[F22 - PP|PT] Calm before storm «SotW:SS»

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

The teleport gate’s light bled away behind them, Coral’s rustic warmth shrinking into the birch forest’s embrace. Ariel led, her kimono stark against the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy. Creek water chuckled over smooth stones—a sound too gentle for the gut feeling she had. False peace, she thought. Floor 22’s serenity was a held breath, a fragile illusion before the storm. Every rustle of leaves, every birdcall felt like a countdown. Dracul’s emerald-trimmed coat rustled as he scanned the canopy, his gaze sharp and wary. "A sky this blue feels like mockery," he muttered, the words tight with suppressed tension. Millicent adjusted her grey-blue coat, fingers tracing invisible data streams only she could perceive. "Barometric pressure’s destabilizing. Like… suction." Her voice was a thin wire of anxiety. Darius hefted their supply pack, the carrot-orange trim on his sleeves a bright spot of color in the verdant gloom. "Bridge ahead. Looks mossy. Watch your step."

Ariel’s hand brushed the hilt at her waist. Nihilim’s Wrath hummed, a low throb of heat against her palm. Not pain. Hunger. A living will inside the steel, yearning. Above, a lone cloud wisped—thin, innocent. But the blade knew. It sensed the lightning buried deep beneath the lakebed’s glassy skin, the pulse of Taneuma’s fury waiting to be unleashed. The shadowflame within it stirred, restless. She paused at the creek’s edge, the water clear enough to see pebbles below. It reflected the birches twofold, a shimmering mirror that hid more than it revealed. But beneath that placid surface, something darker stirred. A rumble traveled up through the soles of her boots, a subsonic growl that vibrated in her bones. In her inventory, the Mothra Key pulsed—once, twice—a ghost-drum syncopating with the buried thunder. It was Mortha’s heartbeat, a spectral echo from the past.

Millicent’s voice tightened, pulling Ariel from her thoughts. "Resonance frequency spiking. The lake isn’t just hiding the storm. It’s amplifying it. Like a capacitor charging." Her glasses reflected the too-bright water, hiding her eyes. Ariel unsheathed the blade an inch. Shadowflame licked the steel, tasting the air. It yearned, a predator scenting prey. Soon, she promised it. But dependence was a trap, a chain as heavy as guilt. She slammed it back into the scabbard. The heat faded, leaving resolve colder, harder. She would wield the hunger, not be devoured by it. "Forward," she said. The word cut through the birdsong, a command that brooked no hesitation. The bridge creaked under their weight, moss slick underfoot. Each step was a drumbeat, bringing them closer to the lake, to the storm, to the end. The forest thinned ahead, the light growing brighter. The Lake of Reflection awaited, a silver mirror hiding lightning’s teeth.

---

Ariel | HP: 1053/1053 | EN: 132/132 | DMG: 35 | MIT:0 | ACC:6 | AA  | PHASE | EVA:2 | BH:12 | HB: 46 | REC: 8 | RISK: 8 | FLN: 16 | LD:3 | PROSP:3 

Spoiler

Name: Ariel True Tier: 11 Level: 34 Paragon Level: 69 HP: 1053/1053 EN: 132/132 Stats: Damage: 29 Mitigation: -60 Accuracy: 5 Evasion: 2 Battle Healing: 12 Loot Die: 3 Stealth Rating: 5 AA PHASEHB: 46 REC: 8 RISK: 8 FLN: 16 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 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[191exp] R3

Food Buffs:

1. Filled* ≪ skewer roll. [Meal]≫  +3 DMG / -60 Mit 
2. ≪Titan's Strength[Potion]≫  +3 DMG
3. ≪crème brûlée. [Dessert]≫  +2 ACC
4. ≪smores. [Dessert]≫  +2 EVA

• ≪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)

 

Prerequisite Quests:

• [F20 - PP|PT] Whispers in the Canopy «SotW:PP»
• [F19 - PP|PT] Weight of Stone «SotW:CS»
• [F16 - PP|PT] A worthy catch ≪SotW: FFish≫
• [F10 - PP|PT] Descent into Echoes ≪SotW: LM≫
• [F08 - PP|PT] Whispers of Giants ≪SotW: FFoe≫
• [F01 - PP|PT] Getting stuff done ≪SotW: KoF≫

Edited 8 hours ago by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Dracul 0]

Ariel cut through this false paradise with blade-sharp precision, her form a dark stroke against the sickly-sweet greenery. I matched her pace, the emerald trim of my coat flaring like a challenge banner in the deceptive calm. This tranquility was poison. Even the moss trembled with the monster’s subterranean heartbeat, each pulse vibrating through my bootsoles. Darius pointed toward a crumbling bridge ahead, its timbers slick with emerald moss and rotten core. "Structural integrity seems compromised beyond safe parameters. I recommend a perimeter scan for a stable crossing alterna—"

My laugh sliced through his warning—a sharp, silver sound. "Measure courage, not rot!" Lightning. The word tasted of ozone and failure. Behind my eyes flashed the fight with the Suterusu—my impotence of landing hits, the burn of knees hitting mud before a jeering crowd. Never. Again.

The Mothra Key in our inventories throbbed—Thoom. Thoom—Mortha’s spectral drums syncing with the earth’s growl. Millicent paled, fingers twitching near her dagger belt. "Infrasound resonance amplifying charge density. Critical mass in five minutes." Her grey-blue coat drank the shadows, making her a ghost among birches.

Ariel froze. Her blade hissed in its sheath. Shadowflame leaked into the air like drops of spilled oil, coiling toward the lake with palpable hunger. I knew that craving—the clawing need to swallow the storm before it swallowed you. To erase the memory of your own frailty.

I strode onto the bridge. Rot groaned under my weight. "Debate feeds the enemy, Darius!" Let Ariel muzzle her darkness. Mine roared unfettered. Ahead, the Lake of Reflection shimmered—a liar’s looking glass hiding electric fangs. Reeds trembled as if in fear. Static lifted the hairs on my neck. My weapon slid free, its tip etching defiance into the thick air.

Birches wept golden sap onto moss carpets. Dragonflies hung suspended, indifferent spectators. Millicent counted seconds between tremors: "Interval now point-five seconds… accelerating." Darius scanned the tree line, seeking escape routes that dissolved like mist. Futile. Only one exit existed: through the storm’s gnashing teeth. The Mothra Key’s drumbeat hammered against my temples—louder, faster. The very oxygen tasted of scorched metal and coming fury.

---

Dracul | HP: 720/720 | EN: 84/84 | DMG: 1 | MIT:127 | ACC:1 | TAUNT | THORNS:214 | BH:40 | REC: 4 | HLY: 6 | PARA

Spoiler

Name: Dracul True Tier: 4 Level: 33 Paragon Level: 0 HP: 720/720 EN: 84/84 Stats: Damage: 1 Mitigation: 127 Accuracy: 1 Battle Healing: 40 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 - Survival 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 Reflective (Enemies take +7*Tier Thorns Damage on successful non-critical attacks made against you.)

 

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Birches thinned to reeds, then surrendered to barren silt. Before them stretched the Lake of Reflection—an immense mercury mirror, blindingly bright and treacherously depthless. Nihilim’s Wrath burned against Ariel’s hip, its shadowflame writhing like a chained beast scenting freedom. Dracul halted, knuckles bone-white on his weapon's hilt. "No clouds. A sniper’s sky." Millicent knelt, pressing her palm flat to the damp mud. "Energy convergence confirmed… focal point dead center." Her coat’s grey-blue hem darkened as water seeped into fabric. Darius unclipped his supply pack. "Trench lines? Caltrops?"

Ariel shook her head once. Taneuma scorned petty traps. The storm was the ambush. The Mothra Key hammered against her thigh—thudthudthud—Mortha’s war drum screaming from the grave. Air thickened until breathing felt like swallowing wool. Static raised the hairs on Darius’s neck. Dracul’s blade caught the light, gleaming like frozen starlight. Millicent’s whisper cut through the silence: "Dielectric rupture in three… two…"

Lightning unmade the world.

No warning. No gathering clouds. A white-hot javelin from heaven speared the lake’s heart. Water didn’t boil—it screeched, a sound that vibrated in molars and marrow. Light became sound became crushing pressure, slamming Ariel backward. Her blade howled in its scabbard, shadowflame exploding against leather—ravenous, triumphant.

From ground zero rose hooves of pure voltage, churning light into liquid rage. Taneuma manifested—a stallion woven from storm cells, mane a crackling whip of ionized air, eyes twin supernova voids. Its reflection doubled it in the mirror-lake: twin engines of annihilation. Ozone seared throats.

"Just like before! Keep you head in the game!" Ariel’s command split the chaos as she unsheathed her sword. Darkened fire lingering up the steel, devouring stray static.

• Dracul surged forward, weapon raised high. "OVER HERE HORSIE!" His voice tore reality—a sonic hook burying itself in Taneuma’s essence. The beast’s star-core eyes snapped to him. Aggro seized.

• Darius pivoted hard left, fists rising in a guard stance. A living barricade beside Dracul, muscles coiled to intercept blows.

• Millicent dissolved—not mere stealth, but true vanish—her obsidian daggers flashing like viper fangs before disappearing entirely.

• Ariel melted into reed-shadows, blade low. Dark flame clung to her like a second skin. Waiting. For the opportunity to strike.

Taneuma’s hooves struck water. The lake answered its master—a tsunami of liquid light surged upwards in response to the taunt.

---

• Rec. ID# XXXX | CD: X | +0 EN | +0 EN 
• Post Action: Stealth ✔️ | ID# 247730 | LD: 11+5+1 > 9
• Free action: N/A 

Edited 8 hours ago by Ariel - The Crowned Lion

[Dracul 0]

Liquid light surged toward me—a tsunami of raw voltage roaring across the lake’s mirror surface. Guardian’s Oath flared in my grip, the rose-etched steel humming with holy energy as I planted my feet. Memories of Suterusu flashed: my sword swinging through empty air, knees sinking into mud while spectators jeered. Never again. The shield slammed down hard, carving a furrow in silt as blue rose motifs ignited. "OVER HERE, HORSIE!" Focused Howl tore from my throat—a sonic hook burying itself in Taneuma’s storm-core.

Impact.

White noise. Crushing force. Holy light flared around the shield’s edge, repelling the tide in a shower of sparks. Static clawed past the barrier, searing my forearms. Teeth gritted, I held firm. Not like before. Not weak. Across the water, Taneuma’s star-eyes narrowed to furious slits. Aggro held. Darius lunged left, intercepting stray arcs with crossed arms. "Steady, Lord Dracul!" Millicent’s silhouette flickered near reeds—dagger-hands poised. Above us all, the Mothra Key throbbed in my inventory: THOOM-THOOM. Ghost drums syncing with the beast’s hoofbeats.

The stallion reared, fresh lightning gathering in its jaws. I felt it then—oil-slick hunger coiling in the shadows. Ariel. Her strike would come. Time to make the opening wider. I raised Guardian’s Oath high, holy light refracting across the lake’s deceptive surface. "IS THAT ALL?!" The taunt echoed, sharp and bright. Taneuma’s mane crackled, ionized air whipping like angry serpents. Birches trembled. Water hissed where stray voltage struck. Millicent’s voice cut through the ozone stench—"Charge density critical!"—but I kept my eyes locked on the storm-beast. Shadows deepened in the reeds. Static lifted my hair. Every muscle screamed to dodge, but I held. Bait must stand still.

---

• Rec. ID# XXXXX  | CD:0 | +0 EN | +0 EN
• Post Action: Focused Howl > «Taneuma» 
  • -(4) EN
  • Both players are unaffected by [Unsteady Ground]!

 

• [5]Dracul | HP: 720/720 | EN: 80/84 | DMG: 1 | MIT:127 | ACC:1 | TAUNT | THORNS:214 | BH:40 | REC: 4 | HLY: 6 | PARA
• [0]Ariel | HP: 1053/1053 | EN: 132/132 | DMG: 35 | MIT:0 | ACC:5 | AA  | PHASE | EVA:2 | BH:12 | HB: 46 | REC: 8 | RISK: 8 | FLN: 16 | LD:3 | PROSP:3
   
• «Taneuma» | HP: 1500/1500 | DMG: 125 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2
  Spoiler

  • Grounded | <<Taneuma>> will not lose a post action when inflicted with Paralyze/Stunned/Paralytic Envenom. Instead <<Taneuma>> loses -1 ACC during its next attack. This effect does not stack
  • Static Aura | When a player rolls a natural attack roll of 9-10, <<Taneuma>> will send out an electric shock, causing Paralysis to the player after their attack has landed.
  • Conductive | If <<Taneuma>> rolls a natural attack roll of 9-10 and rolls a 6+ on the CD, it will knock the player with the highest hate into water, then cause a electric shock that deals 100 Unmitigated damage.

   

Edited 7 hours ago by Dracul

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Shadows clung to Ariel like a second skin. Nihilim’s Wrath trembled in its saya—a live wire of hunger. Dark flame licked the scabbard’s rim, whispering of defences unmade. Dracul’s taunt hung in the air, holy light painting him a perfect beacon. Taneuma took the bait, lightning gathering in its maw.

She moved.

No flourish. No war cry. A single fluid motion— calculated Iaijutsu. The blade cleared the saya as shadowflame lingered. Steel met Taneuma’s crackling flank.

Silence.

For one fractured second, voltage and void warred. Then shadowflame consumed. Midnight fire boiled through the storm-hide like acid through paper, bypassing resistance. The beast’s HP bar dropped—a full third vanishing. A guttural roar shook the lake, doubling in its reflection.

Backstep. Vanish.

Ariel melted into reeds before Taneuma fully turned. Her crimson cape settled at her shoulders. The beast found only Dracul standing defiant in shallows. Rage redirected. A hoof lashed out.

Too fast.

The kick struck his shield with a CRACK. Dracul hurtled backward into the lake. Water closed over him—then detonated. Ten thousand volts ripped through his armor. He arched, damage numerals flashing but they we insignificant. Thorns on his gear flickered and died—no attacker to reflect into, only water and wrath.

Darius charged, hauling him onto silt. "Status?!"
Dracul spat lakewater, greatsword still blazing. "Alive... and annoyed."

Above, Taneuma’s wounds sizzled. Shadowflame gnawed at the edges, dark against electric white.

---

• Rec. ID# xxxx | CD: 6 | +0 EN | +0 EN 
• Post Action: [SIN]ST-I > «Taneuma»
• Free action: Vanish ✔️ | ID# 247732 | LD: 7+5+1 > 9
   

1. ID# 247731  | BD: 6 (2 +6-2, Hit!) | CD: 11 | [x12+3] (35+4) = 546 -(50) MIT =496 DMG > «Taneuma»
   • ST-II available!
   • ST-B Available!
   • -(14 -2-1) EN | WELL-RESTED: 2/3 
   • Vanish 3/3 CD
      
2. ID# 247733  | BD: 9  CD: 11 | «Taneuma» > Dracul
   • 100 Unmitigable DMG | Conductive

 

• [5]Dracul | HP: 620/720 | EN: 80/84 | DMG: 1 | MIT:127 | ACC:1 | TAUNT | THORNS:214 | BH:40 | REC: 4 | HLY: 6 | PARA
• [1]Ariel | HP: 1053/1053 | EN: 121/132 | DMG: 35 | MIT:0 | ACC:6 | AA  | PHASE | EVA:2 | BH:12 | HB: 46 | REC: 8 | RISK: 8 | FLN: 16 | LD:3 | PROSP:3
   
• «Taneuma» | HP: 1004/1500 | DMG: 125 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2

Edited 7 hours ago by Ariel - The Crowned Lion