[EV-F07] Storm of Shadows

[Elora 0]

As Katoka did her best to make sense out of the chaotic scene and attempt to command the attention of others, Elora assessed their surroundings, surveying what little remained visible of the mountainside to she if there was any new information to be gained. The valley below them was submerged in darkness, flooded completely by the thick obsidian liquid that continued to pelt between powerful bursts of wind. The only way is up, she agreed conclusively. How many lives had already been lost? How many lives had yet to be lost? 

Elora's entertaining of the thought was curtailed by the discordant neighing of startled horses that broke through momentary silences in the rumbling thunder. Cerulean eyes flickered to catch the form of a figure seemingly struggling to scale the slippery slope. She had stumbled directly in front of the stallions' trajectory. "W-WATCH OUT!", cried Elora as she bolted over to help, "THE HORSES -- MOVE!!" Practically diving in front of the player, Elora slashed her spear into the legs of an oncoming pair of horses, causing both to buckle forward and over the huddled two. Screeches of anguish were suddenly snuffed out as the creatures tumbled from the side of a sheer ledge nearby, their corpses joining the others in the shadowy grave below.

 

Vanity tag: @Jevi

Spoiler

ID# 180388
Roll Value: 18
Giving: 8 to @Jevi
Final Roll Value: 10

Edited January 14, 2021 by Elora

[The Shadow 3]

Round Twelve

The shrieks of panicked birds drove the sense of urgency higher, doing nothing to alleviate the mounting chaos as the creatures pinwheeled overhead. With each grenade-burst of light, their silhouettes cut eerie patterns in a sky entirely the wrong color. The sky was wrong, the storm was wrong, everything carried the stink of falseness. Was that why Dax's brain stutter-stepped every time he tried to rationalize it? Instead, he chose to focus on his team - or, what was left of it. Fighting down the sorrow that threatened to spill over, the NPC gathered the dangling leads on his three remaining horses. "I can't manage them by m'self," he managed, deep voice thick with sadness, "so if someone else could help, I'd be grateful." As he addressed the nearest players, he slowly extended the ends of the lead ropes. "They're broke, so you can ride 'em, if you want." Despite the promise of a saddle-trained mount, the three Clydesdales whinnied warily, hooves like dinner plates prancing in place. 

The horses, it seemed, were not the only ones frightened. A gaggle of children, NPCs and young players alike, huddled together as the birds screamed overhead. Thunder boomed, wind howled, and a NPC's pleading cry barely rose above both. "Please, children, you must keep moving! We must climb higher! I know you are scared, but you cannot stop!" In response, the children wailed in unison, their feet planted firmly in the mud.

† Mishiro has been consumed by the Storm of Shadows.
Round Twelve will end in 72 hours [January 14th at 10:00 P.M EST]
[Timer]

The LD Threshold is 11.

[Setsuna 0]

A single flicker on the wind, a sole group barely visible through skill alone. A fuzzy projection in silhouette but with no features, it was strange that like this she could hardly tell them apart. But as her guild preached, her only 'friends' for lack of a better word she would shift from the onslaught to aid on their whims and expectations alone. Mishro was gone, assumed the girl had made it away and heeded what she was told. One less lamb for the slaughter.

A single twist of a wrist, latching on to a cold and wet thing. Like let there be light, a small child. "Hush yourself, and feel lucky." Setsuna barked at her, a flail of tears come to nothing more than stifled whimpers. Placing her down upon the roof, one by one she begins to pluck them and silence them. A torrential typhoon of poultry lingered overhead, drowning the place out in screams.

"I need a better method." Building a handful of children before her aim would be toward more able-bodied people. They could hardly fend for themselves, so somehow someway it became her problem to solve.

ID# 181269 results: Battle: 9 (For no reason, because lol)
Roll Value: 14
Giving: 
Final Roll Value: 

Edited January 12, 2021 by Setsuna

[Jevi 0]

The thunderous rumble of hooves pounding against the stone surface finally became apparent to her, and nearly far too late. The team of horses, whether they could see her or not, rushed in her direction as Jevi tried to scramble to her feet, the sludge and ooze causing her to flail in place. Her golden eyes clamped shut, whether drowning in the dark waters meant death or not, she knew that being trampled by horses was definitely going to be the death of her. Suddenly, a cry of pain from one of the horses broke through the air, soon followed by a tumbling crash.

A bob of green hair wielding a spear had come to Jevi's aid, sacrificing the life of one of the animals to save her. The brunette took a few heavy breaths, her focus on her savior. "T-Thank you." she managed to get out in broken speech. A quick shake of her head and a clearing of her throat, and the woman rose to her feet. "I'd probably be dead if it wasn't for you. But come one, we need to keep moving."  The NPC who was herding the animals up the mountain, his voice filled with a bit of sorrow from losing one of his horses, offered the players a ride on the back of the horses. Obviously the livelihood of humans was more in this matter. 

"I'm not much of a rider, but it definitely beats walking." she called out, looking between the NPC and the player who saved her.  It took her a few hops, since there were stirrups for her to step up with, but eventually Jevi was able to swing her leg over the back of the horse. "W-Woah." she said, trying to steady herself while also steadying the horse. "I might've gone horseback riding..once when I was a little girl? So lets see how I can do now that its life or death." 

Vanity Tag: @Elora

ID# 181270
Roll Value:  11
Giving/Receiving ---
Final Roll Value: 11

Edited January 12, 2021 by Jevi

[Elora 0]

Elora shook her head, brushing off the suggestion of mounting one of the horses. "Horses are stubborn as all hell, and I'm not about to ride one after what it saw me do to the others. But someone else can...", her voice trailed off, Is there even anyone else left to save? Just then, a plea for help rang through the frigid air, practically responding to her realization the second that it crossed her mind. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me", she sighed as she teetered onto her feet, then broke into a half-hearted sprint, it was more like a sloppy jog, really, toward what was left of the player. An outstretched arm provided enough opportunity for her to seize their sinking frame and yank them free from the clutches of a pool of obsidian ooze, which seemed to be acting like some sort of sinister quicksand. 

"GET ON A HORSE!", she demanded, sparing no hesitation to shove their body forward and insist it wise to keep moving along the incline. At second glance, she could have sworn she recognized him, A member of Firm Anima? It didn't matter. She didn't have the time to spare mulling over the details. Bodies were disappearing left and right and her stamina was nearing complete depletion. At this rate, she wouldn't be able to stop and save every struggling stranger that threatened to meet a tragic demise, or she would have nothing left to spare if --

"KATOKA!", Elora cried out, having finally caught sight of her samurai companion once again. 

 

Spoiler

ID# 181272
Roll Value: 20
Giving: 9 to @Aquan
Final Roll Value: 11

Edited January 14, 2021 by Elora

[Katoka 0]

The sky above the samurai boomed, lighting forked and crawled and continued to send shivers down her spine that the cold never could. Everything about this storm was disturbing to it's core. Katoka's attention snapped back into focus as her elven eared companion sprinted off to help someone, she hesitated to chase after but let her go. As long as she was within her eye sight then she could be there faster than the lightning could strike. Her focus turned the horses, bucking and scared for their own lives. An almost white mare reared up near the blonde, fear in it's digital eyes.

Kat stepped forward and attempted to soothe the beast, placing a hand on it's side and speaking to it in a calming tone. She tried to tell it things would be ok, that she would take it it safety. She knew the creature couldn't understand her per say, but it seemed to respond to her well enough. Taking this moment she leapt up onto it's back and looked around quickly for Elora.

"KATOKA!" she heard her cry out. Turning she saw the spearwoman running towards her, guiding the horse she spurred it and leaned forward. Sticking out her left arm as Elora instinctually responded with her own the small samurai grabbed onto her forearm and used the momentum to swing her on the horse behind her.

"Hold onto me! I don't want you falling off!" she called, steering the horse back towards the group again. 

Spoiler

ID# 181274
Roll Value: 12
Giving/Receiving: N/A
Final Roll Value: N/A

 

[Lessa 1]

"They're broke, so you can ride 'em, if you want."

It was as if the old man had read her mind. Lessa had already been considering the logistics, studying the panicked animals in each flash of lightning overhead. When he gave his nod of approval, she eased one of the leads from his hand. "I'll take good care of her," she assured Dax, pausing long enough to pat the grief-stricken farmer on the shoulder before turning to his horse. The mare's nostrils flared madly, testing the air, and apparently not liking what he found there.

"You," Lessa began, "are a big, big girl." Numb fingers hastily tied the rope's end to the opposite side of the halter. Then she took a step back to admire her work, and wonder just how she could mount such a massive horse. Getting on had never been a problem at home, but the Clydesdale was much larger than her little buckskin back home. Here's to hoping I can make this work.

With a few long strides, Lessa got a running start. As she drew up alongside the mare, she reached out for the withers, and a fistful of mane. Then, pushing off with as much force as she could muster, she exploded upward, and swung a leg over the horse's back. Instinctively, her legs squeezed, anchoring her before she could go scooting off the other side. Surely, the game's mechanics had aided her in that particular move, but she wasn't going to dwell on it. Instead, she urged the horse forward, unaware of the black waves lapping at her mount's hooves.

Spoiler

ID# 181276
Roll Value: 5
Giving/Receiving: 7 from Daemien
Final Roll Value: 12

 

[Aquan 0]

Aquan could feel himself slowly getting pulled down more and more by the shadows around him. They saved some of the horses, but he knew he didn't have long before the storm was going to take him. He looked up into the sky, and he could feel himself slowly getting pulled away. It was almost calm as he accepted his fate, the shadow pulling at his skin, clothing, and the gear on his body. "Goodbye world." He muttered and sighed, letting the shadow take him.

GET ON A HORSE

He was ripped from the storm and his body was thrown to a safe distance from the encroaching storm. He gasped and whipped around, seeing a faint glance of a Firm Anima guild member in the distance. He took a breath and looked up, spotting the beautiful horses around him. "Finally, something I can do." He mutters and pulls himself up. The misery slowly pulls away from his body as he feels his calculated mind start to think about riding a horse. He pulls himself on to a younger grey horse. "Well aren't you beautiful." He mutters and strokes the horse's neck to calm it. "Lets survive I suppose." He smiles and urges the horse to move as well.

ID# 181287
Roll Value:  2
Giving/Receiving Receiving 9 from @Elora
Final Roll Value: 11

Edited January 15, 2021 by Aquan

[Demian 0]

Perhaps he should've taken them up on their offer. When had the tides risen so quickly? The black liquid was chasing the edge of the plateau they had made it up to, and his companion seemed to only take it in stride.

He shouldn't have slowed. He shouldn't have taken it easy.

It hadn't even occurred to him how to call for their presence, but the moment he felt the tendrils lick his ankles, his rushed footsteps seemed to catch his benefactor's attention instead. Had they always been this receptive? Had he ever been so alert before?

"I'm losing time."

Through ragged breaths, he pushed out his final words. And whilst the two of them seemed to stay on the move, it bewildered him how the distance between the two of them appeared not to close.

"So you are."

They must have be doing this on purpose, he figured. His suspicions were verified the moment they took an impossible hop up a ledge, and he knew he wasn't meant to follow.

Daemien thought he would have done the same. A sour taste flooded his mouth.

When the white hadn't disappeared from his vision, however, he narrowed his eyes. He caught their form morph to a crouch, feeling a gaze upon his miniature figure, similar to how he had been observing them from below. Daemien felt an overwhelming chill gusting from the waves behind him, and for a moment entertained the thought of his silhouette splotched against the eternal black.

In an instant, it was corrected, gaze refocusing upon his associate.

What reason did they have to remain?

"Come to think of it," they hollered back, just as the flickering of void hands lashed for his cloak. "I never got your name."

The man chuckled and gripped his clothes tighter to his form. "Neither did I you."

"I don't have one."

Towards the back of his head, a vanta appendage reached out, tugging away his hood. It fell away, just as Damien irked out the last hint of a response.

"I know."

He stretched his arms out wide.

The wind ruffled through his locks, and a persistent ink rain clung upon the edges of his strands pelted by rain. The ice upon his scalp could've fooled Daemien into imagining himself to be on the fourth floor.

It was incomparable to his shock when he caught the sliver of gold from his unmoving target the moment they pulled down their cover.

(And here he figured he had the upper hand in his last moments. Now, he knew himself to be the fool in his entirety, the moment a sliver of doubt entered his mind.)

How his hand moved quicker than lightning into his pockets, Damien wouldn't know. His fingers dug into his pants, clutching at the metal in his pocket, just as shadowed claws caught his wrist in a frosty embrace. As one final act of defiance against his destiny, he yanked it away from his captor.

A stroke of luck sailed the tchotchke through the air. And Cardinal must've been watching, for despite the youth's limitations, it was well within vicinity of the stranger's location for them to have caught it with little effort.

Despite his relative calmness for falling into the abyss, the expression on his face read as a shock. Questions and relief were but bubbling at his surface, and now they would remain unanswered.

Oh, how he wished he should've spoken more on their journey together.

It was his final prayer that he would see them again as the world passed from his sights and he vanished into oblivion.

---

ID: 181288 | LD: 7

Giving 7 LD to Lessa. New Total: 0

---

It was cold -- the item in her hands.

She flipped it over, fingers sliding upon the smooth ring of silver metal before her thumb brushed up against unclean, ragged brass.

A dog tag. Upon it, the name 'Daemien' was inscribed in bold, capital letters.

[The Shadow 3]

Round Thirteen

Those who were unfamiliar with the seventh floor found themselves surprised to round a corner and see a wide, sprawling meadow. A spattering of tall trees lined the opposite end, hiding the varied paths that continued up the mountains. Those who knew the floor well, however, found some relief in knowing they had reached the Engoran Flat. Groups that had traveled in tight formation up the narrow mountain path instinctively spread out. Despite the sea of shadows that still steadily rose behind them, the wide-open space had an oddly calming effect. The speed in which the NPCs traveled slowed a bit, and even the wildlife seemed to pause for a breather here; animals of all shapes and sizes dotted the meadow. 

"We need to keep moving!" bellowed one player, raindrops coursing down his gold armor. But few seemed to heed the Paladin-type's words. In fact, even some fellow players slowed to a halt, fiddling with their HUDs, or chatting amongst themselves. The sense of urgency dwindled in this peaceful place, as if the Flat were some finish line they had successfully crossed. The storm, however, knew of no such thing.

† Daemien has been consumed by the Storm of Shadows.
Round Thirteen will end in 72 hours [January 21st at 11:00 A.M EST]
[Timer]

The LD Threshold is 12.

[Lessa 1]

Though she had visited the place numerous times, the site of the Flat caught Lessa by surprise. The grass rolled out before her, a long, dark carpet that disappeared into the strip of deciduous trees. How long would it take her to cross the field, now that she had room to move? Were she to urge the mare into a gallop, she could likely clear it in a matter of minutes, and then-

Her trail of thought fell apart as she noticed the shift in energy. The mass of people had begun to slow, with both players and NPCs pausing to rest. “We can’t stop now,” the blonde murmured, though the storm tore the words from her lips the moment she did so. The shadows might sneak up on the unsuspecting people, and pull them back from the edges of the Flat. She needed to check it out, just once, or she might never forgive herself.

Fortunately for the young man in question, Lessa steered her horse back toward the entrance to the Flat. The moment she saw the black goo rising up his leg, she propelled herself off the mare, and literally hit the ground running. “Hold on, I’ve got you!” she bellowed, grabbing his rain-slicked hand and dragging him from the muck.
 

ID# 181441

Roll: 20

Giving 2 to Aquan

New Value: 18

[Setsuna 0]

A parade of children held in a linkage, the girl in silver hair being barely a foot taller could be confused for one of them. In her brash and quick break, she'd managed them out of the settlement and to a softer pasture. A clearing would serve to halt surprises, and she had done as was expected of her here. It was an oddity for the girl to bend so heavily over to aid another, but like the small quivering child in Urbus she could not ignore them completely. Somewhere beneath all that spite and anger, that thirst for revenge was a child still. A girl who cared if another lived or did not, she'd just not let that kindness consume her or worse. Control her.

The silence was deafening, the stillness unsettling. The storm seemed defeated if but for a moment, releasing the hand of the smallest in a bunch of eight. A single bound forces her upward. Twisting her frame around the lowest before another vault, she was aiming for a vantage. Perhaps only then she'd see them coming.

ID# 181442, Battle: 10 (Setsuna no)
Roll Value:  Loot: 20
Giving/Receiving:
Final Roll Value:

Edited January 18, 2021 by Setsuna

[Katoka 0]

Attempting to steer the horse that both her and Elora were mounted on bare back was proving to be difficult, the lack of reins and a proper saddle definitely not helping. Feeling the arms of her friend wrapped around her, Katoka leaned into the beast and attempted to spur it into motion when it happened. Time seemed to slip into slow motion for a moment and the samurai wasn't sure what was really going on. How long had they been running? It seemed like it had been hours, but surely it hadn't actually been that long. Could it?

Kat felt her eyes begin to squint slowly and a bolt of lighting snaked it's way to the ground next to them. Despite the bullet time the electricity still struck fast, and hard. The boom making it difficult for her to hold onto the horse beneath her. Blind and deafened she held on as she felt the horse rear back and slam back onto the ground jarring her as it took off. As her senses began to return Katoka called out for Elora, but through the tinnitus she couldn't hear her own voice.

Shock over took her as she realized she couldn't feel the weight of familiar arms around her waste. Looking behind her she saw no green haired woman.

Her stomach dropped. Dread spread through her body like kerosene being lit aflame.

Leaping off the horse the blonde stumbled but regained her footing, running the best she could back down the mountain. She screamed her name despite the high pitched whine in her head. Slowly her drunken stagger turned into a more sure footed but still panicked gait. "--LORA!" she finally heard as she yelled. "ELORA WHERE ARE YOU?!" Her wide eyes darted around until she saw it, a hand sinking into the muddy blackness.

She ran. Faster than she ever thought she could. If this had been in the real world she was certain she would have torn every muscle fiber in her legs the get her there. But it was too late. As Katoka slid to her knees as Elora's fingertips sunk beneath the surface. The blonde plunged her hands into the icy cold ichor but she felt nothing. Her friend was gone.

A guttural scream erupted from Katoka as she clawed and dug and shoveled at the spot to no avail. Tendrils of blackness kept for her but she bit and tore and shredded them with animal like ferocity. Eventually she stood and there was another clap of thunder, this time from the sword art that she fired at the ground. There were more flashes of light. More claps of thunder. More wasted energy as the broken samurai attacked the earth beneath her.

"GIVE! HER! BACK!" she screamed between each attack. The thought of her own safety was melting away with each attack. After who knows how many swings of her sword the woman sank to her knees in a crater that was slowly filling with the falling rain. Sobs escaping her as she stared into the trench she had dug.

"Please," she choked, her sword lying in the ground now, "Please give her back."

Spoiler

ID# 181443
Roll Value: 20
Giving/Receiving: N/A
Final Roll Value: N/A

 

[Aquan 0]

The horse's hoof beets and the sound of the rampaging storm behind him made Aquan spur his horse faster. He had ridden horses many times without a saddle, but this time was different. If he fell off, he could wait a moment and climb back on to the horse.  This time, he would be gone from the world if he took one moment to himself in this storm. He sighed and bent farther down on his mount, hoping beyond all hope those around him could out maneuver the impending weather.

The horse he was riding streak across the field, wind whipping Aquan's face as he continued his trek through the terrain. All was going well until the horse slip, and he could feel the beast under him begin to tumble. He tucked and rolled off of the horse as quickly as he could, falling and rolling across the slick grass and dirt. He laid there for a moment, and the storm was still upon him. He could feel the inky claws of whatever was in the rain pulling at his clothing, gear, and his body.

ID: 181444
LD: 10
Receiving or Giving: 2 From @Lessa
Final: 12

 

 

 

Edited January 21, 2021 by Aquan

[Elora 0]

"Hold onto me! I don't want you falling off!"

Elora had the best of intentions to follow her comrade's commands. Her legs, however, found it difficult to find traction against the slippery surface of the stallion's rear, which was saturated with the liquid that resembled the appearance of sullied oil.

"Wait--!", she had just barely managed to call out to Katoka before a blue bolt of lighting crashed beside them, sending the horse rearing in fright. Elora flew from the steed's back, one of it's back hooves planting itself firmly into her torso as it brayed and sprinted up the mountain with her friend still on its back. She buckled forward, clutching her abdomen as her body splashed into the dark mire below. Paralyzed by shock, she laid helplessly on her side, struggling to stand as her mouth gaped and pleaded for air to circulate through her winded lungs. Any opportunity for Elora's silent pleas to manifest into screams of terror were quickly stifled by the sinister clutches of the substance as it flooded into her throat and slowly began to suffocate her. 

 

Spoiler

ID# 181445
Roll Value: 1
Giving/Receiving: None
Final Roll Value: 1

Edited January 21, 2021 by Elora

[Demian 0]

Darkness.

It was almost as though he was floating in water. Somehow, it felt like home, yet unfortunately not -- the velvet that enveloped his form but ensured that he would be comfortable and safe, the man being lulled to sleep by an unknown, nurturing force. But the chill it wrought on his skin shook the youth to his core.

With his strength draining from him, he caught a glimpse of his surroundings through his hidden eye. Like he was hit by blind fury and rage, the world was flooded in red, a dreadful crimson that paralleled his other's vanta black.

It hurt to stare. Daemien closed his eyes, heaving a breath of relief. 

The last of his remaining efforts were poured into relaxation and service. It was a moment's work to to commit and memorize every bit of sensory detail the shadows would tantalize him with; a flick of an instrument here along his fingertips, the gust that swayed the edges of his coat and cloth. It was more a dissatisfaction that Daemien was kept awake, enraptured with the thoughts of escaping. Only until the cold and slumber overtook him did he finally find a delivered, eternal rest.

[Jevi 0]

Chaos ensued around her, players rushing up the final leg of the mountain, while others moved towards the sound of the NPCs voice who allowed them to use his horses. Luckily enough, Jevi was already sitting atop her steed of choice as other players approached. She steadied herself as her hands searched the back of the horse, trying to figure out the best place to hang on to it. "Come on come on move." she said under her breath, before digging her heels into the horse's sides. The horse let out a small whinny before speeding forward up the mountain pass. "W-woah" the brunette felt her backside slipping as her body bounced upon the horse's back, but she managed to keep her steady. Luckily enough, the horse was trying to escape danger just as much as she was, so she just needed to hang on and enjoy the ride. 

Finally reaching the top of the mountain, which was flatter than expected, Jevi and the other players were greeted with a grove of trees. Strangely enough, this meadow provided a bit of solace as the floor below them became consumed with endless darkness. The brunette slowed the horse and took a look around at the players who remained.. not many. "You guys think we will be safe from the storm here?" 

ID# 181467
Roll Value: 19
Giving/Receiving --
Final Roll Value: 19

Edited January 19, 2021 by Jevi

[The Shadow 3]

Round Fourteen

It wasn't working. No matter how loudly he shouted, no matter how desperately he pleaded, the people simply would not move. Beneath his gilded armor, crafted by his own expert hand, Benovault shook like the leaves on the trees. "Please," he begged again, placing a gauntleted hand on an NPC's shoulder. The other man appeared to also be in his late twenties, giving Benovault hope that they might find some common ground. Perhaps he could connect with the man, then convince him. 

"We need to rest," countered the NPC, shrugging his shoulder to rid it of the player's hand. "If we don't, the elderly among us may not be able to keep up."

Something hot roiled in Benovault's gut, lava sloshing about as he grabbed the man's shoulder a second time. Whether the feeling was anger or fear, the man couldn't be sure. Likely a mixture of both. "If we do," he spat back, "it won't matter, because we'll all be dead." He had seen it before: the thunder, the lightning, the rain, and the rising tide. In so many ways, Aincrad was just like his home in New Orleans. But this was one event he had prayed he might never again experience.

When the NPC turned sharply, freeing his shoulder once more of Benovault's grasp, the golden tank rounded on a collection of nearby players. Exasperation lit his blue eyes, and seeped into every word as he called to them. "Someone, please help me get these NPCs moving. If we don't, they'll die. I don't think they can comprehend what's coming."

† Elora has been consumed by the Storm of Shadows.
Round Fourteen will end in 72 hours [January 25th at 10:00 P.M EST]
[Timer]

The LD Threshold is 13.

[Setsuna 0]

A swirling edge rolled closer and closer to the rough amalgamation that was an enforced group of players roughly attempting to aid NPC in a jarring twist. "Don't be a coward." Setsuna spoke rather bluntly toward the much larger male clad in gold. "If you accept loss then you've already forfeited those around you for your own skin. Accept nothing, assume that you are an implement that makes the difference. Lift your sword and prove your no coward, no animal." 

A swelling tide to which she dove into without remorse, she'd fight to the last swing. To the final point of stamina without a care. Setsuna was not afraid of dying and feared not the dark, the children would outlive her. The other players would outlive her. The high pitched whirs and cyan light barely broke through the thick black ink, dumping everything into her defiance of the status quo and imposed fright. A shell with purpose.

ID# 181482
Roll Value: 9
Giving/Receiving: From Lessa 4
Final Roll Value: 13

Edited January 26, 2021 by Setsuna

[Lessa 1]

The young man's rousing speech rose above the storm, his pleas carrying to Lessa even as she made some of her own. "If you stop, the storm is going to get you," she informed an old woman, an NPC who had literally plopped down in the spongy grass to rest. The elder waved the player away with a dismissive tch, leaving Lessa both confused and agitated. Judging by the gold-armored player's words, he fought a similar battle, with the same results.

How in the world could NPCs be encouraged to keep moving, when they were likely programmed not to? Lessa had never witnessed an event such as this, and so it was highly unlikely that the NPCs were fit to react appropriately. In that sense, it was a miracle that they had made it this far. Do we keep trying? Lessa heard the tiniest voice whisper, or do we leave them? Do we save the players who truly need saving?

The heaviness of the question, and the unfairness of the situation, both weighed heavy on Lessa's heart. As she drew in a long breath, nearly sputtering on the water she sucked in, her heart stumbled beneath her heavy armor. Make a choice.

The choice, so it would seem, was actually made for her. As Lessa turned, she caught sight of another being. The woman's lower half was wrapped in shadow tendrils, like snakes hell-bent on bringing their victim to her knees. How had the shadows risen so quickly? She had known they would come, and yet, it still tore a gasp from her.

Player or NPC, it didn't matter, as Lessa reached out and grasped Setsuna's hand.

Spoiler

ID# 181483
Roll Value: 17
Giving/Receiving: 4 to Setsuna
Final Roll Value: 13