[SP-F6] Everyone has a demon <Calming the Soul> [Complete!]

[Shirien 0]

Shirien figured he should put his new armor set to good use, and with that in mind he hurried to explore the sixth floor in more detail than he had in the past. The jungles of this floor gave him a variety of creatures to fight and destroy, a major boon since it gave him experience in combat against a variety of creatures from serpents to spiders and even apes! In his excitement though he started to grow tired from the physical exercise and the usage of his sword arts. He figured that he should start heading back to town but then he heard something. He couldn't tell who or what it was, it was like a whisper but he heard no words. His curiosity was peaked, his eyes moving towards the sound of water where the voice had come from. As he approached he was alerted to the fact he had entered a safe zone. He wondered why exactly this area was to be considered safe out of the rest of the jungle but he saw an opportunity and took it. It was getting very late, most players were likely heading back to town to rest. "Guess this will be a nice place to camp..." He muttered as he moves to the nearest flat surface, curling up atop it and shutting his eyes with his dagger held tightly in his hands for safety.

Edited May 11, 2016 by Shirien

[Shirien 0]

Hours later his eyes started to crack open as a sense of restored stamina filled his body. Slowly pushing himself up he started to rub his eyes with the hand that didn't hold his dagger. It took a moment, but he realized he couldn't hear water. "What!?" His eyes shoot open and he pushes himself up onto his legs, the leather-clad player glancing around with fear and panic at the change in location, eyes shooting around for any indication as to where he was. "I've... Never seen this floor before..." He says softly as he realized he was inside a large skyscraper with four doors in front of him, and a massive hole in the building behind him. He approached the hole first to survey his location. All around the single tower was ruin. Smashed concrete, moss, and overgrown plants stretched out for miles. Looking closer to the base of the tower however, he noticed there was no bottom! A sudden sense of claustrophobia filled him as he realized the floor he was on was simply floating above the landscape! He started breathing heavily and turns his attention to the doors so not to get too caught up by the unrealistic view before him.

[Shirien 0]

With an intense sense of panic going through his mind he started to notice his head was... echoing? All throughout the room he heard his own voice bouncing off the walls even thought his lips were sealed shut! "This has to be me dreaming... I've never dreamed this lucidly before..." he says before taking a breath and jumping, landing back on his legs his voice rings out through the room. "If this was a dream, I'd fly." Shirien swiped his hand and confirmed that he still had menus and he swiftly went through every option to look for an error in his memory, anything to prove it was false. He even checked the map only to be given nothing that would tell him how he got there or how to get out. The voices were only getting louder and more panicked until a new voice chimed in. "Welcome" The voice called to the player in the dream-like domain. Shirien's eyes looked to the... person as they kept speaking. "Don't be afraid, human, this place wishes you no harm. In fact, if you wish to leave, you need only step out. However, this place is meant to help you. You just need to let it." The obvious NPC explained while their voice showed no emotion.

[Shirien 0]

Shirien took a deep breath to try and calm himself, using his eyes to overlap his mind's eye. He usually used this strategy whenever he was thinking of things he didn't want to think about. "Let it help me how?" Shirien asked to gather information. He had to center himself. This was a quest or an event, it had to be, there was nothing paranormal at work, it was the game's atmosphere giving him chills and forcing his thoughts to the surface. He kept repeating logical and calm words like that as a mantra. "Approach each door and meditate. Overcome what lies within, and you will be rewarded. Do that, and you will be rewarded. Both inside, and out." The NPC responded with vagueness. Looking closer the creature was like a standing shadow that was somehow in 3D. On its face was two white orbs for eyes and a crescent moon shape for a mouth. Shirien nodded in understanding, having a goal and a reward, even if he didn't know what the latter would be should he succeed. "Fine..." He says softly, not entirely pleased about the lack of consent that was put forward in this quest.

[Shirien 0]

Deciding that the NPC was not a threat Shirien walked past it with his weapon sheathed, his assumption clear as no proximity attacks or hits to the back occurred. He approached the left-most room first and took a seat. He had seen meditation before and heard it detailed in anime, but this was his first time actually attempting it. He crossed his legs and brought his hands together in front of him, putting the palms together as he took a deep breath and steadily tried to think of nothing but the blankness of his vision with his eyes shut. A minute later Shirien heard stone against stone and his eyes opened. The door had changed shape and color, now being yellow with the head of a wolf carved into it. He raised a brow as he stood himself back onto his legs as he dismissed the coincidence and entered into the room while drawing his dagger from its sheath.

[Shirien 0]

Shirien was walking through a pitch black corridor when the door had shut itself behind him with surprising speed. He couldn't really believe he was going to do this without knowing the risks. If he made a wrong move in this game, he would be a corpse in real life and cease to exist in this one entirely! "You're afraid, aren't you?" Said a voice he recognized as his own. Suddenly the room expanded outwards into a well lit forest with a cave in front of him. Inside he saw two yellow eyes staring back at him. There was a figure inside he could not make out through the dark. "Of course not, why would I be? I have this upgraded dagger and armor, that'll keep me good and safe!" He says without thought, rationalizing why he had nothing to be scared of "You say that, but those are just there to hide your fear, to push it down and let you pretend its not there. Every step you take, every movement outside safety, you are cowardice incarnate. Just admit it and this will allll go so much smoother." He heard a growl as the eyes started to come closer. A large wolf twice his height was revealing itself to him with unnaturally piercing yellow eyes. Shirien felt like there was static in his mind, trying to recall an event from his childhood as he grit his teeth to try and not think about it.

[Shirien 0]

Shirien felt a sense of unnatural dread, like fear syrum was being injected directly into every vein in his body. He couldn't stop shaking as the wolf approached him. It wasn't even like he was overly scared of wolves, it just reminded him of when he was most terrified in his living life. He stood there petrified as the wolf started to stalk him, circling slowly as he remembered the snarling and the exposed teeth when he was just a child. He remembered calling for help and trying to run as fast as he could. "Why not run away? Go ahead and show how much of a coward you are and live to see tomorrow." taunted the voice. He couldn't tell if it was the wolf or not, but it was getting to him either way.

[ID# 58585]

Shirien: 20/20 HP | 4/5 Energy [-2 +1] | 21 Mitigation | 5 Damage | 1 Evasion
Action: [BD: 5] Miss! 

Fear: 5/5 HP | 1 Mitigation | 2 Damage
Action: [MD: 6-1=5] Miss!

Edited May 9, 2016 by Shirien

[Shirien 0]

Shirien fell to his knees and placed his hands over his ears as if to shut out the noise of the creature which circled him tauntingly, but the words rang through as if placed directly into his mind. His eyes were shut tight as he tried to ignore every syllable, trying so hard not to process or think about the things it was trying to tell him to do or what he himself would or had done in the past! Every verse of the strange monster's words dug deep into his mind and showed him memories of fear and cowardice from his past!

[ID# 58587]

Shirien: 20/20 HP | 3/5 Energy [-2 +1] | 21 Mitigation | 5 Damage | 1 Evasion
Action: [BD: 1] Critical Miss!

Fear: 5/5 HP | 1 Mitigation | 2 Damage
Action: [MD: 3-1=2] Miss!

Edited May 9, 2016 by Shirien

[Shirien 0]

While cowering in the middle of the forest-like room he fest fangs suddenly bite into his shoulder, the sudden sensation of his nerves going off with unknown purpose sending shivers through his spine and making him freeze for a whole new reason! His eyes shot straight to the corner of his vision to see what was being done to him... Only to see very little actually happen. He watched as his hitpoints hardly dropped at all. In fact, it was only a single hitpoint that he had lost. His eyes stared at the odd display and found himself staring at his health bar in disbelief while sharp objects invaded his virtual flesh.

[ID# 58589]

Shirien: 19/20 HP [-1 HP] | 2/5 Energy [-2 +1] | 21 Mitigation | 5 Damage | 1 Evasion
Action: [BD: 1] Miss

Fear: 5/5 HP | 1 Mitigation | 2 Damage
Action: [MD: 8-1=7] Hit!

Edited May 10, 2016 by Shirien

[Shirien 0]

Shirien didn't feel fear anymore, and his shoulder didn't feel pain. If anything the dull sensation going through his body helped snap him back to his senses. He didn't want to die, and cowering wasn't going to keep him alive! He clenched his dagger tightly in his hand and stabbed towards his shoulder with a yell, the blade cutting deep into the wolf's skull and dropping its HP from full to empty in an instant! All at once the room shattered apart, leaving him alone in a white room without any signs of the wolf or other details he had seen up until now. The only thing he could see was the door he had entered through opening in front of him. Gritting his teeth Shirien stands himself up and starts walking towards the door with a bit of anger keeping him sane. The wolf had pissed him off with its mind games, helping him forget the fear the room filled him with until he left..

[ID# 58596]

Shirien: 19/20 HP | 1/5 Energy [-1 +1] | 21 Mitigation | 5 Damage | 1 Evasion
Action: [BD: 9] Critical Hit!

Fear: 0/5 HP [-6+1=-5]| 1 Mitigation | 2 Damage
Action: Death

[LD: 19] +1 Material

Edited May 10, 2016 by Shirien

[Shirien 0]

Shirien entered the main room with a disgruntled look on his face. The hooded player's eyes quickly changed one to mild surprise as he looked through the room's opening to the ruined city. The plants were gone. He didn't know if it had to do with him beating the wolf or not, but the moss and vines and other such things in the area had vanished. The city wasn't exactly neat but it was improved in his mind which gave him a minor sense of accomplishment. As the door shut behind him he heard the sound of strong cracking, the patterns in the yellow door entirely unrecognizable. "Well done" Congratulated the shadowy figure to Shirien's surprise as he stared at the creature. "You finished the first test, the easiest. They will get harder from door to door." Explained the figure as a courtesy to the confused player that was still catching his breath from the ordeal.

[Shirien 0]

Shirien sat himself down in front of the second room while taking a deep breath. "I'd ask why you didn't warn me... But I don't think I would have believed you anyways..." He says while referring to the attempted mental damage atop of physical damage that the first room had tried to inflict on him. "Correct, you wouldn't have." The figure stated as if it was a hard fact of the world and he knew it. Shirien felt a ping of annoyance at how sure the figure was but he shook it off quickly enough. "... Right. Well, I will be better prepared for the next rooms I am sure, now that I know what is in store for me." He says while trying to sound just as sure. "Do you?" The voice asked back to him. Shirien figured with was rhetorical, and in either scenario he didn't want to think about it.

[Shirien 0]

Shirien took a breath as he felt himself become fully rested from the last fight. He stared at the second featureless door for a moment before taking a breath and beginning to meditate once again. His eyes watched as the door slowly changed shape into a golden door with many intricate symbols and the image of a luxurious bed engraved into the surface. The door began to open itself and Shirien stood up onto his legs and drew his dagger once again while stepping forward. As before the corridor was pitch black as he walked before suddenly lighting up into a room of luxurious cushions and blankets all around. Shirien idly thought to himself it looked like a comfy room.

Edited May 11, 2016 by Shirien

[Shirien 0]

"Go ahead and take a seat." Said a kingly voice as Shirien looked around. His eyes raised as he noted a large bed containing an equally large king. Too fat to even move it would seem. Shirien felt a wave of disgust as the king-like monster smiled at him, looking human in all ways except size. "You don't need to fight and participate against the dungeons, just relaaaax. The other players can take care of all that. Why should you risk your life? You're better than that." Said the king in an almost mocking tone that pissed Shirien off. He held his dagger in a fighting position to show his intent as a sense of drowsiness tugged at the back of his mind. "Now now, there is no need for-" The king was cut off when the hooded player charged forward and sliced at the king's bulbous body, leaving him squealing like a pig as he shattered apart and left Shirien alone in the room which also shattered apart into a white like the previous room. "Bit late for that... I've already moved past that section of myself I like to think... at least somewhat?" He shrugs his shoulders as he approaches the reopened door.

[ID# 58749]

Shirien: 20/20 HP | 3/5 Energy [-2] | 21 Mitigation | 5 Damage | 1 Evasion
Action: [BD: 9] Critical Side Bite! [2x1x(5+1)=12]

Sloth: 0/6 HP [-12+1=-11]| 1 Mitigation | 3 Damage
Action: Death

[LD: 18] +1 Material

Edited May 11, 2016 by Shirien

[Shirien 0]

Stretching his back a bit Shirien steps through the door as it began to shut behind him. Like the previous door it cracked all over and the gold lost its luster. Shirien once again approached the hole in the building and peered down with curiosity. The earth beneath the buildings had been restored it seemed with the buildings on top still ruined. Shirien tried to imagine what this place would look like when he was done dealing with the the various threats on this weird guilt trip the game had set him on. He wondered whose demented mind came up with such a quest that focused on mental assaults instead of physical ones. "Two down, two to go." Said the shadowy figure with its usual appearance, making Shirien shrug.

[Shirien 0]

"How do I know you aren't just the boss who shows his true colors once his minions are dealt with?" Asked the curious and suspicious player to the strange NPC which was clearly not meant to make him feel at ease in his mind. "You don't." Said the voice in turn before he gestured to the third door. "If you think you cannot handle the challenges ahead, you need only step off the building. If you can however..." The creature left its final words to be implied rather than stated and Shirien found himself sighing as he approached the third door and brought his hands together with his dagger sheathed. He figured he would see if sitting was actually required since it left him vulnerable. Soon the door turned pitch black with many rose symbols wrapped around it. The player with the hood found this mildly amusing given his true name but tried to assume that was a coincidence as he entered into the opening door.

[Shirien 0]

As Shirien walked through the darkness he wondered what this next room had in store for him as he drew his dagger. When the room took shape he thought something had gone wrong. The room was pretty similar to the previous room, but much smaller with normal sized furniture and cushions. The main differences were that the room was lit very lightly by small candles all around which filled the room with lovely scents and bottles of wine and other such drinks were scattered all around. Sitting in a nearby seat and sipping a glass of said wine sat what appeared to his RPG-minded self as a succubus. She turned to him with a smile after setting the glass down. She stood and approached the player in her scanty clothing, waiting until she was an arm's length away from him... Before putting a hand over her mouth and started to laugh. Shirien was dumbstruck by that, it being the last reaction he would expect from a monster designed like this. A scratch or seduction maybe, but laughing? "Y-you can't be serious, right? Why would you be something I'd want?" Said the demonic woman in an outright insulting manner. "You have no redeeming features, come on, look around. Lust as an inner demon? You pervert! Never mind the other ugly displays, do you think any woman would even look at you if they knew what you were like inside?" She giggled and said while glaring at the stunned player with an air of superiority.

[ID# 58753]

Shirien: 20/20 HP | 3/5 Energy [-2] | 21 Mitigation | 5 Damage | 1 Evasion
Action: [BD: 1] Critical Miss!

Lust: 10/10 HP | 2 Mitigation | 5 Damage
Action: [MD: (2-1=1)] Miss!

Edited May 11, 2016 by Shirien

[Shirien 0]

Shirien stared with wide eyes as the woman mocked and scolded him, laughing all the while as he felt a flush of embarrassment go through his virtual body. The surprise reversal was certainly having the intended effect, he was totally stunned and shocked, unsure what to do until she started to cross the line. "Never mind that you have a sm-" "Yeah, no!" Interrupts the suddenly enraged player. At this point he knew the monster was full of it, just trying to say whatever would hurt most instead of having some kind of foresight power to tell him about his romantic life. He sliced forward with his dagger, hitting the succubus' arm as she leaped back with a hiss. "Such a brute! Not only interrupting me but assaulting a lady?" She taunted even as her hitpoints dropped low.

[ID# 58756]

Shirien: 20/20 HP | 2/5 Energy [+1 -2] | 21 Mitigation | 5 Damage | 1 Evasion
Action: [BD: 6] Side Bite [2x1x5=10]

Lust: 2/10 HP [-10+2=-8]| 2 Mitigation | 5 Damage
Action: [MD: 1] Critical Miss!

Edited May 11, 2016 by Shirien

[Shirien 0]

Shirien tried to not listen to the various insults slung by the succubus as she tried to dodge away from him. He knew they were just going to be baseless assumptions and trying to emasculate him into letting her kill him or something stupid like that, but he was having none of it. With determination he ran forward with his dagger pointed out, driving the blade into the demon's unarmored chest where her heart would be. Shirien took a breath while waiting for the monster to go ahead and die. His eyes shot wide as he arms wrapped around him tightly. He felt warm as he heard tucked into his neck and she said as just a whisper "You'll never feel this sensation again~" And then she shattered along with the room, leaving him in the white void with an open door to pass through. Suddenly he felt a lot colder and he made a soft whimper "That's just depressing and mean..." He says pitifully while taking a moment to calm down..

[ID# 58758]

Shirien: 20/20 HP | 1/5 Energy [+1 -2] | 21 Mitigation | 5 Damage | 1 Evasion
Action: [BD: 10] Severely Critical Side Bite [2x1x(5+2)=14]

Lust: 0/10 HP [-14+2=-12]| 2 Mitigation | 5 Damage
Action: Hurtful words!... Followed by death.

[LD: 11] Nothing!

Edited May 11, 2016 by Shirien

[Shirien 0]

While gathering his thoughts he decided there was no point being all pitiful in the white void. Heck, it might even disappear after a set time! With that sudden realization Shirien ran off and out of the room in a hurry, looking around as the door behind him shut itself. His eyes opened a bit wider when he realized the hole in the wall was gone and was replaced with a balcony with sliding glass doors. "Huh." Shirien said as he opened the door and stepped outside onto the balcony while looking over the edge. The building had a bottom at last, and the surrounding city appeared to have been restored. There was no signs of life save for a few plants sprouting from the ground below however. The town still seemed very lonely and empty from where he stood. Shirien shrugged his shoulders and turned to head back inside, shutting the door behind himself as he did.