[SP-F2] Dawn «Let There Be Light»

[Evander 0]

Evander sat down, back leaning against a tree outside of the fortress-like Marome Village. It had taken quite a long hike up a mountain finally reach the location of the fortress, and he was content with relaxing outside for now. The sun shone quite brightly down, it being noontime, but thankfully the boughs of the tree shaded him. He could see the heavy wooden gates to the fort in front of him. He pulled out his sword from its sheath beside him. He turned it in his hands, watching the sunlight glint off of it. He had invested more skill points into the weapon skill. Hopefully, he would be able to perform even better in combat against monsters. Not that he really needed it- he was basically already sweeping through the second floor. He really needed to move up to the third floor, but he hadn't even explored the whole floor yet. Evander looked at his map. Well, at least he was almost done. After this, there was only about one more village, which was apparently the former raid base location, a few largeish black spots, and the dungeon itself, leading up to the third floor. A few more days, and he should be about done. He sheathed his sword again, and got to his feet. He felt rested enough now. Time to explore the walled city. He began making his way to the city gates.

[Evander 0]

He waved at the guard NPC as he strolled through the gate. His footsteps tapped off of the cobblestone. He looked at the buildings around him. They looked utilitarian, appropriate for a fortress. Most of the stores were geared towards weapons and armor, unlike the more general stores of Urbus. He stopped in the central square of the town. There were a few markets around the plaza, some selling trinkets and such, but most selling weapons and armor. Well, alright then. Marome was pretty small. It hadn't been even a minute yet, and he had already walked through effectively half the town. Well, it was a fortress, but still, he was expecting something more, more grand than just this. Maybe the view would be better from the fortress walls? Or, perhaps he should walk around the whole town, at least, before deciding anything? Choices, choices. A frantic voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned to see a female NPC rapidly approaching him. "Mister! Please, sir, I need help!" The woman stopped before him, tears in her eyes. "My daughter is in danger! You need to help me, please!" 

[Evander 0]

The woman broke down into hysterics. Wow, these NPCs were unnervingly lifelike. That was a fact that was constantly being reinforced with every NPC he met. Their programmers must have sunk quite a large bit of time into programming their AIs. Evander put his hands on her shoulders. "Ma'am? Ma'am, I need you to look at me. You need to calm down. I can't help you if I don't understand the situation." The woman shuddered, and took a deep breath. "Sorry sir, sorry, but she's my only daughter. She's the most precious of all my treasures. My husband and I would do anything to get her back." The woman took another deep breath. "My daughter and her friend were playing in some of the caverns near here. Normally, this time of year, they're perfectly safe, but today, to my surprise, my daughter's friend, a lovable scamp by the name of Jack, limped back to our house, covered in scrapes, and told us that monsters had attacked them! The boy told us that she was still alive the last time he saw her, but they were separated, and now she's lost in the caves! Please, mister, please help me find my daughter! I don't know what I would do if she were, God forbid, if she w-were de-" The woman fell to the floor, crying. Evander felt moved with pity. Even though this was just a NPC, she acted so much like a human. The quest notification popped up before him. Evander hit 'Accept' without a second thought.

[Evander 0]

Evander knelt down next to the woman. "Don't worry, ma'am. I'll find her." The woman looked at him, with tears in her eyes. "Oh, thank you so much. I don't know how I can repay you..." Evander stood, scratching his head. "Oh, there's no need for repayment." He knew he was going to get a reward anyway, since this was a quest, but he supposed he may as well be polite. "Don't worry, she'll be back in no time at all. You should just go back home and try to relax. Worrying isn't going to do anyone any good. I'll meet you here in the marketplace when I find her. Check back here every hour or so. I'll be heading off now. You'll be fine, right?" The women got to her feet. "Oh, don't worry about me. I can't thank you enough, stranger. I pray that you find her and return alive and well." The NPC brushed herself off, and walked off. Well, time to get going, he supposed. The sun shone down brightly as he made his way back to the gates of Marome Village. He looked up. The sky was azure, and there wasn't a cloud in sight. That was a shame- he rather liked the rain. Evander exited through the wooden gates of the fortress-like village, out of the small town, and stopped, looking around at the forested mountains. That sense of awe he had felt upon first seeing these mountains had mostly gone, since he had gotten used to it, but sometimes, the view still managed to surprise him. Then, Evander slapped his forehead. He had no idea where the caverns the girl had been lost in were at all, and didn't even bother to ask. All he knew was that they were somewhere in this area. Well, that was great.

[Evander 0]

Evander groaned. This was going to be horribly tedious, wasn't it. Well, at least it was providing him an opportunity to fully explore the area and fill out his map some more. He was sure the girl would be fine while he waffled about the place. It was a Cardinal generated quest- it wasn't like they were going to make it impossible or anything. Right? Evander sighed. No matter how many times he reminded himself that these were just NPCs, he still felt some guilt at not treating them like humans, mainly because of their life-like actions. Whatever. He would hurry to find the girl because he felt obligated to, and it wasn't like that would be a detriment to him or anything. Alright then. He pulled up his map of the second floor. He mainly hadn't explored the western side of this mountain, so it would probably be there, since he hadn't seen any caves or anything on the sides of the mountain he had explored, and because the quest was likely near the town. Nothing to it. All he had to do was just walk around until he found the caves. There wasn't really anything else he could do, right? Evander stretched a bit, and began walking. He would find it eventually. Hopefully.

[Evander 0]

Evander fell to his knees before a large opening in the mountainside. He had finally found it. Oh, thank goodness. How long had he spent looking for this cavern? He looked to the sky. It was auburn, and the sun was beginning to set. Well. He rubbed his eyes. He had spent around 6 hours looking for these caves. That was... longer than he expected, to say the least. Evander rubbed his face. He had wasted so much time just looking for the darn place. At least he knew the girl was still alive, since he hadn't been notified of a quest failure. Evander got to his feet. There was no time to waste. He had to do this quickly. Evander stepped into the cave, giving one last glance back at the dying rays of the sun. He continued resolutely into the cave. All of the light soon faded out as he stepped deeper into the cave. It was going to be pretty hard to see, wasn't it. He didn't know how he would find a little girl or fight monsters in this sort of lighting. Soon, there was barely even enough light to see the silhouettes of objects. Evander started, as he heard some sort of sudden noise in the darkness. It sounded like... the flapping of wings? It seemed to be getting even closer. He didn't know if it was hostile, but better to be safe than sorry. Evander drew his sword, as he prepared to fight.

Begin Combat?

Evander: HP: 260/260 Energy: 26/26 MIT: 12 Base DMG: 5

???: HP: 50/50 DMG: 20

Edited October 23, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander waited. The flapping noise grew louder and louder as the source neared him. He could barely make out the outline of the creature approaching him now. It looked like some sort of... giant bat? Well, it was a cave, and bats did live in caves, but this thing was gigantic. Ah, the logic of video games. Evander held up his sword before him in the darkness. More likely than not, this giant bat was an enemy. His suspicion was confirmed when it stopped before him and let out a loud screech, then rushed at him. He stepped to the side, barely dodging it. Even this close to the enemy, all he could really see was just the faint outline of its shape. Well, that wasn't good. Fighting would probably be horrendous. He was probably going to miss a whole lot. At least he had invested in his weapon skill, to hopefully take this thing out in fewer hits. Evander gripped his sword tighter, holding it before him, and charged at the blurry outline of the giant bat. Hopefully this strike would hit. Evander's sword cut into the wall of the cave. Shoot, he wasn't even close. Then, he was suddenly knocked onto the floor, as the bat charged into him yet again. He spat out some dirt, and grabbed his sword. He slowly pushed himself to his feet. Well, this fight was going to be loads of fun, wasn't it. 

Combat

Evander: HP: 252/260 Energy: 24/26 MIT: 12 Base DMG: 5

Giant Bat: HP: 43/50 DMG: 20

ID# 69923 results:

 Battle: 1 (critical failure) (BD 1 - 1(poor light))

 MOB: 8

Total DMG: 7 (thorns)

Mob DMG: 20-12(MIT)= 8 DMG done

Edited October 27, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander steadied himself on the cave wall and held up his sword again. Thank goodness for his cloak. Without it, his health bar would probably be looking a fair bit worse. Jambi's craftsmanship proved itself to be invaluable yet again. Though, he could still probably do this fight without the armor. He was pretty overlevelled for the second floor, and had been for quite a while. It wouldn't do any good to be cocky, though. He could still die. Especially if luck wasn't on this side. The lighting was pretty bad, and mistakes could be easily made. Evander readied himself, holding his sword up before him, and focused on the blurry outline of the bat. The monster was gigantic, at least for a bat, but it was really hard to see in this cave. He hoped he didn't miss again. The darn bat probably wouldn't, since it was used to seeing in this kind of lighting. Evander held his sword tighter, and charged at the dark silhouette of the bat. This attack had better not miss. He was itching to try out his new sword arts. "Star Quint Prominence!" He didn't need to yell out the name of his sword art to activate it, but it made for a good dramatic effect. His Anneal Blade began to glow, lighting up the cave, and Evander jumped. His sword lashed out, tracing a vague star shape in the bat's chest. That was intensely satisfying. And, also, really cool. The light died out from his sword, returning them to darkness. He was temporarily blinded. Well, shoot, there was one downside of usin-agh! The bat knocked into him again, sending him flying back into the cave wall. Well, alright then.

Combat

Evander: HP: 244/260 Energy: 19/26 MIT: 12 Base DMG: 5

Giant Bat: HP: 6/50 DMG: 20

 ID# 70028 results:

 Battle: 8 - 1(poor lighting)= 7

 MOB: 7

Sword Art Activated: Star Quint Prominence

Total DMG: 5x(3x2)=30 DMG + 7(thorns)= 37 DMG done

Mob DMG: 20-12(MIT)= 8 DMG done

Edited October 27, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander staggered forward from the wall, and gripped his sword tighter. He didn't see that hit coming at all. He would have thought the giant bat would at least be a bit fazed by his attack, but apparently not. Evander squinted in the gloom at the bat's health bar. It looked pretty low. About another hit should kill it off. Then he could get back to his aimlessly wandering the caves until he found the girl. On second thought, maybe going into this cave without a light source was a bad idea. Oh, shoot, another bad idea was going into this cave without keeping track of where he was going. He didn't even know the way out anymore, especially not after those disorienting hits from the giant bat. Who he was still fighting. Shoot, he needed to focus on the battle, not fretting about being lost in these caves. Thank goodness the bat hadn't decided to attack him while he was distracted. That would have been embarrassing. Evander blinked a couple of times. Good, it seemed his eyes had readjusted to the dark from the light flare of his sword art. Time for another attack, then. Evander charged ahead, and jumped at the bat, sword held high in the air. Evander carved down into the cave wall. Wow, that was a horrendously bad shot. Guess his eyes hadn't readjusted after al- whoa! The bat crashed into him again, knocking him to the floor again. That attack seemed to have more power than the last few he had tanked. What was even worse was that his thorns didn't seem to activate. Shoot! Evander spit out some dirt and scrabbled for his sword. And that was an example of why one should never get too cocky. Evander would be remembering that lesson for the rest of the day.

Combat

Evander: HP: 235/260 Energy: 18/26 MIT: 12 Base DMG: 5

Giant Bat: HP: 6/50 DMG: 20

ID# 70059 results:

 Battle: 3 - 1(poor lighting)= 2 (failure)

 MOB: 9 (critical +1)

Mob DMG: 20+1(critical)= 21 DMG-12(MIT)= 9 DMG done

Edited October 28, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander's hand tightened around his sword. He jumped to his feet, wobbling a bit before steadying himself. Why did fighting in the darkness have to be so darn difficult? He could barely even make out the outline of the bat anymore. It must be turning night outside, eliminating even that small source of light. Well, that was great. Evander squinted in the darkness. Well, at least this would probably hone his instincts in battle, what with not being able to see. Wait, shoot, did he lose the bat? He couldn't see the outline anymore. Oh, wait, no, there it was. And it was currently speeding toward him. Shoot. Evander rolled out of the way in the nick of time. Alright, alright. He was glad he saw it coming in time. Evander squinted again, focusing on the darkness. Alright, he was pretty sure that blur was it. He didn't really want to waste any energy on this attack, so he hoped for the best. Evander charged forward with his blade, and slashed out at the dim outline. His sword carved a large pixelated gash down the front of the bat. It screeched, then burst in a bright display of pixels. Shoot, now his eyes had to adjust to the dark again. At least he killed the darn thing. Evander sheathed his blade.

Combat

Evander: HP: 235/260 Energy: 19/26 MIT: 12 Base DMG: 5

Giant Bat: HP: 0/50 DMG: 20

 ID# 70132 results:

 Battle: 10 (critical +2) (10-1(bad lighting))

 Loot: 10 (no loot, doesn't reach minimum requirements)

 MOB: 5 (fail)

Total DMG: 5+2(critical)=7 DMG done

Edited October 30, 2016 by Evander

[Evander 0]

Evander closed his eyes and waited for them to readjust to the dark. He sighed. Every single time he used a sword art in here, or some other flashy effect happened, he would have to wait for his eyes to become accustomed to the dark again, wouldn't he. This was a real pain. He was wasting so much time. He should have brought a lantern or some other light source into the cave with him. Evander counted to three, and opened his eyes again. Well, a bit better, but he could still barely see. It would probably take some time again before he could see as well as he did before, which hadn't been all that great anyway. He put his hand against the cool cave wall, and began walking. If there were any crossroads or anything, he would probably miss it, but at least this way, he wouldn't get lost. He just had to follow this wall until he got to the girl. The only question was if he was traveling back to his starting point, or if he was going deeper in the cave, and closer to the girl. He had gotten rather disoriented from fighting that bat. Well, this was simply great, wasn't it. He supposed he would find out eventually.

Evander: HP: 238/260 Energy: 20/26

[Evander 0]

Time passed sluggishly. He didn't know if he had been walking for hours or minutes. All he knew was that he was making progress, and that was enough for him. His face smacked into the cave wall. Great, another dead end. He sighed, and turned around. Well, he had to keep on going. No matter how long it took, he had to find the girl. He took a step forward, then stopped. He cocked his head, listening intently in the darkness. Was that more flapping? He squinted in the darkness. A vague shape appeared. Was that another bat? Evander slowly drew his sword from its sheath. The looming outline was growing closer. Yeah, it was definitely another giant bat. It was time to fight. Evander held his sword up in a defensive position. Hmm, he needed a way to keep his orientation. Well, if he kept the dead end behind him at all times, then he should be fine. Probably. He slashed along the cave wall, leaving a long gash in the stone. Safety precautions were always necessary. Evander readied his blade. The bat screeched at him. It was time to rumble.

Begin Combat

Evander: HP: 241/260 Energy: 21/26 MIT: 12 Base DMG: 5

Giant Bat: HP: 50/50 DMG: 20