[F9-PP] Unwanted Help (Telrenya) <<Bandit Camp>>

[Jomei 0]

<<Floor 9: Yogan Village>>

With Ruby locking herself behind the walls of her shop yet again, the numbers of The Holy Dragon Alliance were down to four yet again, with the newer addition of Jevi. Being one of the founding members, and the one who he was as his second in command, Ruby's absence left the guild silent for awhile. Jomei knew that if they could not rely on his blonde friend, that they would need to increase their numbers. The guild did not have a very large presence among the players of Aincrad, which was something that needed to change. For now, however, the best way to get new members to join the guild would be to find willing players himself, and go on his own recruitment hunt.

That was Jomei's plan of action for the day, as the ginger's digital body materialized in a flash of blue light in the center of Yogan Village on Floor 9. He could have gone to higher floors and found stronger members, but he figured most of them would already be accounted for in a guild, where on the other hand, if he went too low, players may be turned away by the guild's mission statement. Floor 9 was a nice middle ground where he could find potential members to join the cause. 

The heat from the flowing lava outside of the tall hardened-magma walls hit Jomei like a ton of bricks as he brought his gloved hand out to rub the beads of sweat from his forehead. "Might as well start looking.." he said to himself as he began to walk through the city. The town was quieter than usual, NPCs dominating the area rather than mass amounts of players as some of the other floors. The players Jomei did talk to, however, seemed to show no interest. Gritting his teeth, the man looked down the road leading towards the city's outskirts, if he was going to find anyone who really wanted to join, they would probably be the ones brave enough to venture out of the village's walls. The man made haste out of the safe zone, in search of any other forms of life that he could possibly convince to join the Holy Dragon Alliance. 

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

Spoiler

Level: 22
HP: 440
DMG: 9
ACC: 2
EVA: 1

Skills:
Non-combat skills:
►

Combat skills:
►<<Howl>>

Weapon skills:
►<<Rapier>> [50/50]: Rank 5 - Grandmaster

Armor skills:
►<<Light Armor>> [0/50]: Rank 0 - Unskilled

Extra skills:
►<<Survival>> [Inactive]

Inventory:
»[Equipped] [Perfect] Veiled Dusk +3 DMG
»[Equipped] [Perfect] Erin's Favor +2 ACC, +1 EVA

»(5) T1 Health Potion [+40 HP]
»(1) T1 Damage Potion [+1 DMG]
»(1) T1 Overhealth Potion [+50 Temp HP]
»[Quest Item] <<Cerberus Soul>> +2 Burn DMG

The ninth floor was beginning to feel more and more familiar to Telrenya, and she wasn't quite sure how she felt about it. With the cloth and leather armor that covered her entirely, the heat in the air from the pools of lava running along the rough trails outside of the safe zone was nearly as unbearable as the blazing sun that beat down on the desert sands of the fifth floor. The silver mask that she normally donned was hooked onto a strap at her thigh, providing her with the slightest bit of freedom just to breathe without the thin metal resting in front of her face. Though her hood was still pulled up over the black-tinted locks that fell over her shoulders, Telrenya's eyes scanned along the path until they reached a large black spire in the distance. A simple structure formed from hardened magma, she made her way towards the landmark in hopes that she would find the bandits that were the objective of the quest she was after there.

Telrenya's fingers spread at her side and pressed against the silver mask as she pulled it from its resting place. She begrudgingly slipped the item over her face as she drew closer to her destination, forming a plan of action in her mind all the while. Her body crouched closer to the ground beside a set of tall, jagged rock formations that jutted out from the floor in between herself and the small camp that the group of bandits resided in. According to a hint in the quest description, Telrenya understood that she could take on the bandits by approaching stealthily, taking them out individually rather than taking them on all at once. Figuring the slower tactic would give her a much higher success rate, she drew in a deep breath of hot air, preparing to turn the corner and get to work.

Before she had moved an inch, a blur of motion as something whizzed through the air caught her attention when a tingling feeling sprouted in her shoulder and opposite thigh. She recoiled slightly, a pair of throwing knives sinking into her avatar while she winced in reaction behind her mask. Stepping out from the shadows, a figure with a deep red bandanna pulled up around his nose and mouth stood and stared the woman down, casually tossing a dagger into the air in one hand. The cursor that spun above his head was red, and the title Cardinal showed her confirmed that the person standing across from her was, in fact, classified as a monster.

Telrenya's eyes darted to the health bar in the corner of her vision, feeling a twinge of apprehension at the empty space that had been drained from the simple knives. Clenching her jaw, she pulled Veiled Dusk from the scabbard on her hip, brandishing the rapier against her attacker as she prepared to strike back.

Edited November 30, 2017 by Telrenya

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's Stats

Level: 55

HP: 1110 /(1140)
En: 110
SP: 5/242

DMG: 14
EVA: 3
ACC: 4
MIT: 43
Insential Fortitude (Unique)

 

Skills:

Grandmaster Rapier Skill (+5 DMG)
Grandmaster Light Armor Rank 5 (+25 mit)
Charge Rank 5 (+5 DMG)
 

Extra Skills:

Concentration (+1 BD when used)
Martial Arts Rank 0
Survival (+15*Tier HP Out of battle & Not effected by environment)
Meditation (3*Tier EN,reduces to 2*Tier if hit before next turn.)
Familiar Handling: Accurate (Rk.3) (+3 ACC)

Mods:

Rapier Ferocity (+1 DMG to Sword Arts )
Athletics (+1 DMG, +10*Tier HP)
Precision(+1 ACC)
Sprint and Acrobatics(+1 EVA)
 

Equipment:

Weapon: Saint Andrew's Bane (+3 DMG x Tier 2)(6 Dmg)
Armor: Baran's Breech Cloth (+2 EVA, +1 Mit)
Accessory: ---
Familiar: Adere the Tawny Owl (+3 ACC)

 

The Emerald Duelist pulled at the collar of this cloak, trying to let some sort of airflow cool down his neck. When his attempt had failed, the man swiped upwards to open his inventory. Tapping on the screen in front of him, the green cloth disappeared off of his shoulders in a flash of white light. It wasn't much, but with the heavy cape gone, he felt slightly better. The weight of his leather armor over his short sleeved green shirt did not help much either, and he knew he could not remove that without facing a risk of something, or someone, getting the best of him. With a heavy sigh expelling past his lips, Jomei's olive eyes turned to the sky. Despite the sun shining through the soot and ash from the many volcanoes scattered about the floor, it was still somewhat dark. 

His shoulders drooped as his mind wandered, wondering what all of his other friends were up to, especially Telrenya. He could not help but hide the smile that pulled at the corner of his lips as the girl he loved entered his mind. He originally had asked if Telrenya would be interested in joining him in his hope to recruit more players, however she declined, stating that she wished to get her shop in order to start crafting. Respecting her decision, Jomei decided to go alone. 

As he continued to venture out, he noticed a figure standing against a tall rock formation, daggers planted into multiple points of their body. Standing across from them, a man with another dagger in his hands, looking menacingly at his victim. From the surprised stance of the masked player, Jomei suspected they were ambushed by the knife thrower. His eyes then went to the small health bar next to the figure, focusing on the blackened space left from the attack. Without thinking much on it, Jomei ripped his rapier from its scabbard and charged into action.

Using his <Charge> skill, Jomei closed the distance between himself and the bandit-looking man in mere seconds, the first thrust of his rapier hitting the man's chest with a loud bang. The tip of his blade continued to knock the man back as he stabbed forward with rapid succession, not giving the bandit any sort of time to counter or escape. After the single attack, the knife wielder's eyes rolled into the back of his head and let out a pained groan before shattering into date fragments. 

Now with the enemy out of the way, Jomei slowly put its rapier back into its place. "Sorry. You looked as though you were in trouble and could have used a hand." the ginger said, turning towards the masked figure. 
________________________________________________________________
ID 91393
BD 8(+4)
Charge Activated (+5 Dmg)

• Flashing Penetrator: 11 x 14(+5 Charge) = 209 Dmg

Jomei: 1140/1140 | 100/110

Bandit Scout: 0/200 

[Telrenya 0]

If this enemy was any indication of the strength that the bandits would possess, Telrenya felt an unease building up in her stomach. She had a few minor healing items on her, but would they be enough to sustain her through taking out multiple enemies? The figure standing a short distance away was about to pull her from her thoughts back to the threat at hand, no longer flipping the dagger in his hand as he gripped tightly at the hilt.

Before he had a chance to move in on his prey, the Bandit Scout's head turned to the side as he registered the presence of another player. Through the thick cloth covering his mouth, a small scoff of distaste could be heard. When his attention was drawn, Telrenya's also shifted towards the third figure. When her eyes landed on the familiar frame of Jomei, she felt the small fluttering of her heart at the unexpected sight of the Irishman. It was quickly replaced, however, as the weight of the situation pulled her heart down into her stomach. Her eyes went wide behind the mask that obscured them. Of all of the people to come to her aid, why was the one person in Aincrad that she was trying to avoid running into here?

Needless to say, her busy mind caused her to lag in reaction to the threat of combat. While Jomei engaged the scout and made quick work of the monster, her grip around the hilt of her rapier tightened further while she tried to push past the sinking feeling in her stomach. The threat promptly burst into shards of light after Jomei's assault, allowing Telrenya to lower her weapon when he turned to address her with an apology. Her bottom lip stiffened along with a rigidity that returned to her shoulders, and she simply gave a shake of her head in response to indicate his help was not unappreciated. Perhaps she could have been more rude or standoffish in order to hurry their parting, but the thought of doing so was practically impossible. Instead, she distracted herself by reaching her free hand to the throwing knives that had struck her, pulling the small weapons from the digital wounds and dropping to them to the ground where they would shatter just the same as the bandit.

[Jomei 0]

As Jomei turned to look at the masked figure, his olive eyes scanned the rogue-like armor they were wearing. Brown leathers and thing metals, with a unique looking mask covering what the brown hood did not. As he looked upon the attire of the bandit's victim, he soon realized that the player was, in fact, a woman, judging by the curves of the chest plate, making space for her breasts. His small apology received no spoken answer, though a shake of her head vaguely told Jomei that he needn't apologize.. Or she was upset that Jomei had shown up and stolen a mob from her that could have dropped loot... he really couldn't tell with that mask in front of her face. 

He watched as the masked woman struggled to pull the large daggers from her shoulder and thigh, dropping the weapons of the deceased bandit to the ground, letting them shatter like glass as they hit the hot dust. Jomei looked at the girl with a curious expression, keeping his distance and not walking any closer. Either she was mute, which would be a fun new experience for him, or she had no words to speak to the Irishman. Before speaking, Jomei turned to look past the large jagged structure, spotting a small camp nearby. Within, he saw multiple people, their ragged clothes resembling the bandit that he had just taken care of. The experienced player soon pieced the pieces together, realizing that this woman was most likely attempting the <Bandit Camp> quest.

Jomei turned back to the masked woman, a more stern expression. "Looks like you might be trying to bite off a bit more than you can chew. If you want, I can help you take out those bandits. I won't let you run in there and get yourself killed though." 

[Telrenya 0]

Without anything else to keep her busy once her avatar was free of the small knives, Telrenya was forced to face the reality of the situation. While the reasoning that she had given Jomei for declining his invitation for guild recruitment earlier that day was not a complete lie--she did, in fact, want to get her shop more in order and work on her Artisan level--the fact that she had instead ventured out to the volcanic floor on her own going after quests, getting herself into trouble no less, caused a touch of guilt to mingle with the other sour feelings inside of her.

Jomei was the one to break the silence, giving her a careful but serious warning alongside an offer for assistance. If any other player was standing in front of her, Telrenya would have happily agreed and given thanks for his aid. But even hiding behind her mask, she couldn't bring herself to look into the Irishman's olive eyes. Her weight shifted onto one leg and a gloved hand reached up to slip inside of the dark fabric of her hood. She rubbed lightly at the back of her neck, her chin shifting to the side in the direction of the bandits' camp on the other side of the rock formation while she mulled over his words and also tried to figure out how to respond. She couldn't give herself away by speaking too much, but how weird was it if she didn't speak at all? After the combination of the scene that had just played out and Jomei's stern warning, she figured she was going to have a hard time spilling away from the man.

After a few moments of internal debate, Telrenya knew she had to come up with an answer. Trying to force past the feelings of unease looming over her, she withdrew her hand and let it fall back to her side as she turned her head back to the man across from her. Her chin dipped into a nod of acceptance at his offer to help her clear out the quest objectives, sticking with another silent communication for now.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei watched the masked woman's internal struggle after his warning and offer of assistance. He could understand how she was feeling, thinking she could handle a quest on her own as such.. only to be told otherwise, and struggle to accept the offer of help, and though Jomei was not one to judge a book by its cover, the silence that fell over the girl, as well as her stealthy looking attire, painted her out to prefer being a lone wolf. After awkwardly shifting in place, the hooded mask nodded, accepting the duelist's help. Another silent answer, Jomei was beginning to think this girl was truly a mute. Jomei nodded in return, "Alright.." The man stepped closer to the side of the rock formation and peeked out, trying to get a better look of the camp. "I.. can only really see one or two.. but those tents.. There has to be more of them.." Jomei spun to hide behind the rock again, lifting his chin towards the sky and letting out a quick whistle. Moments later, the familiar brown owl that was Adere ascended from the black fog that covered the sun and clouds above. The owl landed atop the jagged rock, looking down at Jomei, and then at the masked player. "Adere, can you fly over the camp and scout it out for us? Try and get a number on how many bandits you see." 

The owl, still looking at the mysterious masked figure for a moment longer, turned back to Jomei before spreading its wings and taking to the sky again, soaring over the camp. Jomei took to a knee, keeping a careful watch of the owl as it circled over head, hoping none of the bandits caught a glimpse of the bird looking down at them. A short while later, the owl returned, landing on a smaller part of the rock, just aside of the masked woman. The owl looked to Jomei, letting out five quick coos. The Irishman nodded, "Five? Hm, usually I thought it was four.. Despite.. we should have no problem..." Jomei noticed Adere looking at the woman suspiciously, Jomei walked over to the owl, standing right in front of the masked woman, and scratching the owl on the head. "It's okay Adere, she's on our side." he said with a chuckle, looking back to the woman, getting a better look of the strange mask that covered her face. He spoke in a whisper, "Okay, I'm thinking we surround them.. you take whichever ones you can from one side of the camp, I'll sneak around to the other side and do the same. Then we meet in the middle. Sound like a plan?"

[Telrenya 0]

Jomei called to his familiar with a short whistle and the tawny owl appeared from the skies, perching herself above and between them. Telrenya's eyes drifted up to the familiar avian, but as Adere's gaze turned on her Telrenya felt yet another sense of apprehension. Though her onyx eyes lingered, the familiar soon took flight again at her companion's order. Telrenya simply stood in silence as they waited for their scout to return.

Once Adere landed again, she took the woman a bit by surprise at her proximity. When the owl swooped down and steadied herself, Telrenya gave just a tiny start while her attention snapped to the creature beside her. Adere first reported to her ginger-haired owner before turning her gaze back onto the player beside her, staring with an intensity that unnerved her. Wondering whether or not the owl knew who the player behind the mask really was, Telrenya hadn't noticed Jomei close the distance between them until she spotted his outstretched fingers graze over the feathers atop Adere's head. She turned her attention forward again, her chin tilting slightly upwards with their difference in height while she listened to his hushed words.

She only hoped he didn't notice her stiff shoulders, and silently thanked the mask she wore for concealing the flustered expression that she currently wore beneath it. As he prompted her for a response to his plan, the woman gave a hurried nod, a bit too frazzled to speak at that moment even if she had decided to. She turned towards the tall rock formation beside them, bringing up a gloved hand to rest upon the craggy surface while she stepped aside to peek beyond it herself. The rapier with the black, ornate guard still held in her right hand at her side, Telrenya took in a deep breath before stepping out from their cover. She kept her center low and took quiet steps as she circled around to one side of the camp, keeping herself out of view of the two bandits that stood out in the open while she drew closer.

[Jomei 0]

The mask girl replied with a quick nod, before quietly making her way out from behind the rock, and towards the opposite side of the camp. Jomei watched the girl walk away before turning to look at Adere, "Whats with you? You're acting all weird..." Patting the own one last time on the head before slowly drawing his rapier and stepping out to circle around the opposite side of the camp. The duelist moved quickly so he could hide behind one of the tents set up in the came. Dropping down to a knee at the corner of the cloth, Jomei peeked his head out to get a better look. From where he hid, he could spot all four of the bandits that were out in the open. Two stood conversing on the opposite side of the camp, while another two sat at a bonfire with their backs to Jomei. Adere, however, reported seeing five bandits. Scanning the camp once more, Jomei managed to spot the fifth bandit inside the largest tent off to the side. He could not see much aside from the bandit's legs, but judging by the larger tent, and not being with the lowly bandits that hung around outside, he suspected them to be the leader of the group. 

Jomei took in a deep breath. This masked woman seemed like she knew what she was doing.. but after taking the hits from a single scout, he didn't know how she would fare against two bandits on her own, three if one of the others decided to join. Jomei, on the other hand, knew he could handle them. "Tel.. you'd probably hit me if you saw me do this.." he said to himself under his breath before slowly sneaking around the tent and right into the center of the camp. Lucky for him, all of the men standing around the fire seemed too distracted to notice Jomei. Once he felt he was close enough, the man stood up, now revealing himself to all of the bandits. "Hello there." the man said with a chuckle. The four bandits quickly turned to look at Jomei, before dropping whatever they were holding and pulling their daggers out. Jomei smirked and lifted his own rapier, pointing it forward with a cocky brow, "Mine's bigger." 

As the first bandit closest to Jomei flipped his dagger into a reverse grip and raised it up over his head, Jomei made and advance step forward with his rapier first, the sharp tip of his rapier riddling the bandit's chest with red holes all in a matter of seconds, sending the lifeless body tumbling backwards, knocking over the pot that was set up over the fire before exploding into crystals. The second bandit had already moved on Jomei, swiping his dagger at the man's hip. Jomei, quick on his feet, stepped to the side to avoid being cut by the dagger, using his rapier to knock the weapon out of the way, and making the bandit off balance. As Jomei stepped to the side, he had not seen another of the bandits had flanked Jomei, the length of the dagger finding a place in the back of Jomei's hip. The ginger grunted with discomfort, half of the damage reaching his health bar through the tough leather of his armor. As the last bandit rushed Jomei to take advantage of his situation. Jomei pulled away from the bandit, the dagger still stuck in his back, blocking the oncoming blade with his rapier, and redirecting the attacker off to the side. Jomei touched at the dagger in his back with his free hand, feeling the tingling sensation as his fingers moved the dagger slightly. "That was a cheap shot." he said, gritting his teeth. The bandit who had stabbed Jomei reached behind his back, pulling out a curved scimitar. 

Spoiler

 

________________________________________
ID 91402
Jomei BD 6(+4) Hit

• Flashing Penetrator: 11x14 dmg = 154 dmg vs Bandit 1

Bandit 1 MD 7(-3) Miss
ID91403
Bandit 2 BD 6(-3) Miss
Bandit 3 MD 10 

• 92dmg(-43 mit) = 49 Dmg vs Jomei

ID 91404
Bandit 4 MD 6(-3) Miss
    ---------------------------------------------------
Jomei: 1091/1140 HP | 100/110 EN | 43 MIT (-49 HP,  -10 EN)
Telrenya: 440/440 HP | 44/44 EN

Bandit 1(Dagger)       0/150 HP | 90 Dmg (-154 HP)
Bandit 2(Dagger)  150/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 3(Scimitar)150/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 4(Dagger)  150/150 HP | 90 Dmg

 

 

[Telrenya 0]

Jomei's frame disappeared past the cover of the uneven terrain and the tents that stood between their positions. With some distance between the two, Telrenya finally felt as though she was able to breathe more calmly. She still had to worry about the aftermath once the camp was cleared out--whether or not she would be able to continue avoiding conversation, and how they would part ways without her managing to make a mistake and get herself found out. For a split second, the thought of slipping herself away, retreating from the fight and running back to her little Artisan shop in the middle of Delilah entered her mind. She shook her head roughly, scolding herself for even thinking of such a thing. Reminding herself that she didn't have the time to focus on all of that right now, she tightened her grip on the hilt of her rapier and inched closer to the back of the nearest bandit.

Before she had the chance to launch her attack, a slight movement and the same familiar voice caught her attention along with all of the bandits'. Telrenya stared in disbelief at Jomei's flourish, quickly bristling with momentary anger as he drew the attention of all four targets, working quickly to deflect most of their dagger attacks. She let out a breath to quell her emotions, reminding herself that the Irishman's bravado was easily backed up by his level, skills, and equipment.

Without wasting any more precious time, her legs carried her to close the distance between herself and the bandit that had stumbled after his side-swipe was deflected. Despite her quick approach and her target's imbalance, he managed to sidestep Telrenya's first thrust, pulling his dagger up again to meet the edge of her blade for her second attempt. Sparks leapt from the metal as her long, thin blade scraped against the edge of his dagger until her guard collided with the weapon. The two figures were locked in place for a moment before the bandit lurched forward, overpowering the woman and pushing her away, causing her to stumble back to regain her balance.

Spoiler

ID#: 91405 | BD: 3 + (2 ACC) = 5 - Miss!
    ---------------------------------------------------
Jomei: 1091/1140 HP | 100/110 EN | 43 MIT (-49 HP,  -10 EN)
Telrenya: 440/440 HP | 42/44 EN (-2 EN)

Bandit 1(Dagger)       0/150 HP | 90 Dmg (-154 HP)
Bandit 2(Dagger)  150/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 3(Scimitar)150/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 4(Dagger)  150/150 HP | 90 Dmg

 

[Jomei 0]

The masked made her appearance, attacking the first bandit that Jomei had pushed out of the way, trying to get the upper hand. A small frown tugged at his lips when he saw the bandit easily clash his blade with her to defend himself from any damage. The small distraction left the ginger open to an attack, the dagger of one of the bandits slashing at his face. The same moment that Jomei saw the man motion his arm to cut at Jomei's head, he stepped backwards to dodge. However, the blade still cut deep into his face, cutting from his temple and down his cheek. Jomei's hand quickly found its way to the cut, the tingling feeling leaving a discomfort on his face as he grit his face. Now he had a score to settle with two of them, however, the dagger to the back was a much bigger payment to collect. 

Rushing past the second bandit that had cut at his face, Jomei's sword  began to glow with a golden aura as his rapier cut diagonally up the chest of the bandit holding the scimitar. As Jomei brought his blade up over his head, he deflected the dagger of the second bandit. The pattern continued, slashing or stabbing at the one bandit, while blocking the attacks of the second. There was no need for each of the fourteen hits with his Over Radiation skill to hit the bandit to kill him. With one final cut, Jomei's rapier split the bandit in two, while also knocking the second out of the way. "You okay over there?" Jomei called out to the masked woman, who was keeping the last bandit busy. 

Spoiler

 

ID 91406
Jomei BD 2(+4) Hit

• Over Radiation: 14x14 =196 dmg vs Bandit 3

Bandit 2 MD 9

• 91 Dmg - 43 Mit = 48 Dmg vs. Jomei

ID 91407
Bandit 3 BD 5(-3) miss
Bandit 4 MD 5(-3) miss
    ---------------------------------------------------
[2]Jomei: 1043/1140 HP | 88/110 EN | 43 MIT 
[0]Telrenya: 440/440 HP | 44/44 EN

Bandit 1(Dagger)       0/150 HP | 90 Dmg (-154 HP)
Bandit 2(Dagger)  150/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 3(Scimitar)     0/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 4(Dagger)  150/150 HP | 90 Dmg

 

 

 

 

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya caught herself quickly, planting the heels of her boots firmly against the ash-covered ground. The bandits turned their attention back to the Irishman, swiping at Jomei with their varied blades. The woman's eyes went wide behind her mask when she watched as one of their enemies pulled the tip of his dagger along the side of Jomei's face, leaving the man with a wide, bright red gash across his lightly-freckled skin. Her jaw clenched and Telrenya switched her target without a second thought.

Rushing the bandit whose back was left open to her, the dark blade of her rapier glowed a soft white with the activation of her sword art. Cardinal carried her through the swift movements as fourteen strikes hit their marks and littered the bandit's body with scattered wounds. His health bar depleted rapidly as he fell to his knees in shock, shattering into pixels a second later.

"Better now." She spoke almost without thinking, her voice small but rough as she recovered from her stint of fury. Not wanting to upset the flow of battle with two opponents still remaining, Telrenya turned her back and focused her gaze back on her previous target.

Spoiler

ID#: 91422 | BD: 10 - Critical Hit! Used Over Radiation (x14)
(9 Base) + (2 Critical) x (14 Sword Art) = 154 DMG
    ---------------------------------------------------
[2]Jomei: 1043/1140 HP | 88/110 EN | 43 MIT 
[2]Telrenya: 440/440 HP | 30/44 EN

Bandit 1(Dagger)       0/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 2(Dagger)  150/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 3(Scimitar)     0/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 4(Dagger)       0/150 HP | 90 Dmg (-154 HP)

 

[Jomei 0]

So she does speak? Jomei thought as the masked woman's soft, yet struggling voice sounded out in response to his question. He gave the woman a sidelong glance to the woman who now stood next to him, easily wiping the floor with another of the bandits. Despite the red gash on his cheek still remaining, and the dagger still in his hip, Jomei could not help but smirk, "So you can hold your own.. here I thought I'd be doing all the work." he ended with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood of the eerily mysterious masked woman. 

Only one bandit remained for the two to take out, and Jomei was not completely finished testing the masked warriors skills. Jomei lowered his body, readying his rapier at his side, "I'll set him up, you knock him down." Using his Shooting Star sword art, Jomei rushed forward, his blade piercing into the chest of the bandit multiple times, sending him stumbling back with each hit. As Jomei's blade went in for one last stab, the bandit regained his composure and pushed Jomei's rapier downwards with his dagger. Jomei's body continued forward following his sword, only to be met with the same dagger circling back around, this time cutting diagonally upwards on his chest, sending the man tumbling backwards himself, a nice red cut to match the one on his face. As Jomei hit the ground, he let out an uncomfortable grunt, landing directly on the dagger that still stuck in his back. "[censored].." he cursed under his breath, watching for the masked woman to finish off their foe.

Spoiler

 

ID 91423
BD 5(+4) 

• Shooting Star: 7x14 = 98 Dmg vs Bandit 2

MD 9

• 91 Dmg (-43 Mit) = 48 Dmg vs. Jomei

   ---------------------------------------------------
[3]Jomei: 995/1140 HP | 82/110 EN | 43 MIT 
[2]Telrenya: 440/440 HP | 30/44 EN

Bandit 1(Dagger)       0/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 2(Dagger)  52/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 3(Scimitar)     0/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 4(Dagger)       0/150 HP | 90 Dmg 

 

 

[Telrenya 0]

The corner of Telrenya's mouth pulled up into a matching smirk of her own, relaxing her stance a bit as the mood of their battle shifted more to that of a game. She watched as Jomei opened with another attack on their final target, twisting the hilt of her rapier in her palm as she waited patiently for her opening.

The bandit's health began to drain at a slower rate from those that had the total of their hit points taken all at once, leaving the monster well into the yellow as Jomei moved to drop it just a bit lower. Neither of them had expected the counter-attack as Jomei received another deep slash across his torso and was knocked back. Telrenya's blood began to boil as she regained the tight grip on her weapon, quickly taking her cue to retaliate. 

The woman only took a stride and a half from the bandit's rear corner to get into range, reaching out her free hand and curling her fingers tightly around his shoulder. She yanked backwards, sweeping her left foot through his ankle to knock the bandit off his own feet. Leaving the man prone, Telrenya turned on her heel, just about to activate another sword art as she lifted her rapier over him. Thrusting the blade downward, the last bandit didn't seem as though he was going to go down without more of a fight. Still keeping a grip on his dagger, he drew the weapon across his body just in time to deflect Telrenya's sword. The clash pushed her thin blade aside and it sank a few inches into the rough ground with the force she had put behind it. Her own center of gravity was disrupted, and the bandit hurried to take advantage. Grabbing hold of her dominant arm with his free hand, the man pulled her forward, rolling back onto his shoulders while his boot raised and planted itself in the center of her solar plexus. Taking her weight onto his leg, Telrenya's feet were lifted from the ground and in a swift motion the bandit rolled farther back and tossed the woman over him with a heavy kick. Telrenya let out an involuntary grunt as her shoulder crashed into the ground a short distance away.

Spoiler

ID#: 91428 | BD: 3 (+2 ACC) = 5 - Miss!
    ---------------------------------------------------
[3]Jomei: 995/1140 HP | 82/110 EN | 43 MIT 
[2]Telrenya: 440/440 HP | 29/44 EN

Bandit 1(Dagger)       0/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 2(Dagger)  52/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 3(Scimitar)     0/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 4(Dagger)       0/150 HP | 90 Dmg 

 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's damaged body crashed into the ground, with a loud thud. These were simple bandits, how were they knocking him around this much? Was he getting too cocky? Or had they all just gotten lucky. As the ginger propped himself up on his elbows, the girl rushed forward at the bandit, grabbing onto his shoulder with her free hand and sweeping his legs out from under him, knocking him to the ground. Raising her sword to finally finish off their enemy, his dagger managed to block her rapier just in time, sparing his life for just a bit longer. 

He watched the struggle ensue as he rose to his feet. The bandit had lifted his boot and shoved it into the girl's abdomen, launching her over his body and into the dirt behind him. His olive eyes went wide as he grit his teeth, his fingers clenching tightly around the red handle of his rapier. Before the bandit had a chance to turn around and truly recover, Jomei had already made his move and rushed forward. Grabbing his target's shoulder, Jomei pushed his rapier forwards and upwards, piercing the bandit through the chest and clear through the other side. Jomei looked into the pained face of the elusive bandit as his eyes seemed to fade, before the corpse shattered into data fragments. 

The ginger walked over to the masked woman and offered a hand to help her up. "You alright?" he asked her as he brought her to her feet. Once she was standing aside him, he reached his hand behind his back and grabbed at the dagger that still remained lodged into his back. He winced at the discomfort, and bit down hard on his lip as he pulled the weapon free, dropping it to the sand below them. He shook his head and smirked at the woman, "I gotta say, those were some pretty impressive moves. You really held your own back there.. took a lot less heat than me thats for sure." he said, rubbing at the tingling gash on his cheek, while looking down at the long cut that went through his armor. 

Jomei looked back up to the masked woman with a nod, "Alright, now that that's over, there should be a chest of go-" Before Jomei had a chance to finish his sentence, his abdomen was met with an unsuspecting hit from the pole end of a spear, causing him to stumble backwards and bend forward, holding his stomach. Seconds later, the bandit leader who had hit Jomei in the stomach, followed her first attack with a powerful uppercut to Jomei's jaw, quickly extending the man's body, and causing him to fall back into the dirt. "You may have killed my men, but I will never let you take the gold we earned from the hunt!" Standing over Jomei for a moment, the dark haired bandit woman turned to look at the masked warrior, entering a battle stance and pointing her spear forward at her. "Vamos a bailar, chica" she said with a malicious smirk

Spoiler

ID 91462
BD 2 (+4) = 6 Hit

• Neutron: 5x14 = 70 dmg

[3]Jomei: 995/1140 HP | 78/110 EN | 43 MIT 
[2]Telrenya: 440/440 HP | 29/44 EN

Bandit Leader(2H Spear)  250/250 | 100 dmg (will attack next turn)

Bandit 1(Dagger)       0/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 2(Dagger)       0/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 3(Scimitar)     0/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 4(Dagger)       0/150 HP | 90 Dmg 

 

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya's forearm pressed into the dark ground as she pushed her shoulders back up into the air. She was still a bit disoriented from the bandit's forceful throw, not realizing that Jomei had finished the man off until his extended hand came into view with an offer to help her to her feet. With her mind catching up to her, Telrenya hesitated a second before a small smile worked over her obscured lips. Her gloved hand pulled up and rested in his while she pulled herself back to her feet.

"Thanks." She decided to keep her words careful and to a minimum, but no longer playing the silent stranger. She walked over to where the bandit had ealier lay, the tip of her rapier still lodged into the ashen ground before she moved to retrieve it. Pulling the blade free, she turned back to Jomei as he offered her a few kind words in compliment. Her chest was filled with a strange combination of happiness and concern. Although she hadn't realized it until now, she really felt as though she had improved since she and Jomei first met and had taken on a couple of quests together. With more levels on her character page, more points in her rapier skill, and perhaps most noticeably, more familiarity with the physical aspects of combat had allowed her to grow into a more capable fighter. She felt a small sense of pride, pushing past the earlier struggles she had adapting to the combat system of virtual reality.

Despite the happiness that she felt from being able to fight by Jomei's side, that same thought paired with the sight of the battle-stricken Irishman standing in front of her conflicted with those thoughts and twisted a feeling of worry in her stomach. She was holding it together just fine right now, after the onslaught of all four bandits had hardly drained the health bar that hovered beside his avatar. But she was aiming higher: boss fights, and other threats of a much greater scale. Just how would she fare if it was such a life-threatening foe harming the man she loved?

And then came the guilt. Unless Telrenya had really screwed up somewhere, she was still a stranger to him at this moment. How would he feel if he knew what she was doing? If their roles in her imagination were reversed, and she was the one getting hurt in a dangerous boss fight? Before she had any more time to get lost in her spiraling thoughts, Jomei's words were sharply cut by the swift attacks of a fifth bandit. Telrenya's shoulders lifted with a newfound tension while her eyes went wide at the sight of the man being knocked back yet again. Her jaw clenched as she stared the bandit queen down behind the thin metal of her mask.

With the point of a spear directed towards her now, Telrenya dashed forward, feinting to the right before she slipped past the long reach of the weapon to strike at the leader's left side. Before the tip of her rapier could reach her target, however, the woman was quick to react. She took a diagonal step forward, pulling her body closer to Telrenya as the rapier slipped past her and sliced through the empty air. A hand left the pole of her spear, reaching out and landing on the light metal of Telrenya's pauldron with a tight grip. She pulled the player forward, bringing a knee up and delivering it into her stomach. Without letting up her advantage, the bandit leader released her grip only to move it to the collar of her light armor. Pulling the woman upwards, she wore a wicked grin while she lifted Telrenya to match the level of their eyes, forcing the masked figure to the balls of her feet with the few inches of height she held over the player. "Pitiful niña." She sneered.

ID#: 91463 | BD: 1 - Critical Miss!

[0]Jomei: 995/1140 HP | 78/110 EN | 43 MIT
[0]Telrenya: 440/440 HP | 29/44 EN

Bandit Leader(2H Spear)  250/250 | 100 dmg (will attack next turn)

Bandit 1(Dagger)       0/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 2(Dagger)       0/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 3(Scimitar)     0/150 HP | 90 Dmg
Bandit 4(Dagger)       0/150 HP | 90 Dmg 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's hand met his tingling jaw as his eyes moved up to the fight that was going on just in front of him. The masked woman's rapier pushed forward, just missing its mark. The Bandit Leader retaliated by pulling his companion in close and driving a knee into her abdomen. Jomei quickly struggled to get to his feet to help the woman out. The bandit then grabbed at the masked girl's collar and lifted her upwards, taunting the mysterious warrior. By now, Jomei was on his feet yet again, an angered look on his face. "Let her go!" he shouted as he charged forward, holding his rapier out to the side. The bandit woman looked to the side at Jomei and smirked, "Poor choice of words~" she said, swinging the armored girl around and tossing her body towards Jomei, causing the masked girl to stumble without stopping in his direction.

With wide eyes, the man quickly threw out his arms and caught the girl, bracing himself by planting his boots in the sandy ash. He merely held her for a second before letting her stand off to his side. The bandit leader looked at the two and shifted her weight, the smirk on her tanned lips not faltering, "Oh, you two would make a cute couple." She said, teasing the two to try and cause them to slip up and miss yet again. Jomei sneered and looked over at his masked companion and nodding. His gaze shifted back to the bandit queen. "Alright. You had your fun, lets end this." he then directed his voice towards the girl at his side. "I'll follow you in. If you can hit her, I'll finish her off."

ID: 91471
BD: 1
MD: 2

[0]Jomei: 995/1140 HP | 77/110 EN | 43 MIT
[0]Telrenya: 440/440 HP | 29/44 EN

Bandit Leader(2H Spear)  250/250 | 100 dmg 

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya hadn't yet recovered from the initial blow by the time she was yanked upwards. She managed to keep a grip on the hilt of her rapier, though her dominant arm hung at her side while her focus was on the other hand that grabbed at the bandit leader's wrist. There was an exchange between her and Jomei, and before Telrenya could piece together the amused tone of voice in her response, she felt herself pulled to one side before her momentum shifted and Telrenya was tossed with a force that left her unable to catch herself.

Instead, Jomei's frame was what kept her upright, the familiar feeling of the Irishman's hold as she leaned against his chest not helping her mind catch up with the rush of the exchange. She pulled away a second later, once again thankful that he couldn't see her expression as she tried her best to shake off the discomfort from the string of events.

Facing the cocky woman again, Telrenya's bottom lip stiffened at the comment she shot to the two players. 'If only you knew...' The thought entered her mind. Hopefully not sounding as forced as it actually was, Telrenya sounded a light "Tch," in a scoff at the banter before Jomei prompted them to finish the fight. She gave a nod, glad that the mood didn't linger in the air. "Right."

With an arm raised to brandish her blade towards the bandit, Telrenya gave a moment's pause before she darted forward again. The steel of their blades clashed, and with a turn of her wrist she was able to knock the spear's tip aside in order to slip past the bandit's defenses once more. Her blade began to glow with another soft light as it thrust forward and she pressed her lead with thirteen more speedy strikes, causing the leader's face to contort as her health was dropped to settle just under half.

ID#: 91474 | BD: 9 - Critical Hit! Over Radiation (x14) Active
[(9 Base) + (1 Crit)] x (14 Sword Art) = 140 DMG

[0]Jomei: 995/1140 HP | 77/110 EN | 43 MIT
[2]Telrenya: 440/440 HP | 17/44 EN

Bandit Leader(2H Spear)  110/250 | 100 dmg

[Jomei 0]

His masked companion made the first move, slowly raising her rapier up before approaching the leader. With the same grin on her lips,  the Bandit Queen flourished her spear, the bladed tip meeting the rapier of her attacker. With a graceful twist of her wrist, the woman was able to free her rapier and unleash a devastating combination of slashes and stabs upon the bandit's body. The grin the bandit wore on her cocky face had faded, and was replaced with a pained grimace as she was backed towards her tent, riddled with red marks. Jomei timed his attack in time with the masked woman's, recognizing the sword art, and shot forward. He could see the fear in the bandit's wide eyes as he approached with his sword held across his body. 

Now within range, Jomei cut his sword across the bandit's abdomen, followed by a diagonal cut upwards, and finally another diagonal cut downwards, creating the shape of a deep red triangle all across her body. The bandit's mouth hung agape, gasping for a breath and falling backwards, before she exploded in white pixels that rained to the ground like snow. Jomei let out a sigh before returning his rapier to its scabbard on his hip. 

The man turned to look at the mask of the woman before smiling softly, "We make a pretty good team." he said with a chuckle, before facing forward and pointing into the large tent that once housed the bandit leader. "There should be a chest of gold in there, the reward for completing the quest.. It's all yours." Once the woman turned away from him, Jomei led a hand to his chin, holding it there with a curious expression on his face. Adere was right.. something was strange about her.. She seemed far too familiar to him. There was only one way to find out.. "Oh, I forgot." he faked a bashful chuckle, "I'm Jomei by the way."

ID: 91475  | BD: 4(+4) Hit

• Delta Attack: 8x14 = 112 Dmg

[0]Jomei: 995/1140 HP | 78/110 EN | 43 MIT
[2]Telrenya: 440/440 HP | 17/44 EN

Bandit Leader(2H Spear)  0/250 | 100 dmg

[Telrenya 0]

With a shift to the side that allowed Jomei to finish the job and defeat the bandit's leader, Telrenya let out a small breath she hadn't realized she had been holding now that the battle seemed to be completely finished. She followed suit and ran the steel of her rapier gently along its scabbard up to the tip before sheathing the weapon. With Jomei turning to face her, his sentiment caused a light fluttering in her chest until she forced a hesitant nod in response.

He pointed out the tent that the leader had likely resided in, and Telrenya stiffened as she had to hold her tongue from protesting when he suggested the reward was hers alone to take. In his eyes, she was just a stranger who begrudgingly accepted his help to complete a quest in order to avoid the high risk of death. As much as she wanted to, arguing would only drag out the situation, and the more time she spent in close quarters with Jomei here, the more chances she would inadvertently give him to doubt her identity.

As if on cue, the Irishman turned back to her with a short introduction, and Telrenya knew that she had to give him one in return. She was lucky to have already solidified her false persona with the few acquaintances that she had met, but she couldn't help realizing how she had come up with the name she had chosen while in Jomei's presence. She turned halfway towards him before speaking up again. "Erin. Thank you." She paired the thanks with a small nod before she forced herself to continue walking towards the tent in hopes that would mark the end of their awkward encounter.