[PT] ~ [SP-F06] When Silence Finally Screams <<Calming the Soul>>

[Bliss 0]

Bliss tore through the woods, feet pounding against the soft forest floor, her lungs burning with every frantic breath. She didn’t know who... no, what she was running from, but the dread pressing against her ribs told her it was close. Too close. Her chest ached as she clutched at her heart, the thudding beat nearly unbearable, and with a violent jolt she woke. A scream ripped from her throat, or tried to. Nothing came out. Her mouth opened, her voice strained, but silence swallowed everything. Her arms and legs wouldn’t budge either. Panic clawed at her as she realized she was trapped, awake yet paralyzed.

Then she saw it. A figure slipped free from the shadows of her room. Her breath caught. It looked like her, same face, same hair, same frame, but twisted, dark, smiling wide enough to cut her face in half. That eerie grin spread ear to ear, and the entity’s gaze pinned her like a predator before sliding away. The moment its eyes left hers, her body snapped free. She sat up with a gasp, scrambling to pull on her armor. She bolted outside, expecting daylight, only to be met with the suffocating blanket of night. How long was I asleep? Her heart pounded as she looked back at her home, hesitation bubbling for only a second before instinct drove her forward. She had to find it... find her.

The woods loomed ahead, and sure enough, she spotted the figure skulking toward Coral. She chased, pushing herself harder than she thought possible, but it moved unnaturally fast, gliding rather than running. At the teleport gate it finally turned, its face her own, its smile unchanged. For the first time it spoke, hollow and warped, “Meet… me… outside… the… waterfall…”

Bliss froze, the words chilling her blood. By the time she blinked, the figure was gone. She stood in stunned silence, brain racing. Then it clicked. Ciela had warned her once about something similar. She didn’t hesitate. With trembling hands, she stepped onto the platform, whispering a shaky prayer as the light swallowed her. Moments later, she stood on Floor 6.

 

 

Spoiler

WC: 355

* * *

 

* * *

Bliss PT total 185
In addition to the skills listed in the big block, Bliss takes 9 Ranks of Reflective (Enemies take +7*Tier Thorns Damage on successful non-critical attacks made against you.)
Bliss | HP: 35/35 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 7 | MIT:98 | ACC:1 | BH:1 | REC: 1 | Thrns: 81 

Spoiler

"Name: Bliss
True Tier: 1
Level: 1
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 35/35
EN: 20/20

Stats:
Damage: 7
Mitigation: 98
Accuracy: 1
Battle Healing: 1
Stealth Rating: -5
REC: 1

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - Mechanic's Tool Set | T1 Perfect Thrown Weapon |  ACC I | DMG II
Armor/Trinket: 
  - Thornforged Plate Armor | T1 Heavy Armor | MIT II | Thorns I
Shield/Armor/Trinket: 
  - Thornforged Shield | T1 Shield | MIT I | Thorns I | Rec

Combat Mastery:
  - Combat Mastery: Mitigation R3

Combat Shift:
  - 

Familiar Skill:
  - 

Custom Skill:
  - 

Skills:
  - Battle Healing R2
  - Heavy Armor R5
  - Thrown Weaponry R2

Extra Skills:
  - Block R5

Inactive Extra Skills:

Addons:
  - Iron Skin

Mods:

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:

Housing Buffs:

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild Totem:

Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:

Gathering Profession:
"

 

Edited August 17 by KnightessCiela

[Bliss 0]

Bliss’ boots splashed through the wet moss as she finally set foot on Floor 6. The air was thick with mist, cool and damp, and it clung to her skin as if whispering that she didn’t belong here. Her eyes darted through the trees until, there. The figure. Her figure. This time, it didn’t run away immediately. Instead, it lingered, almost taunting her with its presence. Slowly it began to retreat deeper into the woods. “W-Where’s this waterfall?” Bliss demanded, her voice cracking. The entity’s grin widened unnaturally, stretching into something inhuman. Its voice echoed hollowly, as if carried from all directions at once. “Follow…” Reluctantly, Bliss did. Each step forward made her stomach churn harder, the trees around her growing more familiar. Her breath caught as she recognized them, the exact twisted shapes, the same canopy of leaves, from her nightmare. Why was I dreaming about this place? she wondered, her chest tightening.

The woods eventually opened up to a clearing. A waterfall cascaded serenely into a shallow pool, its beauty so stark it felt wrong in this dreadful place. The figure leaned against a wall of stone, its smile never faltering, before gesturing for her to step into the water. Bliss hesitated, her body trembling. But she forced herself to inhale deeply, to steady her racing heart, and stepped into the shin-deep pool. The chill soaked her boots, sending a shiver straight to her bones. She stopped just before the curtain of water, and then the voice came. A voice she hadn’t heard in decades. “You’re still the weakling you always were. You haven’t changed at all in twenty years… stupid, insolent girl.” Her blood froze. That voice. She spun, and her heart nearly stopped. Shane. Her godfather. Her dad’s best friend. The man who had murdered him. 

Her throat tightened, but she forced the words out. “W-What the h-hell are y-you doing h-here?! D-Did you s-seriously w-wait twenty y-years t-to kill me in a death game!?” Shane smirked, his cold eyes glinting with cruelty. He didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. His expression said everything. Bliss’ fury erupted. Tears pricked her eyes as her words cracked. “Y-You… you looked Dad in the eyes… and y-you still k-killed him. My dad. Y-You were h-his b-brother in e-everything but b-blood. W-Why!? Why did you take him from me!?”

“Because Steven was weak,” Shane spat, venom dripping from every syllable. “And you followed in his footsteps, Serenity. You trusted too easily, just like him. That’s why he’s dead. And that’s why you will be too. Maybe if you’re lucky, your mother will bury you next to him.”

Bliss shook with rage. The grief she’d carried for so long burned into something sharper, something raw. “I’ve c-carried h-his memory my whole l-life. M-Memories tainted by y-you. B-But guess what.” She raised her wrench, stepping closer, her eyes blazing. “Y-You don’t own his memory anymore. A-And you sure as h-hell don’t own me.” Her stutter cracked into raw venom, words dripping like poison. “The only th-thing people will r-remember about you… is th-that you were a-a jealous c-coward who m-murdered a m-man b-better than you could ever dream of b-being. She lifted her wrench, ready to strike. But Shane’s hand was faster, his backhand slamming across her face with brutal force. Bliss staggered back, and before she could recover, his body shattered into a million glowing fractals, vanishing into nothing. Bliss stood there holding her cheek, wrench trembling in her grip, chest heaving, alone before the waterfall.

Spoiler

WC: 585

* * *

Spoiler

Combat:
Bliss is at full EN and HP

Bliss' Turn:
Post Action: none
Free Action: none

Stats:
Bliss | HP: 35/35 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 7 | MIT:98 | ACC:1 | BH:1 | REC: 1 | Thrns: 81 

Inner Demon 1 - Shane | HP: 8 | DMG: 10 | MIT: 1

Enemy Turn:

Attack vs Bliss
ID: 250173 | MD: 8 | DMG: 10 - 98 MIT = 1 | Thorn Proc | Shane takes 81 Thrns DMG

Stats:
Bliss | HP: 34/35 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 7 | MIT:98 | ACC:1 | BH:1 | REC: 1 | Thrns: 81 

Inner Demon 1 - Shane | HP: 8 | DMG: 10 | MIT: 1

 

Edited August 17 by KnightessCiela

[Bliss 0]

Bliss’ cheek still stung, her skin hot from the phantom slap, but the sting wasn’t what rattled her most, it was the smile. That hollow, sinister, unchanging smile that lingered on the entity’s face, as if it fed on her suffering. She blinked, trying to catch her breath, but when her eyes opened again, Shane was gone. In his place stood someone else. Someone she had once loved dearly. Her breath hitched. “C-Cait…?”

The face staring back at her belonged to her childhood best friend. Cait, who used to share crayons and a nap time mat, who used to promise forever. But forever hadn’t lasted. After Bliss lost her dad, Cait hadn’t been there. No, it was worse. Cait had been the one to spread whispers, to twist the knife when Bliss was already broken. Bliss’ voice shook as the memories rushed back. “Y-You… you were s-supposed to b-be there for m-me. A-After I l-lost my dad, y-you were a-all I had b-besides Mom. A-And… w-what did y-you do? Y-You spread r-rumors a-about me.”

Cait tilted her head, her expression dripping with indifference. “I was a kid. Kids say stuff. You really gonna hold that against me forever?” The words sliced through Bliss. Her hands curled into fists, anger threatening to consume her. “Y-You laughed at m-me. Y-You said…” Her throat tightened as the memory replayed in her head like it happened yesterday, “You s-said, i-it wasn’t l-like m-my dad was r-really g-gone, a-and it’s n-not like anyone would actually m-miss him. I-I was f-five, Cait! F-Five!”

Tears welled in her eyes, but Cait only smirked. “Oh, please. You think I was the only one who thought it? Everyone saw you, moping around like some sad little ghost. Someone had to say it to your sad little face.” Rage surged, burning through Bliss’ veins, her words trembling with fury. “Y-You c-continued to t-torment me! Y-You went out of your w-way to make me h-hate myself!”

Cait stepped closer, her smile darkening into something venomous. Her voice dripped with contempt. “Yeah… I did. Because you’re fucking worthless. You were then, and you are now. Weak. Worthless. A waste of space.” The venom hit hard, every word cutting deeper than a blade. Bliss’ body trembled, caught between despair and fury, but deep inside, something else began to stir, something refusing to break a second time.

Spoiler

WC: 393

* * *

Spoiler

Combat:
Bliss is at full EN
Bliss gains 1 HP

Bliss' Turn:
Post Action: none
Free Action: none

Stats:
Bliss | HP: 35/35 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 7 | MIT:98 | ACC:1 | BH:1 | REC: 1 | Thrns: 81 

Inner Demon 2 - Cait | HP: 11 | DMG: 13 | MIT: 2

Enemy Turn:

Attack vs Bliss
ID: 250174 | MD: 3 | DMG: 0 MISS

Stats:
Bliss | HP: 35/35 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 7 | MIT:98 | ACC:1 | BH:1 | REC: 1 | Thrns: 81 

Inner Demon 2 - Cait | HP: 11 | DMG: 13 | MIT: 2

 

Edited August 17 by KnightessCiela

[Bliss 0]

Bliss steadied herself, sucking in a deep breath as she forced her trembling body to still. Her chest rose and fell, but her eyes never left Cait. “No,” she said, voice cracking but laced with steel. “W-Weak people… w-weak people are the ones w-who kick someone when they’re already down. I-I was a grieving k-kid, Cait. A ch-child who just lost her father. A-And you...” her eyes burned, fury igniting behind the tears, “y-you chose cruelty. Th-that’s on you. Not me.” Her words rolled sharper with every syllable, gaining strength. “A-And it didn’t stop there. D-Do you remember what you did next?”

Cait only crossed her arms, feigning boredom. She crouched, picking up a rock, turning it casually in her palm. Bliss’ hands balled into fists, her voice trembling as she pushed the memory out. “Y-You threw that. A f-fucking rock. R-right at my h-head. Because y-you knew I-I wouldn’t fight back. Y-You thought I’d just sit there. Just t-take it.” Her words came out like broken glass, cutting, jagged, full of the pain she’d buried for years. Cait smirked, shrugging as if it meant nothing. “So what if I did? That was forever ago. And guess what, you didn’t die. You’re still here. Still breathing. Still a thorn in my side.” Bliss stepped forward, the anger building into something hotter, steadier. “Yes. I-I’m still here. But n-not because of you.” Her tone hardened, the stammer fading as conviction steadied her tongue. “I’m here i-in spite of you. In spite of everyone who h-hurt me. Y-You didn’t break me, Cait. And you never will.”

Cait’s eyes narrowed, her smirk faltering as Bliss moved closer, heat radiating off her like a storm. “Yelling at me doesn’t fix anything,” Cait hissed, though there was a new edge in her voice, uncertainty. Bliss leaned in, her words striking like a blade. “No. But it reminds me, and you, that I’m not that helpless little five-year-old anymore. Y-You don’t get to live in m-my head rent free.” In a last, desperate attempt, Cait hurled the rock with all her force. Bliss flinched, but the stone clattered harmlessly against her armor, bouncing away without leaving so much as a scratch. Cait’s expression twisted in frustration, her form fracturing, breaking apart into a thousand tiny shards of light. Bliss stood in the silence that followed, chest heaving. Bliss was beginning to notice a pattern, and it was one she could no longer ignore. Every battle wasn’t just with monsters, but with ghosts of her past. And one by one, she was learning how to face them.

Spoiler

WC: 430

* * *

Spoiler

Combat:
Bliss is at full EN and HP

Bliss' Turn:
Post Action: none
Free Action: none

Stats:
Bliss | HP: 35/35 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 7 | MIT:98 | ACC:1 | BH:1 | REC: 1 | Thrns: 81 

Inner Demon 2 - Cait | HP: 11 | DMG: 13 | MIT: 2

Enemy Turn:

Attack vs Bliss
ID: 250175 | MD: 10 | DMG: 15 - 98 MIT = 1 DMG | Cait takes 81 Thrns DMG

Stats:
Bliss | HP: 34/35 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 7 | MIT:98 | ACC:1 | BH:1 | REC: 1 | Thrns: 81 

Inner Demon 2 - Cait | HP: 11 | DMG: 13 | MIT: 2

 

Edited August 17 by KnightessCiela

[Bliss 0]

Bliss’ breath hitched as she wondered who would be next, would it be the one she had dreaded deep down? Her body went rigid, her mouth falling open in shock. Standing there, where Cait had just stood, was her mother. “M-Mom!?” Bliss gasped, her voice breaking as disbelief tangled with fear. “Wh-what… wh-what are you doing here?” The words slipped out raw, unfiltered, because in her heart she already knew. The entity wasn’t just showing her old scars. It was making her face every wound she’d buried, every person who had carved her into the girl she became. And her mother… was at the root of it all. One of the deepest, most painful cuts she carried. Her pulse thundered in her ears, but Bliss straightened, forcing herself to stand tall. If this was the confrontation she had to face, then she would start where it all began.

“Do you… d-do you remember that day?” Bliss asked, tears already blurring her vision. Her voice cracked, but she refused to look away. “After dad was k-killed?” She swallowed hard, her throat burning with grief. “I came to you. I was shaking. I was begging you, pleading with you to tell me why Shane did it. Why his best friend would kill him…” Her voice caught, a sob rising in her chest. “And you... you told me to stop asking. Said you’d just lost your husband and didn’t want to answer questions I couldn’t even understand.” Her mother crossed her arms, face cool, almost dismissive. “I was grieving, Serenity. I couldn’t even be strong for myself. What made you think I could be strong for you?”

The words pierced through her like knives, even though she’d already lived them once. Bliss wiped angrily at her tears, her sadness flaring into anger. “Y-You didn’t have to be strong!” she spat, her voice trembling but fierce. “I just needed my mom. I w-wanted my mom. But instead… instead you pushed me away.” She inhaled sharply, fists clenching at her sides. “That was the first time I learned to shut up. The first time I realized I couldn’t depend on anyone but myself.” The silence that followed was heavy, oppressive. Bliss’ chest heaved, her eyes blazing even as more tears spilled down her cheeks. She had carried this hurt for so long. And now, finally, she was dragging it out into the open and she wouldn't hold back.

Spoiler

WC: 403

* * *

Spoiler

Combat:
Bliss is at full EN
Bliss gains 1 HP

Bliss' Turn:
Post Action: none
Free Action: none

Stats:
Bliss | HP: 35/35 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 7 | MIT:98 | ACC:1 | BH:1 | REC: 1 | Thrns: 81 

Inner Demon 3 - Bel | HP: 17 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 3

Enemy Turn:

Attack vs Bliss
ID: 250176 | MD: 1 | DMG: 0 MISS 

Stats:
Bliss | HP: 35/35 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 7 | MIT:98 | ACC:1 | BH:1 | REC: 1 | Thrns: 81 

Inner Demon 3 - Bel | HP: 17 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 3

 

Edited August 17 by KnightessCiela

[Bliss 0]

Bliss’ chest tightened, but she forced herself to keep going. Her mother’s face, looked like it was on the verge of breaking. But Bliss knew better. This wasn’t her mom. Not really. She was just a trick being played on her mind. That didn’t matter though. She wasn’t going to waste the chance to finally say everything she had buried. Keeping it bottled up had been poison for years.

Her voice trembled, her hands balled into fists at her sides. “N-Not even a w-week later,” she began, her throat constricting around every word, “I came home from school sobbing. My knees were scraped, dirt still clinging to me, an ice pack pressed to my head because of what those kids did. I was begging for comfort. Just… anything.” Her gaze locked on the figure, hard and unrelenting, even as tears stung her eyes. “Do you remember what you told me?”

The entity, her mother’s face, blinked with a look of confusion. Bliss couldn’t tell if it was genuine or just another trick to mess with her head.

“You told me, ‘Toughen up. Life doesn’t get any easier.’” Bliss’ voice cracked as the memory spilled out, jagged and raw. She shook her head, staring daggers at her mother’s image. “I was five. I had just lost Dad. I was getting bullied every day. And instead of protecting me, instead of being the mom I needed, you shoved me further away.” Bel spoke up. “Kids are cruel. I figured if you toughened up, they couldn’t hurt you.”

Bliss broke, tears rolling freely now, her words torn between sobs and rage. “No. Y-You thought ignoring it. Ignoring me. Would make it go away. But it didn’t. It never did.” Her fists clenched tighter, knuckles white. “Every word they spat at me, every rock they threw, every time they laughed, made it all cut deeper. And it kept cutting because I had no one to run to at home. No one to hold me. No one to give me even an ounce of comfort.”

Spoiler

WC: 340

* * *

Spoiler

Combat:
Bliss is at full EN and HP

Bliss' Turn:
Post Action: none
Free Action: none

Stats:
Bliss | HP: 35/35 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 7 | MIT:98 | ACC:1 | BH:1 | REC: 1 | Thrns: 81 

Inner Demon 3 - Bel | HP: 17 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 3

Enemy Turn:

Attack vs Bliss
ID: 250177 | MD: 3 | DMG: 0 MISS

Stats:
Bliss | HP: 35/35 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 7 | MIT:98 | ACC:1 | BH:1 | REC: 1 | Thrns: 81 

Inner Demon 3 - Bel | HP: 17 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 3

 

Edited August 17 by KnightessCiela

[Bliss 0]

Bliss’ stomach twisted as the words formed in her throat. She had dreaded this moment more than any other, because she knew it would force her to open the wound that had never healed. This was the memory that had shaped her hate, the memory that left her scarred not just by others, but by her own mother. Her voice cracked as she began, eyes fixed on the figure before her. “In high school… I tried so hard to make you see me. To hear me. But you wouldn’t. You wouldn’t even give me the time of day.” Her body trembled as tears welled up. “I told you... that something bad happened. I stood there in the doorway, alone, shaking, begging you to listen. And you… you didn’t even look at me. You told me you didn’t wanna hear it.”

Her voice rose, raw and piercing, echoing through the forest. “When I told you Kristian hurt me, you didn’t care! You said he was too nice to hurt anyone!” The name fell from her lips like venom, burning as it left her. Her sobs broke through, but she didn’t look away. Not this time. Not anymore. The figure wearing her mother’s face stared back, expression carved with guilt. “I… I couldn’t take on anymore pain, Serenity. I was still drowning in grief.”

Bliss shook her head, her tears streaming freely now. “I wasn’t asking you to drown with me, Mom. I was begging for you to throw me a rope, a lifesaver, something.” Her chest heaved, her fists trembling at her sides. “Instead… you turned your back on me. You left me in the water. You let me sink.” Her voice softened, breaking, but the steel in her words carried through. “That was the turning point. That was the day I realized I had no one. That I wasn’t worth saving. That I was… utterly, devastatingly alone.” Bliss wiped her tears with the back of her hand, her face red and blotched but unyielding. “And I’ve carried that pain ever since. But not anymore. Now I have people who genuinely care if I live or die.”

Spoiler

WC: 356

* * *

Spoiler

Combat:
Bliss is at full EN and HP

Bliss' Turn:
Post Action: none
Free Action: none

Stats:
Bliss | HP: 35/35 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 7 | MIT:98 | ACC:1 | BH:1 | REC: 1 | Thrns: 81 

Inner Demon 3 - Bel | HP: 17 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 3

Enemy Turn:

Attack vs Bliss
ID: 250178 | MD: 3 | DMG: 0 MISS

Stats:
Bliss | HP: 35/35 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 7 | MIT:98 | ACC:1 | BH:1 | REC: 1 | Thrns: 81 

Inner Demon 3 - Bel | HP: 17 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 3

 

Edited August 17 by KnightessCiela

[Bliss 0]

PH

Spoiler

WC:

* * *

Combat:
Bliss is at full EN and HP

Bliss' Turn:
Post Action: none
Free Action: none

Stats:
Bliss | HP: 35/35 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 7 | MIT:98 | ACC:1 | BH:1 | REC: 1 | Thrns: 81 

Inner Demon 3 - Bel | HP: 17 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 3

Enemy Turn:

Attack vs Bliss
ID: 250179 | MD: 6 | DMG: 21 - 98 MIT = 1 DMG | Bel takes 81 Thorns DMG

Stats:
Bliss | HP: 35/35 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 7 | MIT:98 | ACC:1 | BH:1 | REC: 1 | Thrns: 81 

Inner Demon 3 - Bel | HP: 17 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 3

Edited August 17 by KnightessCiela

[Bliss 0]

PH

Spoiler

WC:

* * *

Combat:
Bliss is at full EN
Bliss gains 1 HP

Bliss' Turn:
Post Action: none
Free Action: none

Stats:
Bliss | HP: 35/35 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 7 | MIT:98 | ACC:1 | BH:1 | REC: 1 | Thrns: 81 

Inner Demon 4 - Kristian | HP: 26 | DMG: 31 | MIT: 5

Enemy Turn:

Attack vs Bliss
ID: 250180 | MD: 7 | DMG: 31 - 98 MIT = 1 DMG | Kristian takes 81 Thorns DMG

Stats:
Bliss | HP: 35/35 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 7 | MIT:98 | ACC:1 | BH:1 | REC: 1 | Thrns: 81 

Inner Demon 4 - Kristian | HP: 26 | DMG: 31 | MIT: 5

* * *

Thread Closure

Word Count EXP (WPE): [Word Count]/5
Pages Col (PC): 400 * page (20 Posts) count 

<<PLAYER>> receives the following:
Tier: Player’s True Tier
EXP: [WCE * Tier] + [quest] + [other bonuses]
Col: [PC/numPlayer] (unless otherwise agreed on by participants) + [other bonuses]
Mats: (If applicable)
Items: (If applicable)
Other Thread Rewards: (Skills and such)

Edited August 17 by KnightessCiela