Katoka

In the same way that a dog turns it's head in confusion at an odd sound, Katoka too shifted her head to the side. "I... What?" she felt as though she needed to reboot her brain to comprehend what was happening. "Sam I, I know who you are." Her hand still reached up and grasped onto Sam's and gave it a polite squeeze. "Can we just, sit down on the couch?"

The blonde led Sam over to the couch, still holding her hand with the lightest touch. It didn't feel like when they used to hold hands before. This was just to lead, not to show affection. Kat sat down on one end and turned to face Sam, sitting cross legged with a pained look on her face. "We. We both haven't exactly been the best to one another these past few months." she looked away from Sam as she spoke. "What you did. When you didn't show up. That hurt me more than anything Sam. You more or less left me at the alter."

Taking a deep breath to try and hide the pain in her voice, despite it cracking. "I was so angry. So hurt. I lashed out at you, threw things. I've never felt that violet with anyone. I didn't want to hurt you, but I could have. I don't like what I became after that." she shook her head as she felt her eyes well up with tears. Looking down at her own hands she clenched them open and closed, "Despite what had happened I almost hurt the person I was supposed to marry, and that's not ok." Looking up to meet her gaze Kat looked almost haunted, "And then I kept things from you. I kept you around because I was too scared to end them and I lied to Freyd when he would ask how things were going. What the hell happened? That's not the kind of person I am Samantha. I don't lie. I don't keep secrets. I don't try to hurt the people close to me." Her eyes had finally overflown, spilling down her cheeks like two raging rivers.

It had been... far to long.

Kat dreaded coming home at times. Anxiety gripped her stomach and twisted it into shapes that were far too complex. She had taken to going on long quests or staying away for as long as possible, only come home when she couldn't find an excuse to be away. She would cry in the shower as quiet as possible, making sure to show as little emotion as she could when they were around one another. It was easier to pretend than it was to confront. It always had been. She remembered doing something similar back in the real world. Putting on a mask and going through the motions until she could get back to her distractions. Here was no different.

The two would still occasionally eat together. If not then they would at least leave the other a plate of food for whatever meal they cooked. Katoka felt so alone despite being together. She couldn't bring herself to apologize now, not after so much time had passed. Not after she had just left like that. Every time she remembered standing there on the first floor, waiting for Sam for hours. It made her teeth start to grind again. There was no use in thinking about it all again. She would just get more and more worked up. She still couldn't bring herself to ending things. Despite everything, she still loved Sam. Still cared for her.

After a particularly long few days of crafting potions and gathering materials, Katoka arrived home to find Sam sitting in the living room on the couch. The couch she had taken up residence on. She felt her jaw clench ever so slightly as she walked passed. They exchanged their nearly robot like greetings as they always did. The blonde's eye twitched as she began to busy herself with washing dishes, doing anything to keep her hands busy. She would glance every so often into the living room to see Sam sitting, unmoving from the same spot. Letting out a sigh Kat stepped into the threshold and leaned against the frame drying her hands on a towel.

"Sam. I th-think we n-need to talk." the words had tumbled out of her mouth before she had the chance to stop them. At first she motioned to cover her mouth, the overwhelming sensation to flee from the situation was undeniably strong, but she lowered her hand and stood her ground. This had gone on long enough after all.

The sound of sizzling flesh began to rise from the horse Katoka rode upon. Hunks of meat began to slide off and drip to the ground as if they were made of candle wax. Wrinkling her nose, Kat looked over at her companions. She felt a sigh of relief escape her as she saw Freyd seemingly returning to normal, though she felt her skin prickle at the sound of his fear. She rarely knew him to be scared whatsoever, and this unsettled her greatly.

The samurai realized that she was slowly sinking from her high position. Looking down in a panic she watched as the rest of her mount sank into the ground beneath her, slowly lowering her onto her feet. The gravel softly crunched under her as she now stood once again on her own two feet. The bow that she had slowly become adjusted to began to glow with a bright light, causing her to squint and look away as it dissolved in her hand and left her grasping at nothing.

"Holy shit, did we finish? Are we--" her voice trailed off as the the shadowy form of a massive bird seemed to take flight and soar overhead. "Was that... An African swallow?"

----

POST ACTION | Activate Armageddon

"Other than the height and weight differences between the two, and their clothing choices, I don't really have much else on how the looked unfortunately." she shrugged as she stood up. "I guess we're headed to the first floor then."

Katoka helped Freyd clean up the tea and tea cups from their talk before the two set out for the teleport gate on the second floor. It would take them a bit to get there, however she was certain they could make the time pass quickly. "What do you think they were up to? Do you think they're trying to kill people on purpose? Or maybe it was just a prank gone wrong?" she tried to imagine how two people could go as far as making nearly undying monsters as a way to play a joke on someone. "Scratch that last one, probably not a prank."

The samurai held her chin with her thumb and forefinger as she began to think out loud. "What benefit would they even get from killing players like that? I guess a work around for not becoming an orange name? What a sick way to get your rocks off." She shook her head in disgust. Just the thought of killing someone here made her stomach churn. Even if there was not blood or a body the was left behind, you still killed the person out in the real world.

"Oh, are you able to appraise the gross pheromones that I found while we're moving? Maybe we can at least get a name off of them."

Sweat was forming on Katoka's brow. The fight was not particularly strenuous in any way to her, it was Freyd that was causing her to worry. It was not surprising that with their borrowed power they were tearing through the mobs as quickly as they spawned in, but she still felt the hairs on the back her neck stand up each time a new one appeared. Her friend was ruthless, seemingly consumed by the thirst for battle. "We need to end this as soon as possible." she muttered to herself.

Her attention was pulled to the final monstrosity. Kat had been waiting for another to appear after Freyd had dispatched the last and was almost taken off guard when one remained. It was finally time to wrap up this conflict with a nice bow. She smirk slightly at the thought as she pulled back on her weapon, loosing what she hoped was the final arrow. It thankfully struck true with an earth shattering crash, sending dirt and stone flying in every direction and obscuring their view.

Once the dust settled she clicked her tongue in frustration. The monstrosity had survived, albeit with it's health bar hanging in the red. "Damnit. Nari! Star! You're up!"

----

"An end to who now?" the samurai arched a brow at the name, wondering where she had heard it before.

Her hands felt slightly clammy as Freyd spoke, her anxiety doing its best to grab hold of her and not let go. She wiped her hands on her legs and shook her head, "No, I didn't hear any names used unfortunately, only them arguing in a panic before leaving as quickly as possible."

Her eyes drifted to the jar of crystals and rested there for a moment, "Whatever these things are, I really don't like the fact that players are going out of their way to try and hurt people. It's... wrong. Cowardly and horrible and just..." she let out an angered sigh before looking up at the Whisper with a fiery gaze, "I can't look the other way knowing what I do now. I'm apart of this whether I like it or not and I plan to see whatever this is through until the end."

She crossed her arms and waited, her determination unwavering despite her knee bouncing nervously.

A long sigh escaped from Katoka's lips as she sat down opposite of Freyd. She rarely could keep her feelings hidden from him, which was ironic considering he rarely displayed his outwardly. Forcing a grin that didn't reach her eyes she shook her head, "That's a story for another time. For now I feel like this is a more pressing matter."

Despite her being a captain for their guild she still saw herself as the Whisper's subordinate. He was much more active than she was and he was several steps ahead of her in strength. Her hand rested reflexively on the hilt of her katana in an attempt to comfort herself. She would catch up. Especially with his new sword. After a moment she cleared her throat and began to give Freyd her formal report on her trip.

"Last week I set out into the Fire Forest on floor 28." her voice was bit shaky at the start as she wasn't very good at 'public speaking', "I initially was just planning to explore the floor itself to see if there were any hidden quests or objectives that hadn't been reported just yet. I know that information gathering is your expertise but I like to do my own from time to time. " now her tone had settled into something a bit more formal. Her mind distracted by the replay of the events in her head. "At first there was more of the same. Just your ruin of the mill animals, mostly albino like the info brokers all put out."

As she spoke more she eventually made eye contact with Freyd, her face serious and no longer held any traces of her initial anxiety. "I heard voices in the forest, off the main road that I had been following. I let my curiosity get he better of me and looked for the source, wanting to see if it was NPCs with any information or just players doing much of the same." Her mouth formed into a thin line as she inhaled through her nose, taking a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing.

"It turned out to be a couple of players. Just two guys that seemed to be putting... Something together. I couldn't really make it out at the time. They were anxious though, well one of them was. The other was more concerned with finishing with whatever it was that they were assembling. They mentioned having a boss I think?" she shook her head as she bit her thumbnail for a moment, attempting to remember the details in the correct order. "I couldn't make out what they looked like unfortunately. The anxious one was short and a bit on the plump side, wearing a skull mask, and the other guy was tall and hooded. Once they finished up they both used teleport crystals to get the hell out 'before it spreads' I think one said."

"I could only make out one's destination, Tolbana. The other was too hard to hear." the samurai felt her skin begin to crawl as she remembered the next part. She looked away for a moment and rubbed her arms in an attempt to calm herself. She leaned forward to take hold of her cup, taking one more sip of tea before continuing. "It was... meat. They were spreading cuts of meat around the tree and hanging a jar above it to drip down. There were crystals, weird looking crystals that were resting on top of the cuts and the potion was dripping down onto them."

"One of the guys left that jar behind so I grabbed it, and I corked that potion bottle to try and stop it. Unfortunately it was too late. A few wolves had come out of the woods and some of the pieces had fallen into place. They were luring the mobs of the forest with whatever this stuff was."

"There were only three of them so at the time, while freaked out by this gross potion, I still thought I had things under control." she eventually met the Whisper's eyes once more. "I was wrong Freyd." she shivered but continued, "The first one was covered in crystals, growing out of it like a weird infection, but they were different than the ones in the jar. These ones looked wrong, like they themselves were corrupted. And even though I killed it, the damn thing didn't stay dead."

"While we fought the other two wolves ate the meat trap and just fell over dead, but they eventually got up again. They all had the same growths and every time I killed them they didn't shatter, they turned into this blight goop and the crystals slurped them up like they were a dog smoothie and just made them whole again." her voice was beginning to shake again and her eyes were growing wide. "I eventually figured out that destroying the crystals before they could spit the wolves back out again was the strat, but they were wearing me down. Their bites... They hurt so bad. And they were resistant to the blight effects of my old weapon."

Kat finally fell silent, her breathing ragged and her eyes slightly moist. She spoke one final time, "I don't know what the hell those things were, but I'm sure of a few things after that. The first? Those guys wanted people to get hurt by those things, they made it seem like that wasn't the only monster lure they had set up. The second, they were acting on someone else's orders, so they probably have been planning this for a while. Hell they have probably been doing this on other floors for all we know! And finally, when I left those woods? It felt like I was being watched by someone or something. I don't know which of those scares me the most."

With a final sigh she slumped back into her seat, drinking the last remaining bit of her drink.

The storm that raged around them all had kicked up enough snow that it was difficult to see, thankfully their opponent was large enough that it didn't matter much. Katoka did her best to find her footing on the next attack, though she still managed to slip here and there, as the all too familiar sound of her sword art charging was barely perceivable through the loud wind. She cursed under her breath as she planted her foot and swung her blade, feeling her stance was off as the attack barely managed to connect. "Remind me to not fight this damn monster ever again!"

The creaking groan of ice rubbing against itself reverberated around them as the monstrosity turned and swung wildly at the annoying gnats that chipped away at it's hide. "Watch it! This ice cube hits harder than you think!" she called to Wulfrin and Ciela. The samurai jumped out of it's lumbering path, digging her heels into the ground in an attempt to control her trajectory. Her gaze fell on Ciela as she pouted while building a snowman. Kat stifled a laugh, "We'll get you up to snuff before long."

----

The urgency of Freyd's invitation to his and Elora's home was something that cause Katoka to think that maybe her trip through the Fire Forest just last week had been something a bit more pressing. While the message he had sent had simply invited her over to talk over tea, deep down she knew that the items she had left with him had spurred a much more visceral reaction than she had thought. The blonde had spent the morning tidying up around her home, mostly busy work to keep her anxiety in check. She kissed Sam goodbye, only exchanging a few words before she finally left.

Her relationship had become a bit, strained as of late. Kat had found herself keeping the information of her last few close calls from her fiancé, certain that the news would cause her more distress than she was already feeling. She hated keeping things from her, but she didn't need her to worry more than she already was. With a sigh she began her walk towards the teleport gate, making sure to double check the route she needed to take in order to find her friends home.

Half an hour later she was knocking on the door to a beautiful home that had seemed like it was out of a magazine. When she had first set foot into the area she had felt her mouth drop at the gorgeous waterfalls and lush greenery of the area. It was both secluded and foresty, both perfect for Freyd and Elora. After a few moments the door opened and she flashed the brother of her found family a bright grin. She could tell that this new life was doing him good.

"Well, I wish my first visit was here under better circumstances, but regardless thank you for having me over."

----

Katoka | HP: 780/780 | EN: 112/112 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 78 | EVA: 1 | ACC: 5 | BH: 42 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8

The samurai wished she could it was a pleasure to pick up any goods from her close friend, sadly that would be a lie. Freyd Edges was in desperate need of a makeover, and some tidying, and hell Freyd could probably burn it down and rebuild faster than the time it would take to fix the place up. However there was also something still welcoming about it. Katoka wasn't sure if it was because she was so close to the Whisper, or if she had just gotten used to the "organized chaos" that he referred to, but she still felt a smile touch her face when she managed to find the weapon he had left behind for her without having to look for too long.

Katoka gave it a once over before equipping it, feeling a sense of power roll though her. She didn't know if it was a placebo effect, or the actual weapon at her side. With a nod she turned to leave, making a mental note to message Freyd about a meet up spot.

----

Katoka Recieves:

Now wrapped in her warm and fuzzy cloak, Katoka let out a content sigh of relief. "You're the best Mina. Someone needs to wife you already."

The trek to the frozen monster's lair brought back many memories to the samurai as she walked. She munched on the pastries that Ciela had given them as they trudged through the snow. She recalled the conversations she had with Freyd when they traversed the same path. They had both changed considerably since then, despite the short amount of time that had passed.

Upon reaching the designated 'boss' area, Absolute Zero's hulking form was a large and frosty as it ever was. Letting Ciela take the lead Kat waited her turn, letting the tank chip away at the monster's health. She grinned as she stepped up, unsheathing her katana.

"I'll go next if you don't mind." she winked and there was a puff of snow and cracks that formed in the ground where she had previously stood. There was a loud crack, followed by a chunk of the creature's leg that thudded to the ground. Katoka could be seen sliding across the ice around him, attempting to keep her balance, "Damn ice physics, I could have hit him harder if I didn't slip!"

----

It was not very often that Katoka slipped into the "shop" that Freyd ran. No matter how many times she saw it she wasn't used to the tents and tables that were cobbled together. Glancing around she didn't notice her friend around and nodded, sure that he was more than likely at home with Elora. "Good." she thought.

With a soft sigh she stepped up to a semi empty area and open her inventory, scrolling through and selecting as many items as she could before spawning them all at once with a clang. She promptly summoned a sheet of paper and writing utensil and began to leave a note.

"Freyd, I know you said I'm plenty strong and all that but deep there's still something I'm missing. I know deep down you're right but until I figure out what it is I'm lacking i won't be satisfied. I figure what better place to start than with my sword, think you can find something that hits like a truck in all this junk I've been collecting? Let me know what I owe you when you can."

With that she tucked the note in a spot that was visible and turned to step away but stopped. She turned back around and took the note back up toe write something else.

"P.S. I'm leaving a couple things off to the side here. I'll tell whoever else it here not to touch them until you check them out. I had a run in with.... some scary shit in the woods on floor 28. Try not to let the things touch you, or each other. Let me know if this is something we should be worried about"

She returned the note to the top of the stack and pulled two more items from her inventory and placed them on the table nearby, one was a jar of dull red crystals labeled <<Sundered Embers>>, the other was a small vial of viscous black liquid labelled <<Brew of Blighted Pheromones>>. The pheromones had the mark of an item crafted by a player in its item window. The blonde turned her head and pointed to the two extra items on the table, "Hey! Don't mess with these ones, they're nasty. Oh, and leave this whole pile for Freyd, I'm sure he'll appreciate the work." She grinned and left quickly before there were any objections.

----

Katoka leave the following loot for Freyd:

She didn't remain on the ground long. Katoka knew that if she waited too long there would have been more things that emerged from the darkness. She knew that she wasn't ready to face them on her own just yet. With trembling knees she rose and stumbled her way back to the path she had previously been on.

Her eyes were red, puffy and hollow, her nose running and her arm left a trail of blood behind her. She was broken, but she was not dead. Her hand gripped the hilt of her weapon fiercely, her teeth clenched and she shut her eyes tight. A growl rumbled from her own throat not unlick the wolves she had slain. "Never again" she thought, "I can never let myself be taken off guard like that again."

As Kat left the fiery canopy of the forest and emerged back onto the open road the figure of a woman stood in the shadow of a large tree, watching the battered and bruised warrior trudge back to the safety of the safe zone with her tail between her legs. A smile touched the figures lips as she allowed herself to feel delight in what she saw. It was after all, her plan that was coming to fruition. With that she stepped back into the shadows, and disappeared entirely from view.

----

Thread Closing:

Katoka receives:

2,640 EXP (Word Count [4,403/10x6x1])
20,956 col (1 page [400] + Loot [20,160] + 15% P5 Reward [396])
14 Materials (Loot [14])
 

T4 Rare Weapon #223139a
T4 Uncommon Consumable #223139b
T4 Rare Trinket #223141a
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #223144a
T4 Perfect Consumable #223144b
T4 Perfect Consumable #223144c
T4 Rare Weapon #223215a
T4 Uncommon Consumable #223215b
T4 Rare Trinket #223216a
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #223217a
T4 Perfect Trinket #223217b

The wolf wasted no time. It loped forward, its jaws wide and snarling, only to be met with the glowing edge of her blade. The sword connecting with its open mouth once again and coming to a stop. Katoka yelled, her voice loud and filled with hate and pain and fear, her weak left arm struggling to hold the large creature in the air. Sparks flew from the blade and with one final shove the edge cut through the crustal reinforced jaw of the mob and cut clean through once again from head to tail.

Kat continued to scream, her frustration having reached its peak long ago. She slashed and cut and stabbed at the red stones in the dirt around her. Making sure to get every last bit, and more so as she broke down stabbing the earth beneath her feet.

She collapsed to her knees and sobbed, tears running down her face as she screamed herself hoarse.

----

Looting Sundered Blight Wolf 6:
ID#: 223217 | LD: 16 | CD: 8

4200*Col
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #223217a
T4 Perfect Trinket #223217b
 

With pixelated blood dripping from her right arm, the samurai stood with her sword in her non-dominant hand, it's tip wavering ever so slightly as she attempted to keep her composure. If it wasn't for her battle healing skill she was certain she would have been in real trouble. Though she did manage to keep a few better quality healing potions on her after her near death experience on the sky docks for floor 26, she wasn't sure if she would have been in the right from of mind to remember to knock them back.

The final wolf in front of her began to circle around her cautiously, never taking it's eyes off of Kat as it paced about. She too followed suit, her breathing ragged and her eyes darting about franticly. Why were these wounds so much worse than any she had received before? She was still sitting at a fairly large portion of health, so what was different about this thing?

The beast darted forward, it's rage and lack of patience getting the better of it. Katoka swung haphazardly with her left hand, the katana skipping off the dirt and startling the wolf enough that its own attack missed its mark. She cursed and shook her head, fighting through the pain and shifting her stance for a better strike.

"Again!" she called, "Come at me again you bastard!"

----

A sharp and excruciating pain jolted Kat from her stupor. She cried out and looked around wildly, her mind barely able to process anything that was going on. She had just finished destroying the last wolf's growths and now she was on the ground, her arm inside the jaws of another-- no, the third wolf, the one she had cut from jaw to ass previously. She must have blacked out from the pain, only just now coming to as she was being shaken around like a ragdoll. 

"Let me go you son of a bitch!" she shouted, her voice shrill and counted in panic. She managed to bawl up her fist and strike it over and over in the side of it's head in the hopes of dazing it much like the other. It had taken several clumsy punches before her knuckles smacked into the side of it's head and it let out a wine and let her free.

She wasted not time scrambling away and looking around frantically for her sword. She had realized all too quickly that she no long had it whilst the mob had gnawed on her wrist like a chew toy. A glint to her left signaled her to her prized possession, her feet moving before her mind managed to do much in the way of thinking.

The Cerulean Storm's right arm was a ragged mess, but she still had her left, and that was more than enough for her to take care of this beast.

----

Katoka didn't have to go far to find the next blight wolf, it's snarling and corrupted form emerging from the darkness of the woods emanating a feral aura as it stepped into view. The samurai swallowed her fear, pushing it down for her to process later. Now was not the time to loose focus.

The wound on her forearm throbbed, the teeth marks from her previous opponent making her wince as she gripped her blade with what resolve she could muster. The creature in front of her scratched as it's neck, the music like sound of tinkling stone from it's mane of protrusions. This had been her second kill, the decapitation. It seemed like the mob was letting her know that it remembered her just as much as she did it now.

With a bark the wolf ran at her, it's jaws snapping and drool dribbling from its open maw. It was starting to get difficult to keep up, Kat's brain was in overdrive as it attempted to process the battle and the fact that her kills were not really dying. She had just managed to deflect the incoming blow and severe the things spine, sending it sprawling to the ground in a heap of fur and eventually liquid to be slurped up by it's infection.

Several more rapid blows and the remaining crystals were dealt with. At least she had hopped they were.

----

Looting Sundered Blight Wolf 5:
ID#: 223216 | LD: 6 | CD: 11

3780*Col
2*Materials
T4 Rare Trinket #223216a
 

Using the pommel of her weapon, Kat slammed a heavy hand down on the wolf's head, causing it to let go of her for just long enough for her to jump back. The half hearted attack had not been without its disadvantages, her arm throbbing even more from the strike. She watched at the mob shook it's head slightly from disorientation, but the blonde felt herself freeze up as she got a better look at her opponent.

This wolf was not unlike the ones she had faced previously with their disgusting mineral like growths, however this one had several that ran from it's shoulder to it's hip. The same direction that she had slashed the first monster when she had snuck around the tree to hit.

"It-It's the same one. That's why it's so pissed." her voice trembling as she spoke aloud. "How in the hell is it the same one?"

The creature lunged once again, this time Katoka responded on instinct. Her sword art striking true and cutting the wolf in twain once again. This time she watched as the creature melted down and was sucked into it's dropped blight infused crystals. Instead of leaving them behind this time she stabbed downward into each glowing red piece and watched it shatter into light.

"That's how I have to kill you." she muttered. Her eyes widened for a moment as she realized that she had two other respawning friends that would be joining her soon.

----

Looting Sundered Blight Wolf 4:
ID#: 223215 | LD: 10 | CD: 7

3360*Col
2*Materials
T4 Rare Weapon #223215a
T4 Uncommon Consumable #223215b
 

The samurai made her first mistake in thinking the the fight was over, her second was taking her eyes off the red and black crystals that had absorbed the fallen mobs. Once she had caught her breath Kat had returned to the initial tree where everything had taken place, taking care to retrieve as much evidence as she could of the mysterious players that had created the lure and, at least to her assumptions, the wolves that had gone after her.

The small bottle of blight was now corked and safely in her inventory when a twig snapped behind her. A grow began to reverberate through the forest and caused the hair on the back of Katoka's neck to stand on end. She slowly began to rise, cursing herself for being lax and not leaving immediately.

Once she had stood up fully she wasted no time in drawing her weapon and spinning around, sensing the creature had already began it's attack. She however was no fast enough, her sword not even reaching it's target as razor sharp jaws clamped down on her forearm and sending pain racing up her arm and into her shoulder.

The wolf let out a snarl as it clamped down tighter, sending a pulse of energy down deep into her arm causing the samurai to cry out in pain. What in the hell was wrong with this thing?

----

She knew he meant well, but watching Freyd crack Ulric over the head for over twice the amount of damage she did previously made her eye twitch ever so slightly. She was frustrated. The samurai knew deep down that she was strong now, much stronger than she had been in the past. However she felt as though she was hitting a wall, reaching a peak that she was soon going to fall off of.

Ulric Drell spat on the ground and readied himself to attack Freyd. As he heaved his arm back he blinked in confusion. It felt wrong, as if his arm was much lighter than it had previously been. Looking to his sword arm he raided an eyebrow. The arm was gone, now lying on the ground next to him. A sound escaped his mouth that sounded almost like a whimper as he watched the arm shatter into light. He looked up with wide frantic eyes, first to Freyd and then to where Katoka had been. His head whipped around to see the small woman behind him now.

There was a flash of light and the pirate's head slid from his shoulders, landing on the deck with a thud before his body was reduced to broken pixels. Kat had already returned her sword to her side and was walking to the skiff. She stopped at Freyd's side for just a moment, "I can't rely on you forever. I need to get stronger, this quest has shown me that." her voice held no anger or animosity towards the man she thought of as a brother, it was cold and matter of fact. There was just the slightest rumble of thunder in the distance as she resumed her path to the waiting boat.

The Cerulean Storm hungered once again for power.

----

Looting Ulric Drell:
ID#: 223202 | LD: 1 | CD: 10

10500*Col
2*Materials
 

The opportunity to strike an enemy when they have been knocked off their feet is something that doesn't present itself very often, Katoka took that moment to strike. When Ulric hit the deck with a thud there was the all too familiar sound of a sword art charging and striking. A gust of wind rustled the downed pirate's hair as he looked down to see a red slash across his body and the small blonde now standing over him grinning. It wasn't a strike that dealt the amount of damage she had wanted, but it was better than nothing.

With a few hops and skips she returned to the edge of the dock and looked to Freyd, "Sadly I don't hit as hard as you do. I'm still working on that." She looked to Ryland next, feeling her eye twitch as she stared daggers, "If you can't clam the hell up I'm going to make you."

----

The third wolf had the most unique growths on it's body, with crystals jutting from various points of it's back as well as several from it's side and joints. Katoka would have been mesmerized had it not been for the imminent danger she felt like she was in. Despite these creatures not having a lot of health, they were surprisingly nimble and quick to act. The first two made sure to constantly attack, not giving her a moment to react. This one however, was circling her, watching her every move. It almost seemed to be analyzing her.

Kat had fought and interacted with numerous NPCs and enemies in this game, and while they all seemed very life like, there were also ways to tell that they were fake. This felt... wrong to her. This things eyes made her skin crawl as it watched.

With one final step it stopped moving and lunged, it's mouth wide and drool following behind it. The one thing that the creature hadn't accounted for was her being able to charge a sword art while it waited. The samurai cleaved the creature in two from it's mouth to it's tail in one swift motion, leaving the two halves to land on the ground and turn to disgusting ooze not long after.

With a sigh of relief she returned her weapon it her side and watched once again as the corrupted crystals slurped the blighted goop into itself. She let out a gagging sound as her face was set in disgust, "I really hate these things."

----

Looting Sundered Blight Wolf 3:
ID#: 223144 | LD: 19 | CD: 7

2520*Col
4*Materials
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #223144a
T4 Perfect Consumable #223144b
T4 Perfect Consumable #223144c

Flashes of light and the echoing clang of metal meeting what sounded light more metal sounded through the trees. Katoka was on the defensive almost as much as she had been when fighting the sky pirates on floor 26, and that was while fighting four enemies at once. This one wolf was keeping her from being able to perceive her surroundings.

She stepped back and tripped over a tree root, sending her toppling over into a sprawling mess onto the ground. The monster had jumped as she was falling, sailing straight over her and missing it's attack. Kat thanked the horribly placed root for once and did her best kick up from her back, landing on her feet only slightly wobbly.

A growl followed by a bark signaled the samurai that she didn't have time to rest. With a reactive swing of her sword she turned and cut the head from her attacker in one fluid motion. The body of the creature slammed into Katoka's chest, sending her once again to the ground. She blinked a few times, confused at the corpse of the wolf lying on top of her.

She shoved the bloody body to the side and scrambled back to her feet. Why hadn't they been breaking down like everything else had? The crystals on it's back began to glow and the remains once again dissolved into goo and were sucked into the stones.

"I hate this. So much." she sighed. The howl of another wolf sent a chill down the blonde's spine, confirming that the final monster had finished doing whatever it was doing previously and was ripe for the cutting. "No rest for the wicked huh?"

----

Looting Sundered Blight Wolf 2:
ID#: 22314 : LD: 7 | CD: 10

3780*Col
2*Materials
T4 Rare Trinket #223141a
 

The wolf lunged before Katoka could react properly. She only managed to draw her katana before it's jaws clamped down over the blade, sending sparks flying from it's mouth. Using all her strength she only just managed to yank her weapon free and kick the monster back to put some distance between them. Only then did the name of the mob appear above it's head for her to read, 'Sundered Blight Wolf'.

The animal jumped once again and left Kat to move on the defensive, smacking her sword into the side of it's head in order to deflect it's attacks. She moved and danced through the trees, not getting a moment to stop and rest as she slashed and slammed the monster as much as she could. Clearly whatever was in the jar left behind by the man earlier had an effect on this wolf, and the name sounded like something she had heard in passing before. At this time she couldn't do much to think, but once she had finished it off she would make a break for town and wrack her brain in the process.

Slipping behind a tree to dodge another bite, Kat finally took the opportunity to charge sword art as she circle around the trunk and cleave the beast from shoulder to hip. Its body slumping lifelessly to the ground with a thump. The samurai let out a sigh of relief, and turned to walk away. However she stopped and looked back at the fallen wolf, her eyebrow cocked in confusion.

All the enemies in Aincrad always died in the same way, exploding into light with the sound or glass shattering. This one however, remained on the ground like it was an actual dead body. After a few moments the crystals on it's back pulsed with a deep red light and the wolf dissolved into a black sludge that slopped onto the ground with a splat before slowly oozing back into the crystals.

Katoka gagged as she stepped away from the things on the forest floor. "What in the hell was that?" she thought to herself as she began to back track to where the other wolves had died. "Those other two also didn't disappear." With that last thought she entered the clearing she was in once before to find one of the previously dead wolves now on its feet, the same crystalline growths protruding from different spots on its body.

"I really need to shut the hell up sometimes."

----

Looting Sundered Blight Wolf 1:
ID#: 223139 | LD: 11 | CD: 7

2520*Col
4*Materials
T4 Rare Weapon #223139a
T4 Uncommon Consumable #223139b
 

Panicked eyes shot towards the beast left standing. It chuffed a breath of air from it's snout and stepped forward to sniff the bodies of it's companions. The samurai had a better view of the growths on the wolf's side as it did this, seeing veins of black that snaked through the red crystals and into the flesh of the creature.

"I need to get out of here." she thought to herself, "Before this thing decides it wants something fresh to eat." The wolf whipped it's head up and glared at Katoka, as if it could hear her thoughts right then and there. A growl creeped up it's throat and rumbled from it's maw as it pulled it's lips back to reveal razor sharp teeth.

"Me and my big brain mouth." the samurai groaned as the wolf took a step towards her. "Looks like you aren't letting me get out of this that easily."