[PP|F9] <<Guardian of Fire>> Real Talk

[ChaseR 0]

Seeing as the sun over the mountains had started to set, the boy decided it'd probably be best to slow down, now that they'd covered a fair distance, and settle for a quick rest before they got back on the road again. He halted step by step, looking at NIGHT with a slow nod. "Let's stop here, for now. We'll need to rest for the trip.". It seemed like at least he knew well enough both his and her own capabilities, seeing that the boss would be a complete pushover in comparison to getting to Inferno Cave.

As for her question, he raised his left hand her way and let the chains hang from his arm with a small smile. "... I'm an Artisan. Ariel helped me pick up my materials for the quest and... I made this trinket myself. I've had uh... One customer so far...", he admitted with pride slowly fleeting further and further away from his voice as he ended it off with another sigh, scratching the back of his head and looking up at the dark, cloudy sky. "... I don't do too well with others. Same reason I'm not in a guild."

[NIGHT 0]

The halt was fairly welcome. Their conversation had carried them quite the way through, and whilst NIGHT would not have minded powering through the walk, it made sense for them to conserve their energy when they could. A quick look over their surroundings, and the woman pointed out a small enclave uphill by their side, the shelter forged out of boulders perfect for resting come nightfall.

She'd glanced over to ChaseR as she'd moved along, acknowledging his craft with a nod. "I'm an artisan too," she shared. By the look of his craft, he didn't seem too shabby; but the relation of his miserable dwindling customer base laid the heart of their problem as equipment crafters -- either they were the top of their game and reaped most of the benefits, or spent their entire crafting career climbing towards the top, junking anything else that wasn't a perfect to a merchant. "Likewise, I don't think it's the social aptitude that's keeping customers away from your doorstep. The market's not that big on specialty pieces at the moment, if I recall correctly. At the very least, you could spend that down time on working through quests for experience gains, right?"

When they'd reached their destination for the eve, NIGHT took a seat on the earthen floor, resting her back against one of the rocky pillars. "I can keep watch if you're more keen on sleeping at the moment. There's no need to worry about how I'm faring."

[ChaseR 0]

With slight nods, the boy simply agreed with NIGHT. It was true, the best way that they could get EXP was just go through quests and wait until more trinkets were necessary. He wanted to become useful to the front lines by providing them with the crafts they needed, but it was obvious he'd need just a little bit more to push it to its limits. Simmone had to be getting the items she handed Chase the first time from somewhere anyways, so provided that she had ties that could make items for a Tailor and Blacksmith, there was no telling she didn't know an Artisan either.

As soon as she recommended he slept though, he shook his head with a wave of guilt flushing over him. "N-No, I can do it. I'll keep watch. You rest.", he abruptly said, starting to feel his neck getting warmer and warmer out of his nervousness. He definitely didn't want to end up doing the same thing as the way he was with Yuki and Shay together in the desert. Hell, that was the quest that would help him endure the heat in the Inferno Cave, too. "Definitely not going through the same farce as the pinkhead..."

[NIGHT 0]

Perhaps it was her misunderstanding the situation, but ChaseR did appear to be flustering once again. Was something the matter? If so, the woman hadn't taken notice of it so far. NIGHT nodded, choosing to keep his worries in her stride for the time being, shooting the restless man a wry smile. It was easier to oblige sooner than later; if they'd kept arguing over who got first shift, both of them would have it upon them permanently until the start of the next day.

"If you insist. Don't be afraid to wake me up if you need anything though."

It took her a little shuffling to ease her body's comfort against the landscape. When she was ready, the woman shut her eyes, tucking her hands into her pockets once more. Her drifting to dream land came without incident -- only a few moments passed before a sole, soft breathing emanated from NIGHT, the person apparently soundly fast asleep.

[ChaseR 0]

Chase simply nodded as he watched her fall to sleep almost in an instant, left in awe. He pierced his sword right next to him into the ground and leaned against it quietly, keeping watch over the two. If anything appeared, he'd push it away with a kick or whatever and pick his blade up- although there was quite good concealment to come with this crag. The night continued, and it wasn't until... maybe five or so hours that the bluehead started to feel tired. It was already boring enough to watch over the both of them and do nothing else, and his eyes had begun to feel dry, his mind needing sleep.

Even then, he didn't say anything to NIGHT, letting her sleep calmly. If she weren't to wake up, a few more hours would definitely pass with the man persisting throughout the fatigue and continuing to make sure that nothing happened to the two. "She's already gone through this more than once, so I can too... Won't lose to a dumbass chef... Tch...", he thought to himself at some point throughout his companion's rest, rubbing his eyes and continuing to admire the landscape.

[NIGHT 0]

It was almost like clockwork, how NIGHT's eyes flittered awake partway through her early morning rest. She swore that there was a faint buzzing in her ear when she woke, something on her interface that needed to be tended to at a moment's notice. As she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, her gaze fell onto her companion, the woman noting that the player was much more dazed than usual. A yawn and a stretch, before NIGHT finally shot some words the man's way. "I don't suppose you've gotten some rest yourself just yet? I'll keep a look out; take as long as you need."

When she rose from her seat by the rock, it was with a gentle summoning that a sword emerged from thin air and into her hands. A simple broadsword, tip set down into the earth before her, the woman standing vigil over their temporary camp. "Holler if you need anything," she tossed over her shoulder, before her sights settled on the route before her, eyes tracing out a path towards their destination in the distance.

[ChaseR 0]

Chase hadn't even noticed how she woke up, hearing her voice and jumping at the mere sound as he reached for the blade on his back almost mechanically, even if it was pierced right behind him. He slowly nodded at her, groaning and holding his head as the fatigue really began to settle in. "I won't take long.", he tried to comfort her, hoping he wouldn't be the one holding them back now that he had dragged her this far out into the fields. Honestly, this floor was way too big for its own good, seeing as it was still near the first, just the base of the castle.

He picked his blade up and put it on his back, quietly taking the sheathe, and the blade along with it, off and throwing it further to the side. Only moments after, he collapsed onto the ground with his head to the side and fell into deep slumber himself, obviously much too tired. He'd held out a lot longer than he normally would, probably doing himself and their so-far time efficient trip even worse than he would have done just waking NIGHT up with fewer hours of rest.

[NIGHT 0]

To NIGHT, it didn't matter how long her companion had taken to wake from his nap. The moment he'd fallen into a slumber, the woman felt free enough to pull up her own menus, unveiling the single message that had been left for her by a familiar sender. She'd jotted down a response, the woman not expecting a reply at this late an hour, and sent it off for the moment they'd found themselves waking from their rest.

Any outsider might've imagined that the rising sun was the guard's key signal, noting that it was time for the duo to start progressing on their quest once again. In truth, an internal clock on her interface helped her keep track of the passing hours, a watchful eye kept on that ticking number whilst NIGHT's sights were cast over the locale before them. At times, she would glance over at ChaseR's comatose body, wondering when the man would come to rise, but no matter how late it'd gotten, she'd only budge the moment he'd moved, a stoic glance to be thrown over her shoulder.

[ChaseR 0]

It took a good five or so hours before the boy started to move again, groaning as he got up from the rough ground he'd decided to sleep on. "Gnngh...", he groaned and pushed himself off, dusting his body and wiping his eyes groggily, looking over his shoulder only to see NIGHT was still watching over them all the same. He felt bad enough for having forced her to take watch, but then again, they couldn't do anything else without jeopardizing their safety. So with that in mind, he did his best to calm down.

"How long..?", he asked plainly and picked his sword up, realising that they still had a ways to go with travelling to the Inferno Cave. If the trek was two days and they had travelled half a day so far, they'd need to take another uncomfortable rest somewhere along the way. He placed the sheathe on his back and stretched, ready to get going as he looked at NIGHT. "We'll just have to tough this day out too and get moving... Feels like I'm putting in way too little effort, being gone for days like this..."

[NIGHT 0]

Her violets caught the light of day the moment she'd swung her sights backwards to check on her aide. "A few hours,"NIGHT replied, stepping away from the brink. Her hand still rested on the grip of her blade, her fingers tapping on its hilt to call it back to her inventory. "Nothing I couldn't handle. Good morning, sleepyhead."

When the duo was ready, they'd begun making their way downhill from their shelter, marking a diagonal path to their destination, feet shuffling against the dry rock. "There usually isn't anything out there to bother one's sleep on this journey," she mentioned, eyes searching the region just in case there were any more signs of the hounds from yesterday. "But it's not comfortable to keep moving after being worn out for so long, so most people take a short rest when they can. How was camping out for you; dreamt of anything last night?"

[ChaseR 0]

The boy nodded as he stepped out of the crag, looking around and noticing her question just shortly after. "What? Oh, uh... No, not really. I just wish we get this over with so I can return to Shay and enjoy my new home. Let's power through this trip, yeah?", he asked her with a grin, hoping that they could just do the rest of the trip with little chitchat and more walking. Not because she was unpleasant or anything, he had the most fun talking to someone on an expedition... then again, this was the only expedition he'd set out on since starting out.

The next few hours of walking came completely uneventfully, and so the night fell again. Although the two chatted amongst themselves along the way, nothing of importance was really said before one had to be the lookout so the other could sleep. Inferno Cave was very close by, and the howls of Hellhounds wandering about its entrance could be heard. It wouldn't be until tomorrow that they got to fight them, however. For now, it was time to rest once more.

[NIGHT 0]

Out near the cavern entrance, there was very little shelter to be found; a lava river flowed freely to one side, and a mountainous wall stood tall by the other, the dictation of there being only one route in and back to and from the lair of their beast. NIGHT guided the duo near a familiar spot she once rested at, the small stone gutter at least a hidden spot away from patrolling hostiles' eyes. She'd scanned rock face with relative ease, before performing a tricky parkour maneuver, bounding from wall to wall -- it was one that landed her atop a small outcrop, enough for the woman to sit upon if she dangled her legs over the sides.

"I'll take first watch this time," she insisted. "You look like you need the rest anyway."

It felt strange to be giving out orders so easily, NIGHT observed, unaccustomed to the dynamic of working in tandem with another. With a hand, she gestured ChaseR towards the bowl, back sliding up towards the sediment behind her. At their angle, she'd only be able to take note of any player walking their way, but she was assured in their safety from Cerberus' lackeys should they take a peek around their front door. Needless to say, her watch would likely be uneventful; and still, it would be necessary.

[ChaseR 0]

Chase gave a slow nod at her, not sure if he could perform the same maneuver and simply staying nearby, just under where she was. With a sigh, he took his sheathe off of his back and quietly placed it against the wall, leaning against it in a sitting position and closing his eyes. He was tired enough to not have to say anything, as he slowly drifted to sleep. It was around four or five hours later that he woke up, groaning and stretching for a good minute or two before he remembered about NIGHT, checking to see her still keeping watch over the two of them.

"... I'll take watch. Sleep a bit.", he stated as he picked his blade back up and held it on his back. It was slightly odd, now that he thought about it, how he always kept his weapon by him rather than letting it appear and disappear at will. A bit overly cautious, but that's exactly how Chase was and worked, after all. He couldn't find any other path up to NIGHT's elevation, and decided that he'd stay down here, with his weapon resting in his hands, ready to slash at any non-player he saw. 

[NIGHT 0]

Her head bounced in ChaseR's direction the moment the man awoke, the interface ahead of her blinking away as she willed it to. For some reason, the walk over nor her post so far hadn't seemed to tire her any, the woman managing to greet her waking companion with a cheery "Morning".

"... I'll take watch. Sleep a bit."

"Right." Their agreement was almost like clockwork, by now, despite their resting cycle only having been set in motion twice. NIGHT tucked her hands into her pockets, sinking back into her tracksuit ever so slightly. A few minutes passed, and she was soundly out, head pressed against the side of the wall she was leaning towards; enough to make for an uncomfortable pillow, not enough to cause her to topple over in time.

On this occasion, her rest appeared to be shorter -- instead of a proper handful of hours, her sleep had only accounted for three. It was without a word that she tumbled down from her perch, landing on her feet as gracefully as a cat would, looking over to her companion with a nod towards their destination.

[ChaseR 0]

Same as before, the boy jumped upon seeing the swordswoman by him, silently giving another nod as they began to head over towards the cave nearby. If he remembered right from the day before, they would only need to kill a few Hellhounds before being able to take care of the Cerberus. The amount he wasn't too sure about, as according to some, it increased with the party... Then again, NIGHT mentioned that the quest might have changed since she did it, but... Whoever knew. They'd fight for sure, and that's all that mattered.

Upon arriving in front of the cave, Chase could already feel the heat ahead of them, but he knew that his Survival extra skill would keep him safe. By the looks of it, his party member wasn't too bothered by it, so he assumed she must have picked it up somewhere along her way to Tier 3. It didn't take long before four Hellhounds showed up, the same pack that had gone scouting when they started. Chase lifted his blade up, dashing forwards and slashing at all of them as he heard two more approaching further into the distance.

As soon as the boy arrived in front of them, he began dancing around with his blade, throwing slashes that covered most of the ground near him- however, one of the Hellhounds skillfully dodged his attack and broke through, gnawing at his arm. He only managed to get it off with a push, groaning as he could hear the other two Hellhounds having approached and ready to join in on the battle.

ChaseR: HP: 617/680 (-63) | EN: 68/68 | DMG: 14 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 3 | REC: 2 | MIT: 12 | BH: 6
NIGHT:

Hellhound 1: HP: 0/30 (-168) | DMG: 50 (MD 9/10: 75/100)
Hellhound 2: HP: 30/30 | DMG: 50 (MD 9/10: 75/100)
Hellhound 3: HP: 0/30 (-168) | DMG: 50 (MD 9/10: 75/100)
Hellhound 4: HP: 0/30 (-168) | DMG: 50 (MD 9/10: 75/100)

[Hellhound 5 and Hellhound 6 join the battle!]

Edited August 24, 2020 by ChaseR

[NIGHT 0]

The cave was just as familiar as the day she'd stepped into it. This time, however, she had made herself known, watching her party member stride into the cavern, blade ready to be exercised by his side. When the hounds appeared, NIGHT let him take the first few strikes; she wasn't keen on stealing the limelight from the player, though she did spot a weakness in his maneuvers. On instinct, she pulled her blade out from air, a sharp spear of light that quickly forged into her standard broadsword. As two more queued themselves up for the chopping block, she followed through on his advance, making easy work of the last of Cerberus' minions, a blue blaze trailing from the corner of her eyes.

It ended without incident, their fight. A one-sided battle, especially with NIGHT's strength at the helm. The fire dimmed out from her sights as she shot back a line to her companion. "It's deeper in." The woman extended a hand, gesturing for the player to proceed on ahead. "The glory's on you; I'll clean up if I have to."

Spoiler

Using [Concentration]. (+1 ACC) to the following rolls.
ID: 165994 | BD: 15 (10, +4+1)
<<Blast>> vs Hellhound #2.
19 + 2 = 21 DMG | 21 * 2 = 42 DMG

ID: 165993 | BD: 14 (9, +4+1)
<<Blast>> vs Hellhound #5.
19 + 1 = 20 DMG | 20 * 2 = 40 DMG

ID: 165992 | BD: 8 (3, +4+1)
<<Blast>> vs Hellhound #6.
19 * 2 = 38 DMG
Ending [Concentration].
[KEEN] activated. (+1 ACC) to subsequent rolls.

Hellhound #2 | HP: -12/30 (-42) | DMG: 50
Hellhound #5 | HP: -10/30 (-40) | DMG: 50
Hellhound #6 | HP: -8/30 (-38) | DMG: 50

[3, 3, 2] NIGHT | HP: 1410/1410 | EN: 149/153 (-4) | DMG: 19 | MIT: 72 | ACC: 5 (+1) | EVA: 3 | BH: 70 | KEEN: 1 | PARALYZE: 1 | LD: 4 | ABS. ACC | TAUNT | CONCENTRATION (0/3)
[0, 0, 0] ChaseR | HP: 617/680 | EN: 53/68 | DMG: 14 | MIT: 12 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | REC: 2 | BH: 6

[ChaseR 0]

With a light sigh, the boy smiled at her and nodded, looking at the small gash left on his arm and starting to advance further ahead now that all six Hellhounds had been taken care of. No more seemed to appear as the cave opened up to a room of sorts, much wider than before. Small rivers of lava and bubbles of magma could be seen all over, as the temperature was much higher than the rest of the cave- and in the middle, stood the three-headed beast. A small grin crossed Chase's face as he tightened his grip on his blade, shifting his stance to put all his weight on his bent, front foot. 

He turned his blade to its flat side before practically launching right at the monster, slamming it into two of the three heads. The other one ducked alongside the beast just in time to dodge, trying to retaliate with a bite which Chase blocked just barely using his sword. He then growled and with a push, managed to throw it right back, furrowing his eyebrows. "That was a weak move too, the hell..? They really have low health, huh?"

ChaseR: HP: 623/680 (+6) | EN: 46/68 (+4, -11) | DMG: 14 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 3 | REC: 2 | MIT: 12 | BH: 6
NIGHT:

Cerberus Head 1: HP: 30/30 | DMG: 80 (90 every other turn/MD 9-10: Full Phase)
Cerberus Head 2: HP: 0/30 (-112) | DMG: 80 (90 every other turn/MD 9-10: Full Phase)
Cerberus Head 3: HP: 0/30 (-112) | DMG: 80 (90 every other turn/MD 9-10: Full Phase)

Edited August 24, 2020 by ChaseR

[NIGHT 0]

"That's the strength behind your numbers you're feeling as a Tier Two player."

NIGHT took her sweet time stepping after ChaseR's approach, catching view of the blue bolt ripping apart two of the lesser Cerberus' heads. The defense against the remaining cavalier was well timed; still, even if the attack had gone through, the man wouldn't have been in adequate danger, especially not with his stats this high already.

"Back when I was undertaking this quest, it'd been me alone against this big guy, a solo player at Tier One."

She'd pointed the tip of her blade at the final, snarling beast, teeth just as sharp and glinting as her own wide nail. The woman was miniscule in comparison to the mutt, and her history with the canine wasn't in perfect shape, if she recalled. But here she stood, without mercy for her opponent. Just as the dog was beginning to reel back, a quick draw of two slashes sent the mark stumbling back instead. With one last howl, its form shuddered, before combusting into tiny, sparkling ashes.

Duty completed.

Spoiler

ID: 165999 | BD: 15 (10, +5)
<<Blast>> vs Cerberus Head #1.
19 + 2 = 21 DMG | 21 * 2 = 42 DMG

Cerberus Head #1 | HP: -12/30 (-42) | DMG: 80

[3] NIGHT | HP: 1410/1410 | EN: 150/153 (+1) | DMG: 19 | MIT: 72 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 3 | BH: 70 | KEEN: 1 | PARALYZE: 1 | LD: 4 | ABS. ACC | TAUNT
[0] ChaseR | HP: 623/680 | EN: 46/68 | DMG: 14 | MIT: 12 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | REC: 2 | BH: 6

[ChaseR 0]

The bluehead slowly dropped his arm, wiping some beads of sweat off of his forehead and looking over at her with furrowed eyebrows. "Solo at Tier one... That sounds dangerous. I wouldn't risk my life like that. They deal as much damage as the monsters I was farming on the eleventh, even if they're this weak.", he slowly commented himself, letting out a sigh before looking towards the entrance they came from. "Since that's done... we should head back home.", he said with a happy grin on his face.

While heading back towards the exit, Chase looked over his shoulder at the ashes that disappeared or fell onto the ground and simply added to the beautiful aesthetic of the game, even in dull areas like these. "It took two days but... This was said to give out a lot of SP. I should earn a level or two like this, huh? I wonder what other missions I can do to get strong enough to protect myself and Shay even better...", he got carried away in his mind, drifting away momentarily before looking at NIGHT. "Sorry about that. Let's go.", he called one last time, waiting for her to get moving before he did too.

[NIGHT 0]

She followed him out, the sword's form fading from her hands. Even when ChaseR stalled, she could hear it, the nudging of her interface calling for her attention. The call for them to head back home from the man dragged her attention back to the present.

"Sorry about that. Let's go."

"Actually," NIGHT stated, hand wrapping around the back of her neck with a hint of a smile. "I've got something I need to tend to on this floor. You go on ahead first, alright?"

Even should the player protest, NIGHT continued to insist on his departure. It was when she'd caught his form disappear into the distance that the woman would let out a sigh of relief, trudging over towards the lava river, taking a stroll down by the often unexplored territory.

The edges of her figure dissipated in a matter of seconds, away from any trained eyes in the vicinity. On the sole menu she'd managed to pull up, she'd navigated to her inbox, a small blue crystal forming effortlessly in her hands.

Quote

NIGHT: out late 2night
DAY: Got it.

————— New Messages —————

NIGHT: everything okay?
NIGHT: you weren't home when i got back
NIGHT: did something happen?

NIGHT: lmk when you see this msg

DAY is typing...

DAY: I'm on my way back now. What's up?
DAY: What, did I happen to worry you? ;)

NIGHT is typing...

She didn't wait for her reply to come in. A shatter of the jewel in her hands, and the entity faded away, her feet finding space upon the safe zone of Yogan Village.

With a few strides, DAY made her way back to the teleporter.

In a flash of light, she exited the floor.