[PP-F2] The Aftermath (Teion)

[Emerath 0]

Emerath hadn't actually been to the second floor before. He stood out in the woodlands, having agreed to meet Teion here. The plan was to murder monsters. Emerath was originally hesitant, but after learning that his brother had talked to Teion, and the fact that she hadn't ripped his head clean off his shoulders, Emerath figured he'd give it a shot. He wasn't even sure what kinds of monsters they were supposed to encounter here or what the lands were like besides the woods everywhere and flat topped mountains. He'd have to make a mental note to go exploring this and mapping the area later. Perhaps with some of the guild members.

Emerath popped open his menu, and scrolled to Teion's name, before popping open the map of where she was to make sure she was, in fact, on her way. He really didn't want this to be some big joke that her and his brother were playing on him.

[Teion 0]

Teion's nerves had her fiddling with the edges of her armor. Of course she was nervous to see Emerath, especially considering their last interaction. She made her way to the second floor city Urbus and started on the dirt path outside to the surrounding forest. At least they would be able to take things out on monsters rather than each other. Hopefully the battle would get her mind off of things.

She could see a fork in the path not far ahead, and the familiar sight of a dark suit and short red hair made her chest tighten. She hadn't bothered planning out what to say or how to act, and she grew more nervous as she got closer. It looked like his attention was elsewhere. Teion approached slowly behind him and stopped at a safe distance. "Hey," She said lamely, hoping she didn't surprise him.

[Emerath 0]

Emerath had watched Teion get relatively close to his position, before he closed his menu so she didn't know that he was stalking her via his friends list. As she came up behind him, he turned and gave her a small wave and tried to smile. "Hey!" he said, simply. He wasn't entirely sure what else to say. A part of him would rather have just run away, in all honesty. But he stood his ground, shifting about awkwardly in the dirt. Finally, after what felt like an eternal silence, Emerath finally said, "So... killing monsters, huh? What is there to even hunt on this floor? Have you been here before?"

[Teion 0]

Teion could feel the tension in the air, and she avoided looking Emerath in the eyes. She had wanted to see him again, and hopefully make up for things. After a long talk with Endilix she was feeling confident that everything would be fine, but now she wasn't so sure. She absently played with a strap near her belt. "Ahh, yeah... I thought it might be a good idea." She tried to have a more care-free attitude, but it was feeling forced. "Besides, I haven't gotten the chance to see all the new skills you've learned." She gave a small smile. When he asked her if she'd been to the second floor before she responded, "I have been here once, actually..." She recalled meeting Rebekah around these woods when they went searching for materials together. "It's mostly forest for a while, so there's a lot of beast creatures. Past that I think there are some mountains, but I haven't gone that far."

[Emerath 0]

Emerath nodded at Teion explained the lay of the land. Sounded like the second floor started in the same way as the first floor, with one area leading into another type of area. "Well, I suppose we should get going and try to find some monsters. Are the monsters hostile on this floor, or are they passive like the first floor? I'd hate to accidentally run into a pack of wolves or something."

Emerath turned and started walking into the forest. He waved a hand and motioned for her to follow. He wasn't sure how he should be acting right now, or if he should be acting a certain way, but he didn't really want to think much about it, either.

[Teion 0]

"Oh, uhm..." Teion took a moment to think. "I think I saw some red mobs. It's mostly passive stuff while you're close to the city, though. I'm sure if we go farther out they'll be aggressive." Talking about the game helped take her mind off things, and she calmed down a bit. Emerath turned to head out, and Teion followed behind him. They drifted into an awkward silence again, and she forced herself to speak up. "S-so..." She spoke softly and hesitated. "I'm sorry... for putting you on the spot like that back then." She looked at the fading dirt path at her feet as she spoke. She wasn't sure if bringing that conversation up so quickly was the worst idea in the world, but she at least wanted to get out an apology.

[Emerath 0]

Emerath stared ahead at the fores as they walked. Occasionally he'd see a yellow mob go running by, but he wasn't sure if it was something they wanted to fight. That and a lot of them seemed to be moving pretty fast. I wonder if they're running from something... another player, maybe? Emerath shrugged as he listened to Teion's apology. She was apologizing when it should've really been him.

He stopped and turned in a small clearing to look at her, a bit of a sad look in his eyes, "No, I'm the one that should be sorry. I should have never let it get that far or take this long to tell you the truth. I'm sure my brother told you everything. The twin swap was my idea, not his. And... I wasn't entirely truthful." Emerath's stomach turned a bit as he said that, not liking the fact that he had lied so much to Teion, "I wasn't doing it to let you down easy for him."

[Teion 0]

Teion wasn't paying much attention to the stray mobs around them. She kept her gaze on the ground in front of her feet, occasionally giving the grassy dirt a kick with her boot. When Emerath suddenly stopped, she quickly halted and looked up at him in slight surprise. She saw the pain reflected in his eyes and her chest tightened again. When he finished speaking, she couldn't look away as the next words slipped out. "Then...why?" She felt like she didn't want to know the answer, but at the same time she wouldn't be able to think straight until she heard everything.

[Emerath 0]

Emerath looked at Teion for a long time, the pain in his eyes turning into a softness. He had been expecting this question, and it was the reason that he had run away from her before. Something he was afraid to admit, and afraid to acknowledge. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened his mouth to speak, but right as the words were about to come out, a huge crashing rang through the forest as a tree toppled over nearby. Emerath jumped in confusion and looked wildly for the source of the sound, as he saw what looked like a huge gray skinned figure walking towards them.

Emerath did a quick rundown of what it looked like in his head. Large creature, probably about 9 feet tall. Bulky and muscular with nothing but a loincloth and a massive wooden mallet that looked like a tree trunk. Emerath turned to Teion, "Looks like the monster we were looking for found us instead." Emerath immediately went into a combat stance as he faced the creature, "We'll talk more later. For now we have to deal with this thing!"

Monster Details:

• Woodlands Troll
• HP: 18
• DMG: 6
• MIT: 4

Turn Order:

• Teion
• Emerath
• Troll

[Teion 0]

Teion was frozen in nervous anticipation, unsure of what Emerath was going to say next. Just as it looked like he was about to tell her more, she let out a cry of surprise as the loud crashing sound rang through the forest. She quickly brought her hand to her mouth to silence herself, and Emerath reacted as well, readying to engage the monster. The creature was massive, towering over both of them, and she hadn't seen anything like it before. For a moment her feet felt heavy and she clumsily motioned to draw her axe. She shook her head hard, snapping herself out of the fear and remembering that the hulking figure before them was nothing more than computer coding.

• ID#: 36173
• BD: 6 (Success)
• Teion's HP: 28/28
• Troll's HP: 18/18 -> 17/18 (4 - 4 MIT = 1)

She drew her weapon and steeled herself, trying to push her emotions away for the time being. She figured her move would be the first, so she got her footing before running at the troll and readying a forward slash. She hit her mark, but only seemed to scratch it. If anything, the minor amount of damage only served to annoy her. While she was sure Emerath was about to follow-up behind her, she prepared her weapon for another swing.

Edited October 25, 2015 by Teion

[Emerath 0]

Emerath watched Teion head in for a slash on the troll and was a bit sad when she was only barely able to scratch the surface of the creature. As she finished her attack, Emerath prepared a Sword Art and his fists began to glow. He charged at the beast, and went in for the good ol' Aggressive Twins, and leapt into the air in front of the seemingly dazed creature, striking it firmly in the face with a surprisingly solid set of one-two punches. The creature reeled backwards as Emerath hit the ground again in front of it, and the creature's HP bar dropped significantly from the attack. Emerath turned to Teion and gave a thumbs up. He was sure they'd be able to do this now.

The good feelings were a bit short lived though, as the creature roared, shaking the trees around them. Emerath winced at the loud sound ringing in his ears, and held them. It knows we're here now, and it knows we're not friendly. The monster charged directly at Emerath, and he was only just able to roll to the side to dodge the stomping of the troll's feet. Emerath coughed a bit from the dirt the troll sent up as he got up from the roll and looked to Teion.

Teion & Emerath vs. Woodlands Troll

• ID: 36174
• BD: 10 (Critical Success) +2 DMG +2 Hate
  • Sword Art Activated - Aggresive Twins 2x1: (3 DMG + 2 DMG) = 5 DMG x 2 = 10 DMG - 4 MIT (Troll) = 6 Total DMG -2 EP
• MD: 3 (Failure)

Combat Results:

• Teion: 28/28
• Emerath: 36/36
  • EP: 9/9 -> 7/9
• Troll: 17/18 -> 11/18
  • Hate: Teion (1), Emerath (2)

Edited October 25, 2015 by Emerath

[Teion 0]

• ID#: 361375
• BD: 3 (Fail)

Teion watched in amazement as Emerath's single attack brought the troll's health to nearly half. He landed the blow skillfully and then turned to Teion with a thumbs-up. Her cheeks felt hot in reaction, embarrassed as their gap in skill showed. As the monster attempted to charge at Emerath and he managed to dodge the attack, Teion dug her heel into the soft ground, seeing an opportunity to counter-attack. The dust that the creature had stirred up, however, clouded her vision just enough that her swing fell short and the blade of her axe lodged firmly into the dirt. Teion grit her teeth and growled under her breath, growing angry with herself as she was proving useless so far.

[Emerath 0]

Emerath coughed up more of the dust as he heard the clang of Teion's axe hitting the dirt. The dust had started to clear a bit and he saw the troll just standing there looking at her with her axe in the dirt. He scratched the back of his head, wondering a bit if Teion was actually ready for this. He shook his head though, as his fists began to glow once more, and he went in for another set of Aggressive Twins. He flashed forward, and struck the troll firmly in the stomach, before leaping back again as the troll's club came around to swing at him. He ducked under the blow, just barely, as the tree trunk club slammed into another nearby tree, toppling it over like a toothpick in the sand. Emerath gave a sigh of relief. These things would hurt if they hit him.

Teion & Emerath vs. Woodlands Troll

• ID: 36176
• BD: 7 (Success) +1 Hate
  • Sword Art Activated - Aggresive Twins 2x1: 3 DMG x 2 = 6 DMG - 4 MIT (Troll) = 2 Total DMG -2 EP
• MD: 1 (Critical Failure)

Combat Results:

• Teion: 28/28
• Emerath: 36/36
  • Passive Energy Regen +1
  • EP: 7/9 -> 8/9 -> 6/9
• Troll: 11/18 -> 9/18
  • Hate: Teion (1), Emerath (3)

Edited October 25, 2015 by Emerath

[Teion 0]

• ID#: 36177
• BD: 10 (Critical Success)
  • Ultimate Breaker 3x1: 6 DMG x 3 = 18 DMG
• LD: 8 (1 crafting material, no loot) (1 total)
• Teion's HP: 28/28
  • EP: 7/7 -> 4/7
• Troll's HP: 9/18 -> 0/18 (18 - 4 MIT = 14 DMG)

Teion wrenched her weapon from the ground as Emerath delivered another successful blow and dodged another of the troll's attacks. At this rate, Emerath would be soloing the monster. Her throat rumbled as she growled in frustration. Brows furrowed and teeth clenched, Teion freed the blade of her axe and the metal shone brightly as she activated a sword art. After the troll had crashed its massive club into the side of a tree Teion ran up to it from behind. With a powerful leap, she brought Midnight Eclipse over her head and came downward. If her blade had gone deeper it would have likely cut the troll in half. A long, deep gash ran across the length of its back and glowed bright red. The creature let out a cry before bursting into pixels moments later.

[Emerath 0]

Emerath watched as Teion nearly cleaved the monster in two, and his eyes shone in the light of the pixels as it exploded and they all began to float away. That was easier than he had honestly expected it to be, but he couldn't help but look at Teion with a bit of mischief in his eyes. He smiled at her with a cheeky grin and said, "Hey, why didn't you do that on the first attack, hm? Probably would've made our lives much easier!" He chuckled and winked at her to show that he was just messing with her, as he walked over. "Get any good loot from the kill?"

Additional Notes:

• Passive Energy Regen +1
  • 6/9 -> 7/9 1/3 OOC Regen

[Teion 0]

• Out of combat regeneration - EP: 4/7 -> 5/7

Teion took a deep breath and sheathed her axe at her back. As the two of them regrouped, Teion's cheeks went red from Emerath's teasing. "W-well, I wasn't prepared for the fight all of a sudden!" She crossed her arms defensively, pouting a bit at him. He moved on to ask about the loot and her stance relaxed just a bit. "Mm, no.. Just a crafting material." She said with a disappointed tone. She hadn't fought anything bigger than a first-floor boar before, so she was hoping something like that massive troll would drop some rare loot or something.

She shifted uncomfortably, not sure if it was best to jump back into the previous topic of conversation right away. The thought was gnawing at her, so she spoke up anyway, "What were you gonna say, anyway?" The words came out quieter, and she left her arms crossed and avoided his gaze this time.

[Emerath 0]

To be honest, Emerath had almost, perhaps intentionally, forgotten that he was about to make a confession to Teion right before the troll charged in, and he was actually rather content keeping it that way. But, he should've known he'd have to face that again, and so he found himself being presented with the question once more. He gave a bit of a sigh and scratched the back of his neck as he looked off into the distance towards the mountains. "Ah... yeah. That." he said, a bit sheepishly. Finally, he looked back to Teion, with a bit of a silly grin on his face, as he said, "What were we talking about again?"

Additional Notes:

• Passive Energy Regen +1
  • 7/9 -> 8/9 2/3 OOC Regen

[Teion 0]

• Out of combat regeneration - EP: 5/7 -> 6/7 (2)

Teion noticed Emerath's discomfort when she brought the topic of conversation back up. She felt a little guilty, but only for a moment as Emerath replied with a dumb grin on his face. Her expression immediately changed and she pouted at him, but in a playful manner. "And here I thought you knew everything." She teased, but backed off from the topic, letting out a sigh and placing her hands on her hips.

"Anyway, that's one big bad down. Why don't we track down some more?" She decided fighting things really was helping to take their mind off the heavy mood. Teion could tell he didn't seem to want to keep talking about it, so she figured she would give him space.

[Emerath 0]

Emerath smiled at Teion's little return jape. He grew a bit red at the thought as he said, "Well, alright, you got me there. I do remember what we were talking about. I suppose I can't deny it if you have that much faith in me to be so knowledgeable." He looked off at one of the fallen trees that the troll had knocked over and sighed a bit. "Teion, I never told you that back then..." Is it just back then...? "...that the feelings I felt for you back then were real. I... ran away because I didn't want to tell you the truth that I wasn't Endilix, and I suppose... I was afraid of you not having any real interest in me over my brother."

Emerath kept his face turned away from Teion, trying to hide a slight tear in his eye, that he blinked away. She's gonna hate me for saying this, I just know it.

[Teion 0]

Teion was surprised when Emerath brought the topic back up, but listened carefully as he spoke. She couldn't help the redness from creeping over her cheeks, and was a little grateful that he was lookgin away from her so she wouldn't have to hide her embarrassment. Her fingers laced together in front of her and her thumbs rubbed together nervously before she could try speaking. "I...kind of wished you'd have told me sooner." She started out weakly. After a moment, she parted her hands and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I had to find out how dumb your brother is the hard way." She joked, although there was a bitter sincerity to her words. She sighed softly, continuing, "But, I should have known what he was after before I even got involved. And after we...were together," her arms loosened and dropped to her sides as she tried to choose her words carefully, "it was strange." A small silence followed the words, and she shook her head, not sure how to continue.

"I guess I have to give both of you some credit," She smiled lightly. "I think I finally got the truth out of you."