[F29-EV] Delivering the Sword. [#2]

[Edict 0]

Link to the previous thread.

A beast lies in the muck, buried in its own blood and filth. Vicious sword marks wrap the body like spider silk. It was dead when I got here.

It was, right?

Mist turns to rain, turns to flood. The floor angrily tries washing away the evidence and the victim alike. Mud begins to suck hungrily on my boots. It’s trying to wash me away as well.

And it will succeed if I don’t move.

So move. Just *move*. To where? I don’t know. The landscape is dark; I think this may be hell. It looks like hell, and it sounds like hell. The only thing missing is the heat. This floor has taken the opposite approach: it exudes a biting cold that cuts through my fingers, my face, my cloak. Maybe hell is not out of the question. If not hell, then at least eternal torment.

In the distance, animalistic sounds crash off the peals of thunder. Something... no, someone, screams. I think it wants the sword in my hands. I don’t know how I know.

I only know two other things. First, this sword is not mine. Second—and more importantly—it does not belong to the thing in the dark. So I run.

Fearful panting drowns out the torrential downpour, and my racing heart drowns out both of them. There are drums, a hundred thousand drums chanting and praying for my death. The rain as it pounds is one, my heart, fit to burst, is the second, and the other thousand are the sweeping tide of beating hooves galloping in the dark, fixed on my position. It knows where I am because it knows where the sword is. In the utter void of the floor, this sword is a beacon. It calls unwillingly to the thing in the dark. That thing is hungry. It will use the sword to pick its teeth after I am in its belly.

Light in the distance, not from the sword. I have found hope in hell. Not a sure thing, but anything is enough. Even still, the light is too far away. Not so much “far away,” but the galloping thing is closer. Like counting the seconds between lightning and thunder, I hear the beast gaining on me, bleating in triumph, and preparing to savor me as a meal. There is a vile fervor in the darkness that transcends humanity. This has to be hell, because a game could not be so cruel.

WE HAVE FOUND YOU.

* * *

Now, I am kneeling before a Player. Players, perhaps, or maybe I am setting double and triple.

There is nothing in the darkness. I worry that there never was. But that worry will have to wait. With the care of a parent displaying their newborn child, I show them the sword. The words come slowly, in-between ragged breaths.

“Please… help me. The sword must return to the stone.”

I do not know how I know.

Edict | Lvl 1 | HP 20/20 | EN 20/20

Edited Wednesday at 02:32 AM by Edict

[Sable 0]

Why?

Why did it have to be the 29th floor again?

Sable was drenched form head to toe. The heavens had opened up and dumped more water on him than he thought possible. Still he had stayed. After getting a message from Krow about the sword he had been looking for actually being found, the scout had found himself moving before thinking. By the time his brain had caught up he was already on this god forsaken floor running in the direction of some lighthouse.

"You're a fool and it would not shock me if you wound up dead tonight." he told himself as he stomped through mud and muck.

What was more shocking now, was the player in starter gear that had collapsed in front of him. He had almost ran into him, with the torrential downpour making it difficult to see. He looked up at Sable while holding a sword that made his skin crawl. "W-What the hell are you doing here newbie." he asked as he grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. Through the sound of pouring rain the boy heard it, the cry of creatures in the night. His eyes grew wide and he yanked the boy in front of him close to his face.

"We need to run and you need to make sure you keep up with me." Placing a hand on the raven headed handle of the dagger at his hip to calm his nerves, Sable did what he did best. He ran. And he pulled the other boy with him.

----

Sable | HP: 200/200 | EN: 38/38 | DMG: 7 | MIT:12 | EVA:1 | BH:2 | BLD: 12 | LD:6

Spoiler

Name: Sable
True Tier: 1
Level: 10
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 200/200
EN: 38/38

Stats:
Damage: 7
Mitigation: 12
Evasion: 1
Battle Healing: 2
Loot Die: 6
BLD: 12

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket:
- Striker’s Dagger | T1 Perfect Dagger | DMG I | BLD II
Armor/Trinket:
- Thieves Garb | T1 Perfect Cloth Armor | EVA I | LD II
Shield/Armor/Trinket:
- Looting Charm | T4 Perfect Trinket | LD III

Combat Mastery:
-

Combat Shift:
-

Familiar Skill:
-

Custom Skill:
-

Skills:
- Battle Healing R1
- Cloth Armor R3
- Dagger R3
- Searching R2
- Searching R2

Extra Skills:
- Assault Mode

Inactive Extra Skills:

Addons:

Mods:

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:

Housing Buffs:

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild Totem:

Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:

Gathering Profession:

 

[Astra 0]

It seemed that since arriving in Floor 29, Astra couldn't stop shivering from the everlasting chill that permeated the dark. 

At some point on this floor, the sky opened up and started pouring rain. Maybe as a way to start over, to water seeds, renew the land. If that were the case here, it was all for nought. Nothing would seemingly grow. This place was oppressive, and from the moment you would step off a teleport gate its tendrils of dark would wrap around your throat. Still, even in this foreign oblivion, Astra trudged along. 

The young man stuck out like a sore thumb on this floor, with his white hair, and a white hooded coat that was bound together by an ornate mask. Everything else was dismal, damp, and warped. Though he may not belong here, he knew he had some sort of purpose for being there. Floor 29 was full of mystery and strife, and currently many on the floor were trying to survive, or push forward. Battling horrors, fortifying settlements, there was much to do. Astra was there to assist in any way he could, he found it hard to sit still when others were risking their lives. Yet, where was he really going? Since he arrived on the floor, he had started to walk in a direction out of instinct. As if something through the fog was calling to him. So, he followed. 

Over time he began to see the visage of a lighthouse in the distance. Its presence seemed to loom over the rest of the terrain around him. Something seemed off even about this lighthouse though, especially the light it gave off. Was that truly warmth? Hope? Did feelings such as that exist here? It didn't matter, he had to know. Soon his walk became a run, and he ran through mud and damp ground. It appeared as if the lighthouse was his destination, until the forms of two people began to appear in his vision. 

Through the mists ahead, Astra made out a young man with brown hair, seemingly pulling along another player who had seemed absolutely drained. In his hands was a sword, a sword that immediately filled Astra with dread. Who were they? What were they doing here? That didn't really matter right now, it looked like they could use a hand. 

"Hey, are you guys okay? Do you need a hand?" 

Astra approached the two and held his hands up at first, as to gesture that he meant them no harm. As he got closer, he noticed that the player holding the sword looked as though they had just stepped out of the Town of Beginnings for the first time. A new player, here? Still, he offered support and some extra body weight for the two, in hopes that it would help them move quicker. 

***

Astra | HP: 220/220 | EN: 40/40 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 6 | EVA: 2 | REC: 2 | BLD: 24

Spoiler

 

Name: Astra
True Tier: 2
Level: 11
Paragon Level: 1
HP: 220/220
EN: 40/40

Stats:
Damage: 12
Mitigation: 30
Accuracy: 6
Evasion: 2
Recovery: 2
Bleed: 24

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket:
  - Seeker's Blade | T2 Perfect Straight Sword | DMG 2 | BLD 1 
Armor/Trinket:
  - Seeker's Attire | T2 Perfect Light Armor | MIT 2 | REC 1
Shield/Armor/Trinket:
  - Initiates Draw | T1 Perfect Trinket | ACC 3

Combat Mastery:
  - N/A

Combat Shift:
  - TECH

Familiar Skill:
  - N/A

Custom Skill:
  - N/A

Skills:
  - Straight Sword R5
  - Light Armor R1

Extra Skills:
- Concentration 
Action: Free Action
Cooldown: 5 Turns
Effect: As a free action, gain Absolute Accuracy on your next attack. In the case Absolute Accuracy is already present, increase your Accuracy by 1 instead. Effect lasts until the start of next turn.

Inactive Extra Skills:

Sword Arts:

• [x12] ST-I (12 EN) | A single-target sword art.
• [x15] ST-II (15 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.
• [x20] ST-B (20 EN) | A devastating single-target sword art. Can only be used if the sword art used the previous turn is not ST-B and had rolled a natural CD9+. When performing an AoE attack, use only the first roll.
• [x11] AOE-I (11 + [2 * targets] EN) | AOE | A sword art that strikes multiple targets at once.
• [x14] AOE-II (14 + [2 * targets] EN) | AOE | A powerful sword art that strikes multiple targets at once. Only available for use when AOE-I was used and successfully struck an enemy the previous turn or if AOE-II had been used and had missed all intended targets the previous turn.
• [x12] TECH-A (13 EN) | STUN | A single-target sword art that stuns an enemy.
• [x12] TECH-B (12 EN) | DELAY | A single-target sword art that, on a successful strike, applies [Delay] on the enemy. [Delay] is a debuff that reduces the enemy’s ACC by 1 for one turn.

Addons:
  - Stamina | Reduces EN of all attacks by 2
  - Focus | Decreases minor critical threshold by 1. Also reduces DoT thresholds by 1.
  - Precision | +1 ACC

Mods:
  

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:
  - Starter Healing Potions (Restores 50HP) x2

Housing Buffs:
-Bedroom | "Rested" | -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
-Dining Hall | "Delicious" | 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.
-Living Room | "Relaxed" | Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.

Crafting Profession:
-

Gathering Profession:
-   Fishing                            

 

 

[Elora 0]

Thunder barreled overhead as streams of water carved smooth gullies through the compacted mud below. How long had she been out here? A few hours? A few days? It felt like wave after wave of phantom knights had spawned in to overwhelm them, and Elora was losing track of time. At first, she was cutting them down with friends. In the streets of shuttered towns, then the canyons that stretched beyond them. It hadn't been enough. More enemies crept to each corner of the floor. Freyd and Katoka had gone to help. 

And Elora...

Heavy footfall sent frigid water sloshing up her legs. Drenched and disheartened, she gave nothing more than a haggard sigh. I have no idea where they could be...and this rain is only getting worse., she reasoned with herself, It'd be better to find some shelter -- continue looking once it lets up.

Slender evergreens offered little respite from the torrential downpour. Whishing and whirring all around her, their sparse boughs looked like the outstretched arms of giants pleading for the storm's relent. A lightning crash would be their only answer. Wood splintered in harsh creaks as trunks broke in a domino of destructive collisions, their final impacts cut short by a deafening BOOM.

With nowhere to go, Elora wove between the standing pines. If the forest couldn't protect her, maybe somewhere else would.

Emerging from the trees, she came to stand along a rocky riverbank. No, this isn't right --, she huffed as eyes surveyed the peninsula, The lighthouse isn't here -- Ocean waves surged and slammed against a shoreline of basalt, but a ramshackled village was nowhere to be seen.

"Dammit.", she cursed, "I have no fucking idea where I am I -- nowhere to hide --"

A faint glimmer crested a nearby hill.

Then....slowly....the spinning green of three player icons.

"HEYYYY!!", Elora shouted through cupped hands, "OVER HERE!" Eager soles guided her descent down the slippery slope. She had no idea who these people were, but there was a chance they'd know where to go.

 

***

Elora | HP: 760/760 | EN: 110/110 | DMG: 24 | MIT:78 | ACC:8 | AA | EVA:3 | BH:38 | REC: 4 | FLN: 8 | BLI: 32/-20 | STC: 40 | LD:2

Spoiler

Name: Elora
True Tier: 6
Level: 33
Paragon Level: 19
HP: 760/760
EN: 110/110

Stats:
Damage: 24
Mitigation: 78
Accuracy: 8
Evasion: 3
Battle Healing: 38
Loot Die: 2
Stealth Rating: -2
AA REC: 4
FLN: 8
BLI: 32/-20
STC: 40

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket:
- Essential Verdigris (T4 Dem Polearm | AA | BGT | FLN | STC)
Armor/Trinket:
- Defense Mechanism (T4 Dem LA | MIT 2, REC 2)
Shield/Armor/Trinket:
- Emerald (T4 Dem Trinket | ACC 3, EVA 1)

Combat Mastery:
- Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
- AOE Shift

Familiar Skill:
- Scouting Familiar

Custom Skill:
-

Skills:
- Battle Healing R5
- Charge
- Energist
- Light Armor R5
- Polearm R5
- Searching R2

Extra Skills:
- Concentration

Inactive Extra Skills:

Addons:
- Focus
- Precision
- Resolve
- Stamina

Mods:
- Meticulous

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:
- T1 Healing Potion x5
- T1 Overhealth Potion x5
- Teleportation Crystal 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)
- 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.
- 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:
- Trading Hall: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters and Rank 4 merchants/performers receive +1 crafting/identification attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters and Rank 5 merchants/performers receive +2 crafting/identification attempts per day.
- Treasury: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild Totem:

Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:

Gathering Profession:

 

Edited Thursday at 01:14 AM by Elora

[Edict 0]

Quote

"W-What the hell are you doing here newbie."

“I don’t know.” Shattered memories danced over the back of his eyelids. Things he would piece together later. “I came from… somewhere else? And then I found this sword next to a dead beast. I think it was stolen. It seems like… It seems like we have to return it, don’t we?”

The words barely made sense coming out of his mouth. The scout probably thought he was insane. But he reached out regardless. “We need to run and you need to make sure you keep up with me.” Edict nodded, ready to run with him.

Soon, another player appeared. “Hey, are you guys okay? Do you need a hand?” Edict shouted back, trying to drown out the rain. “We’re not harmed. But we have to make it to the stone. I think it may be down the hill, and along the river next to that old growth forest.”

Edict motioned towards the tall pines that swallowed what little light the clouds let through. A choked river ran at the edge of the piney woods. It appeared still in the dim light, but the volume and quiet rushing told Edict that it would be foolish to dive in.

The trio navigated down to the riverbank, making their way along the path before hearing another voice. “HEYYYY!!,” a figure shouted through cupped hands, “OVER HERE!”

Edict breathed a sigh of relief. This place was starting to look less bleak with other players around. “Thank you all. Truthfully, I’m a little lost myself. But…” He rubbed the back of his head, uncertain that he wanted to say what he was thinking to a group of strangers.

“But I think the sword knows where to go. I know that sounds… unusual. But holding it, I feel… guided? I don’t know how to describe it.” Edict offered the sword to the others. He was partially curious to see if he actually was crazy or not. Maybe they would react to holding it as well?

Once they had the opportunity to pass around the sword, he gestured again down the river. “We should follow the river. I think it will take us out to the coast of the sea. Wasn’t the labyrinth found near the ocean?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I think my name is Edict.”

[Sable 0]

Slowly their group grew. With each new addition Sable felt his initial concern for the sword bearer lessen. There was safety in numbers, especially when it came to the hellscape that was this floor. The white haired player has asked if they needed help and the scout, with the blue haired boy in tow, placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're alright but I think we should stick together."

A call from the woods drew his gaze to an elven woman. If Sable hadn't seen the player cursor above her head he would have assumed she was just another entity made by Cardinal. The group trudged their way over to join her, all the while the scout kept his eyes peeled for any approaching horrors from the night. "Edict." he nodded, "Right names. I'm Sable. Sticking to the river seems like the best course of action."

Turning to the elf Sable motioned for her to follow, "We could really use your help if you wouldn't mind, by the looks of you gear you're probably a lot higher in level than the rest of us."

Four of them. That should do.

When Edict had passed around the sword, Sable could understand what he had meant. The pull, it was there. The urgency to take the sword to where it belonged. It had also felt, wrong. Like he wasn't supposed to be carrying it with him. The second the weapon had left his hands he felt relieved to not have it in his grasp anymore. "Right, lets not stay in one place anymore than we have to." the water in the nearby river was beginning to rise, the sound of it rushing rising in their ears.

"And lets not hang too close to the rivers edge either. I have a feeling it's about to get a lot wider."