[F13-PP] Did You Wake Me Up? Did You Bring Me Here? <<Arabian Nights: Libel>>

Hirru · September 27, 2023

Did You Wake Me Up? Did You Bring Me Here?
<<Arabian Nights: Libel>>

As time passes, one would think that the floors were coming alive. More and more were NPC's becoming more life-like. The environment would change as the effects of the felled bosses would fade away. Some floors flourished, while some have yet to change. All in all, the floating castle, Aincrad, was growing ever so slightly. Not so much in length, but in prosperity. Though, that did not mean that the changes would go unnoticed by some. Most players were not caring about the big or small changes that happened in floors that have long since become unnecessary to travel to, or to cherish the floors that seem more like peaceful escapes rather than hopeless futures. Only a few quests that could possibly turn their head towards such stagnant and hollow floors.

That is why the hunter was here now. The thirteenth floor was home to the final chapter of the Arabian Nights quest line, or so he thought. All he knew was that Ali had sent over a notice to him about a man named Qamaqim, an Arch Thief, as it were. As soon as the quest prompt to start it had come up, Hirru would smirk before sending a message to his partner that he had rummaged through the whole thing with. He would be needing the help much more than before.

Quote

To: @Freyd
From: Hirru

Got another Arabian Nights quest to burn through. Are you interested? If so, meet me on the 13th floor. If not, got something else in mind?

"Didn't expect to see you here? Ali gave you a vague description too? Seems like we're both in it this time."

Looking back to the voice, a familiar dual scimitar wielding woman would grace his vision. He should have known that Morgiana would be here too. She had been there for the last couple quests, and was probably here to make it the last one too. Hopefully, Hirru didn't have to do this alone with her.

"We'll have a third, maybe. Don't you worry about that."

Morgiana survived

https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/21019-pp-pt-f7-never-had-a-friend-like-me/page/3/?tab=comments#comment-643016

Quest Info

Spoiler

Floor 13
<<Arabian Nights: Libel>>
Party Limit: 4 | 20+ Posts
Must have completed <<Arabian Nights: Unfinished Business>>
Repeatable for standard thread rewards.

Quest Rewards:

2,500 Experience Points
50,000 col
POTENTIAL REWARD | Each player receives:
- Jathoom's Spine
  - Granted upon the defeat of <<Jathoom>>.
  - T4 Unique Consumable | Gain one slot of Vampiric (Defensive) for the duration of one thread. Does not stack with its enhancement counterpart.
POTENTIAL REWARD | Each player receives:
- Qarinah's Blood
  - Granted upon the defeat of <<Qarinah>>.
  - T4 Unique Consumable | Gain one slot of Vampiric (Offensive) for the duration of one thread. Does not stack with its enhancement counterpart.
POTENTIAL REWARD | Party leader receives:
- Shard of Diablos
  - Granted only to the party leader if <<Morgiana>> is still alive upon the defeat of both <<Jathoom>> and <<Qarinah>>.
  - Unique Consumable | Removes one enhancement on a weapon of Tier 4 or below and replaces it with Vampiric (Offensive). This effect cannot override its maximum cap. This item is consumed on use.

Requirements:

(Optional) If adding <<Morgiana>> to the party, meeting with Morgiana.
Use Tracking or Searching to find Qamaqim
Seek out, find and agree to help either Qamaqim or Dalilah.
Escort Qamaqim or Dalilah to their destinations.
Decide whether to interfere or stand aside as Qamaqin and Delilah confront each other
Fight Jathoom and/or Qarinah.
Travel with Qamaqim or Dalilah to their destinations.
Find and talk to Qamaqim or Dalilah.

Summary:

Ali's message is curt this time. It isn’t clear if it was out of faith in the abilities of wayward adventurers, or if it is out of spite for his beneficiaries. Either way, his instructions direct players towards the thirteenth floor. Alongside his notes are a sketch of the man players are told to seek out. Most of the language is foreign on the sheet of papyrus, but one title and name are clear: Arch Thief Qamaqim.

No other description lies about the nature of his directions. Unusual, but perhaps the man to be sought out will have further information.

Outline:

If Morgiana survived <<Arabian Nights: Unfinished Business>> for all players in the party:

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“Well met. Ali was not insistent on my arrival...”

The players may choose to add Morgiana to their party as an ally. The party will gain bonuses to certain rolls made during this quest if she joins them.

Against the drab and dreary backdrop of Breath of Life, Morgiana’s clothing makes her stick out like a sore thumb. So it is within reason she could only be found hiding out in one of the alleyways of the settlement, waving over to players should they manage to catch sight of her striking colours.

When questioned about the nature of the search, Morgiana will admit she knows nothing about Ali’s interest in finding Qamaqim. Her only rationale is that the thief was a good friend of her employer, and that she’s seen him multiple times during his visits to Ali’s abode. Distant associates, but close ties; that would be the best way the woman could describe the relationship between the two men.

The thread closure post for <<Arabian Nights: Unfinished Business>> for all participating players must be listed in the closing post for this thread. Morgiana can only participate if she survived for all players participating in the thread.

PART I | SEEKING CONTACT

In the expanse of Floor Thirteen, it’s difficult to find who one might be looking for without running into trouble. Players have the following options to complete this section of the quest; the party as a whole must pick one.

Tracking | Route requirement: <<Tracking>> mod

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Searching

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Without any other options to aid in the investigation, players must trek through the ruins on foot. Scouring the floor takes a post action, and players should consult the following chart. Player CD and LD bonuses apply.

CD	LD	Outcome
[1 - 6]	[1 - 5]	Spawn enemies: Corrupted Beasts (4)
	[6 - 10]	Spawn enemies: Corrupted Beasts (4)
	[11 - 15]	Nothing found.
	[16 - 20]	Nothing found.
[7 - 12]	[1 - 5]	Find one (1) material per party member.
	[6 - 10]	Find 500 col per party member.
	[11 - 15]	Find Qamaqim.
	[16 - 20]	Find... Dalilah?

If Morgiana is in the party: Players will benefit from an LD +2 and a CD +1 bonus when rolling on the table above.

Finding Qamaqim or Dalilah will start players on the next section of this quest.

PART II | MAKING CONTACT

Here, the party as a collective would have found someone of importance. Depending on which NPC is found, different interactions will occur. The party must either choose to help Qamaqim or Delilah.

Qamaqim

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When the thief is found, there is little fanfare in his meeting the party, but the man does seem to be enthusiastic about new faces. “Hail,” he returns, a grin gracing his visage and an empty palm raised to his companions. At his notice of Morgiana or the party’s explanation of their search, his beam only grows stronger, happy to have accomplices by his side. “I can’t return home just yet, and certainly not tend to what Ali needs from my company.” Qamaqim folds his arms, and closes his eyes in thought for a beat. “But I suppose a suitable reason should be issued, lest you go back empty handed.”

“I’m searching for my friend’s body. He just got murdered the other night.”

“I have reason to believe the murderer I’m looking for is on this floor,” the man continues. “Her name is Dalilah. Tall woman, wearing red. My friend’s wife. Don’t know how the corpse is supposed to look, though. I only know of her plans to return here, and nothing else...”

Qamaqim is visibly perplexed, two fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. “I hate to put someone else in danger, but I’ve been searching for quite some time now with little to no luck. Pray accompany me on my journey? We’ll put a stop to her madness together, and when the job’s done, we could make the return trip together. It’s safer in numbers.”

Any attempt to use the [Tracking] mod to find Dalilah will return a surprising lack of results. Qamaqim will take notice of this and return the player a wry smile. “Good to know it wasn’t just me,” he comments, before starting to trek ahead. With a wave, he beckons. “Don’t worry, we’ve got more eyes on the scene now. We’ll be able to find her together.”

Players who have chosen to side with Qamaqim must proceed with searching for Dalilah. To do so, each player must take an action upon the following chart until their target has been found. Player CD and LD bonuses apply.

CD	LD	Outcome
[1 - 6]	[1 - 5]	Spawn enemies: Corrupted Beasts (4)
	[6 - 10]
	[11 - 15]
	[16 - 20]	Find Dalilah.
[7 - 12]	[1 - 5]	Nothing found.
	[6 - 10]	Nothing found.
	[11 - 15]	Find 500 col per party member.
	[16 - 20]	Find Dalilah.

If Morgiana is in the party: Players will benefit from a flat LD +2 and a CD +1 bonus when rolling on the table above.

An LD +1 bonus will also stack for each search attempt players have made in this section. This bonus is chained with the party; after Player #1 has made their attempt, Player #2 will gain a +1 to their roll, Player #3 will gain +2 to their roll, etc.

When the players find Delilah, proceed with the next section of this quest.

Dalilah

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Where players might expect to catch a glimpse of blue cloth in the dark, instead they find a striking red in the sunlight, belonging to a woman carrying a long item wrapped in gauze in her arms.

Both parties will catch notice of each other at the same time. Dalilah is surprised; introducing herself with caution when the players approach her. “I hadn’t expected there to be travelers in such a desecrated location,” she explains. “Perhaps you may be willing to help me, then?”

Her sights are cast down to the object in her arms, hugging the wraps tightly. “My husband. He passed away the other day. Unfortunate that I couldn’t help him.” Dalilah’s gaze sweeps the vicinity, expression somber as she continues. “Though the land has been ravaged by some blight, I’m sure he’d like to be buried in my homeland, to wait for me until the day I finally join him in death. But the road ahead is treacherous… Sticking to the shadows is as deadly as stepping into broad daylight.”

She takes one foot forward, turning towards the direction she was headed, eyes set on the distance before bouncing back towards the players before her. “If you have time, travelers, would you mind guiding me to safety? I don’t have much to repay you with, but the kind gesture would certainly be appreciated.”

Players who have chosen to side with Dalilah must proceed with escorting her to her destination. To do so, players must take post actions outside of combat to roll for LD. Players will need to meet a collective LD threshold based on the following chart to reach their destination. Player LD bonuses apply.

Number of Players	LD Quota
1	50
2	80
3	110
4	125

In addition, the natural CD of these rolls will be used to determine the following events:

CD	Outcome
[1 - 2]	Spawn enemies: Corrupted Beasts (4)
[3 - 8]	Nothing happens.
[9 - 10]	Find one (1) material per party member.
[11 - 12]	Find 500 col per party member.

If Morgiana is in the party: Players will benefit from a flat LD +3 bonus when rolling for travel progress.

When the LD quota has been met, players may proceed with the next section of this quest.

The party may take a player's post action to disengage from the located NPC should they wish to retry the Part I: Searching section of this quest. This also applies to parties who have taken the Tracking route.

Disengaging from an NPC will alter the chart in that section of the quest; upon rolling for the NPC that they have just located, they will locate the alternative NPC instead (eg. Upon disengaging from Qamaqim, rolling for Find Qamaqim will now yield a Find Dalilah result). Disengaging from one NPC will lock the party into the new result; players will not be able to disengage a second time.

Upon clearing this section of the quest:

If the players had followed Qamaqim:

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The rogue is the one who spots scarlet first.

“There,” he shouts, then charges past the party with vengeance in his eyes. “Murderer!”

It stuns the woman stooped to the ground, a ravel of wraps across a figure laid next to her feet. Garbed in red, as Qamaqim had duly noted before, Dalilah rises to her feet and brandishes a dagger, held underhanded just as the thief slides to a halt a few paces away from her. He wields his own rapier, teeth gritted in response.

“Murderer?” Dalilah snarls. “On what basis do you claim that to be my title?”

“Don’t play daft with me, seductress,” Qamaqim growls back. “You and your Carmine Weavers have always liked playing the long game. And this certainly wouldn’t be the last kill your will kind claim.”

The woman’s eyes narrow; it is clear that the pain etched on her face is genuine. No sign in her body language suggests any loosening of her ferocity. “If that is the conclusion you have come to,” the woman returns, “Then you should do your research better in the next life. I did not kill my husband.”

In grief, the thief howls back.

“Liar!”

If the players had followed Dalilah:

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“There!”

The call comes from the blue just as the party closes in on their destination catches everybody off guard. A thunder of footsteps race up towards the party; a look of horror gracing the man’s visage should Morgiana be amongst the troupe, but it is quickly masked with a scowl of anger once again. “Murderer!”

Dalilah barely has time to hand her beloved’s corpse to another of her allies, brandishing a dagger to defend herself. Qamaqim skids, stopping but a few paces away from the squad, pulling out a rapier, eyes filled with anger.

“Murderer?” Dalilah snarls. “On what basis do you claim that to be my title?”

“Don’t play daft with me, seductress,” Qamaqim growls back. “You and your Carmine Weavers have always liked playing the long game. And this certainly wouldn’t be the last kill your will kind claim.”

The woman’s eyes narrow; it is clear that the pain etched on her face is genuine. No sign in her body language suggests any loosening of her ferocity. “If that is the conclusion you have come to,” the woman returns, “Then you should do your research better in the next life. I did not kill my husband.”

In grief, the thief howls back.

“Liar!”

PART III | A CONFRONTATION

Be advised that during this segment, rolls for enhancement CD procs (e.g. Recovery, etc.) must be made separately from your attack rolls. Rolls for opponents and Morgiana must also be made separately.

As the two adversaries are squabbling, players have the following courses of action to take. The party as a whole must pick one:

Do nothing

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Qamaqim takes the first move -- he lunges towards Dalilah, who skirts away from the party in an attempt to lead danger away from potential innocents. Their fighting is fast-paced; it is easy to tell that both individuals are highly skilled at their respective arms. Though Dalilah seems to fend her attacker off fairly well, a mistimed block earns her a cut on the side of her waist. Then, she grows furious, and a monstrous knock of her knife against the side of Qamaqim’s blade sets it free of his grasp. Her wrist is nearly slashed clean from the maneuver; instead, in a stroke of luck, a glaring gash of white and red sits upon her arm.

With two bare hands she pulls the thief up by the neck of his garb. Another powerful throw as the man struggles to free himself sends Qamaqim flying behind ruins. Dalilah pounces after her kill, and in that moment made obvious that her physical prowess was not a trick of the imagination. Was that some inhumane howl -- no, two of them? The grunting and spitting from the rubble announces some things much more devastating at work.

Players must fight <<Jathoom>> and <<Qarinah>> at the same time to complete this quest.

<<Jathoom>> will gain <<Injured>>.
<<Qarinah>> will gain <<Ferocious>>, <<Devour>>.

Attempt to stop the fight | Route requirement: 2+ players or Morgiana is present in party

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- - - - -

Depending on the results of the CD roll, one of the following two scenes plays out:

Kill Jathoom

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Kill Qarinah

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Allies:

<<Morgiana>>

Her prowess is still nigh unmatchable, and her elegance in combat performance still regions to this day. Hey -- isn’t dual wielding kind of a cheat for someone other than the Unique Skill user to flaunt around anyway? What gives?

HP: 620/620 | DMG: 15 | MIT: 85 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BLEED: 48 (9-10) | PARALYZE (9-10)

Abilities:

Direct Orders | Morgiana's actions are determined by the Party Leader.
Dual Wielding | The user of two blades, Morgiana is capable of attacking the same target twice per turn.
Discreet | Despite attacking twice per turn, she will only generate hate on her initial/first attack.
Emergency Recovery | When non-fatal damage would leave Morgiana with less than 155 HP, she will recover 62 HP immediately after the attack resolves. This effect cannot occur more than once per round.
Sword Arts | This ally uses sword arts. Look to the table below to determine the art they use in battle.
- The sword arts used by this enemy are affected by cooldowns. These cooldowns will hence be affected by [Delay]. Refer to the resources list [here] to view each art’s respective cooldowns. Should an art be on cooldown, the list cycles upwards until a sword art is found to be available for use.
  
  Examples:
  - [Legion Destroyer] is on cooldown, but [Butterfly Illusion] is not. The ally uses [Butterfly Illusion].
  - [Lasting Chopper] is on cooldown, and so is [Meteor Fall], but [Bear Knock] is not. The ally uses [Bear Knock].

Conditions		Weapon Type
MD	CD	Curved Sword
- - -		[x5] Bear Knock
[1 - 8]	[1 - 4]	[x9] Meteor Fall
[1 - 8]	[5 - 8]	[x9 Focus] Lasting Chopper
[1 - 8]	[9 - 12]	[x11] Dancing Hellraiser
[9 - 10]	[1 - 6]	[x11 AoE] Butterfly Illusion
[9 - 10]	[7 - 12]	[x13 AoE] Legion Destroyer

NPCs:

<<Qamaqim>>

If there hadn’t been wanted papers included with his sketch, perhaps ‘Arch Thief Qamaqim’ would’ve sounded only like a self-title. However, true to his (most definitely public) moniker, he is cunning and quick, but first and foremost he is a friendly, emotional sort of man.

<<Dalilah>>

Demure is a description that comes to mind describing Dalilah; she is curt, courteous, modest, but sharp and quick-witted when it comes to her environment. She doesn’t mind chatter, but won’t share much of herself nor her life -- a private type of person, most likely still grieving the loss of her loved one.

Enemies:

<<Corrupted Beast>>

Awful hound-like creatures made out of shadow, vile and bones. They might’ve once been human, but it’s hard to tell now, when their living form is but coagulated darkness in a carapaced mess.

Corrupted Beast | HP: 500/500 | DMG: 150 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2

<<Jathoom>>

This four-legged vessel’s face morphs continuously; yellow eyes grow at will upon its form so that it’s aware of its surroundings at all times. Its limbs morph into hands and arms that are humanoid; and yet, it moves gracefully like a stag, a dream turned night terror and become reality.

Jathoom | HP: 1950/1950 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 100 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | THORNS: 30
This boss uses its own BD roll when attacking.

Abilities:

Demonic Rest | The Jathoom is a creature of sleep. It may apply <<SLEEPING>>, a status disablement that causes players to lose their turns until attacked by an enemy. Players can remove this effect from other players by sacrificing their post action to do so.
Narcolepsy | On a natural roll of BD8+, if the attack connects with its target, the player gains <<SLEEPING>>. This status effect cannot be parried. The attack is to be resolved before <<SLEEPING>> is applied.
Sleep Paralysis | Victim’s of the Jathoom’s spell will not dream; instead, they are forced to reckon with ghastly terrors in their present world muted of colours. Players who are <<SLEEPING>> will suffer from Jathoom’s thorns' damage on its turn. This damage will not awaken the target and is unmitigatable.
Appendage Growth | On turns where at least one player has <<SLEEPING>>, the Jathoom will gain +25 MIT and +5 THORNS. This effect does not stack if multiple players are sleeping.
Self-Mending | The Jathoom’s body is capable of repair. When targeted by a player’s attack roll of a natural LD15+, the creature will heal 50 HP after damage is dealt if the damage is non-fatal.
Injured | Fighting with the <<Qarinah>> has weakened the Jathoom’s structure. Self-Mending will be nullified.
- This effect is only applicable if the players chose the Do nothing route.

<<Qarinah>>

Anyone trying to describe it as a dazzling, voluptuous creature, would have been slain within the first few seconds of encountering such a beast. This demon is audacious, brash and cutthroat -- its swift, whirling, jaunty maneuvers are but its victim’s dance macabre.

Qarinah | HP: 2250/2250 | DMG: 200 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2 | BLEED: 48 (8-10)
This boss uses its own BD roll when attacking.

Abilities:

Phantasm | The Qarinah is a creature of dreams. On misses against the Qarinah, players will gain a stack of <<HALLUCINATING>>, which applies a -1 ACC until their next successful attack. <<HALLUCINATING>> can stack up to a maximum of 3 times.
Embargo | Qarinah is a tricky devil, and her wings give her much promise in the way of disrupting players’ actions. The first item used at the start of a turn will benefit Qarinah instead of the players, the demon having stolen it away from them.
- Buffs that affect members of the party will benefit Qarinah instead.
- If the item is a debuff, Qarinah will use it against the primary hate target instead. If there is no stated hate target, players get to decide who receives the debuff.
- Qarinah still has to obey consumable enhancement cap limitations. She will gain buffs in accordance with the order in which the Players attack her, gaining their respective buffs. Once she has reached the maximum number of combat buffs (5), she will not acquire any more.
Gentle Grip | The Qarinah can grow long nails and swipe every target on the battlefield. On natural rolls of BD9+, roll against every player in the party. If the attack hits, it deals 150 mitigatable DMG and Bleed, dealing 48 unmitigatable damage for two turns. This status effect cannot stack, but can refresh. Gentle grip replaces the original attack, and can only trigger once per round.
Vampiric | Triggers on a natural roll of CD9+, as part of an attack roll against any player. If the attack hits, Qarinah heals for 125 HP instead of dealing damage. This effect is automatically considered a hit if the target is suffering from Bleed.
- If triggered on the same round, <<Gentle Grip>>'s effects will occur before <<Vampiric>>.
- Separate rolls must be made for <<Gentle Grip>> and <<Vampiric>> if they are to occur in the same turn.
Tenacious | Disablements (stuns, paralysis, freeze) will not remove this enemy’s evasion, but will still remove its next post action.
Devour | On turns where a player is <<SLEEPING>> (see below), the Qarinah will attack them instead of the primary hate target, healing for the amount of damage the player receives after mitigation. In the event that multiple players are <<SLEEPING>>, Qarinah will attack the target with the highest hate. If multiple <<SLEEPING>> players are tied for highest hate, she will attack the player that most recently used an action.
- This effect is only applicable should players have picked the Do nothing route.
Ferocious | Angered by the <<Jathoom>>, Qarinah’s strikes are likely to be destructive. When <<Gentle Grip>> occurs, Qarinah’s attacks will apply <<SLEEPING>> to targets who are <<HALLUCINATING>>.
- This effect is only applicable should players have picked the Do nothing route.

Epilogue:

If Morgiana is alive:

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Her tone is terse once the fighting has calmed down. “Perhaps Ali’s judgement was correct,” she mutters; her expression isn’t necessary to understand the confusion mapped beneath her mask. Devilkin hunting was never within Morgiana’s realm of work, after all. A shake of her head helps to connect her to the present. “It is not the adventurers’ responsibility to inform him of today’s matters in full. Allow me to omit the details as necessary.”

If the party defeated both Jathoom and Qarinah:

Something on the dirt would catch the sword dancer’s eye. She picks it up -- it is a small, lengthy crystal pulsing with black and white energy. At the heart of it are lobules of red, shifting around its form as though it were a lava lamp.

“Strange,” she comments, examining it with a careful eye. Then, Morgiana extends it over to one of the players in the party. “Is fortune following one of you around? Maybe this is for your troubles today.”

If only Qamaqim is alive:

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If only Dalilah is alive:

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If no NPCs are alive:

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Hirru Stats

Spoiler

Hirru | HP: 960/960 | EN: 108/108 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 122 | BH: 48 | HLY BLS: 38 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 36

Hirru Lvl 33 (PL 62)

960 HP
108 Energy
1 Base Damage
122 Mitigation
5% Battle Healing
4% Holy Blessing
8 Recovery
32 Thorns
20% Life Mend

Equipment

Paladin's Oath ..................... // +4% Holy Blessing / +20% Life Mending
Light's Embrace .................... // +8 Recovery / 32 Thorns
Bulwark ............................ // +72 Mitigation
~~Blades Cloak ....................... // Vanity~~
Lun'Rael's Insignia ................ // Unique Vanity |
Fates Armament (Shield) ............ // Unique Vanity |
Dimensional Backpack ............... // +1 B.R.I Slot

Battle Ready Inventory

<Teleportation Crystal> x5 ......... // Teleport to a town / out of a dungeon [Uses 2 posts: 1 for use, next to teleport]
<Favor of the Golden Dragon> ....... // +3 Loot Die
<Shelob's Fang> .................... // +1 Accuracy / +1 Paralyze / +32 Envenom Off
<Mass HP Recovery Crystal> x5 ...... // +10% AOE Heal
<Dear My Friend (Mass)> x5 ......... // +15% AOE Heal
<Dear My Friend (Instant)> x5 ...... // +15% ST Heal

Skills

Heavy Armor ........................ // Rank 5: +35 MIT
Battle Healing ..................... // Rank 5: +5% HP each turn
Search ............................. // Rank 5: +5 Loot Die / +5 Stealth Detection
Quick Change ....................... // Rank 0: Change items in B.R.I to equipment (Free Act)

Extra Skills (Max 4)

First Aid .......................... // Rank 5: +20% ST-H / -15 EN
Leadership ......................... // Rank 5: Command the Front w/ Buffs

Skill Mods / Addons (Max 5 Mods)

Iron Skin (Add on) ................. // +15 Mit / +60 HP
Field Medic (Add on) ............... // +25% AOE-H / -15 EN / 3 turn Cooldown
Hyperactive (Add on) ............... // +3 EN Regen for 3 turns / -5 EN / 3 turn Cooldown
Reveal (Add on)..................... // +2 to Dungeon, Labyrinth searches / Post 10 searches / 3 turn Labyrinth Cooldown

Barrier ............................ // -15% Dmg shield AOE / -15 EN / 2 turn Cooldown
Energize ........................... // +8 EN ST / -10 EN
Rally .............................. // +1 ACC AOE, -1 ACC self / -6 EN / 3 turn Cooldown
Press The Attack ................... // +(Target Tier) Dmg, -(Cumulative)Dmg / -10 En / 5 turn Cooldown
Detect ............................. // +1 to Labyrinth searches | +2 Stealth Detect

Housing / Buffs

Rested ............................. // -1 EN for 2 uses
Relaxed ............................ // OOC HP regen 5*tier Rec EN after 2 turns
Filling ............................ // Increase food by +1 T1 slot
Multipurpose ....................... // +1 LD, Stealth, Dection, or Prosperity to 1 post
Ambition Scales .................... // +1 EXP per crafting attempt (Appraiser)
Practiced Angler ................... // +2 EXP & +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts
Amphitrite's Net ................... // +1 CD to fishing attempts

Edited September 27, 2023 by Hirru

Freyd · September 28, 2023

Reading the message, Freyd had forgotten that the recently added next episode in the Arabian saga had been planted in his own backyard. Perhaps not literally, the monastery ruins being a more factual boundary, but so few players chose to make their home in the zombie-infested wastelands of floor 13 that it was easy to think of the whole thing as his own overgrown lawn. It had been ages since the two of them had worked together, other than the recently completed raid. Event the last Arabian quest they'd completed seemed like ages ago. Hirru was also good people. There were few in Aincrad that he could so easily work side by side with, and therefore relished the opportunity.

Grabbing what few necessities weren't already on his person and downing a small buffet of snacks on his way out, it took only a few minutes for him to locate and join them.

"Mgrmanana, wumn't if?" The back half of some partially eaten buff meal was still sticking out of his mouth as he chewed. A quick swallow added some clarity. "Hey, Hirru. Thanks for the invite. I wouldn't miss it. And thank you also for that stellar performance in the recent raid. You really had our backs, and team was very grateful for your efforts. I hope you're doing well."

Morgiana seemed as aloof and unimpressed as ever. It was hard to tell whether Freyd might be deliberately taunting her or if it was simply his own quirky nature at play.

"Don't we need to track somebody down or something? 'Come-again', it sounded like? I've done this bit before and can play support for this bit, if you'll allow it." Still siphoning through the mental catalog of quest objectives and NPC's he'd previously encountered, he was trying to recall the specific name to be able to target accurately with his tracking mod. It would be especially unfortunate if he accidentally led them into some brothel or crashed somebody's wedding by getting even a single character wrong in the spelling.

***

Freyd consumes:

Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 | EN: 152/152 | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 3 | BH: 73 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | DOTE: 3/3 | TRLBLD

Spoiler

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadow
Level: 33
Paragon Level: 121
HP: 1180/1180+177
EN: 152/152

Stats:
Damage: 23+3
Mitigation: 103+60
Accuracy: 5+2
EVA: 0+2+1
Battle Healing: 64+9
Loot Dice: 5+3
FLN: 16
HLY: 16
PARA IMMUNE
REC: 8

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Samael's Pride | T4 MA | FLN 2 | HLY 2
Armor: Fallen Angel Garb | T4 LA | MIT 2 | REC 2
Misc: The Shadowed Rose| T3 Trinket | ACC 3 | Para.Imm

Combat Mastery: Damage R3
Combat Shift: AOE
Familiar Skill: Grappling Familiar
Custom Skill: n/a

Skills:
Martial Arts R5
Battle Healing R5
Light Armor R5
Searching R4
Charge
Energist
Quick Change
Extended Mod Limit
Extended Weight Limit
Fighting Spirit
Howl

Active Mods:
Night Vision
Tracking
Meticulous
Emergency Recovery
Untraceable

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Ferocity
Precision
Resolve
Reveal
Stamina
Focused Howl

Active Extra Skills:
Disguise
Survival
Meditation
Forgotten King’s Authority

Inactive Extra Skills:
Frozen Hide
Brawler
Photosynthesize
Hiding R2

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystals x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+10% HP) x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+10% HP) x7
Crystal of Divine Light (Reusable) x1
Rhino's Horn (Reusable) x1
Hmr.Pk: Hope's Covenant - Resolve +4 (T4 Demonic Weapon (MA) - AA, Phase, Frostbite, VO)
EWL: The Thing Behind All Lies (T4 Demonic MA, AA, Blight, Static, Para.Ven (Off)) x1
EWL: Fight O'er Flight (ACC 2, EVA 2) x1

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Angler: +2 Fishing EXP per attempt
Practiced Angler: +2 Fishing EXP per attempt, addition +1 LD/CD to fishing attempts
~~Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1]~~
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor [Potted Tanabata Bamboo Tree]: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:
Tanos Statue: +25 Mitigation for a thread.

Wedding Ring: n/a

Fishing: Level 4 | 461XP

Hirru · September 28, 2023

"Oh good.."

"Hey Freyd!"

The masked fighter and the Jade Hunter exchanged greetings to the munching and crunching of wandering shadow. He had thanked the hunter before going on to thank him for the performance back in the boss room. The hunter would only shake his head.

"I can't say it's nothing, but we all did our parts. Even though it barely did anything to you, you were a skilled offensive tank and supplied both buffs and offensive capabilities to all of those new raiders. Each of them were powerhouses due to that. Was that Absolute Accuracy runes on their weapons I spied?"

He went on about the little things he saw, as if they were trained together. Their team coordination was nearly perfect, even more so when orders rang out from either of them. Even though there were a few small problems with Mina's constant energy consumption and Elora's unlucky streaks with her recovery rune's activation.

"If it wasn't for the bosses nature to lose interest and find someone else to play with, we probably wouldn't have had any more problems than what we had."

The hunter would go on about the differences that could have been, but that was all really in the past. Morgiana would just look at the two of them as if they were both stupid. They were here on a mission, but they wanted to chitchat first? She could only sigh underneath her mask.

"Besides, I wouldn't let those with me fall so easily... Just remind me to assault our local bakery for 50 vitality snacks."

"Are you two done?"

Hirru unfurls his gungnir shard to take a bite of his own Mitigation meal, before ripping into a cold field ration doused in spices Hirru found in the kitchen. Hope Snow doesn't mind. After washing it all down with a immolation potion and a small snack to aid in luck, he would nod before donning his helm.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

"Good, we're looking for Qamaqim, the Arch Thief."

She would look at Freyd for a second before giving him the note to make sure he spells it correctly.

"If you have a way to track him down in this desolate place, then you're the better one for it."

Hirru consumes:

Gungnir Shard [T4 MIT III Feast] | +60 MIT https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/8406-found-item-recognition-hirru/?do=findComment&comment=644334
Rations (Filled) | 12%->16% Max HP https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/20786-general-merchant/?do=findComment&comment=646739
Berry Crumb Bar | +3 LD [13/05/21]
Immolation Potion IV | +40 Thorns https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/20786-general-merchant/?do=findComment&comment=646739

New stats

Hirru | HP: 1113/1113 | EN: 108/108 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 182 | LD: 8~11 | BH: 55 | HLY BLS: 45 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 76 |

Freyd · September 28, 2023

"Oh, right! That's why it always sounded so familiar. I grew up near Coquitlam as a kid. Not really the same, but the cadence is similar." Shrugging off the woman's dour demeanor, he crumpled her note and let it fall to the broken flagstone street beneath their feet. "He'll be the easy one to find. They next won't be found the same way. Yet another opportunity for you to shine, Vice-Commander," he added, beaming a grin at Hirru. "I'm equally glad to see that the curse has yet to claim you. Let's keep it that way."

Crouching on bended knee, Freyd dipped his gaze to the ground. At first it looked as if he was looking for clues on the barren stones themselves, but would soon become apparent that he was studying his own shadow instead. "He'd in the ruined market on the far side of town, moving in spurts. It's likely that he's either tailing someone or attempting to avoid detection himself. This place is crawling with the infected. We should move lightly and quietly lest we want a horde barreling towards us from all sides."

Leading through the broken remains of a once beautiful urban landscape, Freyd couldn't help but imagine what this place might once have been like. "Did you ever see this place before it fell to corruption? It predates my involvement in the frontlines by many floors. I can't help but wonder what it was like. Or was it always just designed this way?" A series of bleached bones wrapped in torn and tired cloth could be seen strewn next to alleyways where they would have died. Cardinal had no qualms about leaving corpses to linger for effect. Recent experiences had him look upon such things in a different light; one his friend might appreciate, having made difficult choices for the same reasons.

"I wish we could have prevented this, or might find some way to reverse it." Cutting himself off, Freyd pointed to a collapsed inn down their current path. Their quarry was inside, unmoving. A few hand gestures signaled his findings to the group, even as he moved towards their destination.

***

Post Action: Freyd uses Tracking on Qamaqim.

Hirru · September 30, 2023

Morgiana didn't say anything about it, nor about the note. She would simply follow along, as there was nothing more to deal with between these two than just that. Ali had better have something proper planned, if Qamaqim was being summoned. That being said, what are these two going to be in this plan?

Hirru, on the other hand, had other things on his mind. As they followed along, the hunter would ponder on the circumstances that have caused most of the changes on the floors. Most would attribute it to what happened on the 25th floor. The darkness that enshrouded everyone and the shadow that seemed more than it should be. There was much about it that he didn't know about and didn't really care about. This was a world that could easily be changed, from what he was told. How hard is it to change simple geometry and ecology?

"Predates my own, as well. I've been active since the 11th floor unlocked, but only fought on the front since the 18th. I didn't even go above the eleventh floor until then."

He would look to his venturing partner for this quest and smile, even if his helm blocked it.

"Curse or not, it's always better to be careful when solo hunting."

As they drew closer to the crumbling building, the hunter's search would ring out. It was odd, as the tracking could find him, but his search couldn't. Although, it wasn't pushed through to the max, so that could have been what was wrong. Still, it was a testament to the persons skills and technique. Reminded Hirru of Hidden and Hik when Shadowed Path was still around.

Entering the building as best they could, the man in question could be seen. A hand quickly coming to draw a weapon hidden away on his person, but as soon as he saw the masked warrior, Qamaqim would settle down.

"I would ask who you are, but if she is with you, then Ali has a task for me?"

He would wave them off with a quick brushing off.

"I can not today. I am busy with finding a murderer. A woman by the name of Delilah has killed a friend of mine, and I believe she still carries the body with her."

"Why the body?"

"I do not know, and I do not care. I will find her and take back his body. Though, to say that it would be faster with numbers on my side would matter, it has only been a night since his passing. Maybe, we can help each other."

"I.. don't get it, but If we help you, you'll go back to Ali with us, right?"

The man would look at the heavily armored hunter and laugh.

"If you think you can find her when I have not, then be my guest. If you can find me, then you could maybe find her. Although, I have my doubts."

A sudden flash of light from Hirru would cause his crimson red gauntlet to disappear and a golden bracelet would take it's place.

"I'm told I'm pretty good at it."

Free Action (skill): Quick Change | Bulwark Mit III -> Favor of the Golden Dragon Luck Die III (LD +11~14)
Post Action: Search for Delilah (Morg Bonus +1 CD +2 LD) | [ID: 218361] [CD: 11+1=12] [LD: 13+2+11=26] Found Delilah

As if like a drop of water falling into a bigger pond, the hunter's search skill would send ripples out into the area. With the expansion upon his search's main stat, he could push his skill further than most. Glowing emerald eyes would shine through the helms slits before the hunter would continue to speak.

"Several creatures south by south east. We can avoid them easily pass by them. Another pack of.. something unsightly large to the north east. One particular ping that's singular. That's probably our best bet."

He would turn to point out the direction.

"West by south west. We should find them within several minutes, if we keep a good pace. I'll keep search on as we go to keep us updated."

Edited September 30, 2023 by Hirru

Freyd · October 1, 2023

"Predates my own, as well. I've been active since the 11th floor unlocked, but only fought on the front since the 18th. I didn't even go above the eleventh floor until then."

"I'd love to hear those stories someday. History gives a lot of context that many of us prefer to overlook or forget. We have too many floors left to go to start losing our memories and forgetting the lessons paid for in blood." Though the words were dour, Freyd's tone was surprisingly optimistic. He'd always thought of himself as the sharp and bloodied tip of the spear, but recent events had forced him to rethink his purpose. Tanking for the latest raid had been a crazy, spur-of-the-moment decision, but had broadened his perspective unexpectedly.

Their encounter with Qamaqim was brief and predictable, given that he'd played through this content before. Keeping quiet, lest he spoil the tale in its telling, Freyd's gaze scoured Morgiana's stance and body language instead. Her role in this was a strange one, supposedly woven together by Ali's secretive purpose. Nothing from memory recalled whether it was ever revealed. It all just ended in battle, as was so often the case.

"If you think you can find her when I have not, then be my guest. If you can find me, then you could maybe find her. Although, I have my doubts." The Whisper chuckled at Qamaqim's words. There was no finer finder in Aincrad than the Jade Hunter, of that he was certain.

"Prepare to adjust your expectations."

Leaving it at that, he merely watched with a self-satisfied grin as Hirru did his thing and pieced together the puzzle with nothing but his own skills and insights. Part of him considered offering him a post in O&I, but he'd never insult the man by suggesting that he leave his cherished guild or title. Both were too much a part of him. Darting rapidly through the ruins with the NPCs in tow, Freyd made ready for the fight he knew was coming. Though not human, their sly companion was programmed to emulate the rage and suffering of losing a loved one. Something inside him could never deny him that fury, while wishing that they'd truly known the splendor that predated the fictional loss. Maybe someday they would.

In his daydream he'd allowed his attention to wander. Red versus Blue was already playing out in real time, their roguish counterpart having already lashed out at Delilah. Finding her holding his brother's corpse probably hadn't helped, regardless of whether she'd actually killed him or not. Accusations were thrown, then knives, and soon both shed their skins to reveal the added layer of embellished drama the quest somehow required. Demons, of a kind, each; they looked to slaughter each other in the name of love and revenge. Details beyond this point were sadly irrelevant. Hirru, Freyd and Morgiana were about to be trapped between them as they turned. The woman-turned-succubus managed to rend her wicked claws across Qamaqim-turned-Jathoom's ribs, leaving him maddened with rage and grief. Fate was playing at strings.

"Yup. This is where it turns sour," Freyd muttered under his breath. "Morgiana, harry them while I keep their focus on me. Hirru, you always know what to do." Without another word, Freyd launched himself between both mobs, wishing there was actually some hope of preventing the carnage to follow. Behind his eyes, he knew the truth and inevitable end to this combat. Best to reach it as swiftly as possible, for everyone's sake.

Shifting as he moved, Freyd's form shrunk slightly, his clothes morphing to some better befitting the desert climes of floor five. His cowl melted into a headscarf revealing darkly tanned skin and neatly trimmed beard barely above the status of a five-o'clock shadow. 'How will they react to Ali being in their midst,' he wondered.

"What?! You dare insult me with deceit? Ali, you treacherous letch, my service to you is finished. Get out of my way!" Jathoom's strikes missed their mark as the Whisper danced lithely around them. Even Morgiana had to admit a degree of admiration for the annoying man's grace.

"Ali! You bastard. This is all your fault," Qarinah cried in turn. "Why do you always have to meddle? Why do you ruin everything you touch?!"

"Well, I guess that answers that," Freyd grumbled, quietly sharing their sentiments. He'd never much cared for Ali's scheming and games. That they had landed Hirru, Morgiana and himself in this mess wasn't exactly an improvement. Qarinah proved the more agile of the two, especially with Jathoom's injuries already slowing him down. "Take him before her," Freyd urged the dervish woman, hoping to even out their odds by removing the weaker target. Though brandishing two blades looked impressive, their damage output was far less so. At least she managed to keep the beast thing that Qamaqim had become dazed and occupied for the moment.

***

Note: Party chose the 'Do Nothing' route and must fight Jathoom and Qarinah together.

Spoiler

Post Action | AoE-I (x15, 11 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 15 EN - (Rested 2/2; Stamina) = 12 EN. Charge (CD 0/3, +8 EN)
Free Action | Activate Disguise (CD 0/5)

ID #218369 | BD:5+7-3-1=8 (hit, Charge +3). DMG (15*29=435-100=335) to Jathoom. Freyd takes 30 thorns damage.
ID #218370 | BD:2+7-2-1=6 (hit, Charge +3). DMG (15*29=435-75=360) to Qarinah

Jathoom attacks Freyd:

Spoiler

ID #218371 | BD: 6+2-4=4 (miss)

Qarinah attacks Freyd:

Spoiler

ID #218372 | BD: 9 (Crit) | CD 8. Qarinah triggers Gentle Grip. Re-roll against each part member:

ID #218373 | BD 10 (Crit). DMG (152-163=1) vs. Freyd. Bleed 48 is negated by Antidote.
ID #218374 | BD 3+3=6 (hit). DMG (150-110=40) vs. Hirru. Bleed 48 is applied. Qariinah suffers 76 thorns damage.
ID #218375 | BD 7+3-3=7 (hit). DMG (150-85=65) vs Morgiana. Bleed 48 is applied.

Morgiana attacks Jathoom:

Spoiler

(Note: Mob abilities variably use BD and MD as trigger in the quest description. For consistency, only BD will be used for all attack rolls, and other noted rolls for effects)

Morgiana takes 48 damage from Bleed.

ID #218376 | BD: 9 (Crit +1, MD 3 | CD 5 | (x9 Lasting Chopper SA)). DMG (16*9=144-100=44) Jathoom is paralyzed. Bleed 48 applied.
ID #218377 | BD: 7+3-3=7 (hit, MD 8 | CD 12 | (x11 Dancing Hellraiser SA)) DMG (15*11=165-100=65). Morgiana takes 30 damage from thorns.

Freyd | HP: 1327/1357 (1357-30) | EN: 132/152 (152-12-8) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 3 (4) | BH: 73 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | DOTE: 2/3 | TRLBLD
Morgiana | HP: 477/620 | DMG: 15 | MIT: 85 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BLEED: 48 (9-10) | PARALYZE (9-10) | Special attacks | BLD 48 (1/2) (620-65-48-30)
Hirru | HP: 1113/1113 | EN: 108/108 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 110 | LD: 8~11 | BH: 55 | HLY BLS: 45 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 76 | BLD 48 (0/2)

(2,2,0) Jathoom | HP: 1506/1950 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 100 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 (0) | THORNS: 30 | Bleed 48 (0/2) | Paralyzed (1950-335-44-65)

Spoiler

Demonic Rest | The Jathoom is a creature of sleep. It may apply <<SLEEPING>>, a status disablement that causes players to lose their turns until attacked by an enemy. Players can remove this effect from other players by sacrificing their post action to do so.
Narcolepsy | On a natural roll of BD8+, if the attack connects with its target, the player gains <<SLEEPING>>. This status effect cannot be parried. The attack is to be resolved before <<SLEEPING>> is applied.
Sleep Paralysis | Victim’s of the Jathoom’s spell will not dream; instead, they are forced to reckon with ghastly terrors in their present world muted of colours. Players who are <<SLEEPING>> will suffer from Jathoom’s thorns' damage on its turn. This damage will not awaken the target and is unmitigatable.
Appendage Growth | On turns where at least one player has <<SLEEPING>>, the Jathoom will gain +25 MIT and +5 THORNS. This effect does not stack if multiple players are sleeping.
Self-Mending | The Jathoom’s body is capable of repair. When targeted by a player’s attack roll of a natural LD15+, the creature will heal 50 HP after damage is dealt if the damage is non-fatal.
Injured | Fighting with the <<Qarinah>> has weakened the Jathoom’s structure. Self-Mending will be nullified.

(2,1,0) Qarinah | HP: 1814/2250 | DMG: 200 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2 | BLEED: 48 (8-10) (2250-360-76)

Spoiler

Phantasm | The Qarinah is a creature of dreams. On misses against the Qarinah, players will gain a stack of <<HALLUCINATING>>, which applies a -1 ACC until their next successful attack. <<HALLUCINATING>> can stack up to a maximum of 3 times.
Embargo | Qarinah is a tricky devil, and her wings give her much promise in the way of disrupting players’ actions. The first item used at the start of a turn will benefit Qarinah instead of the players, the demon having stolen it away from them.
- Buffs that affect members of the party will benefit Qarinah instead.
- If the item is a debuff, Qarinah will use it against the primary hate target instead. If there is no stated hate target, players get to decide who receives the debuff.
- Qarinah still has to obey consumable enhancement cap limitations. She will gain buffs in accordance with the order in which the Players attack her, gaining their respective buffs. Once she has reached the maximum number of combat buffs (5), she will not acquire any more.
Gentle Grip | The Qarinah can grow long nails and swipe every target on the battlefield. On natural rolls of BD9+, roll against every player in the party. If the attack hits, it deals 150 mitigatable DMG and Bleed, dealing 48 unmitigatable damage for two turns. This status effect cannot stack, but can refresh. Gentle grip replaces the original attack, and can only trigger once per round.
Vampiric | Triggers on a natural roll of CD9+, as part of an attack roll against any player. If the attack hits, Qarinah heals for 125 HP instead of dealing damage. This effect is automatically considered a hit if the target is suffering from Bleed.
- If triggered on the same round, <<Gentle Grip>>'s effects will occur before <<Vampiric>>.
- Separate rolls must be made for <<Gentle Grip>> and <<Vampiric>> if they are to occur in the same turn.
Tenacious | Disablements (stuns, paralysis, freeze) will not remove this enemy’s evasion, but will still remove its next post action.
Devour | On turns where a player is <<SLEEPING>> (see below), the Qarinah will attack them instead of the primary hate target, healing for the amount of damage the player receives after mitigation. In the event that multiple players are <<SLEEPING>>, Qarinah will attack the target with the highest hate. If multiple <<SLEEPING>> players are tied for highest hate, she will attack the player that most recently used an action.
- This effect is only applicable should players have picked the Do nothing route.
Ferocious | Angered by the <<Jathoom>>, Qarinah’s strikes are likely to be destructive. When <<Gentle Grip>> occurs, Qarinah’s attacks will apply <<SLEEPING>> to targets who are <<HALLUCINATING>>.
- This effect is only applicable should players have picked the Do nothing route.

Edited October 2, 2023 by Freyd

Hirru · October 1, 2023

Hirru would continue to point out directions as they moved without taking much interest in the situation. It was an odd quest outside of these character main floor. Was there something going on about that? He wouldn't really know anymore. The lore of the lands was not what he really cared for, anymore. So he just took everything as it came along.

As they found the woman in red, the thief would engage almost immediately.

"Damnable woman! I knew you were the one to kill him!"

"Check your sources more carefully! Yours are entirely false!"

"I don't need sources when the truth is made up right in front of me!"

It was around here that the two started attacking each other before Morgiana had any way of interacting with them. She was more surprised by Freyd's words and his sudden appearance as Ali. The demons that took the places of the creatures would raise their voices towards the disguise. Their resentment full of hatred and anger from all sides. Though, would it be safe to say that these were not the people they thought they were.

"When did Ali?"

"I've learned not to question certain skills. If you have the know how, then a skill can be pushed or used in any way that suits the general purpose. Just take care of demon that we thought was Qamaqim.

"So you say, then why do they still sound insulted by Ali?"

"As a creature made to imitate and coerce us into a situation that we take sides.. I wish I could say I was done with that, but I've made decisions that could have cost lives. These people were not something I could get attached to. I only just met them, why should I care if they fly into the fray so recklessly. There is no reason to risk life for them."

As Morgiana went in to strike at the newly changed Jathoom, the deer like creature would screech out before being paralyzed to the spot. Qarinah would take this moment to cleave through them all.

"Morgiana! You still crawl to Ali's beck and call? Do you not understand now that it is all useless?"

The demoness would try to get her to submit to them, and confirm as such. The hunter would take this time to slap his hands together and place them near Morgiana's wounds. Along a green flame of light, her health would rise back up to full from the attack. It didn't heal her bleeding ailment, but he could at least keep her alive as he own passive healing would keep him going.

"You, on the other hand, have shown a dose attachment and resourcefulness. I'd rather keep you alive as much as my fellow men."

He would look towards the whispering shadow and nod his head.

"I've got this. Let's not let these bosses do their own thing."

Regen: EN -> 0 | HP -> +55+45=100 (max)
Recovery: Not now
Burn inflicts 48 dmg
Post Action: First Aid -> Morgiana 122x1.2=146 hp (max) | -15 EN

Spoiler

Freyd | HP: 1327/1357 (1357-30) | EN: 132/152 (152-12-8) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 3 (4) | BH: 73 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | DOTE: 2/3 | TRLBLD
Morgiana | HP: 620/620 | DMG: 15 | MIT: 85 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BLEED: 48 (9-10) | PARALYZE (9-10) | Special attacks | BLD 48 (1/2) (620-65-48)
Hirru | HP: 1065/1113 | EN: 93/108 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 110 | LD: 11~14 | BH: 55 | HLY BLS: 45 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 76 | BLD 48 (1/2)
CLDN: Quick Change 1/3

(2,2,0) Jathoom | HP: 1506/1950 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 100 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 (0) | THORNS: 30 | Bleed 48 (0/2) | Paralyzed (1950-335-44-65)

Demonic Rest | The Jathoom is a creature of sleep. It may apply <<SLEEPING>>, a status disablement that causes players to lose their turns until attacked by an enemy. Players can remove this effect from other players by sacrificing their post action to do so.
Narcolepsy | On a natural roll of BD8+, if the attack connects with its target, the player gains <<SLEEPING>>. This status effect cannot be parried. The attack is to be resolved before <<SLEEPING>> is applied.
Sleep Paralysis | Victim’s of the Jathoom’s spell will not dream; instead, they are forced to reckon with ghastly terrors in their present world muted of colours. Players who are <<SLEEPING>> will suffer from Jathoom’s thorns' damage on its turn. This damage will not awaken the target and is unmitigatable.
Appendage Growth | On turns where at least one player has <<SLEEPING>>, the Jathoom will gain +25 MIT and +5 THORNS. This effect does not stack if multiple players are sleeping.
Self-Mending | The Jathoom’s body is capable of repair. When targeted by a player’s attack roll of a natural LD15+, the creature will heal 50 HP after damage is dealt if the damage is non-fatal.
Injured | Fighting with the <<Qarinah>> has weakened the Jathoom’s structure. Self-Mending will be nullified.

(2,0,0) Qarinah | HP: 1814/2250 | DMG: 200 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2 | BLEED: 48 (8-10) (2250-360-76)

Phantasm | The Qarinah is a creature of dreams. On misses against the Qarinah, players will gain a stack of <<HALLUCINATING>>, which applies a -1 ACC until their next successful attack. <<HALLUCINATING>> can stack up to a maximum of 3 times.
Embargo | Qarinah is a tricky devil, and her wings give her much promise in the way of disrupting players’ actions. The first item used at the start of a turn will benefit Qarinah instead of the players, the demon having stolen it away from them.
- Buffs that affect members of the party will benefit Qarinah instead.
- If the item is a debuff, Qarinah will use it against the primary hate target instead. If there is no stated hate target, players get to decide who receives the debuff.
- Qarinah still has to obey consumable enhancement cap limitations. She will gain buffs in accordance with the order in which the Players attack her, gaining their respective buffs. Once she has reached the maximum number of combat buffs (5), she will not acquire any more.
Gentle Grip | The Qarinah can grow long nails and swipe every target on the battlefield. On natural rolls of BD9+, roll against every player in the party. If the attack hits, it deals 150 mitigatable DMG and Bleed, dealing 48 unmitigatable damage for two turns. This status effect cannot stack, but can refresh. Gentle grip replaces the original attack, and can only trigger once per round.
Vampiric | Triggers on a natural roll of CD9+, as part of an attack roll against any player. If the attack hits, Qarinah heals for 125 HP instead of dealing damage. This effect is automatically considered a hit if the target is suffering from Bleed.
- If triggered on the same round, <<Gentle Grip>>'s effects will occur before <<Vampiric>>.
- Separate rolls must be made for <<Gentle Grip>> and <<Vampiric>> if they are to occur in the same turn.
Tenacious | Disablements (stuns, paralysis, freeze) will not remove this enemy’s evasion, but will still remove its next post action.
Devour | On turns where a player is <<SLEEPING>> (see below), the Qarinah will attack them instead of the primary hate target, healing for the amount of damage the player receives after mitigation. In the event that multiple players are <<SLEEPING>>, Qarinah will attack the target with the highest hate. If multiple <<SLEEPING>> players are tied for highest hate, she will attack the player that most recently used an action.
- This effect is only applicable should players have picked the Do nothing route.
Ferocious | Angered by the <<Jathoom>>, Qarinah’s strikes are likely to be destructive. When <<Gentle Grip>> occurs, Qarinah’s attacks will apply <<SLEEPING>> to targets who are <<HALLUCINATING>>.
- This effect is only applicable should players have picked the Do nothing route.

Edited October 2, 2023 by Hirru

Freyd · October 2, 2023

Listening to Hirru speak to Morgiana, Freyd could understand how it was that the vice-commander had come to the past decisions that had caused him so much grief. It was admirable that he made the effort to reach out to certain mobs as people. Few bothered with such effort, or were willing to consider doing so in the first place. Would that something could be done for Jathoom and Qarinah as well. The quest gave no real explanation for their demonic transformations, providing only the expectation that they be decimated. Such was the prize given to Cardinal's pawns.

"I've got this. Let's not let these bosses do their own thing."

Watching as the Hunter healed their NPC companion, Freyd-as-Ali nodded his appreciation then redoubled his efforts to clear the field as swiftly as possible. Dodging low, he slid under Qarinah's talons while managing to snag her tail. She barely had time to widen her eyes before his sword art charged and unleashed, whipping her like a meteor across the field and bowling over Jathoom who'd only just barely regained his footing. A puff of dark feathers and dust marked her point of impact, where Freyd swore he saw little impish creatures swirling around her dazed head.

"Keep on him," he added, guiding Morgiana to keep the pressure on the wolfish abomination. "He's the one we want to keep down. If they can sync up their effects, this fight can get ugly real quick." Cracking his knuckles, he pressed his advance towards Qarinah, hoping to finish her off first. Removing either enemy would dramatically improve their situation.

***

Spoiler

Freyd regains +4 EN
Freyd regains 73 HP from BH (maxed)
CD 9 (REC proc +8) ID #218381
Cooldowns: Charge (1/3), Disguise (1/5)

Post Action | AoE-II (x18, 14 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 20 EN - (Rested 1/2; Stamina) = 17 EN.
Free Action | None

Freyd attacks:

Spoiler

ID #218382 | BD: 5+7-0=12 (hit). DMG (18*26=468-100=368) to Jathoom | (CD 1 | ST-B still locked). Freyd suffers 30 damage from thorns.
ID #218383 | BD: 10 (Crit +2, Holy +16, TRLBLD). DMG (18*44=792*2=1584-75=1509) to Qarinah

Jathoom is paralyzed. Jathoom suffers 48 damage from Bleed. Paralyzed fades.

Qarinah attacks Freyd:

Spoiler

ID #218384 | BD: 3+3-3=3 (miss)

Morgiana attacks Jathoom:

Spoiler

(Note: Mob abilities variably use BD and MD as trigger in the quest description. For consistency, only BD will be used for all attack rolls, and other noted rolls for effects)

Morgiana suffers 48 Bleed damage. Bleed ends.

ID #218385 | BD: 8+3-3=8 (hit | MD 4 | CD 6 | x9 focus, Lasting Chopper) DMG (15*9=135-100=35). Bleed 48/2 refreshed (because focus SA). Morgiana takes 30 damage from thorns.
ID #218386 | BD: 4+3-3=4 (miss).

Freyd | HP: 1327/1357 (1327+73(max)-30) | EN: 127/152 (132+4+8-17) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 3 | BH: 73 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | DOTE: 2/3 | TRLBLD
CLDN: Charge 1/3, Disguise 1/5
Morgiana | HP: 542/620 (620-48-30) | DMG: 15 | MIT: 85 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BLEED: 48 (9-10) | PARALYZE (9-10) | Special attacks | ~~BLD 48 (2/2)~~
Hirru | HP: 1065/1113 | EN: 93/108 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 110 | LD: 11~14 | BH: 55 | HLY BLS: 45 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 76 | BLD 48 (1/2)
CLDN: Quick Change 1/3

(4,3,0) Jathoom | HP: 1055/1950 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 100 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 ~~(0)~~ | THORNS: 30 | Bleed 48 (0/2) | ~~Paralyzed~~ (1506-368-48-35)

Spoiler

Demonic Rest | The Jathoom is a creature of sleep. It may apply <<SLEEPING>>, a status disablement that causes players to lose their turns until attacked by an enemy. Players can remove this effect from other players by sacrificing their post action to do so.
Narcolepsy | On a natural roll of BD8+, if the attack connects with its target, the player gains <<SLEEPING>>. This status effect cannot be parried. The attack is to be resolved before <<SLEEPING>> is applied.
Sleep Paralysis | Victim’s of the Jathoom’s spell will not dream; instead, they are forced to reckon with ghastly terrors in their present world muted of colours. Players who are <<SLEEPING>> will suffer from Jathoom’s thorns' damage on its turn. This damage will not awaken the target and is unmitigatable.
Appendage Growth | On turns where at least one player has <<SLEEPING>>, the Jathoom will gain +25 MIT and +5 THORNS. This effect does not stack if multiple players are sleeping.
Self-Mending | The Jathoom’s body is capable of repair. When targeted by a player’s attack roll of a natural LD15+, the creature will heal 50 HP after damage is dealt if the damage is non-fatal.
Injured | Fighting with the <<Qarinah>> has weakened the Jathoom’s structure. Self-Mending will be nullified.

(5,1,0) Qarinah | HP: 305/2250 | DMG: 200 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2 | BLEED: 48 (8-10) (1814-1509)

Spoiler

Phantasm | The Qarinah is a creature of dreams. On misses against the Qarinah, players will gain a stack of <<HALLUCINATING>>, which applies a -1 ACC until their next successful attack. <<HALLUCINATING>> can stack up to a maximum of 3 times.
Embargo | Qarinah is a tricky devil, and her wings give her much promise in the way of disrupting players’ actions. The first item used at the start of a turn will benefit Qarinah instead of the players, the demon having stolen it away from them.
- Buffs that affect members of the party will benefit Qarinah instead.
- If the item is a debuff, Qarinah will use it against the primary hate target instead. If there is no stated hate target, players get to decide who receives the debuff.
- Qarinah still has to obey consumable enhancement cap limitations. She will gain buffs in accordance with the order in which the Players attack her, gaining their respective buffs. Once she has reached the maximum number of combat buffs (5), she will not acquire any more.
Gentle Grip | The Qarinah can grow long nails and swipe every target on the battlefield. On natural rolls of BD9+, roll against every player in the party. If the attack hits, it deals 150 mitigatable DMG and Bleed, dealing 48 unmitigatable damage for two turns. This status effect cannot stack, but can refresh. Gentle grip replaces the original attack, and can only trigger once per round.
Vampiric | Triggers on a natural roll of CD9+, as part of an attack roll against any player. If the attack hits, Qarinah heals for 125 HP instead of dealing damage. This effect is automatically considered a hit if the target is suffering from Bleed.
- If triggered on the same round, <<Gentle Grip>>'s effects will occur before <<Vampiric>>.
- Separate rolls must be made for <<Gentle Grip>> and <<Vampiric>> if they are to occur in the same turn.
Tenacious | Disablements (stuns, paralysis, freeze) will not remove this enemy’s evasion, but will still remove its next post action.
Devour | On turns where a player is <<SLEEPING>> (see below), the Qarinah will attack them instead of the primary hate target, healing for the amount of damage the player receives after mitigation. In the event that multiple players are <<SLEEPING>>, Qarinah will attack the target with the highest hate. If multiple <<SLEEPING>> players are tied for highest hate, she will attack the player that most recently used an action.
- This effect is only applicable should players have picked the Do nothing route.
Ferocious | Angered by the <<Jathoom>>, Qarinah’s strikes are likely to be destructive. When <<Gentle Grip>> occurs, Qarinah’s attacks will apply <<SLEEPING>> to targets who are <<HALLUCINATING>>.
- This effect is only applicable should players have picked the Do nothing route.

Edited October 2, 2023 by Freyd

Hirru · October 2, 2023

Freyd was doing what Freyd does best: decimate the competition. The demoness was thrown for a loop and the deer creature was thrown in to boot. The two of them were not able to do much this second, as a dazed demoness and a paralyzed deer would be easy pickings. Morgiana would try to get their attacks in, but only one had made their mark. She would sigh as the demon deer would regain himself fast enough to jump away from the second strike.

"Morgiana! You know better! Why do you do this to us?"

"Don't listen to them! They do not know you!"

Morgiana would try to block them out, but the lies would not be so easily resisted. What if this was just an illusion that some demon was casting, and they really were attacking her friends? She wouldn't know.

"They're not your friends. They're demons. Trying to trick you. Don't let them in."

Hirru would call out while sliding in on his shield towards Freyd. A slight amount of yellow light would fall upon his wrist, energizing him a little more. Just a little more, but it would be something to do while they moved through these boss creatures.

Regen: +4 EN | +100 HP (max)
Recovery?: [ID: 218387][CD: 1] Nope
Bleed deals 48 | Bleed ends
Post Action: Energize -> Freyd +8 EN| -10 EN

Spoiler

Freyd | HP: 1357/1357 (1327+73(max)-30) | EN: 135/152 (+8) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 3 | BH: 73 | LD: 8 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | DOTE: 2/3 | TRLBLD
CLDN: Charge 1/3, Disguise 1/5
Morgiana | HP: 620/620 | DMG: 15 | MIT: 85 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BLEED: 48 (9-10) | PARALYZE (9-10) | Special attacks | ~~BLD 48 (0/2)~~
Hirru | HP: 1065/1113 | EN: 87/108 (- | DMG: 1 | MIT: 110 | LD: 11~14 | BH: 55 | HLY BLS: 45 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 76 | ~~BLD 48 (0/2)~~
CLDN: Quick Change 2/3

(4,3,0) Jathoom | HP: 1055/1950 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 100 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 ~~(0)~~ | THORNS: 30 | Bleed 48 (0/2) | ~~Paralyzed~~ (1506-368-48-35)

Hide contents

Demonic Rest | The Jathoom is a creature of sleep. It may apply <<SLEEPING>>, a status disablement that causes players to lose their turns until attacked by an enemy. Players can remove this effect from other players by sacrificing their post action to do so.
Narcolepsy | On a natural roll of BD8+, if the attack connects with its target, the player gains <<SLEEPING>>. This status effect cannot be parried. The attack is to be resolved before <<SLEEPING>> is applied.
Sleep Paralysis | Victim’s of the Jathoom’s spell will not dream; instead, they are forced to reckon with ghastly terrors in their present world muted of colours. Players who are <<SLEEPING>> will suffer from Jathoom’s thorns' damage on its turn. This damage will not awaken the target and is unmitigatable.
Appendage Growth | On turns where at least one player has <<SLEEPING>>, the Jathoom will gain +25 MIT and +5 THORNS. This effect does not stack if multiple players are sleeping.
Self-Mending | The Jathoom’s body is capable of repair. When targeted by a player’s attack roll of a natural LD15+, the creature will heal 50 HP after damage is dealt if the damage is non-fatal.
Injured | Fighting with the <<Qarinah>> has weakened the Jathoom’s structure. Self-Mending will be nullified.

(5,1,0) Qarinah | HP: 305/2250 | DMG: 200 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2 | BLEED: 48 (8-10) (1814-1509)

Hide contents

Phantasm | The Qarinah is a creature of dreams. On misses against the Qarinah, players will gain a stack of <<HALLUCINATING>>, which applies a -1 ACC until their next successful attack. <<HALLUCINATING>> can stack up to a maximum of 3 times.
Embargo | Qarinah is a tricky devil, and her wings give her much promise in the way of disrupting players’ actions. The first item used at the start of a turn will benefit Qarinah instead of the players, the demon having stolen it away from them.
- Buffs that affect members of the party will benefit Qarinah instead.
- If the item is a debuff, Qarinah will use it against the primary hate target instead. If there is no stated hate target, players get to decide who receives the debuff.
- Qarinah still has to obey consumable enhancement cap limitations. She will gain buffs in accordance with the order in which the Players attack her, gaining their respective buffs. Once she has reached the maximum number of combat buffs (5), she will not acquire any more.
Gentle Grip | The Qarinah can grow long nails and swipe every target on the battlefield. On natural rolls of BD9+, roll against every player in the party. If the attack hits, it deals 150 mitigatable DMG and Bleed, dealing 48 unmitigatable damage for two turns. This status effect cannot stack, but can refresh. Gentle grip replaces the original attack, and can only trigger once per round.
Vampiric | Triggers on a natural roll of CD9+, as part of an attack roll against any player. If the attack hits, Qarinah heals for 125 HP instead of dealing damage. This effect is automatically considered a hit if the target is suffering from Bleed.
- If triggered on the same round, <<Gentle Grip>>'s effects will occur before <<Vampiric>>.
- Separate rolls must be made for <<Gentle Grip>> and <<Vampiric>> if they are to occur in the same turn.
Tenacious | Disablements (stuns, paralysis, freeze) will not remove this enemy’s evasion, but will still remove its next post action.
Devour | On turns where a player is <<SLEEPING>> (see below), the Qarinah will attack them instead of the primary hate target, healing for the amount of damage the player receives after mitigation. In the event that multiple players are <<SLEEPING>>, Qarinah will attack the target with the highest hate. If multiple <<SLEEPING>> players are tied for highest hate, she will attack the player that most recently used an action.
- This effect is only applicable should players have picked the Do nothing route.
Ferocious | Angered by the <<Jathoom>>, Qarinah’s strikes are likely to be destructive. When <<Gentle Grip>> occurs, Qarinah’s attacks will apply <<SLEEPING>> to targets who are <<HALLUCINATING>>.
- This effect is only applicable should players have picked the Do nothing route.

Edited October 2, 2023 by Hirru

Freyd · October 2, 2023

"Morgiana," Freyd spoke, but with Ali's face and voice. "Listen to me. Hone your focus. Stay to the task at hand. See what they have become and do not trust them."

"Thanks for the boost, my friend," he added, nodding to Hirru before resuming his assault. "No point in taking chances. Let's improve our odds a little bit, shall we?" The ribbons of infinite void wrapped around his hands dematerialized instantly, replaced by another set clad in an unnerving violet haze that trailed vaporous wisps behind it as it moved. The weapon's very nature seemed to be at odds with existence itself, crackling slighty as it moved through the air.

Qarinah was besides herself, already incensed by Jathoom's initial attack, then taunted by Ali's confusing presence. But when he (Freyd) dared to embarrass her with that latest blow, her pride could take no more. Jumping high into the air, assisted by beaten and battered wings, they could no longer keep her aloft but were enough to let her divebomb the insolent fool who'd dared strike her in such a manner. Slapping a struggling Jathoom aside with a swift, low-spun kick, the deer nipped him for his trouble. He saw the additional hurt incoming from above and elected to do the last thing she'd expect.

Slamming both fists into the ground, powered by the concussive force of a sword art, Freyd launched himself skyward and straight into the plummeting demoness. Her eyes went wide even as she wondered how he planned to actually strike. Both hands were still behind him. Freyd just grinned, knowing that any part of a martial artist could serve as a weapon, and promptly drove his forehead into her startled face. It looked like a firework has just exploded over their heads, while Freyd tumbled gracefully into a roll then back to his feet a short distance away.

"Just one left." Ali's appearance was gone, stripped away by the aerial maneuver. The theatrics were deliberate, Jathoom watching him slack-jawed was distracted enough for Morgiana to clip him with at least one of her swords before his senses returned. Limping and struggling from multiple injuries the beast struggled to keep up the fight. They all knew it: a cornered animal would be at its most dangerous.

***

Spoiler

Freyd regains +4 EN
Freyd regains 73 HP from BH (maxed)
CD 5 (No REC proc) ID #218388
Cooldowns: Charge (2/3), Disguise (2/5)

Free Action [skill] | Quick Change (CD 0/3) - replace Samael's Pride with The Thing Behind All Lies
Post Action | AoE-I (x15, 11 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 17 EN - (Stamina) = 15 EN.

Freyd attacks:

Spoiler

ID #2183389 | BD: 7+8-3=12 (hit). DMG (15*26=390-100=290) to Jathoom. Freyd suffers 30 damage from Thorns
ID #2183390 | BD: 8+8-2=14 (hit). DMG (15*26=390-75=315) to Qarinah. PVO applied (permanently, cuz she dead)

Jathoom attacks Freyd

Spoiler

Jathoom suffers 48 Bleed damage.

ID #2183391 | BD: 7+2-3=6 (hit). DMG (250-163=87).

Morgiana attacks Jathoom

Spoiler

ID #2183393 | BD: 6+3-3=6 (hit | MD 9 | CD 1, x11 AoE Butterfly Illusion) DMG (15*11=165-100=65) to Jathoom. Morgiana takes 30 damage from thorns.
ID #2183394 | BD: 5+3-3=5 (miss)

Freyd | HP: 1240/1357 (1327+73(max)-30-87) | EN: 124/152 (135+4-15) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | ACC: 7 (+AA) | EVA: 3 | BH: 73 | LD: 8 | BLGT: 32 | STC: 40 | PVO | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | DOTE: 2/3 | TRLBLD
CLDN: Charge 2/3, Disguise 2/5, Quick Change 0/3
Morgiana | HP: 512/620 (542-30) | DMG: 15 | MIT: 85 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BLEED: 48 (9-10) | PARALYZE (9-10) | Special attacks
Hirru | HP: 1065/1113 | EN: 87/108 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 110 | LD: 11~14 | BH: 55 | HLY BLS: 45 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 76
CLDN: Quick Change 2/3

(6,4,0) Jathoom | HP: 652/1950 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 100 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | THORNS: 30 | Bleed 48 (1/2) (1055-290-48-65)

Spoiler

Demonic Rest | The Jathoom is a creature of sleep. It may apply <<SLEEPING>>, a status disablement that causes players to lose their turns until attacked by an enemy. Players can remove this effect from other players by sacrificing their post action to do so.
Narcolepsy | On a natural roll of BD8+, if the attack connects with its target, the player gains <<SLEEPING>>. This status effect cannot be parried. The attack is to be resolved before <<SLEEPING>> is applied.
Sleep Paralysis | Victim’s of the Jathoom’s spell will not dream; instead, they are forced to reckon with ghastly terrors in their present world muted of colours. Players who are <<SLEEPING>> will suffer from Jathoom’s thorns' damage on its turn. This damage will not awaken the target and is unmitigatable.
Appendage Growth | On turns where at least one player has <<SLEEPING>>, the Jathoom will gain +25 MIT and +5 THORNS. This effect does not stack if multiple players are sleeping.
Self-Mending | The Jathoom’s body is capable of repair. When targeted by a player’s attack roll of a natural LD15+, the creature will heal 50 HP after damage is dealt if the damage is non-fatal.
Injured | Fighting with the <<Qarinah>> has weakened the Jathoom’s structure. Self-Mending will be nullified.

~~(7,1,0) Qarinah | HP: 0/2250 | DMG: 200 | MIT: 75 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2 | BLEED: 48 (8-10)~~ (305-315)

Loot Qarinah: ID #218392 | LD: 14+9=23 | CD: 6 - Note: incorrectly labeled roll as looting Jathoom.
15,750 col (HP[2,250]*7 - incl. +4 CD/LD even)
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 218392a
T4 Perfect Weapon 218392b
T4 Perfect Weapon218392c

Edited October 2, 2023 by Freyd

Hirru · October 9, 2023

And then there was one.

The lingering seductress could not handle the constant onslaught that was Freyd's heavy burst area-of-effects. There was nowhere to run, and it was all over in an instant. The hunter would have to ask him where he learned that move, cause that looked like it would leave a crick in the neck. Rubbing his own, he would look on to the deer like demon, whom was now seeing their true assailant.

"You! You dare make a mockery of me? You have killed the one that I sought vengeance on, and even now cast shadow upon your contractor? Morgiana, you are an even bigger snake than I thought."

"You are not Qamaqim.. Do not talk to me, as if you were."

"Do not believe their lies!"

"I do not believe the lies of those that besmirch an ally. Especially a demon that spits upon the very face of a friend."

Morgiana was resolute, and that was all the hunter could ask for. Taking the moment to give a bit more energy to Freyd, the hunter would keep his guard up for any small oddities to come.

Regen: +4 EN | +100 HP
Recovery?: [ID: 218455][CD: 9] +8 EN
Post Action: Energize -> Freyd +8 EN| -10 EN

Spoiler

Freyd | HP: 1240/1357 | EN: 132/152 (+8) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | ACC: 7 (+AA) | EVA: 3 | BH: 73 | LD: 8 | BLGT: 32 | STC: 40 | PVO | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | DOTE: 2/3 | TRLBLD
CLDN: Charge 2/3, Disguise 2/5, Quick Change 0/3
Morgiana | HP: 512/620 | DMG: 15 | MIT: 85 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BLEED: 48 (9-10) | PARALYZE (9-10) | Special attacks
Hirru | HP: 1113/1113 | EN: 89/108 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 110 | LD: 11~14 | BH: 55 | HLY BLS: 45 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 76
~~CLDN: Quick Change 3/3~~

(6,4,0) Jathoom | HP: 652/1950 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 100 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | THORNS: 30 | Bleed 48 (1/2)

Spoiler

Demonic Rest | The Jathoom is a creature of sleep. It may apply <<SLEEPING>>, a status disablement that causes players to lose their turns until attacked by an enemy. Players can remove this effect from other players by sacrificing their post action to do so.
Narcolepsy | On a natural roll of BD8+, if the attack connects with its target, the player gains <<SLEEPING>>. This status effect cannot be parried. The attack is to be resolved before <<SLEEPING>> is applied.
Sleep Paralysis | Victim’s of the Jathoom’s spell will not dream; instead, they are forced to reckon with ghastly terrors in their present world muted of colours. Players who are <<SLEEPING>> will suffer from Jathoom’s thorns' damage on its turn. This damage will not awaken the target and is unmitigatable.
Appendage Growth | On turns where at least one player has <<SLEEPING>>, the Jathoom will gain +25 MIT and +5 THORNS. This effect does not stack if multiple players are sleeping.
Self-Mending | The Jathoom’s body is capable of repair. When targeted by a player’s attack roll of a natural LD15+, the creature will heal 50 HP after damage is dealt if the damage is non-fatal.
Injured | Fighting with the <<Qarinah>> has weakened the Jathoom’s structure. Self-Mending will be nullified.

Edited October 15, 2023 by Hirru

Freyd · October 22, 2023

Taking advantage of the spat going on between Morgiana and Jathoom, Freyd slipped beneath the demon-deer's defenses to deliver a series of swift blows that dropped his already hurting health bar firmly into the red. Sword Art delivered, the Whisper spun for effect, knocking the thing's spindly hind legs out from beneath it, enabling his own withdrawal. The mob was clearly on its... his... last legs. Har! Har!

'Let them have their little discourse,' he thought, marveling at how the anime penchant for mid-combat chatter also seemed to run strong in SAO. Part of him felt like he should participate, while the rest saw only an enemy to be defeated. Hirru was more than tough enough for this fight, but Morgiana was in truth a liability. She lacked the powerful punch of a player, and their endurance, was was as likely to injure herself against Jathoom's thorns to greater effect than she could deliver.

His fists had found their mark, despite the recklessness of his assault. Jathoom's antler gore felt short, redirected to parry the swordwoman's assault. Maneuvering himself to flank, a quick side glance from the corner of his eyes signaled his intent to Hirru. The mob's life was now measured only in moments.

***

Spoiler

Freyd regains +4 EN
Freyd regains 73 HP from BH
CD 12 (REC proc +8) ID #218488

Post Action | AoE-II (x18, 14 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 18 EN - (Stamina) = 16 EN. Charge (+8 EN, CD 0/3)
Free Action | Rhino's Horn

Freyd attacks Jathoom:

Spoiler

ID #218489 | BD: 2+8-3-1=6 (hit, Charge +3, Rhino's Horn +3). DMG (18*32=576-100=476) to Jathoom. Freyd suffers 30 damage from Thorns

Jathoom attacks Freyd:

Spoiler

Jathoom suffers 48 Bleed damage. Bleed fades.

ID #2183490 | BD: 4+2-2=4 (miss).

Morgiana attacks Jathoom:

Spoiler

ID #2183491 | BD: 3+3-3=3 (miss)
ID #2183492 | BD: 1 (miss)

Freyd | HP: 1283/1357 (1240+73-30) | EN: 120/152 (132+4+8-16-8) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | ACC: 7 (+AA) | EVA: 3 (-1) | BH: 73 | LD: 8 | BLGT: 32 | STC: 40 | PVO | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | DOTE: 2/3 | TRLBLD | CLDN: Charge 0/3, Disguise 3/5, Quick Change 1/3
Morgiana | HP: 512/620 | DMG: 15 | MIT: 85 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BLEED: 48 (9-10) | PARALYZE (9-10) | Special attacks
Hirru | HP: 1113/1113 | EN: 89/108 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 110 | LD: 11~14 | BH: 55 | HLY BLS: 45 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 76

(8,4,0) Jathoom | HP: 128/1950 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 100 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | THORNS: 30 | ~~Bleed 48 (2/2)~~ (652-476-48)

Spoiler

Demonic Rest | The Jathoom is a creature of sleep. It may apply <<SLEEPING>>, a status disablement that causes players to lose their turns until attacked by an enemy. Players can remove this effect from other players by sacrificing their post action to do so.
Narcolepsy | On a natural roll of BD8+, if the attack connects with its target, the player gains <<SLEEPING>>. This status effect cannot be parried. The attack is to be resolved before <<SLEEPING>> is applied.
Sleep Paralysis | Victim’s of the Jathoom’s spell will not dream; instead, they are forced to reckon with ghastly terrors in their present world muted of colours. Players who are <<SLEEPING>> will suffer from Jathoom’s thorns' damage on its turn. This damage will not awaken the target and is unmitigatable.
Appendage Growth | On turns where at least one player has <<SLEEPING>>, the Jathoom will gain +25 MIT and +5 THORNS. This effect does not stack if multiple players are sleeping.
Self-Mending | The Jathoom’s body is capable of repair. When targeted by a player’s attack roll of a natural LD15+, the creature will heal 50 HP after damage is dealt if the damage is non-fatal.
Injured | Fighting with the <<Qarinah>> has weakened the Jathoom’s structure. Self-Mending will be nullified.

Edited October 22, 2023 by Freyd

Hirru · October 28, 2023

Hirru looked to the shadowed warrior with a strange look when he was given one of his own. What the hell was he supposed to do about it? The thing was one hit from death, and using anything beyond a simple energy boost or healing Morgiana was nearly useless. He really didn't need to press the attack, so what in the seven hells was the man thinking?

The hunter would look at his shield. If he could keep the deer demon from moving around, then they could easily attack it much better. He would nod to that, as it was something he could do. Slapping a heal on the resolved Morgiana, the hunter would then rush forward. Shield drawn forward before shifting his weight into a ram. Obviously, this would mean nothing for the hunter nor for the deer demon, as the hunter did not have the block and shield bash skills. Though what he did have was, a diversion.

"Don't look away now!"

He would say while lifting his shield, and pushing the deer closer towards the oncoming shadow.

Regen: EN -> +4 | HP -> 0
Recovery: [ID: 218560][CD: 12] +8 EN
Post Action: First Aid -> Morgiana 122x1.2=146 hp (max) | -15 EN

Spoiler

Freyd | HP: 1283/1357 (1240+73-30) | EN: 120/152 (132+4+8-16-8) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | ACC: 7 (+AA) | EVA: 3 (-1) | BH: 73 | LD: 8 | BLGT: 32 | STC: 40 | PVO | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | DOTE: 2/3 | TRLBLD | CLDN: Charge 0/3, Disguise 3/5, Quick Change 1/3
Morgiana | HP: 620/620 (512+146) | DMG: 15 | MIT: 85 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BLEED: 48 (9-10) | PARALYZE (9-10) | Special attacks
Hirru | HP: 1113/1113 | EN: 86/108 (+12-15) | DMG: 1 | MIT: 110 | LD: 11~14 | BH: 55 | HLY BLS: 45 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 76

(8,4,0) Jathoom | HP: 128/1950 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 100 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | THORNS: 30 | ~~Bleed 48 (2/2)~~ (652-476-48)

Spoiler

Demonic Rest | The Jathoom is a creature of sleep. It may apply <<SLEEPING>>, a status disablement that causes players to lose their turns until attacked by an enemy. Players can remove this effect from other players by sacrificing their post action to do so.
Narcolepsy | On a natural roll of BD8+, if the attack connects with its target, the player gains <<SLEEPING>>. This status effect cannot be parried. The attack is to be resolved before <<SLEEPING>> is applied.
Sleep Paralysis | Victim’s of the Jathoom’s spell will not dream; instead, they are forced to reckon with ghastly terrors in their present world muted of colours. Players who are <<SLEEPING>> will suffer from Jathoom’s thorns' damage on its turn. This damage will not awaken the target and is unmitigatable.
Appendage Growth | On turns where at least one player has <<SLEEPING>>, the Jathoom will gain +25 MIT and +5 THORNS. This effect does not stack if multiple players are sleeping.
Self-Mending | The Jathoom’s body is capable of repair. When targeted by a player’s attack roll of a natural LD15+, the creature will heal 50 HP after damage is dealt if the damage is non-fatal.
Injured | Fighting with the <<Qarinah>> has weakened the Jathoom’s structure. Self-Mending will be nullified.

Edited October 28, 2023 by Hirru

Freyd · October 29, 2023

'Good enough', Freyd told himself while watching the Jade Hunter fidget with his shield. Jathoom, prone and vulnerable, was also too panicked to look away and thereby sealed his doom. A sudden boot to the back of the head plowed the demon deer's face hard into the ground, most of his antlers shattering into fractal motes from the impact. There wasn't much left to him, Freyd realized and could read from the mere sliver remaining on his health bar.

"For what it's worth, and whatever part of Qamaqim might remain within, I'm sorry that it has to come to this." Words said and respect given, Freyd drove his fist into the back of the twisted mob's head, shattering it into a cloud of sparkling, twinkling lights. "Is everyone else alright?" Though said aloud for all, Freyd's eyes were focused on Morgiana to gauge her reaction. Ali's true intent in all of this remained unclear. He couldn't help wonder whether the mysterious woman had some connection to the endgame they have just witnessed or if she was merely Ali's puppet in his seemingly endless shenanigans.

"Why do I feel like we just took care of Ali's underworld rivals for him, clearing the path for his own ambitions? I can't help wonder if whatever curse befell these two afflicts him as well."

Morgiana said nothing, her gaze still stuck on the spot where Jathoom's corpse should have been. She seemed to be struggling with something in her silence, but not quite ready to give voice to her internal debate. Freyd's eyes drew a line from Hirru to the woman, suggesting he might coax something from her. It was time for their good-cop / bad-cop routine to bear fruit.

***

Spoiler

Freyd regains +4 EN
Freyd regains 73 HP from BH
CD 10 (REC proc +8) ID #218561

Post Action | AoE-I (x15, 11 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 15 EN - (Stamina) = 13 EN
Free Action | None

ID #218562 | BD: 4+8-3=9 (hit). DMG (15*26=390-100=290) to Jathoom. Freyd suffers 30 damage from Thorns. Jathoom dies.

Freyd | HP: 1326/1357 (1283+73-30) | EN: 119/152 (120+4+8-13) | DMG: 26 | MIT: 163 | ACC: 7 (+AA) | EVA: 3 (-1) | BH: 73 | LD: 8 | BLGT: 32 | STC: 40 | PVO | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | DOTE: 2/3 | TRLBLD | CLDN: Charge 1/3, Disguise 4/5, Quick Change 2/3
Morgiana | HP: 620/620 | DMG: 15 | MIT: 85 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BLEED: 48 (9-10) | PARALYZE (9-10) | Special attacks
Hirru | HP: 1113/1113 | EN: 86/108 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 110 | LD: 11~14 | BH: 55 | HLY BLS: 45 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 76

~~(10,4,0) Jathoom | HP: 0/1950 | DMG: 250 | MIT: 100 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3~~ ~~| THORNS: 30~~ (128-290)

Loot Jathoom: ID #218563 | LD: 14+9=23 | CD: 6
13650 col (HP[1950]*7 - incl. +4 CD/LD even)
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 218563a
T4 Perfect Weapon 218563b
T4 Perfect Weapon 218563c

Edited November 8, 2023 by Freyd

Hirru · November 8, 2023

With the creatures destroyed, the area would fall into an odd silence. No wind would blow through the area, but the sounds of their own feet brushing in the dirt. If they could breathe properly, they could probably hear that too. It was only after Freyd called out that Hirru would respond. He was looking towards the masked fighter to gauge how they were doing. Obviously, that was hard to do with the mask, but body language was everything. It seemed that they were still processing everything that had happened. Hirru would turn his head to his comrade and nod his head.

"Yeah, we're fine."

"..."

Freyd's thought would hang in the air, as Morgiana would stand there unflinching before finally stepping forth towards the remains of one of them, or at least, where they should have been. Stooping down to meet the ground beneath, she would hold in her hand a rough looking shard. It seemed similar in look to a Demonic Shard, but the color was off. It didn't give off any feint miasma, nor did it have some off-putting sheen. Instead, it seemed to shift between reds and blacks. Almost looks like it was bleeding, but the blood would seep back into the shard after a moment.

"Either demons that tried to trick our would-be contractor, or possibly having been turned to demons themselves.. I can only say that Ali may have investigated a bit ahead of us. Maybe, he knew this would happen. The thirteenth floor is known for the taint that befell it, after all."

". . ."

"With that though, the fact that they were tearing into each other for a time.. Maybe, just maybe. This whole incident with the fallen friend / husband, was a setup for something more. Each seemed to think that the other was the murderer, but in the end, they both fell to madness. Some kind of story to be made here. A meaning, if you will."

"..let not the truths feed your emotions."

The hunter would finally seem to get a response out of the woman.

"..they may just be lies in disguise."

She would turn to the both of them and nod to them both.

"Thank you. Ali has quite a bit to answer, if he is even willing to speak outside of his riddles. Here, take this and the remains of whatever they were."

Morgiana gestures out to where they both fell before giving the shard to Hirru.

"I have no need for them. I'll have to report this discreetly."

She would say before shifting around a corner and vanishing without a trace.

"Wish I could do that."

Hirru would say before looking to Freyd. A small rolled up piece of parchment in his hand, holding it up to eye level.

"Dungeon?"

En regen 1/3

Freyd · November 9, 2023

Morgiana's words rang ominously beneath the cowl, calling out alarms in Freyd's mind. Few were as intimately versed in the mixed verbiage and double-speak of bare and disguised truths. Even to speak of their dance so plainly was to court calamity. But were they her words or Ali's parroted as disclosure or foreshadowing. She vanished before he could ask.

"So," Freyd started, "do you feel like things just got better or worse? I'm still not sure what Ali's really been up to with all of this, and the whole demon metamorphosis things seems far too random to leave unexplained. You might be right about his hidden meanings and intentions." Freyd's gaze drifted to the blood stone fragment left behind, wondering at its strangely familiar colouring.

"Wish I could do that," mentioned the Hunter, whose greenish scheme seemed suddenly tinged with a hint of envy.

"Nah, man," Freyd replied, distracted by his study of the shard. "Not worth it. You have better uses for your Extra Skill slots. It seems fair to claim that few other players in the game could match your talents as a healer these days. Your performance at the recent raid only reaffirmed it." The Whisper didn't even notice as his companion lifted the slim scroll, mistaking his offer as a question.

"Dungeon?"

"Hmm? Where?" He barely managed to register the crimson flash that suddenly arced from the shard to the scroll, reality warping suddenly around them as both men fell a short distance to new footing. Their surroundings had changed and a throaty groan slipped from Freyd's lips. "Crap. Yeah. Definitely a dungeon. Frikkin' Ali strikes again. My money's on more demons."

***

EN recovery 1/3

Edited November 19, 2023 by Freyd

Hirru · November 19, 2023

Dungeon Map used ( https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/21019-pp-pt-f7-never-had-a-friend-like-me/?do=findComment&comment=642959)

The air around them seemed to ripple and change before them before the ground fell from beneath the hunter's feet. The grey and near lifeless visage of setting would change to something a bit more tinged in a sickly pale green. The room they fell into seemed to undulate and rumble before finally coming to a stand still when their feet touched the ground. The stones flooring still seemed to slightly give to their touch, but would come back to a solid feel of stone. The room flared up in light from a couple sconces near the only exit out of this room. Other than that, the feel of the room seemed like a normal ruin to him now.

"Hmm.. That's a first. Demons be planning something?"

Going with what the demon's shard did with the scroll, it would probably be certain that they were going to deal with what Freyd was thinking: more demons. A swap of his gear back to the limitations of having two heavy armors retrofitted around each other would be his next order of business. This was also to lessen the oncoming issues that heightened search would bring. He didn't want to be bombarded by the pings on every little thing in this room. He didn't need it to know that the place was probably their biggest issue. Hirru sighed before checking in with Freyd. His inquiry before the dropping into their current environment was still roughly fresh in the air.

"If what we did was to make things worse, then I'm sure making things better will only be a neutral result. We're still burning through our energy from our last raid, and I'm still riding those vibes, if that right. Gotta keep prepping and planning."

He would say while looking back to Freyd. He appreciated the notions, but there were many issues that they found themselves working through.

"Healing or not, anything that we have needs to be refined. We have to work towards our futures.."

He was reminded of the kiss between Elora and Freyd. He was glad that the wandering shadow had finally found someone to stand beside. Hirru would look forward, as he always did. There was now another soul on his shoulders to take care of. The weight was light, compared to the rest.

"..in the only way we know how."

EN recovery 2/3

Freyd · November 19, 2023

"Truer words, as they say." The phrase signaled Freyd's agreement, catching a strangely pleased look in his companion's glance his way. Who knew precisely what was going through the Jade Hunter's head in that moment? Looking upon him in that moment, he only just realized how much the man's appearance reminded him of a certain someone. Their comparative personalities were light years apart, with Hirru's being much more akin to Freyd's own. "I'm honestly not sure where Morgiana sits in all of this. She seems a pawn beholden to Ali, and yet appears and disappears with such conspicuous coincidence to catastrophe that it cannot be completely accidental. Did Ali put her up to this by having her share that shard, or is she just some cursed carrier fated to deliver calamity?"

Freyd blinked.

"Sorry. I tend to use too many big words. It's a childhood habit. My parents were both academics with high standards and expectations. It can be annoying, and I'm working on it." A wave of void-wrapped hands dismissed his excessive verbosity to focus on their surroundings. "I don't recognize any key details. We're still definitely on Thirteen, judging by the stonework, but this floor has many secrets. I wish I'd known it better before it fell." Stray appendages in marble and alabaster sprung from the surrounding rubble at odd angles. Memories of a lighter, angelic paradise lay strewn across every corner of this layer of Aincradian Hell.

"Hey, did you ever see that old episode of Dr.Who where they faced off against the Angels - these super creepy, ultra-deadly assassin statues that could kill with a simple touch, but were only able to move when no one looked at them?" Trigger the creepy awkward silence. Uncertain why the memory had beckoned and resurfaced, Freyd slowly turned back to the statuary just to be sure. It thankfully hadn't moved. "Right. Demons. Let's keep it to demons instead. Those are generally much more straightforward to deal with."

***

EN recovery 2/3

Hirru · November 26, 2023

"With how our progression is going, maybe we'll see another quest in their line. Maybe then, we can see what she thinks then. Maybe, Ali would willingly meet with us himself."

He would play upon the thoughts that the npcs were really getting their own thoughts, which the hunter was not seeing. He was goading those answers out of the thing controlling her actions. Hirru was learning more and more about the ways the world was built and how the artificial intelligences seemed to work. At least, he thought he was. Things were becoming slightly different with each passing month. Was something going on outside of their own domain?

Speaking of things outside of his domain, the question that just got brought up seemed to be odd. Doctor who? What in the world was Freyd thinking about now?

"I don't think I have. Though, I could say I haven't been much into it."

Hirru passed it off, in an inquisitive manner. Though, it is true that he wanted to know more about the outside world. There were some things that didn't need to be revealed that easily. He chewed on it for a bit, as he thought that Freyd should know just as much as everyone else.

..so why did that question make him wonder different?

"Not much to say about the past, either. Seem to forget things more than not, lately."

That would suffice for now. If he wanted to inquire more, they would. Instead, the hunter would redirect things a bit.

"So, the green haired gal, Elora? How did that come around?"

EN recov 3/3

Freyd · November 27, 2023

"Heh," Freyd chuckled, scratching at the back of his cowl. "I'm not really sure, to be perfectly honest. She was just getting started in the Town of Beginning. I helped her out a bit, which became a pattern over time." Memories of endless hours spent scouring beneath rocks and foliage in search of a familiar came to mind. How many days had they spent looking for Borris, only to realize that he'd been following along behind them almost since the beginning? The little rock elemental was as unpredictable as she was. "There's no way I could have planned it, and wouldn't have the slightest clue how to repeat it a second time. She's a free spirit, for sure. Maybe opposites just attracted?" Despite his shrugging, it was obvious that Freyd was happier for their closeness. Few would ever know how much Elora's friendship meant to him, or why. She'd taken and tamed a raw, dangerous thing, teaching it the merits of humanity, of feelings and connection. "Suffice it to say that she's a good person, and I'm very grateful to have her in my life." He left it at that, a wistful, longing, yet contented look in his eyes.

"Now. What to do about this place?" Hands on hips, Freyd swiveled to survey their surroundings. It looked like a crypt married with a monument graveyard. "The locals sure do love their statuary, don't they? It's all very faux-gothic." Passages snaked off in different directions, none offering any clue as to a possible exit. Tiny shafts of light streamed through cracks and breaks in the rubble, suggesting that they weren't that deep below ground. "Maybe we just pick the path that goes up and see where it leads?"

***

EN recovery 3/3

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