[PP|F7]<<Case of Wurms>>I'm gonna murder you...

[Zajcica 0]

The paladin was never keen on soloing bosses, but this one was an exception. The Amphis Serpens had nearly killed her the first time she met her. The last time she met this creature, Night had killed it in a single hit. She was a coward when it came to snakes and serpentine, but she wouldn't that judgement cloud her any longer.

Arriving at the village where the boss spawns, Yuki takes a moment to look at her gear before she goes into battle. Thinking about how this boss worked there wasn't much at all that could threaten her. This trip was about facing her fears and becoming a stronger person for it. A tank had to ensure that their weaknesses were covered or they would be easily exploitable. If the upcoming floor bosses were snakes, she wouldn't be caught of guard. Yuki clicked on her armor and removed it from her battle ready slots.

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

Spoiler

Zajčica
Level: 52
HP: 1040/1040
EN: 104/104

Stats:
Damage: 2
Mitigation: 166
Accuracy: 2
BH: 56
BLD: 36
THRNS: 54+20
TAUNT

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Durandal (T3/Perfect/OHSS): ACC II; BLD I
Armor: -none-
Misc: Casa di Logistilla (T3/Perfect/Shield): Thorns II; Taunt

Skills:
One-Handed Straight Sword [Rank 1]
Heavy Armor [Rank 5]
Fighting Spirit [Obtained]
Block [Rank 5]
Battle Healing [Rank 5]

Extra Skills:
Concentration
Familiar Mastery: Defender

Mods:
Athletics
Stonewall
Shield Bash

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleportation Crystal*1
Immolation+2*8
Ration+2*10
Ika Shogayaki(OH III)*1
Fiery Dragon Roll(MIT III)*4

Housing Buffs:
Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
Squeaky Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Tasty: Turn 2 identical food items into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Angler: +1 material gained when fishing
Advanced Training: +2 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:
Tanos Statue: +15 Mitigation for a thread.

 

[Freyd 0]

Freyd hadn't spent much time on floor seven, but his ever-expanding data set had a number of questions that required verification.  Walking around with his head buried behind open pop-up menus, he nearly bowled into Yuki, catching himself just in time.  He blinked.

"Yuki?"  He blinked again when he saw that she wasn't wearing armor.  His mental picture of her simply couldn't conceive of the pink paladin without full metal cladding.

"Yuki!"  The second time was more certain, and definitely carried hints of warmth and welcome.  "How long has it been?  And what are you doing down here?  I was sure you'd be running the front lines by now."

Freyd's appearance had changed considerably since Yuki had last seen him.  He'd been completely green when she offered to take him along to slay a frost golem on floor six.  It was a crazy idea, but had set on course to be where he was now.  Clad in a trim black cassock, he resembled a catholic priest with a pair of polished silver vambraces covering his arms.  His hair was just as frazzled as when they had first met, and his face was just as neutral.  Well, perhaps it had mellowed a little bit.  There was less fear in his eyes.

Spoiler

Name: Freyd
Level: 21
HP: 420/420
EN: 42/42

Stats:
Damage: 9
Mitigation: 14
Accuracy: 1
SAVVY:1
HLY:2
BLD:12
KEEN:1

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Forgiven Disobedience (T1-2HSS, ACC 1, HOLY 1, BLD 1)
Armor: Enduring Guile (T1-LA, MIT 1, SAV 1)
Misc: Justicar's Vambraces (T1-Trinket, ACC 1, KEEN 1)

Skills:
2H Straight Sword [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 1]

Extra Skills:
Disguise
Familiar Mastery: Fighter

Mods:
None

Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Healing Potion (50 hp)*3
Teleport Crystals*2
Fish snack (+1 ACC)*1
Divinity's Wait (T1 Mit 3)*1
Liquor of Light (T1 DMG 3)*1

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% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild:

Wedding Ring:

 

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki dipped forward a bit as someone collided with her. A familiar feeling. Though, she was not expecting it to be who it was. His name was coming to her slowly, which was weird since she normally could remember names well. It was easily the change in attire that caught her off guard, but it came back to her quickly enough to not make her look like an absolute idiot. "Freyd." Her voice was more in shock than surprise. She honestly hadn't thought she'd be seeing him for a long while unless he was to message her, which he hadn't. "You seem to be getting along well enough." Yuki's normal smile or fierce look was non-existence. "I apologize, I'm doing something important. I'm going to beat a boss, join me if you want, but I have my usual rules, and there is only 1 this time. You watch. That's it, nothing else."

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

"Watch?"  Good old Yuki.  She was always looking out for people, or so it seemed to Freyd as he had only met her once before.  He'd come a very long way since then.

"You'll have the first shot, and I'll wait until you have solid aggro, but I'm not quite the noob I was when we last met."  Freyd smiled, then quickly changed the subject.  Yuki could lay down her rules, but he wouldn't accept being dead weight.  "So what's the deal with no armor?  Is today a special tanking holiday, or something?  If you have business here, I'd expect you to decked out in your regalia and ready to charge straight into hell."

He extended a party invite to her, waiting for Yuki to accept.  In the meantime, he summoned Forgiven Disobedience to hand.  The bright white greatsword was leagues beyond the pathetic starter longsword he'd wielded during their last encounter.  This time was going to be different.

[Zajcica 0]

"If you wont follow my rules, I will not bring you. This is my fight. It's not about being dead weight, because you're not. This boss is mine. I am going to murder it and if you touch it, I will remove you from my friends list." Her tone was serious, this is no joke. Yuki was extremely passionate about this for some reason. She halted the accepting the group request, letting the timer on the quest. Yuki's eyes were stern and serious. it was clear that she wouldn't accept any other answer from the lower level player.

"I apologize Freyd, but this is important to me and I can't let you intervene. It's okay to be carried some times. I did it my entire way up tier 2. You have until this group request end to accept my terms. Other wise I'm going to kill it alone."

32...
31...
30...

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

His brow furrowed, deeply. 

29...

28...

"Not without an explanation."  He was equally firm.  'Out of my cold dead hands' kind of firm, actually.  She had never seen him like this.  Nobody had, since the incident that forced his family to move back to Japan.  It was only a hint of the darkest side of Freyd - one that could never be permitted to revealed itself.  He kept it so tightly bound because he feared it could lead him to do anything if it were ever to get out - regardless of how how calculating or ruthless or worse...  

"I don't react well to threats from a friend, Yuki, and that's what you're doing.  If this matters that much to you, then tell me why.  Explain, or you can delete me from your list right now.  We don't need to wait for the countdown."

19...

18...

His expression softened as his internal wiring realigned.  The impulses remained suppressed.  

"If you want - need - to do this, that's fine.  But you don't need to push me away to get me to agree, or to always take on the weight of the world on your own."

 

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki stared at the request as it ticked down.

15...

She had no problem telling him what had happened, but she hated this boss. "When I was around your level, I took this exact boss on alone and survived with only six health points remaining. It has scarred me to this day. I wish to show it my revenge, even if I must beat it into submission with my bare hands. This fear won't hold me down any longer. I won't let it feed into me and be a potential weakness." The girl lightly tapped the accept button on her menu and sighed. "I apologize. That was all out of line. I'm going to embarrass this boss. Please allow me to fight it alone."

Yuki started to walk from the safe zone towards the boss spawn. She remembers it wasn't that far from the settlement. For a moment, she looks up on the cliff where her savior had come to save her before she died.

[Freyd 0]

Freyd nodded his agreement, and the matter was dropped.  He liked Yuki, but her stubborness could prove troublesome when it peaked.  He couldn't help but wonder how the front line crews reacted to it.  Rumour had it that they were quite a diverse lot themselves.

He appreciated her sentiment about wanting to settle old scores.  Lingering debts didn't sit well with him either, and he was glad to be clear of them whenever he could.  Freyd gladly followed her out of the safe zone, but repeated the one item she hadn't addressed:

"So, I get the payback angle, but why do you have to do it without armor?  Is it in the shop?  Is that a thing?"  Freyd had a bit of a grimace on his face as he tried to figure that out.  Maybe it was some strange tank ritual of passage.  Whatever.  He'd be there if she needed him, though he suspected that she'd never actually admit such a need.

 

[Zajcica 0]

"I don't need it."  Yuki put simply. "It's unnecessary weight."

The sandy pit that she had nearly died in was empty for now. She could remember the battle like it was yesterday. Her own screams piercing through her consciousness threw her off balance.

'Dasukette!!'

She shook that off and gave her cheeks a pat to clear her thoughts. Worrying about these past mistakes and feelings would help her now. She was strong now - capable of just about anything she put her mind to. That stubbornness would make her an asset, but also a hindrance if she didn't continue to better herself.

The ground shook, signifying the bosses arrival. Yuki had not even drawn her weapon as the duo of snakes emerged from the sands in front of her. A disgusting hiss of it's poisonous jaw didn't even falter Yuki. She did her best to keep her composure. There was no threat of paralysis, so no need to worry. Yuki's serious tone continued to break the norm for her as she called out to the beast.

"I'm going to murder you." She said as she took a fighting stance, weapon still in it's holster at her side. It was hardly a fair fight. The Serpens dove at her with it's speed showing strength, but Yuki was just as fast. She reached up and grabbed the snake by it's lips, not even faltering at the force that she had stopped dead it's tracks. With a wind up of her fist the girl unleashed a devastating punch that smashed the serpents head into the sand. Now for the second head.

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

Amphis Serpens: 81/175 (20+74) | DMG: 70 | MIT: 45 | PSN: 20/5(9-10)

Zajcica: 1040/1040 | 104/104 | DMG: 2 | MIT: 121 | ACC: 1 | EVA: -2 | THRNS: 74  | TAUNT | BH: 52

[Freyd 0]

It went against Freyd's better judgement, but a deal was a deal.  He always honored his commitments - because that was who he wanted to be.  Right now, that meant standing by, uninvolved, because it was what his friend needed.

Winning this battle clearly meant a lot to Yuki.  He had to respect that.  Standing back at the edge of the battleground, Freyd perfectly stood still as he watched, his arms folded before him.  Were anyone else watching, it must have been a strange sight; like he was some sort of morbid sensei watching a student face off against this serpentine monstrosity.  But this was Yuki's test of her own worth. His role was more akin to... moral support?  It wasn't exactly his strong suit, but he'd give it a shot.

"Look at the fear in its eyes, Yuki," he called out.  "I'd say it remembers you - a different you.  Show it who you are now!"

Spoiler

No action taken.

 

[Zajcica 0]

The first head that she had finished was plowed into the sand, unmoving either from the massive damage she inflicted or just out right dead. It likely wouldn't disappear until the second part of the boss was finished off, which made sense. Either way, the remaining part was still to deal with. It charged her with the murderous intent in it's feral eyes apparent. Yuki braced herself, standing still and letting the biting attack cover her chest. The monster instantly released her from it's mouth as the thorns pricked the inside of it's mouth.

"Good try." Yuki said, "But that wont work on me this time."

Freyd's words had fallen on deaf ears. Yuki's mind was set on the battle in front of her. This fight was sealed the moment that she took step in the bosses layer, but she wouldn't let anything catch her off guard anymore, especially not this stupid snake.

Amphis Serpens: 7/175 -(74) | DMG: 70 | MIT: 45 | PSN: 20/5(9-10)

Zajcica: 1040/1040 | 104/104 | DMG: 2 | MIT: 121 | ACC: 1 | EVA: -2 | THRNS: 74  | TAUNT | BH: 52

[Freyd 0]

"Snap out of it, girl!" he called, taunting her for a moment.  "You're a tank!  That means that you have to pull off that crazy shit AND be able to keep an ear open at the same time.  What if another mob or three popped up behind us?"  She was probably going to be so mad at him for presuming to tell her how to do her job.  Good.  She also needed to know when to ignore distractions.  He turned to check behind him, just in case.  Fate - and Cardinal - had a way of making statements like that become inconvenient reality.

If Yuki was going to be as amazing as he thought she was, his minor antagonism should just roll off her back.   Besides, it wasn't like she'd let him do anything else.  That gave him an idea.

Grabbing a small, roughly spherical hunk of dried out tumbleweed from the ground, he tossed into the air.  Summoning Forgiven Disobedience to hand, he swung and knocked the block with the flat of the blade, sending it flying a few dozen feet away.  He made sure not to be sending anything anywhere near Yuki or her plaything.

[Zajcica 0]

"I'm not quite the noob I was when we last met." She repeated his words to her. He acted as though she wasn't paying attention to anything around her. That wasn't the case. She had no need to listen to encouragement or something that didn't change the course of battle. It was something of selective attention.

With her attention turned, the Amphis Serpen found it's moment to strike. It bit her again, ferociously and lifted her up. It's teeth sank deep into her stomach and set a poison into her health bar. The paladin freed her hands quickly and stabbed the beast in the eyes with her weapon. It recoiled enough to let her go.

"That is exactly why you don't talk about anything needless in battle." Yuki mentioned as she turned her focus back to the boss. She wouldn't let it catch her off guard again. The poison was what nearly killed her last time, but not this time around since she has collected battle healing.

Amphis Serpens: 7/175 -(1) | DMG: 70 | MIT: 45 | PSN: 20/5(9-10)

Zajcica: 1040/1040 -(1-20)+52 | 104/104 | DMG: 2 | MIT: 121 | ACC: 1 | EVA: -2 | THRNS: 74  | TAUNT | BH: 52

[Freyd 0]

Freyd took a moment to watch as the serpent fiend bit down on his companion.  It didn't look comfortable.

"Uh-huh."  Freyd replied loudly, making sure that she could hear him.

"This is exactly why it's important to banter pointlessly in battle.  Haven't you ever noticed the penchant for villains to monologue endlessly during battle?!  I mean - honestly - it's ridiculous!"  Freyd was reveling in his own deliberate hypocrisy.  This seemed like sufficient payback for Yuki making him wait in the outfield while she had all the cathartic fun.  Another tumbleweed went sailing into the distance, this time struck as a golf ball.  

"Keep it up!  You're doing just fine!  Just, don't ask me to suck out any poison, okay." 

Persi, his blue shadow mongoose familiar, returned with both tumbleweeds in her mouth, looking positively pleased with herself.  He gently patted her head in thanks before throwing one them back for her to fetch. 

"We should go have something to eat after this!  You can fill me in on what's been happening since we last saw each other."

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki's focus was mostly on the boss at this point, even though she heard Freyd's words, it was nearly dead and she wanted it gone. She sheathed her sword in it's usual hiding place and readied for the next attack. It Amphis Serpen jumped on her quickly, smashing it's head in the sand as Yuki jumped back without much of a care. Quickly, she rushed forward throwing a heavy punch at the serpentine enemy. Just as she reached in, it's head exploded the sand around it, throwing her off course.

The paladin spun in the air and landed on her feet. Woe is the tank life of doing no damage. This is fine however. It can suffer with low health like how it made her suffer. Looking down at her HUD, she noticed that her Shield Bash was now on cool down. How annoying. That attempt had ruined her chance to kill it here with an attack. She would have to wait for it to hurt her.

Amphis Serpens: 7/175 | DMG: 70 | MIT: 45 | PSN: 20/5(9-10)

Zajcica: 1040/1040 | 104/104 | DMG: 2 | MIT: 121 | ACC: 1 | EVA: -2 | THRNS: 74  | TAUNT | BH: 52 | POISON: 20[4/5]

[Freyd 0]

Freyd and Persi were now playing thumb football in the background, using scavenged sticks, scraps of cloth and bits of slate.  They'd even added line markings and stands lined with a variety of pebbled, colour coded to show their support for one side or the other.  Most of them favoured Persi.  Traitors.

"Err... best six out of eleven?" Freyd replied.  Persi apparently had a hidden talent for this particular game and was smoking him at every turn.  She looked at him with the same smug disdain you might expect from any member of the feline family.  Her tail mocked him by swaying lazily in the background, its shadowy contrasting starkly with the brightly coloured landscape.

"Are you sure you're still good over there?  My sword is, like, right here.  I could just stab it and end this.  Just saying..."  He desperately hoped she would change her mind, if only to save him from growing the embarrassment of being utterly defeated by a mongoose.

[Zajcica 0]

"I'm fine. Do not interfere." She said without even taking her eyes off the boss. Her sword was ready for the next attack, it reached in and tried to hit her, missing at first. She quickly slashed it across it's neck, leaving a weak red mark there. It rotated it's body, slamming hard into Yuki's form. She barely moved from her spot, only being knocked back with her feet dragging through the sand. The boss it's self wasn't feeling so good.

It's form phased through and grew static distortion until it exploded into nothing but data. Yuki sighed when the both of them were finished, checking her inventory for the drop as usual. "Alright. You should have gotten a drop from the boss. I have a friend who absolutely loves these drops that come with damage over time effects. Could I ask for that item from you? If not, it is totally fine." Yuki gave him a smile as she closed her menu. "Thank you for abiding in my wishes."

Amphis Serpens: 7/175 | DMG: 70 | MIT: 45 | PSN: 20/5(9-10)

Zajcica: 1040/1040 | 104/104 | DMG: 2 | MIT: 121 | ACC: 1 | EVA: -2 | THRNS: 74  | TAUNT | BH: 52 | POISON: 20[3/5]

[Freyd 0]

Freyd was busy holding his head in his hands.  Persi was up 13-0.  All of the pebbles had somehow shifted colours to side with her.  Several had even erected little shadowy banners with her name in glowing blue lettering.  Cardinal was just taunting him now.  

He got up,  dusting himself off as best he could.  Checking his inventory, he summoned the item and tossed it to Yuki.  Kicking over his little wooden net in admission of defeat, he just started wandering back towards the quest endpoint, hands stuffed into his pocket.  Persi scampered up his back and perched herself on his left shoulder, nuzzling her head against his left cheek.  He reached up and stroked her head.  It had been a good game.

"You're a good tank, Yuki."  It was all he said as he walked away.  He didn't even bother looking her in the eye.  "I hope you found what you were looking for."

[Zajcica 0]

She was going to treat him with a meal, but it seemed as though he didn't want to talk further. "I'm not done yet." She mentioned, looking down at the vial's of Snake Venom that she had gotten, her own and Freyds. These things would be nice for Night, so she would be saving them for her. Next she was going to kill the Hebishinu. The snake that started her fear for real. There would need to be more planning for that big snake though. Antidotes and maybe a para-immune piece of gear that could be useful.

The paladin made her way back to the teleporter of the floor. She needed something to eat herself. Just thinking about the Hebi made her hair stand on edge. She hated that stupid thing, but it was all the reason more to give it the solo-style ringer. She wouldn't let it catch her off guard again, even if it would be a difficult fight to take on alone and she risked getting swallow whole again.

[Freyd 0]

Freyd walked slowly, giving Yuki enough time to collect what she needed and catch up.  His sword vanished back into storage, unused for more than play.  He didn't say another word and kept his gaze dead ahead the entire journey back to town.  There was a contemplative look on his face, but whatever thoughts he might be musing remained his own.  Back in town, he paused only long enough to let her turn in the quest, then bid her a curt but polite farewell, wishing her luck on her adventures.  It felt very formal and distant, though his expression and tone suggested no sense of ill feeling or disappointment.  

Pausing as he reached the teleportation platform, he summoned his friend list and scrolled to the bottom, where Yuki's name appeared.  Freyd stared at it for a good minute before closing the window without making any changes.  Touching the arch, he vanished into the void.