[PP-F6] Lucid Dreams (Arabelle)

[Shi 0]

For a moment, everything was dark. Not even the sound of the wind could be heard. There was only emptiness. Then, without any warning, Shi was engulfed in light. His eyes and mind tried to identify where he was. "I'm home." He smiled as he felt a warm arm wrap over his shoulder.

"Mom." Shi mumbled, but was given no response. His gaze was averted as he noticed another figure, who sat on a brown, leather couch. "Dad too."

The noirette was confused, but went along with the situation. Something felt off, although he wasn't sure what. He sat down beside his father, and his mother followed. Suddenly, the television flickered on, without even a click of the remote. Shi wasn't sure what exactly it was that they were watching, but it made him feel slightly uncomfortable.

They watched from a first person view as someone drove a bright red car, he couldn't tell what kind, drove along a long--seemingly endless--highway. Every part of him wanted to turn away from the screen, but he stayed focused on it against his will. Then, as quickly as it came, the setting changed once more. Now, he was inside of the expensive-looking car, steering it along the highway. Shi's head cocked to the right for only a moment, and he noticed his mother in the passenger seat. His mind was scrambling, attempting to find an answer to what was going on.

He turned back to the road ahead of him and watched as a massive truck began to swerve in the direction of his car. The charcoal-haired man could do nothing, not even move the steering wheel.

Then, as he felt the impact of the truck slamming into his vehicle, Shi's eyes flew open. He looked around at his surroundings. A dream? Or maybe more like a nightmare. Shi breathed heavily for a moment, but was able to collect himself quickly. He stared into the water in front of him and noticed that he had been crying a little. He wiped a tear off of his cheek with his sleeve, and continued to look around him. The noirette was at the Waterfall of the Sage, somewhere deep in the jungles of the sixth floor. Thankfully, there wasn't another person around to see him in that state. He had come for relaxation, but recieved something much different. Shi let out a sigh, before falling backwards onto the grass beneath him.

"What a day."

@Arabelle

Edited June 23, 2018 by Shi

[Arabelle 0]

"And here we are, Moondust~," Arabelle said to the small bird perched on her shoulder, her voice cheery as always. Moondust, a crow she had found back at Floor 2 with a nice frontliner named Macradon, looked around the area disinterestedly and looked back at her with an expectant look in its beady black eyes. It was not her idea to keep the familiar despite having none of the enhancements she wanted and the name wasn't her idea either, it was more of something she did so she wouldn't be wasting the nice frontliner's time. Arabelle regretted that decision a bit. The familiar turned out to be useless. He consumed too much food, too. And it cost money. So now-- "Wanna try finding another material for me, Moondust? I'll give you a treat. Come on."

And with that, the crow took flight and hovered in the air, looking for a place to go. She checked her surroundings. No players running around. The sixth floor's jungle wasn't a very popular place. Arabelle quietly reached behind her and her hand wrapped around the handle of her scythe. 

Then--it rained. "F*ck," hissed the small purple-haired girl. She quickly swiped open her inventory and her form shimmered as she equipped an oversized black coat over her armor and pulled the hood over her head. "Come on, Moondust," Arabelle called. The crow landed on top of her head and stayed there as she ran through the jungle, making her way towards that one area she knew didn't have rain. The area she'd hoped to avoid for the entirety of her stay in the game because of what she knew took place there. That quest where you faced your inner demons, or whatever. She hated the very concept of it and didn't know if it would trigger as soon as she reached the area. But she hated the rain and the feeling of being drenched from head to toe even more. 

She reached the area. There was no rain, as she expected. Just a light drizzle. And the quest didn't trigger. Hopefully. Arabelle looked around the area. There was the waterfall. It was lovely, but she couldn't appreciate it because of what it entails. And there was a man, lying on the grass and staring up at the sky. This wasn't a safe zone. How reckless of him. Still, being the social person she was, she found herself gravitating towards the only person in the area even though a part of her wanted him to go away. Arabelle padded closer and stopped a respectful distance from him. "Hey, are you alright?"

Spoiler

 BATTLE STATS

~STATS 
Level: 7 - 15 SP
140 HP
14 Energy
5 Damage
1 Mitigation
1 Accuracy
2 Evasion
2 Paralyze

~EQUIPPED
» [T1 - Perfect] Shikama Dōji -- Enhancements: Paralyze, Paralyze, Accuracy 
» [T1 - Perfect] Imperial Demon Army Uniform -- Enhancements: Mitigation, Evasion, Evasion

~BATTLE-READY INVENTORY
» 3 Starter Healing Potions (heals 50 HP) 

~SKILLS
Rank 2 - Two-Handed Battle Axe (+4 DMG, access to rank 2 sword arts)

E - 

~SWORD ARTS
Two-Handed Battle Axe
Rank 1
» [x2] Whirlwind (2 Energy) - A single sweeping attack so powerful that it sends forth a shock wave to hit again.
» [x2 AoE] Smash (2 Energy + 2 per target hit) - An uppercut aimed at opponents head to send them reeling.
Rank 2
» [x3 AoE] Lumberjack (3 Energy + 2 per target hit) - Three wide sweeping strokes aimed at multiple targets.
» [x3] Ultimate Breaker (3 Energy) - A pair of uppercuts that finish with a vertical slam to the target's head.

 

Edited June 21, 2018 by Arabelle

[Shi 0]

The blue sky seemed as though it were calling to Shi, pulling the man from the soil beneath him. In another time, he may have given in and followed the "voice." It was different now, however. Finally, after many long years, he had found the tiniest piece of hope. He planned on holding on to that.

It took a moment for Shi to notice the woman standing near him. "Huh?" He stumbled for words, which wasn't something he was used to. The noirette pulled himself up onto his feet and wiped the small amount of dirt off of his dark pants.

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for asking."

Of course, that wasn't 100% true. He felt as if his emotions would flood out of him at any moment. Shi wasn't used to this feeling. "Sorry, my name's Shi." He reached out his hand, inviting her to do the same. He was having immense trouble thinking straight. That was the normal thing to do, right? He looked around for a moment, only slightly coming to his senses. Where did this girl come from? He eyed her down. Violet hair tied back in a ribbon, as well as a black and green uniform that resembled that of a soldier. "So," he started, "been watching me for long?"

He was mostly joking, but somewhere deep down he likely felt at least a little bit self-conscious about what had happened prior to the engagement. Of course, he didn't even know what had happened, not really.

Edited June 23, 2018 by Shi

[Arabelle 0]

The lad rose to his feet, claiming that he was fine. He stood maybe a foot taller than her and wore dark apparel that suspiciously looked like the armor stealth-DPS players often wore (ninjas, they liked to call themselves). He was a man, that Arabelle was sure of after hearing his voice, but his slender build and long, flowy hair gave her the impression of a graceful person. But that was just her guessing. 

"I'm Arabelle." She accepted the hand he had offered to her and shook it. Her hand dropped to her side and she managed a friendly smile at his question. She couldn't tell whether he was being suspicious or teasing. So she answered as she normally would. "Ah, not really. I was just passing by and thought you had passed out," she explained. Then, with a sheepish expression, she asked: "Can people even pass out in this game?" 

Why was he here anyway? This wasn't a safe zone. And he hadn't been unresponsive, so he wasn't taking the quest. It was only after recalling the man's momentary hesitation(?) before introducing himself and the general awkwardness of the situation that Arabelle began to think, maybe she had disturbed him. The Waterfall of the Sage was not a very safe place but some players came here to meditate. Just because of the general nature of the place. "Uh, sorry. Were you doing something before this?"

[Shi 0]

(hi, merry christmas.)

"Arabelle, huh? It's good to meet you." He told her, managing a smile. Shi had never heard the name "Arabelle", however he quite liked it. He wondered what it meant.

Although he felt exhausted, he was almost certain it would pass in a moment or two. "Well, thanks for checking on me. I'm good, but I appreciate the gesture." If he was blushing, he was incredible at hiding it. He felt as though his face was on fire, however the fact that her expression didn't change (at least not that he could tell) made him believe that he was in the clear. It's an odd feeling, awkwardness—one that he was not accustom to. Perhaps he had overexerted himself training and it caused exhaustion. Or maybe the woman was a witch. There was know way of knowing.

For a moment, the violet-haired girl seemed puzzled; lost in thought. After catching herself, however, she asked if he had been doing something prior to their engagement. He shook his head. "No, I've been finished for a while. I was just... resting. I've been training all day." He explained, intentionally leaving out specifics, but giving at least enough information to keep a conversation going.

"What about you? I know I'm one to talk, being out here alone and all, but it isn't exactly a safe place to be by yourself."

@Arabelle

Edited December 26, 2018 by Shi