<<Calming The Soul>> These Old Bones [COMPLETE]

[Emerath 0]

Emerath stared at Teion as she stood stunned for the moment. He looked at her, curious, wanting to understand what this was. As it was, it appeared as if nothing had changed at all since he had left, which he found hard to believe. Months had passed, and yet Emerath was expected to believe that this was all that Teion had done? Seethe in anger and wait for the man to return, only to strike him down once he appeared once again? No, none of this added up. This was his mind playing tricks on him. And he had to believe in that. "You aren't real," Emerath muttered, as he stared the woman down, "and if I keep holding myself back, I'm only going to end up going mad. I need to take care of this." And with that Emerath lunged for the woman, no longer wishing to let this charade within his mind continue, but Teion was too fast. The woman leaped back and actually... smiled?

Combat Results:

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ID: 79857
BD: 3
CD: 12
LD: 9
MD: 1

Emerath's Action(s):

• Natural Energy Regen: +1 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 25 -> 26
• Attempted Strike | Miss: -2 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 26 -> 24

Teion's Action(s):

• Stunned
• Teion cannot be Stunned for 1 post

Round Results:
Emerath - 286/320 HP | 24/32 EN
Teion - 74/80 HP

Monster Reference Data:
<<Emerath's Inner Demons: Teion>>  - 80 HP | 8 DMG | 2 MIT

 

 

Edited March 19, 2017 by Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Teion continued to smile, throwing Emerath off guard as he watched for her next move. Slowly, she spoke, "It appears that you finally understand. I'm one of your demons, manifested into your mind. I know exactly what gets to you, as do all of the demons you will see here. You regret ever hurting me, you regret ever doing anything with me. And you've always hated yourself for it. Haven't you Emerath?" Emerath frowned and narrowed his eyes. "So what, is this some trial to overcome my deepest fears and demons? I didn't sign up for this." And with that, Emerath had turned away, walking towards the door. But as he reached it, it slammed shut and when he attempted to open it, the handle wouldn't budge. In a flash, Teion had turned him around and was giving that creepy smile once again, "And where do you think you're going? We aren't finished yet."

Combat Results:

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ID: 79863
BD: 3
CD: 12
LD: 10
MD: 4

Emerath's Action(s):

• Natural Energy Regen: +1 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 24 -> 25
• Attempted Strike | Miss: -2 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 25 -> 23

Teion's Action(s):

• Attempted Strike | Miss
• Teion can be Stunned next post onward

Round Results:
Emerath - 286/320 HP | 23/32 EN
Teion - 74/80 HP

Monster Reference Data:
<<Emerath's Inner Demons: Teion>>  - 80 HP | 8 DMG | 2 MIT

Edited March 19, 2017 by Emerath

[Emerath 0]

And just like that, Emerath had gained ground only to lose it again. He attempted to push the demon away, but it was of no use. Teion held him against the wall, and kneed the man, causing him to double over as he lost yet more HP. The damage was building, despite it not being too severe. If he didn't begin gaining ground he wouldn't be able to win this. Emerath coughed and stood up again, this time not holding back as he pushed Teion away from him. "Okay, I get it. This is some mental trial to overcome so that I can say I beat my demons. You're not letting me out. And if I lose I'll probably go mad." Emerath looked to Mist, who gave a soft hoot as she flapped in the air, watching her master carefully for an opening. He smiled and nodded at the owl, before looking back to Teion. "Alright then, let's see if I can overcome this."

Combat Results:

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ID: 79864
BD: 2
CD: 8
LD: 17
MD: 6

Emerath's Action(s):

• Natural Energy Regen: +1 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 23 -> 24
• Attempted Strike | Miss: -2 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 24 -> 22

Teion's Action(s):

• Attempted Strike | Hit
  • Teion does 8 Damage to Emerath
    • Emerath's HP: 286 -> 278

Round Results:
Emerath - 278/320 HP | 22/32 EN
Teion - 74/80 HP

Monster Reference Data:
<<Emerath's Inner Demons: Teion>>  - 80 HP | 8 DMG | 2 MIT

Edited March 19, 2017 by Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Emerath lunged for the woman, but she easily sidestepped him. Emerath growled and spun, attempting a backhand, but Teion had already moved. Emerath cried out and threw himself at the woman in a frenzy, but his swings were too wild. He couldn't connect, no matter how many times he attacked, and the woman just laughed at him as she seemed to teleport around the shop. Emerath huffed and was wholly unprepared as Teion came at him with her own blow, knocking Emerath to the side with her hammer and kicking him in the chest. Emerath staggered as he raised his fists again, but she didn't strike another blow. She simply watched him now, waiting for his wild strikes to come at her once again. "Are you toying with me?" Emerath asked, but the demon now just waited. "No, this is just what I would imagine my inner demons to do, and so you're doing it. Now that I know what you are, you're playing with me."

Combat Results:

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ID: 79866
BD: 1
CD: 2
LD: 8
MD: 8

Emerath's Action(s):

• Natural Energy Regen: +1 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 22 -> 23
• Attempted Strike | Critical Miss: -2 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 23 -> 21

Teion's Action(s):

• Attempted Strike | Hit
  • Teion does 8 Damage to Emerath
    • Emerath's HP: 278 -> 270

Round Results:
Emerath - 270/320 HP | 21/32 EN
Teion - 74/80 HP

Monster Reference Data:
<<Emerath's Inner Demons: Teion>>  - 80 HP | 8 DMG | 2 MIT

Edited March 19, 2017 by Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Emerath carefully watched the demon pretending to be his friend, and it just as carefully watched him. He narrowed his eyes, but he couldn't see any real opening. And so he took a step back and considered the situation. This was all in his mind, of that he was now certain. So if he realized certain things about the situation, perhaps he could finally overcome it. "You know, I always berated myself about you," he said, as he circled his opponent in the small space, "I always beat myself up about how horrible it was to run away from you and never tell you the truth. It wasn't my fault that stuff happened that made me have to run." The demon seemed amused by his words, but in her amusement, Emerath leaped forward and struck, this time hitting home and causing the demon to stagger. "Looks like maybe words are the way to go. I just have to find the right ones to overcome this." He wasn't allowed much breathing room though, as the demon swept his leg and brought her hammer down on his chest, causing Emerath to give a hard involuntary shudder from the blow.

Combat Results:

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ID: 79872
BD: 8
CD: 2
LD: 12
MD: 9

Emerath's Action(s):

• Natural Energy Regen: +1 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 21 -> 22
• Attempted Strike | Hit
  • Emerath used the Sword Art Delayed Sword
    • Emerath's EN: 22 -> 18
    • Emerath does 30 Damage to Teion
      • Teion's HP: 74 -> 44

Teion's Action(s):

• Attempted Strike | Critical Hit: +1 Damage
  • Teion does 9 Damage to Emerath
    • Emerath's HP: 270 -> 261

Round Results:
Emerath - 261/320 HP | 18/32 EN
Teion - 44/80 HP

Monster Reference Data:
<<Emerath's Inner Demons: Teion>>  - 80 HP | 8 DMG | 2 MIT

Edited March 19, 2017 by Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Emerath was shocked by the blow to the chest, and it took all of his willpower to push the woman off of him so that he could roll out of the way of yet another blow. He heard the wood next to him crack as the hammer struck the planks next to his head, and he pushed himself to his feet before feeling a boot against his side. And just like that he was down again. He hit the wood with a hard thud and could feel his breath escape him. He couldn't even recover, let alone fight. This demon, his own personal demon, had him cornered, and he wasn't sure if he would be able to overcome it. His breaths were heavy from the losing battle he was facing, and slowly Emerath actually began to fear for his safety. He had to escape this nightmare before it was too late.

Combat Results:

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ID: 79874
BD: 2
CD: 4
LD: 15
MD: 5

Emerath's Action(s):

• Natural Energy Regen: +1 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 18 -> 19
• Attempted Strike | Miss: -2 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 19 -> 17

Teion's Action(s):

• Attempted Strike | Miss

Round Results:
Emerath - 261/320 HP | 17/32 EN
Teion - 44/80 HP

Monster Reference Data:
<<Emerath's Inner Demons: Teion>>  - 80 HP | 8 DMG | 2 MIT

Edited March 22, 2017 by Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Emerath crawled across the floor trying to get away from the demon that was now just berating him. Dream or not, this felt real enough, and there wasn't anything Emerath could do but try to get away. He hadn't expected this, he wasn't prepared for it, and he wasn't going to be able to beat his demons. Not today at least. He could feel the creature hiding behind the facade of his friend looming over him, as he made his way behind one of the display counters. He heard her shuffle and anticipated another blow, and so he grabbed the counter and pulled as hard as he could, causing it to shift, propelling him forward a few inches across the floor and the counter backward into his attacker. This afforded him enough time to finally reach his feet as he pulled himself up on the counter and looked back to see the staggering demon scanning and targeting him once again.

Combat Results:

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ID: 80076
BD: 3
CD: 3
LD: 10
MD: 5

Emerath's Action(s):

• Natural Energy Regen: +1 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 17 -> 18
• Attempted Escape | Failure

Teion's Action(s):

• Attempted Strike | Miss

Round Results:
Emerath - 261/320 HP | 18/32 EN
Teion - 44/80 HP

Monster Reference Data:
<<Emerath's Inner Demons: Teion>>  - 80 HP | 8 DMG | 2 MIT

Edited March 22, 2017 by Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Emerath stared at the demon. It was a standoff, and Emerath was looking to make his escape. He would have to get enough of a running start to hopefully blow through the doorway and escape back into whatever space he was in before, along with hoping that Mist was behind him, though he rarely worried about her in these cases. So he waited, blinking, focusing on his breathing as the world stood still, gathering the courage to break free of his own nightmare. Until finally, he bolted for the door. He ran hard into it, and at first as he felt his shoulder collide with the wood, he didn't think he had gotten enough force behind the blow. But to his surprise, he heard a loud CRACK and the wood splintered at the jamb, as Emerath fell through the doorway. Breathing heavily he turned to watch Mist soar through the open doorway just as the door slammed behind her.

Combat Results:

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ID: 80155
BD: 8
CD: 8
LD: 10
MD: 3

Emerath's Action(s):

• Natural Energy Regen: +1 EN
  • Emerath's EN: 18 -> 19
• Attempted Escape | Success

Teion's Action(s):

• Attempted Strike | Miss

Round Results:
Emerath - 261/320 HP | 19/32 EN
Teion - 44/80 HP

Monster Reference Data:
<<Emerath's Inner Demons: Teion>>  - 80 HP | 8 DMG | 2 MIT

-- Combat End: Escape From Combat --

Edited March 22, 2017 by Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Emerath lay on the ground for a good length of time, simply breathing heavily. In what felt like only moments, he had met one of his inner demons, attempted to face it, only to realize that he wasn't strong enough. He had no idea how long he had been in that room, how long he had been fighting. Seconds, probably. But when coming face to face with one's own regrets, it felt like an eternity. Slowly, he found his knees, and propped himself up on all fours, before kneeling and pushing against his knee to stand up, Mist once again finding her footing on her home away from home that was his shoulder. He ran his fingers along the side of her face, and she hooted softly at him in what he could only believe was concern. He smiled at the owl, before surveying the dark room he found himself in once again.

Spoiler

Out of Combat Regen:

• Energy Regen: 19 -> 20
  • 1 Round out of Combat
• Hit Point Regen: 261 -> 264

Results:
Emerath - 264/320 HP | 20/32 EN

[Emerath 0]

Emerath took a deep breath, surveying each door. Now that he knew what this was, this all made sense. This is where players went to combat their inner demons. A place of healing for some, or a coming of age for others. A man came here to grieve his wife, no doubt to face the demons that he had left from her passing, both in his life and hers. Based on the encounter with Teion, Emerath realized that at least one of his demons was the lingering regret the man felt for his actions. He had not been the kindest person in youth, and that had only stayed with him as he grew up. But what of the other three? Emerath looked to Mist, who cocked her head, and Emerath sighed. "Let's find out what's behind door number two, huh pretty lady?" Mist gave a soft hoot, as Emerath made his way over.

  Hide contents

Out of Combat Regen:

• Energy Regen: 20 -> 21
  • 2 Rounds out of Combat
• Hit Point Regen: 264 -> 267

Results:
Emerath - 267/320 HP | 21/32 EN

[Emerath 0]

Emerath stood in front of the oak door with a sword an shield emblazoned on it, he realized that he probably knew what was behind this door. When he opened the door, he would come face to face with his brother. With the jealousy of the things that he had and could so easily attain. That sibling rivalry had always been taken a step too far between them, and now it was manifest as one of his inner demons. Slowly, Emerath reached a hand for the handle, holding it loosely as he felt his hand slip around it when he attempted to turn. Sighing, he wiped his hand on his pants before trying the handle again, this time getting a better grip and turn on it. Slowly, it swung open to reveal their home, with Endilix laying in one of the easy chairs they had both sat in to start playing SAO, sleeping.

  Hide contents

Out of Combat Regen:

• Energy Regen: 21 -> 22
  • 3 Rounds out of Combat
• Hit Point Regen: 267 -> 270

Results:
Emerath - 270/320 HP | 22/32 EN

Edited March 22, 2017 by Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Emerath froze, staring at his brother. He looked so peaceful. To imagine that this man was one of his inner demons... but then Emerath cut his thoughts off. It wasn't the man, it was the feelings surrounding him, as they had Teion. He couldn't face them now, just like he couldn't face Teion. Emerath was too weak for this sort of trial. His blood ran cold for a moment, before he slammed the door shut and turned away. Emerath had never considered himself weak before, but if he couldn't overcome himself, how could he overcome anything else? Emerath fell to his knees and stared into the blackness around him. He didn't want to acknowledge the doors or their existence any longer. He simply wanted to wake up from this, his own personal hell. Others came to be stronger, but all this did was prove how weak Emerath was. Emerath closed his eyes, and wished with all of his being to simply wake up.

  Hide contents

Out of Combat Regen:

• Energy Regen: 22 -> 32
• Hit Point Regen: 270 -> 273

Results:
Emerath - 273/320 HP | 32/32 EN

[Emerath 0]

It wasn't too much longer after he had voiced the inner desire to wake up that he did just that, as his eyes flickered open. He stared at the sky, but wasn't given much time to do so before a face suddenly hovered over his own. "Dirke?" Emerath asked, immedately recognizing the man who looked over him, and the answer he received was a smile. "I was honestly worried about you. Your meditation didn't seem to be going very well." Emerath immediately grew a bit sheepish about the whole thing as he sat up and looked to Dirke as Dirke sat back and observed him. "Nevermind that, it went fine. Albeit I was a bit confused at first. I didn't actually know what this place was until I was in the thick of it." Emerath shook his head and smiled, "But how about you? Did you find the closure you were looking for?"

  Hide contents

Out of Combat Regen:

• Hit Point Regen: 273 -> 276

Results:
Emerath - 276/320 HP | 32/32 EN

[Emerath 0]

Dirke couldn't help but smile at Emerath, clearly at least one of them had found what they were looking for. He looked released, free. The worries he had felt must have simply melted away as he overcame his demons. This brought a smile to Emerath's lips as well. Dirke began, "Well, you went through it. Fighting your demons. It was difficult, and the memories I had to face nearly got to me... but I did it. I think I can remember her in the best light." Emerath could see the sadness behind his eyes, but he knew that was just the lingering grief, and no amount of overcome demons could help Dirke with that. Emerath nodded and said, "I'm happy that this was able to help." Dirke nodded and offered a hand to help Emerath from the floor, and Emerath grasped it and made his way back to his feet.

Spoiler

Out of Combat Regen:

• Hit Point Regen: 276 -> 286

Results:
Emerath - 286/320 HP | 32/32 EN

Edited August 6, 2017 by Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Dirke smiled at Emerath, and reached around the man's shoulders and gave a hearty laugh after his response. "Help? Son, I haven't felt this free in YEARS!" The laughter that followed came from his gut, pure and clean. The man was happy, and Emerath was happy for him. It made Emerath's own failure sting a little bit less. Mist seemed confused, as she gave a hoot at the man's sudden uproarious laugh, but Emerath simply rubbed the snowy feathers under her beak as she moved closer to the man's head and away from Dirke's hand on the shoulder upon where she sat. Emerath wanted to laugh too, but he didn't quite feel that free. So Emerath decided to live vicariously with him instead, "So as a free man, how do you plan to spend your days going forward?" Dirke let out the rest of his laughter and wiped away a tear that had welled in his eye as he looked back to Emerath.

Spoiler

Out of Combat Regen:

• Hit Point Regen: 286 -> 296

Results:
Emerath - 296/320 HP | 32/32 EN

[Emerath 0]

Dirke considered Emerath's question, but simply smiled as he pulled Emerath closer to him, so that Emerath's head was mere inches away. "Well, isn't it obvious? I'm gonna reopen my shop and run it with renewed vigor! Maybe this world doesn't need a ton of carpenters or lumberjacks, but that doesn't mean the one that is around should go anywhere right? What about you?" Dirke practically beamed as he waited for Emerath's answer, but Emerath couldn't help but instinctively pull away from the man's sudden closeness. He brushed off his suit lapels lightly, but not in an obvious or rude way, as he escaped from Dirke's wrangling. "Honestly, I'm going to get some wood from you, build a fire, and think more about what happened today. It was an adventure I wasn't expecting, and one I'm not sure I want to dwell on too much. I don't feel quite as freed by all this, but perhaps that's just because my demons were a bit stronger than I was expecting."

Spoiler

Out of Combat Regen:

• Hit Point Regen: 296 -> 306

Results:
Emerath - 306/320 HP | 32/32 EN

[Emerath 0]

Emerath could feel Dirke's eyes upon his back as he had instinctively turned away from him in his failure. He looked down and to the side, frowning at the thought that he couldn't even face one of his demons. He couldn't even face Teion or his brother in a dream world. How could he ever do so in the real world? Dirke, almost as if sensing the man's apprehension, put a hand on Emerath's shoulder behind him and said, "Alright then. Let's get you that wood. I'm... I'm sorry things didn't go as well for you. But know that if you need someone to talk to, I'll listen." Emerath hadn't felt this kind of relief since he had found his brother in the game. Emerath straightened his suit jacket, cleared his throat, and looked out to the horizon. "Thank you, Dirke," he said, looking behind him, as the man nodded in response.

Spoiler

Out of Combat Regen:

• Hit Point Regen: 296 -> 306

Results:
Emerath - 306/320 HP | 32/32 EN

[Emerath 0]

After a moment of kindred silence, Dirke started to walk past Emerath. Emerath followed, as the two made their way back to the Teleport Gate to return to their home, the fourth floor. Idly, Emerath wondered why a lumberjack would choose to live on Floor Four, before finally approaching the question on his mind. They had to talk about something on the way, after all. "So Dirke," Emerath started, "why did a lumberjack choose to live on Floor Four? Wouldn't Floor One make more sense? It has an entire forest. Or one of the other floors with, you know, more trees?" Dirke couldn't help but chuckle as they walked, and he said, "Well, I'm not much of a fighter. These old bones can't really handle it like you younger fellas. So I stuck to what I knew, what with death being a real option and all. And the trees on Floor Four are few, but they respawn quickly enough, and there's less danger surrounding them in the snowy hills. At least the ones I go to."

Spoiler

Out of Combat Regen:

• Hit Point Regen: 306 -> 316

Results:
Emerath - 316/320 HP | 32/32 EN

[Emerath 0]

It wasn't long while they were discussing the finer points of the snowy floor that they lived on before they arrived at Dirke's shop. The man cheerfully chatted away as he unlocked the door and lead Emerath inside, allowing for him to shake off some of the snow and cold for a moment while Dirke made his way over to some of his stashed wood. "Honestly, I'm glad you ended up coming," Dirke said, as he pulled up the trade window between the two men and transferred over the items. "I never really got to know you, but you were always my most steady customer," he continued, "but I'd always just drop the wood at the door and wonder who you really were. What you looked like, all that." Emerath felt a bit of a sting from this, realizing that he had never properly thanked or met with Dirke except for a couple of glances in the doorway as Emerath went back to shutting himself off from the world.

Emerath simply thanked the man, and actually felt a smile cross his lips as he said, "I'm glad I came too, and got to see someone be happy about moving on with their life. In this game, it can be hard to see joy in others, and despite the fact that I'm not yet ready to face my own demons, I'm glad to know that it can be done thanks to you." Dirke nodded, a smile adorning his own face, as he held out a hand to Emerath. "Thanks for the business, and the company," Dirke said, as him and Emerath shook on the deal. Emerath nodded in return and after a bit more chatting parted ways with the man, with the faint ringing of the bell over the man's door the sound to end the adventure.

Spoiler

Out of Combat Regen:

• Hit Point Regen: 316 -> 320

Results:
Emerath - 320/320 HP | 32/32 EN

Edited August 7, 2017 by Emerath

[Emerath 0]

Emerath's smile didn't fade, as he pulled a food pellet out of his pocket and fed it to the happily hooting Mist, who seemed to be getting in on the joy going around. Emerath tugged his scarf over his face and headed home, pulling out the wood and feeling the weight of it under his arm. It made him feel more alive to actually carry it. Made him feel more real, made all of this more real. Despite that this was a game, this was their reality. Emerath wasn't really one to generally have a spring in his step, but he was delighted that it could happen to even him, at least this time.

However, what the man hadn't expected, was a familiar red head sitting on the wall near the cobblestone streets in front of his shop. Their shops. The strangest coincidence that ever could have been, but here they were. A thousand thoughts ran through his head immediately, but the one that he encountered the most was simply, "Why now?" Endilix had no reason to be here, and Emerath had no reason to entertain his whimsy. He walked up to the redhead, whose features were completely identical to his own, and glared at him, his smile faded, his stare icy. After a long moment, he pulled the scarf off of his face to allow for clearer speech. He didn't want this getting mixed up. Emerath simply stared down as he said, "To what do I owe the honor, brother?"

Spoiler

Thread Complete: Quest Failed

• 2 Thread SP
• 800 Col

Edited August 7, 2017 by Emerath