[PP-F11] Beginning or End of a Journey?

[Aereth 1]

Spoiler

Aereth

Level 51

Stats:
1020 HP
102 Energy
+3 Accuracy
+3 Evasion
+9 Mitigation
2(2H Base)+5(Weapon Skill) + 3*3(Familiar T3) =  16 Base Damage
 

Items:
Crow (Armor) +2 EVA, +1 MIT
Dexterous Intent (Ring) +3 ACC
Nightingale (Armor) +3 EVA

Battle Ready Inventory:

Mods:
Blindside
Surprise Attack

Buffs:
 

Skills:
Rank 5 Katana
Rank 5 Hiding
Rank 3 Charge
Rank 2 Search and Detect
Rank 3 FM:Fighter
Rank 1 OHCB
Disguise
[Survival] earned, but not activated

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING!

Quote

Important Notice:
This [OP] thread will be changed over to a [PP] thread once 1-4 more players have joined. This isn't a hard cap, so if there are more who want to join DM me. I just don't want to have a thread with TOO many participants, since it can get very tedious very rapidly when trying to keep up and respond to 10 posts at once. xD
In this thread anybody is free to attack and attempt to kill Aereth if it would make a good story, aligns with how characters usually act or have a legit reason to want Aereth gone. If you character wants to kill Aereth, please contact me over DM or Discord so we can talk about the details. As soon as the details are clear you get green light to kill him. (But be aware that Aereth will strike back if he gets attacked. He is Nr. 1 on the kill scoreboard at all.  ;) )

Also this doesn't mean that you can't join if you don't want to fight him and don't hesitate to join since Aereth won't attack anybody without reason and a warning (OOC) beforehand. This thread is OP because I want to get Aereth some interaction with other characters, maybe old acquaintances, maybe completely foreign players. I'm open for anything. So if you are just interested in some RP with my char thats also perfectly fine.

The point of this thread for me personally is to re-establish Aereths character after my long absence. So if you enjoy stories with a little bit of a more serious tone to it then drop by and lets have some fun.

01:34
Outskirts of Taft

Many months have passed since the brunette had ventured into the depths of the Laughing Coffin hideout. How he made it out, he still didn't really understand, but from his perspective it seemed like there has been a raid on the base where he was held captive... Hmmm... To be completely honest, held captive was somehow the wrong way to describe it, but this is a story for another day... Anyway, something happened and he among the other prisoners was set free.

Was Laughing Coffin gone?

If they weren't, would they come for him, in order to take him back?

Well, he didn't really care. He stopped caring the day he finally got what he always wanted... Bittersweet revenge...

His gaze was empty and his steps were slow and heavy, which made it seem like he was aimlessly wandering about, but for him his goal was clear. He needed something to drink. Something strong. And although it was unfortunately not possible for him to get drunk in this virtual hellhole, he still longed for the taste and the imaginary sensation and relief that came with that taste. And so he was making his way to the only player run bar outside of the safety of the safe zones.

 

 

 

Edited March 19, 2020 by Aereth

[Hidden 1]

The cloaked player sat within the tavern, eyes locked onto the bartender. She had come here for information. Information regarding the whereabouts of Laughing Coffin's main base of operations. Over time, she had accumulated enough power to hopefully be able to shred the guild and finally earn her well deserved payback, and hopefully the trust of the Aincrad frontliners. As the most wanted player, it had been though in the last couple of months, but she had continued to stay strong. Single-handedly, she had forged an alliance with someone who even the APD refused to let information leak. The APD would be the next to feel her wrath, but she would take them down with words. After she was recognized by the players again, she would be framing them as the monsters they were. They were not trying to protect the peace, but instead benefit themselves by removing those they deemed dangerous to whatever cause they actually served. 

A dagger sat in between her and the barkeep, the wood splitting from the point of her dagger. She was already frustrated. This was one of the few player owned bars that allowed in Player Killers. Which meant it was supposed to be ripe with information. Nobody else sat at the counter but her, the rest were almost cowering in the surrounding tables, the aggressiveness of the cloaked player scaring them. 

"There isn't anyway you don't know something. You're gonna part with that information, or you're going to be parting with your life." She threatened dangerously to the bartender. 

@Aereth

Stats

Spoiler

Hidden
Level 43
[0] Hidden | 880/880 HP | 86/86 EN | 13 DMG | 61 MIT | 4 ACC | 2 EVA | Phase | (8-10) Para Venom | 2 Turn Bleed.24 (9-10)
880 HP
86 Energy
4 Accuracy
2 Evasion
13 Base Damage
61 Mitigation
+ 50% Phase
+ (8-10) Paralytic Venom
+ (9-10) 24 Bleed
+1 Stealth Rating

Gear
<<Shadow's Infection>> // +1 Phase, +1 Paralytic Venom, +1 Bleed
<<Shadow of Dusk>> // +36 Mit, +1 EVA
<<Shadow's Light>> // +3 ACC
              <<Umbra>> // +6 DMG

Buffs

Battle Ready Inventory
3x Perfect T2 HP Crystals (Recover 120 HP)
3x Perfect T2 HP Potions (Recover 120 HP)
1x Teleport Crystal

Skills

Dagger | Rank 5: +5 DMG
Hide | Rank 1: +1 Stealth Rating
Light Armor | Rank 5: +18 Mitigation                               
E Familiar - DMG | Rank 3 +6 DMG
E Survival | No Ranks: Immunity to Environmental Effects
E Disguise | +1 EVA til next turn - 5 Turn Cooldown

Skill Mods

Athletics ~ +20 HP, +1 DMG
Precision ~ +1 ACC

Acrobatics ~ +1 EVA

 

[Aereth 1]

Raising an eyebrow at the aggressively voiced command, the female bartender replied. "Do you really think threatening anybody will get you everything you want? " The redhaired woman sighed. "Doesn't matter how sought after you are or how high your level is. If you want to kill me, please do so, since I can't and probably arent even able to stop you, but this will only earn you even more problems and at the end of the day you wont have any more information than before." It was always the same with those wannabe tought and strong players. "There are only so many player run ins in this hellhole of a game so if you kill one of them you might even make enemies on the orange side, and since I don't assume you want to have even more players up your pretty a*se I suggest you show some respect and pay for your information like anybody else." She said in a strong but calm voice which made some of the other players inside slightly raise their heads.

Tense silence filled the room and was only interrupted by the entrance door creaking open and revealing our hooded brunette. With steady steps he made his way over to the counter before removing his hood and facial mask. "The usual..." Aereth said before looking down the counter and noticing a special dagger. He knew this dagger from somewhere. Looking up at the owner of the weapon, a cloaked player with a seemingly high anger potential radiating of of him or her, it made click...

@Hidden

Edited March 18, 2020 by Aereth

[Mari 1]

Huh

So the rumours were true; there was a player run bar on the outskirts of a town on the 11th Floor. It took Mari an entire day of looping around Taft to find signs of it - but the signs were there. Players wearing cloaks - a trodden down path in the forest, anthills that had been stomped down and filled. Small things that some may not notice if they were just passing through - hell, most green players would not have taken the time Mari did - they could teleport from town to town, unlike her. Hell, even some PKer's managed to venture into town to utilize the teleportation services, but not her - she wasn't fast enough, nor did she have the right skillset yet.

"Hmm..." She stood in front of the place, she couldn't see any name or identifier, but she supposed that was for the best. Sometimes nameless things were harder to trace - Nameless. That'd be a neat name for a PKer accessible bar.

Mari opened the door and shut it behind her; "Well then...."  It was so dark inside, and the few patrons who were there - most if not all were wearing hoods. "Is...that a dress code I should be worrying about?" Mari asked the bartender as she pointed at a hooded patron. The patron huffed and turned away from her. Well, guess she couldn't make everyone happy. Wasn't her fault that everything was so...abysmal in here. It may have been harsh - and it was certainly to no fault of the establishments owner, but the entire room felt as though a heavy atmosphere hung in it. Mari was a high enough level that she felt relatively safe - at least from one or two charged up blows. Sides, if anyone did attack her - they'd get burned. Literally.

She was like a flickering flame in a world shrouded in darkness, she moved to the Bar and hefted herself up onto a barstool. Her fingers drummed along the bar in rythmic taps. Was she supposed to order? The barkeep looked like he was in a heated conversation with that patron. They look familiar....

She couldn't pick it, it was hard to do with the fully cloaked figures. But they felt familiar at least.

"So....Do I need to wear a cloak or....am I able to have a drink without one?"

 

General
Level: 58 | HP: 1190  |Energy: 116

STATS
DAM: 11 | EVA 3  | MIT 43 | ACC 4 | 

SKILLS
Rank 5 Weapon (+5 DMG)
-Weapon Mod: Precision (+1 ACC)
Rank 5 Charge (+5 Damage -1 ACC)
Charge Mod BULL RUSH: Successful charge stuns target 1 turn
Rank 5 Light Armor (+25 MIT)
SURVIVAL
Rank 5 Battle Healing (5% of total health rounded down start of each turn)

EQUIPPED
Name: Kusanagi | Item Type: Dagger | Tier 2
Enhancements: Bleed 2 | Damage 2
'Bleed Damage of 24 for 2 turns on a roll of 8-10'

Name: Beacon Necklace | Item Type: Pendant | Tier 2
Enhancements  +3 ACC 

Name: Infernal Shadow | Item Type: Light Armour | Tier 3
Enhancements:  +2 Eva | +1 Flame Aura
'Effect: Prevent (6 per slot * Tier) damage per slot from successful attacks against you. Successful non-critical attacks against you deal (5 per slot * Tier) unmitigated burn damage to the attacking enemy.

 

@Aereth  @Hidden Edited March 19, 2020 by Mari

[Aereth 1]

His train of thought was interrupted by the barowner placing a drink in front of him. "Always nice talking to you. You're a really good listener." the female said after Aereth didn't respond to her greeting and small talk.

"The hell is this, Sherry?" Aereth said after looking at his drink. In front of him stood a greenish drink in a Y-shaped glass. It had a very strong apple smell..

"Don't Sherry me Max. I mean what the f*ck? First that girl trying to play tough lady on me, then you walking in this place after x freaking months without a greeting then spacing out. Just because all of you are orange doesn't mean that you are allowed to behave like total morons. I mean is it really so hard to show some manners and open your mouth to get a few proper words out before going all edgy again?"

He sighed. "I'm sorry. The last months were kinda rough. So pleeeease can I have my whiskey. You've got the best in Aincrad"

"Yeah I can see that. You look like sh..." she diidn't manage to finish her sentence as a new player entered the bar. "An no you'll drink that now and after that we can talk about another drink."

He clicked his tounge before turning to the newcomer that just entered. "Its not required but if you want to be part of the cool kids, I have another one in my inventory."

Sherry rolled her eyes...

@Mari

[Mari 1]

"Haha... N-no I'm fine I'd really rather not. It was an honest observation." Mari said as she shifted her gaze over the patrons. She didn't really want to join the gang of caped crusaders. "I see why, I guess. Not many people want to have others know who they are, or where they go - when you're wanted, you're wanted... but if anything I figure the safest place for a Pker is a bar full of them." Mari leaned forward and placed her head in her hand. "Because..." She added in a soft tone, "We all have our scars, we all carry a weight that not many others understand, yanno?" Mari thought back to her run in with Hidden, and just how much they had in common, although the young lass had yet to try and pull herself out of that dark depth of depression.

"Sorry, where are my manners? I'm Mari. Just Mari." She said as she reached out with her free hand to shake the bartenders hand. Her eyes briefly shifted to the side at the patron who was complaining, rather loudly about wanting a whiskey. Mari smirked, then tried to hold in a laugh. "And I'll have the whiskey he was gonna have, if you don't mind thanks."

@Aereth @Hidden

[Aereth 1]

"Fine by me. If you change your mind you know who to call." He replied jokingly.

"A smart one..." the brunette then thought to himself before turning to his Appletini. "Everybody has a story. Green players just tend to ignore this. They only look at your cursor and either cower in fear or rally against you. Here nobody cares."

"Fianlly." the redheaded woman said after Mari introduced hersef, reaching for her offered hand. "I'm Sherry. And I'll get you one right away." she said before opening her menu and fetching some ingredients.

Inwardly cursing at Sherry for giving Mari HIS drink the Aereth turned towards the newcomer. To at least numerically one of the most dangerous players in Aincrad. What a coincidence. Number one and two in kill count in one bar... "You're an interessting one Mari. I've heard from you but this is the first time we meet. My name is Aereth. What brings you here? I didn't see you in this fine etablissement in the past."

Sherry shot him a mean look before handing the drink over to Mari. "How would you know? You have been gone missing for months. She could be my girlfriend without you ever noticing."

"Oh come on. I know you're not into girls."

"At least SHE has manners."

@Mari

[Mari 1]

"Yeh..." Mari said in response to the brunettes words. "Sadly, in my experience - there are also many orange players against other orange players. It's all..." Mari sighed as she ran a hand through ginger locks, her freckled face furrowing in mild annoyance. "It's a mess. An intangible incomprehensible mess. People are slowly loosing their humanity in this place. It feels like there aren't any second chances and I feel like that's... just wrong." Even criminals in the real world got second chances, possibilities of rehabilitation, and were allowed to live - so why did it have to be different here?

Mari shifted her gaze back to the Bartender, "Ah - Thanks Sherry."  Mari knew it was wise to always be kind to your bar staff, besides - it seemed like the woman needed someone to be somewhat decent to her. As the bartender was busy preparing Mari's drink the other spoke again. He seemed to have heard of her before, that wasn't surprising. "Interesting?" Mari asked, curious, just what had he heard of her? Did he hear the stories that everyone else regurgitated? Or did he hear and know of something else. "Why do you say that?"

As he introduced himself the barkeeper made a joke about how she and Mari could have been dating, that would have worked - maybe - if he didn't just see them introduce themselves to each other. Mari gave Sherry a coy grin and a wink, "Yeh, we could be. I sure wouldn't mind."

Aereth...Aereth...where did Mari know that name from....She had heard it only recently...Her eyes widened in realization, and she blurted out. "Oh You're Aereth!? I thought you were a girl... I mean..." She scratched the back of her head. Crap. She wasn't meant to blurt that out. "I actually have a bit of a bone to pick with you. I-" Mari paused as Sherry placed the drink in front of her.

"Thank you, Sherry."

Mari shifted her attention back to Aereth. So this was the person who was harassing Hidden? Didn't Hidden mention something about a player marking her and placing a bounty on her? She had mentioned the name Aereth, and whilst she didn't outwardly say that he had done anything to her, the way she said his name - it implied some things... Nuh-Mari wasn't having that. "Now, I could be assuming things here...But...You've kinda been a thorn in the side of someone I know, and I don't think I like the implications that were said, granted nothing was directly said - but the way what was said..." Mari picked up her glass and swirled the drink around. She took a long slow sip, her crystalline blue eyes refusing to shift from the man before her. Without breaking eye contact Mari swallowed and placed the drink back down on the bar. "So...tell me Aereth- what will it take for you and whatever this police force is to leave a player named Hidden alone?" Whatever jovial tone she had earlier and disappeared. Mari was serious.  "Might I add, I refuse to actually injure or kill anyone, but why not leave her alone? What do you all want? Col? A house? Mats? Quest Items? Something intangible..." She asked as she absently ran a finger around the rim of the glass.

Hidden wasn't here to defend herself. But Mari would. In her place. Hidden seemed so alone, and believed that no one was on her side, that no one would want to protect her, but the raven haired girl was wrong.

Mari turned her eyes back to the bar. "I don't want any harm to come to her, is all." 

@Hidden  @Aereth
(Now waiting for Hidden to respond)

[Aereth 1]

"You're interessting because you get IT." Aereth replied hoping the woman would understand. "Everybody makes mistakes. Most of the players I know only see black and white and nothing in between only ones and zeros. This is how this world works... Truly a mess."

The banter continued and when Mari mentioned that she thought Aereth was a girl he grinned and emptied his Appletini. "I hope at least I make a pretty one?" His face twisted slightly. "I hate this taste..."

"Don't take her Sherry. She surely just wants free drinks." he said laughingly which earned him a smack to the shoulder from the redehaded barlady.

The next thing captured his attention though. She had a bone to pick? With him? Tense silence filled the room before Sherry put a glass of whiskey in front of Aereth with a little bit more force than necessary. "No fights in here. I hope this is clear." Her voice was strong but Aereth could clearly see some kind of nervousness in her face. He knew this woman ever since he turned orange. She had seen him on his highs and on his lows and thus he trusted her, but especially becasue she had seen him on his high and lows she knew what he was capable of when unhinged. "Don't worry. I have no intention of starting a fight wiht anyboy. Promise."

The wiskey went down effortlessly and his face lit up for a moment before responding to Mari. "I don't know what she told you..." brown eyes met her gaze. "... but I most certainly never harassed her. How should I even? I got an alibi. I've spent the last couple of months with some good old friends... And before that we were like besties. But if you got stuff to give away I'll gladly keep you entertained if you pay my drinks. I can tell you the whole story if you want, but how about we just let her join the conversation?" he said feeing an aggressive aura creeping over his back.

@Mari @Hidden

(We are waiting for you ;) )

Edited March 19, 2020 by Aereth

[Hidden 1]

Hidden was getting annoyed. Not only was this bartender not giving her any worthwhile information, she was willing to open her mouth and talking back. She placed her hands on the table and made an attempt to calm herself down. "Look..." she said as calmly as she could muster. "I.." the door to the Bar opened. This newcomer, however, didn't sit at one of the surrounding tables. Instead he took a seat right next to her. This player ordered, "The usual" before his eyes drifted over to her and the dagger that was thrust into the table. It took a second, but the player's features were undeniably... His. 

Hidden immediately became silent, her hands slowly beginning to shake. The anger inside of her boiled up, rising to a point that even she wouldn't be able to hold back anymore. The door opened again, a familiar voice becoming distant background noise as her focus became set. Her body had gone rigid, her hands now shaking furiously. The world around her blurred. She heard the words, but it all seemed so distant. A simple line from him would catch her attention, her fury flaming up even more than it had been.

"I'm sorry. The last months were kinda rough. So pleeeease can I have my whiskey. You've got the best in Aincrad"

She stood suddenly as if called upon, her hand slowly removing the dagger from the table. Her head looked down, a tear forced its way down the side of her face, her anger bubbling to the point that she was at the brink of crying. "You... you think your last months were rough?" Her fists were white, her dagger slowly began to smoke, a dark aura fuming from the blade. "Every day of my life for almost the past year has been hard because of you." She said with her voice slowly rising. It seemed the bartender, Sherry, had asked them not to fight but this wasn't one that she could let go. He escaped half a year ago, and she wasn't going to make the same mistake. "After what I've been through, you have the f**king nerve to sit there and say that you haven't done anything?" 

The dark aura exploded from her dagger, the shadows from it creeping up her arm and body as at the start of the fight she used everything she had. This man was going to die. He would suffer now, for every second for the last year that she had suffered. Everything was gone because of him. She darted forward, a full power direct assault would be made. One strike, and he would be down for the count and she could explain everything he had done to her. And then kill him. 

Her blade made contact... with the wrong person. The ginger player leapt in front of her weapon, the blade hitting her square in the chest. Upon landing, the blow exploded with power. A rush of air was sent through the building, Mari crashing back into the tables behind her. The unseen look that Hidden shot the woman was almost inhuman. No light came from these eyes, just a violent anger, thrust into the torment of darkness. "Out of the way" she stated coldly. When Mari would try to stand, she would find she was unable as Hidden's Paralytic Venom too hold. Her eyes once more fell on Aereth. "The world seems to have smiled upon me for once. You walked right in to me. Are you going to teleport away again..?" She slashed her dagger again, this one without aim and it slashed and broke Aereth's glass. "... Leave me to get captured?" 

ID: Roleplay
BD: 10
      DMG: 13+2=15*13=195 - (43/2) 22 = 173 DMG + Paralyze + Bleed 24 2/2

[X] Hidden | 880/880 HP | 76/86 EN | 13 DMG | 61 MIT | 4 ACC | 2 EVA | Phase | (8-10) Para Venom | 2 Turn Bleed.24 (9-10)
[X] Mari | 1017/1190 | Paralyzed 1/1 | Bleed.24 2/2

[Mari 1]

 Would he make an attractive girl? Mari shrugged.

"Mmm. You have nice bone structure- I guess, but Sherry would still be more attractive than you." Mari added cooly. She still wanted answers, she wanted to know why Hidden was so irrevocably hurt. Mari wasn't sure why she felt such a protective heat ignite within her when it came to Hidden, they weren't exactly close - but it wasn't something she could ignore. Sherry warned them not to fight and Mari simply shook her head, repeating her previous words. "I don't wanna hurt anyone, I just want some answers and insight. She's not here to fight for herself, so I'm filling that role for now, though I'm using words rather than a weapon through your pretty little heart." Mari had a feeling the warning was more toward Aereth than herself, but she still wanted to offer the other player some piece of mind.

Aereth seemed confused at first; his brown eyes, twinkling like the autumn leaves of a forest stared at her in an almost playful manner. His lips quirked up into a curious and bemused grin. "I'm not sure  I'd like the entertainment you're offering." Mari said, she could have sworn she heard a sharp 'HA' from Sherry as she slapped the bar. "Friends aren't always very good alibis yanno..." Mari sighed, she doubted she'd get anywhere with him. She was about to agree to him telling the whole story, but his last comment - let her join the conversation. "Wait...what?"

Mari's eyes drifted to the hooded figure behind him, wait....was that Hidden? Why hadn't she said anything? At being called out a chair clattered to the floor as Hidden stood. Her outrage was palpable her voice shook with a heated hatred, an abomination that seeped into her form like a sickly oil - coating whatever cognitive thought he'd have with a slick bile. She started shouting, screaming words fuelled by a pain Mari knew all too well, and because she had been there, and walked down that path - Mari knew what was going to happen.

Before Hidden was able to attack Mari reached up and pulled on Aereth's collar, tugging him back two feet before she stepped in front of him. "This isn't the answer you're looking for." Her voice softened as she reached out to Hidden, a tender hand on her shoulder - maybe the touch would wake her from her unrelenting nightmare. Mari tried to reason with her. "I don't want you to fall further int-urhghh.h..." A burning pain shot through her chest as she fell back, propelled by the sheer force of Hidden's blade.

She landed like a ragdoll into a pile of tables and chairs, the nearby patrons scuttled away like cockroaches- but didn't dare to leave the tavern. Shadowed eyes fixated on the trio before them watching to see what would happen next, whose proverbial blood would be spilt next? Who'd have their crystal and their life erased?

Mari coughed as she tried to lift herself up, but her body was heavy. She lay there, splayed across the floor, face pressed into a sticky substance that had been spilt days ago. "H-Hidden stop." Mari tried to reason. She could see her through the curtain of orange hair, only just. Mari didn't want her to loose herself. "You said you didn't wan-nt to be alone anym-more right?" Talking was hard...the paralytic venom was strong. "I-I've been there." She tried. "T-this isn't gonna end your suffer-" Her words stilled as she struggled to take a breath, she shifted to a different sentence all together. "I'm here for you."




1017/1190  Paralyzed 1/1
@Aereth @Hidden

[Hidden 1]

Her eyes thrust into Aereth like daggers, her stare powerful enough to kill. She had waited... waited for this moment. Now the chance had finally come. There was no way in hell that she would just be letting it slip. Her hands still shook with anger, the scars of the past becoming anew. She heard a voice from afar, a voice struggling to speak. Her eyes shifted towards Mari who lay on the ground among the tipped over chairs and tables. 

"T-this isn't gonna end your suffer-.... I'm here for you."

Hidden shook her head. The pain, tears, and anger still present in her voice. "You understand me so much? You know who I am? You've faced exactly what I have faced? If the sole cause of your problems stood in front of you just now... if the person who turned against you, left you to the culmination of both your and their sins?" Her voice once more came to a shout. "COULD YOU STAND THERE AND FORGIVE HIM? IT WON'T END MY SUFFERING, BUT HE"LL UNDERSTAND THE PAIN!" She had done things before he had gotten involved, but she wasn't known and hated by every single damn person in Aincrad who paid attention to the billboards. 

Her voice returned to the deathly quiet anger that perhaps even Mari couldn't here from this distance. "It was because of him that Laughing Coffin came after me, that I had to suffer at their mercy. It's because of him that the APD knew that I was working with Domarus and wanted to lock me away in jail. Its because of him that I constantly get into fights with players now as I try to stay away." Her face turned back towards Aereth. "It's because of you that I don't see Sey anymore" 

[Aereth 1]

"Damn and here I thought I could make a restart as a girl. Shame on me..."

"Maybe you would make a prettier one if you would wash yourself." Sherry replied with a cheeky smirk. "Cuz you look just like you smell... So yeah. I'd definitely prefer me as well."

"Haven't had much time for that in the last couple of months so I'm sorry I guess, but I digress..." He tried to finish a little bit more on topic than he started but got interrupted by Sherry again.

"Months?!?!" she almost cried out fake disgust showing on her face. She knew that the whole washing part was more of a self therapy thing to stop players from getting crazy because of their virtual bodies, but in theory it was still disgusting. "Enough now about that..."

Sherry was really trying her best. She REALLY was, but at the entertainment part she lost it (a little). A loud "HAH. Maybe you should stop actin so edgy and cool all the time with new people you meet." escaped her that was accompanied with her open palm hitting the counter but moments after that she quickly tried to find a cloth to polish the glasses in order to act naturally and vanish from the situation.

The brunette just glared at her for a moment forgetting or better, ignoring the danger that was approaching him from behind. The next thing he felt was a tug on his collar yanking out of harms way. The new girl took the hit for him and went to the ground. Paralytic Venom... Adrenaline rushed through his veins forcing his brain to shut down any unnecessary functions and presenting him with the same question it always did.

Fight or Flee?

Aereth weighed his options. He could try to use the other bar guests to flee and get away from Hidden now. "Not good. The only reason she didn't find me up until now was because LC had me locked away." He also couldn't let Sherry alone with the two. Hidden was unhinged and he wasn't sure what she would do if he got away. So only the second option.

His Hiding Skill activated at the same time as he materialized his old Katana and mouthed "Sorry.." towards Sherry. There was no other way. He needed to de-escalate the situation quickly. Immediately he blended in with the crowd just to strike Hidden with the strongest Stun that he had available to him. His steps were steady and the strike was clean. The blade made contact with Hiddens shoulder and pushed her off balance. Aereth directed his momentum forward and Hidden fell to the ground. She was pinned down. For now.

"SHERRY! ROPE!" He ordered not even looking at the redhead only holding out his hand towards the counter.

And more was not necessary. The redhead often had brawls in her bar and ropes were always nice to use for those roughians. In one motion the rope was thrown towards Aereth and she unleashed her two handed spear from her inventory. It was nothing fancy and she clearly wasn't the strongest, hell she wouldn't even last a minute against any of them in a 1v1 situation, but she was still a T2 ready to fight for her life.

The brunette didn't waste a second and immediately began tying Hidden up. Once this was finished he removed his sword from her shoulder and let it dissapear. The situation was under control for now.

"Listen. I have a deal for you. We talk. We all talk. Hearing some things from Mari made me understand that there might be some.... Misunderstandings between us. Just killin me now won't help you one bit. You will still be wanted. You still won't be able to do ANYTHING. Let's just talk, and if you still think you need to kill me afterwards I will let you do so without resistance. I'm done with this world anyways..." he added before looking at Mari and helping her into a sitting position. "You ok? Sorry to have you dragged into this. This should't be any of your business..."

"Everybody else: OUT." Sherry ordered, the hilt of her spear meeting the ground. "Bar is closed now. Also f*ck you Aereth for that. Sorry my a**"

ID# 138256 results:

Battle: 6+3-2 --> Hit

Aereth uses Iai --> Hidden Stunned for 1 Turn

@Hidden @Mari

Edited March 19, 2020 by Aereth

[Mari 1]

If Mari could nod, she would have, but she couldn't. Instead Mari inhaled deeply and breathed the hair from her face in an attempt to clear her vision, instead - it fell straight back into her eyes. Mari winced, that coupled with the sticky feeling on her cheek was not very pleasant. "Yanno..." Mari began quietly. "I have been there." It were true; she had faced Uriel long ago - an whilst she was not the one to kill him - that had been Alkor, he was a big reason as to why her life out in the real world fell apart. "I tried to hurt him and..." Mari shut her eyes. Nausea swirled unrestrained in the pit of her stomach- and guilt weighed heavy on her heart. "He threw my daughter in the way. If I had a second chance...I'd not have given in. I'd still have her."  She wondered if Hidden would still think Mari would make a good mother after hearing that. No matter how many times Mari told the story, it didn't hurt any less.

Mari wasn't sure if Hidden had heard her, more words were shouted her way, and then a quick fight ensured. Mari groaned, being forced to lean against Aereth. She briefly wondered what was more dirty, the sticky puddle on the floor, or Aereth's stanky ass shirt. "F**Kin...idiot..." She muttered then shook her head. "You shouldn't be d-done with this world. And it is my business." Her eyes drifted over to Hidden. "She's important to me." And in a weird way, it were true - Mari felt attached to Hidden - she didn't want to see her screaming or in pain, she didn't want to see her suffer.

Mari strained, trying to move her head - but whatever sticky substance that was on the floor, was now affixing her cheek to Aereth's sleeve. Great, just great. She hoped he wouldn't get any stupid ideas. "Recently...someone came back into my life, I...kinda hate him. He called me a monster, pushed me to kill, tried to convince me everyone was naught but a cancer that had to be removed..." Her voice was shaky from the venom, and thick with a melancholy misery.  "He froze me with a weapon; beat me, licked the tears from my face - whenever we crossed paths he'd find new debased ways to torture me - but you know what I did when I saw him  again r-recently?"  Mari paused.  "I Kicked him into a river, because he is an ass. But I reached out to him, and gave him that chance at redemption. Don't you want that?" Mari asked Hidden. The venom was slowly wearing off. Good.

"If you kill him, you'll only hurt yourself more - I don't wanna see that, maybe I'm just selfish."

@Aereth @Hidden

Edited March 20, 2020 by Mari

[Hidden 1]

Mari's words temporarily jarred her focus. 'She used to have a daughter but she was killed? If I had a daughter and lost her, that would be the end. I couldn't imagine that kind of pain...' In the moment of her thoughts, Aereth had vanished from sight. Her eyes scanned the area, but nothing seemed to have appeared. "God damn it!" she shouted angrily. Her eyes focused again on Mari. "You see that? You let him get away. He will run and hide every damn time and sacrifice anyone to preserve himself." The mind in the back of her head told her that she almost do the same thing. Assuming the fight to be over, Hidden returned her dagger to its sheath, beginning to walk over to Mari to help her up. A sigh escaped om her lungs, depressed that she may have lost her only chance to get even with the man that had put her through hell. She couldn't be mad at Mari though, its not like she had understood everything when she attacked. 'For someone that's on my side, she completely ruined ev-' 

Too late. Aereth returned to her view, a blade coming into contact with her shoulder. Her eyes opened wider as he pounced her, tackling her to the ground. Within moments, she was tied up and unable to move as a stun came into effect. "You absolute piece of sh*t!" she screamed. She would have attempted to fight her bindings, but the stun prevented her from moving too much and it had her vision completely jarred. 

Aereth spoke to her, going on about misunderstandings and how killing him wouldn't accomplish anything. He was willing to make a deal with her, which set her off even more. "Like ANYONE can trust a single damn word that comes out of your mouth. Do I look that dumb too you? Do I look like I can be fooled that easily? Whether it will help me in the end or not, I don't care. I just want you to feel the exact same pain that I had to go through."

Mari told of her story, about the man who used to torture her and berate her physically and mentally. Though, her story ended in how she let the man redeem himself. "Something are irredeemable. For someone who's already supposed to be a monster, whats one more Sin if it is for your own sake?"

"Killing this man will give me a sense of relief, I don't know how that is going to 'hurt' me." she exhaled sharply to remove the strand of dark hair that fell in front her of eyes. The way her head snapped to the side when he attacked would have killed someone in the real world. Her eyes shifted back towards Aereth's disoriented figure. "Alright let's 'talk'. I can't way to hear how you think you're going to bullshit your way out of this. I'll give you until I somehow break out of these ropes and slit your throat." Her voice carried a disgusted tone, as if she was talking to a bug instead of a person. 

[Aereth 1]

"Damn well am." he responded to Mari before detaching the piece of his shirt from her cheek intentionally ignoring the information about her dead daughter. "And if you want to stay, I won't be throwing you out."

"I don't want you to trust me, I want you to listen to me." the brunette scoffed before letting himself sink to the floor on the exact same spot Mari had been before... Ignoring the sticky substance on his a** he continued. "Do you really think it's fair to blame me for everything bad that happened to you? You made choices in your life and the consequences are now trying to catch up to you. It's like this for everyone. Nobody forced you to do the things you did under Domarus. And I had never a problem with you or blamed you for anything. I'm not even blaming you because you freed that psycho Adrian. The problem was that Domarus got too greedy. Strong and influential players were rallying against him for weeks before that final showdown. Hestia and Itzal had this planned all along. They only gave me a choice." he sighed as he remembered the last days before Domarus' fall. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Itzal, my former mentor, the man who made me strong, came to me, asked me to join him in order to take Dom down. Itzal of the Celestial Ascendants. Does that ring some bells? I know Sey was with them at the time, but do with that information what you want..."  Aereth tried reaching up the counter in order to find some drink that survived Hiddens assault for a few seconds.

Sherry immediately noticing that he wanted to grab a drink lifted up the glass closest to him, showing it to Aereth, and the proceeded to throw it against the wall all the while smiling at him.

"Either way... Itzal knew that I couldn't refuse the offer. He knew that I was close to finishing my ultimate goal..." he sighed heavily. "And yes. This was the reason I betrayed Domarus, went into the battle on the side of Itzal and Hestia and left you. This is the part of the blame that I accept. This decision put you in a tight spot."

"But I NEVER EVER, gave anybody information about what you did for Dom and neither did I put your face on the wanted posters. Do you want to know why I betrayed him, you, everybody?" His ice cold gaze met hers as he slowly took her dagger from its sheath.

"Because I found them. I had found their hideout just a couple of days prior to the battle. Laughing Coffin. I think I never told you the story why I was always so obsessed with them, did I? I mean if its the LC I think you can already guess it but still..." he played with the blade for a few moments before asking her. "Rage clouds ones judgement. Are you calm enough to continue listen to me now? If so I will untie you and tell you why nobody was able to find me for all that time."

@Mari @Hidden

Edited March 21, 2020 by Aereth

[Mari 1]

 "No- wait don't sit..." Mari winced as he sat right  on the substance. Well, his loss. There were far more important matters at hand. Mari rubbed her cheek, grumbling at the residue that still remained.

Mari could move now, good. She pushed herself up off the floor and padded over to Hidden, pulling her dagger out as she approached. "You know your plan is kinda flawed." Mari said to Hidden as she shifted behind her. "If you want him to feel pain, he'd be best kept alive - right? Death if anything is an escape from that." Mari pulled the dagger through the rope that Aereth had used to tie her up then put her dagger back away. The last thing anyone needed was more people flailing their weapons about. "I'm putting my trust in you Hidden- lets not try attacking anyone right now, yeh?" Mari asked. Of course, if Hidden did try to attack Aereth again, Mari would simply move into the line of attack again. Mari was fair certain she was a higher level and had higher agility than the both of them - but still...she couldn't be entirely sure. "I don't care who does what, I'll keep throwing myself in the way of any attacks."

Mari glanced over at Aereth then back to Hidden. Everything she said, it reminded Mari so much of herself. "It will hurt you. I've been where you are, I've been in a scarily similar place. I've gone through the same emotions, the same thought processes...and know where I ended up? Alone. Abandoned, in a world that hated me till it forgot me."

Mari moved so she could sit beside Hidden she reached out to clasp the shaking girls hand and gave it a squeeze. Mari wanted to help her, but she also wanted to respect her rage - because Hidden did need to vent it. Mari just felt that death was not the best way to alleviate such things. Mari wanted to say more to Hidden, but for now - some things were better left unsaid. Sometimes actions spoke so much louder than words, a simple gesture like this - to say 'I'm still here' it meant more than anything she could say.

Mari listened quietly to Aereth, she didn't really understand what was going on.  She knew one name. "Domarus...yeh I know him - came to me for help a few times in finding someone he cared about..." Mari sighed as she closed her eyes. "Couldn't do much sadly because I was run out before I was able. Not surprising he got up to something. Seemed a little devious."  Mari gave Hidden's hand another small squeeze. She knew of Itzal, but had no idea who the hell this Adrian kid was.

"I don't know what the hell ya'll are on but but...So...why not just offer double the money to this police force or whatever? I'll do it. Have Hidden released into my care, that way whatever lies on her, falls to me instead." Mari shifted her gaze down to Hidden. "Would you be okay with that?"

@Aereth @Hidden

Edited March 22, 2020 by Mari

[Hidden 1]

She watched as Aereth sat down, her face filling itself with scorn as she gazed upon him. He sat in front of her, sitting in the dark sticky substance in the room, surrounded by the fallen tables. Her vision began to clear as the stun effect came off, giving her back her ability to move. Her hands were tied behind her back, unseen by the brown-haired man in front of her. Slipping her dagger out of her sleeve, she prepared herself to cut the rope. Dumbass thought his rope would do anything, but didn't think about even disarming her. 

"Do you really think it's fair to blame me for everything bad that happened to you?"

Aereth for the first time began to speak his mind, and each of his words fueled her anger. He must have been ungodly stupid if he thought she was going to believe his [censored]. She grumbled, pausing her motion to cut the rope. "The things I did for Domarus huh? You must have been to caught up on yourself if you believe I even got to do anything. I didn't work for Domarus. I simply worked with him to get what I want. I didn't even do anything for him. By the time I was even a high enough level to do anything, this mess began. As far as I remember, the only thing I did for Domarus was help thwart some criminal guild."

Aereth's story almost seemed to just ramble on, bringing in unimportant facts. She knew Sey had been part of the Celestial Ascendants. She didn't like the idea of that guild too much, with the purpose of helping players who should have just helped themselves. It took him a while for him to begin to say something she was actually interested in. The location of Laughing Coffin's base. Her eyes would narrow at him. "You're saying you betrayed me over something like that? What would you have to gain other than my hate for you? Besides that, I don't care for your backstories. Everyone wanna-be hero has got the same thing. Lover or bestfriend killed by the big bad villan and now you want revenge yada yada." 

She watched as Mari walked over to her, freeing Hidden from the rope bindings. She had forgotten to escape herself, although she still could. She spoke of trust which Hidden mentally blew off. What was one person's trust? One person wasn't everyone. Once she had desired respect from everyone, now she just wanted to live without being hated. Her goals from when she worked with Domarus to now had changed drastically. Too much had changed. She felt a small queeze on her hand, realizing for the first time Mari's hand held hers. 

"I don't know what the hell ya'll are on but but...So...why not just offer double the money to this police force or whatever? I'll do it. Have Hidden released into my care, that way whatever lies on her, falls to me instead." 

Hidden was amazed that the girl was still thinking about her. Hidden's focus had shifted minutes ago to wringing out the information from Mari like a wet rag. "While it might work like that in the wild west, but im not sure it works like that here. Sey once made an offer to get me freed, but the only thing they were willing to clear my name is for me to return Adrian to prison. Which I refuse to do, because the kid owes me a promise that I am not going to let slip." 

"You want my forgiveness? Tell me where the Laughing Coffin Base of operations is and I'll consider it." She stood, her eyes focused on the man who sat in the sticky substance. If he refused her, they'd be back to square one and she'd find out where it was through other means. She had been searching for the base, but had yet to find it yet. There was a lot of ground to cover and she'd only taken the time to scour a few of the floors in entirety. 

[Aereth 1]

"The things I did for Domarus huh? You must have been to caught up on yourself if you believe I even got to do anything. I didn't work for Domarus. I simply worked with him to get what I want. I didn't even do anything for him. By the time I was even a high enough level to do anything, this mess began. As far as I remember, the only thing I did for Domarus was help thwart some criminal guild."

"If you really are so innocent and haven't done anything wrong, then why don't you get rid of that orange cursor and talk to the APF? I know Itzal and Hestia. They wouldn't lock anybody away who is really innocent." He answered in a slightly sarcastic tone and sighed as she mentioned how she couldn't understand how he betrayed her about something trivial as this.

"Either way... I needed to find LC...  And through Dom I did. They made an offer to me. I got the chance to kill two a**holes in return for them to capture me. I took the offer... Killed them and was held captive ever since then. So I didn't sell you out to the APF."

"I also used Domarus. And he used me. There never was anything else behind my relationship with him. His underground network was very useful for me and I did some dirty work for him in return. But I would never blame him for my actions. The only one responsible for my actions was me."

"...but the only thing they were willing to clear my name is for me to return Adrian to prison. Which I refuse to do, because the kid owes me a promise that I am not going to let slip."

"You are greedy. You are way too greedy. On the one side you want to have a cleared name and be a respected person, but on the other side you want to use a psycho killer kid to do some dirty work for you." She wanted everything...

"And if you want something from him, remember that everything has a price. And I don't know if you will be able to afford such a price." It was worrying. "This kid is dangerous. You are putting yourself and everybody close to you into danger by relying on him. You could die. Sey could die... Is that 'favour' really worth the risk?" Aereth said calmly. He didn't particularly feel bad for Hidden, but somehow he could understand where she was coming from. She got shafted hard...

"I have an offer for you. I'll tell you where LC is. But don't even think about raiding that place. Somebody already did. That's the only reason I got out of there. You should do something different. First: get rid of that orange cursor. Second: take me to the APF. Mari is right. I won't be useful for you when I'm dead. Take me to them and tell them how we have information about LC's hideout and that you want to turn me and Adrian in to clear your name... Or you can kill me here on the spot and deal with your problems alone. I got my revenge... I don't care about freedom and I don't care about surviving..."

@Mari @Hidden

 

[Mari 1]

Mari felt like a third wheel - she felt like she could slink away from here and no one would even notice that she had left, she doubted they really cared what she had to say at all. Mari felt like any words she said, or any actions she had taken were falling on deaf ears. The two spoke, back and forth - again talking about Domarus. Geez Just what did he get up to in her absence? He seemed like he was all talk and no action. Mari guessed she was wrong on that assumption.

Still, despite feeling like she wasn't really wanted or needed there, Mari stayed. By Hiddens side, because right now? That gesture? It was something she probably needed. "You know Hidden..." Mari said as she pressed her knee to her chest with her free hand, and sat her chin upon it. "This may sound harsh, but you talk about so desperately wanting people to view you differently. To no longer be wanted or hated, but your actions and words right now - kinda contradict that completely." Mari sighed. "I dunno who this Adrian kid is, and quite frankly him, nor his friends bother me. But like you said. You won't let promises slip." Mari shut her eyes and sighed. "I promised you I'd  be there for you, so I will be. I just think...." Mari trailed off, listening to Aereth as he spoke. He hadn't even addressed Mari, but she couldn't blame him. 

Hidden was kinda demanding the attention of the room. Mari, to be frankly honest didn't give two sh*ts about her innocence - she wanted to repent, and she wanted to do better, that...was enough for Mari. Again, Domarus was bought up and Mari had to do her best not to roll her eyes at the situation. She couldn't believe he was allowed to run rampant like that. At least he had her respect in that regard. 

Why didn't she talk to the APF?  "You know if you go to this APF thing I'll go with you." Mari offered.  She doubted Hidden would accept, or even willingly go to the organisation. Especially not with this Laughing Coffin business. Weren't they some sort of washed up Player Killer guild? Mari wasn't so sure.

"Err..." Mari interjected. "I dunno who this Adrian kid is, but is he really that dangerous? Like he ain't gonna get far with a united front. What's he gonna do? Cry his way through everyone?" Mari asked.   "And can we tone it down on the killing each other thing? God f**king damnit this isn't some Emo rock music video."

@Hidden  @Aereth