[F01 - SP] Eggshells and Gemstones <<DHA: 1>>

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo had been spending the day searching for some new quests to do. She wasn't confident enough yet to actually attempt the quests on the higher floors. At least, not without help. She had heard a rumor though of a mysterious gate that was found on the tenth floor. What little she could get out of the information broker for free was that it had nine sockets for what appeared to be gemstones. They wouldn't tell where to find the gemstones, if they even knew that. She had filed the information into the back of her head, until recently. A mysterious contact had sent her a message saying they found a dragon hatchling holding closely onto a gemstone. They asked her to come and take out the hatchling. If she did, she could keep the gemstone so long as she promised not to get rid of it. For something that appeared to be trivial, she figured it would be worth her time to at least check out. 

[Neopolitan 0]

It didn't take long for Neo to make her way to the first floor and find the contact. They were just outside of the Town of Beginnings, waiting for her arrival. Though it seemed that they were anxious, they talked in a very calm, hushed tone. They gave her some more of the details about the dragon, and she nodded her unerstanding of them. Walking towards the forest, Neo decided it would be best to take things slowly. She didn't want to be cught off guard by the dragon, as hard as that may be. She called down her own pseudodragon companion, and it came to rest on her shoulders. Whether or not she would need them would remain to be seen, but it would be a good thing to have nonetheless. Approaching the forest's edge, Neo took a breath and walked into its dark and mysterious depths, wondering how far her goal lay ahead of her.

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo heard a stick snap in the distance and immediately began to crouch. It wouldn't be muchm, but perhaps she could get a surprise attack in on the hatchling. Spying it on the road ahead, she quickly drew her rapier and double checked all of her gear was in place. The little drahon wasn't that large, no bigger than a common dog. It was still quite terrifying to know what it could grow up to be though. There was no hesitation as she powered up her most powerful sword art and lunged at the monster. With four quick thrusts and a freeze in place from her familiar, the monster was left stunned frm her attack. She wasn't lucky enough to get the status effects that were on her weapon, but it was still a decent amount of its health gone. Once she landed on the opposite side of the beast, she prepared a second strike. The ice had held it in place just long enough that it was unable to retaliate against her.

Spoiler

Roll ID: #106159

BD: 6 + 2 = 8 - hit (7 * 8 = 56 - 25 = 31

CD: 3 - no recovery

MD: 4 - miss

LD: 9 - no stun

Neopolitan: 440/440 HP | 37/44 ENG (-7 sword art) | 14 MIT | 2 ACC | 9/10 Para | 9-10/12 BLD | REC 2

Rhaegal the Emerald Hatchling: 94/125 HP | 25 MIT | 50 DMG | stun on LD 17+

 

[Neopolitan 0]

The hatchling tried to lunge at Neo, but she was anticipating the attack. She had stepped out of the way but was unable to get a clear shot in on the dragon before it could disappear into the trees. It wouldn't be long before it came back down though. She had a feeling of alertness comming to her frmo her familiar, and made sure to check behind her. Hopefully, they would be able to catch the monster if it came up behind her. If it came out in front of her thoughm, it would be in for a world of hurt. Hopefully next time she would be able to get the paralysis andd pin it in place. Once it wasn't moving she would be able to hit it much better.

Let's see what you are truly made of Dragon. I bet that you won't be lasting too much longer if I can keep the assault up.

Spoiler

Roll ID: #106160

BD: 3 + 2 = 5 - miss

CD: 7 - recovery

 MD: 3 - miss

LD: 2 - no stun

Neopolitan: 440/440 HP | 38/44 ENG (+1 regen; -2 miss; +2 recovery) | 14 MIT | 2 ACC | 9/10 Para | 9-10/12 BLD | REC 2

Rhaegal the Emerald Hatchling: 94/125 HP | 25 MIT | 50 DMG | stun on LD 17+

 

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo heard a sccreech behind her and immediately turned around, blade already glowing blue. As the hatchling bursst from the ofliage, she already had the first thrust going at it. It was stopped in its tracks and she quickly gave the beast three more stabs for good measure. Its health continued to drop further, and her dragon was remaining vigilant. The dragon itself was backing up a little and Neo made sure to keep her pressure on itl. She stood just out of range of its bite, but made sure to stay close enough she could attack it if need be. This was the dragon's turf so she didn't want to overextend. It could very well draw her into a trap and she'd be none the wiser. There could also be more hatchlings aorund, though she was doubtful of that as it seemed each gem on the gate had been different.

Spoiler

Roll ID: #106160

BD: 5 + 2 = 7 - hit (7 * 8 = 56 - 25 = 31

CD: 1 - no recovery

 MD: 5 - miss

LD: 6 - no stun

 Neopolitan: 440/440 HP | 32/44 ENG (+1 regen; -7 sword art) | 14 MIT | 2 ACC | 9/10 Para | 9-10/12 BLD | REC 2

 Rhaegal the Emerald Hatchling: 63/125 HP | 25 MIT | 50 DMG | stun on LD 17+

 

[Neopolitan 0]

The dragon shook its head in an attempt to clear it, but Neo's familiar was going to give it no time to recover. It quickly swooped in and frosted its mouth shut, letting Neo safely approach for another attack. Her first hit shattered the ice and sent the beaast recoiling. She then pressed its back into a tree as she stabbed it more and more. Its health fell dangerously low and it was likely one or two hits from going down entirely. This enemy was a lot easier than the roker had made it seem like. She had been hoping for an actual challenge and was instead faced with something thaat was rather weak. It had yet to hit her, though she remained vigilant for any strikes that were coming her way. Hopefully it wouldn't strike her, though she was fairly certain she could stand at least a few hits from it.

Spoiler

Roll ID: #106162

BD: 8 + 2 = 10 - hit (7 * 8 = 56 - 25 = 31 damage)

CD: 4 - no recovery

 MD: 1 - miss

LD: 7 - no stun

 Neopolitan: 440/440 HP | 26/44 ENG (+1 regen; -7 sword art) | 14 MIT | 2 ACC | 9/10 Para | 9-10/12 BLD | REC 2

 Rhaegal the Emerald Hatchling: 32/125 HP | 25 MIT | 50 DMG | stun on LD 17+

 

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo continued her assault against the hatchling as it lay pinned against the tree. Her latest strikes had reduced it to just a sliver of health, not even noticeable on the game's UI. She was abot to go for the killing blow when the dragon let out a screech that left her limp. She slumped to the ground, unable to move. Using the opportunity from her lack of movement, the dragon took a bite out of Neo and managed to drop her health a bit. Not knowing how long she would be stuck on the ground, she quickly sent a thought out to her familiar. It wasn't nearby when the screech was let out, so hopefully it wouldn't be stunend like she was. If that was the ccase, then it could possibly keep the monster off of her as she got herself up.

I knew this would be an actual fight, but I wasn't expecting this.

Spoiler

Roll ID: #106195

BD: 5 + 2 = 7 - hit (7 * 8 = 56 - 25 = 31 damage)

CD: 7 - recovery

 MD: 9 - minor crit

LD: 19 - stun

 Neopolitan: 404/440 HP | 22/44 ENG (+1 regen; -7 sword art; +2 reccovery) | 14 MIT | 2 ACC | 9/10 Para | 9-10/12 BLD | REC 2 [Stunned 1/1]

  Rhaegal the Emerald Hatchling: 1/125 HP | 25 MIT | 50 DMG | stun on LD 17+

 

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo was stuck on the ground as the dragon hatchling continued to take bites out of her. It let out another screech just as she was getting up and ended up falling back down to the ground helpless. At least she knew the amount of time it would last. But for now she just had to lay there and take a beating in hopes that she would be able to get one last attack in against it. Either that or hope that her familiar would be able to finish the job. That would mean she could actually make it back to town with whatever the draagon was guarding. Perhaps her familiarwas ouot of range, maaybe its smaller size meant it could recover faster. She didn't know enough about the effect to properly counteract it. Still, she sent the thought out and hoped that it would be heard. At the very least, she would be able to keep her familiar informed if it couldn't see what was happening.

Spoiler

Roll ID: #106199

BD: stunned

CD: 3 - no recovery

 MD: 10 - major crit

LD: 18 - stun

 Neopolitan: 368/440 HP | 23/44 ENG (+1 regen) | 14 MIT | 2 ACC | 9/10 Para | 9-10/12 BLD | REC 2 [Stunned 1/1]

  Rhaegal the Emerald Hatchling: 1/125 HP | 25 MIT | 50 DMG | stun on LD 17+

 

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo continued to lay there, but the dragon hatchling seemed to have lost interest in her. At least it meant she was able to pick herself up. She pushed a thought letting her familiar know where she was still. She watched as the hatchling was limping away from her, its health bar dangerously low. no matter how powerful it may have been, she had been able to take it down rather easily. One more strike would finish it off. So long as she wasn't stunned onto the ground again, she should be able to take it out. Letting her familiar know her plan, she prepared herself for a final strike against the monster. One strike to finish it off, then whatever it was protecting would be hers. One more strike and she could move on to something better.

Let's see if you thought I was dead or not shall we? My bet is that you did think that and this will catch you off guard. What an easy coincidence.

Spoiler

Roll ID: #106605

BD: stunned

CD: 3 - no recovery

 MD: 4 - miss

LD: 15 - no stun

 Neopolitan: 368/440 HP | 23/44 ENG (+1 regen) | 14 MIT | 2 ACC | 9/10 Para | 9-10/12 BLD | REC 2 [Stunned 1/1]

  Rhaegal the Emerald Hatchling: 1/125 HP | 25 MIT | 50 DMG | stun on LD 17+

 

[Neopolitan 0]

The dragon Hatchling wasn't expecting a single strike to come his way. Without so much as a doubt in her mind, she ended its life. As it shattered, she was able to figure out what it was guarding. It appeared to be some sort of gemstone. Though she wasn't certain, it was quite likely that it was one of the gemstones needed to open the gate that had appeared on the tenth floor earlier. She put it into her inventory and looked around to see if there was anything else for her to grab. not finding anything, she called down her familiar with a thought and prepared to leave the area. It was nice to finally be done with this quest, though she had a feeling there was going to be more to it. Unless the quest expected nine players to enter at the same time, there was probably more dragons that would need to be fought. That meant she would want to pair up with somebody to fight them with.

Spoiler

Roll ID: #106608

BD: 6 + 2 = 8 - hit

CD: 11 - recovery

 MD: dead

LD: dead

 Neopolitan: 368/440 HP | 20/44 ENG (+1 regen; -7 sword art; + 2 recovery) | 14 MIT | 2 ACC | 9/10 Para | 9-10/12 BLD | REC 2 [Stunned 1/1]

  Rhaegal the Emerald Hatchling: 0/125 HP | 25 MIT | 50 DMG | stun on LD 17+

 

[Neopolitan 0]

It was a bit of a walk back towards the Town of Beginnings, but Neo didn't mind so much. It gave her some time to think things over. Her dragon, who she had still yet to name, was flying over head as she crossed the plains from the forest's exit. She called out to her familiar with a thought, realizing that now was as good a time as any to actually give it a name.

So, first we need to figure out what gender of name you would prefer. Think positive for female and negatively for male. Or give me something random if you want androgynous.

She had no idea how complex of a thought she could give to the little dragon, but it seemed to understand. It gave off a more negative feel, which meant that she should go for something a bit more masculine.

Of course, we'll need to find you an actual name in there. Not sure what to go for...

[Neopolitan 0]

The dragon kept starting at her, almost gazing into her soul. It was actually a rather strange feeling. She tried to think of a few names, though everything she came up with was being received with negative feelings from the dragon.

Why don't we go for gemstones. No? Well, how about colors, that's a nice theme. Still no, huh? Maybe we can go for nations? There's a few in there.

A positive feeling came from the dragon, and she could tell that was going to be a good idea for her to go with. Of course, that meant she had to come up with a few ideas for names in there. Only one really came to mind though.

How about Roman? That's a fun name.

The dragon actually nodded its head this time.

Roman it is then.

As she finished thinking about the name, Roman took to the skies once more, flying high above her and the rest of the floor. He seemed to mostly do what he wanted to do, so she let him. After all, she would only really need him for fights.

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo walked into the Town of Beginnings, noticing the feel of dread in the air once more. She made sure not to lose her will until she had at least turned in the quest she had gotten. It didn't take long to fin the information broker, they seemed to be in the same place. Whether or not they were an NPC was a mystery, though the quest complete screen made her feel like it was an NPC. After turning it in, she inspected the gem further, noting that it said it was part of a collection.

It seems there are more gems after all. Guess I'll need to take out quite a few dragons as they pop up. Best that I find someone to do this with, I don't think I'll be able to solo my whole way through unless it stays at the same level of difficulty. But who could I go with?

[Neopolitan 0]

There was no one she could really think of that would work well with her and was powerful enough. She had been associating so much with the lower level players she had neglected making relationships with the front liners. Of course, most of them had probably already done this quest and she doubted they would do it again just to carry her through it. She had no one that was around her level that she could fight with. There was maybe Hazado, but he was about 10 levels below her and going for a tank build. There was of course someone like Su, but she was going to be way too low of a level for her to take. As it stood, she would need to find someone else to fight the dragon hatchlings with. There was no one around her level that she could pair up with. And though she could ask a few of her front liner friends, she doubted they would actually want to join her.

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo was walking along and hadn't realized that her feet had taken her towards the monument of life. Sitting there, she was immediately taken to both the ends of the stone. The first name she checked was Amethyst, the person she had watched die while Neo wasn't strong enough to save her. Though that pain had faded, she still felt the guilt of taking her along with her for that quest. The swarm had come too fast and there was nothing that she could've done to stop it.  As it stood, there was no need to feel guilt besides letting her come. That was back when Neo knew nothing though, so it was understandable that that had to have happened. At the very least, it shocked her into realizing just how real this game was. THey were gone now, and there was nothing Neo could do about it, nothing at all.

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo was pulled towards the other end of the stone, and stared at the name that wouold haunt her for years to come. Vanilla. Her best friend who she had repressed all memory of since her death. Only the painful experience of the memory was able to wake her from that. She had seen it from her killers eyes, taking out her own friend. In fact, she had nearly been killed herself while frozen in fear. Neither of them were well enough equipped to take on the threat of those players, but there was no escape. They had been set upon without any warning and Vanilla was killed in cold blood. Neo had no clue where either of those players were now, and she only knew one of their names. But one day, she would track them down. One day she would make them pay for what they did. Not with their lives, though she would slowly drain them of whatever sanity this game left them with. She would take them down to their knees.

[Neopolitan 0]

Shaking off the anger as best as she could, Neo decided to wander around the town for a bit. There was plenty going on, such as several players interacting with the man who gave out the beginner quest line. Perhaps Neo should try to bring the players to the front lines, help them out. If she could end the game quicker, than the PKers would have less capability to murder others.  They would find themselves responsible for the murders that they committed. Of course, there was probably quite a few orange players that had already found themselves at the edge of the blade belonging to some knight or vigilante. That doesn't mean the ones who are still alive can't pay for what they've done. This game was being a toll on all of them, and they should be able to make it without having to worry about anyone killing their own kind. That seemed to be though where many of the deaths were coming from.

[Neopolitan 0]

Working her way towards the central plaza, Neo realized that the players had no organization. Though there was a few guilds and raid meetings, there was no way for players to really know what has been happening. It was purely by chance that Neo had discovered the clearing of the various floors and started to make a move forward. Now, she realized that she could do something besides push the front lines forward. She was already used to writing things out and making messages to convey her meaning just from the communications that she did do. She could carry that on and create a newsletter to dsitribute to all of Aincrad. The biggest question wasn't whether or not she could do it, but how in the world would she distribute it. There was already 23 floors and that number would only go up from here. If only there was some form of electronic distribution.

[Neopolitan 0]

Perhaps some form of blog would work best, though she had no idea if that was even feasible. At the very least, she could try to make sure that there was a source for news and happenings. Perhaps she could throw in a little bit of entertainment as well. If it meant she could help spread the news of progress, she would be able to make sure that players didn't think their situation was hopeless. They wouldn't be stuck thinking the front lines had stopped after the first couple of bosses. After all, that's what she had believed. There wasn't much to do besides help others, at least not while she was still levelling herself to get to the front lines. As it stood, she oculd barely join in the fight if she wanted to. She would definitely want some better gear before she was able to really fight at her best potential.

[Neopolitan 0]

Whatever the case was going to be, Neo knew that it would take some time before she could do anything. She needed to go out and get as many resources as possible. She waved goodbye towards the names on the monument, knowing she would be back to mourn again. But for now, she had found herself a bit of a purpose in life. She would be able to help spread some hope to other players. It wouldn't even be a false hope. It would be the news that progress was being made and that we have not stopped fighting for our freedom. Though Kayaba may have trapped them in this game, he had forgotten one thing in his world simulation. People were not going to give up and just live in his world. People were going to fight to get back to their own world. People would make their way forward until they could no more. People wouldn't stop until they were all free from this tyranny.

Spoiler

Thread Summary:

• DHA 1 complete: 1 SP, 500 Col, and Rhaegal's Emerald (DHA gemstone 1 of 9)
• 1 Page of RP: 1 SP and 400 Col