PP-F3 "With Friends Like These!" (Hikoru, Noctis, Azide, Calrex)

[Calrex 0]

As Noctis dealt the finished blow to the minotaur Calrex gave a sigh as he flicked his wrist and resheathed his sword like one would in iaido,although he flipped it into a icepick grip so that he could easily reach the mouth of the scabbard sticking out perpendicular to his back, "Nice work you guys. And no one took a hit. That's a really good win in my books."

 

As Azide went over to Noctis to check and see if he was alright, Calrex decided to take the second from the front, using his <<Night Vision>> to make sure any darker area were covered by his point of view, "Looks like other than those crystals there's no enemies for quite some time. Although I am wondering if there's sort of contraption these crystals are linked to."

 

"The crystal's inscription had changed, so I wonder if that is some kind of passage that we might need to remember for later on, like some kind of puzzle..."

[Noctis 0]

I looked at Azide, as if I was confused. "Huh? What's going on?" I asked in confusion, as I look at my surroundings. I finally realized that I was in the Cave of Harmonies, and grabbed onto Azide. "We're still in the Cave of Harmonies?" I asked with confusion. "What's going on?" I thought to myself, as I let of Azide. I look over to the group, and held onto my head. "Calm down, Lucis.. I'm just a little delusional from hitting the floor." I said, as I rubbed my hand against my head. I looked over at Azide with a grin. "I'm fine, Azide.. Thank you for checking up on me." I said, as I jump back on my feet. I start to twist and turn to release my back strain, and attempted to re-equip my blade. 

 

It seems as if the blade refuses to equip. "Tch. Looks like my Blade of Time has run out of time." I said, as I place my hands in front of me. "Don't fail me now, Ragnarok." I thought to myself, as the dragon-like blade materializes onto my hands. "Now, I'm ready," I said with a smirk on my face.

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru looked at the others preparing for the fights ahead, and he decided it would be smart for him to do it as well. He made sure his Plushie was equipped, same with Pride and made sure they were both okay, with good enough durability

 

"Well guys, im as ready as i'll ever be. Lets keep moving...." He said as he started to walk deeper into the caverns, preparing for the monsters to come

[Xanatos 0]

The party moved farther into the caverns. The tunnel seemed longer this time, we keep walking and walking but cannot seem to find the way. Every turn we took seemed to take just let us in circles. "Lord, feel like we've been at this for hours now!" I groaned. The crystals ebbed and flowed in the tunnel, constantly changing colors. "I guess I'll just play to pass the time..." I took out Garanzia and began to play an old French folk song. The crystals changed into two seperate colors. Red and Green. "Huh, they usually only turn one color or a rainbow when stimulated. I wonder if it's a path! Let's follow the green crystals!" I shouted as I kept playing the song. (OOC: Here comes dah whipsers 0.0)

 

(And it is Hikoru!)

 

In Hikoru's ear, a faint whisper grows. "Hahaha you are a funny one, you seek adventure and power. But yet, you have nothing to build on...I can feel it...your fear..your frustration. All building into a chaotic mess of a player. You are weak...How do you ever expect to achieve greatness without being able to do what is necessary? Take a look ahead of you Hikoru...Would you kill any of these players to get out of this world right now? Would you stab them in the back to achieve the ultimate prize? Freedom...If you choose to stay here, it is only out of weakness and cowardice....I can give you the power you desire...the power to end them all..if you just...LET ME OUT!!!!"

[Azide 0]

He raised a brow as Noctis grabbed onto him, but he didn't object. Amusingly, the youth claimed to be '"just fine". Even when there were so many red flags saying otherwise that he was practically tripping over them as they pressed further.

Azide humored him and glanced around the cavern before turning back to the dark-haired player. "Unless I'm missing something, then yes, I'd say we're still within that cave system." He set a steady hand against Noctis' shoulder and looked the boy in the eye. "I believe you. I'm sure you'd tell us if something were amiss." He smiled, and his hand slipped away as he pulled back.

As he stepped back, he couldn't help but notice Calrex studying the archway's peculiar inscriptions. He seemed to be the observant type, and still had his wits about him. "Good, I work well with that type." He paced over to the blue-clad player and nudged him discreetly with his elbow to draw the man's attention. As the man looked to him, he whispered in a low hush. "Calrex- maybe I'm just paranoid, but I'd keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary as we pass through the next arch."

With that, he walked away and headed toward the green-lit path.

[Calrex 0]

As Azide came over and nudged him Calrex directed his attention to the player next to him, giving a nod, "No you've got a point. I'll be sure to keep an eye out. There certainly seems to be more to this dungeon and we might expect."

 

As the others decided to travel down the green lit path Calrex made note of the color change when Xanatos played his instrument, "Hm...green and red, certainly a common way to color code things to direct players in the right direction, although I'm usually more used to the non-Christmas like blue and red patterns. Nonetheless I hope that this isn't some kind of trick set to lead is into a trap. Some games do like to mess with their players that way and break out of the typical dungeon crawling setting."

 

He kept a hand on his Anneal Blade as he passed underneath the archway, keeping his eyes peeled for any strange shadows or movement. As he rejoined the group he made sure to peek behind him to see if anything had changed in the path itself.

 

"Certainly seems clear so far, but we can't be too careful..."

[Hikoru 0]

(OOC: I believe its my turn.... if its not, I'm sorry to whoever goes before me!)

Hikoru heard the whispers as he walked down the green lit path. The offer was tempting, but he knew he couldn't betray his friends.

"No... I could never do that,not to anyone! Especially my friends!" He told the voice telepathically. A slow feeling of pain started to seep into his mind.He shook his head in frustration as pain fell into his temple suddenly.

"Leave me be, whoever you are... Leave my mind!" He screamed at the voice, but only to his mind, so he would not worry the others. He stopped for a moment to collect his thoughts, then made his way towards the group, making sure to keep an eye out for something, anything that could have told him that.

[Noctis 0]

I look over at Hikoru, who seems like he have seen a ghost. I stopped myself at my tracks, as the group progress on in the cavern. I noticed that he stopped following us for awhile, and clenched my fist together. "Hikoru.. Are you there?" I said, a I dash back towards the exit. I managed to bump into him, as he made his way back towards us. I let out a sigh, and place my arms on his shoulder. "Hey, Hikoru.. You doing good?" I asked, as I moved him towards the group.

 

I made sure we weren't far behind, and was able to spot Calrex. "You seem like you've seen a ghost or something, Hikoru." I said, with a slight chuckle, trying to keep the conversation with high spirit. I knew I lacked the morale to keep this group together, but it seems like everyone else seems fine.

[Xanatos 0]

After following the green crystals for a while we spot a clearing a few yards ahead. "Hey guys! The next "challenge" might be there. Ready yourselves!" The clearing was much much larger than the last one. A throne sat in the center with a skeleton sitting inside. A crown sat on it's head. Jewels of all shapes and sizes adorned it. Smaller thrones sat positioned in a circle around the center throne. A large crystal sat above it, hovering in the air. Small orbs of light emanated from it, the orbs moved about the room aimlessly. We could hear whispers, perfectly audible to each of us. Weak...Kaito...Murderer...Traitor...Hikoru...Calnus...Can you really lead? All of these different whispers seemed to come from different voices. The single crystal lit the room while the other smaller ones lining the walls laid barren and colorless.

[Azide 0]

Azide rushed out of the narrow passage and emerged on the other side, where he was greeted by a morbid, cryptic sight.

A skeletal figure sat atop a golden throne under a hovering crystal. From the floating construct came orbs of light, which swirled around the room erratically. He wondered if there was some deeper meaning behind their seemingly random movements. "But sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." As far as he could tell, there were no patterns to be found in them.

As they'd passed the arch, he'd been warily keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity, but nothing of that sort had taken place. Not to him, nor to any of the other members of their party. The closest thing to that was when Hikoru had stopped for a moment, but that was hardly something to get worked up over- although Noctis had noticed it as well. Apparently it had concerned the dark-haired player more than it'd concerned him. "Perhaps he knows something I don't..."

The thought was dismissed as he became aware of the sound of disembodied whispers, originating from the room itself. Not from a single point, but simply the cavern as a whole. Most of the whispers didn't seem to pertain to him- but one caught his ear. "Am I fit to lead?" It was vague, like a horoscope. It didn't concern him, per say, but he couldn't help but mull over the thought as he drew his blade.

"Xanatos- I want to know what will happen should you play your song here in this room," said Azide, turning to his friend. He shifted his attention to the rest of the group. "Is there anybody who would object to that, by any chance?"

Without a second thought, he walked right up to one of the smaller thrones that surrounded the ominous figure, and sat himself down. "Not the most comfortable seat," he thought, shifting himself around on the metal seat. Once he made himself decently comfortable, he leaned forward in the chair and rested his chin against his fist. "Considering how even sitting on metal is uncomfortable, I can see why knights went out of style."

[Calrex 0]

"Calnus..."

 

"..."

 

Calrex listened to the seris of mutterings the crystals seemed to speak as they rotated around, "Calnus...hm...seems like the crystals are aware of my real name. Well that's certainly a new feature..."

 

As he scanned across the other players in the party he took note that Azide seemed to be checking if there was some pattern to the crystal's flight patterns. Since he was focused on that Calrex figured to tr and begin deciphering if there was some puzzle to their current predicament.

 

"A single crown adorned with jewels...a series of crystals...various thrones surrounding the central throne...crystals inset into the walls..."

 

"I believe that there's something to do with the dull crystals on the walls. Maybe there's a way to get them lit..."

 

"Souls of the royal family..."

 

"If the orbs are related to the souls of the royal family, maybe we can reactivate those crystals in the wall by moving the orbs towards them in some way..."

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru felt Noctis run into him as he looked up to see a worried face on the older player's face. He put an arm around him, and he said something about a ghost, and he shuddered. Maybe thats what it was, a programmed spirit to wander these caves, haunting the players.

 

"I.... I heard a voice, and I don't know what it was...." He said. Suddenly he heard the other voice

 

"Traitor.....Murderer...." It called him. (I believe) He shook his head. No way he could kill another player in cold blood. There was no way.

 

"LEAVE ME!" He screamed aloud, and mentally broke down. He fell onto his knees and screamed as his head throbbed with pain.

[Xanatos 0]

(Gonna go ahead and skip Noctis per his permission. Come back soon buddy :D)

 

With Hikoru breaking down I began to play Garanzia. I chose something grand. The Firebird Suite! Every movement ebbed and flowed. The orbs moved about the room in succession, possessing crystals along the walls. Suddenly the thrones began to glow. "Azide! Get off the throne!" I yelled out. The cave began to shake (2/10) and every throne glowed a bright yellow. The skeleton on the center throne rose and began to speak. "Pitiful humans...You are but flies compared to me...the TRUE King Minos...my ignorant brother could not see that I was the true heir and banished me here...doomed to the darkness...with nothing but the souls of our fallen brethren to give company...You will take my place you weak hearted fools!" A light emanated from the largest floating crystal. "Die!!!!" The orbs came to form a skeleton structure on each of the smaller thrones. They were armed with swords made of the crystals. The Brother of Minos stood from his large throne and brandished a flail made of pure darkness. A total of 6 enemies were before us. They jeered at us, threatening us with their glowing eyes and weapons.

 

(Quick Fight explanation: Each of these "minor" skeletons deal 2 DMG a hit and have 15 HP (Total of 5 Minors) The Brother of Minos deals 3 DMG per hit and has 35 HP Each critical failby any of the skeletons (or anyone else) will cause a point against the cave stability. Short story, the brother will be the only one to drop loot and will drop an aesthetic item needed for the quest to progress. The fight order will be as follows: Xanatos, Azide, Calrex, Hikoru, Noctis (Noc your spot is here because of your recent request to skip), Skele's 1-5, then Brother of Minos. If no one objects, I will have two separate posts. One for my combat. Then I will post the attacks of ALL skeletons when they come up in order. There is 1 skeleton per person, you can help each other with their skeletons. once their paired skele is killed, they will not be engaged by another. Any questions please PM me. I'll allow one more post per participant before combat starts.

[Azide 0]

He closed his eyes and sank into the throne as Xanatos played a lively tune. It was a beautiful piece that needed no accompaniment- the voice of the violin alone sufficed in conveying the melody's spirit. As the tune came to a close, he heard whirring noises and opened his eyes in time to see the hovering orbs zip right past him. One of the spheres nearly collided with him altogether, but he managed to duck out of its path and avoid whatever complications such a collision might've brought with it.

Xanatos shouted at him to get off, and he so he leapt forward without a second thought. As he turned, he saw that each of the outer thrones had taken on an otherworldly glow, and he steadied himself with a palm against the cavern wall as the ground began to shake. Suddenly, a new voice broke the fragile silence, and he lifted his head to see that it was none other than the skeletal figure in the center. He watched as the crowned figure rose and regaled them a scornful tale of royal scandal and treachery, before raising another six figures from whatever shadowy world they'd previously occupied. They came into existence atop each of the thrones, armed with swords of their own. Their leader, the Heir of minos, revealed an ethereal weapon of his own- it appeared as if it'd been carved from the veil of night itself.

Azide immediately drew Quantum Slicer with a practiced flash of his arms. Undead monarch or not, this would be the same routine as usual- vanquishing the enemies who had spawned around them. He turned to the rest of the party and spoke with a sense of level urgency. "Let's knock out the six of them first- being careful to keep an eye on Hikoru's health bar. With Noctis and I dealing the most damage, we should position ourselves as the second and fifth players in the lineup. That should give us an even spread, ensuring that we can both provide assistance wherever needed."

[Calrex 0]

As Calrex had suspected the orbs seemed to have been a part of the puzzle. Xanatos' melody seemed to be the trigger in order to solve it as the floating ethereal globes moved into the dulled ones in the wall. However, instead of opening another room, the puzzle appeared to trigger a boss battle as the skeleton on the largest throne came to life. In addition more smaller skeletons formed on the lesser thrones, armed with swords. As Azide readied his weapon and began to devise tactics Calrex quietly nodded as he reached back, unlocking his Anneal Blade while keeping it in its sheath.

 

"Azide will be going second, so I'll go after him. For sure like he said we need to make sure Hikoru doesn't get into trouble. It seems like we might have two options here. One would be to focus on the largest skeleton and hopefully his demise extinguishes the lesser minions. The second would be to eliminate all of the minor skeletons and then focus on the boss..."

 

"Alright guys I'm set. How do you think we should approach this? Focus on the boss, or take out the minions first?"

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru stood as the voice left his head, and the place shook around him. He looked to see a skeleton king, and five minor skeletons around him. He unsheathed his weapon as the others did as well. He heard Calrex say something about focusing on only the Skeleton king

 

"NO! We need to focus on the minor skeletons first! Then we can all focus on the big one! If you get done with one, help another! If we all are done at the same time, we should be good! But be prepared to fight the big one if everyone is starting to get low!" He says as he feels anger course through him. That voice the Skeleton king used, that was the one that spoke to him. He wanted to kill it, at any cost to free him of the Skeleton Kings Grasp.

[Noctis 0]

I blacked out for a moment, and place my hands over my head. "Tch.. These effects are just minimal.. I'm probably going to get used to it soon." I said to myself, as I realize the group have gone into battle with a skeleton. "This seems so anti-climatic." I said, as I place Ragnarok besides me. I soon to realize that it was not just one skeleton, but tons of them. The one that sticks out to me is the one in the middle. "A king.. You're no fit to be a king." I said, as I gripped the hilt of my blade tight.

 

I knew I would do more damage than some of the players in the group, but Azide had the most damage output. "Alright. You guys can take care of the minor skeleton. I'm going to take the king out." I said with confidence. "If I can take out the king, that'll boost our morale quite a bit." I thought to myself, as I position myself for an attack. I stood for a moment, and realized I could still put Hikoru in danger. I took off straight towards one of the five Minor Skeletons. I swung my blade, but missed the skeleton. "Tch.. You got lucky." I said, as I dash back towards the group.

 

[OOC: Back and ready.]

 

 

14051 4

 

PARTY

Azide 47/47 HP

Calrex 32/32 HP

Hikoru 1313 HP

Noctis 22/22 HP

Xanatos 24/24 HP

 

ENEMY

Minor Skeleton 1 15/15 HP - 0

Minor Skeleton 2 15/15 HP

Minor Skeleton 3 15/15 HP

Minor Skeleton 4 15/15 HP

Minor Skeleton 5 15/15 HP

The Brother of Minos 35/35 HP

[Xanatos 0]

(OOC:Woot! This is gonna be fun :3 So Noc has claimed Skele 1 as his target I will take number 2 :))

 

I watched Noctis engage the first skeleton. He dashed across and missed. I decided to head for the closest skeleton to me. I flashed Immortal Fang, swiping from side to side to build some momentum. I twisted and swung hard towards the skeleton. 

 

14057

BD:5 +3 = 8 HIT!

 

The blow landed right in the skeletons chest. Immortal Fang delved deep into its ribcage, effectively breaking a few of its ribs. I knocked it down on its back, but it just got straight back up as if nothing even happened to it. Hard to hurt something that seems to not be able to feel pain. 

 

Skeleton 1 15/15

Skeleton 2 11/15 (-4)

Skeleton 3 15/15

Skeleton 4 15/15

Skeleton 5 15/15

Brother of Minos 35/35

 

Xanatos 24/24 HP

Azide 47/47 HP

Calrex 32/32 HP

Hikoru 1313 HP

Noctis 22/22 HP

Cave Stability 2/10 ( 8 remaining)

[Azide 0]

With Noctis and Xanatos rushing the first of the two smaller skeletons, it was about time that he made his move. In a burst of movement, he appeared before the third. In the blink of an eye, he scanned the skeletal figure for any points of vulernabilities; with just the slightest bit of thought, he quickly concluded that a skeleton only had one effective point of attack in terms of thrusting movements.

Azide released his arm from its drawn position, snapped it forward and guided his blade straight through the open socket of the wretch's eye. Quantum Slicer struck the back of the beast's skull, and the impact of the collision knocked it back far enough to allow him to step back into line. "Next up!" he called out, flashing a look at Calrex. His eyes darted over to Hikoru, making sure to keep him in sight whenever possible.

ID: 14071

BD: 4 (+3) = 7 (Hit)

Damage taken (Skeleton 3)

Skeleton 1 15/15

Skeleton 2 11/15

Skeleton 3 6/15 (-9)

Skeleton 4 15/15

Skeleton 5 15/15

Brother of Minos 35/35

Xanatos 24/24 HP

Azide 43/43 HP

Calrex 32/32 HP

Hikoru 1313 HP

Noctis 22/22 HP

Cave Stability 2/10 ( 8 remaining)

[Calrex 0]

ID: 14083

Battle Dice: 6

 

As the trio of Noctis, Xanatos, and Azide rushed in and delivered their strikes at the skeletons Calrex waited for them to retreat back slightly before he rushed in, giving a calming breath as he closed half of the distance between him and the skeleton in front of him, "Looks like we're focusing on the minions first then..."

 

He quickly planted his foot as he got into striking range as he drew his sword from its sheath in a reverse grip. As he slid a few paces he transferred his sword from his right hand to his left, following through with the strike as he slashes the skeleton across the middle, hitting below the ribs and striking its spine directly. Of course, if it had been a regular skeleton the entire thing would have fallen to pieces, but these ones were reinforced by the necromancer magic that the Brother of Minos appeared to be using. Calrex's eyes watched as the vertebrae that his sword struck got knocked out of place and immediately returned back as if held in place by a rubber band.

 

With that he quickly retreated back to where the rest of the group was, keeping his eyes focused on the skeleton he was engaging, "Switch!"

 

HP List

Xanatos: 24/24

Azide: 43/43

Calrex: 32/32

Hikoru: 13/13

Noctis: 22/22

 

Enemies:

Skeleton 1: 15/15

Skeleton 2: 11/15 
Skeleton 3: 6/15
Skeleton 4: 10/15 (Dealt 5 Damage)
Skeleton 5: 15/15
Brother of Minos: 35/35

 

Environment: 

Cave Stability: 2/10 (Hazard activation at 10)