[EV-F07] Storm of Shadows

[Jevi 0]

The brunette clamped her eyes shut as the inky, black rain poured down her forehead into her eyes. There was no pain, but the thickness caused a mighty discomfort that made it difficult to keep her eyes open, if only for a second. She slowed her run down the side of the mountain to quickly wipe as much of the substance from her eyes as she could, leaving a smear on her face as if thick eyeliner had smudged and run. 

The rain continued to pour harder and harder, cutting off her visibility almost entirely. "Fuck this." she cursed to herself under her breath before letting her body drop onto the inclined, rocky surface. Her plated armor and the slickness from the rain helped her slide down the mountainside. Sparks leapt from the impact of her metal pauldrons and the surface, helping her to see just before her a bit more. 

The woman finally hit the leveled ground with a hard impact, probably costing her a few points of her health. That was no matter, however, as she needed to keep moving. She had no idea what the point of this storm was, and it didn't seem life threatening so far... but being out of the safe zone on her own with no visibility just spelled trouble for her. Hopefully she would be able to get to the center of Nimbus and warp out of there, or at least find a place to lay low until this passed. 

ID#: 177180
Initial Roll Value: 10
Giving or Receiving: N/a
Final Roll Value: 10

Edited November 8, 2020 by Jevi

[Katoka 0]

The water, if you could even call it that, fell hard around Katoka. She was standing under the awning of a flower shop as she observed the collection of players and NPCs scramble about to escape the storm. Taking a moment she looked once again at the viscous liquid on her skin, it was thick and dark like ink, it even felt heavy as it dripped off of her onto the ground. The pools of darkness gathered on the ground spreading quickly as the potholes and crevasses overflowed into one another. The sounds of doors slamming around her snapped her back into focus as the Samurai began to look around for someone in need of assistance. Preparing to sprint back out into the mess before her, she instead managed to slip in a puddle of the black mass and fall face first onto the ground.

"Today is apparently not my day." she groaned as she rolled over to her back.

 

Spoiler

ID#: 177181
Roll Value: 1
Giving or Receiving: N/A
Final Roll Value: N/A

 

[Alkor 0]

He managed to get his footing back as he put the muck behind him, now genuinely concerned with the townspeople around him. Their instinct was to shelter themselves indoors, but if his theory was correct, the walls and doors wouldn't do anything to stop the coming flood. Before any of that mattered, though, he had to find the reason he had come here in the first place.

She must have been nearby, because this was their designated meeting place. How was it that every time they intended to meet up, something crazy decided to happen? Alkor moved around one of the homes and almost immediately saw the trademark blonde hair.

"Lessa!" he called out, "are you okay?"

First, check on her condition. Was she hurt? Had the rain impeded her at all? Then they could work together to figure out what the hell was going on. "We need to get to keep moving. Do you know what's going on?" 

 

ID#: 177182

Initial Roll Value: 11
Giving or Receiving: 1 - Giving to Mishiro
Final Roll Value: 1p

Edited November 11, 2020 by Alkor

[Assassin 0]

ph

---

Spoiler

ID#: 177184
Roll Value: 6
Giving or Receiving: N/A (will determine later)
Final Roll Value: N/A (will determine later)

 

[Demian 0]

It was like thunder playing with lightning, their chase. Where droplets of amorphous liquid would pelt the ground, Daemien had thoroughly managed to avoid its spots, only suffering from the flecks of marsh that had managed to hit his form through recoil from ground contact. Muddied in tar and liquid void, the man raced through the shadowed canopies, the layout of the second floor but a track unveiled in his mind, just as he was searching for an appropriate hideaway somewhere out in the wilderness.

But it would be futile, Daemien knew. When Cardinal wanted something done, it was easy for it to make things so, and he bet every single ounce of emotion from the other residents of the iron castle was but an intended reaction gifted to the system. For what purpose -- the youth was not in a position to say.

Further onwards he went, debating if the infamous misty forests would be of help to evade the dark.

---

ID: 177246 | LD: 16

[Dracul 0]

"Do we have a pair of umbrelas with us?" I ask slightly behind me as I gaze onto the darkening horizon. It was moments like these where I wish there was some sort of weather forecasting skill or mechanics that we could use to check before leaving the comfortable confines of our new home on the 22nd floor. Preparations were almost complete to open the shop to a selective public use. Why we're we here then, you ask? merely a errand I was tasked to personally do by the household mistress before her departure towards a most dangerous battle.

A reply would usually come an instant later so I instinctively remove my attention from the skies and turn back towards my companion. I could notice a glazed look on her as she watched the quickly expanding darkness: "Claudia?" I ask, slightly raising my voice. It wasn't like her to ignore me... ever.

---

ID# 177252
Initial Roll Value: 18
Giving or Receiving: N/A 
Final Roll Value: 18

Edited November 8, 2020 by Dracul

[Valentine 0]

Valentine made his way to the outskirts of the village. The rain was starting to pick up and when it touched his skin Val was repulsed. It looked like pure tar on his arm. The normally clear color of water was not present and Val was filled with unease. Valentine was stuck with two distinct choices at the moment. Make a mad dash for the exit gate and go to another floor, or run to the place to look for Grimm.

As fast as he could Valentine ran towards the hotel. He was sending Grimm messages in rapid succession. Even if Val had the choice he would never abandon the people he cared about, or the people that earned his recognition. If this rain had zero good intentions with its presence, keeping people you trust to watch your back against it was the next best option. He could only make his way to the plaza to find a familiar face.

 

Spoiler

ID# 177294
Initial Roll Value: 8
Giving or Receiving: Giving 1 to @Assassin
 Final Roll Value: 7

@Grimm Reaper and @Aquan

Edited November 10, 2020 by Valentine

[Aquan 0]

Aquarian was quickly making his way closer into town when he spotted more players confused. Running for shelter, running for others, or running out of the city. He decided to make his way to the plaza, hoping someone can give some sort of idea. The black tar-like rain continued to fall on the cobbled paths of the city. Aquarian wiped some from his brow and flung it on the ground, this foreign creation of nature making him very uncomfortable.

His eyes darted up when he saw someone he recognized, Valentine. The man who brought him into the guild and also helped him with some early adventuring. "Valentine! Hey!" He called to the man, running up to him. He held a bag over his head to block some of the rain. "This is not natural right? Rain is clear, blue, and sometimes acidic. Do you have any idea what is going on?" He looks at the higher-leveled player with intense worry on his face, looking around the panicked town square. "Should we head for a different floor?" He asked the man another question.

Spoiler

ID: 177305
Initial Roll Value: 15
Giving or Receiving: -
 Final Roll Value: 15

 

Edited November 9, 2020 by Aquan

[MISERY 1]

As the maelstrom of shade cascaded against MISERY's frame, he did not buckle or concede. He was awash in the substance of his reckoning, bathing in the chaos that it wrought. Something was happening to Aincrad, and regardless of the outcome, MISERY would see it through to its natural conclusion.

He strode along through the city streets, largely unhindered by the wisps of obsidian that licked at his ankles and suffocated whatever light sources they were attracted to. It seemed that the shadows had already taken their toll on the guardsmen of the settlement, who hadn't so much as even noticed an orange player wandering amidst the hysterical delirium. Tired eyes peered through the holes in his mask and took in the view, counting the number of houses that were either unoccupied or unguarded. 

It was the "perfect storm," if he were willing to make puns at a time like this. Treasures to behold, and nobody to stop him from seizing them.
 

Spoiler

ID: 177307
Initial Roll Value: 13
Giving or Receiving: -
 Final Roll Value: 13

 

[Blueberry 0]

The pink-haired girl hid underneath the canopy, waiting out the storm. However, her electric blue eyes lay filled with worried as her gaze cast out into the oncoming storm. She clamped them shut for a moment, to hide from the problem. However, another brisk cold wind met her body, cutting through her clothes and went straight to her heart. She looked out, finding puddles of the black water had begun to form on the ground. It didn't seem to be draining away as it should but instead slowly flooding the city bit by bit. Only minutes had past and it already had gotten this bad.

The creaking noise of the canopy above her caught her attention. She just barely managed to escape from underneath it before it busted, pouring the inky shadow to where she had just been standing. Pushing her way through the storm, she would wander in search for someone else. 

"Is anyone there? Hello?" Her voice would call out, the worry easily heard in her voice. 

ID: 177311
Initial Roll Value: 2
Giving or Receiving: -
 Final Roll Value: 2

Edited November 9, 2020 by Blueberry

[Grimm Reaper 0]

Spoiler

ID: 177337
Initial Roll Value: 1
Giving or Receiving: N/A
 Final Roll Value: N/A

Ozwald's initial sense of panic subsided as the flow of messages from Valentine kept bombarding him, and was instead replaced by a just general anxiety and sense of dread. What had just started as a drizzle of jet black inky rain was now a full on shower of the dark liquid. Ozwald was unsettled, it was odd to be in a downpour of rain that wasn't clear, or as it would see, normal in any way.

The constant flow of messages from Valentine let him know that he was safe, and that he had found himself in the plaza, which was, as it seemed, the place that most people were gathering. Ozwald made his way over to there, pushing his way through the throng of people who seemed to be going in the same direction. After a few minutes, reassuring Valentine that he was on his way the entire time, Ozwald found himself in the central plaza of the seventh floor's settlement, the teleport gate non functioning due to the black storm. 

In the distance Ozwald spotted the familiar white haired man that he had come to be in love with. Ozwald ran to Valentine, embracing him "Thank god you are alright." Ozwald was happy to see the man, the storm may have not been dangerous, but that didn't stop his worrying. After calming down Ozwald noticed one more person besides the pair. "Oh and who might you be?" Ozwald turned to face the second man beside Valentine.

 

Edited November 9, 2020 by Grimm Reaper

[Mishiro 0]

She slid a finger down the tainted glass.

She felt the tremors that ran along its surface as the killing wind threatened to rip the glass from its frame, and the final remnants of the soft gray afternoon light fled from her shelter. For a moment, her world was complete and total darkness. Then Mishiro struck one of Nimbus's crystals against the edge of the windowsill and held it up, experimentally shining the green light on the farther corners of the floor.

| 177398: LD 13 — received 1 LD from Alkor.

[Aru 0]

Aru's eyes looked onto the vast skies that were filled to the brim with dark clouds emitting from what seemed to be nowhere. He was confused. Were storms like this normal on this floor? He definitely didn't like the way that all of this looked, and apparently he wasn't alone. He saw a bunch of other players around, converging with the NPC's and one another to make their way to what seemed to be safety. He grabbed onto his axe and trudged onwards, wishing he had a shield right now. He had ordered one from Hik awhile back, but he never got it. It was a bit frustrating, but he knew that there was nothing he could really do about it. He was a busy man and there was only so much that he could do.

Moving forwards, he made his way to safety, slowly though. He wanted to see what would happen, and he was trying to wait and see what was going to happen to his surroundings. Obviously, as far as he understood with video games, things like this didn't happen randomly, else the NPC's would act as though nothing was wrong. This was pre-ordained to say the least, but he wondered why. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time it seemed. Was it like this on other floors too? And if so, what does this mean for other players and NPC's that have yet to notice it?

Spoiler

ID#: 177404
Initial Roll Value: 6

 

Edited November 10, 2020 by Aru

[Azhoda 0]

Shion had a meeting with someone, her old friend of a guild and info broker. It was rare for her to even meet him face to face nowadays but he was standing on it that she would come. The meeting was set on floor seven and so she went there. The main settlement was looking quite busy and Shion looked around for the tall purple-haired guy with a curved sword at his side. it did not take long as she found him already. "Yuuma, Idiot over here!" she said as he was standing there looking around in a sort panic. She walked over to him for him to react and stare at her "I was not lost, But you here so that is good," He said taking her to a table for him to open his inventory and hand her over an item. "Food for you! and for me," he said giving her a bigger piece then himself. Yuuma started talking and looked at her helping and explaining to her where and how she could get stronger.

"So you seem to be holding yourself up quite well Shion, any problems of lately any information I may be interested in," Yuuma said as he started eating, Shion stared coldly at him like he said something completely off and she stared almost into his soul, "you called me here," she said with a mouth full of food sounding a bit angry. "H-Haa Ha Ha, yes I did, sorry I am just interested in you and how you been doing," he said to her as he leaned back for a second, "Well Yuuma you here to just bother me and ask a personal question or are we here to do business." She said as she kept eating. 

At that moment as soon as they wanted to begin a loud rumble came to and the sky turned black and people started panicking as soon as the storm was overhead. Shion and Yuuma both looked up now only to see water fell down as the cold wind blew past them both. Shion held out her hand and looked at the water that was pure black. "Yuuma, you think what I am thinking," She said looking at him for a second, "If you think this is problematic then yes," he responded as they both stood up "Split up you help them here, I'll look if there are still people outside," Yuuma said leaving her on her own.

"God sake Yuuma!" she said before he left only for her to walk to the place holding her spear in her hand as she looked around as everyone was in a panic and moving about, Lots of NPC seemed to panic and Shion saw a few players as well. One of them caught her attention as she fell down. Shion walked over and reached out a hand to her, "Here, this is not the place and time to lay about," she said sounding a bit cold helping the player up

Spoiler

ID#: 177394
Initial Roll Value: 19
Giving or Receiving: giving @Katoka 3
Final Roll Value: 16

 

Edited November 10, 2020 by Azhoda

[Freya 0]

Arriving on floor 7 Freya wanted to see what Gaius was up to as his shop was on this floor. Feet hitting the ground on floor 7's warp gate. A small force pushes her forward and as she looks back the gate goes black. "What the hell," she says as she looks to the sky, it was darker than normal and she could feel the cold droplets on her face and against her skin. She was not dressed for this, her tank top black with black jeans to pair up. A shiver catches her off guard as she begins to walk. Thunder crashes in the sky and Freya's chest starts racing as this reminded her of the Gemini she fought not too long ago. "Great... this again. Just what I need right now." She races to the back of the buildings where she thinks that she felt safe, at least safer than out in the open... 

ID# 177400
Initial Roll Value: 15
Giving or Receiving: N/a
Final Roll Value: N/a

Edited November 10, 2020 by Freya

[The Shadow 3]

Round Three

Amos had never been one for rushing. In fact, his neighbors could not be sure if they had ever seen him break into a jog. For all they knew, the man had never even power-walked. Instead, he preferred his standard, ambling gait. Granted, he did limp these days, but nearly a century of life had a way of taking a toll on the body. So did a life of farming. It was back-breaking work, both literally and figuratively, but Amos had come to love it. He worked with the sun as his clock, the seasons as his guide, and the crops to teach him lessons in patience.

As such, Amos moved slowly and deliberately, even as pandemonium played out outside his door. One hand, speckled with liver spots and trembling just slightly, clutched a burlap sack. The other methodically swiped items off of shelves, drew them out of drawers. His grandmother's ancient apple peeler. A framed photo of his late wife. A tattered Farmer's Almanac. Everything went into the bag with a slow, tender gentleness. 

By the time the farmer moved toward the exit, his boots sloshed through an inch of standing water. The tiniest bit of pressure was all it took to open the door, as the wind surged through the crack, and ripped the handle from Amos's hand. The old wood groaned as it rocked on it's hinges, and as he emerged into the storm, Amos finally recognized how bad his situation was. In his ninety one years of life, he had seen Mother Nature's fury many, many times. He had seen corn stalks ripped from the ground, trees toppled, homesteads leveled, and single pieces of straw embedded in wooden fenceposts. The weather was wild, and it was deadly, but it was a natural part of life. This though? There was nothing natural about this.

That was the last thing Amos thought of before, in a howl of wind and a splash of black water, his porch roof tumbled down on him.

† Nightingale has been consumed by the Storm of Shadows.

Round Three will end in 72 hours [Nov 13th at 11pm ET]
Please be sure to read the below Player Notes.
[Timer]

The LD Threshold is 2.

Spoiler

Player Notes:

• You are welcome to interact with the NPCs. Just please read up to ensure that your actions won't contradict with someone else's who has already posted.
• If a player posts a placeholder, those rolls do not count until the required 150 words are filled in. Until they add the writing itself, their place holder is the equivalent of not posting. That means they can still be saved by someone donating a portion of their LD.
  • Pro Tip: If you're approaching the deadline and you don't think you'll get your place holder filled in, have someone donate some LD, just in case.
• The expectation is that both parties edit their posts to reflect a LD transfer - both the receiver, and the giver. Of course, in the event the receiver does not post at all, the giver is the only one who needs to edit their post.
• If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask in the #event-room, or via direct message to Lessa, Morg, or Freyd.

 

[Aquan 0]

Aquan turned to Grimm and cocked his head, recognizing the guild insignia above his head. "Hmm, you're apart of the same guild? I'm Aquarian, but you can call me Aquan. Valentine brought me into the guild a few days ago when I was training with him." He went to reach his hand out for a handshake, but the storm outside caused him to stop. "More formal introductions may not be the best in this setting. Should we get ins-" He stopped, seeing a porch roof crush someone, the storm getting only stronger. "I-I.. Oh god." He ran over to the porch, quickly trying to pull things off of the man. "Valentine! You, Stranger! Help me!" He called back, the rain making his hands slick against the broken building.

"D-Don't worry Sir. We can help the best we can..." He turned to look around the town square. His instinct was to analyze everything that was happening, but too much was happening. He was beginning to get an overload of information. His hands were shaking as he pulled pieces of rubble off the man. His breath was coming quicker and quicker, but he still tried to force his mind at the current task at hand.

ID# 177428
Initial Roll Value: 19
Giving or Receiving: N/a
Final Roll Value: N/a

 

@Valentine@Grimm Reaper

Edited November 11, 2020 by Aquan

[Jevi 0]

Wearing heavy armor made it difficult to run at full speed, and with the extra weight of her footfalls, her boots continuously sunk into the quickly forming mud. Jevi brought an arm up to try and shield her eyes from the pelting ink storm, but it was to no avail. The thick rain poured down on her, soaking her hair and soft parts of her outfit. With a snarl, Jevi continued to push forward, sloshing through the muck and water. 

Despite how far she ran, it just seemed Nimbus was nowhere to be found. Little did she know just how far out from the settlement she still was. "Is anyone out there?! Hello?!" She called out hopelessly, wondering if she was the only player this far outside of the city's walls. The roar of the constantly pouring rain made it difficult to hear, in the off chance that someone had heard her and was calling back. The only thing she could do was to keep going, and keep hoping she could find Nimbus, or at least another to help her find safety. 

ID# 177429
Initial Roll Value: 17
Giving or Receiving: N/a
Final Roll Value: N/a

Edited November 11, 2020 by Jevi

[Katoka 0]

 "Here, this is not the place and time to lay about,"

The red headed woman standing above her offered her a hand, Katoka took it and got back to her feet. Her cheeks were slightly pink with embarrassment as she attempted to brush some of the dirt off of her. It was a futile effort considering she was covered in mud and the inky rain that had begun collecting on the ground. "Thanks," she said nodding to the woman, "I uh, slipped in whatever this gunk is. I don't know what is going on here, but something feels off." she looked out at the NPCs and how some of them had begun making their way to higher ground.

"It might be wise to follow suit," she said gesturing to the townsfolk, "Though I feel like we need to check the houses for any stragglers. Of course, you don't have to listen to me whatsoever, but it'd be nice to spread the word and try to get others to help." Looking across the street at the bar she nodded, "There's bond to be a bunch of folks in there, I think I'll make a break for it. Hopefully I'll se you around!" she smiled and waved at the woman before sloshing through the inky substance to the building before her.

Busting through the door she looked about at the collection of people, "We need to evacuate and get to higher ground!" the samurai shouted, "Whatever this black rain is, it seems to be rising fast!" as she scanned the faces of the crowd she noticed a head of green hair that stood out to her. "Elora?!"

 

Spoiler

ID# 177430
Initial Roll Value: 20
Giving or Receiving: N/a
Final Roll Value: N/a

 

[Mishiro 0]

—and with the world crumbling all around her, the girl returned to their table and set down her little light.

the wind followed.

there was a single mighty surge, a torrent that snapped something somewhere she couldn't see outside the window. she turned her head towards the disturbance, fingers curled loosely over her crystal, and at the first crash that followed, she snatched back her light and spun around. the sounds grew closer with every passing moment, and Mishiro didn't spare a glance over her shoulder until she had crossed the last lines of tables and was one step down the stairs at the far corner of the room. she looked long enough to witness the last of the delicate afternoon peace shatter along with inkstained glass as the broken frame of a canopy pierced through the fragility in the stone structure, and she lingered no more.

a tug at the air before her as she descended saw the appearance of a blank message window. she brushed harmless black shards from her hair, and slid a finger down her list of contacts.

Mishiro: Heading back to F3. I'll be within sight of the teleport gate.

she cleared the last few steps with a small leap, and as soon as her feet touched the ground, a sharp chime alerted her to a notification. it was too fast. especially by the standard of a player actively dealing with the threat. two fingers slid open the menu, and in its artificial white light, the girl's countenance was as pale as bone.

[ Message not sent. Recipient ou̷t̵ ò̶͇̯̟̈f̸͕͈̽—████████████████████

| 177431: LD 3