[PP-F9] Fallen Dreams, Eternal Steam <<Bandit Camp>>

[Dazia 0]

                              Dazia had conversation to make with a player who was willing to hear her out. All she needed to do was pick the location. Not many people visited the ninth floor, due to its perpetually hostile environment, so to Dazia, it had its advantages. Thus, it was back to Yogan village in the ninth floor for her.

                      Once Dazia reached the ninth floor, along with the player who she'd brought with her for the discussion at hand, she knew she'd need to speak. "I'm sure you may have questions," She began. She didn't know why this player wanted to hear her out, and she didn't know if this player understood why she'd chosen this floor to speak in. "If you have any, it would be best to ask them now." She decided. Answering these questions will give the discussion a fair start. Where exactly it goes will depend on the questions asked. Hopefully, nothing goes south from here.

 

Stats and Equipment:

Spoiler

Level: 33

Paragon: 12(Paragon stat changes: +40 HP, + 4 EN)

Paragon Level 5 - Laurel Wreath (Earn Col equivalent to 15% of player’s EXP earned in thread)
Paragon Level 10 -  +1 LD to Looting Monsters, finding and opening Chests

 

Battle Stats:

HP: 700
EN: 88
DMG: 23(SS R5[7], Combat mastery: DMG[12], Athletics[1], SS Ferocity[2])
MIT: 44(Cloth Armor R5[20], Raven Shade[24])
ACC: 3(Adjudicator[1{Abs. ACC}], Soaring Shadow[2])
EVA: 4(Raven Shade[2], Soaring Shadow[1], Nimble[1])
LD: 1(Nimble)
Fallen: +16 DMG on nat BD 6-8

 

Additional Factors:

+5 LD on Stealth rolls(Hiding R5)

 

Equipment:

[T4] Adjudicator(Abs. ACC, VAMP-O, Fallen II)

[T4] Raven Shade(1 MIT, 2 EVA)

[T1] Soaring Shadow(2 ACC, 1 EVA)

 

Consumables:

Teleport Crystal x1

 

 

Skills:

Straight Sword R5(30 SP)

Cloth Armor R5(30 SP)

Combat Mastery: Damage(13 SP)

Extended Mod Limit(10 SP)

 

Shift: AoE(10 SP)

 

 

Extra Skills:

Hiding(30 SP)

Meditation

Survival

 

 

Mods:

Athletics(4 SP)

Untraceable(4 SP)

Blindside(4 SP)

Vanish(6 SP)

Surprise Attack: Assassin(6 SP)

 

 

Addons:

SS Ferocity(6 SP)

Nimble(6 SP)

 

[Hirru 0]

The black obsidian buildings that seemed to encompass their movements as they walked, was a signature trait of the main settlement of the ninth floor.  It was always an oddity to see such large structures of seemingly brittle substance concerned the hunter.  How did they carve our their domiciles from this rock?  There was so much to learn from the residents, but the floor was also not the best to stay around in.

It was the heat.  Bubbling and freeflowing lava was essentially all around them, with very few walkways or paths to choose from.  The paths would appear and disappear from under the constant eruptions that happen. nearly daily.  With that, though, the place was a hot spot for different quests and a certain field boss.  Although, the hunter was not in need of the item that the creature dropped.

Prompted to ask questions by the raven haired, the one that he followed to the ninth floor for, he mulled over it.  The woman that he followed was an interesting one.  She seemed to be very on guard about several different issues, as evident by being cautious of even the unarmed hunter.

"Well, let me get this straight.  So, a woman named Krysta has some kind of vendetta against you, due to something that happened to a distant cousin, or so.  Even when you say you defended yourself, it feels like something is missing.  Context.  Would you like to tell me about what happened that day?  That way I can have a better understanding of the situation that you're in."

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
<Betrayal of the Fallen Knight> .... // +12 Damage
<Mass HP Recovery Crystal> x5 ...... // +10% AOE Heal
<Empty>
<Empty>

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

 

[Dazia 0]

                       Figures. That's what almost everyone asked.
                   And nearly everyone she'd spoken to about this didn't have any kind words for her. Even Vigilon, who apparently hadn't given up hope for her, claimed that the incident with Wardege carried "malice". There had to be a way Dazia could word it in which she could avoid the same song and dance.

                        "It started like any other day outside the safe zone for any other group of players, where they all have a reason to set out for the day, usually to fight monsters to gain levels or rewards. Wardege and I met at the safe zone's edge, considered going out there to hunt some common creatures, then we stumbled upon a crumbling ruin. We fought our way through it, but he seemed to be paying attention to how I fought." She began. Hopefully the green haired player wouldn't notice her removing the wanted poster placed by that trio of dimwitted simps, it was like they were on nearly every floor. She had to keep her notoriety from looking too dangerous, and that usually involved removing blather like this, regardless of which form it was in, written or spoken.
                        Continuing, she placed her right hand on her side as the explanation went on. "I didn't know why he was doing that. Nor did I know why he seemed more and more like something was off the further we cleared around the area. Something soon seemed off about him as we neared the exit, then he went on ahead of me, just to block my way out." She shrugged with both arms. "I couldn't see the point in doing so, nor could I understand why he sent me a duel challenge, for a total loss duel, in fact. I took the challenge, seeing that there didn't seem to be any other way out and I couldn't force my way out without getting an infraction on my cursor. I lacked the funds for a teleport crystal at the time, so of course by the time I could afford one, I was already outside of town and in a difficult situation. So we fought. The battle was longer than expected, to be honest. He'd learned how I fought, so he did make use of that knowledge to deflect my attacks, but that obviously wasn't the mistake he made, it was initiating that fight to begin with." She crossed both her arms, her expression irritated, as she continued. "As victory was getting near, he just, out of the blue, leaves himself wide open, and calls out, 'Let's settle it all here and now. Treat me the way you would treat Humanity!' ...I didn't think it was necessary for me to ask why he still held onto his weapon, he could strike me the moment I let my guard down. I don't understand why he thought that was a good idea, in the slim, off chance that he was telling the truth."
                Dazia realized that she'd prattled on more than she needed to. There was no turning back, but at least she was within a safe zone.

[Hirru 0]

He would listen to her tale as they walked along.  It seemed that her path was not exactly set, or was it?  The ninth floor's roads were never the same, as the lava casts forming the roads would break apart and fill in new ones after another eruption.  This usually happened several times within a day, so the only way to properly map the area, was to do so slightly after and before the next eruption.  Though, it wasn't that the hunter was taking any consideration to that.  No, he was trying to focus while having himself burn alive from the heat building under his heavy armor.  Unfortunately, he couldn't easily switch to his Survival extra skill without manually resetting his extras listings.  With how the girl was going, it was better to not show any weird or uneasy movements.  Instead, he would keep his helm off while walking with her.  At least then, he could breathe.

"That's quite a bit to unravel.  Hmm.. Let me see.."

He would start.

"So, you knew him from before?  This wasn't something that this guy was just planning to do to some random player that he met?"

Hirru would start to rationalize the information given to him.  Leaving out the part that this girl probably wasn't thinking too much at the time.  It was apparent that something wasn't right.

"I've heard a bit from several players in the past.  Being entrapped to give them all their valuables or else they would be killed.  Didn't really stop many of the deaths, though."

He would point out.

"Do you think that this was what he was trying to pull?  I doubt that he just wanted to kill you, if he knew you."

[Dazia 0]

                    The first question that the green haired player asked showed that there was a need for some clarification. Dazia continued to listen until he was done making his points. "We met and fought on the same day, actually. We never knew each other personally. He didn't demand anything from me when he sent me that challenge when he blocked my way, other than the duel itself. I don't know why he thought it was a good idea to challenge me to a fight to the death either, but he's dead now and that's his fault." Dazia answered.

               Dazia sighed. "I'm not sure if this was something that was premeditated, or if he just convinced himself that there was a reason to fight me, and at this point, I just don't care anymore. Those who claimed to know him more personally..." Dazia nearly trailed off there. "They acted like he was some kind of saint with a servant's heart. He sure kept up the polite attitude, even to the end, but I'm not sure if it was genuine or just an act." She added.

        Dazia usually didn't like this floor, but there were a number of times she'd already made an exception already, not to mention the survival skill proved to be useful here.

[Hirru 0]

"Hmm.. I think there's more to it, but that side of the story is obviously.."

He would look towards the girl and sigh.

"..long gone."

Keeping up with the girls story was hard to say the least.  There were several holes in the tale.  Why would someone that other people knew well, would act completely opposite from their perceived knowledge?  Was it that the person was good at hiding their true intentions, or could this be a fabrication?  There were variables at play, and the hunter had to work through them to get to the truth.

"It's hard to see where and why the player would put themselves into such a situation.  It sounded like a PK strategy, but it felt out of place.  No monetary gain?  No motive?  The weird part of it all having the man stop his fighting and allow you to strike him down.  Could have been a ploy to lower your guard, but it feels like there was more to it.  You didn't know the guy until just that day, so why would he go straight to that?"

As he spun the story in his mind a few times, the pieces just didn't seem to add up.  It felt like the boy was trying to PK them, but got out skilled and tried to set up a hail mary.  Luck wasn't on his side though, as he was slain on the spot, instead of hesitation.

"Even still, it came down to a death.  There was no stopping it once the duel is accepted.  I'm sure that many probably question you and have berated you for not hesitating.  Though, I will say that you did what you needed.  It's not good to take a life, but it is better to save your own, if need be."

[Dazia 0]

                               The green haired player gave his thoughts, as well as his questions. "I know! It makes no sense at all!" Dazia remarked, failing to stop herself from chuckling as she did so. It was just so stupid of the man to do what he did at the battle's end. "He even kept up the act on his final breath! You wouldn't believe what he even said, he just said something like... '...You...you really hate Humanity that much? Ha....I guess I was protecting them, by challenging you...I'm sorry everyone, I have...failed you all...' Please, like he didn't ask for it by trying to kill me like that, it was a real waste..." Uh oh, did she get too comfortable and go too far? She stopped then and there. Her surprised expression was hidden by her cowl, and she cleared her throat. "S-so, um, I don't understand why he even tried to go for that move, even. We met on that day, he challenges me out of the blue, and then expects me to spare him? I don't see the logic in that." She noted.
                           "It's true that I've already become disliked by many over it, some have even taken Princess's side of the argument and joined her in her quest for revenge, and she'll stop at nothing to kill me. It's just a wild goose chase at this point, and I'm getting sick of being on the run from her at all times." She added. "One question though...is self-defense the only worthy reason to take lives?" Dazia asked. "What if it was the only way to stop someone from doing awful things to everyone around you? What if the world improves when they're taken out of the picture?" She continued. "What if they exist simply to snuff out the hope that keeps us all going? Not everyone is strong enough to defend themselves, sometimes, there are those of us who may need to do the ugly things, isn't that how it is?"

    Well, Dazia had spoken her side of the story...so now that he'd spoken his opinion, Dazia wanted to dig deeper into that.

[Hirru 0]

"That sounds.. really odd."

Unbelievably odd.  There is quite a bit of this story that isn't being told, but that is alright.  Tales are to be told in the eyes of whatever the storyteller wishes to convey them in.  Hirru himself recalls the past as he knew it, with slight changes for those that do not wish to be known or can not tell their tale anymore.  There were so many ways to embellish and throw off a tale to be of ones own design.  He knew well of it, as he has been doing so for quite some time now, especially after a certain incident.

"Though, I would say that he was being very.. eccentric.  Probably trying to throw you off."

He would go on before seeing that they were reaching a very specific area of the ninth floor.  Was she bringing him towards the bandit camp?  Why?  Did she want help in it?  It's one of the easier quests that he had done.  Though, he was a fighter back then.  Hopefully, she doesn't think that he is a tank with his shield and armor.  His thoughts would kind of wander a bit in silence before coming back to him.  She does think of him as a tank.. he sighed.

"So how did this Krysta find out about it?  Did you tell her, or did she just find out due to obvious reasons?"

[Dazia 0]

                       The green haired player didn't seem to hear the questions that Dazia asked him. Regardless, she decided to humor him for the moment, and answer the question he popped. "Oh, please, of course I didn't tell her." She began. "For starters, I had no clue at all that the two were even remotely related, never even heard of Krysta until she started coming for me. From what I'd heard from someone, she realized I'd killed him because she saw the Monument...and the Monument will always tell you who or what the cause of death is." She added.
                It was both a blessing and a curse, that feature. Because it could tell what killed a player, it could help those who knew someone that was killed...but for killers and killers-to-be, it was a problem because the Monument will always tell the truth about a player's death, meaning that if another player was involved, they'd be exposed in a negative light, regardless of cursor color...and with each kill she made, Dazia could feel the effects of it, laced within Krysta's relentless pursuit of Dazia.

                  "We met at what was supposed to be a social event. Won a lesser prize at its raffle, got a simple candy that was useful in boosting my level at the low state it was in at the time...but since Princess was there, and she knew my username...she was able to spot me, and figure out my appearance. She then wasted no time in trying to confront me. In all honesty, I'd had a hunch that someone out there knew Wardege, but I didn't expect to be found that soon. The girl was clearly driven by vendetta and little else, though to the extent of breaking the peace of a social event...that's not what you see every day." She explained. "Nearly got us both kicked out of it, now that I think about it, as an NPC got involved, giving an enforcement threat."

     The two players had been moving throughout the settlement as they talked, and would soon near the settlement's edge, but Dazia would learn of an opportunity that awaited her outside of it, soon enough...

[Hirru 0]

"I can sort of see where she's coming from.  The monument does tell one who died, how, and by whom.  By your explanation, it would probably read 'Wardege'  Full Health Duel loss to Dazia', or something along those lines.  Was that his name?  Anyway, with that information alone, someone can easily assume the worst."

Hirru had the same issue with another person that died by the exact same duel set, but the context of that was still unknown to him.  Could it be just the same as Dazia's situation?  Was this something like all the other player killers that he had met in the past?  Was he hunting for truths that did not seem to be real?  He would sigh before continuing on.

"That info does mean one thing.  Someone started the duel to the death, but it does not say whom.  Only who won and who lost.  Quite a bit of information is lost.  Why was it started?  Who initiated it?  Why would they do it?  Why would their opponent accept?"

He would seem a bit stern with that last part, but it was the truth in that regard.

"She probably thinks that you're the one that initiated the duel, to kill him in the same way he was going to do to you.  The only one that knows the truth is you, and she is not going to believe you easily."

"As for your tangent from earlier.  It is dependent on the situation.  Your own survival is paramount, and any and all chances to live should be taken.  That does not mean that others will see the loss of life as a necessity.  If available, the option should be to run and get away from the situation.  Now, to know if a life is one that is or will be one that continues suffering and agony to others, that is unknowable.  The issue may be small, and the death meaningless.  The issue may be big, and leave ripples throughout the future."

Hirru could only think about what he has not been able to say to Ariel the multiple times they've seen each other.  He needed to ask her about it.

"That, though, is not for us to decide.  We can not say if someone is a danger to others, not on our own.  The ideals of one does not equal the ideals of another."

[Dazia 0]

                        The Green Haired Player spoke a few points, but was a bit stern at one particular one. "Did I not tell you? He blocked the only way in and out, to duel him was my only way out of the place we were in. If I didn't accept, he'd probably just remain there, and I'd be stuck inside a group of subterranean rooms where monsters spawn in. If I didn't fight him in a duel yet killed him anyway, the game would flag it as murder. He could have easily brought enough supplies to keep him from collapsing, whereas my own supplies could have been lesser, leaving me to a different fate...I didn't exactly think it would be wise to take that chance." Dazia explained. "Regardless of who was right or wrong, who was or wasn't at fault, that was the past and now he's dead, nothing can change that, not even a kill made out of vengeance." She added.

                The player noted that Krysta probably thinks that Dazia was the challenger. Dazia actually hadn't thought of it that way, but who started it wasn't a relevant factor to her until just now...not that Krysta would ever believe it from Dazia, of course. The green haired player then answered Dazia's question from earlier...hmph, so he was one of those people, then...not exactly bad, but he might spare the wrong people... "Tch..." She looked back to the direction in front of her, with disregard and some slight nonchalance. She couldn't change him, nor did she intend to. At least he was willing to hear her out, though.

                  Dazia stopped as she heard someone call out, "Oi, you there!"
        She turned to look towards the direction of the sound, and saw an NPC waving to Dazia as he made his way over to the two players. His skin was lighter than that of the other NPCs, aside from a burn scar on his face. There must be something about this NPC other than his skin tone that differentiates him from the other miners on the floor. "Need something?" Dazia asked. The pale skinned miner nodded his head. "I don't know if you've noticed, but the town's falling on hard times. As much as we keep mining, our hard mined ores keep getting stolen by pesky bandits. I'm no good in a fight, and I have to keep leading the miners here. If someone can't resolve the bandit problem, we and our families will surely starve." He explained.
                              Dazia listened with interest. "Anything else you can tell me about the problem?" She asked. "The bandits' attacks, how many there are, whether or not you know anything about someone among them, or even their location?" She added, giving examples in case there was also a particular target. The NPC took a deep breath, his expression somber. "As the current foreman of the miners, I'd say I'm partly at fault for this, as their leader happens to be the former foreman of the miners, Anton Basalton, who wasn't too happy about being replaced by me. I wish I could handle the situation myself, but I'm in no position to... I can give you the location of their camp, and I'll pay you well if you manage to succeed at showing them we're not to be messed with." The NPC explained. A quest prompt then appeared in front of Dazia. She pressed accept, and gave her verbal response to the NPC. "Consider it done. I'll be back with the stolen goods." 
                 The NPC thanked Dazia and marked a location on her map, then returned to his business. Dazia then looked to the green haired player. "Change of plans, for as you can see, I now have another target to deal with. You can feel free to help if you want." She stated. "The situation is to deal with Anton and his bandits, then bring back the stolen goods, simplicity in itself."

[Hirru 0]

They were snared in the NPC's trap.  Always coming up at the wrong time, but right when they were needed.  Odd, to be sure.  The girl had accepted the quest givers request, and she would have her reasons to leave the hunter behind.  He was only there to figure out what was going on, and that's essentially what they did.  At least, that's what he thought.  She didn't seem to agree with what he thought, but that doesn't mean that the hunter couldn't be anything else but himself.  He could only sigh and give an affirmative nod.

"I guess if you're accommodating me with the talk, the least I could do is help."

With a quick flip, the hunter would flip through his inventory to make sure everything was okay.  After affirming that everything was alright, he would send a quick party invite.

"I'm not much in the line of combat, though.  So that's on you.  I can buff and heal you far past what you need, though.  Also, if need be, I'm prepared to teleport us out."

He was interested in the changes to this quest though.  There were many quests that changed with the disturbances of the 25th floor's disaster event.  Many more changed with the environment.  This one was probably no different than the others.  Probably, this one would have a hidden skill or something too.  This was a great opportunity to gain it, even if he wouldn't be able to uses them.

 

[Dazia 0]

           It wasn't a problem that this player turned out to not be much of a fighter, the fact that he could support Dazia in case of emergencies especially made up for it. With a party formed, Dazia now had to think of how she could handle the situation... "They're likely to see you first." Dazia pointed out. "I'll be in the shadows before they fall. Whether they attack you on sight or not is irrelevant, but if they become hostile when you're in their field of vision, you might need to be ready to take a few hits if they somehow manage reach you before I kill them. Are you certain of your survivability?" She questioned. If she was going to stay on this player's good side, she'd need to show concern for him, especially since he was capable of keeping Dazia alive.

  The trip itself shouldn't be too much for Dazia, seeing that her Survival Skill made that easier. Hopefully there wouldn't be any interruptions from unexpected enemies on the way there...

[Hirru 0]

"I'm sure they'll do more than just see me."

For the hunter however, his survival skill was still locked away from use for the foreseeable future.  He was sweating up a storm under all that heavy armor, it would probably be the end of him if he wasn't a merchant.  The many water bottles he had to buy through merchants and swindlers were cluttering his inventory, anyway.  Tossing back several bottles every few hours, the man would be drenched, if not for the hellish heat of the ninth floor.  Even if the floor bosses volcano was no longer active, it didn't change a god damn thing.  The hunter was a billowing cloud of water vapor as they ventured towards the waypoint that the quest gave.  He was sure that when they got there that the bandits would see him from a mile away.

"Should probably eat.."

He would say as he pulled out a little odd shard.  The shard would then flower out at the tip, showing an odd sight of a platter of overly salted fish.  The hunter would take one while washing the horrid salty taste down with a bittersweet Immolation potion.

• Gungnir Shard [T4 MIT III] = +60 MIT  https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/8406-found-item-recognition-hirru/?do=findComment&comment=644334
• Immolation Potion [T4] = +40 Thorns  https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/20786-general-merchant/?do=findComment&comment=646739

The feeling of the salty oil seemed to coat over his skin, as the potion seemed to sharpen the wings and motif on his armor and shield.  How this happened?  The hunter could never understand, as the game had it's ways to making the buffs still feel like they were apart of you.  That being said, they were slowly coming up a dark, soot-pocked, dirt trail.  It looked well worn, as if people would come and go from it regularly.  Some bandit camp, if you're settling on a single path to get to your hidden encampment.

"You should hide now before the first group comes down."

Hirru | HP: 960/960 | EN: 108/108 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 182 | BH: 48 | HLY BLS: 38 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 76

[Dazia 0]

      The path was looking beaten and worn. This was likely a good staging ground for ambushes...
   But as Dazia would quickly realize, there weren't many places she could take cover within. Despite the color of her enshrouding outfit, it would seem she was having trouble blending into her surroundings. Only an inattentive fool would miss her at this rate, and even the AI created by the Cardinal system would have better luck at finding her like this.

      "If only the stones and boulders scattered around the sides of the path that aren't beaten as the road were larger...even though I'm...capable of fitting into more compact spaces...I'm still struggling..." Dazia thought, gritting her teeth in anguish as she resisted to even think the fact that she was small. She was small, yes, but she was far from weak...but if only anyone other than her knew that. Who would care about Dazia, anyway? There were few individuals with enough hope to understand, and half of said individuals were missing in action.

 

ID# 218852 LD: 2+6=8(Stealth Rating: 8) [Insufficient Stealth]

Edited February 14 by Dazia

[Hirru 0]

Hirru couldn't understand if the girl was just not very keen on using her skills, or if they didn't have the stealth skill at all.  He had to rethink that for a second, as he remembered that he had an odd time finding her when they first.. "met".  Could be the terrain, or something else, but there was no way that..

"Hey you!  Shiny boi!"

Oh boi, here we go.  Four people seemed to jump out at him with the look of plebeians and outcasts.  Rogues and thieves.  They seemed to be working their way around him, surveying him.

"What'sa guy like you doing in a place like this?"

"You don't look like one of the town guard.  Too new and shiny!"

Hirru raised his shield in response, backing away slowly to keep them from encircling him.  One of them seemed to laugh at this.

"Spooked ya, didn't we?  That's okay!  We won't hurt ya, if you leave all your stuff right there."

"Kid doesn't even have a weapon, mate.  We could just beat him for it."

The hunter piped up.

"That's what you're gonna have to do.  I'm here for your boss, ruffians!"

The bandits couldn't help but laugh at the bravado and stupidity.  They readied their weapons.

"Sucks for you, kid.  You're not going anywhere."

The first two worked their blades, trying to get through the tough armor and shield.  They hit, but at what cost?  The razor sharp wings of the armor and shield tore into their arms as the passed.  The only ones that didn't were the third bandit, that got a clean hit in from the confusion; and, teh fourth that was too bewildered by the fact that the hunter didn't seem to budge or fight back.

Bandits Attack:
[ID:221024][MD:7] 150-182=1 Minimum | Bandit takes 72 Thorns Dmg
[ID:221025][MD:8] 150-182=1 Minimum | Bandit takes 72 Thorns Dmg
[ID:221026][MD:10] 151-182=1 Minimum
[ID:221027][MD:4] Miss

Hirru:
EN: null
Recovery: null
Battle Heal/Holy Blessing: +86 HP
Action: None

[0/0/0/0] Hirru | HP: 960/960 | EN: 108/108 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 182 | BH: 48 | HLY BLS: 38 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 76
[0/0/0/0] Dazia | HP: 700/700 | EN: 88/88 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 44 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 4 | FLN: 16 | VAMP-0: 70

Bandit Uno | HP: 178/250 | DMG: 75/100/125/150
Bandit Dos | HP: 178/250 | DMG: 75/100/125/150
Bandit Tres | HP: 250/250 | DMG: 75/100/125/150
Bandit Cuatro | HP: 250/250 | DMG: 75/100/125/150

 

Edited March 30 by Hirru

[Dazia 0]

                                "Well, he's distracted them, at least..." Dazia thought.
                  Any other style of AoE might get Hirru caught in friendly fire, which is not what Dazia needed right now. A combo-strike based, multi-target AoE would have to be the tactic here, a Sword Art that was less of an Area of Effect, more like an Area of Range.

               Dazia dashed from her failed cover, her blade cutting deep gashes into her first victim as the fallen energy in the weapon came alive. Dazia followed with a thrust into her foe's torso, before twisting the blade and slashing its way out upwards through the shoulder. As the first bandit screamed from the pain, falling to the ground and shattering, Dazia began her assault on her next victim, moving in to sever the third bandit's arm before cutting him in two, finishing him off with a thrust to his heart. Dazia then moved towards the remaining two bandits, who locked both their blades in an X-scissor pattern to stop and deflect Dazia's weapon, before one of the two knocked her off balance.
                 While Dazia recovered quickly, this was all for her current attack.
          "What's this now, tryin' an ambush, are you?" One of the surviving bandits of this bunch questioned. "Hmpf, seems the kid's brought an assassin with him, by the looks of it." Growled the other. 

 

ID# 223541 BD: 6+3=9(hit, Fallen Activates)

ID# 223542 BD: 1(Critical Miss)

ID# 223543 BD: 5+3=8(hit)

ID# 223544 BD: 1(Critical Miss)

 

AoE-I: 23+16x15=585 Damage to Bandit 1, 23x15=345 Damage to Bandit 3!

 

[0/0] Hirru | HP: 960/960 | EN: 108/108 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 182 | BH: 48 | HLY BLS: 38 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 76
[0/0] Dazia | HP: 700/700 | EN: 71/88 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 44 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 4 | FLN: 16 | VAMP-0: 70

Bandit 1 | HP: 0/250 | DMG: 75/100/125/150
Bandit 2 | HP: 178/250 | DMG: 75/100/125/150
Bandit 3 | HP: 0/250 | DMG: 75/100/125/150
Bandit 4 | HP: 250/250 | DMG: 75/100/125/150

Edited July 22 by Dazia