[F09 - PP] Silent Children <<The Iron Guardian>>

[Koga 0]

Spoiler

Koga
Level: 30
Health: 600
Energy: 60
DMG: 13 // EVA: 0 // MIT: 36 // ACC: 4
BRN: 24 // BLT: 24 // FALN: 4 // REGN: 10

Skills
>> [Rank 1] Curved Sword
>> [Rank 5] Katana
     // Ferocity
     // Precision
>> [Rank 0] Martial Arts
>> [Rank 2] Familiar Mastery: Fighter
>> [Rank 0] Survival

Equipment
>> T2 Demonic Katana <<Tsuki no Hikari>> [Burn // Blight // Cursed // Fallen]
>> T2 Demonic Light Armor <<Wrathful Bracers>>  [Cursed // Mitigation // Mitigation // Regen]
>> T1 Perfect Necklace <<White Owl Necklace>> [Accuracy // Accuracy // Accuracy] [EQUIPPED]

Battle-Ready Inventory
>> T2 Blank Dungeon Map
>> [50 HP] Healing Potions (2)
>> [40 HP] Healing Potion (5)
>> [DMG +1] Damage Potion (1)
>> T1 Uncommon Consumable <<Cupcake>> [Evasion] (1)

Usually Koga has something good to say about a floor. But Floor 09? Koga had nothing. Absolutely nothing. This Floor was nothing but a hellish landscape. Literally. Volcanos, lava, a light dusting of ash always falling down from the sky. It was like Kayaba took Mordor out of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and transplanted it into SAO. And then kicked up the difficulty a couple notches. It was legitimately the worst Floor Koga had thus far visited.

But, the quests were nice...sometimes. Last time it was a Phoenix that dropped a rare item. This time? Well, Koga wasn't after the rewards. He was a solo-player now, he didn't need a party-healing item. It was the curious nature of it all.

"If you bring me back that crystal, I'll pay you too, make it worth the effort," the skittish broker told Koga. Koga wasn't sure why, but something about this guy just put him off. Maybe it was the shifty eyes, always darting back and forth like some tin-foil hat conspiracy theorist who was certain the government was out to get him. Or maybe it was the earnestness in his voice. A little too earnest. Koga didn't like it. But it made him curious.

"Alright, fine. Just tell me where the hell I'm going and what I'm killing."

"Splendid! I'll mark your map. I've been told the item is guarded by a giant suit of armor. I don't know how accurate that is but...do try to not die. It'd be a shame if you went through all that effort and didn't even get your reward."

Yeah...this guy put Koga on edge...

@Assassin

Edited October 12, 2020 by Koga

[Assassin 0]

Assassin wanted the glowing chasms of fire without much problem. Survival made it a lot easier to breathe on this floor. That didn't meant that it wasn't hot as shit though. The only companion that she had was a little white snow leopard. Hyou herself was having a bit of a difficulty in the heat compared to her. Her master reached down and stroked the head of her pet to comfort her. "Don't worry Hyou. We won't be here long. Just finish this quest and we can leave, go back home and relax."

The broker that had given her the information was rather shifty. She knew an act when she saw one coming from someone that used to deceive people for her own gain back in the real world. She would dress up in rags and ask people for money on the streets. How she never got caught by the caretaker, she'll never know.

Spoiler

Name: Assassin
Level: 31
HP: 620/620
EN: 62/62

Stats:
Damage: 12
Mitigation: 30
Evasion: 2
Accuracy: 2
PARA VEN
PHASE
BLD: 12

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Shadow's Infection: Bld; Para V.; Phase
Armor: Dark Cloak(LA): MIT II; EVA I
Misc: Fastening Belts(Tri): ACC II; EVA I

Skills:
Dagger [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 3]

Extra Skills:
Familiar Mastery: Fighter
Survival

Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleportation Crystal*1

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild:

Wedding Ring:

 

[Koga 0]

Koga opened up his map and checked the coordinates of the boss only to close it immediately before heading out, Okami silently padding along beside him. The boss wasn't close. Maybe two days out from town. Koga already resented the fact that traveling meant he'd be stuck on this floor more than a couple hours. But two days? That was cruel. Still, now he had a job to do, and he was going to see it through.

Maybe half an hour down the road, and Koga spotted a peculiar sight. A small girl, with a leopard beside her. 'What the hell? I must be hallucinating or something, the heat's getting to me.' Koga thought to himself as he approached. The man slowly got closer, and he realized he, in fact, wasn't hallucinating, and that the girl must really not only be real, but just as small as she appeared. Even though he couldn't see her face, he could tell that she was fairly young, too young to be playing SAO, let alone travelling out here by herself. But at the same time...who would be out here if they couldn't handle themselves? Most children just stayed in the Town of Beginnings. And she had a familiar, which was no easy task, in and of itself. Yeah, this was a bit unusual.

The man picked up his pace just enough to catch up to the girl, but not enough to startle her. "Excuse me," the black-clad man said to her, "but what are you doing out here?" His voice was tinged by a small amount concern that he didn't realize he still had in him. Some habits are hard to kill.

@Assassin

[Assassin 0]

The Assassin continued her walk without much problem. She wasn't in much of a hurry since nothing really scared her out here. Ariel had taught her how to be strong and Hidden had taught her enough to use that strength, giving her the tools to protect herself.

Though, she could hear an approach. Hyou instantly got protective, turning and growling at the new addition, positioning herself between Assassin and the man. How was she going to play this? She had no idea what he wanted and recently that Laughing Coffin guy attacked her. Was he another one of them? Drawing her weapon, she turned around a scared expression masked on her cool demeanor. "Wh-- Who is it?! H-Hyou will hurt you if you try anything! I-- I wont let you hurt me!" She shook in her boots, trying to play the part well. In reality, Assassin could easily stab anyone and run away while they're paralyzed on the ground.

[Koga 0]

With surprising speed, both the girl and her leopard whirled around, the leopard positioning itself between Koga and the girl, as if to protect her. Instinctively, Koga stepped back into a defensive stance, Okami doing the same, snarling at the leopard and it's handler. Koga's hand flew to his weapon drawing it a fraction of an inch out of it's saya before the swordsman realized what he was doing. The man inhaled deeply, calmed himself, and released the breath. The soft sound of the katana being slid back into it's scabbard could be heard as the man stood up to his full height. The wolf beside Koga, understanding that his master had no interest in fighting, sat back down, but his eyes never left the leopard or the girl.

"Look kid, I'm not going to hurt you," the swordsman said, raising his hands into the air beside his head. "I'm just wondering what you're doing out here." Koga's hands fell back down to his side, though one gently gripped the katana's saya, just in case. Once more, Koga's eyes ran up and down the young girl, evaluating her. "You can drop the act too," he added, "You can clearly handle yourself, by the very least against mobs, and I'm not in the mood to play theatre with you." If they weren't so far from the settlement, the familiar, and gear the girl sported, he might've actually believed the 'terrified little girl' act. But no one in their right mind would just wander around the Ninth Floor, not even a child.

@Assassin

Edited October 13, 2020 by Koga

[Assassin 0]

Assassin eyed the man as he slid the katana back into his sheath. Believing people and their stories was hard right now. After having dealt with the Laughing Coffin member, she was tense as ever. Scared wasn't really the word, and although she was playing it up a little, she couldn't help but feel a little nerved getting snuck up on.

"I-I'm not acting... T-Too much." She admitted truthfully. She wished she could be a little more confident as she said so sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm not so innocent as I look, I get it, but when you sneak up on someone like that how are they supposed to react?" She said putting her own weapon a way. "Hyou, shush. Its fine now."

Hyou stopped her growling and kept her position close to her master where she could feel as though she was protecting her. "Sorry, she very protective of me. My name is Sin-chan, er that's what people usually call me."

[Koga 0]

Koga blinked in surprise when the young girl sheathed her weapon. "Sorry," the swordsman said, "I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that." He'd expected a bit more arguing and convincing that he wasn't a threat, but the girl seemed to just...go along with it. Not that she trusted him, he still got the impression that she was still very, very uneasy about his presence, but she was at least willing to put her guard down...which, might not be a good thing considering how someone might try to take advantage of someone's trust like that, not just a child's.

"Sin, huh?" Koga said, repeating the name she gave him. "That's quite the name ya got there, Sin. I'm Koga, and this is Okami," the man said, gesturing to the white wolf beside him. "You still haven't told me what you're doing out here," he commented, "This floor isn't exactly a travel destination, and considering how jumpy you are, you're either paranoid, expecting trouble, or both." It was an observation more than it was a statement. "Actually, I guess that's a better question. What's got you all wound up kid? You in trouble or something?"

Part of Koga was shouting at him for even bothering to ask. Whatever the girl's answer was, there was a good chance it would spell trouble for him in some form or another. Trouble was not something he was looking for right now. But, then, the other part of him was very curious, and another knew if she was in some kind of trouble, he'd never forgive himself for not asking. And he definitely didn't want more things on his already burdened conscience.

@Assassin

Edited October 14, 2020 by Koga

[Assassin 0]

Assassin stood quietly for a minute thinking about how she should answer this question. She didn't know what Laughing Coffin really was, so slinging it's name around wouldn't look good on her. Especially since her only interaction with them was an invitation that was denied, then a death threat followed up by attempted murder.

"I'm just out here questing. Just because I'm younger than you doesn't mean that I can't be as strong. I'm strong too. I wouldn't be out here if I wasn't" She admitted, still trying to dodge the question about what's troubling her. Its not something she wanted to talk about with anyone other than Nee-san.

"Since you're out here, you're probably doing the same thing, right? You said yourself "this floor isn't a traveling destination." Do you want to join me and make it easier for both of us? The guy who gave me the information about the quest was kind of weird. I'm not sure I could trust him."

[Koga 0]

The girl didn't answer immediately, like she was thinking about how best to respond. Or maybe how best to dodge Koga's many questions. That might just be the out the man needed.

"You're right. You've gotta be strong to be out here. Doesn't mean you're not running from something though."

'KOGA, YOU IDIOT! WHY ARE YOU TEMPTING FATE!?'

'I DONT KNOW, LEAVE ME ALONE!'

"Iron Guardian, right?" Koga asked, saying the name of the quest he figured the girl was talking about, already pulling up a menu. A join party request would appear before Assassin. "Yeah, that guy seemed pretty...off. I guess if he tries to pull something, two is better than one." Once the young girl accepted the man's party request, he'd start walking in the direction of the quest marker once more. He hoped he wouldn't regret this. "Alright, so, Sin, I guess I've asked you a bunch of questions. Anything you wanna ask me so you and your guard cat can relax a bit?"

@Assassin

[Assassin 0]

Assassin
[                   ]

The child contemplated what the broker had given her for the quest. Several questions about the situation were coming to mind. She could tell that even through his words, Koga still had some suspicions of the girl after her explanation. Perhaps this would help him feel better about her presences.

"H-Hey, don't you think that Broker might have a little too much information about the quest? He knew a lot about the boss and mobs, and way too much about the drop. He might have done it before and completed it, but if so, why wouldn't he just do it himself in that case?" As she was contemplating, she could see the upcoming fight. Some of the knights from the information were rushing the two of them. "Almost on queue. Here we go, I've got the one on the left."

Assassin pulled her dagger out again and a gust of hot went blew back as she took off with speed unmatched. Dagger user's special quality allowed them to be so extremely nimble. It was almost impossible to track her movements. A blur appeared behind the soldier making their way to Koga, it was there for a moment, then gone. The soldier stopped dead in it's tracks and fell to the ground. Assassin was hiding amongst the shadows.

---

Spoiler

Assassin | HP:628/640 | EN:64/64 | DMG:12 | MIT:30 | EVA:2 | ACC:2 | PARA VEN | PHASE | BLD:12
Koga | stats here

Iron Knight 1 | 72/72 | 120 DMG | 12 Thorns | Bleed 12
Iron Knight 2 | 72/72 | 120 DMG | 12 Thorns | Bleed 12

 

[Koga 0]

Koga was silent for a moment as he mulled over the girl's words. To be completely honest, he hadn't really bothered to think that deep into it. He kind of just figured that the NPC was a plain old boring NPC, and he should at least keep an eye out for him trying to pull something sketchy. He hadn't cared enough to consider the hows and whys of it all.

"-I've got the one on the left."

The words shook Koga from his thoughts, and before he knew it, the ashen haired girl beside him was gone, appearing just behind the first of their combatants who burst into a cloud of red shards. 'Wow...she's fast...' Koga thought to himself. She really could hold her own out here.

There was still the matter of this second Iron Knight, however. Koga sighed as he drew his sword with one hand. Just another low level mob. Better be quick about it so they could get away from this hellish landscape sooner. A black aura wrapped around the katana's blade as the Iron Knight drew closer, lifting it's weapon into the air to strike. Step to the side. Quick slash. The Iron Knight was done.

The quiet click of the katana being returned to its sheath could be heard as Koga walked towards Sin. "Nice job," he said, "I guess you really don't need a babysitter, huh?"

@Assassin

Spoiler

Koga
HP: 588/600 (600 -12) // EN: 54/60 (60 -6) // DMG: 13 // EVA: 0 // MIT: 36 // ACC: 4 // BRN: 24 // BLT: 24 // FLN: 4 // REGN: 10
Assassin
HP: 640/640 // EN: 64/64 // DMG: 12 // MIT: 30 // EVA: 2 // ACC: 2 // PARA VEN // PHASE // BLD: 12

 

Iron Knight 1 >>DEAD<<
0/72 | 120 DMG | 12 Thorns | Bleed 12
Iron Knight 2 >>DEAD<<
0/72 (72 -102) | 120 DMG | 12 Thorns | Bleed 12

ID: 172832
BD: 10 (6 +4) >>Fallen Procced<<
DMG: (13 +4) *6 = 102

>>Thorns Damages Koga<<

 

Edited October 15, 2020 by Koga

[Assassin 0]

Koga stopped talk after he delivered that fatal blow. Assassin was still on her alert with her dagger in her hand and a defensive stance taken. She knew better than to let her guard down, or maybe she was just a little too on edge.

Nevertheless, she relaxed a little, not putting her weapon away just yet in case she needed to react quickly to an ambush or anything. "I'm 14, I can handle myself." Said like any teenager would. Her babysister, or sister, wasn't here and gave her enough trust to be able to handle herself. The dagger in her hand a symbol of that trust.

"Let's continue then. That wasn't the boss we were looking for." Assassin said, walking next to Koga. They came upon a castle in the middle of this blazing heat. A gate raised as they came close. Upon walking in, Assassin could feel a trap in coming. Think of it as natural intuition.

The light sounds above them were it. The Iron Guardian shifting to get a look underneath it looking down on the two. It leaped of the edge with it's enormous axe. Assassin quickly pushed Koga to the side and dove out of the way herself. "Watch out!" Sliding back on her feet, the earth rumbled when the massive iron golem landed. Assassin was quick to react once more. Shifting her dagger to the golem and jamming it directly into it's helmet before it could even rise to full height.

---

Spoiler

Assassin | HP: 628/640 | EN: 54/64 | DMG: 12 | MIT: 30 | EVA: 2 | ACC: 2 | PARA VEN | PHASE | BLD: 24
Koga | HP: 588/600 // EN: 60/60 // DMG: 13 // EVA: 0 // MIT: 36 // ACC: 4 // BRN: 24 // BLT: 24 // FLN: 4 // REGN: 10

Iron Guardian | 69/225 -(12x13) = 156 | 200 DMG | Bleed 12 | Thorns 12

 

[Koga 0]

The two players walked side by side for a while in silence until they came up castle. It's walls were blackened by ash and smoke, and the rusted gate screeched and groaned as it raised itself in greeting. Assassin's weapon was already drawn, and likewise, Koga drew his. The younger of the two seemed more uneasy, if that were even possible. This whole situation stank of ambush. And they were right.

"Watch out!"

Koga found himself tumbling through the dirt, and the man rolled back to his feet just in time to see Sin dashing towards their adversary, and embedding her weapon deep into the Guardian's helm. Koga was just behind her. As soon as the girl extracted her blade, the man swung his blade in an arc aimed for the boss' neck. In one clean cut, the Guardian's head slid from its shoulders before disappearing into red fragments.

"Well...that was a lot easier than I'd expected..." Koga said, almost sounding disappointed.

@Assassin

Spoiler

Koga
HP: 576/600 (588 -12) // EN: 54/60 // DMG: 13 // EVA: 0 // MIT: 36 // ACC: 4 // BRN: 24 // BLT: 24 // FLN: 4 // REGN: 10
Assassin
HP: 628/640 // EN: 54/64 // DMG: 12 // MIT: 30 // EVA: 2 // ACC: 2 // PARA VEN // PHASE // BLD: 12

 

Iron Guardian >>DEAD<<
0/225 (69 -78) // 200 DMG // Bleed 12 // Thorns 12

ID: 172903
BD: 9 (5 +3) >>Koga takes Thorns Damage<<
DMG: 13 *6 = 78

 

Edited October 15, 2020 by Koga

[Assassin 0]

The Assassin huffed and returned her dagger to it's sheathe. It was a rather easy fight for the both of them. She could have handled this entire quest on her own after all, but it was nice to have some back up. With the golem defeated, all they would have to do now is go and take the acquired crystal to the info broker. All things considered, she didn't want to hand the item over to him anyway. Even if he gave them the information, with way too much detail to warrant innocence, he didn't deserve to have it.

"I'm not giving this crystal to the guy. Even if he is just an information broker, he doesn't deserve to have this thing. We deserve it, we're the ones who actually did the quest in the first place." Assassin said, looking at the crystal that Koga had gotten for killing off the Iron Guardian.

[Koga 0]

Koga was a little surprised by what the girl had said. He understood her reluctance to just hand over such a powerful item, and sure, the guy was a shifty, but even still. "We got hired to do a job, Sin," the man said sternly, making it very clear he was very much against going back on their word. "So we do the job, turn in the item, and get our pay." That was it. And yet...

Koga tossed the item to Assassin, the glittering stone arcing through the air and into the girl's hands. "But if that's what you wanna do, its on you. I've solo'd this game for this long, I don't intend to change that. So I don't need it." The ball would be in Sin's court by the time they got back to the broker, and then, what happened after that was up to her.

"C'mon, let's get going. It's a long walk back." The swordsman shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat as he turned and began to exit the keep.

@Assassin

[Assassin 0]

As the two approached the broker, he came to life, meeting them in the middle. "You're back! Did you guys manage to get my crystal? I expected the child to fail, but you must have helped her out." The man said to Koga, looking back down at Assassin. The child's brow furrowed at him, clear in her anger.

"Yeah, we got your stupid crystal and it was a cakewalk for me." She complained, holding up the crystal to show him. As the broker reached out for the item, Assassin swiped it back into her cloak. "It's mine. I'm keeping it. I don't think you deserve to have it."

"What?!" The broker annoyingly exclaimed. "You little brat, hand that over to me right now! I hired you to get it for me!!" 

"I don't care." Assassin said, as she started to walk towards the teleporter of town.

"Insufferable little brats like yourself need to be disciplined." The broker said, forgetting about Koga even being there, he drew his weapon and surprise attacked Assassin. The girl's reaction time was instant. She drew her dagger, parried the strike and stabbed the broker all in one or two motions. It was too fast to even discern properly.

"I said, I don't care. Leave me alone." After removing her dagger from his stomach, he dissipated into data. Assassin looked over to Koga, to ensure that he wasn't going to try and murder her now for doing such a thing.

---

Spoiler

Koga
HP: 576/600 (588 -12) // EN: 54/60 // DMG: 13 // EVA: 0 // MIT: 36 // ACC: 4 // BRN: 24 // BLT: 24 // FLN: 4 // REGN: 10
Assassin
HP: 628/640 // EN: 54/64 // DMG: 12 // MIT: 30 // EVA: 2 // ACC: 2 // PARA VEN // PHASE // BLD: 12

Info Broker
HP: 150/150 // DMG: 200 // PARA

Abilities: Battle Healing: CD: 10+ gain 50 HP.

 

[Koga 0]

There are times when people say things happened so fast. And there are other time where everything happened in slow motion. But every once in a while, there's a moment where it feels simultaneously instantaneous, and to stretch out for eons. Almost like you see and experience everything in an instant, but your mind takes far too long to catch up.

This was one of these moments.

There was some excited chittering, followed by angry shouting, and then the blades were out. The steel was still singing in Koga's ears by the time Assassin had  plunged her dagger into the broker's stomach, and the NPC disappeared like a haze of particles, blown away in the wind. The man was left staring at girl, the corners of his mouth downturned, ever so slightly, as he chewed on the inside of his cheek.

"He probably woulda tried to kill us even if we did hand it over," Koga admitted. The man reached out and ruffled the girl's hair, indeed aware of the fact that she might try to stab him. "But that doesn't mean you get a free pass." The man left it at that, stuffing his hands into his pockets. The quest completion banner appeared before them both, awarding them both some experience, and disrupting Koga's thoughts. The man quickly closed his menu and waited for Sin to do the same.

@Assassin

[Assassin 0]

Assassin glowering face soon turned to the banner of award they had accomplished for the quest. She dismissed them, noticing that the crystal was in her inventory as a usable item now. She could see that although he was feeling skeptically about her now, he wasn't going to attack her. Her cursor also had not turned orange from that altercation, perhaps because the NPC had attacked her first.

"I don't need sympathy from you. No one is going to bully me around like that man was trying to do. He tried to kill me, so I killed him." Her attack was entirely in self defense, but she didn't feel bad about it one bit. The man made his choice and he paid the consequences for it. "Thanks for the help. I'll be happy to partner up again if we ever meet again. Hopefully next time I wont be so on guard next time." And just like that, the Assassin faded into the distance with her unmatched speed.

[Koga 0]

Koga simply watched the girl disappear, reflecting on her words. Yeah, it was self-defense, that wasn't the part that bothered him. It was how unphased she was about it all. Kids her age shouldn't be okay with taking another life. Hell, people his age shouldn't be ok with taking lives. But everything seemed worse when it was a kid instead. But that was the world they lived in. And it wasn't Aincrad that Koga was thinking about in that moment.

Shaking his head, the man turned around, heading towards the teleporter, and eventually, home. It had been an interesting day. And Koga was tired. And hungry.

Admittedly, he did wonder if he would even encounter Assassin again. She certainly seemed to have a good deal of strength in her, but he wasn't sure how'd they'd ever meet again, were it not for chance. He wouldn't have even met her this time if fate hadn't put them on the same road together today. Funny how something like chance really made Koga think...

@Assassin

[Assassin 0]

Another quest finished and another good sum of experience gained for her. The girl hurried along to the safe zone to use the teleporter to meet up with Nee-san. Hopefully she would be ready to do the last quest that they needed to do for that long questline they were doing. If she wanted to learn to protect herself, Assassin had to get as strong as her sister was. Dealing with Laughing Coffin's attackers wasn't going to be easy. The way the guy made it seem was that they were a pretty large guild and he promised her that they wouldn't let her live long.

Maybe once they'd finished the last quest in the line, Assassin would talk to Hidden about what happened after she killed her gemini. Hidden was strong enough to protect her from almost anyone that tried to hurt her after all. Finally she made it to the teleporter, and on her way back home.

Spoiler

Rewards:

SP: 2 Quest; 1 page; 1 bonus
Col: 200 per player
Crystal of Support: 30*tier healing(Assassin)