[F03-PP] I'm Bored, Let's Kill Things <<Dragon Hunter Anthology III>>

[Koga 0]

Spoiler

 

To: NIGHT

Hey, come meet me on the third floor.

-Koga

 

This time it was Koga's turn to send the mysterious invitation to some random floor. At least his floor was nicer than the past few she'd dragged his ass too. Meadows, forests, plains, it was all very pretty to be honest. Even the town's name was nice. 'Delilah'. Named for all the flowers that surrounded and the town.

As Koga stepped off the teleporter, he took a quick look around, and confirmed that NIGHT had indeed not arrived before him. He would have been very surprised if she had...that would've been superhuman speeds.

Then again, NIGHT sure did seem pretty close to superhuman sometimes.

The swordsman beelined over to some shaded corner of the teleport plaza, and leaned against the nearby wall, his arms crossed across his chest, Okami sitting himself down next to him. Well, now all there was left to do was wait.

@NIGHT 

Spoiler

Koga
Level: 38
Health: 760
Energy: 76
DMG: 15 // EVA: 2  // MIT: 18 // ACC: 4
BRN: 24 // BLT: 24 // FALN: 4 // REGN: 10

Skills
>> Katana V
     // Ferocity
     // Precision
>> Light Armor VI

Extra Skills
>> Familiar Master: Fighter III
>> Survival

Inventory
>> T2 Demonic Katana <<Tsuki no Hikari>> [Burn // Blight // Cursed // Fallen]
>> T1 Perfect Necklace <<White Owl Necklace>> [Accuracy // Accuracy // Accuracy]
>> T2 Perfect Light Armor <<Shadow Chance Coat>> [Evasion // Evasion // Regen]

Battle-Ready Inventory
>> Spider Ciders [90 HP Restoration] (2)
>> [50 HP] Healing Potions (2)
>> [40 HP] Healing Potion (5)

Buffs
>> <<Well Rested>> -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat.
>> <<Squeaky Clean>> The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down).
>> <<Relaxed>> Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.

 

[NIGHT 0]

Wasn't there an occasion she'd went stalking for this dragon before?

Ah well. They kept appearing, anyway. Either the quest was bugged, or the game had trouble facilitating NIGHT's ascent through the levels.

The third floor should've been a sort of home for the player by now. But even as its layout was mapped firmly at the back of her mind, even the softest breeze had her second-guessing her intentions, the tips of her fingers twitching in retaliation. It didn't take long to spot Koga once she'd landed on the city pavement, shuffling over his way with a wave as a greeting.

"Yo. Dragon hunting, I presume?"

On her last trip in its direction, she hadn't gotten through the misty forest. Her head swiveled around to one of the other exits of the settlement, nodding towards it as she waited for Koga to rise. "It's a bit of a walk from what I remember. Best make way towards it as soon as we can."

	| NIGHT   | HP: 1690/1690 | EN: 181/181    | ACC: 5 | DMG: 19 | EVA: 4 | MIT: 79 | BH: 79    | PRLYZ: 1 | ABS. ACC | LD: 5    | Stealth Detection: 5 | Stealth Rating: 7
[Examine]  | equipment Cosmic Devourer -- [ Paralyze I | Natural successful attack rolls of 9-10 remove the enemy’s action on their next turn. Paralyzed opponents lose any evasion properties. ] -- [ Absolute Accuracy | +1 ACC. Attack rolls of 1 no longer automatically miss. ] -- [ Accuracy I | +1 ACC. ] Reinforced Black Tracksuit -- [ Mitigation I | +54 MIT. ] -- [ Evasion I | +1 EVA. ] Silver Crescent Necklace -- [ Accuracy II | +2 ACC ] -- [ Evasion II | +2 EVA ]  | battle-ready inventory - - - - - - - - -  | skills Skills Mod Count: 8/8 Two-Handed Straight Sword | Passive | RANK 5/5 > Ferocity, Precision, Finesse Light Armor | Passive | RANK 5/5  > Athletics, Sprint&Acrobatics Searching | Passive | RANK 4+1/5 Hiding | Passive | RANK 5/5 > Blindside, Vanish, Surprise Attack: Trickster Extended Mod Limit | Passive | RANK 3/3  Battle Healing | Passive | RANK 5/5 Energist | Passive Quick Change | Active Charge | Active | RANK 5/5 Extended Weight Limit | Passive   Extra Survival | Passive  Concentration | Active -- CD: 3 Familiar Mastery: Fighter | Passive | RANK 3/3  | consumed buffs Spoiler Bialas Statue | +TAUNT Mothra Statue | +1 EN Recovery Tanos Statue | +15 MIT Mōretsuna Statue | +50 HP Yamato-no-Orochi Statue | +1 LD Kumatetsu Statue | +1 DMG - - - - - -  | misc. buffs Spoiler Dimensional Backpack, Item Stash, Extended Weight Limit | +5 Battle-Ready Inventory Slots. Well Rested | -1 EN for the first three expenditures of each combat.  Relaxed | +(5 * Tier) HP per out-of-combat post. Full energy restoration occurs after two turns out of combat. Squeaky Clean | -25% DoT damage taken from the first DoT applied to this player in a thread. Skylight: Searching | +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cooldown of 30 days to reassign. Multipurpose | +1 LD/Prosperity/Stealth/Detection to one post per thread. Can be applied after a roll. Filling | +1 T1 slot to a food consumed by this player in a thread. Can exceed Cook enhancement caps. Col Deposit | +5% col from loot-minimum mobs, +10% col from treasure chests.

[Koga 0]

As Koga saw NIGHT appear in the light of the teleporter, he raised his hand, waving at her in greeting. Sadly, the gesture quickly became limp as NIGHT opened her mouth. "H-how did you know that's what we were doing...Also, please tell me you haven't done this already..." I mean, Koga would not have been surprised if she had. It was a much lower level quest for them at this point. But still, he'd gotten excited about them doing a fresh quest together for once. "Alright...right behind you."

So, the pair of players headed out, and Koga was the first to speak. Was that uncharacteristic of him, "Okay, NIGHT, I have questions. About DAY. And also if you know why she looks the way she does." To literally anyone else, that would probably be very offensive. Hell, it might still be offensive, but this was an AI he was talking about...A subject which was a cause of great conniption for Koga anyways...

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

"Eh?" Her brow quirked upwards at Koga's question. "You'd mentioned it last time, didn't you?" Despite his guess, the woman waved it off with her hand and a shake of her head. "I'd been with another player on it, but I guess the kill never got registered. Might as well get it knocked out today."

(Although when she'd left the other day, she was certain...)

NIGHT lead the duo towards the gates. And whilst her mind was searching for topic starters to mention, the moment her mouth opened to speak, so did Koga's.

Then she heard the question. NIGHT wished she'd called in sick today.

Her lips pressed together, shut. Her vision bounced off towards the greenery of the floor and forest, all around, beside and beyond. She caught sight of some passing wild flowers. It was only through hope that she could've been that small.

The best the player could do was mouth the start of her sentence. When she'd forced herself to speak, the volume of her voice caught her off-guard. "I..."

So she adjusted her tone into that of a whisper.

"I... I--I know." A pause, the woman swallowing, trying to focus her eyes to the distance ahead of them. "So... why?"

[Koga 0]

Had Koga mentioned doing this quest that last time they'd spoken? He honestly couldn't remember. He had the memory of a chimpanzee anyways, so he wouldn't have been surprised if he had.

That wasn't the important part of the conversation right now though.

"Why?" Koga asked, dropping his voice a little lower, realizing NIGHT must not be comfortable with this line of questioning. But still, there were things that needed to be asked, "'Cause she's a freaking AI! I mean...do you realize what kind of implications that could have? Also, how in the hell did you even find her? And why is she living in your house!?" Koga was pretty sure he had asked that question when he'd first met DAY. He was asking again anyways. "And, why does she look like Astralin? That's another great question. Wait, do you even know who Astralin is?" That...was a pretty important baseline that Koga needed to establish.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

Every single question that came her way felt like a scolding -- not that Koga was explicitly mad, but the queries continued to dig a pit into her stomach anyway. They weren't things she'd expected to have to reveal to a friend -- and if so, not now. Not on some walk out into the wilderness, and maybe not even so soon after introducing the NPC to someone else.

But Koga asked.

So it warranted an answer, even if it was only a grunt, a muffled cry of some kind. NIGHT's sights were still on the environment, the woman barely meeting his vision at the mention of another player.

Another player? So that was her name--

"Of course I understand the implications," she returned. A pout was on her lips; irritated, but not upset. "I'm the person who has to hold them close at all times, so of course... I know."

The player exhaled, words dissipating from the tip of her tongue.

"I don't... know who this Astralin player is." NIGHT huffed, eyes glazed over as she continued. "And I didn't find her. I didn't ask for her either, I just..."

When she fell silent, all the player could afford to return was a hand rubbing the back of her neck, tight-lipped. Quiet, lost in thought. Only when she was comfortable did she speak up again, in a raspier tone than she'd initially wanted to convey. "Sorry. ...What were your questions, again?"

[Koga 0]

NIGHT was clearly becoming uncomfortable with his line of questioning. To be honest, he knew she was going to be uncomfortable with it the moment she had invited the woman into the room and hadn't introduced her. She had been trying not to make a big deal out of it. Which, of course, meant it was a big deal.

Despite NIGHT stating that she understood, Koga wasn't sure that she did. At least, not in the line of thought that he was thinking of. Koga sighed as NIGHT asserted she had no idea who Astralin was, and went silent. He was about to apologize when NIGHT beat him to it.

"No, that's my bad. I shouldn't have bombarded you with all those questions." The man took a deep breath and started again, "Can we start from the beginning? How does she exist, and why is she...around you, I guess, I dunno how else to phrase it."

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

The easiest question to answer. But the words wouldn't leave NIGHT's mouth.

"She's... She's my..."

-> (--doppelganger? other half? counterpart. no, confidant. stalker? killer? assassin? spy. murderer. guardian? care-taker? home-keeper? best friend? long lost lover? past crush? ah, current crush. forgotten friend. room mates? no, they weren't room mates just yet. just yet? what were they? they were--)

"Just-- somebody-- who found me." They staggered out through her lips in a breath, exhale concealed. As the duo kept walking, NIGHT's pace slowed, if only to redirect her focus back to her thoughts more than her journey. Something didn't feel right about her description, the labels stuck floating inside her head. She waved them off, swallowed her words down, continuing.

"A system NPC; that's all there is to it."

The pause that lingered afterwards gave NIGHT a bit more time to phrase her next response. "Cardinal made them. That's how they're able to exist." And she let the conversation die down for a few seconds more, just to gauge Koga's response about her answers. She would've let it stayed that way forever, if she could've.

Why was she around the player all the time?

She'd pretend she didn't hear that one for now.

[Koga 0]

Koga stared at his friend skeptically. "NIGHT...has anyone ever told you you're a terrible liar?" The NPC lived with her...lived with her. 'Just somebody who found me' was about as thin of an excuse as you could give. Not to mention the stuttering. That alone gave it away.

"What the hell do you mean by 'them'?" the swordsman pressed. If there were more than just DAY...well, that posed a whole plethora of problems Koga had been hoping to avoid. And then there was the whole question of what purpose did they serve? The players had said all of three things to each other, and yet somehow, this conversation was generating more questions than answers.

Why couldn't things ever be simple?

It didn't help that NIGHT was avoiding the question. Especially the last one. To be honest, Koga had an inkling of why DAY continued to follow NIGHT, but how did that even start? That was another troubling question. But he was even less likely to get an answer for that one.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

She'd only grumbled at the first point. She shambled along regarding the other question. "As in, they and them? ... Pronouns?" It didn't sound right to refer to DAY as an 'it', and when speaking about them in a technical context, it felt even less certain to NIGHT that she should be using 'she', either.

"And I wasn't lying, either--" The woman continued, trying to cover up her mess. Omitting details wasn't exactly lying, after all. "-- I just... don't know how better to put things."

A deep sigh. NIGHT traced back her memories, trying to navigate through the labyrinth of events that had led her here to this moment in time in the first place; side by side with a friend... but the discussion matter was much steeper than she could've ever imagined. Though she was unable to meet Koga's sights, her muttering was loud enough for her companion to hear. "I wasn't able to kill them, then one thing just lead to another. Okay? It's not that strange -- it can't be that strange. ... So..."

[Koga 0]

Koga blinked with a blank stare on his face at NIGHT as she explained why she called DAY 'thye/them'. "Wait...so you mean to tell me...that there..aren't more than one DAY?" Koga asked in confusion. As far as Koga could tell, DAY was most certainly a female...and he wasn't about to conduct an...'in-depth' investigation to that matter...Sure, he knew some people chose to switch their gender, but DAY hadn't given the boys any indication of that...so was she, er, rather they, just being nice?

Now Koga was just confused.

But his confusion didn't mean he could hear and comprehend NIGHT's muttered words. "You didn't kill-...wait, is she a Gemini?" Had Koga missed that part of the conversation before? "Wait wait, was this why you were asking me all those weird questions a few weeks back?" This was the first time Koga had heard of Geminis persisting past the end of the quest. Let alone following around the person they were pretending to be. But, DAY looked like she was the exact opposite of NIGHT. Too many wires were crossing, Koga's brain was quickly shutting down.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

Imagine having more than one DAY. NIGHT would most certainly perish. Balking at the thought, the player quickly shook her head -- in embarrassment, in regret, and a medley of other feelings she'd rather leave unsaid. "N-No," she rushed. An honest sentiment, paired with blazen cheeks. "I don't even want to-- no. She's-- They're just-- a system entity. I-It's not--"

Another exhale, the woman struggling not to pinch the bridge of her nose at the confusion. When had they strayed from standing on the same page? No, the better question should've been if they ever were in alignment in the first place. Her visage was torn, salted; a pained and slight nod was the best she could return when Koga finally picked up the pace from his train of thought. "I don't... think it's supposed to happen," she quietly added, her sights dragged down to the forest floor once again. "And there's no easy way about it to getting answers."

[Koga 0]

Clearly...something had gotten lost in translation during this conversation. Koga just stopped talking and walked for a few moments, trying to sort out what the hell they'd been talking about. DAY was certainly still the topic. But just what in specific was a mystery.

It didn't help that it was beginning to look more and more like NIGHT had no clue what was going on either. If it wasn't supposed to happen...well, how in the hell did DAY exist...Koga knew enough about programming to know that bugs existed. But a huge bug like this? That was...more than troubling, to say the least.

No knowing what else to do, Koga opted to just ask a completely new question as directly as possible. "So are you two fucking, or what?" Based on what Koga saw on Christmas Eve, he was more than willing to say yes, but at this point, he just needed something that resembled certainty to go on living.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

The grip upon Koga's coat was stronger, much stronger than she'd originally intended.

She pulled the man's face closer to hers in complete exasperation. An uneven line upon her lips, wide eyes with pupils sharpened and an unneglectable shade of red etched all over her image. NIGHT should've been steaming -- she must've in more ways than one. And despite the unsightly appearance --

"-- Are you fucking dense? D-Don't ever say that to me ever again!"

-- there had to be a score of intimidation somewhere that she could scrounge up in order for her friend to mind his own business. At least this far in her department.

The woman let him go, before Cardinal would appoint the player an orange for an infraction. She was shaking at this point. Even the breath she'd let out to calm herself down was unsteady. Before Koga could've said anything else to make a fool of himself, the woman picked up the pace in her strides.

"I-I'm going on ahead. I'll meet you wherever-- just--"

She didn't even manage to finish her words before sprinting down the forest path. Another half-hearted attempt at running on empty once more.

[Koga 0]

Koga's eyes grew wide in surprise as NIGHT grabbed his and forcefully pulled his face close to her bright red face. He...must've struck a nerve...Such questions must be frowned upon in her part of the world...Or maybe Koga just really was that dense. He knew he wasn't always the best at understanding other people, let alone what to say to them, or how to approach topics sensitively.

The woman let go of Koga's coat and turned around before starting to sprint away, essentially telling him to catch up when he could. Koga stood there in silence and just watched her go for a moment.

"So...was that a yes or...?" he muttered to himself.

That...had not gone the way he'd expected it to. Had...had he just royally screwed up? Koga started down the path after NIGHT, but maintained a walking pace. It was probably a good idea to give her some space for the moment...

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

It didn't take long for NIGHT to reach the clearing. Morning runs built on the year before had really regulated her pace; but her mind was running faster than her feet could take her.

"So are you two fucking, or what?"

Who the fuck asks this kind of crap? Better yet, where'd the notion even come from?

She should've answered with an 'or what' straight up. She should've, but she didn't.

In the center of the forest opening, it was easy to spot the dragonling they were looking for. The pink cursor but indicated it was nothing more than a second's worth of effort, and NIGHT would rather her companion be in a decent vicinity before either of them would lose the kill. The player breathed, trying to steady herself, slumping her back up against one of the trees before turning her head up towards the canopy instead.

This was so dumb. Maybe she shouldn't have omitted details instead.

(--No, it would've been worse. All that might've changed would be the question of 'when' instead of 'if'. And it shouldn't even have been a query at all.)

[Koga 0]

It was a long walk to the clearing. A long walk with a lot of thinking, and Okami silently padding alongside him. He pressed too much. He hadn't meant to do that, he just...he wanted answers, for something to make sense for once. Even if it was something as trivial as whether or not NIGHT and the AI were...well, whatever they were. But then again, not even that was simple. In fact that was probably the most complicated thing right now, especially for them.

Fifteen or twenty minutes. That's about how long it took for Koga to catch up to NIGHT. The man walked through the tree line with his hands in his pockets, and towards his friend. "Uhm...Sorry..." he said, doing his best to look at NIGHT's face. He has never been good at apologies. This was no exception, "Didn't mean to make you upset or anything like that..." Even if Koga couldn't quite look NIGHT in the eyes, he was being sincere.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

"I get that," NIGHT replied. She'd been quiet the whole while, waiting -- her once lean had turned into a squat, the woman rising from the ground once Koga had stepped out into the clearing. "I get that," she repeated, eyes locked to the dirt below, "but even that felt like a... like a dumb question for you to ask." (Because Koga was onto something that even NIGHT didn't want to face. And it was driving her nuts thinking about it for the whole fifteen minutes she'd waited.)

"The player you'd mentioned," she started, trying to carry her gaze towards her companion's. "Astralin. I meant it when I said I didn't know who she was." With a half-hearted wave, the player vexed, she continued. "DAY is just... she's just someone who happened to look like her. That's all. Just someone I knew."

"Someone I want to forget."

NIGHT's vision fell as she turned, back facing Koga's the moment she'd lifted a hand to unveil her blade from the ether. With the tip of her weapon, she pointed the man towards it. "You can have the first hit. It's got nothing on us, anyway; and I'd probably kill it before your quest logger had a chance to register it."

[Koga 0]

Although NIGHT couldn't see it, Koga nodded silently before drawing his own weapon as he strode through the clearing towards their prey. The man could see the little dragon lift its head and turn, it's pupils first growing wide in surprise and fear, and the narrowing in anger as he let out a loud cry in some foreign tongue. Almost immediately two elves burst out from behind the trees and rushed towards Koga with their swords raised. A foolish endeavor, since neither of the enemies would last more than a couple moments against either Koga or NIGHT. The first slashed at Koga's chest, and the swordsman responded by turning and bending backwards, allowing the blade to pass by him. As he spun, Koga's katana followed, slicing through the first elf effortlessly. The  second made his attempt next, but was easily parried aside and beheaded before Koga stepped forward and slashed upwards, instantly putting the hatchling's health into the yellow.

@NIGHT

Spoiler

Koga | HP: 760/760 // EN: 62/76 (76 -14) // DMG: 15 // EVA: 2  // MIT: 18 // ACC: 4 // BRN: 24 // BLT: 24 // FALN: 4 // REGN: 10
NIGHT | HP: 1690/1690 // EN: 181/181 // DMG: 19 // EVA: 4 // MIT: 79 // ACC: 5 // BH: 79 // PRLYZ: 1 // ABS. ACC

[1, 0] Ghidorah - the Opal Hatchling | HP: 103/215 (215 -112) // DMG: 70 // EVA: 1 // MIT: 40 // ACC: 1 // Thorns: 14
<<Elven Tongue>> : When you approach this dragon the dragon will call out for help in elvish spawning two Elven Dragon Cultists to appear to the dragons aid to defend it.
[0, 0] Elven Dragon Cultist #1 | HP: 0/50 (50 -85) // DMG: 35 // MIT: 25 // Thorns: 14 <<DEAD>>
[0, 0] Elven Dragon Cultist #2 | HP: 0/50 (50-85) // DMG: 35 // MIT: 25 // Thorns: 14 <<DEAD>>

Koga uses <<Amatsu no Homura>>
Koga procs [Fallen] on Ghidorah - The Opal Hatchling!
Koga hits Elven Dragon Cultist #1
Elven Dragon Cultist #1 dies!
Koga hits Elven Dragon Cultist #2
Elven Dragon Cultist #2 dies!

Spoiler

ID: 183530
BD: 11 (8 +4 -1) <<Fallen>>
DMG: ((15 +4) * 8) -40 = 112

ID: 183531
BD: 7 (3 +4)
DMG: (15 * 8) -35 = 85

ID: 183532
BD: 6 (2 +4)
DMG: (15 * 8) -35 = 85

 

 

Edited February 23, 2021 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

Where'd the extras come from? NIGHT was caught off-guard despite her vague experience; chalk it up to poor memory or the woman caught up in stewing of her thoughts. Koga shifted faster, slicing through each enemy in practiced swings despite the sustained damage he took -- as the last blow was delivered amongst the rising fractals, the bullet of shadow wove past his form. Another diagonal cut made from a smear of red plastered hatches upon the dragonling, still too weak from its previous strike to fly. Ghidorah let out a meek wail, sinking into the tall grass before exploding into irretrievable data.

The player let out an exhale before waving away her blade. It wasn't in proper form to be distracted by her emotions like this.

"Next one, then." NIGHT barely gave her friend a glance as she started back the way they came from, passing him by with her head down. "Or would it be better on another day?"

Spoiler

ID: 183540 | BD: 2 + 5 - 1 = 6 | >GALAXY DESTROYER vs Ghidorah.
 | The strike lands! (-9 EN)
 | 19 * 13 = 247 DMG | 247 - 40 = 207 DMG 

---

[1, 1] Ghidorah - the Opal Hatchling | HP: -104/215 (-207) // DMG: 70 // EVA: 1 // MIT: 40 // ACC: 1 // Thorns: 14

Koga | HP: 760/760 // EN: 62/76 // DMG: 15 // EVA: 2  // MIT: 18 // ACC: 4 // BRN: 24 // BLT: 24 // FALN: 4 // REGN: 10
NIGHT | HP: 1676/1690 (-14) // EN: 172/181 (-9) // DMG: 19 // EVA: 4 // MIT: 79 // ACC: 5 // BH: 79 // PRLYZ: 1 // ABS. ACC