[PP-F8] Enthralling Rage

[Vale 1]

[Back-story thread to be continued at a later date. Message me about anything to confirm in this thread.]

The ginger-haired rapier master walked alongside the martial arts specialist on the way back to town, with everything that occurred it was time to start the deeper conversation. They had battled against a rage induced two-handed serpent, and an angered mimic. With everything that had happened up until now, they were running into more and more questions. Vale looked up at Jomei, "So... I think it's high time we start talking about what that was all about." She said, shifting her gaze upon the ground. It was hard to swallow but it was time to start giving some information back for the information she wanted, "That thing has been following me... For some time now. Many monsters I have faced have been enhanced by that entity. Ever since I gained something from someone a while back." The panther girl started to explain, "It has been more noticeably following me since I fought the Gemini on the sixth floor." She explained

There was something locked in a specific chest, something she was going to keep under the radar until the time was necessary to show it. During her time in isolation, she came across an unlikely person who had a link to Dom, Lessa. That was when everything changed for Vale, she was handed the Greatsword known as Gram by the woman. A Christmas present from Dom to her, from there she got a small understanding of the guild linked to all of this, The Azure Brigade. A lot of ties were made, which lead the Feline Fighter to find the Rapier Master known as Jomei, "I have something at my Mansion back on the 8th floor, that you have to see. I am sorry I kept this hidden until now." She finished as her eyes were affixed to the ground.

@Jomei

Edited March 6, 2018 by Vale

[Jomei 0]

"I have something at my Mansion back on the 8th floor, that you have to see. I am sorry I kept this hidden until now." 

Vale told Jomei that she had come into something.. some item of some sorts that caused this incarnate of rage to track her down with the means to destroy her.. Or test her. Did Dom go through all of this? He thought to himself. He crossed his arms and looked at the girl as if he could get all of the answers by reading her. No, the only thing he could think of is that the Beserk skill had found someone who it wants to be its new host, and that someone was Vale. Why? He thought, She shows incredible fighting skills as he did, but their personalities are almost complete opposites. Dom seemed to embrace the rage, Vale wants to fight it. What was going on. 

"Alright." Jomei said with a nod. "I'll go with you." He wanted to know just what it was that she had received that would have caused rage to hunt her down like this. Most of all, he was beginning to trust her more and more.. Almost enough to tell her the whole tale of Dom, who he was, and what happened to him. "Lets go quickly, and we should stick to the safe zones if possible.. If that.. aura knows that I'm with you too, it'll just come back stronger than ever. And soon we won't be able to handle it alone."

[Vale 1]

The greatsword wielding woman of justice Lessa had expressed that the Berserk skill had a mind of it's own in this world. It seemed to change the rules of things and gave creatures incredible power, but it's vision was narrow and purely evil. Something that Lessa herself knew she couldn't bare with, thus never accepting the rite of passage that came with the item left hidden. When Lessa had passed the item off to Vale, she explicitly say to only show people who were trustworthy. And by this point, the amount of work the two of them had done together this far and what they had witnessed together. They were siblings at arms.

"Lets go quickly, and we should stick to the safe zones if possible.. If that.. aura knows that I'm with you too, it'll just come back stronger than ever. And soon we won't be able to handle it alone."

Vale agreed to this. Within moments of reaching the Teleportation gate the duo quickly made their way to the eighth floor. The girl needed to invest time into crafting Teleportation Crystals that led the girl wherever it was she wanted to go. Vale looked back at Jomei who had agreed to follow the girl, despite it being Dark. The panther girl knew the most precise route to the Mansion, with haste Vale ran off utilizing her Charge skill to help increase her move speed, leaving no monsters time to aggro onto her. Within 10 minutes journey, the two of them arrived at the Front Gate within the zone owned by Vale herself, "Now. I am certain I can show you this. With what you saw... I think we should just enter and talk about it there." She stated to Jomei, walking into the front gate allowing the man with her permissions to enter the grounds safely.

[Jomei 0]

Vale led the way back into the town and up to the Eight Floor, where her apparent mansion was located. Light lacked on the path that they walked to the building, a tactic that would be many curious wanderers lost on the way to her living estate. As they continued down the path that Vale knew like the back of her hand, she seemed to increase her speed, using her <Charge> skill most likely. Jomei smirked, Not so fast, Vale, he thought to himself as he activated his own, now top ranked <Charge> skill. Within no time, he was able to match Vale's speed..  could have even moved faster during battle if he truly wanted. Using the skill together, they were able to enter and exit the view of any monsters in the area before they had a chance to attack them, none of them giving chase to the two players. 

The two arrived at the gates of a large mansion, Jomei looked at the building in shock. "How the hell does everyone keep getting this exquisite mansions?" a hint of jealousy in his voice. The ginger followed the feline-like woman through the gates and towards the front door of the mansion. Just what was it that she had found that would relate everything to the Beserk and Dom? When Dom died, he would have lost everything he had, and his Unique weapon would return to the NPC he received it from.. He could only imagine what it was she found.

[Vale 1]

Vale looked at the front door's as they approached the massive building, Jomei showing a twinge of jealousy that felt as though it came with a feeling of awe at the same time. Vale looked back at him, "Well, I was running around the various floors during my months of isolation. Training and constantly grinding. I am uncertain of how much Col I amassed at the time, but since I had nothing to spend the money on. There was never a need to buy anything, so I put it all toward this home. With the leftover col I had, it was pretty easy to fill up the house and bedroom with everything I need including all the different clothes I want to wear for the future." She admitted to the man. There was no doubt about the fact that Vale was quite proud of the massive investment and all the work that work that was done to obtain the home.

As she opened the front door, she stopped and turned to look at Jomei blocking the path for a moment, "What I'm about to show you, is only known between me and one other person. This I have held secret for awhile now." She told him then began to walk turning her attention to the path, "Follow me." The panther girl directed. There was a panther laying on top of the platform chandelier. It's head aiming down looking at Jomei as he entered the door, during the night time the breed was hyper-aggressive. Instead of its usual yellow eyes, the eyes were stark red which was reminiscent of monsters in this world. But just as the beast started to stand, Vale spoke up, "Eclipse you stay up there. We're here for an important reason." Her words caused the cat's eyes to flick back to yellow and watch them.

Not too much longer into the walk was a large chest in the library, it showed to be locked. Vale walked up inputting the passcode to allow the chest to be openable, "I'll let you open it and see what it is that is inside." She said to the ginger, wondering the response she was to get from the rapier master.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei followed Vale into the mansion she called home. She explained to him that she bought the property, as well as everything else inside, with the large amount of Col she earned from grinding. He could not help but let out a small laugh, for gaining mass amounts of money from training was something the late Berserk, Ssendom, was known for. Though he showed a small hint of jealousy, he did not think he could ever live by himself in a house as extravagant as this. Too much space for a minimalist, he thought to himself. He found himself quite comfortable and capable living out of his shop on Floor Two. Sharing a mansion such as this on the other hand... 

The two walked through the entrance hall before Vale stopped and turned to the ginger, telling him that what she was about to show him was a secret unbeknownst to most, spare one other person. Jomei's brow furrowed and he nodded, getting that he would keep the secret between them as well, and that this information would not leave this mansion. Jomei looked up as he walked, the feeling of being watched causing the hair on his neck to stand. On the chandelier above him, he saw a panther reclined, its piercing red eyes watching his every move, slowly raising to pounce. Vale quickly dismissed the feline, its eyes flicking back to a yellow color as it relaxed in its place.

The next room contained a large chest, and as his eyes rested upon it, the words <<Locked by Vale>> appeared just above the lock. That was when the feline-like woman passed by him, typing in a pass code to unlock the chest. She then gave the ginger permission to see what was inside for himself. Jomei felt nervous, just what was it that caused this entity to follow her this far? He slowly stepped over to the wooden chest and tapped the air in front of it. In front of him, an inventory screen appeared, revealing one and only item; Gram. 

Olive eyes slowly went wide as he gasped, "W..What?" Jomei said under his breath. It couldn't be. He looked over his shoulder at Vale for reassurance, before he tapped on the item's name. A white light appeared in Jomei's hands, extending out multiple feet. When the light faded, a sword that looked like a large slab of metal with no hand guard, appeared in his hands. Its weight was extreme, and Jomei knew with his current skill set, wielding such a blade himself would be impossible. However, he knew very well what was currently in his hands. Gram, the unique Two handed sword, once owned, and very much used, by Ssendom. He turned to look at Vale, "How...where..?"

[Vale 1]

A sinking feeling overcame Vale when she set the final button in to unlock the chest, loosely she regretted sharing this bit of information. The panther woman got a feeling that this would be something painful to deal with, from what she had gathered from the short amount of time she and Jomei had spent time together that Dom was someone close. It was the driving factor that led her to this very moment with the Rapier Master. The air was still for the moment of silence that prelude to the discovery what resided inside the chest. Vale fumbled through every single thought she had with her short time spent with the proud fighter Lessa. She was quite specific not to share information about the greatsword, Vale bit her lip slightly looking at the ginger haired man. Vale would have to ignore the warning given to her as she felt the man was trust worthy enough for the information.

The man approached the chest, and for a moment it felt like something was was grasping her lunges with a violent amount of strength. She was unable to breath, albeit there was nothing actually affecting her. The dead feeling she got when she saw his eyes widen as the inventory of the chest became visible after Jomei's finger had finished pressing the button to open the display. His words were like nails digging into her skin in an uncomfortable way, she couldn't stand holding secrets such as this. This man needed to understand more of Vale's predicament, and the best place to start with was showing him that very Greatsword. Despite that statistically it was more powerful than all her other equipment, she couldn't use it for more reasons than it just being a weapon type she wasn't proficient in.

Vale stepped back from the best and sat down in one of the study's many lounging chairs, "So, I assume there are a lot of questions." She asked somewhat embarrassingly, "I am willing to share every bit of information you want to know. If you'll meet me half way and answer all my questions." She informed him. She sat back into the lounge chair, "I'll let you start as it seems you're quite shell-shocked at this current moment." The room for discussion effectively opened by the woman with that giant weapon still being stared at by the once former wielders friend. The bookshelves stocked full of all the books, with slight notches on them made by a player. Each individual book had a notch in the same meticulous place, as if it were an indicator for something. If she were holding a secret such as Gram, there was no telling just how long she had this estate. And what more secrets did the Shadow's Pride have was an ever growing question.

 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei took one more look at his fallen friends blade before placing it down, leaning it up against the wall next to him. He tried to remember the last time he had gone hunting with Dom, rather than watching his body being cut in two. His mind went to him and Ssendom fighting off the Lizard Men, the first time he had seen Gram in action. A heavy sigh escaped his lips before he turned to Vale. Not many questions crossed his mind, though the ones he had at the moment all held great significance. The woman made a fair deal, she would answer his questions as long as he answered hers. From how it seemed, he was going to be speaking much about the night Dom died.. so he took a moment to try and prepare himself. 

His first question, he figured should be where she obtained such a weapon. As the man opened his mouth to ask such a thing, his mind caught onto another important aspect. Something that did, in fact, bother him a small bit. Here was a woman he had never heard of before.. yet she was this powerful. She had never shown her face on the front lines, yet could hold a fight against most of them, owned a large property such as this, and was getting attention from the essence of rage. Just who the hell was she. Jomei took a step forward, his eyes not curious and saddened by thinking about Dom, but cautious. "What else are you not telling me?" he asked, his voice low "You've obviously had Gram for awhile it seems.. but you merely just asked me about Dom earlier today. Obviously.. you knew more than you let on when you first came into my shop." his arms crossed at his chest, "So I ask again...what else do you know that you aren't telling me?"

[Vale 1]

The mood in the air was practically suffocating, it was almost as though Vale couldn't breath. The feeling of being watched felt more overpowering now than it ever did when they fought. One of the reasons that Chest was in the study, and the room practically locked from others at all times, this being the lone exception. When she looked at the blade, it was as if the essence was staring into her soul. Lifelessness. She placed her hand on her neck to show that she couldn't breath all the way up until words finally broke the silence.

"What else are you not telling me?"

The first words that spoke sliced through the girl, a moment of weakness to her will. If she weren't already sitting she would have easily collapsed at that moment. The chill still running up and down her back, "A fair amount." She managed to respond. A few moments pass by before Jomei turned to her and spoke in a low and cold tone toward Vale. Each word that came felt like nails being plunged into her skin, she closed her eyes and grabbed her arms as he spoke.

"You've obviously had Gram for awhile it seems.. but you merely just asked me about Dom earlier today. Obviously.. you knew more than you let on when you first came into my shop."

A slight pause in his sentences caused the woman to shudder even more. Vale felt as though she had done something gravely wrong by not taking Lessa's words to heart and keeping the blade a secret for as long as humanly possible.

"So I ask again...what else do you know that you aren't telling me?"

It was her time to speak, "I met with someone named Lessa during what I call my Isolation. I had ex-communicated myself from everyone to pursue getting stronger and faster." She began to explain, she swallowed the giant knot in her throat that was making it difficult for her to speak, "She told me why she had originally kept her place away from fighting for so long. The Greatsword Gram... is the Catalyst..." She finished saying, leaving openings before and after the words 'is the Catalyst' so Jomei had time to speak as well.

[Jomei 0]

 "I met with someone named Lessa during what I call my Isolation. I had ex-communicated myself from everyone to pursue getting stronger and faster. She told me why she had originally kept her place away from fighting for so long. The Greatsword Gram... is the Catalyst..." 

Jomei's eyes were fixated on Vale as she spoke, however, he could not shake the feeling of there being another entity in the room, listening to their conversation.. and it wasn't the panther on the chandelier. Olive orbs shifted to the great sword once Vale spoke its name, claiming it to be the catalyst. So this was why that aura was following her? Because Gram was in her possession? 

Jomei felt a lump in his throat, "D-Does that mean that... while Lessa had the sword.. That.. that presence was.. It followed her too?" Jomei's blood went cold with the thought of the entity of rage tracking down and seeking to test, and possibly destroy Lessa. He glared at the sword, his brows lowering in anger. He had half a mind to find a way to destroy the blade, hoping it would cause this aura to cease its existence. The man took in a deep breath through his nostrils, exhaling it through his mouth to calm his nerves and release the tension. "Alright.. Guess its your turn to ask.."

[Vale 1]

Vale didn't like the fact that a lot was being shared, and the fact it would cause problems were connected so deeply here. The Neko buried her head into her knee's pulling them closer to her with her arms wrapped around them. She couldn't look at Jomei at the moment, the girl was fighting conflicting emotions within her body. She looked off at the Greatsword that just seemed to feel like it was alive itself. As though the Greatsword known as Gram was a sentient being as well, the thought kept Vale from looking away from the sword.

"D-Does that mean that... while Lessa had the sword.. That.. that presence was.. It followed her too?" 

Jomei seemed to be visually perturbed, or to Vale's best guess as the man was perpetually in her peripheral vision. The words rang in Vale's head, but the best conclusion she could give was the lack thereof, "I told you I would be completely honest with you. If you asked me a question I wouldn't share a falsehood." She swallowed the lump that was beginning to form in her mouth, she was worried that Jomei wouldn't believe a single word she had to say. But the only thing she could usher was the truth, "I honestly don't know. Lessa let me know about the essence and it's sinister nature. But I don't know just how much of a problem or how little of a problem it was for her." She moved her face from facing the sword to being buried in her knee's, "She did warn me to never stop fighting." She managed to finish saying before Jomei spoke again.

"Alright.. Guess its your turn to ask.."

Pulling her face away from her knees, biting her lip the Neko girl only had a single thing to ask. Moving her eyes up to look at Jomei's tears beginning to well up, "I'm scared... Just who is Dom?" The girl displaying feelings she had only barely shared with Hikoru.

[Jomei 0]

"I told you I would be completely honest with you. If you asked me a question I wouldn't share a falsehood. I honestly don't know. Lessa let me know about the essence and it's sinister nature. But I don't know just how much of a problem or how little of a problem it was for her. She did warn me to never stop fighting." 

The ginger clenched his fists, he still could not grasp just what the hell was going on. But it if was putting more players in danger, more than just Vale and Jomei, they needed to stop it. His eyes went to the blade again, that same unique blade that took hold of Dom. The man wondered if destroying it would cause this entity to vanish. Malice thoughts about finding a way to destroy the slab of metal were taken away when Vale finally asked her own question to Jomei.

"I'm scared... Just who is Dom?"

Now looking at Vale, he soon realized that she was just as much of a victim in this as he was. This was not something she was dragging players into, knowing damn well of their possible fate. She was terrified of the unknown. Terrified of the man who was able to control this rage before it came after her. Jomei took a deep breath, "Dom, or Ssendom.. was not just some player that I heard of.. he was a comrade of mine. No.. more than that, he was one of my best friends." Taking a step backwards, the man placed his bottom upon the lid of the closed chest, leaning his body against it to relax a bit. The tension from before was too much for both of them. "When we first met.. we were about the same level." he chuckled, "I still remember him asking if I would be able to help him clear the Avalanche boss. The man, however, became strong. Stronger than most players I knew, and his level grew very quickly. He became a hell of a force to reckon with. Even more so.." he pointed at Gram, "when he came into Gram's possession.. I'm not sure if you know.. But Gram is a unique weapon. Dom got it the same time he had obtained his unique skill... Which.. may be why it feels as though the blade is haunting you. Usually the weapon, as well as the skill, return to the NPC who holds the unique weapon, until a new player is chosen."

[Vale 1]

The dark-skinned girl sat there, showing her first signs of fear to people outside of Hikoru, at the same time she felt as though she was hurting someone she was beginning to call a true friend. She felt as though the feeling of being watched was being intensified by the Greatblade Gram, the presence in the room was becoming more and more overpowering. As the blade sit there rested up against the wall next to the chest. As Jomei glared at the blade, it was as if a presence lingered in the blade and gave off an impression to those who stared at it the feeling of the void looking back at them. Vale felt this just as she moved her vision onto the blade, her eyes widened as she looked at it. The Neko girl wanted to scream in terror of having the feeling the spirit looking back at her as she stared at the blade, but was unable to make an audible sound.

"Dom, or Ssendom.. was not just some player that I heard of.. he was a comrade of mine. No.. more than that, he was one of my best friends."

When Jomei spoke, it broke the concentration the girl had on the blade. She turned her attention to Jomei who was beginning to open up to her, whether it was because of the blade or something she may have said was undeterminable to the Neko. She sat there and listened to him finish speaking. From everything she heard about the man, she could confirm that there were two people who considered themselves close to the Dom, but both of them were able to mention that he was a truly terrifying being with his sheer power. 

"when he came into Gram's possession.. I'm not sure if you know.. But Gram is a unique weapon. Dom got it the same time he had obtained his unique skill... Which.. may be why it feels as though the blade is haunting you. Usually the weapon, as well as the skill, return to the NPC who holds the unique weapon, until a new player is chosen."

Vale wasn't quite sure what he meant by the fact that Gram itself was a unique weapon. She looked back at the blade, the feeling of being watched slowly fading away from the room. Vale took a deep breath, "If the weapon was supposed to return to the NPC, then why is this blade sitting in my possession. Wouldn't it be connected with the Unique Skill that came along with?" She asked curiously, not quite sure what to make of it, "Why is the Demon Blade Gram wanting to torture my soul?" She followed up asking as her demeanor continued to decay. The proud fighter felt as though she were reduced to a child unable to lift their fists against an opponent that was far superior in all senses of the feeling.

[Jomei 0]

 "If the weapon was supposed to return to the NPC, then why is this blade sitting in my possession. Wouldn't it be connected with the Unique Skill that came along with?"

The irishman snapped his fingers and pointed forward towards Vale, "Because Lessa had it." Jomei responded almost immediately, as the realization came to his mind. "At least.. that seems the most logical to me.. Some how she must have come into the blade.. before Dom died?" Jomei was not speaking directly to Vale, as he took slow steps, pacing back and forth in front of the panther woman. The different ideas bounced around in his mind as he tried to figure out just what was going on. "The only logical explanation is that Dom must have given her Gram at some point.." 

Why is the Demon Blade Gram wanting to torture my soul?" 

"The answer to that seems a bit more complicated.." He said, placing his hand on his chin and staring downwards. "One idea could go with what I said.. because if it killed you, or Lessa when she had it, Gram would be returned to its home to wait for its new host to come and take it..." Jomei stopped his pace and looked at Vale, crossing his arms in front of her. Taking in a deep breath through his nostrils, he spoke. "Or.. the more likely option.. It wants to test you.. Until you're ready to take Unique skill yourself."

[Vale 1]

"Because Lessa had it."  "At least.. that seems the most logical to me.. Somehow she must have come into the blade.. before Dom died?" "The only logical explanation is that Dom must have given her Gram at some point.."

The snapping of Jomei's finger pointed at Vale disrupted her chain of thought and caused her to turn looking at him. He slowly began deducing and deconstructing the situation to come up with some sort of answer. Jomei was able to correctly deduce that the Demon Blade Gram was in fact given to Lessa, though something no one knew how far in depth this was already planned by the Berserker himself. Vale was unaware just how much had gone, Lessa had informed her that Gram was a gift from the man who possessed true rage during Christmas one year. From that, the Neko girl had nothing she could add to help Jomei with his deductions while he paced back and forth.

"The answer to that seems a bit more complicated.." "One idea could go with what I said.. because if it killed you, or Lessa when she had it, Gram would be returned to its home to wait for its new host to come and take it..." "Or.. the more likely option.. It wants to test you.. Until you're ready to take Unique skill yourself."

She watched as he continued back and forth in a single line, placing his hand upon his chin as though it would assist in his thoughts. Something that seemed like it was actually working. Slowly but surely he was coming up with more and more possibilities until he came to one that caused her to shake down to her very core, "W-What?" Vale looked as though she was slowly going pale despite the fact she had a dark and toned skin, "W-what do you mean... It wants to test me?" She asked as she showed her fear to him once again. Vale returned her face into her knee's trying to process all the information she was given by Jomei. She wasn't sure if she was able to handle all of this.

[Jomei 0]

“I’m not sure” Jomei looked at Vale, though was unable to look her in the eyes as he shook his head. He thought about the person who sat in front of him, what he knew of her at least. She seemed scared of everything going on, something that the prior Beserker was not..Or at least, was not in front of Jomei. However, she had a natural power to her.. and an excitement for the hunt. That, on the other hand, was something she shared with Dom. Jomei looked Vale in the eyes,

”It may be testing you.. because it wants you to become the new Beserker.” Jomei looked back at Gram.. getting that feeling like he was being watched again. It would send chills down his spine, as if the steel had its own set of eyes, glaring at him the way he glared at it. “It wants to test you to see if you are worthy to be the new keeper of that sword there.”

[Vale 1]

The words that Jomei spoke teared into the psyche of Vale, she felt like she was a pawn of something else's game. There was a feeling of disgust, loathing, and noncooperation. She didn't want to be a fish dangled onto a fishing hook, but based on the things that Jomei had shared and what they had witnessed the essence do to others. She began to have a feeling deep down within her where she knew, she had absolutely no choice. Vale was the one that would need to accept the  curse that was the Berserker, it had chosen her after all. And if it didn't feel as though something was worthy of it's power it could be consumed just like all those beasts it forced itself upon. Her thoughts danced around the idea that the Berserker Essence could not envelope Player Characters, or maybe not yet. There was so much she needed to confirm first.

As Jomei finished, she bit into her lip hard enough that red data particles began to form. She hid the bottom half of her face so the Emerald Duelist was unable to perceive it, "I think we should put the weapon away. And call it a night, there was more quests that we were wanting to do tomorrow." She said with a soft and weak-willed voice. As if everything she had learned today was weighing heavily on her mind, She stood up and placed the Greatsword back in the chest and closed it. Afterwards she selected a button to lock the chest with a Pincode, afterwards she made her way for the door, "You can use the guest room for tonight if you wish to stay here." She stated as she left, not waiting for him to respond to hurry to her room with a fast paced walk. Shutting the Master Bedroom door behind her and locking it. There she collapsed to the ground, it was an overwhelming feeling of the need to cry as for the second time in her life. She felt completely powerless over what was happening around her.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei could see the pressure weigh down on Vale's shoulders as he spilled everything out to her. She seemed to understand what he told her, though she probably hoped that she didn't Jomei bit the inside of his cheek, should he really have told her all this much all at once? The panther woman would need to know eventually, despite the fact that it was pretty much only Jomei's speculations, rather than what may be the actual truth. What else could it be though? Gram coming into her possession, an essence that reminds him of Dom's rage following her around? That was truly the only explanation he could think of. 

Vale decided it would be best for the two to put the blade away and call it a night, "I agree.." Jomei could not have agreed faster to put the blade away, feeling as if eyes would sprout from the blade and stare at him while he was not looking. Once the blade was back in the chest and locked away, Jomei's entire body shivered, as if a chill had passed through his whole body and left. The woman offered Jomei her guest room for the night, to which he gave her a slight bow of his head. "I appreciate that. Yeah, we should get back to it tomorrow.."  As the woman walked off, Jomei watched her before calling to her "Vale... I'm sorry." he apologized, feeling as though he had dropped all of this weight on top of her. The ginger then retreated to what he assumed as the guest bedroom. He sat on the bed and stared at his knees, wondering just what the hell was going on. 

[Vale 1]

A shattered mind, unable to attain a streamlined thought process. Her mind was littered with the feeling of fear. Normally a self-disciplined and stalwart fighter, someone with pride and a well deep filled with self-confidence was diminished down to a weeping mess, despite hearing the words “Sorry” from her now trustworthy friend. She couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by a figure, created by the system that seemed to have a level of control on this world. However small it may actually be, to Vale it seemed like a gargantuan opponent without a weakness.

Vale wiped away the tears that were trickling down the side of her face. Although they resided in a building on a floor with moderate temperature, It felt frigid in the room. The eeriness of the night never settled for her, as she peeled herself from the door of her room into the bed.

Hours stretched, only a few times were Vale’s eyes able to shut as the crippling fear continued to take her hostage. It would take some time, but the panther woman would finally find some rest. Exhaustion that had accrued over the past few days. Constant combat with the Essence of Rage, or what felt like Evil itself attributed to her lack of sleep. And thus, this weight of unbearable burden would not allow the woman to keep a restful sleep for yet another night.

Night-Terrors had begun to plague the emotionally fatigued woman. A constant stream of indiscernible memories in near rapid succession.

Flinging herself up into a sitting position she would wake in the middle of the night, heart beating practically out of her chest. Unable to identify or understand any of the memories she had witnessed during her sleep.

Her eyes began to gain focus as the want, nor will to sleep existed any longer. It was still the time of morning before the Sun’s rays could break the horizon. She noticed a particular message appear before her eyes, it wasn’t just any message. But one from the Cardinal, dispatched to all players who still yet live. It was here that Vale realized, that she only had one week to remove her items from the building as the Housing Update was preparing to process.

Her eyes lost their focus once she read the time frame.

She knew, she had to keep the Forsaken Blade with her personally now, “Oh….. no….”

Edited March 5, 2018 by Vale

[Jomei 0]

Entering the guest bedroom, which was still much larger than he would expect for a spare room, the ginger turned on the light and moved his way towards the neatly made bed. Reaching up to his neck, Jomei unclamped his cloak and discarded it to the foot of the bed. Turning his back to the mattress, the man let out a heavy sigh as he let himself fall backwards, olive eyes staring up at the ceiling above him, "The hell did I get myself into..." he said to himself under his breath. The man laid there, thinking to himself -- did Dom constantly go through this torture as well? Even if he did.. he was able to harness its power and ignore the voices very well.. Though... The man sat up, now staring at the wall in front of him once he came to the realization that Dom had become much more... vicious and violent after obtaining the unique skill and claiming Gram for his own. Bringing a hand up to his head, Jomei pinched the skin between his eyes to try and rid his head of the stiffness he felt. For a moment, Jomei considered leaving.. not spending the night in Vale's mansion and just going. His conscious, however, would not let him. "I'll leave in the morning.." he said to himself, as he removed his boots and swung his legs up onto the mattress, staring up at the ceiling until sleep finally overcame him.