[PP-F7] The Pain that we Endure (Case of Wurms)

[Morgenstern 1]

The former paladin walked the mountain range of the seventh floor, a storm with no rain brewing in. There was a light chill to the air, rumbling thunder, and the occasional flash of lightning. The blond stopped at the hunt board, glancing up at it. He was trying to get the incident off of his mind. The Fall of the Ascendants. The event happened about half of a week prior to the day. The news spread like a wildfire for some reason, as if someone wanted everyone to know. Most of Aincrad had no idea who the attacker was, but it displayed the lack of leadership of his guild. He had heard questions from players of the current frontline status. The wondered how a guild run by frontliners could ever be touched. 

Currently, the blond adorned a white cloak to cover his armor, his only equipment being his Bialas Bindings, his Accuracy Pendant, and finally his weapon. With the current loss of a familiar, his stats were pretty low, but he hadn't even really thought about it. He was in a vulnerable state. Any player killer could come and take him out. He honestly didn't care. 

The only words that were on his mind.... 'I failed them.... I couldn't protect them' 

@Neopolitan

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo was in her shop when she decided it might be best to take a walk to the main city on the floor and see if there was anything that needed to be done there. She didn't want an event to pop up and make her lose the nice spot she had for her shop. Sure it didn't bring in customers like it would on the first floor, but it was still a great spot anytime she felt like just sitting back an relaxing. There was lots of time, perhaps too much, to reminisce upon the times past. Once she was in Deepedge, she quickly made her way towards the quest board. Most of the items on their were plaers looking for help, but there was also the occasional NPC that would post there quests here. Turning to the side, she noticed someone who seemed sort of familiar. They were wearing a cloak so she couldn't tell. Deciding it was probably just one of those faces, she continued to look at the board to see if there was anything of note.

@Morgenstern

[Morgenstern 1]

As he gazed upon the board, he found a quest that a NPC had posted. It hadn't appeared he had done it previously. 'Case of Wurms eh?' He would think to himself. Wouldn't bee too hard. A quick in and out could be arranged. Someone would step to his left, glancing over at him but then also focusing on the quest board. A mixture of pink and brown hair would catch his eye and a smile would catch his lips. Something that hadn't happened for several days. "Good morning Neo" he would say rather glumly. The last he had seen her he was fighting the black garbed Katana User. A dawning realization hit him. His eyes widened and he faced away from Neo. "That day she told me that my time was coming to an end..." he muttered to himself. "She was warning me of the upcoming attack on the Ascendants!" he turned back to Neo. A deep sadness would rest in his eyes as he faced her. 

"What brings you to a this floor? Are you already strong enough to be facing things this high up?" he would ask her. He wouldn't probably be helping her again like last time. He was obviously unfit for teaching anybody anything. He had failed everyone. He let several of his apprentices die. Aereth not longer looked up to him anymore. It was only a matter of time until he completely failed the girl in front of him. 'I'm no leader' 

@Neopolitan

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo was still looking at the board when the person next to her started to talk to her. It still took her a little bit, but realized that it was someone she knew. She turned towards them and nodded her head in greeting, not deigning to give the smile she had the last time she met. So much had happened since they last met. In fact, it was them who had ended up giving her the last set of instructions before she had fallen on all of her problems. When had that even been? Time had become a blur of trying to forget. She drafted up a message to respond to his question, and decided to just let them speak. He seemed to be having trouble with something, but she didn't wish to press upon it. One of the benefits of her muteness, no one would take her silence as her just trying not to touch upon a sensitive subject.

Quote

More or less, there's still a few that are quite tough for me. I do have my shop on this floor though so that's why I'm here often.

@Morgenstern

[Morgenstern 1]

Neo looked up to him giving him a faint smile, but her gaze seemed distant. It had been at least two weeks since they last met up with eachother. The boss raid had gone and finished and the Ascendants met its end. It appeared that something that happened to her over the course of the last time that they had met. She didn't seem to be her normal happy self. He would've asked, but eh didn't believe that he could really take any more grief onto himself without breaking. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to feel. Right now, he was lost. He didn't know where to go or what to do. Itzal had seemed distant after the boss raid, but now he never seemed to have any connection to the man. Jonathan hadn't even checked the friend list to see if he was still on there. He didn't blame Itzal if he did. He wouldn't be surprised if everyone hated him right now. He was a large cause of the chaos during the Floor Boss. If he had acted more like a leader, nothing would have happened. They didn't need to all listen to one person, it was the Tanks duty to scout out the best mode of attack and coordinate with eachother to get the job done. Instead, they had players attacking players. 

"I see. I had no idea you were a marketer. I was once, but I now just do it for a case by case basis" he would reach up and yank down the paper for the Case of Wurms. "What are you up to today? I'm thinking right now that It would not be best for me to be alone with my thoughts right now" 

@Neopolitan

[Neopolitan 0]

It wasn't long before it was just like nothing had happened. Though Morgenstern seemed to be having some issues and was hesitant with the words he spoke, he was at least holding himself together. Neo wasn't really doing that much better. She could barely hold herself together, and often broke down crying whenever she was too close to the monument of life. She nodded to him as he talked about crafting, as well as not wanting to be alone with their thoughts. She grabbed the piece of paper he was glancing at earlier, and pointed towards it with her other hand. Doing her best to gesture that they could do it together, she was hoping the two of them could fight whatever beast it was. Though she had never taken it down herself, she knew that she was getting much stronger now and things would hopefully work out a bit better. At the very least she should be able to do more in the fight than the last time the two of them were together.

@Morgenstern

[Morgenstern 1]

The blond waited for her response as she reached up and grabbed the paper off the board that he was looking at, showing it to him. He would nod. While he probably shouldn't be around the girl, it would be nice to have some company after the last few days of isolation. He was thinking of his next step, but was unsure of exactly where to go. He needed to get a decent lead of information to find out where Chaos would be. For that however, he would need someway to get to him. "Alrighty then. Let's see how much you've progressed as of lately. This should be an interesting quest I guess" Hoisting his cloak back over his shoulders he would walk towards the edge of the town. 'Hopefully we aren't attacked again... I'm obviously not strong enough to protect anyone I care about'. Ever since that day, he refused to carry his shield. The shield was for someone who protected others, but he couldn't manage that. He wouldn't be tanking on the frontlines anymore. He didn't earn or deserve the spot anymore. Maybe he was something more back then, but now he was just nothing. 

"If you don't disagree, I think i'd rather watch you fight most of the quest. I bet you could probably take it on your own" 

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo was surprised at how different Morgnestern seemed to be. She didn't know what all had happened in recent times, but was awaree that he was fighting on the front lines. Had there been a massacre there? She wouldn't know what had happened until someone called a meeting and invited her to it. She sent a message towawrds him to explain her position. She might be able to take the thing on solop, but she was unsure whether or not she would be able to take hits from it. It would likely hit hard and she couldn't quite use the gear she had gotten ordered from erious shops.

Quote

I'm not quite at the nexxt level of poer, so I would enjoy it if you could at least take some of the damage. I could probably help take it down, but I don't have as much power as you might think. I've mostly been in my shop or at the monument of life

She didn't want to tell Morgenstern what had happened, not unless he asked directly. He had enough on his mind, hearing stories of people dying protecting her wouldn't be helpful to him.

@Morgenstern

[Morgenstern 1]

Jonathan would walk, his eyes on the ground in front of him as they walked. He would wait for the small ding of the message and hesitantly open it. As he read, his face became quipped with a sadness. The scene of watching apprentices burst into pixels played in his eyes as a heavy blade would smite through them. They were unprepared to fight against players, especially those who where of much higher level. He stood helpless and unable to protect them. Chaos was merciful only due to the fact that he wasn't even worth anything. Jonathan's death was unrelated to the fall of the frontliners. "I-I can't" he croaked. A tear fell down the side of his cheek before he wiped it away. "I failed all of them, and to you I'll do the same. I vowed to never consider myself valid to safeguard someone's life ever again". His fist clenched before more tears became visible. "My strength is a facade. I am no leader. I am no protector. I am worthless". 

He would scroll through his inventory. "If you don't believe you can take it... Then Fine. Take this then". He would close the window and then finish, "If things get bad, then I'll kill it. Just don't ever put your life in someone as worthless as me's hands" He would wipe the remaining tears. His voice was pained. 'I won't ever let someone follow me blindly, looking at me and think they are safe. I am unable to protect anyone'

Sent to @Neopolitan
T1 Rare DMG Potion - +2 DMG
T1 Rare MIT Potion - +10 MIT

[Neopolitan 0]

Though she knew that Morgenstern wasn't doing that well, the response she got back was rather shocking. It seemed that he had lost all confidence in himself. Though there was no telling what had happened, she figured that he had witnessed a lot of death recently when he was supposed to be the one to guard players. She debated about trying to console him, but figured it might be best not to linger on it. Perhaps she could try as they made their way to where the creature was. She began to mentally draft a message in her head, and hoped that when she did send it it would not fall upon deaf ears. For now, she returned her beaming smile, though still a little hollow, and gladly took the potions. She drank them and motioned for the two of them to move out. If Morgenstern wasn't going to be the positive influence, she would need to be for now however bad she felt about her own situation.

@Morgenstern

Items consumed:

T1 Rare DMG Potion - +2 DMG
T1 Rare MIT Potion - +10 MIT

[Morgenstern 1]

She would smile and take the potions before motioning for them to move forward. A breath of relief would be heard as he followed. He would help if need be, but he didn't feel like he was useful. Everything was now for himself. He was here to get stronger to kill Chaos. Once Chaos was gone, he would end it. Chaos was his last mission. His purpose in life was to save the many by killing a man that already killed. He wouldn't tell anyone this however. They would attempt to trap him, prevent him from completing his only destiny. He would look to Neo, who was now beaming in spite of her earlier sadness. He would shake his head. 'Even though something is wrong with her, here she is trying to support me. I truly am the weakest of the weak. I shouldn't be out here, forcing her to try and help me.' His hands would begin to shake. 'I'm still dragging others down wth just going out. How did I ever consider myself a leader? I was fooled by my own stupid facade' He looked to Neo. 'I should probably just leave... I'm only slowing her down' 

"weak" he would mutter to himself. 

@Neopolitan

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo did her best to keep her smile up, hoping to at least get Morgenstern to focus on the mission. She could tell as the two walked towards their destination that he was letting her lead more than last time. It was rather odd, but it gave a little bit of insight into what was happening. The specifics were still unclear, but she could tell something had shattered his confidence in guiding others. The last time they had met, he was a rather playful person who was gladly leading her into a quest she would've had no hope of taking on herself. Now, he wanted nothing more than to lay back and not do anything. Though she still wouldn't speak, she did send him a message. This was done in the hopes of at least getting him back to working towards a goal besides his own self-pity, but she knew it would be hard to cajole him out of this trance.

Quote

Morgenstern,

    I don't know what happened to you, but I can tell you're hurting. Just so you know, you're not terrible. No matter what has happened you shouldn't keep bringing it on yourself. I hold on to pains now that I had comletely forgotten and they haunt me day and night. If you don't at least let the pain fade, you will get nowhere. So I ask you to take the lead. I trust you and whether or not you think you deserve it you do. Because I know that you can lead us forward, you can lead all of us forward. You can do this, I believe in you.

@Morgenstern

[Morgenstern 1]

He walked behind, each step seeming to be a drag to himself. He would look back over to Neo, who was hastily typing again. He knew this was her form of communication, but today it was actually kind of irritating. A ding would be heard and he rolled his eyes, moving to the message and reading. He shook his head with a sigh. "Neo..." he would clear his throat. "You just don't understand... A few days ago, a chunk of my guild was slaughtered all because I couldn't protect them. Each of them looked up to me just as you do. Each one of them had faith in me, just like you say you do. Pain doesn't fade, it seethes and sits there as a reminder of what you did wrong and how you need to fix it" He looked away form Neo, but he didn't have much time before hearing movement in the ground. "I lost them. I lost my guild. There is no more 'us'. My best friend hates me and my enemy stands tall and proud, successful and ready to make his next move. If I could do it, I already would have" 

A snake would make its way out of the ground, sailing towards Jonathan's head. His hand would move to his sheathed weapon, his face seeming unamused as he slashed several times. The flying snake would fly back, writhing on the ground before refocusing on Jonathan. "Hang around too long and I'll just fail you too" 

---

106864
BD:4+3-1=6. 16*11=176-45=131 DMG
MD: 1

[1]Morgenstern 1370/1370 HP <> 124/124 EN [ +3 ACC | -1 EVA | 16 DMG | 126 MIT | 68 BH | +6 HM | Para Immune]
[0]@Neopolitan XXXXXXXXXX

Amphis Serpens 41/175 - 45 MIT

[Neopolitan 0]

As Neo was walking through the sand, she could tell Morg was getting irritated with her typing. He began to explain what had happened and she did feel for him. She understood that the pain didn't want to go away. Her own pain wouldn't leave her, but that was no reason for her to stop. There was a rumbling in the sand, but Neo did her best to type up a quick message. It was little she could do to console him or change his mind, being so much more powerful than her. At the very least, she could give him some words to live by.

Quote

If you stop, you only prove them right.

Then the snake came out of the sand. Neo drew her rapier and prepared to attack the beast. She was sad she wasn't high enough level to use her high end gear, but she was still going to do her best to take the thing down. Unfortunately, she was unable to wade through the sand to the two headed snake. Morgenstern was able to hit it though, so she was glad he wasn't completely giving up on things.

106871
BD:3+2-1=5 - miss | CD: 8 - recovery

[1]@Morgenstern 1370/1370 HP <> 124/124 EN [ +3 ACC | -1 EVA | 16 DMG | 126 MIT | 68 BH | +6 HM | Para Immune]
[0]@Neopolitan 480/480 HP | 48/48 ENG | 9 DMG | 24 MIT | 2 ACC | 9-10/12 BLD | 9-10 Para | 2 REC

Amphis Serpens 41/175 - 45 MIT

[Morgenstern 1]

He would watch as Neo would fail to attack the enemy, leaving it to continue its path towards him. Shaking his head, he would lift his weapon once more, his eyes narrowing as it drew near. As it came within five feet, he would begin to swipe his weapon. The first slice, as expected, missed entirely, but brought him into the momentum for another, more powerful blow. His blade would slice through the enemy's body, turning into nothing but data crystals. He would bring his weapon to its sheath, watching as the experience from the quest would increase experience. Looking back to Neo, he would speak, "Let's get going... You said there was an event coming up right? You need to focus yourself on bringing up your level and power as much as possible. Tier One and Two  have drastically less damage and defense. You just need to get as much health as you can possibly get, and then having something to restore yourself with." 

'Another quest down... Another step closer to Chaos' 

106900 BD:4+3-1=6. 131 DMG dealt. 

[2]@Morgenstern 1370/1370 HP <> 114/124 EN [ +3 ACC | -1 EVA | 16 DMG | 126 MIT | 68 BH | +6 HM | Para Immune]
[0]@Neopolitan 480/480 HP | 48/48 ENG | 9 DMG | 24 MIT | 2 ACC | 9-10/12 BLD | 9-10 Para | 2 REC

Amphis Serpens 41/175 - 45 MIT

[Neopolitan 0]

Sadly, it seemed as though there would be no convincing Morgenstern. He quickly took out the serpent beast before Neo even had a chance to show how she had improved. It was a short lived fight, and was hoping he could at least see that he was still being useful, Perhaps he had lost some confidence, but she knew it was just the pain of what had happened to him. Though losses were going to happen in this game, it would feel bad losing someone while being the one designated to protect them. He was stuck in his own echo chamber of sorrow though, and she couldn't get him out without having been there to see things first. Sheathing her blade, she made her way back towards town with Morgenstern. She nodded as he talked about her needing to get more powerful. Though she knew it was close to her hitting the next tier of power, it was still going to be hard for her to match up against a full on boss should it come down to that. Hopefully, she would be able to do well in it and keep herself safe at the same time.

@Morgenstern

[Morgenstern 1]

Jonathan kept moving, nodding to himself. She would do just fine in a fight, she was... capable. If not, there were several other Tier Two's that were already on the frontlines and could probably take care of things in case they needed to retreat. The Tier three players were all well capable frontliners and had no need for his assistance. He would just be there to gather some of the experience. To take out Chaos, he was going to need to be much stronger and faster than he was now. A slow tank build made to take damage was not going to deal out as much damage as he needed to take out Chaos. He only would have one shot, and no matter the result he was going to die. 'That really means that I need to sever my relationships or else I'll be causing even more grief. Looking up, he managed to see the town in the distance. 'That was quick' Looking over to Neo. "I doubt we will get attacked this time... If we do, I doubt I can protect you again. I probably got lucky last time" He chuckled to himself. ''Bull crap. Bad luck has followed me for the last week.... Only bad things have happened when I've been around' 

@Neopolitan

[Neopolitan 0]

Though disappointed that she basically just wasted a couple of consumables for Morgenstern, Neo walked back towards the town dejectedly with him. She was able to keep her head up a little bit though to try and cheer him up. He mentioned that him defending her last time was just a fluke, and at that Neo quickly shook her head. Had it not been for him, she would have almost certainly died.  Quickly typing out a message, she figured it would be better to elaborate more than just digress to his statement.

Quote

If it weren't for you I would have died. You spotted them when I hadn't the slightest clue they were there. They could have snuck behind me and taken me out in a single hit. Sure you may be worried about your active defense, but there are still more passive ways to protect others.

Sending it off, Neo just hoped that she could do something to help his feelings.

@Morgenstern

[Morgenstern 1]

Jonathan would walk forward, hearing as only last ding would be heard by him. He would slide his hand over to the message. He would read it quickly and close it. A part of him knew that the girl was right, but he had already convinced himself otherwise. He would shake his head again. "I spotted them out of pure luck, and their attack was more of a warning for me. I don't know why they attacked you, but it was obviously not very high on her priority list or else she wouldn't have spent the time to spar with me" 

They would enter the town and talk to the NPC who posted the quest to receive their reward. After they did, the blond would turn to Neopolitan and sigh. "Well, I'll be seeing you around. Thanks for joining me today I guess. Keep leveling up, become as strong a you possibly can for the upcoming event boss" He would turn to walk away, speaking a few final words before he went. "Just try to forget me and my problems and focus on yourself. A failure like me doesn't deserve a second thought from a pretty girl such as yourself" 

He would step on the teleport pad, whispering his destination as to not be followed by anyone. As he transformed into nothing but blue light he would close his eyes, knowing this would probably be the last time he would see the seventh floor. 

@Neopolitan

-Jonathan Left-

[Neopolitan 0]

It seemed Morgenstern was bent on the path he was walking and there was little else Neo could think of to deter him. She wasn't close enough to help him out. Letting him teleport away with no further resistance. She hoped that she would be able to see him again. Though it wasn't an impossibility, Neo sincerely hoped that Morgenestern would still be around to see the hundredth floor cleared. Neo made her way into the teleporter herself, selecting the seventh floor as her destination. Morgenstern had purposefully kept quiet about where he was heading, though she didn't mind that. It was about time he had the time to think over his actions. Perhaps one day he would be able to come around and realize that he is still competent. As it stood now, Neo decided to distract herself with a little bit of cooking so as to not fall into her own pit of despair.

Thread Summary:

Spoiler

<<Case of Wyrms>> Complete: <<Snake Venom>> (4 poison damage for 10 turns on critical hit for one thread), 3 SP

1 Page of RP completed: 400 Col and 1 SP

Totals:

• Neopolitan: 4 SP, 200 COl, Snake Venom
• @Morgenstern: 4 SP, 200 Col, Snake venom