[PP-F22] <<Witch of the West>> Honeyed Nostalgia

[Mari 1]

Quest

 

Storm clouds raged above, thunderous roars shaking the mountainside as they threatened to spew forth a torrent of rain; but Mari had been here for nigh on half an hour now - and had yet to see that threat fulfilled. She sat at the foot of a mountain that lead high up to a castle that was in shambles. There was a quest there; something about a witch who had been terrorizing players. Stealing supplies using winged monkeys - experiments...and yelling about curses.  This quest was clearly based on the childhood classic 'The Wizard of Oz.' But that wasn't a bad thing, in a way...Mari kind of liked quests like that, it was like a warm nostalgic glow.

Orange hair like simmering embers sat neatly on her shoulders as Mari arched her back, cracking it in serveral places. She was in no rush, comfortably sitting atop a mossy rock Mari knew she'd get to the quest in due time but her legs hurt. Walking from floor to floor took its toll on her. "Let's see..." Mari said to herself quietly as she pulled her scarf further up to cover the lower half of her face.

"I should probably take some of my damage potions...I have so many of them I may as well use them." She mused to herself. She was planning on stockpiling for the boss fight but thus far her crafts weren't really good enough for such a feat and she had a long way to go before she felt she was ready. Sure - she could step into the fight now and be ok but Mari wasn't going to settle for 'ok' She was making a comeback, and dammit she needed to make sure she could hold herself, not just against the boss  but against any players who may turn their blade on her.

@Jomei
 

 

General
Level: 53 | HP: 1090  |Energy: 106

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

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.

 

 

[Jomei 0]

The Twenty Second floor was probably one of the most peaceful floors uncovered in Aincrad so far. The monsters were less vicious, the scenery was beautiful, and the weather just always seemed to be nice. It was the perfect place for Jomei to just relax and mediate. The man had found a dock that lead out onto the floor's largest, central lake. Taking a seat at the very edge, Jomei let his legs dangle over the edge, his boots just barely hovering over the surface of the water. Leaning back, he let his back and shoulders rest on the warm, wooden dock staring up at the blue sky above him. Releasing a small sigh, the man let his eyes close. He listened to the sounds of the environment-- fish breaking the surface of the water, the wind passing through a cluster of nearby trees, a monkey screeching overhead. Wait.. a monkey above him? Jomei's eyes shot open, a bit confused at the sound he heard. In the sky above him, he saw a creature flying, its wings like that of a bats, but the body of a muscular, blue monkey. "What the hell..?" Jomei said to himself, pushing up into a sitting position. 

He followed the flying ape in the sky until he saw its possible destination, a decrepit tower atop a hill in the distance. Quickly getting to his feet, Jomei let out a sharp whistle, summoning his tawny owl companion from the trees. "Adere, follow that monster. I want to see where it's going. I'll catch up to you." With a quick loop, the owl took to the sky and followed after the monkey, keeping low enough to the trees for Jomei to follow easily. The ginger was able to keep up due to him enhanced speed and agility thanks to a few skill modifications. He zipped past trees and kept his eyes to the skies, making sure to follow the path his familiar was taking. Eventually, as the two approached the hill on which the tower stood, Adere perched in a tree just before the treeline broke and released a small screech to let Jomei know she was there.

"Good girl." Jomei said with a smile, stepping outwards from the trees to get a better look at the castle. It looked old and abandoned, but that creature flying to this location said otherwise. As his eyes lowered to where he walked, he saw, just before him, another player. The crystal, which he spotted first, caused him a bit of a start. His hand opened and motioned towards the hilt of his rapier. However, as his vision continued to focus on the figure, he recognized her as the girl from the party he had seen from afar. She seemed harmless then, so he was most likely safe. His stance relaxed as he took a few steps towards her. "Hey," he called out to her, "Any idea whats up with that castle?" 

@Mari

Spoiler

Jomei: 1530/1530 HP | 163/163 EN | 17 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 52 MIT | 2 Savvy | 77 B. Healing

Level: 75

HP: 1500 /(1530)

En: 163

SP: 12/411
DMG: 17
EVA: 4
ACC: 4
MIT: 52
Savvy: 2
Battle Healing: 76 HP

 

When with Telrenya
+1 LD
+90 Overhealth

Skills:

Grandmaster Rapier Skill (+5 DMG)
Light Armor Rank 5 (+25 mit)
Charge Rank 5 (+5 DMG)
Energist (+5*Tier EN)
Battle Healing Rank 5 (5% HP Recovery)
Parry (50% DMG rounded down)
Extended Mod Limit (10 SP)
Howl (8 EN +2 Hate up to 4 enemies)
---
---

 

Extra Skills:

Concentration (+1 BD when used)
Martial Arts Rank 4 (+5 DMG Unarmed)
Survival (+15*Tier HP Out of battle & Not effected by environment)
Meditation (5*Tier EN,reduces to 3*Tier if hit before next turn.)
Familiar Handling Accurate (Rk.3) (+3 ACC)

Mods:

Rapier Ferocity (+1 DMG to Sword Arts )
Rapier Finesse Rank 3 (+5*Tier En)
Athletics (+1 DMG, +10*Tier HP)
Precision (+1 ACC)
Sprint and Acrobatics (+1 EVA)
Stamina (-1 EN all Attacks)
---
---

 

Housing Buffs:
Rested (-1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat)
Clean (The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20%
   Filling (Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.)
Relaxed (Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.)

Equipment:

Weapon: Oathkeeper (+3 DMG x Tier 3)(9 Dmg)
Armor: Coat of The Master Duelist (+1 MIT, +2 Savvy)
Accessory: Erin's Protection (+3 EVA)
Familiar: Adere the Tawny Owl (+3 ACC)

Extra: Mask of the Lovers (+1 LD, +90 Over Health)
[Only active when in a thread with Telrenya]

 

Edited March 4, 2020 by Jomei

[Mari 1]

Mari had been absently observing the skies; monkeys...bloody flying monkeys had traveled to and fro every so often; since Mari wasn't close enough she clearly hadn't antagonized them enough to warrant them attacking her. That was a relief at least she could rest up here. Mayhaps she should look through her inventory - with a flick of her wrist Mari's HUD had illuminated her face. Blue eyes shifted up and down to see if there was anything else useful she could use.  Ah There.  Mari pulled out an orange crystal; a simple T1 Damage crystal, it only added a single extra slot of damage - but Mari knew that single digit made all the difference. Mari crushed it in her hand

+1 To base Damage

"That should do it."

She was rested enough. Mari went to stand but paused as she heard another voice. 

"Hey,"

Mari shifted her gaze to a man. It took her a few minutes to recognize him - but there weren't exactly a lot of gingers within Aincrad. "Oh." Mari exclaimed. "You were at the Gala, right?" Mari asked. She never actually approached him. He arrived not long after her - but he was quickly surrounded by others, and Mari wasn't really the best in crowds. She gave him a nervous smile. "Yeh, it's a witch that's been terrorizing a few of the locals on the floor. Something about curses and such. 

Mari slowly approached him and gestured for the man to come look at her HUD as she flicked through the menu, bringing up the information she had been given for the quest. "See? It kinda reminds me of that movie. Wizard of Oz - although I don't think throwing a bottle of water at her would work."  Note to self, try that.

"Mari, by the way." Not the most graceful or friendly way to introduce herself, but it'd do.

@Jomei

 

[Jomei 0]

The orange bob turned in his direction once she took notice of him. She gazed in his direction for a moment before speaking, recognizing him from the gala a short while ago. Jomei nodded his head, "Yeah, that was me. I saw you there as well." The man recalled seeing her there, and then a small smirk crept onto his face. "I gotta say, I don't think I've ever seen someone eat that many strawberries in one night. An impressive feat." After his small comment, the woman answered his question about the castle, stating it belonged to a witch that was causing trouble for some local players. Jomei's expression turned sour as he glared up at the dark, stone structure. Since as long as he could remember, Jomei always made it a point to help out players in need, or help to get rid of something that was causing problems. "I guess someone should do something about it." Jomei said, looking back down to the other player, his ginger brows raising with another small, but confident smirk.

Bringing up her HUD with a swish of her wrist, she shared some of the information she had received about this witch with him. Jomei took a few steps forward to meet her, leaning forward to look over her shoulder to get a better look. He tapped at his chin with his knuckle, his other hand resting on his hip, "Can't say I've seen it. I was never a big fan of the classics." he started, before quickly scanning through the description. "So its a quest, huh? Should have figured.." he rose to a full standing position again and crossed his arms, looking back up at the tower. In a quick manner, the woman introduced herself, and Jomei's ears perked. "Mari?" he looked back to her, "I'm pretty sure I've heard that name before.. in fact, I think we've been in the same presence at a boss raid meeting once." he brought a hand up to rube at the nape of his neck, "But, I think that was a long time ago. Anyway, I'm Jomei. Its nice to formally meet you." he stuck a hand out towards the woman in greeting.  

[Mari 1]

He saw the strawberry incident

Mari pursed her lips, cheeks alight with the shade of her embarrassment as she tried to wave him off. "Okay, okay! But to be fair I don't really get to eat much! It's not like I can go buy food! And some fancy lady offers a free buffet You can be damn sure I'm going to shove everything I can into my mouth."  She crossed her arms, shifting her eyes away from the man. "At least I didn't shove my hands in the punch bowl. I have some level of class, even if that level is 'sh*it-all" 

She flinched when he said those words; 'Mari...I'm pretty sure I've heard that name before...'  She knew she couldn't keep on gallivanting around Aincrad without repercussions, without someone recognizing her name again. The amount of times it appeared on the monument. What kind of ire would he have when he realized. Would he try to arrest her too? Would he look upon her in disgust and walk away. She shrunk within herself, expecting the worst. Because, for Mari, it was usually the worst that she got.

Instead...

'In fact, I think we've been in the same presence at a boss raid meeting once.'

Instead it was nothing more than a friendly observation from a time long ago. Mari exhaled, relief washing over her in that moment of brief reprise. "Jomei..." Mari repeated as she reached out to shake his hand. His name sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it. When Macradon was talking about the frontliners, he hadn't mentioned a 'Jomei'   "I don't recall much from back then when it comes to bosses, but then again....the Orochi was the last boss I actually fought before being forced off the frontlines." She pointed up to her crystal. "Understandably so...I guess." 

She shook her head as she let go of Jomei's hand, she didn't want to dwell on those things. "I'm uh...planning on going up there to finish the quest if you want to join."  It was really the first time she had asked someone other than Macradon out on a quest. If he didn't want to help then she'd be fine with that. As long as he didn't try to attack her...she'd be okay.

@Jomei

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's nose scrunched, remembering the hand in the punch situation. He had not seen it himself, but if it wasn't for Cordelia, he would have consumed a glass of it without thinking twice about it. "Yeah.. Good point." he said with a small chuckle. He couldn't blame her for scarfing down as much food as she could, given her circumstances. Jomei did not mingle much with players who sported an orange crystal, for obvious reasons. He recalled a few of his friends that had one at some point, Ssendom, Zelrius, Lowenthal, Opal, and he trusted them --most of them-- at least. Though, none of them spoke about the fact that they could not enter any settlements, which meant not being able to visit any of the shops, restaurants, or even reap the ability to warp between floors. Half of his lip pursed, feeling a bit bad about the situation, despite what she had done to put herself into this spot. 

After revealing he had been in her presence before, Mari told Jomei that she did not recall much from back then. Jomei nodded, understandably, "I think it was a meeting on the Tenth floor.. maybe for the raid on the boss guarding the Eleventh. I was merely a representative of my guild at the time, and just tagged along with Lowenthal." he shrugged his shoulders, "I don't even think I actually fought on the frontlines until Floor Twelve." 

Now that the introductions, and recalling of how they may have once met was out of the way, the two were ready to get down to business. Mari, it seemed, was also ready to take on the Witch and reap the rewards of the quest above them. Jomei looked to her and nodded with a slight smirk, "Ready when you are." The path up the side of the hill was paved, the beaten dirt made it simple to follow in the steps of past travelers who have made their way up to the tower. The road curved like a snake around the side of the hill, the sides becoming rockier and more jagged the higher up they were. Finally, the path widened and straightened out, leading directly to the mouth of the stone structure. Olive eyes scanned the pointed rocks, like small, threatening mountain ranges meant to scare off wandering players. From the large windows at the top of the tower, he could sense the peering eyes of multiple creatures, waiting for the two players to make a move. Jomei's hand cautiously moved across his body towards the pommel of his rapier, "Be ready.. I have a bad feeling about this" 

@Mari

[Mari 1]

"Hmmm...." Mari tapped her lips, trying to think. He wasn't at the raid meeting on the Ninth floor - that she would have remembered...that was the one she was leading, the one where she managed to take charge and even with Zelrius being a sh**ty person and denouncing her and everyone else and not allowing anyone in Azure Brigade into the Floor Boss battle - They still succeeded. It had been a very sad and proud moment for Mari. She was fueled by the death of someone close to her, but she had succeeded, her and the rag-tag team of misfits. There were no deaths...The Orochi- a boss blocking the way to the 11th floor had been obliterated.

"I recall scouting...and finding the boss for the 10th and the 11th floor...but with constant threats against my life, and any who associated with me..." Mari shut her eyes.  "I didn't go to the 11th floor fight... Nor its meeting... Not with the Azure Brigade wanting my head."  She shook her head.  "So sorry, they forced me away from being the head of that meeting...who you are thinking of... that may not have been me."  Mari gave Jomei a wistful smile. She wanted to be there...she wanted to keep leading the charge and fighting tooth and nail. But, even if she had done all that, what good would it have done? Macradon had said it himself... people thought she was terrifying, a force to be reckoned with. Someone like that...and a PKer to top it all off? No wonder Zelrius wanted her dead. Of Course; he was a hypocritical ass - he had admitted to her, and to others numerous times he enjoyed killing. But did he ever get the same treatment as her? No.  

...It always left Mari feeling bitter about it all - but he was gone now - and she was here.

"I know....Lowenthal died because of his greed but..." Mari shifted her gaze up to the tower. "I miss him. I miss how he could joke about the stupidest things. I miss how eager he always was, and how loud he got when he was surprised."

Right...she was here, and all those people. They weren't. In one way or another, many people from her past were no longer living. So it'd do the woman no good to dwell on things, nor to become lost in the nostalgic feelings of the past.

"I hope the frontlines are improving since then." Mari said quietly.


 "Ready when you are." 

Mari blinked, when did he step ahead of her? Crap She was too busy getting lost inside her own head again.  "Yeh, I've already crushed a damage crystal...I don't really have anything else to use, aside from some water canisters and immolation potions." She tilted her head to the side. "Did you want anything like that? I have spares."

Jomei warned her - how he had a bad feeling about it. Her blue eyes shifted to the tower before them, high up on the hill. Great a hill . "I'm ready, sides - whats the worst that's gonna happen to me? I die?" Mari forced a laugh. "I think that'd make more people happy than sad." It was a self depreciating joke, an attempt to lighten the mood. "So, shall we?"

@Jomei

[Jomei 0]

It seemed Jomei was wrong about Mari being present, and she had a damn good reason to not be there. Azure Brigade, when they were around, definitely were a group that one would not want to mess with. And Mari had done something to get on their bad side, he didn't want to know what. He was just thankful that the guild was no more, despite some of the members being players they could have relied on now. It was possible, then, that Mari's name was brought up at the meeting, and that was where his memory of her stemmed from. No point in stressing over it, if his memory was failing him, that was on him. 

Jomei's mention of Lowenthal seemed to have brought up some old memories in Mari's mind as well, reminiscing over his care free, positive attitude. "Yeah.." Jomei said, his voice hinting sadness, "Lowe was my best friend. I was.. away for awhile when he died." The ginger let out a heavy sigh, remembering the zombified form of the man that he had encountered during the Halloween event, "I don't know if its my own mind, or the game playing tricks on me.. but it's trying to make me believe that I am to blame for him dying. I mean.. if I was around, if I was more careful, I could have prevented him from doing something so stupid." 

He knew it couldn't have been his fault.. but then why was it feeling like it was.

Luckily, conversation shifted, slightly, to the frontlines current condition. Another topic that plagued his mind after the disaster that was the last boss fight. Jomei had decided it time to start making their way upwards before touching on the topic. It's dwindling a bit, sadly. After that happened with Ssendom and Zelrius, its just been a slow decline of the top players showing up to fight. We've managed, this far, but things have been a lot tougher since we lost so many people." he chuckled, "The last fight was a disaster.. only maybe four or five of us stayed until the ending. I just barely made it out of there myself.. and I was the one that ran the meeting, and devised the plans. So all of those lives that could have been lost were on me." 

Jomei looked up towards the sky, overcast clouds had formed above them while in proximity to the tower, "I really gotta stop being so hard on myself.." he said, softly, to himself. 

Once they were nearing the top, Mari mentioned an item she had used on herself, and if Jomei needed anything of the sort to help him out. Flicking a hand upwards, he took a quick look through his inventory at all of the consumables that were currently housed in there. A few that could come in handy, but nothing he truly needed. "No, I should be fine. Unless you have a spare damage crystal, that could always come in handy." Jomei heard the slowly rising chattering of creatures calling out from the top of the tower, and a piercing screech of an ape. They were not visible yet, but it seemed they would soon have company to deal with. 

@Mari

[Mari 1]

The trek up the mountain wasn't too arduous, It wasn't like sand, which would just fall away- and the air was nice, pleasant. Jomei's company wasn't too bad either. He wasn't bitter like she was, and was keeping conversation light - Mari...also appreciated being able to talk about friends who had long since passed. "Lowe...was my apprentice - but his biggest downfall had always been his greed...during a trip to one of the higher floors he tried to attack me - wanted my Unique Weapon despite the fact that it wasn't one he specialized in. Wanted a full loss duel. I kept denying him so he cussed me out and left...I hadn't really seen him since." Mari shifted her eyes to the sky, seeing furred creatures flapping around. Monkeys.   "Sometimes I wonder...if I'd just let him take my life back then, maybe he'd still be alive."

Lowenthal had sighed, and blamed himself for Lowenthals death, Mari stopped in their stead and grabbed hold of his arm. She wasn't sure if he'd appreciate this or not, he barely knew her - and she barely knew him. It was also hypocritical for her to say such words, but still. She felt they needed to be said. "Jomei...you know it's not your fault, right?" She asked. "I could say the very same thing...If I had been more attentive - if I had tried to nip that greed in the bud when I noticed it festering...maybe things would have been different - but we can't blame ourselves for his choices - all we can really do is carry his memory in ourselves..."

Well sh*t...that sounded more corny than she intended...Mari quickly pulled away and coughed. "Or, yanno. Something like that." She quickly added before pressing forward. Mari slipped a little on some loose rocks. "To an extent..." Mari said to him as he lamented about how all those lives lost were on him. "But even the most prepared person...I don't know....I guess it's hypocritical as f**k for me to say because I know if I were in your position, and I was in your position...I'd think the same. But you can't prepare for people's self preservation, nor stupidity." 

Mari pulled out one of the damage crystals from her inventory - it shimmered in a soft orange hue similar to her hair colour. Mari tossed it to Jomei. "Yeh, I do. Here ya go."

T1 Damage Crystal | +1 Damage (#ID 136700)-1  - To Jomei

@Jomei

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's stride halted as he felt the grasp on his arm, holding him in place and causing his head to swivel and look down at Mari. Her words were stern, but backed with care. The man stood and listened, before releasing a heavy sigh, as if what she had said broke down the wall that held these negative feelings at bay. "You're right... You're absolutely right." The corner of his lips rose into a small smile, "I need to stop letting these thoughts fester. As much as I cared for Lowe, he's been dead for awhile now. And while his memory will always be with me, I can't let myself, or anyone else for that matter, make me think it was my fault. Neither was it ever yours. But I suppose thats what we do, when we care about people, we always consider the 'what ifs' that we could have done to hopefully prevent their deaths. But in the end, if its their time, then theres really not much we could ever do." Looking back to Mari, who had recoiled away as if she thought she had overstepped her boundaries, Jomei placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Thank you. As simple as it seemed, it was exactly what I needed to hear." 

Shortly after, Mari handed Jomei a small damage crystal. "Thank you." he said with a nod, before crushing the small object in his hand. Just as they finished their conversations, a loud screech sounded out from above them. A handful of creatures, which looked like grey skinned apes with large, feathered wings began pouring out of some of the tower's windows, circling in the air above them like birds of prey. The ginger's hand quickly went to his rapier, ripping it from his hip, "Looks like these monkeys are finished with listening to us talk" he said with a small chuckle. Four of the creatures broke off from the circular motions and swooped down to the ground, surrounding the two players. "I can take care of these two if you handle the other two." His eyes shot up to the two that still remained in the sky, keeping a vigilant eye, "Hopefully, we can take these guys out before their friends decide to join us." 


((If you want, I can control two of the monkeys if you want to take the other two))

New Stats: 
Jomei: 1530/1530 HP | 163/163 EN | 18 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 52 MIT | 2 Savvy | 77 B. Healing

@Mari

[Mari 1]

"You think so?" Mari asked quietly when Jomei ensured her that it was just what he needed to hear. Mari wasn't so sure herself. But.. why would he say otherwise? Why would he lie? "You're...welcome." The words fell softly from her lips, spoken in a way that if he had not listened for them, he would not have heard them. Mari wasn't sure how she - of all people could really help anyone. But hearing him thank her? It made some part of her, deep down in the festering blackness of her self loathing feel relief. 

"What If's are more deadly than venom." Mari added thoughtfully as her cerulean eyes shifted to the sky above. "All we can do is live each day one step at a time." Mari wished she could take her own advice. She wished she had some weight or gravitas behind her words. But they didn't. Not to her. "Sure, let's do that." Mari said as her attention shifted back to Jomei. Mari managed to offer him the smallest of smiles that broke the dreary facade on her freckled face. "Let's make it a good fight, eh? Show that Witch karma's a b*tch."


Jomei: 1530/1530 HP | 163/163 EN | 18 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 52 MIT | 2 Savvy | 77 B. Healing
Mari  1090/1090 HP | 106/106 EN | 11 DMG | EVA 3 | MIT 43 | ACC 4

Flying Monkey 1 150/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT
Flying Monkey 2 150/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT
Flying Monkey 3 150/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT
Flying Monkey 4 150/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT
 

@Jomei

[Jomei 0]

As the monkeys hit the ground, they all began to scream and screech, trying to throw off Mari and Jomei. They were just as quick on their feet as they were in the air, batting their wings every once in awhile to make them seem larger and more intimidating than they were. Through the loud disturbances, Jomei managed to let out a loud whistle. From the air above them, a brown tawny owl swooped just overhead one of the monkeys, catching its attention as she flew overhead. Jomei took this opportunity to lunge forward with his rapier. As the tip of his blade made contact, a barrage of quick thrusts followed. Each hit caused the creature to break apart more and more, before a final thrust to its sternum caused it to erupt into an array of data fragments that rained to the ground. 

With a quick spin of his rapier, Jomei took a retreating step back, and shifted his focus to the second of his targets. 

ID 156337 | BD 2(+4) 6 Hit | Flashing Penetrator vs. Flying Monkey 1 
11 x 18 = 198(-20) 178 Dmg

Jomei: 1530/1530 HP | 157/163 EN | 18 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 52 MIT | 2 Savvy | 77 B. Healing
Mari  1090/1090 HP | 106/106 EN | 11 DMG | EVA 3 | MIT 43 | ACC 4

Flying Monkey 1  0/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT (-178)
Flying Monkey 2 150/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT
Flying Monkey 3 150/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT
Flying Monkey 4 150/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT

@Mari

Edited June 29, 2020 by Jomei

[Mari 1]

"Man this'd go so much quicker if one of us had something more than say..." Mari stared at her dagger and offered Jomei a wry smile  "Something better than butter knives." She gestured to his rapier. "At least yours is bigger." Jokes. Mari always fell back onto jokes to lighten her own mood. They were terrible, lame, and even dads would cringe at them - but they helped in times of self doubt. 

Mari charged forward and attempted to attack one of the monkeys after Jomei had decimated the first; it chittered wildly and jumped up- landing on her head and using her as a springboard to dive forward to attack Jomei. "What the f**k!?" Mari called out as she ducked down and swatted it out of her hair. Instead of attacking the fellow ginger - the Monkey fell flat, face first into the ground. The other Monkeys, rather than attack, pointed and laughed at their fallen comrade. 

Mari felt her cheeks heat in embarrassment. "Ugh...S-Sorry..." She muttered. "I didn't....like the feeling of its weird monkey claws all up in my hair."

@Jomei
11+5 (charge) x13 Eternal Cyclone
208-20=188

ID:156340  BD:1 MISS

Jomei: 1530/1530 HP | 157/163 EN | 18 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 52 MIT | 2 Savvy | 77 B. Healing
Mari  1090/1090 HP | 104/106 EN | 11 DMG | EVA 3 | MIT 43 | ACC 4  -2 EN

Flying Monkey 1  0/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT (-178)
Flying Monkey 2 150/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT
ID:156340  MOB 7 - 3= MISS target: Jomei
Flying Monkey 3 150/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT
ID:156343 MOB 7 - 3= MISS target: Jomei
Flying Monkey 4 150/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT
ID:156345 MOB: 8 - 3= 5 MISS

Edited June 29, 2020 by Mari

[Jomei 0]

Jomei chuckled at Mari's joke. He appreciated the humor she shared in the situation, especially since it seemed they were in no real danger at the moment. "Size doesn't always matter.." he said with another quick flick of his sword, meeting the bottom of one of the monkey's chins and holding it just before its throat, "As long as you know how to use it."  With a heavy step forward, Jomei thrust his rapier through the flying ape, in a similar fashion to the first. Each strike seemed to destroy the beast little by little, before a final strike caused the entire entity to shatter like glass. From behind him, he heard the struggle between Mari and one of the apes, as it used the woman's ginger bob as a springboard, clawing at her face and hair and then leaping at the Irishman, falling flat on its face. "Its alright, are you okay? Doesn't look like it did any damage but...it sure did look uncomfortable." Jomei motioned himself to stand between the monkey that had tried to attack him and Mari, so at least now it was an even fight. 

ID 156347 | BD 2(+4)(+2 Savvy) 8 Hit | Flashing Penetrator vs Flying Monkey 2
11 x 18 = 198(-20) 178 Dmg

Jomei: 1530/1530 HP | 152/163 EN | 18 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 52 MIT | 2 Savvy | 77 B. Healing
Mari  1090/1090 HP | 104/106 EN | 11 DMG | EVA 3 | MIT 43 | ACC 4  -2 EN

Flying Monkey 1  0/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT 
Flying Monkey 2 0/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT -178
Flying Monkey 3 150/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT
Flying Monkey 4 150/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT

@Mari

Edited June 29, 2020 by Jomei

[Mari 1]

Jomei was quick witted, throwing wordplay right back at Mari and she couldn't help but grin at it, her lips splitting to show her teeth. "Yeh I'm fine I'm just...flustered, I- I'm just used to doing yanno..." She averted her gaze. "Better. And I'm trying to work on things and...." Mari shook her head. Jomei didn't need to hear her sob story.  

She turned on her heel and went to attack the next monkey. Only for the exact same thing to happen again.

"Are you f**king kidding me!" Mari spat, her short temper getting the best of her as she threw her dagger into the ground. "These dumb ass bloody monkeys don't even have any bloody evasion and I can't even - right stupid dagger you are!" She hissed at the insidious weapon, its red blade glistening in the ground. Mari bit her tongue. Crap. Crap.

Here she was trying to make a good impression and she just exploded. Mari would be lucky if she ever saw Jomei again. Mari looked up at him with a guilt ridden expression. "I-uh..." Her anger was quickly quelled by her embarrassment. "S-sorry I just...ugh...why do I even use a dagger anymore..." Mari muttered as she scrambled to grab her blade from the ground.

The monkeys rolled over on their backs laughing at her. Who needed to attack when they could just point and laugh at such a useless adversary? 

@Jomei

Passive: +1 En
ID:156350  BD:1 MISS
Charged Eternal Cyclone > Monkey 3

Jomei: 1530/1530 HP | 152/163 EN | 18 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 52 MIT | 2 Savvy | 77 B. Healing
Mari  1090/1090 HP | 103/106 EN | 11 DMG | EVA 3 | MIT 43 | ACC 4  -2 EN

Flying Monkey 1  0/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT (-178)
Flying Monkey 2 0/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT (-178)
Flying Monkey 3 150/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT
ID:156350 MOB: 2
Flying Monkey 4 150/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT
ID:156352 MOB: 2

Edited June 29, 2020 by Mari

[Jomei 0]

Jomei looked over at Mari, who had completely whiffed on another attack on her target of choice. The apes, who forwent their attack, screeched and laughed at Mari's misfortune. Jomei grunted at the creatures, theses monkeys are cannon fodder, but they definitely area nuisance. The woman responded by tossing her blade to the ground, and angrily spat words of hatred out of frustration. Afterwards, she seemed to backtrack, and try and recover from her fit of anger. Jomei simply smirked, "I don't know why you're apologizing. I'd be just as pissed if I missed my attacks too.. but these apes aren't making it any easier..." Jomei turned back towards one of the monkeys, his expression a bit more serious. 

"Oi, you want something to laugh about?" he shouted out to one to get its attention. As its teary eyes rose to look at the ginger, Jomei used his Charge ability to move forward at high speeds, bringing his knee into the ape's chest. The strike knocked the wind out of the monkey, while also propelling it into the air. Jomei followed suit with four, powerful thrusts to the flying monkey's chest, causing it to burst. With the remains of the third monkey, in the form of data fragments rained around Jomei, he turned to the last of the monkeys, and looked over to Mari. "You've got this." 

ID 156354 | BD 3(+4)(-1 Charge)(+2 Savvy) 8 | Charge + Penetrate vs. Flying Monkey 3
18 + 5 x 8 = 184(-20) 164 DMG

Jomei: 1530/1530 HP | 149/163 EN | 18 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 52 MIT | 2 Savvy | 77 B. Healing
Mari  1090/1090 HP | 103/106 EN | 11 DMG | EVA 3 | MIT 43 | ACC 4  -2 EN

Flying Monkey 1  0/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT (-178)
Flying Monkey 2 0/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT (-178)
Flying Monkey 3 0/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT (-164)
Flying Monkey 4 150/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT

@Mari

Edited June 29, 2020 by Jomei

[Mari 1]

"Hhaah..." Mari laughed dejectedly. "Careful now." She chided, "I may actually think someone's being genuinely nice to me." Mari joked as she waved a dagger in Jomei's direction. She wasn't used to such compliments so brushed them off the best she could.  Still, it was nice to hear that someone else would act the same. Mari always felt like she was some strange outlier, rarely anyone had negative emotions like she did - she felt like she was in some strange alternative land - then again, she was stuck in a video game.

Right...

They were all stuck here.

Mari clenched her hand tightly around her dagger and charged toward the final Monkey, activating her <<Eternal Cyclone>> Skill but instead of spinning on her heel to do more damage to the Monkey she cleaved it in half in a single swipe. 

And suddnely; the two were met with silence. No more laughter.

"Phew..."

@Jomei
Passive: +1 En
ID:156355  BD: 9 CRITICAL 
Charged Eternal Cyclone > Monkey 4
11+5 (charge) x13 Eternal Cyclone
208-20=188

Jomei: 1530/1530 HP | 152/163 EN | 18 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 52 MIT | 2 Savvy | 77 B. Healing
Mari  1090/1090 HP | 104/106 EN | 11 DMG | EVA 3 | MIT 43 | ACC 4  

Flying Monkey 1  0/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT 
Flying Monkey 2 0/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT 
Flying Monkey 3 0/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT
Flying Monkey 4 0/150HP |  70 DAM (35 MIN) | 20 MIT
 

Edited June 29, 2020 by Mari

[Jomei 0]

Jomei crossed his arms and let out a small hum of a chuckle at Mari's response to him being nice to her, "Oh, you're probably going to hate me then." Unless someone gave him a reason to not trust or like them, then that was just who Jomei was; a genuinely kind person. Not only that, but it seemed he and Mari had already connected a bit on their past with Lowenthal.. and her sense of humor during combat was definitely admirable as well. With that, like some cliche moment, Mari was then able to go forth and strike down the final monkey remaining of their four combatants. 

Jomei clapped his hands once together, "Alright, now that they are out of the way-" The sound of large thuds behind him cut Jomei off from the rest of his thought. Slowly, the man turned around to see another two figures, much larger in stature, behind him. Another two winged monkeys, though each with an extra set to make up for their larger size, resembled more of a gorilla than a monkey. While one slowly approached, walking on its fists, the second rose to its full height and drummed on its chest with its large fists. The ginger, quickly realizing he was within range, retreated backwards to Mari's side, brandishing his blade once again. "I guess I forgot about these guys flying up there. The Witch will have to wait a little longer I suppose." 
 

Jomei: 1530/1530 HP | 153/163 EN | 18 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 52 MIT | 2 Savvy | 77 B. Healing
Mari  1090/1090 HP | 104/106 EN | 11 DMG | EVA 3 | MIT 43 | ACC 4  

Elite Flying Monkey 1  220/220 HP |  90 DAM (45 MIN) | 35 MIT 
Elite Flying Monkey 2   220/220HP |  90 DAM (45 MIN) | 35 MIT 

@Mari

[Mari 1]

"Oh...yeh." Mari said as she looked up. "At least there's only two of em. Well, no more monkey business."  Mari pulled out her dagger as the two beasts landed in front of them. "I don't want to paws our conversation, but - " Mari didn't finish, she charged forward - in an attempt to attack one of the monkeys, but instead of hitting it, she  tripped - the slopes were slippery and the rocks loose. "F**k." Mari hissed. feeling like crap. Mari sighed, placing a hand on her  forehead. She felt...a little useless. "I don't..." She sounded defeated. "I mean - I promise I'm not normally this bad..." Mari said as she looked down at her dagger. She shifted the blade to and fro so it'd glimmer in the sunlight. "I dunno...why I'm so bad today." Mari forced out a laugh. "Guess all that sh*t weighing me down is actually weighing me down." Mari said as she shifted her arms, acting like she was burdened with something heavy on her back. 

Really....how could she miss so many times?

@Jomei

ID:156764  BD:2-1=1+3=4 MISS
Charged Eternal Cyclone > Elite Monkey 1
11+5 (charge) x13 Eternal Cyclone
208-20=188
Passive +1 EN
Jomei: 1530/1530 HP | 153/163 EN | 18 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 52 MIT | 2 Savvy | 77 B. Healing
Mari  1090/1090 HP | 105/106 EN | 11 DMG | EVA 3 | MIT 43 | ACC 4  

Elite Flying Monkey 1  220/220 HP |  90 DAM (45 MIN) | 35 MIT 
Elite Flying Monkey 2   220/220HP |  90 DAM (45 MIN) | 35 MIT 

Edited July 3, 2020 by Mari

[Jomei 0]

As the two prepared for another round of combat, Mari had prepared another round of jokes. This time, enough to make the man groan in mental pain. "Oof.. I think I took some damage from that joke" he said with a chuckle as Mari went in for the kill. However, luck did not seem to be on her side this fight, as a simple misplaced rock threw off her approach and wasted the sword art, leaving the flying gorilla unscathed. The gorilla responded with an aggressive huff of air through its nostrils and a slam with its fist, just barely missing Mari. "I've got'em" Jomei responded as he circled around the battlefield to get a better position of approach on the second of the beasts. 

Using his charge skill yet again, Jomei shot forward at the monkey, who was expecting Jomei to rush at it. With a few flaps of its wings, it took off into the air just above Jomei's head. The ginger's olive eyes went wide as he quickly neared the side of the cliff, needing to skid to a stop to avoid plummeting off the rocky hill. With a few steps back away from the descent, Jomei looked over his shoulder at Mari, "Oh no, you're rubbing off on me. Now I'm missing." he said with a smirk before readying himself again, "It's alright, we'll get them this time." 

ID 156766 | BD 1 Miss | Charge | Over Radiation vs. Flying Monkey 2

Jomei: 1530/1530 HP | 152/163 EN | 18 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 52 MIT | 2 Savvy | 77 B. Healing
Mari  1090/1090 HP | 105/106 EN | 11 DMG | EVA 3 | MIT 43 | ACC 4  

Elite Flying Monkey 1  220/220 HP |  90 DAM (45 MIN) | 35 MIT 
ID 156767 | MD 7(-3) | Target Mari
Elite Flying Monkey 2   220/220HP |  90 DAM (45 MIN) | 35 MIT 
ID 156768 | MD 5(-4) | Target Jomei

@Mari

Edited July 1, 2020 by Jomei