[EV-PP-F29] Timebombs & Hurricanes

[Lessa 1]

This happens when the two of us combine (the timebomb's ticking, so).
Oh, send reinforcements 'cause we'll cross the line (have mercy on our souls).

All she heard was the rain.

She couldn't say for sure if that was the only sound. Somehow, she knew it couldn't be - she was standing in the middle of a forest, for heavens sake. No doubt, there were other noises, like the creaking of trees as they bowed to the strong gusts of wind. Or the crunch of the leaves beneath her boots with each step that she took, her long strides carrying her deeper into the woods. Or the scurrying of little... somethings... as they skittered across the underbrush. All the normal sounds in a normal forest - surely, at least some of them had to be present. But the clink of the rain against her heavy armor, and the whoosh of it smacking the leaves, and the hum of it in the air... it filled her ears. It consumed her. It made every other thing irrelevant.

Until the ping of a new notification sliced through the din.

"Shit," Lessa spluttered, nearly dropping her sword in surprise. She took two quick breaths, a pathetic attempt to calm her racing heart, before calling up the message. Apparently, Freyd had found yet another Spectral Knight, this one near Kineallen. He was calling for aid, and since her search hadn't turned up anything, she might as well answer his summon. Dismissing the window with a flick of her wrist, Lessa turned, and came face to face with something truly horrifying.

꧁༺Lessa༻꧂   Lessa, Guardian of Aincrad True Tier: 10 Level: 34 Paragon Level: 60 HP: 980/980 EN: 130/130 Stats: Damage: 18 Mitigation: 127 Battle Healing: 29 Stealth Rating: -5 HB: 39 MENDING: 2 REC: 8 HLY: 8 Equipped Gear: Weapon/Armor/Trinket:    - Arcael's Might (T4 THSS - DMG DMG DMG HLY)                                                                                                         Armor/Trinket:    - Vega's Panoply (T4 HA - THNS THNS HB HB)                                                                                                              Shield/Armor/Trinket:    - Red Tide Beacon - Venus (T4 TRINKET - LM LM REC REC) Combat Mastery:   - Combat Mastery: Mitigation R3 Combat Shift:   - ST Shift Familiar Skill:   - Rending Familiar Skills:   - Battle Healing R3   - Energist   - Extended Weight Limit   - Heavy Armor R5   - Straight Sword R3 Extra Skills:   - First Aid R5   - Leadership R5 Addons:   - Field Medic   - Hyperactive   - Iron Skin Mods:   - Barrier   - Energize   - Inspiring Speech   - Large Pockets   - Press the Attack Battle Ready Inventory:   - Blessing of the Wood x4   - Chocolate Truffles (T4 Vitality II Desserts) x13   - Congealing Ale (Tierless Antidote Salves) x4   - March to the Dawn (Instant HP Recovery 3) x14   - Rumbling Rum Party Favor (Tierless Mass HP Recovery Crystals) x13   - Teleportation Crystal x14   - Tiger's Balm (Tierless Antidote Salves) x1 Housing Buffs:   - Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat   - Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)   - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.   - Attic (Storage): +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests   - Slime Farm: +5% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.   - Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll Crafting Profession:  - Blacksmith[465exp] R6 Gathering Profession:  - Forager[0exp] R1

[Lilik 0]

"I thought that was you." Lilik smirked down at the blonde. "Or some version of you. Had to come see if you'd been turned into one of those zombie things."

Lessa, to her credit, didn't begin steaming from her ears. She looked like she came damn close though. "What the hell are you doing out here?"

If Lilik was annoyed by Lessa's outburst, she gave no indication. Instead, she simply tilted her head, her voice light and mocking. "Oh, it's fantastic to see you too, Lessa! I've been great, thanks for asking. It's been really great to-"

"Will you shut up?" This, it seemed, was enough to finally get the other woman's attention. Lilik blinked owlishly, then opened her mouth to speak again, but Lessa cut her off. "Seriously, shut up." Lessa held up one gauntleted hand, her blue eyes wide and dancing with rage as they met Lilik's. While the other woman had half a foot on her, in that moment, Lessa commanded all attention. "You should not be out here."

Indignation colored Lilik's cheeks. "Says who? Says you?"

"Yes, says me," Lessa shot back. "Says me, says the game, says the fucking universe." Throwing her arms wide, Lessa gestured to their surroundings. "Have you seen this place?"

Lilik's smirk returned, though her amber eyes hardened beneath her thick eyelashes. "Isn't it sweet?"

"No, it's not sweet," Lessa ground out. "It's a damn nightmare. You're way too low level to be up here alone."

"You're alone," came Lilik's matter-of-fact retort.

"I know what I'm doing." Lessa blew out a hard breath, fighting the urge to massage her temple where a massive headache was already taking root. "Look, I have to go."

"Then go."

"I'm not going to leave you here."

Lilik scoffed. "Who the hell do you think you are? My mom?"

"Why, would your mom leave you in the middle of these woods?"

"My mom's dead."

Lessa let her head fall back, a whispered "fuck" slipping past her lips before she heaved a sigh. "Fine. But can I ask a friend of mine to come keep the mobs off you?"

Lilik picked absently at the red polish on her right thumb nail. "You can do whatever you want," she answered simply. "I'm not your mom."

⋇⊶⊰Lilik⊱⊷⋇   Lilik Level: 17 Paragon Level: 0 HP: 340/340 EN: 52/52 Stats: Damage: 8 Equipped Gear: Weapon: Vanity Whip Armor: Vanity Armor Skills: Whip R5

[Oscar 0]

It was endless. Whatever had been unleashed when Oscar had found the Boss Room quite literally had taken the combined efforts of the Frontlines to even pretend to keep under control. Those feelings he felt while hunting had, much to his horror, proven to be true. There was something here that wanted out. Oscar didn't have time to kick himself for not listening to his gut. Everything was surging towards the Teleport Platform. It was all he could do to help stem the tide.

As he ripped his blade out of one of those strange knights, he heard a chime. He wiped his face with the back of his hand and opened his menu. He was soaked to the bone having fought for hours in a desperate struggle to keep that which wanted out, in. He opened the message, wheeling around to square up with another of the unending horde.

Quote

From Lessa:

We have a problem. Can you come help?

"Yeah, just as soon as I handle this," he muttered to himself. It didn't take long. But the horde was gaining ground. Clearly they didn't have enough hands. So as he made his way to Lessa's location, he sent out another message:
 

Quote

To Abellio:

Floor 29. Now. It's an emergency.

Oscar wasn't happy about the idea of employing a low-level Player to help stem the tide, but what choice did they have. Abellio was capable enough. At the very least, he wouldn't get himself killed. Oscar made his approach, having sped from the town straight to Lessa's location. Upon seeing her companion, he scowled as he dismissed his weapon.

"You have to be fucking kidding me," Oscar said. The hypocrisy of his anger was not lost on him, but Abellio at least would be surrounded by high level Players. Not out in the middle of nowhere, only finding aid upon happenstance. 

"We do not have time for this," he continued, his gaze narrowing as he looked at Lilik. "Why the fuck are you here? You're pulling Hate on the whole fuckin' Floor just by standing there. What kind of death wish do you have?"

He quickly held up his hand. "You know what? Spare me. Leave. Now."
 

Spoiler

"Name: Oscar
True Tier: 10
Level: 34
Paragon Level: 60
HP: 980/980
EN: 130/130

Stats:
Damage: 23
Mitigation: 152
Accuracy: 3
Evasion: 1
Battle Healing: 
Loot Die: 5
Stealth Rating: -5
AA 
PHASEVAMP-O: 162
REC: 4

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - <<Kyūketsuki>> T4 KATANA//ABS.ACC/PHASE/VAMP2 
Armor/Trinket: 
  - <<TACTICAL UNDER ARMOR>> T4 HEAVY ARMOR//MIT/MIT/MIT/REC
Shield/Armor/Trinket: 
  - <<IVORY GOLD LEAF RING>> T1 TRINKET//ACC/ACC/EVA/EVA

Combat Mastery:
  - Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
  - AOE Shift

Familiar Skill:
  - 

Custom Skill:
  - 

Skills:
  - Battle Healing R5
  - Energist
  - Extended Weight Limit
  - Fighting Spirit
  - Heavy Armor R5
  - Howl
  - Katana R5
  - Quick Change
  - Searching R5

Extra Skills:
  - Concentration
  - Forgotten King's Authority
  - Meditation
  - Parry
  - Survival

Inactive Extra Skills:

Addons:
  - Ferocity
  - Focused Howl
  - Iron Skin
  - Precision
  - Stamina

Mods:
  - Impetus
  - Night Vision
  - Tracking

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:
  - <<CRYSTAL OF DIVINE LIGHT>> ID: 236066 x
  - <<DARK SERAPHIM>> T4 HEAVY ARMOR - VAMP.D2/HOLY BLESSING 2 x
  - <<DIVINE RANCOR>> T4 KATANA - HOLY/HOLY/PHASE/BLIGHT  x
  - <<GLOVES OF CAERUS>> T1 LIGHT ARMOR//3 LD x
  - <<IMUGI'S INSPIRATION>> MASS HEAL x
  - <<RHINO'S HORN>> ID: 236068 x
  - <<SANCTITY'S RUIN>> T4 KATANA - FROSTBITE/BLEED/BLIGHT/BURN x
  - <<TELEPORTATION CRYSTAL>> x

Housing Buffs:
  - Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.
  - Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
  - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
  - Attic (Bedroom): +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cannot boost a skill without ranks, or increase a skill past its maximum rank. Cannot boost a skill the user has not learned yet. Ranks obtained using this buff will make the mods of that rank available for purchase. Mods obtained this way are unusable if this buff is removed until the skill is returned to the appropriate rank by way of SP purchase.
  - Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
  - Guest Room: Players can have one «Amenity» in a «Guest Room» and the «Amenity» cannot be recovered. Players are allowed to change which «Amenity» is in the «Guest Room». Multiple instances of the same «Amenity» do not stack. This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.
  - Master Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
  - Master Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
  - Extended Workshop: +2 Crafting EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
  - Ornate Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts.
  - Dining Hall: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed. Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread.
  - Mega Slime Farm: +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild Totem:
  - Tanos
Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:
 - Cooking[5280exp] R10
Gathering Profession:
 - Fishing[100exp] R2"                                                                                                                            

 

Edited Sunday at 05:05 PM by Oscar

[Abellio 0]

The chime came at an odd time. Abellio was just milling about when all hell suddenly broke loose. There were weird knights and people running around like chickens with their heads cut off. He'd not had the time to fully wrap his head around the situation when Oscar messaged him. Floor 29? The man did know that Abellio was like level 14 right? They weren't even that close! But he did know enough about the man to understand that he wouldn't be calling if it wasn't an absolute necessity. And the man had saved Abellio's hide more times than he could count.

So there was zero hesitation. Abellio answered the call.

As he stepped off of the platform, he almost wished that he hadn't. The rain assaulted him first. Then the yelling and the sound of clashing steel. Then the ever present moaning lamentations that seemed to rise above it all like a horrific symphony. Abellio blinked, staring out over the chaos - the encroaching Knights and the mutated creatures. They were all heading for him. No, not him. They're eyelines were pitched downwards. Towards the platform.

Spoiler

"Name: Abellio
True Tier: 2
Level: 14
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 280/280
EN: 46/46

Stats:
Damage: 13
Mitigation: 58
Battle Healing: 3
Stealth Rating: -5

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - 
Armor/Trinket: 
  - <<Spiked Pauldrons>> 2 THRNS
Shield/Armor/Trinket: 
  - <<Chainmail>> 3 MIT

Combat Mastery:
  - Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
  - 

Familiar Skill:
  - 

Custom Skill:
  - 

Skills:
  - Battle Healing R1
  - Heavy Armor R5
  - Straight Sword R4

Extra Skills:
  - Forgotten King's Authority
  - Lady Luck

Inactive Extra Skills:

Addons:

Mods:

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:

Housing Buffs:
  - Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
  - Basic Workshop: +2 EXP per crafting attempt
  - Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.
  - Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
  - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
  - Slime Farm: +5% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild Totem:

Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:

Gathering Profession:
"                                                                                                                            

 

Edited June 19 by Oscar

[Lessa 1]

Relief flooded Lessa as Oscar materialized from the shadows. Raindrops sliced down his chiseled features, but it did nothing to soften the expression on his face. The man looked downright murderous, and for a split second, Lessa worried she might have done the wrong thing by messaging him. Did he consider it a waste of time? Probably. And she did not need her very large, very scary friend turning that anger on her. She would much rather forcefully drag Lilik back to the gate herself.

She was opening her mouth to apologize when Oscar went off on Lilik, confirming Lessa's suspicions. Yup, he was pissed. At least he was directing it solely toward Lilik for the time being. So she shut her mouth again, not entirely unlike a fish gasping for air on the end of a line. She was certainly wet enough to warrant a fish comparison.

Lessa hooked her fingers in her crisscrossed belts, itching to go, but also recognizing that she had to ensure Lilik's safety before she went. The raid party could hold out for a couple extra minutes - Lilik, on the other hand, could not be trusted not to do something stupid.

[Lilik 0]

Lilik, to her credit, didn't appear all that intimidated by the Beast. Crossing her arms across her chest, the woman took a long moment to look him up and down. "Who called the BFG?"

"Cute," Lessa muttered. "The BFG. Referencing childrens literature at a time like this."

Without shifting her gaze from Oscar, Lilik replied, "Roald Dahl was a fucking genius, and I bet you're just surprised that I even know how to read. Now who is this guy?"

Her eyes caught and held Oscar's, amber and gold sparking like crossed swords. Lilik appreciated Lessa, and the work that she and Bahr did to rescue Rainy, but she didn't have a ton of respect for her. She was too malleable - too easy to take advantage of. Lilik had encountered so many people just like the pretty blonde, and she'd steamrolled each and every one of them. Softness got you nowhere. Which was why Lilik could walk across the twenty ninth floor without worry, while Lessa insisted on safety in numbers. Lilik was tough. She could manage on her own. She did not need a damned babysitter.

And if this guy was who Lessa called in her moment of need, he'd be just as soft.

Just as easy to control.

[Oscar 0]

"You know," Oscar interjected. "There was a time in my life where my default response was to beat the stupid out of someone."

Oscar dismissed his weapon, his dominant hand moving to the right to begin rolling up his sleeve. The strange woman's actions were putting people's lives at risk. Maybe she didn't know. Oscar wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. Because the alternative would have been a bigger issue. "Problem is I can't do that. You're so ridiculously weak that if I used my sword, I'd probably accidentally kill you." He paused to roll up the sleeve on his opposite arm. With that done, he leveled his gaze at the woman. His eyes flicked over the Lessa for the briefest of moments. As if to tell her to leave if she didn't want to watch.

"So, if I'm here to babysit, it's unarmed basic attacks. I'll ask again - only slightly more politely - for you to fuck off. Otherwise, we'll make a day of figuring out how the dirt tastes. Fun babysitting activities and all that."

[Abellio 0]

It was abject chaos. Chaos made more profound as Abellio just went with it. At a glance, it was easy enough to figure out that he needed to put things between the hordes of spooky scary knights and the teleportation platform. Luckily, the town was half in ruined. So the innards of the buildings would make for useful barricades. The issues arose when Abellio realized that he did not have even the slightest talent for hammering nails to boards. Not that he would really have the opportunity. There simply wasn't enough time to nail down proper obstacles for the slowly-approaching mobs. Every time, he got close, he found himself needing to dance out of the way of a wicked blade that would most certainly take all of his very small amount of health. And then he saw it. Or him. Or her.

The bipedal walrus. He wore overalls that had stretched to their absolute limit. There was a violent gleam in his eye as he lifted a wagon and slammed it down smack dab in between Abellio and an approaching knight. The Walrus looked at Abellio. And Abellio looked at the Walrus. Then the walrus pointed at a barrel containing a viscous, fishy-smelling substance. And then he got an idea.

"Fuck yeah Waldo!"

Edited Sunday at 05:23 PM by Oscar

[Lessa 1]

"Damn it, Oscar, stop." Was her eye twitching? It felt like her eye was twitching.

Without thinking, Lessa physically placed herself between Lilik and Oscar, holding her arms out ala Chris Pratt in Jurassic World. She swore she could feel the electricity humming between them, a charge not unlike grabbing the electric fences that ran the length of her family's property. Gritting her teeth against the now pounding headache, Lessa couldn't help but snarl out the words. "I did not invite you here to lay hands on my friend, regardless of how badly we both know she deserves it."

"Let him," Lilik countered, crossing her arms across her chest and loosing a casual shrug. "It's not like I'll feel pain in the game. And he's not going to kill me."

Lessa's face warmed beneath the incessant sheets of cold rain. Whether from frustration, anger, or embarrassment for her friend, it was difficult to tell. Likely a mixture of all three, with a healthy dollop of exhaustion worked in. "Lilik, you stop, too. Do you think Rainy wants you out here putting yourself at risk? Putting others at risk?"

The nonchalance drained out of Lilik like water through a sieve. Suddenly, every muscle was drawn as tight as a bowstring. Her body, now all rigid lines and sharp angles, appeared far more deadly than her low level allowed. "Don't talk about Rainy." Her voice, now low and measured, carried a threat that the gleam in her eyes promised to carry out.

[Lilik 0]

"I'm going to talk about her," Lessa shot back, "because someone has to. She wouldn't want this."

"She's dead. It doesn't matter what she wants."

"She's dead because she wasn't protected." Her voice softened, barely audible over the floor's stormy soundtrack. "We couldn't protect her."

Lilik drew in a sharp breath, her nostrils flaring, but that was the only indication that the words hit home. "My being out here isn't putting anyone at risk except myself. And I'm fine with that. I happen to like this floor."

"Fine," Lessa echoed, throwing up her hands in defeat. "If all you want to do is stay on this floor, then be smart about it. While you're out here skipping through the rain and playing hide and seek with Cthulhu, keep an eye out for Spectral Knights. Someone sent out a message with their description earlier this morning, and I know Oscar's probably fought a few by now. He can point them out. And then you guys can alert the others, and we'll get a team out your way."

Lilik opened her mouth to object, but Lessa took a step toward her, closing the distance until their faces were inches apart. Her breath was hot against Lilik's face when she added, "Go protect someone else, like we couldn't protect her."

"That's not my job," Lilik muttered, but Lessa had already turned to address Oscar.

"Can you just walk with her, please? Not babysitting, just escorting while you both do some recon work? Just until I deal with this. They need someone with a support build, and I already said I'd be there. I can't leave them hanging. But I'll be right back."

[Oscar 0]

Oscar pinched the bridge of his nose. Ordinarily, he would have blown right past Lessa. But then the fight would have got messy. She would have moved to stop him. An errant strike and the girl would be heading back home in a bad way. He let out a heavy sigh, still not entirely letting go of his anger. But it was controlled for the time being. So that was nice.

"You're really lucky I like you, Lessa," Oscar said, perhaps a bit too forcefully than he intended to. "You owe me one."

Several, actually. But Oscar wasn't going to kick the hornet's nest. 

He'd just kick another one.

"All of... this," Oscar said, gesticulating vaguely in Lilik's direction. "Because you lost a friend. We've all lost friends. People are probably in the process of losing friends currently because instead of dealing with the Knights, I gotta watch out for you. You can find some sympathy in the dictionary between shit and syphilis."

Edited 12 hours ago by Oscar

[Abellio 0]

The Knights and the creepy crawlies walked with over or through Abellio's make-shift barricades. Of course they did, thanks to the aforementioned lack of hammers and nails and other woodworking tools. But between that and the barrels of oil that Waldo (Abellio thought that was a nice name for the Walrus-man) pointed out, the fiery-haired youth had come up with a possible solution. It was about like taking a wrecking ball into an operating room, but maybe it would do the trick.

So Abellio ran.

Wasn't any way in Hell that the dude was gonna put his dukes up in a real fight. But he did make a mess of things. In his wake, he left the streets littered with rubble and overturned barrels of oil. The viscous substance splashed over the wood and the flotsam, creating a slimy coating upon the hastily-created wooden caltrops. And, like Oscar, Abellio was fast as fuck. A red blur through the rain, displacing water and enemies alike as he dashed. And when he finished, when a much of the town was broken and embedded in the mud. When most of it was covered in oil, he picked up a torch and threw it into a pile of wood.

Support Action - BURN DOWN THE FUCKING TOWN

Edited 11 hours ago by Oscar

[Lessa 1]

"I know." The two words carried far more weight than they should have, and when her gaze found his, it was mixed parts pleading and grateful. She knew what she was asking him, and what it was costing both of them. But she asked anyway, and he came through. "I am really, really lucky. Thank you for doing this." She closed the space between them, placed her hand on his arm, and gave a quick squeeze. "I wouldn't ask if it weren't important, and because it is important, I'm asking someone I can trust."

Then she drew back, her expression growing slightly more guarded as she turned to Lilik. "Please be careful. And just listen to Oscar, okay?" Lessa glanced between her two friends, then added, "We'll sort through all of this when the sky stops falling."

With a quick wave, the blonde turned and jogged toward the coordinates Freyd had shared. This was likely a bad decision, and she'd pay for it later, but she couldn't let herself tumble down a rabbit hole. She didn't have the luxury of doubts, worries, or what-ifs. Not when letting her mind wander might lead to her death, or the death of those she loved.

Support Action - Rescue Lilik, arrange her protection.

[Lilik 0]

She waited until Lessa had disappeared from view before answering Oscar. While there was some part of her that took the time to organize her thoughts and find her next words, the main reason was to make sure that Lessa was out of earshot. "Then go," she replied tersely, motioning the direction Lessa had just gone. "Make up some story about why you couldn't stay. I don't really care." Her voice was dispassionate, but she didn't turn to look at him as she spoke. Instead, she took a few steps the other direction. "I didn't ask you to come, and I'm not asking you to stay. That's your choice."

Lilik walked for a few seconds, then paused to call over her shoulder. "None of this-" she mimicked his earlier hand gesture "-is because I lost someone. It's because I like it here. Lessa just likes throwing it in my face at every chance she gets, like it might make me change who I am. Scare me straight or something." She shrugged again, her sopping wet sweater clinging to her shoulders. "But I don't know what she's hoping to accomplish, because it's not going to change me."

She resumed her walking. "It's like you said, we've all lost friends."

[Oscar 0]

"Don't exactly strike me as the type to be scared straight," Oscar said. His hand absent-mindedly swiped through his menus, eventually settling on an item in his list. With a flash of light, an already-lit cigarette appeared between his fingers. He leaned up against a nearby tree, hoping to use its branches to shelter him from the pouring rain. At least enough for him to actually enjoy the break that was foisted upon him. He took a long drag, looking up as he blew a cloud of smoke skyward. It did nothing. But the ritual was soothing. Hopefully it wouldn't have any ill-effects once he got out of the game.

"You could at least have the decency to not be a dumbass about it," he continued. "You're lucky those Knights seem dead set on a different target. Otherwise-"

Oscar didn't need to finish that thought. The woman had to know that she was in mortal danger. But she didn't care. That being said, she couldn't possibly delusional enough to think that her passive suicidal behaviors wasn't indicative of the issues below the surface. But it didn't matter. Oscar wasn't about to go get his rate clock over this mess.

"What's your name anyway?"

[Abellio 0]

"YESSSSSSSS!!"

Despite the rain and the soggy wood, the barricades Oscar set ignited easily. It was a chain reaction, each pile of wood igniting the next. Then the flames spread to the buildings. And before long, the entire surrounding environment was a burning hellscape. But more importantly, there was a deep-seated something that roared to life in Abellio's chest. Did he have a firebug hidden deep inside of him. It was far more gratifying than it should have been to watch the town burn. Abellio considered the halting of the enemy to be a happy side-effect. The flames were so beautiful. Tendrils of heat reaching skyward, thick plumes of black smoke rising above the town. The air stung now. The baying of the horrors was drowned out by the crackling wood. It was a job well done. And a job so very entertaining. He found himself enthralled. Entranced as he bathed in the amber glow of the destruction he wrought.

He really hoped this wouldn't cause any problems when he got out of this game.

Edited 10 hours ago by Oscar

[Lilik 0]

The woman huffed out a laugh. Don't strike me as the type to be scared straight. "Nice," she stated. "Observant, and not a complete idiot. You're already doing better than a lot of the Players I've met."

Then he went and opened his mouth again.

Lilik stopped, sighed, and turned back to him. She found him propped up against a tree, the end of his lit cigarette a cheery glow against the dreary backdrop. Of course he'd stand there, completely at ease, smoking like some sort of mobster. Not that it was a bad look on him, granted. But there was just something about his nonchalance after informing her how dangerous it was, and how busy he was, that fanned those flames of annoyance.

Her jaw worked for a moment as she studied him. "Lilik," she finally answered. Then, "And I don't know why you and Lessa are acting like I'm out here parading vulnerable children around or something. It's just me out here." It always has been. But the same way he had her figured out, she had a pretty good read on him, too - he wouldn't appreciate the sob story. And it wasn't as if she'd ever been one to sob, anyway. "I like the rush this place gives me. It's that same shot of adrenaline I get watching a horror movie, but multiplied like tenfold. And I might die. But nobody lives forever, especially in this place."

 

[Oscar 0]

"You're forgetting that you got people who care about you, though," Oscar replied quickly. It was an easy thing to fall back into - his literal fucking profession. Though Oscar was hardly as direct in the real world. Maybe it was the shades of red that bled into his thoughts. He wasn't exactly pleased to be stuck here when there was still a war on.

"Don't get me wrong, everyone dies. Probably about the healthiest bit of your thought process there. But give enough of a shit to spare a thought for the people who give a shit about you."

He took another long drag of his cigarette. Oscar almost felt hypocritical. His nighttime activities were certainly more dangerous than what she was doing. But at the same time, Oscar had yet to find a PKer worth a damn at the game. He assumed he would eventually, but-

"If you go out fighting a Quest Mob or in the middle of a Raid, people would get it. It would suck. They would miss you. But they'd cope better than if you died doing something this dumb. I can definitely understand being hooked on the adrenaline. But damn, you could go get laid and accomplish the same thing."

[Lilik 0]

"Never asked them to care about me." The words slipped out before she could register what she was saying, and they sounded petulant even to her own ears. She grimaced, but looked away from Oscar to hide it. Still, she couldn't let that statement hang for long. "I'm glad Lessa helped me with-" a pause "-some stuff earlier, but it was just a favor. I offered to pay her and that other guy for it. I didn't expect her to adopt me. She and that Kyra woman are trying really hard to make this friendship happen, but I don't need anyone. I don't want anyone. I'm fine on my own."

She swung back to him, her expression as hard as her amber eyes. "And I'm not looking to be psychoanalyzed, either. Don't tell me about how important relationships are, or whatever, because that's not what I'm interested in. I'm just making the most of being stuck here. And dodging monsters in the middle of a storm is a lot more interesting than the sex I've had lately."

She began walking again. "I saw someone say that the Spectral Knights were targeting the teleport gates, so I don't think we'll find anything out here."

Support Action - Search for stray Spectral Knights.

[Lessa 1]

She hoped they were getting along.

And by getting along, of course, she meant the bare minimum. They didn't have to hold hands, sing Kumbaya, and plan a life together. Honestly, the thought of that sent chills down Lessa's spine that had nothing to do with Floor 29. All she asked was that they not kill each other. And honestly, she couldn't be sure which she expected to throw the first punch. Oscar, she assumed, would be the one to throw the last one.

Thunder cracked overhead, and the suddenness of it snapped Lessa out of her thoughts. She stumbled, the toe of one boot catching on the heel of the other, and she was forced to throw her arms wide to keep from falling. "Damn it," she snarled into the rain. She was tired, and it was starting to catch up with her. 

One more, she promised herself. One more, and then I'll go home.

Whether or not it was a lie, she wasn't entirely sure yet.

---

Lessa receives:
8940 EXP (Word Count [4470/5*10])
1341 col (1 page [400] + 15% P5 Reward [1341])
1 Mon

Lilik receives:
1788 EXP (Word Count [4470/5*2])
1 Mon

Oscar receives:
8940 EXP (Word Count [4470/5*10])
1741 col (1 page [400] + 15% P5 Reward [1341])
1 Mon

Abellio receives:
1788 EXP (Word Count [4470/5*2])
1 Mon