to go and fight a dragon alone, so that she could be as strong as she could possibly be, to become the best her that she could be. She didn't need to have that help anymore, she knew that she could do it.

She just needed to look at the skills that she had, and try to figure out how to make herself better. She knew the first thing that she needed to do though, save up to get that accuracy buff from a weapons mod. Her accuracy has always been lacking, and well, she needed to fix that. She knew that her accuracy was lacking, which was why she was wearing the horrible reminder of a necklace around her neck right now.

The walk was silent as she started to leave the town. She had left a note at the shop, just in case Koga decided to try and worry, which she doubted at this point. She shrugged that thought off quickly. If he cared, he'd know how and why she was like how she is now. He'd know what hurt her that day they found each other again. He'd just... know. But he didn't know. He didn't care, even if he tried to act like he did.

She knew that he was just pretending and lying. Something was just telling her. But, at the same time, there was still that feeling that she was just being rude. She didn't believe that though, and she probably never would unless something horrible happens to her. But, that won't ever happen, because she doesn't plan on putting herself out there anymore to be hurt. Koga broke what had once been there.

She had gotten the message about the second dragon after defeating the first one with Koga. But, time never let her go and fight it since she wasn't at a safe level at the time. Then, the fall-outs all happened, basically at once. Now, she was told to not worry about the one person whom she should be worrying about. She sighed as she grabbed her things, and looked at Athena. "You're coming with me, right?" The owl looked at Noctua, didn't say anything, but did move closer.

"I'll take that as a yes." Noctua had been blocking her emotions for a bit now, so, it was no surprise to her that the snowy white owl was still mad at her. "One day, you'll forgive me Athena." No sound came from the owl, but Noctua pushed that to the side as she walked to the inn door and opened it. Athena quickly flew out of the room first, apparently still not wanting to touch Noctua at all, which did hurt a little still. But nothing that she could do about it at this point.

She heard a hoot come from Athena, only to look over and see that the owl was attempting to comfort Koga. That stung. Oh well, let the owl comfort whoever she wanted. Noctua just turned her gaze back to her desk, counting the materials that she had to craft with. One. A single material, she was going to go and have to change that sooner or later, probably sooner.

Mainly because there was this oh so familiar feeling that was trying to push its way back to the top of her mind, and heart. She didn't want to deal with it though. The heartbreak from before was enough. She just stood at her desk, staring at the box that she put her ring into, and closed her eyes for a moment. She felt those threatening tears. Furthermore, she wasn't going to have any of that breaking down right here. No, she put up this wall on purpose, and she wasn't about to let him just take a hammer and bash it down.

She slowly opened her eyes, before she nearly jumped from him suddenly speaking again. She cleared her throat before looking at him again. "Sure." He was being kind, and not in a condescending way, she would tell that. She might as well just accept it. They needed to be civil for the shop to be able to survive right? "How is your sister? And Yukiro?" Might as well attempt a conversation, right? Civil after all. Of course, what she hadn't expected was for that slight pang of jealousy and hurt to be in her voice.

But, instead of drawing attention to it, she just went about organizing her desk some more.

@Koga

He seemed to have thought about this topic a lot in the past, or perhaps it was one of the topics that was just close on his mind while being stuck in this hell called a game. But, he did have points, and she knew it. Though there was one thing that didn't seem to be answered in any myth, why was love so damned hard to deal with?

Heartbreak too. But, those weren't questions that she was going to ask aloud. Instead, she just looked at the sky, Athena wiggling a little in her lap. "I think this is why I always preferred to not get too close to others. There is never a way to make everyone happy." Wasn't that the truth. She knew that she had hatred being thrown at her, and she wondered what she was going to be able to do about that. But, she didn't want to really think on that just yet.

She looked at Alkor after a few silent moments and smiled a little. "Thank you, Alkor. The distraction has been very appreciated, and the conversation has been nice." Unusual for her, but nice all the same. She was feeling a little better, and she really didn't want to think on how long that might not last anymore.

She looked at him, and intently listened, finding the story of the creation myth interesting. It wasn't like the Greek, and it's counterpart, Roman, mythologies at all. But it had its own little unique flare, and she found it fascinating. Perhaps, if things didn't work out, she might just stay in Japan a little longer to learn more about their myths. Though, it was also sad on why things had been created how they were, and why the myth said that day and night are separated. But, don't all great mythologies have some kind of drama in them to make them more... is appealing the right word?

"That's really beautiful, but tragic at the same time." She looked to the skies, and thought for a moment, "Learning the different myths and creations makes you wonder how some were thought of, while at the same time, making you question what it is that is being taught now." She mused her thoughts aloud, before looking at Alkor with a small smile. "Sorry, idle thoughts being mused aloud." She thought back to what she knew about the Greek myths, and she remembered how the Romans basically had the same thing, only different names.

"How the Japanese myth differs from the Greek myth really is something though. The Greeks have two who represent the moon, a Titan, Selene, and a Goddess, Artemis. While the Titan Helios and the God Apollo are the sun. It's said that when Zeus imprisoned the Titans, his children Artemis and Apollo took over for Selene and Helios. It really makes you wonder, doesn't it?" Family feuds have been going on for centuries, but some were just not mentioned. But some, were mentioned in the more gory and horrible ways, but those are the ones that attract the attention of others.

There was a part of her, that was buried very deep down, that was not enjoying how she was treating Koga. But, she just pushed that feeling even further down, it wasn't like he deserved her usual kindness. "Oh, I know. It was more that I had been worried that you didn't want me around, but," there was another shrug, "I figured out yesterday that I shouldn't care about that."

That wasn't what she had wanted to say, why did she say it like that? She wanted to say that she shouldn't care what he wanted, but something didn't let that happen. Perhaps that part of her that still loved him wasn't buried enough. She would have to fix that later. Though, she did look at him and raised an eyebrow. Could he really not notice that she wasn't herself? If he couldn't notice that, then the conclusion that she came to yesterday was true.

"Well, let's see, it took getting lost in a dark cave, fighting bats and saving a child, for me to realize just how many lies I've been told in the past, by really everyone." She looked away from him and finished the cleaning that she needed to do. Internally, she was now at war with herself, but the part of her that was out was the part that was winning said war. Why? Because this part of her knew that she didn't need to be hurt once more, not by someone who kept trying to push her away.

There was some pain that showed in her eyes as she tried to focus on just making sure that she had all of her things settled. She stole a glance over at him to see what his current reaction was, not knowing if he'd recognize that pain before it was quickly thrown back into its own vault.

@Koga

Ah, so he was confused, and it was kind of gold to listen to. He probably didn't understand why she was here, and she wasn't about to let him in on that answer unless he actually wanted to voice the question for it. Instead, she turned and looked at him, with the most convincing smile that she could on her face. "Koga." Now, while the smile might have been something that could possibly fool him into making him think that she was fine, she wasn't entirely sure if she was able to keep the venom out of her voice when she said his name. She didn't wait to see his face either though, there was a lot more cleaning that she needed to do if she was going to make sure that she could start crafting from the shop again.

"Judging by the confusion, you either just read my note, or are just plain confused as to why I'd come back to our shop to craft. It's simple really, I shouldn't be hiding because of some stupid argument or anything like that." She shrugged as she went about cleaning the dust from her desk. She noticed that she had no requests waiting on her, and she started to wonder what kind of story he spun to the customers. That didn't matter, she'd just wait for new ones, it wasn't like she was going anywhere after all. She was here to stay, even if he didn't like it. She looked over at him though and noticed Athena and rolled her eyes.

"As for her, she's mad at me," there was another shrug with her words, and in her mind, she knew that if Koga claimed to know her as well as he thought he did, he would know that this wasn't her at all. Just some kind of persona to be able to stay strong. At least, it seems to be working for the time being, so there was that for a bonus.

@Koga

She had decided to take the necklace and ring out of her inventory. She would place them in the shop, not for sale, but probably just to showcase them. Or to hide them in her desk. They were both a constant reminder that she didn't need, of course, she might just keep the necklace though, because she might end up needing that accuracy later. In fact, she was thinking about going out later and possibly doing another quest or two. She might have finished all the floor one's quests, but there were still plenty from all the other floors. She went to look at Athena, but the owl was already waiting at the door of the shop. The open sign was showing, and she rolled her eyes. She had a feeling that the owl was just going to sit with him. If that was the case, then so be it. She wasn't going to fight with the dumb AI.

Oh well, she just kept walking to the store before opening the door, the white owl rushing in with a happy hoot, before going to perch herself on his shoulders. Not even her perch, that Noctua had spent time making for the owl, but him. The owl really was mad at Noctua and the feelings were starting to be reciprocated. She just walked in behind the owl, letting the door close on its own. She looked at her things and she set to work on getting things cleaned. Furthermore, she didn't say a word to him, he didn't deserve her words right now. If he wanted to talk to her, so be it, but she wasn't going to play nice if he was just going to lie to her. Make her feel like she was wanted and loved, when she wasn't. No, he didn't deserve to see the real her anymore.

Just this part of her, the part her that actually hated him. The part of her that had to suppress the familiar feelings of hope and longing, because they weren't needed around him anymore. Instead, she just started to hum a song as she put the engagement ring into a box on her desk, deciding to leave the necklace in her inventory, just in case she needed it after all.

@Koga

Her feet guided her to her and Koga's shop as if she had never been gone. She opened the looked door, and kept the sign showing as closed. She wasn't open, yet, that would be tomorrow. She noticed that her side of things were dusty, while his weren't, that figured. She rolled her eyes and walked over to his workstation and summoned a piece of paper and a pen, quickly writing down a note.

Koga,
I'm coming back tomorrow, whether you like it or not. You'll have to learn to deal with it.
Noctua

She didn't bother to attempt to hide the tone of the letter before she turned around and walked out once more. She would deal with cleaning her side of the shop tomorrow, right now, she was hungry and tired. So, the first thing that she needed to do was go and get herself some food, and find a way to convince her familiar that it was safe to not hate her. She had a feeling that it wasn't going to be easy, but that was fine, Noctua would work to gain her familiar's trust back, but she won't work toward anyone else. If someone else was to want her to trust them, then they could start with that renewal.

She knew one thing though, she was happy to be able to say that the shop was going to be completely open, because that meant that she was going to be able to show that she wasn't some kind of girl who just sits alone when hurt. Nope, she was going to show them that she was changed, even if some might not think it for the best.

Thread Summery:

There it is, the town. Thank gods, because this kid was starting to get heavier and heavier with each step that Noctua took. The woman had a feeling that the child's mother was going to be in the same area where she had found Noctua, so that was where she started to walk first. But, there was no one there. Damn it. She turned around and took a moment to look around, trying to find that familiar woman was would be worried about her child. Hadn't the NPC said that she would meet Noctua here when she returned to town with the child? Or was her memory making that part up? No, can't be because her memory didn't make anything up. So, she waited right there in that spot, even as the sun started to set. "Mommy?" Oh, the kid was awake now, okay. Noctua gently put the little girl on the bench and looked in the direction that the child had been looking and nodded.

That was the NPC running toward her alright. Hopefully, the AI would remind the NPC that she wasn't able to run into the bench and still stand. It seemed to because the woman slowed down just as the little girl ran over to jump into her arms. There was a lot of thank-yous and grateful goodbyes, and all Noctua could do was give a half smile as she waved them off. Noct looked at the loot rewards briefly, before closing that window and looking at Athena, who had refused to settle next to Noct, and she shook her head. "Come on stubborn girl, I have a note to leave at the shop before we go to bed for the night." Athena looked at Noctua and just followed the girl to the teleporter.

Once it was Noct's turn to walk in, she did so with grace and said her destination, "Town of Beginnings." She was enveloped in the blue light, and soon, the all too familiar floor of what used to be her home was in front of her.

Just as she thought, the walk back to the town was going to be easy since she had already come this way. Truthfully, that was a good thing, because Noctua had this 'bundle of joy' that she was carrying. Normally, she liked children, but right now, it just seemed to be a reminder of the relationship that she lost. Just the mere thought about that made Noctua roll her eyes. A true relationship requires trust and truths right? Noctua had given both, but had Koga done the same? That was going to be the question that she was probably never going to get an answer to. She started to think about the different designs that she could do on some jewelry that she could create again, and she smiled. She should get some tier two materials so that she could create herself a new necklace.

Perhaps she could even find a way to figure out what the other mythologies did for designs, she was pretty sure that she could mimic them and give her part of the shop more of an array of things. Just the thought of being able to craft again, seemed to help quicken Noctua's pace. She was ready to be able to shove it in people's faces that she was able to get up and do something after everything that's happened. She wasn't going to let some guy hold her back or bring her down. No, she was going to be her own person, and she was going to have fun with it. Of course, she might not talk to people still, just because talking to people involved being able to trust their words, but she wouldn't shy away from someone if they wanted to talk to her.

Not anymore.

Noctua hadn't even realized how tightly the child had been hugging Noct's neck until it was starting to get a little hard to breathe. "Loosen your grip just a little please. If you suffocate me, I can't take you back to your mom." There was faked light humor in that statement, but it seemed to help the little girl loosen her grip. When the mouth of the cave started to show itself, Noctua sighed a little. That meant that they were almost out of this cursed cave, which meant that she would be able to see where she was going without having to rely on the owl that didn't like her right now. The mouth of the cave seemed to be so close, yet so far away, or perhaps that was because the child had gone dead weight and was sleeping in Noctua's arms. That was certainly a possibility since that would slow just about anyone down.

She grumbled something under her breath, just low enough to not disturb the child, but that didn't help the fact that she didn't feel like she was getting any closer to the cave's entrance. It seemed to take another few minutes, but finally, the sunshine from outside was wrapped around Noctua and the child. Now, she just had to make her way back to the town and hand the kid off to her mother. Hopefully, nothing would be dumb enough to try and attack her on the way, because that would just aggravate Noctua more. She didn't want to wake the kid up, because that could possibly be a bad thing. So, she decided to follow the same trail that she had created when she walked to the cave.

She hadn't encountered anything on it before, so perhaps that was going to stay true this time as well. As she walked, she thought about how the child didn't seem to have a single piece of jewelry or even a trinket, and that was kind of sad to see. She knew how to fix that, at least, and it was going to be fun to see his face when she returns tomorrow.

"If you can hear me little one, say something so that I can find you. I'm here to take you back to your mother." She tried her hardest to sound sincere and sweet, something that felt foreign and unwanted now. It was almost as if she were spitting venom with her words, when really, she wasn't. She had to try and be nice to make sure that the child knew that she was here to help. There was nothing as she walked, her hand still using the wall as a guide. There was a part of her that wondered if she was just walking in a circle, but she knew that if she were to try and ask Athena for her help, the owl would just throw her nose to the air like she's been doing for a bit now. Blasted bird and siding with the liar.

So, she decided to cross the cavern that she thought she was in, only to feel that there was an entrance to a new area. Okay, this was a start. She repeated the statement that she had said before, and heard something rustling in the distance. She didn't think that it was a monster, the quest had said that the two bats should be the only things in here. So, that meant that it was the kid that she was looking for. She just needed to get to her to be able to escort her out. Damn kids and wanting to play in dangerous places. After a bit though, she thought that she heard something, and she carefully walked over to the sound.

"There you are, come on, your mom is worried about you." It was amazing how easy it was for her to fake compassion and warmth now. She smiled a fake smile that perfectly mimicked her warm one, the one that she gave everyone before, as she held a hand out to the child. Slowly, she felt the shaking hand go into her own, and she picked the child up to carry her out. It was going to be faster to get out of the cave this way. "Athena, you can see better than me, please leave me out of here with the little girl." Athena wanted to be mad at Noct, and she could see this, but the little girl was the only reason why the familiar was listening at this point. So, Noctua followed the snow-white owl carefully, while holding the child close to keep her safe. Maybe there was a small part of the real Noct showing, but it wouldn't last long.

She could hear the bat moving, its wings were flapping, albeit slower than they had been before. It was amazing how slow some things got when they were injured. It made things easier for her though, especially when she heard the flapping get closer and closer to herself. Her rapier's blade was glowing black before she saw the bat move in a direction, and she released the attack. She waited, and waited, and moments later, she watched as red dust floated to the cave's ceiling. That meant that both threats of a bat were gone. That meant that she just needed to find this child, and then take her back to her mother.

She sheathed her rapier, knowing that it wasn't going to be needed anymore. Instead, she needed to feel around this cave and attempt to find a child. That was going to be the hard part, especially if the child was unconscious or something. Gods, she hoped that wasn't the case, because that would take forever to find the kid, and really, Noctua wasn't in the mood to spend hours in this cave just looking for a child. Granted, if the true Noctua were here to find the child, she wouldn't care, but it wasn't the real Noctua anymore, that one was locked up and not allowed back out until she was certain that she wasn't about to be hurt again.

That was going to take a lot of trust, and honestly, Noctua might not have that much trust to give out anymore. So, things might just stay this way until the death game is over, and she is able to go back home and pretend that none of this would ever have to happen again.

She didn't want to give the bat the moment to attack her first. So, the moment that she had heard its flapping wings, she started to charge her sword art. That seemed to be the only way that she was able to see in this cave, only, the blade's normal purple was gone, it was black now. Was that because she felt like she had nothing left to live for? Or because she had basically just tossed all of her emotions and everything to the side to never be spoken about again? She didn't know, and honestly, she didn't care anymore. She knew one thing, there was no instant crumbling of this new shield, because it wasn't a shield anymore, it was Noctua, and she was going to destroy this bat so that she can find the child and leave.

With or without Athena's help at this point, and it was looking like without, because the owl was just floating above them, doing nothing. That was alright, because she saw a glimpse of the bat, and she released her sword art. She thought that she might have missed at first, until she heard a sickly scream from the bat and watched as its health dropped to the red. Good, that meant one thing, it was just that much closer to death, which meant that she was that much closer to no longer having to stand in this cave and act like she gave a damn about anything anymore. The bat hadn't been happy with that hit though, and tried to hit her, but Noctua just rolled her eyes and moved to the side, gracefully avoiding the rocks at her feet, and watching as the bat vanished into the dark once more.

Perhaps this version of herself was a better fighter. Perhaps, just perhaps, she'd get used to fighting things to get out of this death game, and ultimately, away from him.

Standing in this singular spot wasn't going to find that last bat, or save the child. So she needed to move on, and she knew it. With a new-found resolve in her mind, she couldn't say her heart, because she had that blocked by ice that couldn't be melted, she started to move once more. Like before, she used the wall as a guide, moving with it, not straying too far from the path that she was making for herself. She looked at Athena, the snowy white owl staying as far away from Noctua as humanly possible, and that stung a bit. Athena had been her closest ally, and now the owl didn't even want to fly near her. Perhaps the owl could tell just how broken and lost inside Noctua was. "You can stay as far away, and you like Athena, I'm still going to call you my only friend." The owl, once more, replied with nothing and Noctua just rolled her eyes and started to walking once more.

The only thing that came in her mind was that Athena was disapproving of this change. But it was either change and adapt, or break, crumble, and ultimately, die. Noctua wasn't going to do that. While Koga's promises might have been lies, hers weren't. She promised that she wasn't going to die, and she was going to keep that promise, even if the owl didn't like how it was going to have to be done. She wasn't going to make any wishes in this cave, nor was she going to make any new promises. That was a bad idea, so she was going to save that for when she could see past her face. Of course, as she started walking, her anger slowly started to subside, and she was just starting to feel empty.

Like there was nothing there for her to have to worry about. That was alright by her, especially since she could hear the flapping wings of the second bat that had attacked the kids. Perfect, that means that it was time for her to be able to fight something, and just get one step closer to leaving this cave.

The fact that she just thought that way about Athena didn't even seem to register in Noctua's mind. Perhaps that was because this wasn't Noctua anymore? This was a different version of her. A version that she never let others see. The part of her that held the emotions deep down and buried so that she didn't need to worry about being hurt again. She was still her, just guarded, protected, this is how she had been at school her entire life. This was how she kept herself from completely breaking and shattering to never be seen again. This was how she acted around those whom she didn't know if she could trust anymore. Sadly, Koga was now in that category. She didn't know if she could trust him, he didn't believe her, he had lied to her, gave her empty promises. Why should she trust him?

"If it leaves, then you're free. If it comes back, it was meant to be." Alkor's words echoed in her mind, and she just scoffed at them now. "Obviously, it wasn't meant to be. He wants to push me away, then so be it. But he will have to deal with seeing me daily, because I am going to go back to my shop to continuing my crafting." That was a promise, and it wasn't an empty one. She still had the keys to the shop, and she was going to leave the liar a note after she finishes this quest. She would make sure that he understands just how badly he has messed up by pushing her away, and turning her into the person that she had hoped to never become once more.

If that made his 'conscious' weigh heavy, oh well, go cry someone else a river.

Where, oh where, was this darned bat? It just up and vanished in the dark, and she couldn't seem to find it at all. This bat vanishing and not being able to be found, kind of felt like the love that she had once thought real. It wasn't though, was it? It was just faked, something to keep Koga company in this game of deaths. Just something to make him feel like he had something. She was starting to wonder who was more jealous of whom, Tala of Koga, or Koga of Tala. As far as Noctua could tell, Tala actually held feelings for Yukiro, even if the girl had used him as a pawn at first. But, there was something there. Something that she thought that she had held with Koga.

There it was, the flapping of the bat's wings. She put all of her focus into finding this bat, charging her sword art at the same time. Because of the glow of her rapier'd blade, she was able to see the bat coming soon enough to be able to not only move to the right, avoiding the giant rock, but use her sword art at the same time. The bat missed, but she didn't. She watched as the bat was hit, the last of its life vanishing, with the bat's form not far behind it. She waited a few moments, wanting to be certain that she wasn't about to be attacked again. But, upon hearing nothing, she sighed and sheathed her rapier.

"See Athena, we don't need anyone but us. We can do this." Athena didn't answer Noctua, but instead the owl just stared at her, the ice blue eyes something that Noctua could easily see. "You don't believe me at all, do you?" Still no answer, and this all just made Noctua narrow her eyes for a moment, before waving it off. Whatever. It was just an AI after all. Not a real animal. Just some computer design that was to follow her around and 'assist' her in battle. Noctua, you really are losing your mind.

There it was. She turned just in time to watch the bat fly into the wall right beside her, and that was her moment. She thought of all the pain and anger that she had been bottling up, and she charged her sword art. The bat seemed to be a bit slower this time, perhaps two headbutts into a wall was enough to make it dizzy? She knew that it would be for her. As she charged her sword art, she thought about Koga, and how betrayed he made her feel. How he made her feel like she was the only one who had to attempt anything to fix this mess. How he was the one who was pushing her away now. He claims that she's running, well, pot meet kettle.

With all of that anger, pain, and betrayal being channeled into her sword art, the blade turned black once more before she released the skill. The bat hadn't been fast enough to dodge it this time, and she watched as the giant bat's health dropped to red. Good, one more hit, and the thing should be gone. At least one thing seemed to stay true to her, the more mad she got, the better her accuracy. Funny how things worked out that way for her, she didn't like it though, but she wasn't close to dying. The bat hadn't been able to hit her once, and she was grateful for that. Perhaps she doesn't need that horrible reminder of a necklace after all.

That was something that she was going to continue to think on. But one thing bothered her, the bat had moved after her attack on it, and once more, she couldn't see the damned thing at all.

The bat had to be in this direction, right? She looked around, but, saw absolutely nothing. Remind her to never do something in a cave without something to help her see. This was horrible, and she was not a fan of this. But, at least she wasn't scared of the dark, so she had that going for her. She just also didn't like this at all either. Mainly because of the things that lurked in the dark. The secrets that were never said. The thoughts that were never said aloud. The emotions and feelings that had been buried deep down. No, she wasn't scared of the dark, in a normal sense. It was the things that came out in the dark that she was scared of. She was hoping that none of that threatened to come out now, because that wouldn't do her any good.

There was a screech above her, and Noctua focused just in time to see the bat coming at her. Just in the nick of time, Noctua was able to move to the side, while charging a sword art again, only to end up falling over a rock that was beside her. Well, this was a wonderful repeat of the last time she fought in a cave. She tightly closed her eyes and clenched onto her rapier's hilt tighter. "Do not think about that. Do not feel like you need the help. You don't need to rely on a liar to feel like you can do something. You just need to focus." All of this was said between clenched teeth as she rose back to her feet, trying her best to find that bat again. She was going to kill this thing. That was the mantra that she needed to say over and over in her mind to be able to take care of this.

She took a moment, and took in a deep breath, before listening for the flapping wings of this giant and annoying bat.