Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0 Posted 17 hours ago #1 Share Posted 17 hours ago (edited) The silence of Yomi's Rest settled like grave dust, thick and suffocating. Ariel closed her fist around the newly acquired key, its moonlight-and-obsidian chill seeping through, a stark counterpoint to the fading, greasy taint of the Stygian still clinging to her boots. Death flowed cleanly again here, at least for now. The oppressive psychic weight lessened, the river's whispers receding into distant, mournful sighs lost in the floor's depths. Around her, the aftermath hung palpable: Dracul’s simmering frustration radiating like banked coals, Darius's weary relief manifesting in a loosened stance, Millicent’s sharp gaze observing the Lich’s final dissolution with quiet, analytical focus. The bone-dust underfoot felt like the powdered remains of forgotten eons. No words were needed, nor would they bridge the chasm of their differing experiences. Ariel turned, the faint, dry crunch of the bone-dust the only sound marking her movement, and led the way upwards. The path climbed steadily, leaving the phosphorescent gloom and toxic river behind like shedding a rotten skin. Rough-hewn tunnels slick with condensation yielded to natural stone passages, then finally to shafts of pale, artificial sunlight filtering from high above. The air lost its cloying grave-stench, replaced by the clean, sharp mineral scent of deep, living earth – a promise of renewal. Ahead, the Teleport Gate shimmered – a vertical pool of liquid mercury swirling within an ancient stone archway etched with angular, unfamiliar dwarven runes that seemed to pulse faintly. She stepped into the mercury pool without hesitation. The world dissolved into a cascade of silver static, cold and formless. Reality reknit itself with a sensory assault: the briny tang of salt, the sharp scent of wet volcanic rock, and the overwhelming perfume of lush, living greenery. Ariel blinked against the sudden, brilliant glare of unfiltered sunlight. They stood on a wide, wind-scoured rock shelf overlooking the breathtaking vista of Floor 16. Before them sprawled a world reborn: a massive, dormant volcano draped in a vibrant tapestry of life. Water was its lifeblood, cascading down fern-covered slopes in silvery ribbons, pooling in basins of startling turquoise clarity, glinting like scattered jewels under the sun. Towering formations of calcified rock, draped in thick curtains of emerald vines and swaying long grasses, rose like the petrified skeletons of ancient giants crowned in living green, dominating the landscape between countless sparkling streams and bubbling geothermal lakes. The very air hummed with vitality, a world miraculously restored after Akumasaru’s near-fatal desiccation. Far below, nestled amongst the stone forests and shimmering waterways, clusters of simple, sturdy structures hugged the shores – mud, thatch, wood, and glints of bone. Dwarven settlements, alive with distant, purposeful movement. Smoke curled lazily from stone chimneys. A faint, almost imperceptible tension eased in Ariel’s shoulders. Water. Life. Fishing. Her secondary profession, honed in the tranquil solitude of her own pond back on Floor 22, surfaced – a different kind of focus, a different kind of hunt, one requiring patience and reading subtle signs. "The fishing begins," she stated, her voice cutting the vibrant silence. Her gaze, sharp and assessing, was already scanning the nearest lakeshore settlement, noting the sturdy fishing nets laid out to dry, the glint of carefully maintained hooks. The key pulsed against her hip, a cold anchor to their greater purpose. Paradise held its own trials beneath the sparkling surface. The King of the Sea awaited. A worthy catch, indeed. Ariel | HP: 896/896 | EN: 113/113 | DMG: 32 | MIT:0 | ACC:6 | AA | PHASE | EVA:2 | BH:10 | HB: 39 | REC: 6 | RISK: 6 | FLN: 12 | LD:3 | PROSP:3 | TXC-V: 24 Spoiler Name: Ariel True Tier: 11 Level: 25 Paragon Level: 76 HP: 896/896 EN: 113/113 Stats: Damage: 26 Mitigation: -45 Accuracy: 6 Evasion: 2 Battle Healing: 10 Loot Die: 3 Stealth Rating: 5 AA PHASE HB: 39 REC: 6 RISK: 6 FLN: 12 TXC-V: 24 Equipped Gear: Weapon/Armor/Trinket: - ≪Nihilim’s Wrath#187490≫ T4: AA / Phase / Fallen / Fallen Armor/Trinket: - ≪Leonidas' Strength#151568≫ T4: HB / HB / RSKY / RSKY Shield/Armor/Trinket: - ≪Kurokō no Tamashii (黒鋼の魂)#190961≫ T4: Acc. / Acc. / Rec. / Rec. 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 - 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: - "≪Chocolate Truffles# [Dessert]≫ VITALITY II (+12 EN) IDs# 144486 / 144486-1 / 144486-2 / 144486-3 / 144770 " x5 - "≪Crystal of the Blood Dragon Horde[Crystal]: Mass HP recovery 10% IDs# 223185-1 / 223185-2 / 223183 / 223183-1 / 223181" x5 - "≪Flash of Rejuvenation# [Crystal]≫ Mass HP recovery 10% IDs# 144486 / 144486-1 / 144486-2 / 144486-3 / 144770 " x5 - "≪popcorn. [Snack]≫ VITALITY II (+16 EN) IDs# 144486 / 144486-1 / 144486-2 / 144486-3 / 144770 " x5 - ≪Glowstone≫ x - ≪Teleport [Crystal]≫ x - Amphitrite’s Net | Crafting Tool | Conscientious: +1 CD when fishing 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: - Treasury: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests. - Guild Rank 5: +5% Final Experience Gain, +5% Final Col Gain Scents of the Wild Totem: Wedding Ring: Crafting Profession: - Tailoring[3696exp] R9 Gathering Profession: - Fishing[181exp] R3 Food Buffs: Filled* ≪ skewer roll. [Meal]≫ +3 DMG / -45 Mit ≪Titan's Strength[Potion]≫ +3 DMG ≪crème brûlée. [Dessert]≫ +2 ACC ≪Stay-Awake Tea#150785 [Snack]≫ +2 EVA ≪Viperion#151645 [Salve]≫ +24/3 TXV ≪gelato. [Dessert]≫ +3 LD «Field Ration» +12%HP ≪mousse. [Snack]≫ +3 PROSP PT Skills: (235 SP Available / 175 Used / 60 PT Skills) 3x ► Biting (+2 Base DMG) Edited 16 hours ago by Ariel - The Crowned Lion Link to post Share on other sites
Dracul 0 Posted 16 hours ago #2 Share Posted 16 hours ago The gate spat us out into a wall of wet heat. Dampness. After the bone-dry, suffocating tomb of Yomi’s Rest, Floor 16’s oppressive humidity was a sodden blanket thrown over my armor, instantly making the metal feel clammy against my skin. Sunlight, harsh and unfiltered, glared off a thousand streams and lakes cascading like liquid mercury down the verdant slopes of the colossal, sleeping giant volcano. Grass-draped stone monoliths, grotesque parodies of trees sculpted by time and elements, dotted the disgustingly vibrant landscape. Mockingly alive. Mockingly wet. Ariel was already moving downhill, a silent, focused figure against the overwhelming assault of green, heading with unnerving purpose towards a cluster of primitive huts built into the lee of one of those giant stone formations near a wide, disturbingly clear lake. Millicent pushed her glasses firmly up the bridge of her nose, her gaze sweeping methodically over the steaming geothermal vents, the distant figures of dwarves moving with irritating cheerfulness, the sheer, overwhelming abundance of water. "Ambient moisture levels significantly exceed archival data projections for the post-Akumasaru restoration period," she noted, a hint of genuine academic surprise cutting through her usually measured tone. Darius actually smiled, a rare expression, as he wiped the last gritty remnants of Stygian bone-dust from his bruised knuckles onto a patch of vibrant moss. "Water returned," he said, almost reverently. "Life always finds a way." Life always finds a way to be inconveniently, messily wet, I thought sourly, adjusting my grip on Oath’s familiar, comforting hilt. The holy blade felt strangely muted here, its usual radiant presence dampened, almost smothered, by the raw, primal energy thrumming through the air. My shield arm throbbed dully, a persistent, unwelcome reminder of my failed counter and her subsequent, effortlessly perfect – and infuriatingly downgraded – finishing move. The key she had claimed burned like a brand in my inventory log. Her victory. My opening squandered. The humid air felt thick with the taste of my own frustration. We reached the bustling lakeside settlement. Dwarves were everywhere – mending vast, intricate nets with surprising dexterity, carving wicked-looking hooks from bone or dark horn, tending small, terraced gardens bursting with unfamiliar, waxy-leaved plants. They wore rough tribal gear of hide and coarsely woven grass, though some sported impressive, if undeniably primitive, metalwork on wrists or necks. An older dwarf, his thick braids of gray hair and beard adorned with shimmering, iridescent fish scales that caught the light like tiny prisms, looked up from expertly knotting a heavy line. His eyes, bright and intensely curious beneath bushy salt-and-pepper brows, scanned us with open interest, lingering pointedly on Ariel’s sheathed blade and my own conspicuously large, gleaming greatsword. "Surface-dwellers!" he boomed, his voice a deep, resonant bass that carried over the lapping water, radiating unsettling warmth. "Welcome tae Shinkai shores! Borin’s the name! Ye look a mite travel-worn and battle-stained, eh?" His wide grin was disarmingly genuine, cutting through my lingering irritation like a hot knife. "What brings ye? Need a sturdy boat? Reliable directions? Or perhaps just a bowl o' hearty kelp stew to settle yer storm-tossed innards?" He gestured towards a large, bubbling pot near one hut. Ariel’s chin dipped in the barest fraction of acknowledgment. "Passage," she stated flatly. "To fish for the King." Borin’s expansive grin vanished instantly, replaced by a profound, unsettling gravity. He spat a dark stream onto the wet stone of the dock. "Mōretsuna." He uttered the name like a curse and a title combined, heavy with respect and dread. "Aye." He rubbed his scaled beard thoughtfully. "That’s no mere fishin’ trip, lassie. That’s a trial by tide and tooth. The King’s domain churns far out, near the Smoking Trench." He pointed a thick, calloused finger towards the distant horizon where the volcanic island met the open, simulated sea, marked by thick, roiling plumes of steam rising ominously from submerged vents. "Dangerous currents twist there. Cunning beast, smarter than some folk I know. Snaps seasoned oak hulls like dry kindling." His sharp eyes assessed us, his gaze lingering on Ariel’s poised stillness and the faint, almost imperceptible aura of the key she carried. "Ye look like ye can handle yerselves, though. Got a skiff – darkwood, sturdy enough, mind – if ye’ve the nerve for deep water… and the right bait." He nodded pointedly towards Ariel. "That trinket ye carry… it sings tae him down in the dark. He’ll come. Oh, he’ll come." Millicent stepped forward, ever the pragmatist. "What are your terms for the skiff lease, Master Borin? Collateral required? Security deposit?" "Bah!" Borin waved a thick, rope-scarred hand dismissively. "Just bring the old girl back in one piece – or whatever pieces still float if the King takes a particular dislike to yer faces – and lend a hand hauling in the village’s common catch when ye stagger back. Fair trade for a brush with legend, aye?" "Fair." Ariel’s hand rested lightly, naturally, on Nihilim’s Wrath’s hilt. No shadowflame flickered, just the absolute readiness of the honed edge. A fisher assessing the scale of the challenge, the way one might gauge a storm cloud. Fishing. Ariel’s hobby. We were about to hunt a submerged siege engine with teeth the size of daggers, in a glorified bathtub. Borin led us along the creaking dock towards a long, low skiff. It was carved from dense, dark wood, worn smooth by water and time, smelling strongly of salt, tar, and old fish. It bobbed gently on the sheltered cove water. Beyond, the open sea looked deceptively calm. The King of the Sea awaited. She practically thrummed with quiet anticipation. I would endure it. The victory this time wouldn't just be hers. Holy light might gutter underwater, but resolve wouldn't. Time to land a trophy worthy of the Dracul name, even if it meant sharing this floating coffin with the infuriatingly competent Edge. "Just try not to capsize us before we even sight the beast, Borin," I muttered, eyeing the simple craft's low freeboard with deep suspicion. The dwarf just chuckled, a sound like pebbles rattling in a fast stream. The hunt, it seemed, was well and truly on.Dracul | HP: 545/545 | EN: 68/68 | DMG: 1 | MIT:172 | ACC:1 | TAUNT | THORNS:18 | BH:27 | REC: 4 | HLY: 6 | PARA Spoiler Name: Dracul True Tier: 3 Level: 25 Paragon Level: 0 HP: 545/545 EN: 68/68 Stats: Damage: 1 Mitigation: 109 Accuracy: 1 Battle Healing: 27 Stealth Rating: -5 TAUNT REC: 4 HLY: 6 PARA Equipped Gear: Weapon/Armor/Trinket: - ≪Guardian's Oath#134013≫ T3: Holy | Paralyze | ACC Armor/Trinket: - ≪Azure Chevalier Armor#58994≫ T1: Mitigation | Thorns | Thorns Shield/Armor/Trinket: - ≪Memory Fragment#134713-2≫ T2: Recovery | Recovery | Taunt Combat Mastery: - Combat Mastery: Mitigation R3 Combat Shift: - Familiar Skill: - Custom Skill: - Skills: - Battle Healing R5 - Heavy Armor R5 - Howl Extra Skills: - Parry Inactive Extra Skills: Addons: - Focused Howl - Iron Skin Mods: - Justified Riposte - Vengeful Riposte Inactive Mods: Battle Ready Inventory: - ≪Glowstone≫ x - ≪Teleport [Crystal]≫ x Housing Buffs: Guild Hall Buffs: - Treasury: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests. - Guild Rank 5: +5% Final Experience Gain, +5% Final Col Gain Scents of the Wild Totem: Wedding Ring: Crafting Profession: - Alchemist[857exp] R7 Gathering Profession: - Forager[exp] R1 PT Skills: (185 SP Available / 115 Used / 70 PT Skills) 7x ► Resolute (+3*(3)Tier Mitigation) Link to post Share on other sites
Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0 Posted 16 hours ago Author #3 Share Posted 16 hours ago (edited) Steam kissed Ariel's cheeks as Borin fought the oars. The abalone rod warmed in her grip - «Amphitrite's Net» humming with oceanic memories. Millicent adjusted her glasses, oversized sleeves flapping as she pointed at scanner projections. "Um, the thermocline? It's shifting weirdly at 40 fathoms. Like it's... circling us?" Her voice held academic curiosity mixed with unease. Darius braced near the gunwale, butler-uniform sleeves rolled up. "The water feels tense. Like before Kumatetsu charged." Borin spat overboard. "King's been hungry since the Scorching. He'll strike mean." Dracul's scoff cut through mist: "We're dignitaries, not dockhands. Where are Kro's agents?" "Quiet, land-rat," Borin snapped. "The lass seems to know tides better than you know vintage years." Ariel silenced them with a look. Her fingers tied the Palomar knot - muscle memory from dawns at her Floor 22 pond, Kimba purring nearby. The Yamata Key pulsed like a dying star as it sank into inky depths. Patience. Depth. Tension. Millicent fidgeted with her coat buttons. "I-I read Mōretsuna can sense panic. Should we... hum? Calming songs?" Darius offered a rare smile. "Hold the boat steady. That's our song." The rod screamed. Abalone bent double as the line vaporized seawater. The skiff lurched violently, throwing Millicent against Darius. "Gah! Line integrity decreasing! Drag systems redlining!" she yelped, scanners painting the leviathan below. But Ariel's was already on top of it; boots anchored to deck, knees absorbing the tsunami pull. Her fishing experience showed - but this was vengeance incarnate. Blood welled where the rod tore her palms. Dracul drew his greatsword. "Cut it loose before it kills us!" "Stand fast!" Ariel's command cracked like ice. The Crowned Lion didn't retreat. She shifted stance, exploiting current rhythms. Bend. Recover. Reel. Millicent gasped. "It's... adapting? Like sentient code!" Her glasses slid down her nose as she frantically looked at the screen data. The beast executed a dead-weight drop. The rod wrenched downward. Ariel dropped to one knee, tendons screaming. "Let it run!" Borin pleaded. Darius touched her shoulder. "Your arms—" Bulked biceps flexed at each movement. She didn't feel any pain. Only the pulse through the rod - the beast's panicked heartbeat when it realized the hunter was her. "Now." She surged upright, reeling in a blistering crescendo. The sea erupted. Mōretsuna hung in the air - a god of scale and fang, water sluicing off obsidian plates. The Yamata Key glittered in its jaws. Its single eye locked onto Ariel's. Recognition. Borin crossed himself. "By the gods!" Fishing R3 : "Adept Angler" CD 6+ | 1 Material LD 10+ | Find Fishing Treasure Chest +2 LD -> (additional roll) open Fishing Treasure Chest (additional roll) Spoiler Treasure Chest Loot Table (LD): [1-4] = Unidentified Rare Armor/Shield (2), Unidentified Rare Trinket (1) [5-9] = Unidentified Rare Weapons (2), Unidentified Rare Consumables (2) [10-14] = Unidentified Perfect Armor/Shield (1), Unidentified Rare Armor/Shield (1) [15-19] = Unidentified Perfect Weapons (2), Unidentified Rare Weapon (1) [20-24] = Unidentified Perfect Weapons (2), Unidentified Perfect Armor/Shield (2), Random Dungeon Map [25] = Unidentified Perfect Weapons (3), Unidentified Perfect Armor/Shield (3), Gleaming Scale Fishing attempts: +3 EXP | Successful catches: +8 EXP | Critical catches (treasure chests/Gleaming Scales): +16 EXP Ornate Fishing Pond| +2 Fishing EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts. Amphitrite’s Net | Crafting Tool | Conscientious: +1 CD when fishing ID# 247584 CD: 7+2 (+2) LD: 6+1 Fishing EXP : 191/299 | +8 +2 Total Mats: 1 | 0 +1 «Mōretsuna» Found! Edited 12 hours ago by Ariel - The Crowned Lion Link to post Share on other sites
Dracul 0 Posted 15 hours ago #4 Share Posted 15 hours ago (edited) Chaos reigned. The skiff bucked like a terrified animal beneath the leviathan’s shadow. Ariel stood immovable at the prow, a blood-slicked statue wrestling the abomination she’d summoned from the deep. Millicent’s shriek cut through the din: "Biomass exceeding skiff displacement by three hundred percent! Structural failure imminent!" Her glasses were askew, fingers flying over phantom controls. Darius braced against the shuddering mast, his usually impeccable butler’s uniform plastered with spray. "Borin! Starboard oar! Push us off its flank!" The dwarf roared, muscles straining against the heavy wood. "He’s got the key! He’ll drag us to the locker!" Holy fury ignited in my veins, burning away the damp chill. My opening. My moment to reclaim the initiative from her silent efficiency. This overgrown minnow would learn the weight of Dracul's lineage. I vaulted onto the stern bench, Oath blazing in my grasp, its celestial light fighting the gloom. "Hold her steady! Give me a line!" "Are you mad?" Millicent grabbed my sodden cloak, her eyes wide behind fogged lenses. "Melee range is suicide! Your armor’s weight alone—" The beast’s cold, intelligent eye – a pit of ancient malice – flickered toward her voice. Mistake. I sucked in the sulfur-laden air, feeling the recovery charm scorch a welcome heat against my wrist, pushing back the fatigue. "LOOK HERE, YOU CANNED TUNA!" The «Focused Howl» tore from my throat not as sound, but as a physical wave of golden, resonant fury. The harmonics slammed into Mōretsuna’s massive head with the force of a siege engine. The beast’s head snapped sideways, plates rattling like loose armor. I surely got its attention. Ariel moved in an instant, a shadow given lethal purpose. Nihilim’s Wrath flashed – a brutal, efficient thrust – thunk-shunk! – burying itself to the hilt in the soft flesh behind the armoured gill plate. Ichor the color of spoiled wine fountained, steaming where it hit the air. The health bar flared crimson, the beast’s HP bar visibly chunking downward. The King screamed. A sound that vibrated in the marrow of my bones, a dying whale filtered through grinding stone. Its colossal tail, a weapon of bone and scale longer than our skiff, whipped sideways in a blur of terrifying speed, aimed squarely at Darius. "Shield!" I bellowed, the command ripped from me. Darius didn’t hesitate. He flowed into the Keysi deflection stance, forearms crossed like tempered steel before him. The impact cracked like thunder, spraying splinters and knocking him back a step, his HP still ok. Borin, seeing the opening, howled a dwarven battle cry and swung his heavy oar like a club, cracking it against the beast’s armoured snout near the eye. "Try steel, fish-breath!" The dwarf’s raw courage was a spark to tinder. This wasn’t merely survival; it was theatre. I raised Oath high, its holy radiance refracting through the salt spray like captured starlight. "Behold! The Dracul line writes no creature’s final chapter but its own!" The beast’s massive eye cleared. Not pain now. Cold, terrifying calculation. It shifted its massive head, fixing not on Ariel, nor Darius, but on me. "Ariel! Disengage!" Darius’s warning shout was lost. The barbed tendril lashed out from beneath its jaw with viper speed. Not at her. Not at the dwarf. At me. The world upended. Water, cold and utterly black, swallowed light, sound, and breath. Crushing weight pressed in from all sides. My holy plate, glorious on land, became a leaden coffin. Saltwater flooded my mouthguard, thick and briny. Drowning. Here. In this simulated abyss. A grim, sodden satisfaction cut through the panic. Even drowning, I make it bleed thanks to my [Thorns]. «Foraging» R1 : "Novice Forager" LD 14+ | 1 Material CD: 7+ | +1 extra Material «Foraging» EXP: 0/49 Rec. ID# N/A | CD:N/A | +0 EN | +0 EN Post Action: Focused Howl > «Mōretsuna» Free Action: N/A ID# XXXXX | BD: X (Hit!) | CD: X | [xYY] (1) = 0 -(60) MIT =0 DMG > «Mōretsuna» -(4) EN | Cooldowns: - Focused Howl 4/4 [5]Dracul | HP: 545/545 | EN: 64/68 | DMG: 1 | MIT:172 | ACC:1 | TAUNT | THORNS:18 | BH:27 | REC: 4 | HLY: 6 | PARA [Assisted] [0]Ariel | HP: 896/896 | EN: 113/113 | DMG: 32 | MIT:0 | ACC:6 | AA | PHASE | EVA:2 | BH:10 | HB: 39 | REC: 6 | RISK: 6 | FLN: 12 | LD:3 | PROSP:3 | TXC-V: 24 [Assisting] «Mōretsuna» | HP: 1350/1350 | DMG: 165 | MIT: 60 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 1 Edited 12 hours ago by Dracul Link to post Share on other sites
Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0 Posted 15 hours ago Author #5 Share Posted 15 hours ago (edited) Dracul's HP bar pulsed crimson but he was safe, as long as he didn't drown. Darius strained over the gunwale, his voice raw. "I can’t see him! The froth is too thick!" Millicent’s fingers trembled as she adjusted her glasses, scanners piercing the churning foam. "L-life signs stable! But oxygen depletion critical – estimated ninety seconds remaining!" Her usual data-driven calm frayed at the edges, replaced by urgent concern. Borin wrestled the groaning rudder, face taut with fear. "We need distance, lass! That beast’ll crack us open like a nut!" Never. The Crowned Lion’s resolve hardened. Ariel’s hand moved to Nihilim’s Wrath’s hilt, then paused. Close quarters risked Dracul. She turned instead to the harpoon rack. "Borin! The heavy spear! Now!". The dwarf gaped. "For that? It’s meant for reef sharks, not bloody sea-gods!" "Then we improvise," Ariel stated, hefting the barbed shaft, its tip dripping paralytic toxin. She met Millicent’s anxious gaze. "Target the gill cover’s hinge. On my strike." Millicent swallowed, nodding sharply. "R-right. Pressure point triangulated. I won’t miss." Her obsidian daggers materialized, held in white-knuckled fists. Mōretsuna breached again, water cascading off its monstrous form. Dracul’s limp body dangled from its barbed tendril like a broken doll. Triumph blazed in its single, intelligent eye as it fixed on Ariel. Mistake. «Charge» activated. Ariel exploded across the deck, not a throw, but a full-bodied lance charge. She became a projectile. THOOM! The harpoon punched deep into the softening flesh beside her initial sword wound. Toxin sacs ruptured in a sickly green cloud. The King shuddered. An unearthly gurgle escaped its maw. The constricting tendril spasmed open. "NOW, DARIUS!" He plunged into the frothing chaos without hesitation, a seal diving into icy depths. His hand closed on Dracul’s armored collar. He hauled, muscles straining against the water’s drag and the dead weight of holy plate. The beast’s retaliation was apocalyptic. Betrayed and bleeding, it threw its colossal weight against the skiff’s hull. Wood shrieked, timbers groaning. The impact threw Borin clear across the deck. Ariel lunged, catching his belt mid-air and slamming him back down hard enough to knock the breath from him. "Oars! Steady us!" she commanded, already turning. Millicent’s daggers flew true, striking the vulnerable operculum like twin bolts of obsidian lightning. "Neural overload!" she cried, scanners whirring frantically. "It’s not tactical retreat – it’s blind panic!" The King dove. Not away. Down. Straight towards the churning water where Darius fought to keep Dracul’s head above the surface. Darius broke the foam, Dracul gasping and retching in his grip. "Go! I’ve got hi—" The massive jaws, cavernous and lined with serrated bone-blades, opened directly beneath them. Death yawned. «Iaijutsu: Falling Petal» Ariel moved. Her blade met descending fang not with steel, but with the force of a meteor strike. Bone shattered with a sound like mountains breaking. The recoil was brutal. It ripped the sword from her grasp and hurled her backward. She slammed into the splintered mast. Agony exploded in her side – ribs screaming protest. A crimson notification flashed as her [RISKY] enhancement procced. Mōretsuna recoiled with a guttural shriek of agony, vanishing into the dark, gore-streaked water. Darius and Dracul, propelled by the displaced water, scrambled over the gunwale, collapsing onto the deck, choking and bleeding. The beast was wounded, terrified. The real battle had only just begun. Rec. ID# N/A | CD:N/A | +0 EN | +0 EN Post Action: ST-I > «Mōretsuna» Free Action: N/A ID# 247588 | BD: 10 (10, 2xCritHit!) | CD: 2 | [x12 +3] (32+2) = 510 -(60/2) MIT =480 DMG > «Mōretsuna» TXC-V [24/3] triggered! [Phase] triggered! ST-II available! -(14 -2-1) EN | MULTIPURPOSE 2/3 ID# 247589 | BD: 1 CD: 10 | «Mōretsuna» > Dracul «Mōretsuna» triggers [Drown] > Dracul «Mōretsuna» triggers [Struggle] > -50 HP (unmitigable) | ALL! («Mōretsuna» included) -18 HP > «Mōretsuna» | Dracul's [Thorns] -24 HP > «Mōretsuna» | Ariel's TXC-V [2/3] Cooldowns: - [5]Dracul [Drown] | HP: 495/545 | EN: 64/68 | DMG: 1 | MIT:172 | ACC:1 | TAUNT | THORNS:18 | BH:27 | REC: 4 | HLY: 6 | PARA [Assisted] [2]Ariel | HP: 846/896 | EN: 102/113 | DMG: 32 | MIT:0 | ACC:6 | AA | PHASE | EVA:2 | BH:10 | HB: 39 | REC: 6 | RISK: 6 | FLN: 12 | LD:3 | PROSP:3 | TXC-V: 24 [Assisting] «Mōretsuna» | HP: 778/1350 | DMG: 165 | MIT: 60 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 1 | TXC-V [24/2] Spoiler Drown | On a CD of 10+, <<Mōretsuna>> will attempt to drag down the player instead of attacking. The player, on their next turn, will need to make a separate LD roll (as a free action) of 10+ to resist being dragged down. If the player fails, they lose their current turn and are dunked deep into the water, where they take 150 unmitigatable damage. The damage repeats at the start of the player's turn until they spend a post action to return to the boat. Splash | On an attack roll of a natural 9-10, along with its basic attack, <<Mōretsuna>> will splash water onto the player, bringing them to their knees and stunning them their next turn. Struggle | On an attack roll of natural 1, <<Mōretsuna>> will flail and automatically hit each player for 50 unmitigable damage, but also deals 50 unmitigated damage to itself. Edited 12 hours ago by Ariel - The Crowned Lion Link to post Share on other sites
Dracul 0 Posted 15 hours ago #6 Share Posted 15 hours ago (edited) Saltwater burned like liquid fire in my lungs. I retched, vomiting brine onto the scarred deck planks while Darius pounded my back. "Welcome back, master," he rasped, his own breathing ragged. Millicent pressed a cool healing vial against my lips, her glasses fogged, face pale. "Oxygen saturation critical. Minor concussion probable. Please, drink!" I batted her hand away weakly, the motion sending fresh jolts of pain through my chest. "The beast... status?" My voice was a ruin. "Gone deep," Borin muttered, eyes fixed on the spreading slick of dark blood and iridescent scales staining the water. "But your shine-brittle armor pricked him good! He’s bleedin’ out!" My HUD confirmed: [Thorns] had activated. A paltry number against its mountainous HP, but a victory snatched from drowning. Ariel leaned heavily against the shattered mast, her hand pressed to her side where blood seeped through her armor. Her face was pale, drawn, but her eyes were chips of Arctic ice. Shame, cold and cloying, curdled in my gut. "You’re wounded," I managed. She didn’t look at me. "The perks of being Risky." Of course she'd have that type of enhancement. The skiff lurched violently again. Millicent yelped, grabbing the gunwale. "Multiple bio-signatures! Remoras! Twenty-plus! Converging on the blood trail!" Her scanners painted frantic red dots swarming beneath us. Darius clenched his fists, shifting instinctively to place himself between us and the starboard side. "We’re chum in a frenzy zone." Borin’s face lost all remaining color. "The King’s clean-up crew! He’s callin’ the scavengers! We need to leave. Now!" Ariel pushed herself away from the mast, wincing almost imperceptibly. "Not without the keys." "Madness!" I forced myself upright, ignoring the white-hot agony in my ribs. "That thing will tear this skiff apart and feast on the pieces! We barely survived its panic!" Her silver eyes finally snapped to mine, sharp enough to cut. "You have Thorns. I have Risk. Borin has harpoons. Millicent has eyes. Darius guards." Her gaze swept over us, a commander assessing battered troops. "That is opportunity." "Opportunity for what? A glorious watery grave?" "To end it." She tossed a heavy grappling hook to Darius. "When it surfaces for the remoras—" The water around the skiff erupted. Not the King. A swarm of lamprey-mouthed horrors, each the size of a large dog, armored in slick black scales. They slammed into the hull, teeth like razors scraping wood and metal. Chaos descended. Darius became a whirlwind of Keysi strikes, kicks, and deflections, shattering jaws and hurling snapping bodies back into the sea. "Back!" he roared, intercepting one lunging for Millicent. Borin bellowed dwarven curses, wielding his oar like a club, splintering bone and chitin. Millicent’s daggers flew in precise arcs, striking eyes and soft underbellies before vanishing and reappearing in her hands three seconds later, the blue inlays pulsing. "Targeting priority: the eyes!" Then Millicent froze, scanners locking onto a point directly below. "Convergence point! The King! He’s rising through them!" The swarm parted like a dark curtain. Mōretsuna burst upwards, its massive body scattering remoras like pebbles. Its maw, wide enough to swallow the skiff whole, gaped. Its HP bar flashed, still bleeding steadily from Thorns and poison. Rage and terror warred in its single, bloodshot eye. Ariel moved. Not away. Towards the abyss, straight into the fanged darkness. "Fool woman!" The cry ripped from me, hoarse and desperate. Her blade found the deep harpoon wound, twisted, and shoved deeper. The King’s body convulsed in a spasm of agony. Its massive flank, thrashing wildly, slammed into the skiff with the force of a battering ram. I hit the gunwale hard, vision swimming, the world tilting. Oath slipped from my grasp, clattering to the deck, its holy light guttering like a dying candle. The taste of copper filled my mouth. This is it. We break here. Darius hauled me upright, his grip iron. "Combined strike! Master, NOW! It’s the only way!" Ariel danced across the beast’s snout, a dark shadow drawing furious, snapping bites that shredded her cloak but missed flesh by inches. She was herding it. Positioning it. Turning its gaping maw... towards me. "DRACUL! NOW!" The command, ripped from her throat, brooked no refusal. It ignited the last embers of pride. I snatched Oath from the deck. The charm flared, a final burst of stolen stamina flooding my veins. Light, raw and furious, erupted down the blade. "BY BLOOD AND ANCESTRY! I. AM. DRACUL!" The blade descended in a blazing arc. Mōretsuna, driven by Ariel’s taunting dance, turned its massive head. Holy fire met poisoned flesh. The explosion of steam, light, and gore consumed the world. Rec. ID# 247591 | CD:10 | +4 EN | +3 EN Post Action: Resist Drown Free Action: [Drown] roll ID# 247590 LD: 2 (Fail!, -150 HP) ID# XXXXX | BD: X (Hit!) | CD: X | [xYY] (1) = 0 -(60) MIT =0 DMG > «Mōretsuna» -(0) EN | Cooldowns: - Focused Howl 3/4 [5]Dracul | HP: 345/545 | EN: 64/68 | DMG: 1 | MIT:172 | ACC:1 | TAUNT | THORNS:18 | BH:27 | REC: 4 | HLY: 6 | PARA [Assisted] [2]Ariel | HP: 846/896 | EN: 102/113 | DMG: 32 | MIT:0 | ACC:6 | AA | PHASE | EVA:2 | BH:10 | HB: 39 | REC: 6 | RISK: 6 | FLN: 12 | LD:3 | PROSP:3 | TXC-V: 24 [Assisting] «Mōretsuna» | HP: 778/1350 | DMG: 165 | MIT: 60 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 1 | TXC-V [24/2] Edited 11 hours ago by Dracul Link to post Share on other sites
Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0 Posted 14 hours ago Author #7 Share Posted 14 hours ago (edited) Light died in a hissing curtain of superheated steam. The stench of burnt ozone, spoiled ichor, and seawater choked the air. Through the dissipating haze, Mōretsuna’s massive eye glowed like a baleful ember. Agony radiated from the beast in palpable waves, making Borin retch and Millicent sway. Dracul slumped against the splintered stern rail, Oath dim and heavy in his slack grip. "Finish it," he rasped, the words barely audible, blood trickling from his lip. "End this farce." The King of the Sea, broken and desperate, gave its answer. It didn’t flee. It dove. But not away. In a final act of defiance, its barbed tail, whip-crack fast, lashed upwards not at Ariel, but at Dracul’s exposed back. Time didn’t slow. It bent. Ariel stepped through the space where the tail struck. Nihilim’s Wrath, already clearing the saya, sang a note of pure, deadly intent. No shadowflame answered its call. Only the unadorned perfection of kenjutsu, honed on f22's riverbank and battlefields. «Iaijutsu: Silent Divide» Shiiinnng— The blade cut through more than water and scale. It severed light, resistance, and the beast’s tenuous hold on life. A single, impossibly thin line of silver traced horizontally from the base of its dorsal fin, across the monumental flank, and deep into the soft underbelly Dracul’s holy strike had exposed. Silence. Profound and absolute. The beast hung suspended for a heartbeat. Then, slowly, ponderously, it rolled belly-up. The water around it bloomed crimson and dark ichor. Split open from pectoral fin to tail, its colossal form floated like a grim island. Amidst the spilled viscera, two objects gleamed with unnatural light: the familiar obsidian shards of the «Yamata no Orochi Key», miraculously unhooked, and a new key – shaped like crashing waves, forged from deep-sea crystal and solidified foam – the «Mōretsuna Key». Darius moved with reverent care, using the grappling hook to haul the dripping keys aboard. His gaze lingered on the wave-key, a profound sadness in his eyes. "...it’s done. But at what cost to the deep?" Borin stumbled forward, tears cutting tracks through grime on his cheeks as he touched the wave-shaped key. "The King... he balanced the trench currents... kept the Smoking Trench from swallowing islands... What replaces him now?" His voice was thick with grief for a guardian he’d feared but understood. Millicent adjusted her glasses, scanners whirring as she analyzed the colossal carcass. "Bio-luminescence fading rapidly. Ecosystem disruption is... inevitable." Her usual clinical tone faltered. She looked at Ariel, a flicker of something like awe mixed with apprehension in her eyes. "But the data... the synergy of holy thorns, targeted toxins, and kinetic precision... it was... efficient." Dracul limped to the gunnel, leaning heavily. He stared at the floating mountain of flesh, then at Ariel, his expression unreadable. "You butchered a demigod... with fundamentals." The words held disbelief, exhaustion, and a grudging sliver of hard-won respect. "Death needs no flourish," Ariel stated, sheathing her blade, the movement tight with the protest of bruised ribs. "Only precision." He picked up the Yamata Key from the deck, running a thumb over its cold, slick surface. "And this? More bait?" "For a different kind of predator," Ariel replied, her gaze already lifting past the carnage. A tremor passed through the water, deeper and more resonant than Mōretsuna’s thrashing. Millicent’s scanners shrieked an entirely new alarm. "Seismic shift! Non-volcanic origin! Energy signature... colossal!" The Transport Gate on the distant shore shimmered. Not reflecting the sunset or their battered skiff. Its mercury surface rippled, showing shadows. Impossible shadows. A mountain range moved across the liquid portal. Not static peaks, but a living landmass. Stone plates shifted like tectonic joints. Avalanches of scree cascaded from its shoulders with each earth-shaking step. Its head, craggy and immense, scraped a sky choked with volcanic ash. Borin stumbled back, crossing himself fervently. "The Walker... The Oblivious Mountain... You meant to lure that?" Horror warred with disbelief. Dracul’s grip tightened on the Yamata Key until his knuckles turned bone-white. "A mountain... that walks..." he breathed, the arrogance momentarily stripped away by sheer scale. Darius touched the cold wave-key, his voice quiet. "Nature’s guardians fall one by one. What shield remains for Aincrad when the last is gone?" Millicent’s fingers flew across her holographic interface, data streams reflecting in her wide eyes. "Recommend immediate environmental and tactical assessment! Preliminary scans indicate each footfall generates localized seismic events! Structural weaknesses... unknown!" "The fourth key is its heart," Ariel said, her voice flat yet carrying the weight of prophecy. Dracul barked a laugh, harsh and devoid of humor. He straightened, wiping blood from his mouth, the familiar arrogance settling back over his weariness like armor. "Of course! Why settle for fishing when we can quarry a walking mountain?" He turned to Borin, a manic glint in his eyes. "Double rations, fisherman! Ale too! We scale a geography at dawn!" As Borin sputtered protests, Ariel closed her fingers around the cold, relentless shape of the Mōretsuna Key. Death had been a river’s depth. Now it was a landslide, patient and inevitable. The Colossus didn’t fight. It merely endured. And that made its fall the most daunting trial yet. Rec. ID# 247592 | CD:6 | +0 EN | +3 EN Post Action: [Ch.]ST-II > «Mōretsuna» Free Action: Vanish ✅ | ID# 247594 LD: 5+5+1 ID# 247593 | BD: 6 (1 +6-1, Hit!) | CD: 6 | [x15 +3] (32+6+3) = 738 -(60) MIT =678 DMG > «Mōretsuna» ST-I available! -(17 -2-1) EN | Well Rested 1/3 ID# 247595 | BD: 1 CD: 10 | «Mōretsuna» > Dracul «Mōretsuna» triggers [Drown] > Dracul «Mōretsuna» triggers [Struggle] > -50 HP (unmitigable) | ALL! («Mōretsuna» included) «Mōretsuna» dies due to self inflicted damage! Cooldowns: - Vanish 3/3 [5]Dracul [Drown] | HP: 495/545 | EN: 64/68 | DMG: 1 | MIT:172 | ACC:1 | TAUNT | THORNS:18 | BH:27 | REC: 4 | HLY: 6 | PARA [Assisted] [2]Ariel | HP: 846/896 | EN: 102/113 | DMG: 32 | MIT:0 | ACC:6 | AA | PHASE | EVA:2 | BH:10 | HB: 39 | REC: 6 | RISK: 6 | FLN: 12 | LD:3 | PROSP:3 | TXC-V: 24 [Assisting] «Mōretsuna» | HP: -10/1350 | DMG: 165 | MIT: 60 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 1 | TXC-V [24/2] Spoiler Drown | On a CD of 10+, <<Mōretsuna>> will attempt to drag down the player instead of attacking. The player, on their next turn, will need to make a separate LD roll (as a free action) of 10+ to resist being dragged down. If the player fails, they lose their current turn and are dunked deep into the water, where they take 150 unmitigatable damage. The damage repeats at the start of the player's turn until they spend a post action to return to the boat. Splash | On an attack roll of a natural 9-10, along with its basic attack, <<Mōretsuna>> will splash water onto the player, bringing them to their knees and stunning them their next turn. Struggle | On an attack roll of natural 1, <<Mōretsuna>> will flail and automatically hit each player for 50 unmitigable damage, but also deals 50 unmitigated damage to itself. Loot ID# 247596 | CD: 4 | LD: 13 +3 TOTAL COL: 1350*(3 +2CD +3prosp+1multipurpose) +5%(guild) MATERIALS: 2 1xRare T3 Consumable| [247596a] 1xRare T3 Weapon | [247596b] Final rewards: Ariel EXP: 12698 [Total]| 4772/5 *10 +2000 (Quest) +5% (Firm Anima R5) +5% (Assist System) Col: 18544 [Total]| 12150 (Loot) +607 (Guild Treasury) +3000 (Quest) +1904 (para lv. 5) +5% (Firm Anima R5) 2x Guild Token [Total] | 1 transferred from Dracul 1 Mon Mōretsuna Key 1xRare T3 Consumable| [247596a] 1xRare T3 Weapon | [247596b] Dracul EXP: 5349 [Total]| 4772/5 *3 +2000 (Quest) +5% (Firm Anima R5) +5% (Assist System) Col: 0 [Total]| 1 Material 1 Mon Mōretsuna Key Edited 10 hours ago by Ariel - The Crowned Lion Link to post Share on other sites
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