[F23-PP] Holding Out For A Hero(?) <<Search and Rescue>>

[NIGHT 0]

It was another one of those days when NIGHT felt the need to stay in bed. Sleep just felt so natural to her recently that she couldn't help but hide under the recesses of Aincrad, trying not to be bothered by the sunlight that drowned the outsides of her home. Then there was also an interloper outside of her room -- one she would rather not see at the moment, and she hoped come lunch time, they would've already headed out, doing... whatever. Gemini things, she supposed.

Too much effort to move... Just five minutes more.

Curled up in bed, she stayed that way, and would've until the afternoon if it hadn't been for a blip in her interface that came in from a mail. Fleur, her info broker, had decided now was a good time to return to NIGHT with a quest from the 23rd floor. What an annoying subscription, she griped. Can't I unsubscribe from this newsletter...? No, I've already paid...

Her eyes squinted, trying to read the white text against the black background. She was somewhat thankful that Cardinal had decided to put in a dark mode option for its menus, underneath her covers. The letter contained some information about some woman somewhere, doing who knows what and being mauled by beasts and--

Wait, mauled by beasts? That didn't sound good. Was she dead?

Fleur: You tell me when you find that out for yourself. It alters from player to player. Any equipment that might buy you time to slay your enemies might help. You might also want to find someone who can pull aggro for this one.

Pull aggro. Pull aggro...

NIGHT let out a breath, savoring the last of the comforts of her bed for the morning, before composing a new message to the one and only tank she knew was good at this: Yuki.

NIGHT: hey
u up
wyd

... Wait, why did Yuki's name read so funny? The woman blinked hard against her friends list, trying to comprehend the letters. @Zajcica? How did you pronounce that? Was she still half asleep--

Spoiler

NIGHT
 | HP: 890/890 | EN: 86/86
 | ACC: 4 | DMG: 22 (16, +3+2+1*) | EVA: 2 | MIT: 0 (36, -45)** | VAMP(OFF): 1 | BLEED: 24 | PARAV-D: 1 | LD: 2
 | Stealth Detection: 2
* [Filling] used to provide +1 Protein.
** WARNING: Mitigation cannot fall below 0!

---

[Skills]
 | Mod Count: 4/5

1. Two-Handed Straight Sword | Passive | RANK 5/5
   > Ferocity, Precision, Finesse
2. Heavy Armor | Passive | RANK 3/5 
   > Athletics
3. Searching | Passive | RANK 2/5
4. - - -
5. - - - 

-[Extra]

• Survival | Passive 
• Concentration | Active -- CD: 3
   
• Familiar Mastery: Fighter | Passive | RANK 3/3

---

[Equipment]

• Thunderstorm
  -- [ Paralytic Venom I | Natural successful attack rolls of 8-10 remove the enemy’s action on their next turn. Paralyzed opponents lose any evasion properties. ]
  -- [ Keen | After a successful attack, gain +1 BD until your next successful attack, at which point this bonus is removed. Another successful attack will reactivate this enhancement. ]
  -- [ Accuracy I | +1 ACC. ]
• Reminiscing The Lord
  -- [ Mitigation II | +18 MIT ]
  -- [ Paralytic Venom (Defensive) | Natural successful attacks against you of 8-10 removes the enemy’s action on their next turn. Paralyzed opponents lose any evasion properties. ]
• Silver Crescent Necklace
  -- [ Accuracy II | +2 ACC ]
  -- [ Evasion II | +2 EVA ]

-[Battle-Ready Inventory]

• [T1E3] Strength (1) -- [ Damage III | +3 DMG. ]   >> Empty Slot
• [T1E2] POWERRR!!+ (1) -- [ Protein II | +2 DMG, -30 MIT. ]   >> Empty Slot
• Dracbane
  -- [ Vampiric (Offensive) | Natural successful attack rolls of 9-10 heals the player for 10% of their Max HP. ]
  -- [ Bleed I | Natural critical attack rolls of 9-10 deal 24 unmitigated bleed damage each enemy turn for 2 turns. Bleed damage does not stack, but can be refreshed. ]
  -- [ Accuracy | +1 ACC. ]
• - - -
• - - -
• - - -
• - - -
• - - -

---

[Misc]

• -- [ Dimensional Backpack, Item Stash | +2 Battle-Ready Inventory Slots ]
  -- [ Rested | -1 EN for the first two expenditures of each combat. ]
  -- [ Col Stash | +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests. ]
  -- [ Relaxed | Increases out of combat health regeneration by (5 * Tier) per post. Full energy restoration occurs after two turns out of combat. ]
  -- [ Clean | In a thread, -20% DoT damage taken from the first DoT applied to this player. ]
  -- [ Filling | In a thread, +1 T1 slot to a food consumed by this player. Can exceed Cook enhancement caps. ]

[Zajcica 0]

The message formed in front of the tank, who was just relaxing in her house. The smell of food was always permeating in her house and she loved it. The shop had become a place for NPCs to visit, so she hired some NPC programs to run the day to day business of her shop while she focused on player to player interactions. She opened it up, from NIGHT.

"NIGHT: hey
u up
wyd"

She quickly started to make her reply. 'Hey, I'm just relaxing at home. Nothing really important. Why what's up? Want to grind more?" She said pushing the send icon in and watching the message head to Night. Well, whatever she wanted, she was sure it would be quest or combat related. Usually when people messaged a tank player, that was what they wanted from them. Time to get changed then! She headed into her bedroom switched from her kimono to her armor and started to head for her front door. A quest would be a good way to clear her mind, plus she liked Night.

@NIGHT

Spoiler

General
Level: 29 | HP:  610/610 | Energy: 58/58 Hate: 1/3/4(M/H/C)

Stats
DMG: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 53 | ACC: 3 | Thorns: 18 

Skills
R2 OHAS, R5 Heavy Armor, R1 MIT Familiar, Fighting Spirit, Concentration

Mods
Athletics

Equipment(In use)
Regal Cuirass(Heavy Armor): 1MIT, 2 Thorns
La Black Luna(Trinket): ACC 3
White Spear - Lux(OHAS): 2 Bleed, 1 Taunt

Equipment(Standby)
Ice Wall(Shield): MIT 3

Consumables
(2x)Starter Healing Potions(50HP)

 

Edited May 6, 2020 by Zajcica

[NIGHT 0]

NIGHT: no
not grind
f23
quest chain(?)
if we get lucky
need u to pull aggro
ill weigh in on dmg ofc
30min if u down

And that was that. NIGHT whined at the prospect of having to leave her comforts, but continued to shift in the dark anyway, deciding to bring the sheets along with her on her morning rise. One foot out of bed, and then the other.

Inelegantly, she tumbled to the floor.

 

30 minutes came and went, the adventurer trying to keep a brisk pace on her waking ritual. On the dot, she'd arrived in the Underdark, a little taken aback by her surroundings for a beat. One large cavern, darkness spilling from all edges and corners, twinkling with lights from candles and torches and lanterns down by the footpaths. Too large for any voice to echo in, but the cacophony of discussion and the shuffling of feet from the various elves that called it home still had an aura to it, one that breathed of sanctity in their steps, in their words. The world swirled around her as she turned to look, NIGHT lost in the crowd, as she contemplated the environment in awe, before realizing she had a job to do.

Locking her jaw in and hopping off the teleport pad, she focused her attention now on trying to catch a glimpse of her pink-haired companion.

@Zajcica

[Zajcica 0]

A couple minutes after Night had arrived in the Underdark, she was there as well. The pink haired paladin materialized in front of the teleporter and took a quick survey of the area. Oh yeah, it was this floor with the giant troll that Cord had fought for her and that other ditz of a player that she really never got to talk to after that. The memory was pretty fresh in her head: How could she have just wandered out of a safe area without realizing it? Good thing Cordelia was there to protect them. Yuki wouldn't have lasted long to Ugzeke at all.

"Oiii." She waved down Night when she came into view. "Need me to be your punching bag, hunh? Well, if there's nothing I'm better at than being an immovable pink boulder, I'm not sure what else I could be. What are we up to though, are you sure I can handle the damage being thrown at me? If I can't last longer than you can kill something then I can't help you." The paladin was as plain as possible. She followed Shield's teachings and made sure that she knew what she was getting into before accepting a quest. This was no different.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

NIGHT held up two fingers.

"Two strikes. That's all it takes for me to cull them." Then, wincing a little, she lifted a third. "Maybe three, though optimally you wouldn't get hit at all if my aim stays true. If anything, you're like my insurance. Some woman's out there being chased by beast men, so you'll need to take the heat off of her when we see her."

NIGHT set her hand on her chin, pulling up her inbox for a moment. "I'll be honest, I'm not even sure we'll get to see your aggro management in action. The quest is... abnormal. Info brokers are getting different information about it every time they check in with players. It's frustrating... --Oh, hold on. I've got it." Her finger hovered over a line from the message she'd received from Fleur, squinting over its contents as she turned around on the spot, trying to orient herself in the right direction. In time, she would look up, pointing upwards towards an outcrop sandwiched between stone buildings from the top and bottom.

"There." She waved the interface away, frown plastered on her face as usual as she glanced over to Yuki. "We'll have to retrieve the quest from some guy, first. Probably on a bench up there. Care for a hike?"

@Zajcica

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki grinned to her friend, with teeth contrasting the dark hues of the Underdark. "I just finished breaking a boulder with nothing but my fist, a little hike isn't going to put me in sour spirits!" The pinkette took the lead with Night right behind her. It would take a moment to get there so why not get to know the other person? They had spent a lot of time fighting together but it was still rather short in the bigger picture. Best to make sure she knew who she was fighting with.

"Night. Quite the different name to use hunh? How'd you settle on that Username?" The paladin smiled until she realized that she was probably going to ask her what her user name meant now. She really didn't want to tell anyone what it meant, not even Crozeph was in on that knowledge and he knows her full name. Though, maybe there's even worse secrets that she is keeping from her friends than just naming her profile after Playboy Bunny girls.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

"I just finished breaking a boulder with nothing but my fist--"

Instantly, NIGHT's face darkened. There were many, many reasons to dislike that one similar adventure that Yuki had just mentioned. In fact, the truth was she hadn't even gotten anything out from her beating up that rock that one time, save for a free lunch, so that just rubbed even more salt into her wound. In a flash, her distaste was hidden, as she pumped her fist downwards with a grin. "Good on you for completing that. I'm assuming you need it for your skills?"

As they found the base of the mountain's stairs, they began their ascent upwards. NIGHT hummed at Yuki's query, directed to her username. "Different? Different how? Internet handles are always weird -- I mean, look at yours." The mess of letters had to have meant something, the player in dark just wasn't sure what.

She glanced over at the paladin before continuing. "Call it a trade then. I used to put in Japanese characters for my username. It... carried over from my childhood. When that didn't work, I'd capitalized the handle in English. Surprised I could take NIGHT at all."

A shifted gaze, the woman noticing that they were only halfway up. "So? What's yours mean? Can't be anything too bad." Like a hero from some old sentai show...

@Zajcica

[Zajcica 0]

"Ahem," The paladin cleared her throat, choking on the words to come. She started the conversation without expecting the repercussion of being asked about her own. It would be insanely rude to tell her that she didn't want to share that secret with anyone at all. The girl's face lit up red as thought about how she would word this.

"Um...well, right, mine... My username is European in nature. I wanted to use Japanese for it but I didn't want people to pin point what the name meant. If I could change my username I surely would without hesitation. It...It means Playboy Bunny." She looked off to the the side, trying to hide her embarrassment from the other woman. How could she have named herself something so stupid? If this got to several people, the might accuse her of being a lecherous woman or something. She just liked the outfits...they were cute...

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

The player let the pink paladin ramble on for a bit, though she was hesitant at hearing what her username had meant when she'd sworn to have changed it given a second chance. Was it really that bad?

"-- It means what."

Maybe.

NIGHT found herself scratching the side of her cheek as she hurried her paces up the steps, a confused grimace on her face as she passed bunny boy-girl by. She overtook her flustered counterpart, stepping onto a plateau that overlooked the city crowd, before cutting diagonally across her, over to one of the benches propped up at the back. There was their aide, some random dark elf with an agenda to push, rising from his seat the moment the player in black got close.

One conversation completed in haste about -- ugh, his wife? So the game was hell-bent on guilt tripping them now? And then there was a war? -- before NIGHT returned to Yuki, pinching the bridge of her nose as she approached her.

"Quick question," she started, lowering her hand from her face. It was a decent scarlet now, if one looked closely enough. "This wouldn't happen to be about that Playboy Bunny magazine, would it?" NIGHT wasn't even sure how to react if the answer was true -- except, if the pages were that good to drive someone to name themselves after it...

... --Nonononono she wasn't going to allow herself to look at it. Too much.

@Zajcica

[Zajcica 0]

"The magazine yes. You know, the unitards with bunny ears. I named myself after that. Don't ask me why please. I really dunno if I can stand to explain that out loud. I was younger and didn't expect to be playing this game for this long..." Her face was completely flushed at this point, the embarrassment was killing her at this point. It was one think if people learned about her being a he, but the unease of knowing she might be taunted for choosing a sex idol for her username made her want to cry. She definitely wouldn't explain that she liked them for the appeal of a womanly body.

"Look, it embarrassing. I... hope this doesn't alter your opinion of me at all. I'm not about anything like that, I promise! I just like them is all..." The paladin took a moment to try and collect herself while Night came up with a response.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

Yes? She said yes? When she was younger?

The knight was at a loss for words. She sheltered her face from the world with two hands, fingers slipping underneath her fringe. Excuse her for being closeted, but knowing that there was someone else like her out here pulling the unimaginable was not only hard to believe, but desperately embarrassing. One big signifier of one's identity standing straight up tall, announcing their pride for everyone to look at (granted, the name seemed obscure enough to fall on deaf ears all the time, but NIGHT digresses) -- if only she herself could have been so bold.

Pulling her cover away from her cheeks, she placed a gloved hand upon Yuki's shoulder, along with returning her a determined, flushed expression. "No, it's okay," were the first few words that rolled out of the adventurer's mouth. "I understand. We've all had our phases like that. You're brave. You get it."

"I-- you definitely have my support, Yuki."

And NIGHT followed up on her encouragement with a singular thumbs up and a nod.

 

 

Right, back to the quest, she supposed.

NIGHT drew her hand back from her companion, before pacing over to the other flight of stairs leading upwards -- one quick ascension and a road traveled up ahead, and they'd be on their way to the war zone mentioned before.

@Zajcica

[Zajcica 0]

"Wh-Wh-Wha...?" The paladin gave her a completely confused look, her face basically turning the shade an apple at this point. She followed behind Night, trying not to burst into tears from the embarrassing conversation they were having. "Wh-What are you saying?! No one is supposed to know what it means and now you think I'm some kind of lecherous woman who indulges in those sort of things! The girl was having a difficult time getting her words out. She wasn't even sure if she could focus on combat if they were to get ambushed by something or find the woman they were looking for.

"I just like them okay! Its not like I am one or anything like that." Instant regret - Why did she that out loud. Now she really might start thinking she was Zajcica. That she really was just a lustful woman outside the game when she wasn't even a woman.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

"You're not lecherous for liking those sorts of things, Yuki," NIGHT countered, leading the duo around. The crowd paid them no attention at all as the women waded their way through, a hint of green visible in the distance, signifying their secluded exit path out the Underdark. "It's perfectly normal. Trust me, I would know."

"I just like them okay! Its not like I am one or anything like that."

The moment Yuki had said those words, her companion's hand reached through the crowd to pull her in close. Not out of intimacy, nor out of safety. NIGHT's eyes burned through the darkness, purple orbs cutting vibrant from the shadows. Her grip was tight upon her friend's shoulders, the leather of her gloves packed with wrinkles as she made her feelings clear with her strength.

A boiling muck burned in the player's throat, the words struggling to free themselves from her hold. And then,

"I never want to hear you deny that again."

The knight's hand was shaking. She swallowed her pride.

"You are who you are, Yuki. Even if you have to fight yourself internally sometimes to accept who you are, just know that there are millions of other people out there just like you."

"Including me."

"So don't you dare doubt yourself for a moment that there's something wrong with what or who you like. As long as you aren't hurting anyone, you have to know -- you are completely, wholeheartedly valid. And if anyone out there tries to change your mind on this, you know who to call."

With one release, NIGHT finally let go of the paladin, stepping back into the crowd as they continued their advance forward.

@Zajcica

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki stood in shock for a moment. She was trying to hide that almost completely, but she seemed to have gotten the exact opposite response that she had expected from Night. After a moment, the paladin caught up with the knight. Silent for a moment before she could think of any words to say, the girl finally spoke up. Her tone was hushed this time, to make sure that no other players could hear.

"I, uh, I'm sorry for my over reaction. I...may have lied...sorry. I...yeah. Thank you for saying that. I don't think I could have the body for that sort of thing. I'm too...lanky is the English word I think? Hyoro Hyoro." She put her hands close together to signify the small frame she had. "Also...I'm not as well endowed like other girls. I would die to even have anything like you do." Was this a weird conversation? She didn't have many girl-friends to talk about with this sort of thing, but as she was finishing her sentence the group was leaving the Underdark.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

Lied? Lied about what?

"No problem," NIGHT rolled out, eyes set on the road ahead of her. Her rage was still festering, and her clenched fists were the only show she'd allow herself to make of it. "We've all been there. Better you hear it from someone than to sit in pain alone."

Although, what about liking girls begged for a 'body for that sort of thing'?

At Yuki's mention of her own stature, NIGHT scowled upon her own, taking only a few glances down at herself before turning her gaze back to the road. And the mentioning of being well endowed? That puzzled her even more. Hers was modest, for sure, but they weren't enough to attract any modicum of attention. Given the chance to zip up her tracksuit, and she could easily pass as a guy.

"I mean..." Her ears were burning at the girl talk. It was... strange to hear. She'd usually been left out of conversations like these after being isolated and out casted for so long, not to mention the girls around her life growing up had been too focused on other activities to even muse about the female form. "They're not anything special. But I don't think you need to pride yourself on your chest size for that..."

... No, really. Did she take a wrong turn? Maybe she had. What part of the agenda relied on anything like one's cup-sizes, again?

In either case, they'd reached the outskirts of the city, the sunlight bearing down across the rolling greens a gentle white warmth, a halo in the ruined, apocalyptic dark of the grey skies and dreary ruined landscape. It was time to begin their search, as the duo approached the ruins of some queen's tower, though NIGHT was still set on wondering why Yuki felt insecure about herself. She looked fine. Lovely, even.

"I think she's under the rubble somewhere," the knight divulged, scanning the vicinity. "So let's look around."

"Also," she added, starting to turn over facing the nearest heap of junk to search through, "You... look good. So... don't worry about it. You're alright."

@Zajcica

Spoiler

Exploring the wreckage. (1/4)

[Zajcica 0]

She...looked good? Was Night hitting on her now? This adventure was becoming derailed really quickly, there was no way she was going to be able to focus now that this was happening. A big secret of hers was revealed and Night was okay with it, and now she's dropping the bomb that she liked women and she thought Yuki was good looking. How amazingly awful it would be if she were to find out that she wasn't even a she to begin with? Considering how reasonable she was so far with Yuki, she would likely be okay with it. Maybe she should just tell her...

"Um...thanks Night." She said slightly deflated while turning over rubble and looking for their charge. She didn't know what to think at this point, or what to even do about it. This conversations was going to be on her mind for at least the rest of the night. Maybe she should get together with her dark-haired companion and talk about this sort of thing.

@NIGHT

Spoiler

Searching 2/4

 

Edited May 6, 2020 by Zajcica

[NIGHT 0]

Yuki's disappointment was lost on the adventurer, still rifling through the collection of broken walls and overgrown plants to pay attention to their fallen conversation. NIGHT realized in the moment that she hadn't exactly gotten a description of the woman they were looking for -- but with any luck, she'd also have dark skin and white hair just like the rest of the elves.

In this darkness though? She contemplated on her effort as she ventured into an enclosed part of the structure, the looming broken tower still holding on to crevices, hiding secrets of its own. Moss painted its stone bricked walls, a mix of tarnished browns and emeralds scattering the sides of the ruins, as NIGHT turned to a hole in the wall, peering through the black abyss for a moment. Maybe the white of her hair would be obvious enough to spot...? Mmm, I don't know...

If I were a victim of being hunted by a band of monsters, where would I go...?

@Zajcica

Spoiler

Exploring the wreckage. (3/4)

[Zajcica 0]

The pinkette had realized that Night was not as bothered by their previous conversations. It had bothered her to no end and made it difficult to even think about doing anything else, but she would have to pull herself together to tuck it away for now. She would invite Night over for food later and they could maybe expand on the conversation at her shop over some food. That being said, Night was pretty good looking herself. Nice to hear the same thing from someone else.

Turning over rocks and rubble, the paladin heaved rocks three times her size out of the way. It took a lot of exertion to move them, but eventually it budged. Sometimes rubble could pile up and leave pockets where someone might get trapped so best to turn up everything they could. Hopefully they would be able to find this woman that they were looking for, NPC or not, she didn't want to see any dead people, er elves.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

In another cavity, down by a broken stairwell, NIGHT leaned forward, hand upon the gap's ceiling as she scanned the darkness with care.

Then she made contact with a set of piercing blue eyes, driven in a corner, the light from behind her allowing her to read their movements -- a finger to their lips, and nothing more.

So NIGHT kept her voice down as she asked the figure. "Fonsa?"

Not quiet enough, apparently, as the screeches and wails of beast men outside could immediately be heard after her call. The woman in the dark closed her eyes in pain, uttering a low curse, as NIGHT paced backwards, keeping her sights on the scene from the outside.

Sure enough, a pack of four could be seen headed her way. Better make this quick then. Better make this one count.

Better kill them all in one shot.

"Yuki!" NIGHT yelled over for her companion to the front lines. "Pick them up, now!"

@Zajcica

Spoiler

ID: 146640 | LD: 17 (18, -1) | CD: 8 | Fonsa is found alive. Is that the sound of Crazed Beastmen? (Fonsa: 4HP)

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki was slow to the reaction but still jumped into battle as quick as she could. Her bladed spear dug through all their stomachs as they attempted to pass by her looks like she had gotten their attention. Good. She looked over to make sure Night was okay with the injured elf. No one was getting hurt on her watch.

Thwak

The beastment swatted the tiny pink girl and sent her into a pile of rubble. Thankfully she didn't take any damage from the impact, but the discomfort of being slammed into stone didn't feel that great. As she collided into the wall, she let out a distressed "Ka-ah!" And fell to a knee. The beastmen were charging her relentlessly. If they had taken that kind of attack onto the injured elf, she would've died on impact. Thankfully, her tank skills were beyond important for these types of things. Now she knew why Night insisted she come.

[4/3/3/3]Yuki: 610/610 | 48/58 | DMG: 4 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 53 | ACC: 3 | Thorns: 18 
[0/0/0/0]NIGHT:

Beastman 1: 287/300 (1-12)| DMG: 75 | MIT: 20 | [BLEED 1/2]
Beastman 2: 299/300 | DMG: 75 | MIT: 20
Beastman 3: 299/300 | DMG: 75 | MIT: 20
Beastman 4: 287/300 | DMG: 75 | MIT: 20

Edited May 6, 2020 by Zajcica