[F02 | SP] Dark Caves | <<Let There Be Light>>

[Sakura 0]

Let There Be Light

Aoi had found herself roaming the second floor after hearing it had been cleared and considered relatively safe. Even so, she’d taken care to prepare for her adventure onwards and upwards, marking a collection of items that she knew she would need in the future for occurrences just like this one. Unfortunately for her, the order hadn’t been filled prior to heading up onto the second floor – though she’d been told her current setup would more than work for what she had planned.

’It’s beautiful, but I’m not so sure it’s me, if you understand.’ Aoi smiled at the merchant that had been trying to sell her a unique vase – one which came sporting a price tag that would cost more than her entire week’s inn stay. The merchant sputtered, trying to convince her that it was a worthwhile investment, a fact that Aoi knew to be untrue. A few more passing words, and she disengaged herself from the merchant, moving back into the flow of traffic that passed through the city’s streets.

She’d spent the last half hour browsing the various street vendors, looking for anything of use that might be worth grabbing – both for her adventures into the wildlands, as well as for the shop that she had planned on opening. Though her success had been limited, she’d continued onwards, not quite ready to head beyond the safety of the walls that surrounded Urbus quite yet.

’Help! Please help! Help!’ The cry cut through the din, and Aoi turned to see a swathe of people moving away from a frantic looking woman. Dressed in pink and blue, with long brown hair flowing crazily around her, the woman moved through the crowd begging for help. Those few nearby stepped back and away, averting their eyes and pretending she didn’t exist. ’Pl-please…someone…’

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Sakura | Lv. 8 | P. 0 | HP [160/160] | EN [34/34] | ACC [3] | DMG [6] | EVA [0] | MIT [12] | LD [5] | SD [2]   Hide contents Notes [Theme] Tier 1 | Tier 1 Equipment Hand Crossbow [Hand Crossbow | Tier 1] Enhancement: Accuracy [1 Slot] Combat Uniform [Clothing | Tier 1] Enhancement: Loot Die [3 Slots] Raven Pendant [Trinket | Tier 1] Enhancement: Accuracy [3 Slots] Battle-Ready Inventory Starter Healing Potion {5} [Potion | Tierless | Heals 50 HP] Big Bertha Braciole {4} [Snack | Tier 1 | Vitality II] [ID-NIL] Zackariah's Special Draught {1} [Potion | Tierless | HP Recovery III] [ID-NIL] Teleport Crystal [Crystal | Tierless | Post Action to Teleport to nearest Town.] Spyglass {3} [Reduce Posts to Locate Dungeon/Familiar/Field Boss by 5.] Skills   Hide contents Utility Skills Searching [Rank: 2. Active: Passive. Effect: +1 LD per rank, +1 Stealth Detection per rank.] Night Vision [Rank 2 Searching Mod. Active: Passive. Effect: Ignores any penalties from low light or darkness. Negates the bonus Stealth Rating from low light or darkness.] Combat Skills Skill [Active: -. Effect: -.] Weapon Skills Projectile Weaponry [Rank: 3. Active: Passive. Effect: +5 DMG] Armour Skills Cloth Armour [Active: Passive. Effect: 12 Mitigation.] Extra Skills Skill [Active: -. Effect: -.] Combat Mastery Skill [Active: -. Effect: -.] Familiar Skills Skill [Active: -. Effect: -.] Sword Arts   Hide contents [x8] ST-I (8 EN) | A single-target sword art. [x11] ST-II (11 EN) | A powerful single-target sword art. Only available for use when ST-I was used and successfully struck an enemy the previous turn or if ST-II had been used and had missed the previous turn. [x7] AOE-I (7 + [2 * targets] EN) | AOE | A sword art that strikes multiple targets at once. [x8] TECH-A (9 EN) | STUN | A single-target sword art that stuns an enemy. Housing Buffs   Hide contents   [Home] Room [Effect.]

[Sakura 0]

Aoi shifted her eyes around the crowd, confirming no one else was approaching, before pushing past the nearest of players. She could see a few eyeing her as she approached the woman, and found herself not caring about their judgemental gazes. Reaching the woman – who at this point had collapsed to the ground in a desperate heap – Aoi knelt down, placing a hand upon the woman’s shoulder and looking into her eyes. ’What is it you need help with, miss?’

’I’ve…I’ve been trying to find someone to help me…all day…My child-my daughter…‘ Tears seemed to well at the corner of the woman’s eyes, a pleading in them that pulled at Aoi even more than she’d already felt when being pulled into the confrontation. She waited calmly, not moving, for the woman to speak again. ’…She…she was playing in one of the caverns in the mountains…with her friend. I-I’d told her…not to go there…but she didn’t listen to me! Neither of them listened to me!’

Aoi waited a few seconds, nodding as the woman seemed to look at her for permission or confirmation. She kept her thoughts about the situation to herself, knowing they would be no help here. A brief pause, and then the woman continued her story, the words flowing faster as she realised Aoi was still listening. ’Her friend…came back just a moment ago and said…said that they were attacked by monsters! Monsters! The b-beasts…they’re still in there with her! Please…please I don’t…I don’t know how long my Koko can survive…’

The words faded away as the woman seemed to lose strength. Aoi waited to ensure there wouldn’t be any more information, before nodding and speaking for the first time since she’d prodded the woman’s dialogue. ’Would you like me to go retrieve her?’

’R-really…? Yes! Thank you! Thank you so….you have no idea how much this means to me!’ Aoi gave another quick nod before standing up, as much to relieve the cramp growing in her legs, as to head off on the quest. She could hear more words coming from the woman, but her attention was drawn away as the quest dialogue box appeared. A quick tap and she accepted the task, turning towards the gates that would lead beyond Urbus’s walls, and into the wilds where a young girl awaited.

[Sakura 0]

The fields beyond the walls of Urbus – once she had descended the natural bridge that spanned the gap between city and floor – were similar in some ways to the first floor. Enough so that Aoi had forgotten for a time that she had moved upwards into a different realm, and as such she found herself staring in confusion at the first creature she had come across. Antennae waved around in the air above a head that appeared almost horrifying to look at, considering it was similar in size to her own. The creature moved around on numerous legs, a pair of vice-like appendages snapping where its mouth would logically be located.  

What in the…what is that? Aoi had come to a full stop as soon as she’d spotted the thing. It appeared almost like a large beetle of some sort, a carapace covering its rear and hind in a form that appeared capable of opening up and producing wings that would carry it into the air and beyond. Not that it had done anything to suggest it could do such a thing, yet. Thankfully. I can’t imagine trying to fight a giant flying beetle. Ugh. Aoi shivered in response to the thought, and shifted her feet to distance herself from the thing even more.

Though she may have had a small desire to remain and try her luck against the creature, she figured she was safer simply making her way past and beyond – heading for the marker that still flashed in the corner of her eye, calling her forward with an urgency that both beckoned and told her that it wasn’t going anywhere. More and more of the creatures appeared as Aoi shifted her path, and she quickly found herself winding through the paths in the grass, changing direction every so often to avoid accidentally bumping into the creatures.

[Sakura 0]

Creepy. Absolutely, creepy. Aoi stared at another of the giant bugs, this one covered in red scales that seemed almost drake like in design. It was anything but a dragon, though, as it moved deftly upon its six legs, closing in with another of the beetles and raising itself up to slam down upon its opponent. The two creatures had happened upon one another by pure accident, bumping into each other and causing a sudden onslaught that rippled the grass and dirt around them. Aoi had stopped to watch, mesmerised by the idea of common mobs in a game fighting one another. Not that it was entirely out of the question, or entirely unordinary, but still she found the situation before her enrapturing.

Mere seconds had passed before the red ant stood dominate and alone on the field, victory over its predecessor found and a measure of peace returned to its life. If only temporary, it could enjoy a moment of solitude before some other danger appeared to attack it. Aoi considered, briefly, becoming that other danger. Shaking her head though, she remembered the image of it slamming down and shattering the beetle into shards of nothingness, quickly deciding that she wanted nothing to do with the creature before her for the time being.

Turning away from the creature, she found herself staring into large beady eyes, the form of a carapace covered face before her blocking the majority of the world she had just passed through. Oh, shit. The words never left her lips before she found herself ducking beneath a hastily thrown limb, making her way underneath the form and out the other side, placing some distance between herself and it as she bolted from the spot. She could hear as the thing tumbled along behind her, and a quick glance over her shoulder confirmed that it was following her.

Making a quick decision, she twisted her direction tightly to the left, heading up a small slope at full speed before sliding to a stop. Turning, she brought up the crossbow on her wrist, taking a single moment to aim before launching the bolt.

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Sakura | Lv. 8 | P. 0 | HP [148/160] | EN [32/34] | ACC [3] | DMG [6] | EVA [0] | MIT [12] | LD [5] | SD [2] | [-2 EN | -12 HP]
Giant Ant 1 | HP [96/96] | DMG [24]

ID244794 | BD [2+3] = 5 | <<Tech-A vs. Giant Ant 1>> | Miss | MOB: 6 | Hit [24-12 = 12 damage]

Edited 4 hours ago by Sakura

[Sakura 0]

Her bolt went wide, and Aoi was given only a single second as the thing slammed into her and threw her to the ground. She could feel the impact as she bounced on the ground, before rolling to her side and out from underneath the giant insectoid. Popping to her feet, she sprinted a few steps away, fumbling another bolt into her crossbow as she went, before turning to face the thing again.

This time she stopped long enough to glimpse the entire creature in true form, noticing how much like an ant it appeared – though there were some obvious differences, including the enormous and exaggerated size of the thing. Dark colours blended together, making the thing appear black originally, but as Aoi had quickly studied it she’d noticed a collection of browns, greys and reds mixed into the colouring of its carapace. More importantly, she’d noticed a singular opening on the armoured body just beneath the neckline of the thing, where its first body appendages met with what she considered to be the upper torso.

Putting a shot there should hurt it. I think. Side stepping slightly, she repositioned herself – drawing the attention of the creature even as she readied to fire her second shot at the thing. She had no guarantee of hitting it, but she knew there would be no escaping the creature now that it had focused upon her. Its movement was too fast, and she couldn’t outrun it even if she’d wanted to – which meant she had no other option beyond bringing it to its end.

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Sakura | Lv. 8 | P. 0 | HP [136/160] | EN [31/34] | ACC [3] | DMG [6] | EVA [0] | MIT [12] | LD [5] | SD [2] | [-2 EN | -12 HP] | [+1 EN]
Giant Ant 1 | HP [96/96] | DMG [24]

ID244795 | BD [1+3] = 5 | <<Tech-A vs. Giant Ant 1>> | Critical Miss | MOB: 7 | Hit [24-12 = 12 damage]

Edited 4 hours ago by Sakura

[Sakura 0]

The firing mechanism clicked, and the bolt sprung forward to slam into the creature’s carapace once more, ricocheting off into the distance as Aoi took the brunt of its charge again. Slammed into the ground, she ground her teeth as she rolled with the impact, sliding to the side just as the creature brought up its body segment and slammed it downwards to try and crush her.

Crap, this thing’s dangerous. Leaping to her feet she reloaded the crossbow, hopping side to side as the giant bug lashed out with its legs in an attempt to swat her to the ground once more. Stepping to the side and focusing on dodging the attacks slowed down her ability to reload – one bolt fell to the ground as Aoi’s fingers slipped and lost her grip up on it – and she had moved several metres away from the original spot before she had the weapon ready to fire once more. Bringing it up, she took aim again, before dropping the stance and stepping away as the creature closed in again.

It had apparently learnt her attack moves, not giving her a chance to set up and aim the bolt before launching it. Time and again Aoi found herself stepping to the side or backwards in order to dodge whatever attack the creature threw at her, breaking her concentration and forcing her to relocate without firing. Hold still you damned thing! She growled the words in her head as she brought her crossbow up once more, hoping to get time to aim before thumbing the firing mechanism once more.

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Sakura | Lv. 8 | P. 0 | HP [136/160] | EN [24/34] | ACC [3] | DMG [6] | EVA [0] | MIT [12] | LD [5] | SD [2] | [-8 EN | -0 HP] | [+1 EN]
Giant Ant 1 | HP [48/96] | DMG [24] | Stunned

ID244796 | BD [3+3] = 6 | <<Tech-A vs. Giant Ant 1>> | Hit [6x8 = 48 damage] | Stunned

Edited 4 hours ago by Sakura

[Sakura 0]

The sound of the bolt impacting through the carapace almost came louder to Aoi’s ears than the slight screeching sound that the creature made as it reeled backwards and froze in place. Clearly not having expected her attack to land beneath its armoured core, the creature froze in place – as much stunned in surprise as it was from her attack’s impact and affect.

Aoi didn’t waste any time, reloading the crossbow once more as she rushed backwards to the absolute maximum range of her weapon, wanting to give herself time to avoid any further charges it might make after her. She knew that she could only survive so long if she stayed within its range of reach, and although she felt her weapon’s impact was more powerful closer to the creature’s form, she also knew it put herself at a major disadvantage if she was constantly being thrown to the ground by its large mass.

I’m not going to be this thing up close. Best to put my distance to the advantage and bring it down that way. Careful aiming and I’ll be fine – it’s not impenetrable. Aoi lifted her arm, carefully sighting down the length of her forearm in order to place the bolt as best as she could where she wanted it to go. A single thought flashed through her mind that her next design should include a sight of some kind, before she thumbed the firing mechanism once more and hoped that the shot would fly true towards its target.

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Sakura | Lv. 8 | P. 0 | HP [136/160] | EN [23/34] | ACC [3] | DMG [6] | EVA [0] | MIT [12] | LD [5] | SD [2] | [-2 EN | -0 HP] | [+1 EN]
Giant Ant 1 | HP [48/96] | DMG [24] | Stun Immunity [1/3]

ID244797 | BD [1+3] = 6 | <<ST-I vs. Giant Ant 1>> | Critical Miss | MOB: 1 | Critical Miss

Edited 4 hours ago by Sakura

[Sakura 0]

The bolt sailed across the open space, slamming into the ground mere steps away from the giant ant. Aoi snarled, annoyed at the lack of luck she was having against the creature – but content to see that it remained standing where it was, apparently hesitant to approach her in the moment. She couldn’t see any reason for its hesitation, but chose not to look down upon a gift given in a moment of dire need.

This thing definitely needs a sight. Or I need more practice with aiming it and learning where the shot will land…this isn’t going well at all. Aoi finished reloading the weapon, bringing it up slightly and considering the previous bolt’s path. It had landed slightly short of the ant creature, signifying that it had lost trajectory at the very end of its flight. I’m out of range. This thing isn’t meant to fire far, which means I need to get used to moving in close again if I want to keep using it…it’ll take practice, but I think it’s doable… It wasn’t necessarily a good thing – she knew that it was risky to place herself that close, and as she stepped forward slightly she was already considering a change in weaponry, if for no reason other than to transition to a more common bow weapon.

Putting aside the thoughts for the time being, though, she instead brought her attention back to the ant. It had begun to move towards her as well, seeing her approach and moving to intercept her. Aoi almost stopped herself, but chose instead to use the chance to try and hit the same spot she’d initially hit – the weak point between its carapace existence that would hopefully bring the creature to an end, and her existence back to safety. Speed is the key. Keep moving, don’t stop. It can’t hit me if I’m not there.

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Sakura | Lv. 8 | P. 0 | HP [136/160] | EN [16/34] | ACC [3] | DMG [6] | EVA [0] | MIT [12] | LD [5] | SD [2] | [-8 EN | -0 HP] | [+1 EN]
Giant Ant 1 | HP [0/96] | DMG [24] | Stun Immunity [2/3]

ID244798 | BD [4+3] = 6 | <<ST-I vs. Giant Ant 1>> | Hit [6x8 = 48 damage] | Giant Ant 1 destroyed.

Spoiler

Loot Rolls
ID244799 | LD [3+5] = 8 | CD: 12 | Results: 576 [288+192+96] col, 2 materials, Rare Trinket (1)

Loot Totals
576 col
2 materials 
Rare Trinket (1) | ID244799

 

Edited 4 hours ago by Sakura

[Sakura 0]

Aoi felt herself relax slightly as the giant ant creature exploded into shards, leaving her safe – for the moment – in the field. What little she’d obtained from the combat seemed almost paltry in comparison to the difficulty that had come from trying to take the thing down, though she knew she couldn’t complain too much. She was alive, and that meant she hadn’t lost anything of value.

I should look at avoiding these things until I’m better prepared, though. And I need to go find that woman’s daughter. She’d forgotten about the quest during the final seconds of the fight, more focused on staying alive than trying to continue on with the reason she had come out here to begin with. In my defence, I was trying to stay alive, which is kinda important. Somewhat… Arguing with herself wasn’t going to get her anywhere, and so Aoi tossed aside the entire line of thoughts, deciding instead just to push onwards into the wildlands.

A quick glance at her miniature map confirmed that she was almost at her destination, the marker leading her to believe that just over the rise would be the position that she was looking for, and hopefully would find, the daughter of the woman in the marketplace. She realised suddenly that she didn’t remember the name of the woman, though she was fairly certain the daughter’s name was Koko.

It didn’t really matter in the moment, truly, and so Aoi returned to her climb and focused on the surrounding area – not wanting to get surprised by another of the giant insectoids that seemed to call these fields home. I think this is my least favourite floor so far… She grinned at her own joke, knowing that it was entirely overly cheesy and stupid, but it brought her a small measure of happiness nonetheless.