[F02 - SP] Unsteady <<Let There Be Light>>

[Noctua 0]

Spoiler

Noctua
Level: 28
HP: 560/560 | EN: 56/56 | DMG: 11 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 3 | BRN: 24 | BLT: 24 | REGN: 5 | RECV: 1

Equipped:
» Jack's Graceful Repose [T2 Demonic Rapier [Burn // Blight // Cursed // Burn]]
» Owl's Wings [T1 Perfect Trinket [Accuracy // Recovery // Evasion]]
» Winged Armor [T2 Demonic Light Armor Coat [Cursed / EVA / EVA / Regen]]

Skills:
» Rapier - Rank 5

• Finesse - Rank 3

» First Aid - Rank 1

Extra Skills:
» Survival
» Fighter - Rank 3

She stared at the note that he had left when he left her sleeping in the inn room alone. They'll always be yours. She knew that it was to be expected that he wouldn't have stayed, but she didn't expect him to leave the necklace and the ring. She didn't want to wear them though, nor look at them. So she had thrown them into her storage to not really be seen from. She didn't know if her sleeping a day away was a good thing. She felt a tear fall from her face, and she quickly wiped that away, and any others that thought it would be cool to join it. Soon she slid the note into her pocket. It was possibly the only thing that she had that actually had his handwriting on it. Honestly, she probably should have thrown it into her storage as well, actually, that is what she did real fast. There, now she didn't have to worry about that distraction either, just her mind wanting to play its normal tricks on her psyche. Which, let's face it, was already gone at this point. Even Athena hadn't been able to bring the real and true Noctua back.

That Noctua was probably gone, and she didn't want to think about that. Koga had told her not to worry about him, but confessed that he didn't want her to die, but then just left her. Thinking on all of that, made her mind bring back the conversation with Alkor. She didn't know if Koga was coming back to her or not, and it was starting to mess with her head more than she was willing to admit to anyone. It was already known that she hadn't slept for days after her conversation with Koga and Alkor happening in the same day. While she was grateful for Alkor helping her distract herself from her woes for a time, it hadn't helped when she had gone back to her inn room. Then seeing Koga and possibly getting a glimpse of the man that she loved, and then seeing him leave once more, that seemed to just widen the hole that was starting to form where a heart should be.

She was sitting on a bench in the center of Urbus when someone approached her. She was ready to tell the player to go away, when she noticed that it was actually an NPC with a quest for her. So, she shrugged lightly and listened to the NPC. Something about some kids playing in a cave and one not back yet. So, a rescue mission? That shouldn't be too hard for her to do on her own. She knew that she should probably find a new group of people to go and level with, but getting close enough to Koga and Yukiro was hard enough on her, and look at how that has worked out for her. She smiled warmly though, something that seemed to be easier to fake when it was someone whom she didn't know well enough, and she accepted the quest. With the quest accepted, she pushed herself from her bench, and started out of the town. Athena was flying above her head, the white owl worried.

If this was going to be in a cave, was Noctua going to be able to see? Probably not, but it wasn't like Noctua was an expert in hitting things that she could see after all. Perhaps she just needed to be forever blind? She doubted that, but it seemed to be the only logical explanation right now. Even with Koga, she had only really been able to hit things in the dark. Unlike him. He almost killed her. No, her mind didn't let her forget that either. She had stared down his katana's blade when he had managed to stop his attack in time. She hadn't blinked, and she hadn't moved, she had been willing to take that death at that time, thinking that it might have made things better for him. But now, no now she was going to show him that she didn't need him. If he didn't want her to worry about him, then he shouldn't need to worry about her either.

[Noctua 0]

She had no idea where she was even going, she just knew that she was looking for a cave. She was guessing that it wasn't the same cave as the free lessons on the first floor, mainly because she wasn't on that floor anymore. But, she had never actually taken the time to explore floor two or do any of its quests. She wasn't going to let that stop her though, she had her new goals, level up on her own. That wasn't so hard to do right? Of course, Koga always had a group to do his leveling with, perhaps this is what was going to make her stronger than him. The pure fact that she wasn't scared anymore, and that she was going out on her own. The more that she thought about Koga though, the more that her heart seemed to hurt, to bleed. She knew one thing though, she wanted to so badly beat the crap out of Koga's little sister. But that still went against everything that she believed in.

Even the first time that Tala had pulled this crap, she still went and saved the little brat. But now, now Noctua wanted to make the brat disappear. But, she was certain that would hurt Koga and Yukiro both. While she hadn't seen Yuki yet since Koga found her, she was certain that the brat hadn't stayed away from him. She stopped in her tracks for a moment, making the owl above her head screech in confusion. There was anger just radiating off of Noctua at this point, she just wanted things to be normal, to be right. But that wasn't going to happen because of some little brat who might love her brother a little too much. Had anyone else noticed that? Or was it just Noctua who noticed this? It was irritating and aggravating, enough of an anger inducing thought that it made Noctua want to actually pull her hair out right then and there.

But, she wasn't going to. She forced herself to start moving once more, still not knowing exactly where it was that she was headed. But, that was alright, let her get lost, she might just be able to get rid of this anger. Or, she could find the cave faster, beat up some monsters in there, and feel better. All of this was just pure speculation of course, because things never worked in her favor like that. Never.

[Noctua 0]

She knew of at least one thing that was going to happen after this quest today, she was going to go back to the shop and actually attempt to craft. Why? Because she missed making things that helped the lower leveled characters. She took a moment to check her inventory, and noticed that she had no materials basically. Okay, she has a single tier one material, but that wouldn't allow for her to do anything. So she was going to need more. Perhaps she could look for some materials on her way to the cave? She shrugged at the thought, but did just that. She kept her eyes open and alert for anything that she might find, she knew that sometimes materials could just fall from the sky, it's happened to her before. As she walked though, she wondered how the others were doing. It was a habit that was hard to break, she always worried about other people above herself. Perhaps she should change that too?

That would be an interesting thing to see really, Noctua no longer putting others before herself. But if that were to happen, would she change too much for her to be able to say that this blasted game hadn't affected her? She doubted that really. If she were to turn selfish, she'd be no better than Koga and his sister. That thought actually made her laugh a little, which worried not only herself, but Athena as well. The white owl slowly lowered herself to Noctua's level before perching on the girl's shoulder. Athena attempted to rub her head against Noctua's but Noct shook her head instead, "Not right now Athena." The owl looked taken aback, or at least, that's how it would look to someone if they walked past Noctua and Athena at the moment.

This was also way beyond Noctua. She never pushed the owl away, but there was a minor problem with Athena right now, she was a constant reminder of the Koga that Noctua had known. A painful reminder. A reminder that told the woman that she man she had fallen in love with was gone. But, she knew that she couldn't completely push the bird away, but right now, it just hurt. She was thinking about Koga without wanting to, and it was hurting Noctua's soul. It was making her feel like she has nothing else for herself, but that blasted idiot.

Spoiler

ID: 184763
LD: 11

 

Edited March 4, 2021 by Noctua

[Noctua 0]

She knew that there was nothing in the entire world that was going to be able to replace him in her heart. She had found the one that she was meant to be with, and he pushed her aside after she told him what happened. Pushed her aside instead of trying to talk to her. Pushed her aside instead of trying to at least fix things enough to be friends. With her gaze still being kept looking for any kind of materials, she kept walking. She saw the cave that she was supposed to go into to find this missing child. She knew that there was going to be some monsters in there. But, there should be some light for her to be able to see where it was that she was going. She was going to be fine, and she knew it. She just needed to get over there and make sure that she was able to do something good for once. Do something that was helpful. Not be the useless person who just sat in an inn room or her shop doing nothing to progress on the floors with the rest of the players who wanted out.

Koga had given her something to do, something to look forward to, and now he wasn't in her life anymore, and if he was, he was cold and distant. He was there, but not there, and no matter how much she wanted to hug him and help him out of his pain, she knew that she couldn't. He couldn't even stand to look at her, no matter how much she tried to fix things, there was no fixing something if the other party didn't want it to be fixed. There was no point in caring about someone if they weren't going to care about her. That was something that actually made her cry a little when she thought about it. Because it made her think about the promises that they had made each other so long ago. "They were all just lies," the words were murmured before she could even stop them. Hearing them said out loud though, made everything seem different.

Was this the different perspective of everything that she needed to see it from? Was this the only way that she was going to be able to get past things? She wanted to hold onto the good times that they had together, but the more that she looked at them from someone else's point of view, the more that she felt like she could feel the lies. See them. Hear them. Everything, everything had just been a giant lie in the past, and she was starting to see that. The 'I love you's' and the promises, they were all lies. Painful and regretful lies.

Spoiler

ID: 184764
LD: 4

 

Edited March 4, 2021 by Noctua

[Noctua 0]

She stopped at the entrance of the cave, she had given up on trying to find materials, her luck wasn't with her today. That was to be expected, her heart wasn't into anything, if it was even with her anymore. They always say that home is where the heart is, but what if your heart has been broken so badly that it just can't seem to be found? That was a question that hurt to think on, so much. She didn't want to think on it, but there it was, right in the front of her mind, almost as if she could read the words in the air in front of her. She had told Koga that she'd leave Japan for him, and now, she didn't want to do that for him anymore. Well, she did, but she didn't want to think of it like that. She wanted it to be for herself, but there was nothing out there for her anymore. Yeah, she told Alkor that she would go to Korea, but, she didn't think that she could even do that anymore. That was where she and Koga were supposed to go when they got out of this death game.

But this death game killed Noctua, not physically, but mentally, emotionally, she wasn't the same anymore, and she was starting to notice this fully. "I can be tough and strong. I have to do everything for me now. Koga be damned." Yes, she knew exactly where she was trying to put her mindset. She wanted to be able to believe that she'd be better off on her own. But, even though her heart was shattered and the pieces missing, she knew what it wanted. Her heart wanted Koga by her side. She wanted to hold his hand, to feel his embrace again. Just the pure thoughts of this made her ball her fists. She didn't need him. She hadn't needed him before, she didn't need him now. He didn't need to be here. He didn't need to be constantly by her side.

Sure, she'd feel whole again, but if being pushed aside was the response to feeling whole, it wasn't worth it. Nothing was worth that. With all of this in her mind, she walked into the cave, only to quickly walk into a wall of pure darkness. Darkness and cold. "Shit." The single word could be heard before she started to slowly walk the cave. She listened to anything that might be around. She knew that the cave was going to be dark, but this was something else entirely different. This wasn't dark, this was what happened when she closed her eyes. Speaking of closing her eyes, was that Koga?

[Noctua 0]

No, that wasn't him. She was alone, purely alone. Her mind was playing its tricks on her. Showing her the exact reason why she doesn't like to sleep anymore. She quickly shook her head, only to feel Athena perched on her shoulder. "Athena, please remind me that we are alone." The owl hooted lowly and rubbed her feathered head against Noctua's. That didn't seem to help fully though, the image of Koga was still right in front of her face, and it was angering her as she walked. He wasn't getting closer or further away. He wasn't fading, he was just right there the entire time that she walked. So, she stopped and closed her eyes tightly. She watched as white blotches and stars entered her vision instead of the man that she was trying so hard to forget. When she opened her eyes again, he was gone, and she was alone in the dark.

Knowing that he was no longer in her vision, she started to walk once more. She wanted to be able to pay her fullest attention to finding this little girl, so that she can take the child back to her mother. A mother and a daughter should never be separated like this. It was too late for Noctua and her mother, that relationship was destroyed so long ago. But, that didn't mean that Noctua couldn't help a child in this game, even if it was just an NPC family. It was still a family. Still someone who needed help. So, she was going to do that. She was going to help. She was going to be useful. Furthermore, she was going to stay alone so that she could do just that.

As she walked, she felt something in front of her, but it was just a wall of the cave. She sighed lightly and leaned against it for a few moments. "I really am hopeless alone, aren't I?" She knew that it was a thought that she shouldn't think, but it was hard not to think it when she was standing alone, in a dark cave, that she couldn't see anything in. She felt her anger boiling from deep down once more, and she balled her fist, before punching the wall of the cave. The usual hexagon showed up, showing that it was unkillable, and she didn't care. She didn't care about that pain that was in her hand. She didn't care about anything, but proving to herself that she was able to do this without being some stupid damsel in distress. She wasn't playing that fairy tale gig again. No, not anymore.

[Noctua 0]

She kept her hand on the wall as she walked. This was at least going to be able to help her guide herself around this dark cave. Of course, her hand was pulsing and hurting, but that was fine. It kept her thoughts from wavering to a darker place. A place that no one would want to see her go to. A place where her friends list would be emptied, and no one would hear from her again. That was a place that she didn't want to delve into, she felt like she was already there once more, and she didn't want to go back. She didn't want to chance losing whatever reconciliations that she would be able to make in the future. She didn't want to lose those who would actually forgive her and mean it, and not give her a lie. Yes Koga, you lied to her when you said that you forgave her, oh wait, you never did forgive her, did you? No, you even told her that you didn't believe her, without even realizing how much that hurt her. You thought only of yourself, and now look at what it's done to Noctua, she's not the same.

She's broken, a shell, a husk. The same thing that she had called you. But, you showed your remorse, your true self for a split second, then ran away from her again. And now, here she stands, in a cave, trying so hard not to let the tears fall down her face. She knew that they were there. She knew that she was still going to call Koga her own, even if he never said the same thing about her in return. No, she had to chase away these demons, alone, and in the dark. She needed to do this for her. She had to find some kind of way to get over the man who broke her. To forget the man that had given her so many empty promises. To forget the man that gave up on fighting for her, and just, left her behind. There was nothing left there for her now, and she was able to see this.

She was able to see that she was going to be better off alone. She just needed to prove that now, and that was going to be the hardest part of this entire thing. But, she was going to fight for herself, find new ways to distract her mind so that she could sleep again. Find new ways to get stronger, to be able to do things on her own. And it all started right here, and right now. Just as she was thinking this, she heard the sound of something flying toward her, but Athena was still on her shoulder. That meant one thing, a fight.

[Noctua 0]

Spoiler

Noctua: HP: 560/560 | EN: 54 (56-2)/56 | DMG: 11 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 3 | BRN: 24 | BLT: 24 | REGN: 5 | RECV: 1

Giant Bat: HP: 50/50 | DMG: 20

Giant Bat attacks Noctua and Misses!
Noctua uses Accel Stub against the Giant Bat and Misses!

Spoiler

ID: 184818
MD: 1
DMG: Miss

ID: 184819
BD: 2 (1+1)
DMG: Miss

 

She focused on the Giant Bat, or at least, she thought that she was. She was utterly stuck in the dark, and she didn't like this at all. All because she couldn't even see three feet in front of her own face. This was going to be a horrible fight, and she knew it, but she wasn't going to stop from trying her hardest to win. To show that she wasn't useless all the time. Or was that just how she felt about herself? That would probably make a little sense, but then, with all the lies that she had been told since she met Koga, she didn't know what to believe anymore. She knew one thing though, Athena's white feathers seemed to pull the Giant Bat's attention, because it missed her, completely. She didn't mind that at all, and she went to charge her own sword art to attack the bat.

Of course, she saw that her rapier's blade was turning purple, and the more that she thought about everything, the darker it started to turn, until it was black. That was when she released the skill, in the general direction that she had heard the thud from the giant bat hitting the wall. Only, she missed, and she knew it, because she felt her blade hit the wall, and the vibrations that came afterwards seemed to agitate her already hurt hand more. She was not liking this fight at all after all, but she wasn't going to give up. She wasn't going to fall down and give in. Furthermore, she was going to win this, she just has to believe in her herself. Like she had before when he was by her side.

She moved and listened to her surroundings. She was going to win this fight, she just knew it.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Noctua

[Noctua 0]

Spoiler

Noctua: HP: 560/560 | EN: 53 (54+1-2)/56 | DMG: 11 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 3 | BRN: 24 | BLT: 24 | REGN: 5 | RECV: 1

Giant Bat: HP: 50/50 | DMG: 20

Giant Bat attacks Noctua and Misses!
Noctua uses Accel Stub against the Giant Bat and Misses!

Spoiler

ID: 184820
MD: 5 (8-3)
DMG: Miss

ID: 184821
BD: 2 (1+1)
DMG: Miss

 

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

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

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

Edited March 4, 2021 by Noctua

[Noctua 0]

Spoiler

Noctua: HP: 560/560 | EN: 53 (53+1-1)/56 | DMG: 11 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 3 | BRN: 24 | BLT: 24 | REGN: 5 | RECV: 1

Giant Bat: HP: 17 (50-33)/50 | DMG: 20

Giant Bat attacks Noctua and Misses!
Noctua uses Accel Stub against the Giant Bat and Hits!

Spoiler

ID: 184822
MD: 1
DMG: Miss

ID: 184823
BD: 7 (7-1+1)
DMG: 33 (11x3)

 

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

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

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

Edited March 4, 2021 by Noctua

[Noctua 0]

Spoiler

Noctua: HP: 560/560 | EN: 53 (53+1-1)/56 | DMG: 11 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 3 | BRN: 24 | BLT: 24 | REGN: 5 | RECV: 1

Giant Bat: HP: 0 (17-36)/50 | DMG: 20 >>Dead<<

Giant Bat attacks Noctua and Misses!
Noctua uses Accel Stub against the Giant Bat and Critically Hits!
Giant Bat dies!

Spoiler

ID: 184824
MD: 4 (7-3)
DMG: Miss

ID: 184825
BD: 9 (-1+1)
DMG: 36 (11+1x3)

 

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

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

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

Edited March 4, 2021 by Noctua

[Noctua 0]

Spoiler

Noctua: HP: 560/560 | EN: 54 (53+1)/56 | DMG: 11 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 3 | BRN: 24 | BLT: 24 | REGN: 5 | RECV: 1

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

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

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

[Noctua 0]

Spoiler

Noctua: HP: 560/560 | EN: 55 (54+1)/56 | DMG: 11 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 3 | BRN: 24 | BLT: 24 | REGN: 5 | RECV: 1

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

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

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

[Noctua 0]

Spoiler

Noctua: HP: 560/560 | EN: 55 (55+1-1)/56 | DMG: 11 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 3 | BRN: 24 | BLT: 24 | REGN: 5 | RECV: 1

Giant Bat: HP: 17 (50-33)/50 | DMG: 20

Noctua attacks the Giant Bat and Hits!
The Giant Bat attacks Noctua and Misses!

Spoiler

ID: 184826
BD: 6 (6-1+1)
DMG: 33 (11x3)

ID: 184827
MD: 2 (5-3)
DMG: Miss

 

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

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

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

Edited March 4, 2021 by Noctua

[Noctua 0]

Spoiler

Noctua: HP: 560/560 | EN: 55 (55+1-1)/56 | DMG: 11 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 3 | BRN: 24 | BLT: 24 | REGN: 5 | RECV: 1

Giant Bat: HP: 0 (17-33)/50 | DMG: 20 >>Dead<<

Noctua attacks the Giant Bat and Hits!
The Giant Bat dies!

Spoiler

ID: 184828
BD: 7 (7-1+1)
DMG: 33 (11x3)

 

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

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

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

Edited March 4, 2021 by Noctua

[Noctua 0]

Spoiler

Noctua: HP: 560/560 | EN: 56 (55+1)/56 | DMG: 11 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 3 | BRN: 24 | BLT: 24 | REGN: 5 | RECV: 1

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

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

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

[Noctua 0]

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

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

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

[Noctua 0]

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

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

Not anymore.

[Noctua 0]

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

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

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

Spoiler

ID: 184830
LD: 9

Col Gained: 225 (9x25)

 

Edited March 4, 2021 by Noctua

[Noctua 0]

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

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

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

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

Thread Summery:

Spoiler

4 SP (2 Quest + 1 Thread + 1 Quarantine)
625 Col (400 Thread + 225 Quest Reward)