[PT - F1] Engaging the Dragon Trail (DHA:1)

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

While fishing at the koi pond near the dojo grounds of her guild estate on the 22nd Floor, Ariel noticed something strange tugging at the line. What she reeled in wasn’t a fish, but a weathered scroll wrapped in waxed silk. Upon closer inspection, she found it to be two documents: one, a hand-drawn map marked with runes and coordinates; the other, a translated journal entry from an old Dragon Hunter, speaking of nests, maps, and the hope that a dragon was asleep.

It wasn’t the kind of find you ignored. After a brief pause to verify its validity and scan the map, a familiar system prompt appeared:

«Quest: Diary of the Dragon Hunter»
Accept?
O X

She accepted. Knowing how quests like these escalate, she posted a short but clear LFG notice:

"Unusual quest. Scouting a dragon’s lair. Two spots. Probably nothing too serious. Meet at Floor 1 outskirts. – A"

Not long after, wo players replied. Ariel didn’t recognize the names, but their builds passed muster. No red flags. She agreed to the meeting location just outside the 1st Floor’s main settlement—far enough from town to speak without eavesdroppers, close enough to retreat if things went sideways.

She stands still... straight-backed, posture poised with the kind of practiced discipline that speaks louder than any introduction. A long sheet of blonde hair moves gently in the wind, combed but unbound, catching the sunlight in pale streaks like firelight on steel. At her hip rests a black-sheathed katana; sleek, slightly curved with a small silver ornamental pattern. Her blue kimono, elegant in cut, carries a faint swirling pattern of falling plum blossoms and winding mist, just enough to hint at taste, not vanity. It moves subtly with each breeze, like a ripple across still water.

---

Ariel | HP: 940/940 | EN: 132/132 | DMG: 27 | ACC:3 | AA | PHASE | BH:10 | HB: 41 | REC: 8 | RISK: 8 | FLN: 16 | LD:3 | PROSP:3 | +4 Stealth Check

Spoiler

Name: Ariel True Tier: 10 Level: 34 Paragon Level: 65 HP: 940/940 EN: 132/132 Stats: Damage: 23 Accuracy: 3 Battle Healing: 10 Loot Die: 3 Stealth Rating: 5 AA PHASEHB: 41 REC: 8 RISK: 8 FLN: 16 Equipped Gear: ≪Nihilim’s Wrath#187490≫  ≪Leonidas' Strength#151568≫ ≪Kurokō no Tamashii (黒鋼の魂)#190961≫ T4: Absolute Acc. | Phase | Fallen | Fallen (Katana) T4: Holy Blessing | Holy Blessing | Risky | Risky (Cloth)     T4: Accuracy | Accuracy | Recovery | Recovery (Trinket) Spoiler A fang of the cursed dragon, Nihilim, fashioned into a weapon. Even from inside it's saya one can tell that this katana is cursed by the mortal-turned-god himself to pass through all defenses using shadow flames.         Spoiler A blood red cape with a black inverted V design in the middle of the back, if worn as light armor; one of the trademark items worn by the Spartans that fought until the last man.   Spoiler   This traditional Japanese omamori that's crafted from fine silk brocade in deep black, symbolizing resilience and resolve, accented with threads of gold representing divine favor and unyielding strength. The front bears an embroidered icon of Bishamonten — the armored god of war and guardian of righteous battle — depicted standing atop a lotus pedestal, holding his sacred spear (yari) and pagoda, which signifies the safeguarding of treasures and the spirit. Etched kanji beneath the figure read: 「毘沙門天加護」 ("Protection of Bishamonten"). A golden cord seals the omamori shut, never to be opened, ensuring the protective blessing remains undisturbed. It radiates a quiet aura of vigilance, designed to be worn or kept close by those who face danger — soldiers, fighters, and guardians of peace. It is said that warriors who carry this omamori march with the unseen gaze of Bishamonten upon them, shielded from malice, empowered with courage, and guided by righteous purpose.   Combat Mastery: - Combat Mastery: Damage R3 Combat Shift: - ST Shift Familiar Skill: - Custom Skill: - Kaiso no Waza: Meikyo Shisui Skills: - Battle Healing R1 - Charge - Cloth Armor R5 - Energist - Extended Weight Limit - Katana R5 Extra Skills: - Hiding R5 - Concentration - Survival - Forgotten King's Authority Inactive Extra Skills: Addons: - Ferocity - Precision - Stamina Mods: - Athletics - Surprise Attack: Assassin - Untraceable - Vanish Inactive Mods: Battle Ready Inventory: Spoiler 5x ≪Crystal of the Blood Dragon Horde[Crystal]: Mass HP recovery 10% IDs# 223185-1 / 223185-2 / 223183 / 223183-1 / 223181 Spoiler 5x ≪Flash of Rejuvenation# [Crystal]≫   Mass HP recovery 10%   IDs# 144486 / 144486-1 / 144486-2 / 144486-3 / 144770  Spoiler 5x ≪Chocolate Truffles# [Dessert]≫    VITALITY II (+12 EN) IDs# 144486 / 144486-1 / 144486-2 / 144486-3 / 144770  Spoiler 5x ≪popcorn. [Snack]≫     VITALITY II (+16 EN) IDs# 144486 / 144486-1 / 144486-2 / 144486-3 / 144770  Spoiler EMPTY Spoiler EMPTY Spoiler 2x ≪Teleport [Crystal]≫ Spoiler 3x ≪Glowstone≫   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 (Storage): +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests - 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:  - Guild Rank 5: +5% Final Experience Gain, +5% Final Col Gain  - +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests. Scents of the Wild Totem: Wedding Ring: Crafting Profession: - Tailoring[exp] R9 Gathering Profession: - Fishing[exp] R3

PT Skills: (235 SP Available / 185 Used / 50 PT Skills)

• 2x ► Biting (+4 DMG)
• 2x ► Shadow-Walking (+4 to Stealth Checks)

@Acanthus @Gambit

Edited Tuesday at 07:25 PM by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Gambit 0]

"Scouting a dragon's lair, eh?" Gambit smirked. "Nothing I can't handle."

Ever since he'd killed that Floor One Field Boss, Gambit had been on a roll. When a seemingly helpless fighter handily dispatches the terror of an entire floor, said fighter would obviously earn a well-deserved boost in confidence. And a well-deserved boost in confidence Gambit had, and then some. Nothing could stop him. He had a new sword, a flashy little plushie dangling from the pommel of aforementioned sword, and a bad attitude to match. This Ariel fella needed help dispatching a few winged lizards? Leave it to ol' Gambit. He'd get it done in no time at all. 

With his weapon on his back and a smile on his face, he strode out to the meeting place with unabashed boldness. The woman's practiced demeanor did nothing to dissuade Gambit's approach. He waved furiously. 

"Hi! Hello!! I'm here to help kill those dragons or whatever!" 

                                                         

Gambit | HP: 180/180 | EN: 36/36 | DMG: 13 | ACC:4 | EVA:3

Player Stats (the long way): 

Spoiler

Level: 9
Health: 180 | Energy: 36
DMG: 13 | ACC: 4  | EVA: 3  
Shift: -

Skills:

Combat Skills:
► -

Weapon Skills:
► Straight Sword [30/30] - Rank 5
    ►Stamina
    ►Precision
    ►Ferocity

Utility Skills:
► -

Extra Skills:
► -

Familiar Skill: 
► -

Armor Skills:
► -

Modifiers:
► -

Equipped:
»[Equipped] [Perfect] Steel Longsword: +3 DMG 
»[Equipped] [Perfect] wolf pendant: +3 EVA 
»[Equipped] [Perfect] tomochi plush.: +3 ACC

Battle Ready: 
» empty

 

[Acanthus 0]

Scrolling through the LFG posts was something of a guilty pleasure for Acanthus. There were scores of posts from mid- to low-level players, with tone ranging from begging to entitlement. “I need this quest item!” or the evergreen, “Can anyone help me with this field boss?” Most of those posts were followed by listing gear that would barely pass a large boar, let alone the Ripper of Glyndbourne. She watched these posts populate and wither in the forum with a detached sense of schadenfreude.

They deserve to languish in the middle floors. They have not put in the time to grow as you have. If they grow, it will not be from kindness.

Hatred’s voice lingered in the back of her mind, ignored. It rarely spoke, and when it did, she no longer regarded it with fear. It had been downgraded from “terrifying” to “merely bothersome.” Besides, it wasn’t exactly wrong. Mid- and low-level players could be ignored. Let them help each other. The frontlines needed to stick with what they did best: helping the frontliners.

A new message popped up, generated from Ariel. The name tickled a memory in the back of her head. “Speak of the devil. The frontliner. This should be interesting. And scouting a dragon’s lair… So she’s attempting the Anthology then? That seems worth the time and energy.” It would be the third time she had attempted the tiresomely long quest chain. Hopefully this time, the party would stick.

* * *

Ariel cut an imposing figure as she waited for them. Acanthus had only seen her at the Floor Boss, and that had hardly been picturesque. The entire raid featured muck and fetid water; no Player had been spared its ugliness. But outside of that muck, Ariel stood tall, adorned in flowing garb, with a katana resting at her hip. Acanthus thought that if she were not a warrior princess in real life, she played one well enough in Aincrad.

There was also a gremlin: a gremlin she recognized from the beach. The boy that had outperformed her at digging holes. She fought down the twinge of petty jealousy and settled for a succinct wave and a curt hello. Acanthus then addressed Ariel.

“It’s nice to see you again. I’m looking forward to running this quest. I’ve done it a handful of times actually—just the first leg, that is. Everyone seems to lose interest quickly. I’m hoping that isn’t the case this time.”
 

NOTE: Custom Skill (Disabuse System) is active. The skill will be considered inactive once any player requests in a subsequent post.

 Acanthus | Lvl 84 (34/43) | HP: 940/940 | EN: 122/122 | DMG: 23 | MIT:160 | ACC:3 | FL.AURA: 16 | THORNS:72 | BH:50 | HB: 40 | LD:6 | Env. (O) 32 | Blight 32/-20

 

Spoiler

Equipment and Consumables

Spoiler

All enhancements reflected in the stat block unless otherwise specified.

Equipment
Weapon. Wormwood, the Fallen Star | Blight 2 | Env. (O) 2
Armor (Heavy). Corpse Flower's Kiss  MIT II | Thorns II
Trinket. Vow of Return | ACC 3

Consumables
None Taken.

Abilities (Skills, Shifts, Masteries, Add-ons, and Mods)

Spoiler

Combat Mastery and Shift
Combat Mastery: Damage R3
AoE Shift

Skills

• Battle Healing R5
• Energist
• Heavy Armor R5
  • Addon: Precision
  • Addon: Iron Skin
  • Mod: Impetus (1/5)
• Searching R4 + 1 (Skylight: Searching)
  • Mod: Night Vision (2/5)
  • Mod: Tracking (3/5)
• Straight Sword R5
  • Addon: Ferocity
  • Addon: Stamina

Extra Skills

• Forgotten King's Authority
• Survival
• Assault Mode
• Block
  • Mod: Shield Bash (4/5)

Inactive Extra Skills

• Photosynthesize
• Disguise

Custom Skill

• Disabuse System

Addons

• Ferocity
• Iron Skin
• Precision
• Reveal
• Stamina

Mods

• Shield Bash
• Meticulous
• Night Vision
• Tracking

Battle Ready Inventory (7 Slots)
Dimensional Backpack + Item Stash

Spoiler

1. Lama Sabachthani | 236687 | Consumable - Soundtrack | Hypnosis 2 | Lullaby 2 (Instant)
   Pain deeper than words, engraved by a hand that does not know its own heart.
2. Edict's Threnody | 236686 | Consumable - Soundtrack | Perpetuate (Instant)
   If my suffering will not end, then neither will yours.
3. Bear Trap | Set Target's Evasion to 0.
4. [Empty]
5. [Empty]
6. [Empty]
7. [Empty]

Housing

Spoiler

House Name: Villa of Coruscating Flowers (The Villa)
Location: Floor 24 - Paradise Islands
Description: See above
Plot Size: Estate - PK Accessible
Rooms: Listed below. All rooms are assigned to Acanthus.

• Master Bedroom
  • Well Rested | -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat.
• Greenhouse
  • Green Thumb | +2 Gathering EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to gathering attempts.
• Extended Workshop: Recording Studio (25,000 col)
  • Hard Working | +2 Crafting EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day.
• Mega Slime Farm
  • Advanced Training | +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.
• Living Room:
  • Relaxed | Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
• Attic (Bedroom)
  • Skylight (Searching) | +1 Expertise to declared utility skill (Searching). 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:
  • Multipurpose | Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll.
• Storage Closet: (10,000 col)
  • Item Stash | +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
• Master Bathroom: (25,000 col)
  • Squeaky Clean | The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
• Basic Kitchen (15,000 col)
  • Filling | 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.

Crafting and Gathering

Spoiler

Performer | Rank 5
Apollo’s Metronome | Crafting Tool | Meticulous: +1 CD when crafting in one’s workshop.

Forager | Rank 5
Demeter's Cornucopia | Gathering Tool | Bountiful: +1 CD to gathering attempts.

 

 

Edited 9 hours ago by Acanthus

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Ariel’s gaze settles on each as they arrive.

Gambit’s wave is impossible to miss. She doesn’t return it, but a faint lift of her brow acknowledges the effort. He’s young… obviously. But there’s something about the way he moves that reminds her of students who hadn’t yet learned to fear the right things. That kind of energy had its uses… sometimes.

Acanthus earns more than a glance. A nod of comradery this time:“I remember you.” she says, voice level, her expression softening by a degree. “Floor 29 raid. You were in my squad. Clean work.” There’s the faintest trace of wryness in her voice—there, then gone. Before continuing, Ariel offers a slight bow; measured, polite, more custom than emotion. It’s a subtle gesture, but meaningful; one rooted in the discipline of martial arts and traditional etiquette.

“I appreciate you both showing up. Most players these days skip quests that don’t glow gold or red.” With a small, fluid motion, she summons a translucent system window midair; a faded map projected across the interface, faint blue runes circling marked coordinates. A few rough annotations flicker in one corner, likely her own notes. She tilts the display slightly, enough for them to glance over, then closes it with a flick of her fingers.

“Map says it’s just a scout job. No signs of a major fight from what I can tell… not yet anyway. I’ve done some scouting on my own before. Efficient, sure—but honestly? It’s good to have people watching each other’s backs. Might as well apply what you teach. Less efficient, maybe but more grounded.” Last two sentences mostly muttered with a faint smile. Thinking back at the recent lesson she gave at the dojo before coming here.

She shifts slightly, kimono catching the wind like ripples on glass. Then glances between the two—Acanthus steady, Gambit practically vibrating.

“Not expecting trouble, but if we do find any… ” she pauses and flashes a mischievous grin as her hand rests on her weapon's saya. She then turns slightly, glancing back at Acanthus.
“And I hear your concern... But I do intend to see this through. There’s a bear statue at the end of this questline. Minor offensive boost, barely anything—but on the frontlines, you learn fast: everything stacks.”

The hem of her kimono stirs in the breeze as she starts forward, her stride measured and quiet, the kind that expects to be followed.

“Let’s get eyes on the place.”

Edited 6 hours ago by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Gambit 0]

"Aw man, what? That's so lame..." 

No fight? Gambit was crestfallen... but he recovered quickly. Not five seconds after the news, he was back with a fresh bounce in his step. There was no way there was a dragon quest without there being a requirement to slay a dragon. Not in a fantasy game like this. He had to give himself a mental pat on the back for piecing that together, though -- but he was careful not to come off as too smug. Gambit would keep it to himself for the meantime. They'd catch on sooner or later. 

He couldn't help but pick up on the weird vibes the two girls were giving off. Did they know each other? They spoke to one another with that sort of stiff, awkward tone to their speech that you only really heard in the strictly formal conversations of adults in a stuffy workplace. It was a little annoying. It definitely couldn't hurt for them to lighten up a bit. 

Gambit whistled loudly as he walked, taking large, stompy strides to keep pace with the group.