Telrenya

With each second of stillness that passed by after the cave's crumbling, Telrenya's heartbeat slowed back to a normal pace, and she placed a hand over her chest while she took in a deep breath of musty air to calm herself further. The relief that washed over her just the same when Jomei responded that both of them were fine was welcome, and allowed her to pull her attention away from the obvious blockade that now stood between them. His kind warning brought an automatic smile to her lips, feeling the warmth behind his words. Though he couldn't see the gesture, she gave a nod of her head. "Right, I will. You, too."

Time passed, and Telrenya was forced to focus on the predicament she had been left in. Standing alone among the same catacombs they'd been wandering aimlessly in for some time before running into Vaughn to guide them, she frowned and began to wrack her brain for a plan of action. She could stay where she was, hoping that Vaughn knew the terrain well enough that he could lead Jomei back around to this same cave; that would be the safest option, but just the thought of it left her feeling nervous and antsy, the unknown factors in that scenario being the only thing to occupy her mind for however long she might have to wait. She could go back the way they came, but it was even harder to reason with herself that it wasn't an awful idea. If she got herself more lost and wasn't able to find an exit on her own, or get lucky enough to run into the other two by chance, Jomei and Vaughn wouldn't even have a way to track her down.

She placed her hands on her hips, letting out a huff of air. She couldn't hear anything on the other side of the fallen rubble, and so she only assumed that by now the other two had moved on down the other passageway. She began to pace, if for no other reason than to keep her limbs busy while her mind continued to work. "Hm?" Thus far, only the softly-glowing crystals had been left to illuminate the space around her, but the blonde's eyes curiously fell on a patch of light that fell on the edge of the cavern's floor. She blinked, gaze shifting as she followed the thin rays that cast down from the ceiling, leading her to spot a section of cracked earth where a bright light peeked through. She frowned for a moment, thinking what she could possibly do with this development, bringing a hand to her chin as she began to concoct a new plan in what remained of the small cave.

Telrenya's initial assault had been smooth and effective, and the trend that seemed to have persisted since teaming up with the other Holy Dragon Alliance members had caused her pride to swell a bit. Next to Jomei she still had plenty of room to grow, with her boyfriend still holding at least twenty levels over her. 'I'm still far from being able to fight with him and Ruby...' She reminded herself, her lips pursing slightly behind the thin steel of her mask. 'but at least I know I'm getting better!' Working to keep her focus on her progress rather than what felt like a far-off goal, Telrenya flourished her rapier as she prepared another empowered attack, the glinting metal of St. Andrew's Bane whipping through the air at her right side.

But with her attention pulled farther into her thoughts than her actions, the masked woman's footwork grew sloppy. She leaned forward to break into another run at the Advisor's flank, pulling her shoulder back along with the hilt of her weapon. With another thrust forward to try and pierce through the massive insect's exoskeleton, the tip of her blade instead scraped along its side and a flash of a spark bounced from the point of contact. "What?" Before Telrenya could attempt to continue her string of rapid strikes, the Advisor turned towards her while a steady chittering escaped it. Raising a massive hooked limb, Telrenya froze for a crucial second, spared only by the jolt yellow light that crackled and webbed across its frame. Kimi's paralyzing attack had rendered the beast frozen for just enough time that Telrenya's flight response could kick in, allowing her to disengage and flee back to a safe distance. Thankfully hidden from view, the woman's cheeks burned a bright crimson with embarrassment from the whole display.

ID#: 101746 | BD: 1 - Critical Fail | MD: 9 - Critical Hit (Paralyzed)

[H: 3] Hestia | 876/950 | 82/92 | 3 DMG | 1 ACC | -1 EVA | 131 MIT | 24 Bleed (8+) l 28 Thorns | 12 Burn (8+) | Paralyze (8+) | 1 Regen | 1 Recovery
[H: 2] Kimi | 420/420 | 33/42 | 14 DMG | 3 ACC | 0 MIT | 7 Thorns | 12 Burn (8+) | Paralyze (8+) | 2 LD  
[H: 0] Itzal | 1,490/1,490 | 142/146 | 17 DMG | 3 ACC | 3 EVA | 12 MIT | 24 Bleed (8+) | Paralyze (8+)
[H: 2] Ryo | 500/500 | 27/50 | 16 DMG | EVA 2 | ACC 3 | Mit 7

Group 2~
[H: 1] Telrenya | 522/680 HP | 43/68 EN | 15 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 86 MIT | 
[H: 0] Spencer | 228/320 | 24/32 | 5 DMG | 0 ACC | 0 EVA | 29 MIT | 1 Regen | 1 Recovery | 14 Thorns

Mobs~
The Queen's Advisor | 487/825 HP | 220 DMG | 55 MIT | 2 ACC | 2 EVA Burn 1/2

• Critical (MD 9): Deals (242) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (121) DMG to every other player.
• Critical (MD 10): Deals (264) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (132) DMG to every other player.

Telrenya continued to sit around the lightly-crackling fire as the two players accepted the quest. As Jomei broke off from the trio to inspect the mysterious plant that might hold the answers to some of their unresolved questions, she tapped a knuckle against her chin while she wracked her own brain for ideas. "Maybe if we head back to the surface, we can find out more about this Goddess, and get some more clues about the curse? Or... If there are any other hidden places in the catacombs that Vaughn knows about..." Her chocolate eyes were fixated on the dancing flames as she mumbled her thoughts aloud, more to herself than those in her company. The half-transformed man's stumbling didn't catch her attention at first, but when his broken speech reached her ears and soon registered, she picked up her gaze to fill with concern at the state of the NPC. She pushed herself up from the ground, standing slowly before she would flinch at Vaughn's outburst.

"Nick!" Telrenya had called her lover's name just the same after the hunks of rock and rubble descended. The dust that kicked up caused her to wrench her eyes shut, holding her arms in front of her face to shield her until the cave-in settled. The sound of Jomei's distressed voice had her hurrying the couple of steps forward to the new wall of rock and packed dirt that stood between them, her fingers gingerly pressing against the uneven surfaces. "I-I'm fine!" The rate of her heartbeat and the adrenaline pumping through her made a falter in her speech nearly impossible, but she was quick to recover as she gave her surroundings a brief survey. Her head turned, and she spun slowly in a circle before calling back to the man on the other side of the barrier. "It... It looks like the room got cut in half, more or less." She surmised, spotting the tunnel that led back the way the came from following Vaughn after their initial meeting, and assuming that the other end that they had yet to traverse still lay accessible on Jomei's side. "What about you?" Just the same, she voiced her concern despite the full health bar that sat nestled in the top corner of her vision. And, as the memory of their company's condition sprang back to mind, the worry in her voice only increased. "A-and Vaughn? Is he with you, is he...okay?" She struggled for the right choice of words in a hurry, brows narrowed as she recalled the clear expression on the man's face as he was fighting back the curse.

On the other side of the wall, Vaughn continued to clutch the side of his head with his human-most hand, eyes held tightly shut as he breathed heavily. He seemed more in pain than aggressive in that moment, and at the sound of his name his eyes blinked open. His state had clearly reverted to resemble the half-man they had first encountered in the catacombs, and it would have been hard to tell just how much worse the horns protruding from his forehead or the rocky complexion of his skin had become. "Sorr--ry." He choked out as he seemed to realize the damage that his lashing out had caused. His eyes met Jomei, and despite the strain in his expression, he pulled his hand away with a shake of his head. "Fine. I'm, fine." He seemed impatient all of a sudden, turning his head until he spotted the only passageway left available to them. "Come, we must get you...to the surface." He managed, his hand shifting to the cavernous wall beside him as a kind of support as he began to carry himself forward.

Telrenya's cheeks burned pink as she watched just how awkward and silly the two had been, and namely when she saw Jomei steal a glance back at the girl after their parting. She chuckled, silently agreeing with his comment beside her, and when she felt his olive eyes on her she shifted her gaze to meet them. If one of her hands hadn't still been clasped with his, she might have started fidgeting with them in her lap as she gave a small nod, still wearing a smile. "Mm, looks like it... But, I think I like home movie night." She jested at the odd set-up of the attraction, left to wonder just how much the slow-moving boat ride had in store for them. 

She wasn't left wondering for long, for just moments after the light of the first screen dimmed and disappeared, another came to life on the opposite side, preparing another scene for them to watch as the boat gently inched along. She immediately recognized the stone walkways with sparse, tiny flowers peeking through their cracks and the cottage-styled buildings. The pointed ears that townsfolk sported were a rarity on many others of Aincrad's unlocked floors, but with Delilah being a town the Elves called home, Telrenya was used to seeing them around. Once again, a previous version of Jomei stepped into frame, an expression of uncertainty painted on his face until his vision seemed to settle on something, or someone, and his features took on a bright smile. It cut to Telrenya, mid-conversation with an elven woman when the Irishman's hand came to rest on her bare shoulder.

The blonde in the boat laughed, quickly remembering the quest that Cardinal would go on to show them pieces of, focusing more on the direct exchanges between the two. "You really saved me there. If I'd gone on that quest alone at that level..." She exaggerated a light shudder, making light of the danger that she would have been left in alone with the treants. One snippet of their memories in particular caught her attention as she watched the two of them holding conversation, sitting at the edge of the small waterfall in the middle of the forest. He looked shy, getting only a couple of words out before Adere calling out to the man interrupted his thought, and Telrenya frowned. Her head tilted slightly to one side, "Ahh, now I'm curious all over again, what it was you were going to say." She remarked.

"Just a by-product of what started this whole mess." Vaughn growled, another hint of bitterness in his voice after Jomei suggested using the mysterious plant's fruit to cure him. He shook his head at the idea that he had been healed, continuing to clarify. "No, it's just temporary. I'd give it... I don't know, probably less than an hour, and I'll be back to tripping over my own feet and croaking out my words." He seemed both annoyed and dismayed at the prospect of reverting back to the state the players had found him in, but only lingered after the topic for a second or two, crossing his arms over his chest. "Regardless, you'd be damned to try and find any more of those plants actually alive down here. As far as I know, this is the last one left. As far as what lies on the surface... Well, you'd have a much better idea than me at this point." He admitted with a shake of his head, not bothering to delve into his recollection of the land above from so many years ago. "I can get you out of these catacombs, if you need, but that is all I can do for you."

While Telrenya's expression seemed to be cemented in one of sympathy and disheartenment, she was surprised to see a menu appear in front of her and Jomei alike. Cardinal's familiar font informed her that the prompt was for the acceptance or denial of a quest, which further surprised her as she had all but counted out the possibility of Vaughn as a quest-giver. At most, she was beginning to think he was simply designed for the purposes of story-telling; some little easter egg chock full of lore in the event that a player stumbled upon these catacombs as they had. The main section of the semi-transparent screen held only two words, which Telrenya stared at for several long seconds before her hopeful gaze turned up to meet Jomei's.

"Help Vaughn."

She stopped herself from blindly accepting the oddly vague quest, wordlessly expressing her desire to give it a shot despite their lack of information. Although confident that Jomei was of the same mind, she still waited for his confirmation before she would pull an index finger towards the circular blue button.

The man smirked slightly, as if any question that Jomei might have asked him would have been one that he expected, and already knew how to answer. "You've seen the ones up there, yes?" He asked, pointing an index finger up to the cave's ceiling as he referred to the Forgotten that roamed the remnants of the city, to which Telrenya gave a small nod of confirmation aside Jomei. After his prompt was responded to, he continued. "It's sunlight that progresses the curse. Or at least, that's the only thing I can believe without testing it out myself." He grimaced at the thought, weaving his fingers back together in front of his chin. He frowned, letting out a small sigh and shaking his head side to side. "You've heard it all before; men that are greedy and always wanting for more, overstepping the boundaries of those that provide for them. Our Goddess cursed us all with the very 'drug' that we longed for." He explained vaguely. "I fled into these catacombs with a handful of others before it had fully taken us, and the caves seemed to stop the process, or at least delay it. But, we were still human...mostly. Still growing tired, and hungry. Eventually they left to find food, or grew mad from the underground, or simply gave up. And, well... I haven't seen them since, so you can put the pieces together." The attitude of a bitter old man seemed to slip from him as he scoffed at his own predicament.

Across from him, with the dim light of the fire dancing across her cheeks, Telrenya's brows knit together in concern, a mixture of sympathy and pity written clearly on the woman's face. "That's...terrible." She forced the words out, unable to bring any others forward that might lessen the bleakness of his story. With Jomei's palm once again resting against hers, Telrenya gave his hand a small squeeze as she perked to attention, a new expectation in her voice. "Is there anything we can do? Is there a way to break the curse, that you need help with?" An odd sort of rationality had kicked in within the girl's mind. As they were the players, and he an NPC, surely his sad story was the set-up for some kind of hidden quest. If they could simply complete some sort of task, they could cure the man's curse.

But her naivete was only met with a dry chuckle. "Ah, if there was any kind of salvation from this Hell that the Goddess cast us into, it'd be the first I've heard about it."

A chuckle bubbled up from Telrenya's chest when she was met with Embers' enthusiastic greeting. She was a touch surprised to hear a familiar name brought up so quickly, but her chocolate eyes drifted upwards as a thoughtful expression took over. She had few experiences with Hestia, despite the woman being one of her guildmates. In fact, most of her encounters with the raven-haired tank had been while Telrenya wasn't necessarily considered 'herself'. Bringing her hand to the nape of her neck, her lips curled into a pursed smile. "Hmm, yeah, I suppose I can see that." She mused with another half-chuckle.

The tall redhead soon turned the question back to her, and while Telrenya had a slew of questions she wanted to ask in the thought of catching up with the woman, she simply couldn't suppress one topic that that seemed to be burning up inside of her. Her cheeks burned a faint pink as her eyes darted to one side, bashfulness taking over her for a moment as she tried to figure out a way to broach the topic that she wanted to rush into. "O-oh, well, you know..." She caught herself stammering, and a small laugh of tangled nerves spilled out of her. The blonde gave a quick clear of her throat before trying again. "Uhm... I've told you about my guild leader, right?" She recalled the few messages she'd exchanged with Embers in the past when her guild was first created, and it wasn't until just now that Telrenya hoped that she didn't sound too suspicious when describing her encounters with the Irishman so many months ago. "Well, we've, kind of been seeing each other for a while now." The realization that she was revealing the beginning of the relationship between herself and Jomei all the way up to the point they had reached now in a single exchange finally hit her, and she felt an odd twinge of guilt and embarrassment at the reveal that she had been so excited for moments ago. Even so, the girlish enthusiasm inside of her was enough to overpower any second thoughts, and she impatiently skipped ahead in her story, picking up her other hand to show Embers where she was going with the topic.

With her fingers lightly curled, she held out her hand to display the rose gold piece of jewelry that sat on her left ring finger. Her eyes finally landed back on Embers' face, watching her features to gauge what sort of reaction her friend might have to the news while she unwittingly held her breath in a moment of anticipation.

Between Jomei's act of enthusiasm, and the NPCs clear lack of any such emotion, Telrenya was holding her hand in front of her mouth, stifling laughter. The amusement of the whole set-up was already worth the trip, and so her curiosity piqued at the consideration of what actually lay waiting for them in the over-the-top carnival attraction. Her eyes ran over the various decorations that hung around the cobblestone bricks of the darkened tunnel, the small boat that bobbed atop the water, even the few small water lillies that sat on the shallow surface.

She followed Jomei's lead, taking his hand to keep her balance while she placed the ball of her foot at the lightly-swaying floor of the boat. Once they were both seated, the simple vehicle seemed to come to life as Cardinal nudged them forward. Telrenya finally allowed a small chuckle to escape her, keeping her hold on Jomei's hand as she gazed ahead to try and see what lay in store for them, nodding. "It is kind of nice." She agreed, a calmness settling over them as they left the city of Taft behind for the moment.

With only the fading light of the reaching sun illuminating their way, Telrenya's eyes were starting to adjust when a screen flickered to life. Off-center from the path their boat crawled along, her attention was drawn to it instantly. Just as she was beginning to make out the familiarity of the plain stone-paved streets and unimpressive buildings that made up the landscape of Urbus they were shown, Telrenya blinked in surprise when she spotted her own likeness displayed before them. The blonde was dressed in her typical white-and-gold combat attire, though her face wore an expression of anxiety and worry. She paced, arms crossed, until a familiar voice broke the silence. A small chuckle prompted a shift in what felt like camera work, and Jomei was shown stepping towards her.

"Excuse me miss, everything alright? You look troubled."

A wave of nostalgia hit her as she watched their first meeting play back in front of them. She was practically stunned, mouth hanging just slightly as the scene surpassed any suspicions she might have had about the deceptively simple boat ride.

Just as Jomei lowered his tightened fist, Telrenya's rapier dropped as well. She held the blade loosely at her side, its tip now pointing toward the dark cavern floor as she wore an expression of mixed confusion and concern. Chocolate eyes shifted between the man at her side and the half-human that stood before them as the former was the first to start asking questions. A moment of silence allowed the tension in the air to begin to settle, each passing second indicating that the players had less and less intention of slaughtering him. The figure straightened up, pushing against the cave wall to help stabilize himself, and appeared more calm before forcing a voice past his altered throat again.

"...Come. I wo--n't, hurt you." He managed, giving the players a short wave as he beckoned them along. The man had turned back the way he came, hobbling down the path with clumsy but practiced steps, as if he was used to the inconvenience of his staggered walk and half-stone limbs. With a sideways glance to Jomei, Telrenya exchanged a look with him that said she didn't mind to follow after him as she brought the tip of her rapier back to its sheathe at her hip. Concealing her blade, the two would follow after the strange NPC down more winding tunnels filled with just as much death and decay as every path they'd taken thus far. A few haggard paces ahead of them, the man didn't seem bothered that the light from their torch stretched barely a few feet ahead of them, leaving Telrenya to wonder if his sight in the dark tunnels were better than theirs, or he was simply programmed to follow a specific route regardless of having a light source.

After a few minutes, they were led to a clearing of sorts--the mouth of a small cave that broke the repetitive cycle of one narrow passageway after another. This one was devoid of corpses, skeletons, and occupied coffers. Whether the area was generated without them, or the 'decor' had simply been moved away, Telrenya couldn't tell. Along the walls, clusters of softly-glowing crystals served as a new light, and a single withering plant caught the woman's attention in the corner of the room, clinging to the wall and floor of the cave just as tightly as it clung to the last of its life. The man continued moving, working to revive a small campfire in the center of the space. Finally, he knelt down beside the wilted plant and hesitated a second before plucking one of two sizeable fruits from its vine. He held the object, with swirls of green and yellow hues coating its skin, above his nose before giving it a quick squeeze. Its outer layer broke, and he brought the brightly-colored juices that flowed to his lips.

Seconds later, he would discard the dried remains to the edge of the cave's floor and bring himself over to the campfire, lowering down and crossing his legs. He carried himself a bit differently, Telreyna could see. His balance was more stable, and even his half-turned skin looked a bit healthier in the dim light of the crystals. As he faced the two players, she could see the haze of his right eye lessened, though it still lacked the brown color of his left. The corners of his mouth picked up into an obviously-forced smile, and the voice that left him sounded much less strained, as he no longer croaked out his words. "I used to be called a 'Saint', hundreds of years ago now. But, you can just call me Vaughn." He took in a sharp inhale, leaning forward as he propped his elbows onto his knees, and laced his fingers together in front of his face. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions, and I have nothing better to do. So, go ahead. But be specific." He tacked on.

It had been a while, but Telrenya always seemed to find herself coming back to the Town of Beginnings for one reason or another. The city was almost nostalgic in itself, being the longest-standing landscape in Aincrad for players to grow accustomed to. She'd met a lot of people on this floor, and assumed that she would meet many more before their collective adventure would finally be over. Stretching her arms over her head, the blonde stepped down from the teleport plaza in the center of town, giving the front of her pleated white skirt a couple of of quick brushes to needlessly smooth the material. She wore a smile of excitement, one that she had been holding onto ever since she received Embers' message earlier that morning. It had been too long since she had spent some time with the fiery redhead who had helped her so long ago. Keeping in touch was all well and good, and the game's messaging system left them just a few keystrokes away from conversation, but Telrenya felt that a meet-up was long overdue.

Having let Jomei know of her plans to catch up with her friend, her eyes naturally flickered to the top-left of her vision at the thought of the Irishman. They landed on his username, and the familiar green bar that represented his health in her party display. She wondered if the man would spend his time relaxing at home, or if he would make other plans while she was out. A softer smile graced her lips at the hint of curiosity, and the thought of inquiring about her fiance's day as they might enjoy a meal together later caused it to stretch a little wider.

Telrenya passed through the gates that led to the first floor's wilderness, the rolling plains giving her an impressive and unobscured view of the landscape. It seemed there weren't many players that spent their time farming the lowest-level of monsters down here anymore, as she could only spot a figure or two in the distance, slashing at boars and wolves that roamed the fields. Spotting an unmistakable head of vibrant red, Telrenya perked and pushed herself forward to close the distance between herself and Embers. Giving the woman a wave once she was sure the other player would have seen her approaching, she called out. "Hey Embers! Aahhh, it's really been too long, how have you been? Are you doing alright?"

Telrenya's head turned to cast her gaze down the tunnel where Hestia and Kimi had moved along to push forward while the rest of their party hung back. For whatever reason, Kairi seemed to have been having a difficult time, and so they temporarily split up to help the girl to safety. After their detour was taken care of and they could focus on catching up with the group, Telrenya kept up the pace between Spencer and Ryo until the sounds of an echoing battle reached her ears. "Looks like they found some more trouble already." She joked under her breath, and they would hurry to the scene until the masked woman's heels would dig into the uneven earth to bring her to a stop before their new foe.

"Alright, okay," Telrenya breathed out, drawing St. Andrew's Bane from its scabbard as she sized up the monster before them. Rather than a group of patrolling antmen, they were met with a single opponent that looked more menacing than any of the simple spear-wielders they'd taken down thus far. Letting out a steady breath, she lowered her body in order to break into a sprint, joining the fray without hesitation. In her hurry, she hadn't even noticed the additional player that fought alongside Hestia and Kimi, keeping her eyes trained instead on the Adviser. Darting forward, she easily sunk her thin blade into the monster's side, jerking her shoulder back in order to continue with an array of thrusts that would chip away at the large bar of health that hovered beside it.

ID#: 101505 | BD: 4(+4)(-2)=6 - Hit! Over Radiation (x14) +Charge Active | MD; 4(+2)(-3)=3 - Miss!
(15 base) + (3 charge) = (18 DMG) x (14 sword art) = 252 DMG

Group 1~
[H: 3] Hestia | 861/950 | 82/92 | 3 DMG | 1 ACC | -1 EVA | 131 MIT | 24 Bleed (8+) l 28 Thorns | 12 Burn (8+) | Paralyze (8+) | 1 Regen | 1 Recovery
[H: 0] Kimi | 420/420 | 40/42 | 14 DMG | 3 ACC | 0 MIT | 7 Thorns | 12 Burn (8+) | Paralyze (8+) | 2 LD  
[H: 0] Itzal | 1,490/1,490 | 144/146 | 17 DMG | 3 ACC | 3 EVA | 12 MIT | 24 Bleed (8+) | Paralyze (8+)
[H: 0] Ryo | 500/500 | 34/50 | 16 DMG | EVA 2 | ACC 3 | Mit 7

Group 2~
[H: 1] Telrenya | 522/680 HP | 44/68 EN | 15 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 86 MIT | 
[H: 0] Spencer | 320/320 | 22/32 | 5 DMG | 0 ACC | 0 EVA | 29 MIT | 1 Regen | 1 Recovery | 14 Thorns

Mobs~
The Queen's Advisor | 545/825 HP | 220 DMG | 55 MIT | 2 ACC | 2 EVA

• Critical (MD 9): Deals (242) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (121) DMG to every other player.
• Critical (MD 10): Deals (264) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (132) DMG to every other player.

Total Loot:

• 11,630 Col
• (15) T2 Materials
• [Rare] T2 Weapon
• 2x [Rare] Consumables
• [Rare] T2 Armor/Shield
• 2x [Uncommon] Consumables (Telrenya)

"M-mm, right..." Telrenya's agreeance came quickly and nervously, with a small nod of her head. The pair willed themselves to continue moving through the dark and dreary tunnels in search for a way out while she tried incredibly hard not to think about how she couldn't remember all of the turns and the direction of each fork they had taken in order up to this point. Unless Jomei had an impressive memory, or he had been marking their way somehow without her noticing, heading back the way they came wasn't looking like a reliable option. So, forward they pressed on. They were more cautious now, and Telrenya's eyes scanned the walls and strained against the darkness ahead of them even moreso than they were before.

When a couple of minutes passed without any other alarming sounds or tells of their supposed company in the network of tunnels, Telrenya's brows began to knit. A mixture of confusion and growing impatience as their continued paces didn't seem to carry them any closer toward an obvious exit or goal. Just more dead things scattered over the uneven floors. The corner that they turned next was almost identical to several splits they had taken before, and so Telrenya thought nothing of what might lie around the sharp turn. Her soles scraped against the ground as she skidded to a stop, her body reacting on impulse to just how not-empty the corridor actually was. Her eyes widened as they fell on the gangly humanoid figure in front of them, and she let out a short, involuntary scream from her shock. Her right hand moved to the hilt of her rapier at her hip after her instincts kicked in, though the action was far from smooth. She had only managed to find her grip after a couple of precious seconds, and her slight stumble backwards to catch her balance didn't much help.

The stranger, surprisingly, had a very similar reaction to the blonde across from him. Not quite a man, but not exactly a monster, the creature's arm extended out to one side to catch himself as his own small yelp echoed against the cave walls. A face of mixed flesh and stone that initially bore shock and confusion quickly turned to panic as he registered the players' reactions and steel was sure to catch the torch's light. "W-w-wait!" He hurriedly croaked, the voice that left his throat hoarse and rough. He took a couple of steps back to try and distance himself from the threat of impalement, holding an open palm out towards them as if to ask them to hold their blades. "I'm--not..." He tried to form a sentence with more strained words before one of them would run him through. Having finally freed her weapon from its scabbard, Telrenya's brows furrowed slightly as she was able to take in the sight of the creature. "Oh," They raised again a second later, and the woman reached out to Jomei's arm with her free hand. "Wait, your cursor..." She spoke quietly while her frame slowly but surely relaxed as she stared at the yellow-tinted cursor that twirled above the creature's head.

Telrenya couldn't help but wince when the sound of the rusty hinges grinding against themselves reached her ears. She kept her grip on the Irishman's hand beside her while he worked to illuminate their path. The light from the salvaged torch was both welcomed and regretable as her brown eyes ran over what it revealed of their surroundings. The usual color in her cheeks faded slightly, and her reaction to swallow felt more difficult than normal. "More caves..." She said simply in a small voice. Forcing more words out, she thought back to their adventures in the winding tunnels of the twenty-first floor a few weeks ago. Though their path now was much less natural and riddled with many more corpses, she wouldn't put it past the game to give it plenty of its own surprises. "Wonder if we'll run into any more puzzles, or cultists." She thought aloud, the corner of her mouth picking up into a small smile at the memory of their adventures past.

The couple worked their way slowly down the winding path, hesitating on occasion when they would reach one of the many splits in the network of tunnels before they decided with route to take. Besides how morbid and unsettling the area was, they had yet to run into any surprises for several minutes of walking. At the same time, it was also beginning to feel as though they weren't really getting anywhere in their exploration. Telrenya frowned at the thought, and the blonde took a quick glance over her shoulder, peeking back at the dimly-lit passage for what little she could see. In an attempt to combat a stiff silence, the woman let her thoughts slip out into the air once more. "Maybe it's some kind of labyrinth? It'd be nice if we found something, like treas--"

Before her sentence was finished, Telrenya went rigid at the sound that echoed and bounced off of the rocky walls. A clanging, almost like a piece of metal had fallen and crashed to the ground. The fact that they had been left in silence when the air wasn't filled with their own footsteps or idle conversation, however, immediately led her to believe that they were no longer alone. Her hold on Jomei's hand had instinctively tightened, but she urged herself to relax in order to stay calm. She had unwittingly held her breath for a few moments, straining to hear anything else carried down the catacomb walls.

The players worked to bring down the pair of elites' health bars as swiftly as they could manage, and Telrenya was able to let out a small breath of relief when she noticed how little damage the monsters were throwing back at them. Keeping light on the balls of her feet, the faux-noirette bounced lightly to keep her balance following her last attack, spinning around to face their foes once again. Behind her silver mask, she cast a sidelong glace to her sandy-blonde teammate, before her eyes darted up to the top-left of her vision to take stock of both of their vitals. With a sharp inhale, Telrenya lowered her torso, left hand reaching down for fingers to graze over the hard-packed dirt while her right gripped the rapier that she held straight out behind her tightly.

Just about to make another straight shot at her initial target, she was instead met with the sight of the purple-haired katana-wielder sheathing his blade. She hesitated with a touch of confusion before she could only blink in surprise while one of two guards shattered into pieces behind him. The corner of her mouth picked up into an impressed smirk, and she had to consciously suppress a chuckle. "The other one, then." She mumbled to herself, digging the toe of her back foot into the ground to push herself into a run. "Not bad!" She called out to Ryo as she darted past him, working to lace a tone into the pair of words that might carry the challenging smirk that she wore behind her disguise without losing the sense of camaraderie that they were meant to hold.

Once her own cheeks had returned to their normal color with the passing of their embarrassing exchanges, Telrenya continued to wear a persistent smile nearly all the way to their destination. The excitement of the adventure that lay before them was almost overwhelming, and her eyes worked more actively than they normally would to explore and take in their surroundings as the scenery changed with their travel.

Upon arriving to the twenty-first floor and straying towards the outskirts of the main settlement, chocolate brown orbs fell upon the skull-shaped carving that was to serve as the entrance to their host's home here in Aincrad. Telrenya had to stop herself from making a face, settling for blinking in incredulity instead while Jomei made mention that this was, in fact, the place they were looking for. "This...is a home?" She asked in little more than a whisper, hardly expecting a response as her gaze ran over the foreboding exterior. Only seconds after she had begun her inspection, however, a stranger approached them. The raven-haired man seemed to be familiar to her partner by way of their introduction, in which Telrenya straightened her spine as the concept of manners returned to her. She right hand lifted to place itself lightly over her heart, and her upper body leaned forward into a bow. "Nice to meet you, Itzal." The blonde greeted with a friendly smile and a small nod.

@Itzal

The pattern continued. Telrenya kept her chocolate eyes busy on the battlefield, eyeing Bialas carefully while the group prior made their moves. The lower the boss' health bar drained and the closer they felt to the end of the fight, the higher her confidence rose. She shot forward for another attack--another set of fourteen strikes directly into Bialas' flank. As she passed by her snowy-haired teammate, she hadn't even noticed the tendrils of electricity that webbed out from his avatar and latched onto hers. Her combination of thrusts and slashes went off just as seemlessly as each of her assaults before, and a smile crept upon her lips as she began to backpedal to a safe distance.

That was when the faint, almost unnoticable tingling sensation caught her attention. One look down at her white and gold-clad body showed the blue tint of a static charge dancing over her form as it gained power. All at once, herself and her teammates lit up with a powerful discharge that had Telrenya's eyes wide with the jolt. The woman dropped to a knee at the new, unpleasant sensation that rocked her virtual body, her jaw clenched until the feeling dissipated almost as quickly as it had appeared.

Bialas' Stats

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Before they'd had much time to breathe, and before every member of their dungeon delving group had managed to fully recover their energy, two pairs of footsteps were already echoing off the earthy walls of the winding tunnels to sound the approach of more ant-like guards. With long curved blades jutting out from a naturally-armored forearm, Telrenya grimaced behind her mask. Of course they'd have to cut through plenty of these monsters if they wanted to get any good experience or treasure out of this endeavor.

"Spencer, we got this! Just follow my lead." She encouraged her friend, leaning forward and breaking into a sprint once the first party had resolved their attacks. Her charge skill kicked in to give her an extra boost, and the girl's lightly-armored form slipped through the other players in order to drive St. Andrew's Bane directly in the center of one of the elite guard's thoraxes. Her shoulder pulled back to rip the rapier free, only to plunge back in with thirteen more consecutive strikes that picked up in speed.

The breath that Telrenya hadn't realized she had been holding finally released in a steady exhale. Her health bar felt as though it had been dancing around, though luckily it never ended up changing its color. Ruby's support abilities pulled her back up to a healthy amount, allowing her to focus her attention back on the beast rather than worrying over hers and her friends' safety. "Thanks again Ruby!" She called out to the dark-haired healer, twisting her wrist in order to flourish her blade at her side.

Telrenya leaned forward, the toe of her boot digging into a section of charred earth that had been marked by a previous lightning strike. She kept her movements fluid and her steps light in order to dash between the electricity that fell from the sky and the players surrounding her on her way to the boss. Following up on the Emerald Duelist's attack, her brilliant golden blade shot forward with an identical technique, piercing Bialas' flesh with fourteen rapid thrusts.

Bialas' Stats

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Players' Stats

Telrenya leaned back, stretching her arm in order to continue holding the dusty tapestry aside while she craned her neck to try to take a look at the mural as Jomei inspected it from a short distance. "Hmm..." She hummed lightly in thought while listening to his theory. Images of the Forgotten, along with the glimpses of the mutated wildlife that they had spotted and passed by on their journey to the forgotten city came back to mind, and her eyes then studied the two smaller figures standing across from the woman inspired by nature. She nodded, "Yeah, maybe... If there's supposed to be some story about how the city got like this, and where those creepy monsters came from, it looks like we found a big hint." She agreed.

"I wonder if there's more to it, or if we just found some kind of hidden decorations." She wondered aloud, taking a couple of steps back across the massive foyer in order to let the dark fabric hang back as it was, being mindful to avoid kicking up a rain of dust and debris as she let go. Her eyes drifted to Jomei as he walked past her, his interest caught by something farther along the wall. Or rather, the wall itself seemed to draw his attention. She cocked a curious brow while her head gave a small tilt to one side, and she watched in patient silence before the ginger seemed to find some sort of hidden passageway. Her opposite eyebrow followed suit and raised, her lips curling into a satisfied smile a second later. "Looks like this city's full of surprises." She chuckled, stepping forward to Jomei's side and tilting her chin to cast him a sidelong glance after her gaze had lingered on the dark hall. Telrenya's left hand reached with a familiar motion, slipping its fingers into the spaces between his and she gave his hand a small squeeze. "Shall we?"

Sidestepping and backtracking among the darkened grove while players went around their rotations and unleashed all manner of attacks around her, Telrenya did her best to keep her focus in one place at a time to prevent the scattered mind that all the new stimuli of a boss battle would have surely left her with. As if to counteract all of her efforts, the flashes of lightning that rained down above them had the girl's chin tilting upwards, chocolate eyes widening in surprise when they met the blinding streak that shot straight forward her. Only a second or two had passed after wrenching her eyes shut, tensing for the damage that the strike would inflict, and she quickly realized that one of the potions she had consumed a short time ago had protected her.

A short sigh of relief slipped past her lips while her feet began to carry her again, automatically at first. The rest of her team had already worked to land their attacks against the snowy-maned beast, and she couldn't let herself lag behind. She pushed forward to weave between other players in the fray and thrust her golden blade forward with another, nearly identical set of stabs and slashes against Bialas' flank. The woman nearly swelled with satisfaction as she had yet to falter in any of her attacks, but as she backpedaled to a safe distance her eyes flickered to the side where the two teammates whom she hardly knew passed by one another. "Wait..." Her brows narrowed as she caught a glimpse of bluish-white sparks dancing between the two avatars, and she couldn't stop herself from calling out. "Careful! Whatever that is--it looks like it's spreading!"

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A soft smile crept upon her lips. She felt the gentle reassurance of Jomei's hand, first on top of her own, and then grazing over the skin of her cheek to cause her lips to stretch a bit wider as his gesture filled her with a new pulse of confidence. "Right." Having retrieved the counterpart to Jomei's masquerade mask from her own inventory, the accessory rested into place in front of her features and she gave a nod just before they would rush in to battle.

Hurrying behind the other players in her assigned group, Telrenya's hand reached for the hilt of Celestial Dawn at her hip and pulled the rapier free just before she had emerged from the short stone staircase and what little remained of the wooden trapdoor that led to the battlefield. She tensed immediately and the sound and sights of the thunder and lightning strikes that littered the air around them, only managing to avoid having her own avatar struck by what she considered sheer luck.

With each player making their first move, Telrenya felt the gentle touch of a woman's hand on the square of her back. She jolted to attention at first before turning to meet Ruby's violet eyes, and she let out her nerves with a small laugh. "Oh, heh, thank you Ruby!" Another smile found her, and she turned her attention back on Bialas. Her legs began to move, carrying her at an angle and gradually gaining momentum while she watched Jomei speed towards the warden and unleash a flurry of attacks. She leaned into her movements, circling around the stormy grove and approaching the unicorn's flank. With her charge skill kicking in midway through her path, she closed the remaining distance in a fraction of a second and drove the tip of her golden rapier through Bialas' side. With the steel giving off a soft white glow, she continued with the most powerful attack she could muster, only backing away once the boss sported fourteen new, bright-red gashes and stab wounds.

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Walking through the dim corridors of the labyrinth aside her fiancee, Telrenya had been holding her hands in front of her torso practically without rest since they had set out from their home in Taft. The fingers of her right hand worked to turn the emerald charm in the shape of a clover that hung from her wrist, a habit that had formed that very clearly displayed just how nervous she was to approach the growing group of frontliners. She swallowed, feeling a bit of resistance from the small lump that had taken up residence in her throat, and winced when a sharp crack of thunder sounded through the layers of earth that stood above their heads. "Guess we're, really doing this, huh?" Her speech faltered for just a short second as she addressed Jomei before they had come within earshot of the other players. Chocolate brown eyes scanned the crowd as they drew closer, the unease and anxiety in her chest calming only slightly when they ran over a few familiar faces.

Stats

"I thought I was supposed to be getting better at this...!" Telrenya rose her voice just slightly before slumping down in her seat, the frustration draining away into melancholy. She sat slouched with her hair tied back into a ponytail and her fingers tired from meticulously setting gemstones and coaxing fine bits of metal to twist and sit in just the right way. Several more amateur pieces of jewelry sat on the workbench in front of her, and for a moment she was tempted to swipe them off the table, throw them on the ground, break them down until their durability hit zero and there was nothing left of them.

No, that wouldn't solve anything. Heaving a large and heavy sigh, Telrenya scooped her failed attempts into her inventory like all the rest, wondering this time if the NPC vendors would give her even a single col this time.

ID#: 98859 | CD: 5 - Fail, no salvage
ID#: 98860 | CD: 6 - Fail, salvage
ID#: 98861 | CD: 8 - Fail, no salvage

Telrenya nodded in another silent response. With the amount of care and kindness Spencer had shown towards her ever since their first meeting, the girl only wished the best for him. The corner of her mouth gently twitched upward into a small smile as she thought back on their brief interactions during their last dungeon delve together. 'A nice day out with ice cream sure sounds nice right about now...'

Forcibly pulling herself away from her wandering thoughts, the pair of players continued to walk the lengths of the twisting and turning corridors of Tartarus. Some areas, Telrenya could have sworn looked the same as the last time she had entered on her own. And then seconds later, any sense of familiarity was gone. Her eyes ran over each of the jail cells they walked past, most empty, and some populated with half-rotted corpses or skeletons hanging over the iron bars. After a few minutes of walking, another soft glow caught her attention. "Oh, hey," She motioned for Hestia to follow her investigation, pushing one of the wrought-iron cell doors open. Taking a couple of steps to the back wall, she looked to the other woman and back to the softly-pulsating rune etched into the surface of the stone. "Another secret passage?"

ID#: 98561 | LD: 14(+4)=18 - Success! Beginner Dungeon Found

Total Loot:

• 750 COL
• (9) T1 materials
• (2) [Rare] Consumables

Telrenya's frown persisted, though no longer because of the lack of treasure or hidden surprises. Instead, she was reminded of a close friend of hers. Or more specifically, the danger he had been forced to face due to having a lower level than most others in attendance at their dungeon delving session. She averted her gaze, despite her altered eyes being hidden away from view. She had mixed feelings on the topic, and for a moment she didn't want to make comment at all. However the more she thought, the more she wanted to say, until eventually the words came spilling out of her. "Spencer is a really sweet person... It's worrying to see him in a dangerous situation, but that goes for any of us, I think. I've seen just how brave he can be, so I hope that he doesn't let numbers like that get him down." She smiled softly, recalling all of the heart-wrenching danger they'd found themselves in so early in their friendship.

Having made their way back to the dark hallway that had led them into the Banshee's lair, Telrenya gave a quick glance down either end of the corridor they had been let out into. Seconds after the two had made it back to the main area of Tartarus, the stone walls behind them scraped against each other until they slammed shut. Pausing for a moment, Telrenya rested a nervous hand on the pommel of her weapon. "Well, guess that's it for the quest room..."

ID#: 98558 | LD: 12(+4)=16 - Success!

Total Loot:

• 750 COL
• (9) T1 materials
• (2) [Rare] Consumables