[SP-F3] <<Escape>> Determined Distractions

[Telrenya 0]

Slipping past the heavy oak door of the Artisan shop that saw little use as of late, Telrenya decided to poke around on the third floor in hopes of finding some sort of quest or other task that she could handle on her own that might be worth her while. It had only been a short time since Aereth had agreed to help her train, and the mistakes that she had made up to this point were glaring. She had been reckless more often than not, and in some cases she was lucky there was usually someone else around to bail her out of trouble. But her stubbornness kept her from avoiding solo leveling in between her training sessions with the mercenary. Instead, she would focus on not getting herself in over her head, which, given her track record, might prove difficult. It took a bit of digging, but Telrenya soon caught wind of a group of thugs, bandits, or otherwise ne'er-do-wells roaming around outside of Delilah's borders.

ID#: 92854 | LD: 5 - nothing

[Telrenya 0]

Thinking it the perfect opportunity, Telrenya made her way outside of the safe zone's borders while her menus were pulled up in front of her. The semi-transparent window bobbed through the air with each of her steps, and she pulled up her map data for the area. After several minutes of passing by the standard low-level monsters that populated the forest, the woman caught sight of a deserted campsite nestled among the trees. She stopped short, pressing close to the bark of a tree while her chocolate eyes scanned the area for any signs of other creatures. Without any movement to draw her attention, she carefully stepped forward and approached the dying embers of the campfire in the middle of the tiny settlement. A single tent stood nearby, and the blonde curiously eyed the entrance. Just as she was about to reach a hand forward to pull back one of the cloth tentflaps, Telrenya's vision began to blur.

ID#: 92855 | LD: 19 - +1 material [1 total]

[Telrenya 0]

If this had been the real world, Telrenya's head would have been pounding. Instead, as her eyes slowly fluttered open and a low grumble of discomfort escaped the woman's lips, she felt a sharp, persistent tingling sensation at the back of her skull. Picking her head up from the cold concrete it had been laying against, blonde brows narrowed in dazed confusion. "What...?" She tried to fight past the fuzziness in her head to get a grip on her surroundings. When her attempt to move her arms in front of her to aid in pushing herself up resulted in failure, she struggled for a moment longer before realizing her hands were tied behind her back. Her mind worked as quickly as it could manage, and after a minute she had pulled herself up to a sitting position while she continued to struggle against her restraints. It seemed as though her persistent movement was enough to wear down the durability of the bindings, as they shattered into crystals after a short time.

ID#: 92856 | LD: 4 - nothing [1 total]

[Telrenya 0]

With her hands finally freed, Telrenya let out a long, steady breath to calm her nerves. She found herself in a small room, surrounded by three stone walls with a fourth comprised of metal bars that ran from floor to ceiling. Almost as barren as the jail cells that she recalled from her and Jomei's misadventures on the twenty-first floor just days ago, Telrenya felt a lump of unease settling in her stomach while she rose to her feet. "Looks like I'm on my own this time..." She mumbled after approaching the iron bars and casting a glance to either side of the dimly-lit hall in front of her. Turning her gaze down to the worn, frayed clothing that covered her avatar and she grimaced. A quick check of her menus revealed that she had been stripped of not only her equipped items, but also everything in her inventory. Telrenya's eyes blinked as the gears in her mind worked to form a new possibility that caused the woman to freeze with fear.

ID#: 92857 | LD: 7 - nothing [1 total]

[Telrenya 0]

Her bare feet carried her slowly backwards until she had crossed the small room and her shoulders bumped against the cold stone behind her. Her pulse had quickened as the uncertainty of the situation loomed over her. Was this somehow the work of NPCs, like how the dragon cultists had dragged her and Jomei to their own crude dungeon prison? Or, what her head was telling her was a much more likely option, had she been captured by malicious players who had stolen all of her gear and were keeping her prisoner? Her hands lifted in front of her torso, and her left met her right wrist, fingers wrapping around while she registered the absence of the emerald clover that nearly always decorated her avatar. Her chest tightened, and while fighting back the tears that welled at the corners of her eyes the blonde tried her hardest to keep herself together.

ID#: 92858 | LD: 3 - nothing [1 total]

[Telrenya 0]

Her eyes searched the area yet again, this time trying to focus on anything that might serve to get her out of the abysmal situation she had landed in. After a few seconds of panicked observation, she landed on a wooden chest sitting against the wall opposite her cell, piquing a small sense of curiosity. She walked slowly forward again until she reached the wide, wrought-iron door that stood between her and the chest, reaching a hand out to carefully push against the metal bars. Surprisingly, it had a bit of give to it, rattling gently when she pulled her hand away. Her mind traveled back to her last prison break: one that Jomei mentioned hadn't been his first. She stared at the structure for several long seconds, thinking back to when she had watched the Irishman break out of his own prison cell. Filling her lungs with a deep breath of cool air, Telrenya took a few steps back and widened her stance, brows narrowed while she wore a determined expression to keep her other emotions at bay.

ID#: 92859 | LD: 3 - nothing [1 total]

[Telrenya 0]

Throwing her shoulder out to crash into the metal door, the rusted hinges tore from their frame as Telrenya was able to free herself. She stumbled before catching herself and regaining her balance, wincing at the loud clanging of metal against stone as the cell door toppled and lay on the ground beside her. Heart racing, Telrenya snapped out of her blank mind and returned her attention to the simple chest positioned against the wall. Pulling the lid open, a wave of relief washed over her as the display window showed her all of the items and equipment that had been taken from her. Letting out a breath to relieve some of the tension in her chest, she worked quickly to move the chest's contents back to their rightful place, and hastily swapped out the tattered clothing she wore for her leather combat attire. In an instant, she went from defenseless prisoner to masked adventurer--or at least, that's what she tried to tell herself. The gear that Aereth had made for her always managed to instill her with more confidence than she normally felt capable, but in her current situation she needed a little extra convincing to keep herself calm.

Equipped/Used:
»[Perfect] Veiled Dusk +3 DMG
»[Perfect] Erin's Favor +2 ACC +1 EVA
»[Uncommon] Cloak of Sunlight +1 LD
»(1) T1 Overhealth Potion [+50 Temp HP]

[Telrenya 0]

Standing back up with her rapier at her hip, Telrenya took stock of her surroundings once again. A simple stone-lined hallway that was kept lit with an occasional lantern fixed to the wall with a set space separating it from the next. At one end, a dead end. At the other, a wooden door with a small window featuring a few dark iron bars across the opening. The woman let out a sigh, "Looks like there's only one way out..." She mumbled, allowing her legs to start carrying her forward. She had nearly reached the door at the end of the hall when a small chiming sound in her ears caused her to give a start, freezing in place until she realized the sound was that of a new message. Heart pounding inside of her chest, she couldn't help the slight sense of irritation at the near-heart attack Cardinal's alert had incited.

ID#: 92860 | LD: 11 - nothing [1 total]

[Telrenya 0]

Her hand lifted in order to open her menus, but before she could complete the motion the sound of hurried footsteps coming from the other side of the door caused her to freeze up again. Her heart had hardly gotten the chance to stop pounding, and so her pulse only quickened further as a panic sparked in her chest. Telrenya had only managed to bring her hand to the hilt of her rapier when the door swung open a few feet in front of her. Two figures, a man and a woman, stood on the other side of the doorway with weapons drawn and pointed directly at her. Telrenya was frozen in place until her eyes found the cursors that spun in place over their heads. 'Monsters.' Her mind explained the red color of the markers with a single word, and a small wave of relief washed over her.

The pair of bandit guards wasted no time in rushing the woman, leaving Telrenya with barely enough time to rip her rapier from its scabbard in order to deflect the dagger that the first leapt towards her with. With arm went wide with the motion, leaving her wide open for the man with the curved blade to slice past her and deliver a pair of long red gashes across her left side. Behind her silver mask, she winced at the impact, but was quick to turn her attention to the offensive. Her right foot slid back to widen her stance and the thin blade glowed a soft golden hue just before it was thrust into her first attacker. After four consecutive strikes she withdrew, watching with anticipation as the target's health bar steadily drained.

ID#: 92308 | BD: 10 - Critical Hit! Quadruple Pain (x4) Active | MD1: 1 - Critical Miss!
(9 base) + (2 Critical) = (11 DMG) x (4 Sword Art) = 44 DMG - 20 MIT = 24 DMG
ID#: 92309 | MD2: 9 - Critical Hit!

Telrenya: 479/510 HP | 42/46 EN | 9 DMG | 3 ACC | 1 EVA
<<Bandit Guard 1>>: 6/30 HP | 30 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA
<<Bandit Guard 2>>: 30/30 HP | 30 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA

[Telrenya 0]

Her jaw clenched when the first bandit turned to her, still standing with a handful of hit points remaining to leave her health bar in the red. She must have overestimated either the bandits' health pool or their defenses, but she wasn't given the time to dwell on the matter. She had left herself in between both of the figures, and while the hit she had taken from the dagger hadn't done enough damage to cause her to worry, she didn't like the idea of having to split her attention between two opposite sides. She spun around, dropping her center and pulling her weapon close to her side while she readied another stronger sword art. With a quick lunge forward, she increased the number of rapid-fire strikes by two which proved just enough to drain the bandit's health bar fully. The man let out a groan of pain behind the scarlet bandanna that was pulled over his nose and mouth, dropping to his knees while his death animation played out and he was reduced to scattering shards of light.

ID#: 92310 | BD: 6 - Hit! Crucifixion (x6) Active | MD2: 5 - Dead
(9 base) x (6 Sword Art) = 54 DMG - 20 MIT = 34 DMG
ID#: 92311 | MD1: 3 - Miss!

Telrenya: 479/510 HP | 37/46 EN | 9 DMG | 3 ACC | 1 EVA
<<Bandit Guard 1>>: 6/30 HP | 30 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA
<<Bandit Guard 2>>: 0/30 HP | 30 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA - Dead

[Telrenya 0]

"One down." She noted in a low voice. Before she had the chance to whip back around to her original target, another chiming sound interrupted her. She gave pause, , but a moment later a sudden tingling sensation at the base of her spine caused her to wince with discomfort. The woman had dashed forward with the blonde's back was turned, driving her dagger into her back with one hand curled tightly around the hilt and the other palm planted against the pommel to push the blade deeper still. The force of the blow caused Telrenya's front foot to shift forward and catch herself to keep her balance. Her jaw tightened while she twisted herself around, bringing her left arm and and leveling it with her shoulder. With a solid blow, her elbow met the bandit's temple and knocked the woman aside, loosening the grip on her weapon just enough for Telrenya to whip the rest of her body around and face her opponent properly.

ID#: 92312 | BD: 2 - Miss! | MD: 9 - Critical Hit!

Telrenya: 479/510 HP | 36/46 EN | 9 DMG | 3 ACC | 1 EVA
<<Bandit Guard 1>>: 6/30 HP | 30 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA
<<Bandit Guard 2>>: 0/30 HP | 30 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA - Dead

[Telrenya 0]

"Okay, that was pretty dirty." She grumbled, registering the persistent discomfort from the dagger that was still lodged in her avatar. With her opponent missing her weapon and disoriented from the blow to the head, Telrenya gave another three quick slices with the tip of her rapier, drawing thin lines over her torso to reduce the the few hit points she held on to down to zero. With a similar animation as the bandit before her, the half-masked woman fell to her knees and collapsed to the stone floor, her body dissolving into lighted pixels when it would make contact with the hard surface. Telrenya reached behind her, grabbing at the hilt of the deceased bandit's dagger with her free hand and using one swift motion to wrench the blade from her spine. "Ugh... I really hope this doesn't become a new trend." She grimaced as she tossed the dagger aside, watching as the item burst into shards of light while she recalled the throwing knives another bandit had left her with a week or so prior.

ID#: 92313 | BD: 7 - Hit! Accel Stub (x3) Active | MD: 3 - Dead
(9 base) x (3 sword art) = (27 DMG) - (20 MIT) = 7 DMG

Telrenya: 479/510 HP | 34/46 EN | 9 DMG | 3 ACC | 1 EVA
<<Bandit Guard 1>>: 0/30 HP | 30 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA - Dead
<<Bandit Guard 2>>: 0/30 HP | 30 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA - Dead

[Telrenya 0]

She brought the tip of Veiled Dusk to its stormy-grey scabbard and sheathed the weapon at her hip. Letting out a sigh, she leaned back against the cold stone wall of the prison while she took a moment to catch her breath and allow the game's passive regeneration to kick in. If there was anything good to be taken from that encounter, it was that her opponents were classified as monsters, and not players. As an added bonus, they seemed to be around or under her level in terms of difficulty. "Is this just part of that bandit hunting quest?" She wondered aloud in a small voice. Momentarily lost in her thoughts, she recalled the notifications she had received and opened up her menus. She told herself that maybe one of her guildmates were seeing a weird location for her and wanted to make sure she was alright. Scrolling over to her messages, however, the name that appeared as the sender of both messages caused a knot of unease to form in her stomach.

Quote

To: Telrenya
Subject: Free Tonight?

Hey, sweetheart. I think we got off on the wrong foot the other day. If we're gonna be sort-of guildies and I'm gonna help you pull off this fake name stuff, we should get along, yeah?

♥ Erin

ID#: 92314 | LD: 8
Telrenya: 489/510 HP | 37/46 EN (1/3 Regen)

[Telrenya 0]

Just reading the first two words in his message, Telrenya could hear them spoken in the redhead's voice in her head. Coming from him, the pet name left her uncomfortable in any context. Trying her best to ignore it, she read over the rest of its contents with a lingering hint of skepticism before moving on to the second piece of text she had received an alert for.

Quote

To: Telrenya
Subject: Free Tonight?

Let me make it up to you. Meet me in Urbus, there's a place called Cordillera's Cafe. It's safe, in the middle of town, no weird shady stuff. I still have a few questions about this whole situation that I wanted to ask you.

-Erin

Her brows knit as she read over the second message, a troubled expression on her features behind the thin silver mask. Maybe it was the change in tone between the two messages, but she started to feel conflicted. As much as she didn't like being around Erin during their first encounter, she didn't want to be on bad terms with the man, at least not while she was still trying to raise her level and get to the frontlines.

ID#: 92861 | LD: 3 - nothing [1 total]
Telrenya: 499/510 HP | 38/46 EN (2/3 Regen)

[Telrenya 0]

Quote

To: Erin
Subject: RE: Free Tonight?

If you have questions, I don't mind trying to answer them but I'm a bit busy right now...

I'll get there tonight if I can, but I might be tied up for a bit.

-Telrenya

She had wracked her brain for the right words to reply with, as well as trying to decide how she wanted to handle his invitation in general. It was hard to trust the man after his previous behavior, so was it naive of her to want to get along with him properly and find a common ground where they could work together on this? Possibly, but she didn't want to risk things falling apart so early-on. Telrenya let out another small sigh, dismissing her menus with a flick of her wrist and pushing off of the rocky wall. Her wounds were almost completely healed, and she needed to focus her attention on getting out of this place. Drawing her weapon from its sheathe once more, she took careful steps to press on past the open doorway. She worked her way through dim passageways that reminded her of the cave tunnels on the twenty-first floor. It lacked any natural lighting, however, featuring only the uniform placement of torches along the wall. Turning a corner, she continued down another path for several paces until an almost-identical pair of bandits appeared around a bend at the other side of the passage. Telrenya froze, unable to escape from their view, and on cue a moment later one of them called out in a rough voice, demanding to know who she was and what she was doing.

ID#: 92316 | LD: 6+1=7 - Exit Not Found
ID#: 92317 | LD: 15 - Alarm Triggered
Telrenya: 509/510 HP | 46/46 EN (3/3 Regen)

[Telrenya 0]

If she knew anything from video games, it was that if you had the chance to do the opposite of what the bad guys tell you, you should generally take the opportunity. With a wide breadth between herself and the pair of bandits, the masked woman turned on her heel and started running back the way she came. While possibly counter-intuitive to her efforts to escape this place, she would rather avoid getting tangled up with every set of guards she encountered. One wrong move, and it was possible she would end up being hauled back off to another jail cell. With a much less stealthy approach now, her boots pounded against the hard stone floor while her eyes scanned for the next path she could take, feeling the bandits gaining on her as they turned the corner. 'Maybe these aren't fights you're supposed to be able to run from...' She thought nervously, rounding another sharp turn.

ID#: 92318 | BD: 2 - Miss! | MD1: 5 - Miss!
ID#: 92319 | MD2: 4 - Miss!

Telrenya: 509/510 HP | 44/46 EN | 9 DMG | 3 ACC | 1 EVA
<<Bandit Guard 1>>: 30/30 HP | 30 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA
<<Bandit Guard 2>>: 30/30 HP | 30 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA

[Telrenya 0]

After another quick turn, Telrenya was forced to halt her steps as she stared down a dead end. Her shoulders fell as her plan to slip away from the bandits promptly fell on its face and she turned around just in time to face the pursuers that caught up to her. She raised her weapon, only glad that she hadn't managed to pull the attention of any other guards with all of her running around the tunnels. The bandits had only stopped for a second before beginning their assault. Another curved sword user, this time paired with another wielding a spiked mace, Telrenya could only focusing on dodging and deflecting their combined assault. She slid the flat of her blade against her opponent's cutlass, turning her wrist to redirect the sharpened steel while she sidestepped the heavy swings of the mace. All the while, the small steps she took as the two bandits pressed their advance pushed her back closer and closer to the wall behind it.

ID#: 92320 | BD: 1 - Critical Miss! | MD1: 5 - Miss!
ID#: 92321 | MD2: 5 - Miss!

Telrenya: 509/510 HP | 43/46 EN | 9 DMG | 3 ACC | 1 EVA
<<Bandit Guard 1>>: 30/30 HP | 30 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA
<<Bandit Guard 2>>: 30/30 HP | 30 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA

[Telrenya 0]

Finally, an opening. Telrenya sidestepped another swipe of the mace, pulling her left shoulder back and bringing her leg around in a quick spin. Her movements were more fluid and practiced than they had been before, as if her body were reacting more quickly and allowing her to move more nimbly after the practice she had given it up to this point. Leading into the activation of another sword art, she was focused on putting out enough damage so as not to make the same mistake as she had earlier. With six successive strikes through the mace-wielder's frame, the bandit collapsed just the same, evaporating into a cloud of light and polygons. Through the bandit's dissipating form, his companion rushed towards Telrenya, weapon pulled high across his chest as he charged at her. In a rushed reaction, she lifted her own arm in an attempt to block or deflect the curved blade once more, but her strength was easily outmatched with her lack of preparation. The two blades clashed for a split second before Veiled Dusk was thrown downward. Telrenya stumbled back a half-step, but the curved steel was already coming back at her. The cutlass dragged through her avatar in a diagonal, leaving a large red gash that ran from her right hip all the way to the opposite shoulder.

ID#: 92322 | BD: 8 - Hit! Crucifixion (x6) Active | MD1: 9 - Dead
(9 base) + (2 Critical) = (11 DMG) x (6 Sword Art) = 66 DMG - 20 MIT = 46 DMG
ID#: 92323 | MD2: 10 - Critical Hit!

Telrenya: 477/510 HP | 38/46 EN | 9 DMG | 3 ACC | 1 EVA
<<Bandit Guard 1>>: 0/30 HP | 30 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA - Dead
<<Bandit Guard 2>>: 30/30 HP | 30 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya winced again. No matter how many times her avatar was slashed, battered, or beaten, she doubted it was a feeling she would ever get used to. Though normal pain was absent from her senses, Cardinal's tingly substitute was hardly pleasant. The large gash that ran across her torso caused her jaw to clench, but luckily it didn't distract her too much from the opponent still standing opposite her. The grip on her rapier tightened, and she pulled the weapon that had been knocked aside back to the forefront. Letting out a steady breath through her mouth, she felt her back pressing up against the stone wall as she readied another sword art. She pushed off against the cold surface, lunging forward and thrusting her thin blade through the bandit's taller frame and pushing him back with each strike. Just like the others, Telrenya managed to bring the bandit's health down to zero with the empowered attack.

ID#: 92324 | BD: 9 - Critical Hit! Crucifixion (x6) Active | MD2: 3 - Dead
(9 base) + (1 Critical) = (10 DMG) x (6 Sword Art) = 60 DMG - 20 MIT = 40 DMG

Telrenya: 477/510 HP | 38/46 EN | 9 DMG | 3 ACC | 1 EVA
<<Bandit Guard 1>>: 0/30 HP | 30 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA - Dead
<<Bandit Guard 2>>: 0/30 HP | 30 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 2 EVA - Dead

[Telrenya 0]

Once the figure in front of her had dissolved into shards of light, the woman took half a step back and a breath of air left her lungs in a sigh as her shoulderblades collided with the hard surface again. "I hope this is at least some good experience..." She mumbled aloud, trying hard to look for a silver lining. Just then, another alert chimed in her ears. Luckily the new message came at a time that didn't give her a heart attack or distract her from combat, and so she was able to calmly navigate her menus and pull up Erin's reply.

Quote

To: Telrenya
Subject: RE: Free Tonight?

Thanks. Hope you can make it, I'll be waiting.

-Erin

She felt a small knot twist in her stomach as she read the few words over. As much as she didn't want to see the redhead again--especially without Jevi around to back her up--she knew that avoiding him completely would only cause more trouble.

ID#: 92325 | LD: 20+1=21 - Exit Found
Telrenya: 487/510 HP | 39/46 EN (1/3 Regen)