[F13 - PP] Spooky Scary Skeletons

[Koga 0]

k o g a the elder wolf Spoiler notes none   Koga | HP: 660/660 | EN: 100/100 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 2 | BRN: 56 | BLT: 32/20 | FALN: 8 | REGN | 13 | B.HEALING: 33/66   equipped T4 Demonic Katana <<Tsuki no Hikari>> [Burn // Blight // Cursed // Fallen] T4 Perfect Light Armor <<Shadow Chance Coat>> [Evasion // Evasion // Regen] T1 Perfect Necklace <<White Owl Necklace>> [Accuracy // Accuracy // Accuracy] battle-ready inventory None   skills Spoiler | COMBAT Mastery: Damage III | Gain 1 * Tier Damage per rank | 15 SP Battle Healing V | Recover 5% (rounded down) of your maximum HP at the start of your turn | 30 SP Emergency Recovery | When non-fatal damage would leave you with 25% or less of your maximum HP, recover 10% of your maximum HP after the attack resolves. Effect cannot occur more than once per thread.  When activated if the player has lower than 10 energy remaining, simply reduce the player's energy to 0. | 6 SP EN Cost: 10 Energist | Increase Base Energy by 5 * Tier | 8 SP Howl | Gain +2 Hate against up to 4 targets | 10 SP EN Cost: 2 EN Cooldown: 2 Posts Focused Howl | Gain +4 Hate against a single target | 5 SP EN Cost: 4 EN Cooldown: 4 Posts | WEAPON Curved Sword I | +1 DMG when equipped with a Curved Sword | 4 SP Katana V | +7 DMG when equipped with a Katana | 30 SP Stamina | Reduces the energy of all Katana attacks by 2 EN | 4 SP Ferocity | +2 DMG when using Katana Sword Arts | 4 SP | ARMOR Light Armor V | +30 MIT when equipped with Light Armor | 30 SP Meticulous | +1 DMG when equipped with Light Armor | 4 SP Resolve | +1 ACC and +10 * Tier HP when equipped with Light Armor | 6 SP | EXTRAS Familiar Master: Rending | You and your familiar attack in tandem, applying Rend [7*tier unmitigatable damage] to the target that lasts for two turns. | 10SP Cooldown: 5 Posts Survival | Increases Healing effects received from all sources by 10%. Grants immunity to all damage dealing environmental attacks/effects. buffs Spoiler Lv. 5 | Gain additional col equivalent to 10% of EXP earned in that thread. Lv. 10 | +3% EXP Gain.

The cool marble was remarkably clean for being god-only-knows how old. Not a single spec of dust. Looking down at the ground, Koga could see his own reflection in it as sweat poured off his face, and dripped onto the floor, obscuring his ghostly image. With a grown, the man straightened his back, and stretched.

"Ah, I think we're getting too old for this, Okami," the man said to his familiar, who was currently lying on his side, panting heavily. Since the pair had set foot in this place, it had been wave after wave of skeletons, direwolves, and weird little vines trying to grab at his ankles. Honestly, the vines were the most annoying part. But, for now it seemed the Cathedral had given up on adding Koga and his hound to its army's ranks.

"Hey, bud, c'mon, we got a ways to go before we get to the throne room," the swordsman said to his companion, who whined in response. A clear sign of disdain at the mere thought of further physical exertion. "Alright, fine, but I'm leaving you behind then," the swordsman said in a lilting tune, turning and walking away. That got the wolf up and moving quick.

Edited October 21, 2021 by Koga

[Lessa 1]

꧁༺Lessa༻꧂   Lessa, The Violet Guardian Level: 31 Paragon Level: 39 HP: 820/820 EN: 114/114 Stats: Damage: 23 Mitigation: 122 Accuracy: 2 Battle Healing: 41 H.M.: 8 HLY: 8 REC: 8 THRNS: 72 Equipped Gear: Weapon: Arcael's Might (T4 THSS - DMG DMG DMG HLY) Armor: Empress Armor (T4 HA - HM HM THNS THNS) Misc: Neutron Star Necklace (T4 TRINKET - ACC ACC REC REC) Skills: Straight Sword R5 Heavy Armor R5 Battle Healing R5 Energist Fighting Spirit Charge Active Mods: Impetus Emergency Recovery Addons: Iron Skin Ferocity Stamina Active Extra Skills: Parry Housing Buffs: Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down) Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1] Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll Guild Hall Buffs: Helping Hand: Lowest-leveled guild member receives +10 bonus Exp at the end of the thread. At least half of the thread's participants must be guild members. Limit one use per month, per character. [1/1]

"This is ridiculous."

The words came on a hard exhale, and were promptly followed by an ugly gulping of breath. Lessa sucked in air like a dying woman, an action that she considered largely unflattering. Fortunately, there was no one in the vicinity to see her, or hear the wheeze that slipped past her lips. Riker, her wolf familiar, being the exception, of course. And he appeared just as worn out, jaw open as he panted anxiously.

Thank goodness for the break in skeletons, because if the wave had been endless, she figured she would already be out of energy. Or, at the very least, the will to continue fighting such annoying mobs. They're not even worth that much experience, she mused, annoyance mingling with exhaustion on her flushed face, and the loot is shit. Truth be told, if Lessa remembered how to get out of the Cathedral, she likely would have taken her leave already. She managed to get far more turned around than she would like to admit, and the notion of using a teleport crystal wasn't such an outrageous one anymore.

"Alright," she decided suddenly, giving her sore shoulders a quick roll before squaring them determinedly. "Let's get out of here before the next wave shows up. If the next room doesn't give us the way out, I'll beam us up out of here. Capisce?" She'd have sworn Riker nodded his head in agreement.

Ducking her shoulder like an NFL linebacker, Lessa charged into the nearest doorway, nearly flattening the Player and familiar on the other side.

[Koga 0]

The only thing that kept Koga and Okami from being turned into pancakes was the fact that the massive wooden doors slammed into their bodies, and sending them flying backwards and rolling over the stone floors. Assuming he'd stumbled across some hidden boss fight or an ambush, the pair scrambled to their feet, and Koga went to draw his weapon until he recognized the person in the doorway. "Oh. Lessa. Fancy seeing you here," the man said straightening out and greeting her with a smile. "We gotta stop running into each other like this."

Okami, apparently recognizing the other familiar's scent, bounds up to him happily and starts going through that routine that canines always did whenever they met another dog. "Hey, c'mon dude, didn't you two do this last time? Is it really necessary?" Suffice it to say that Koga's words were ignored and the butt sniffing continued. Koga sighed, giving up that fight. "How have you been, Lessa?"

[Lessa 1]

A grin bloomed across Lessa's face as she recognized the Player and familiar on the other side. "Hey hey, Koga," she greeted warmly, reaching out to pat the man on the arm. "It's really great to see you. You too, Okami." As she addressed the other wolf, she stooped down to rub the familiar behind the ear. At the same moment, Riker bounded over, and began to sniff at his new companion. "Yup," Lessa decided, propping her hands on her hips. "This definitely feels like a case of deja vu."

When her friend asked his question, some of the good natured humor left Lessa's blue eyes, and her smile faltered slightly. "Oh, uh..." Pausing to drag her bottom lip between her teeth, she decided to take a middle-of-the-road answer. Not a lie, but not the full truth, either. "I've been okay. I have my ups and downs, I guess." Motioning to him, she added dumbly, "I'm sure you know how it is." Does he? Or was she just assuming he had experienced the same anxiety, the same loneliness, that she had come to face on a daily basis?

"Anyway, how about you? How have you been?"

[Koga 0]

At Lessa's greeting, Okami barked once happily, before walking up to her and pressing his side against her as he walked past, more like a cat than a wolf, before going back to sniffing Riker's butt. "Wow, he must really like you. Don't think I've ever seen him do that before."

It wasn't necessarily what was said in response, but the way it was said that was the real answer to Koga's question. He felt a little bad for the woman, since he did, in fact, know how it was, and even saying as much. "Eh, about the same," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "C'est la vie, though." A drawn out frown that that only went to show how tired and haggard he really felt. Different from the typical physical exhaustion and sleep deprivation most knew him by, but rather the emotional and mental weight that was dragging him down and was just as likely to be doing the same to Lessa, and just about anyone else in their shoes.

"So what brings you to this lovely neck of the woods?" he asked, moving the subject along to something they were likely both far more comfortable with discussing. "Farming? Exploring? A evil scheme that you'll monologue about for the next five minutes before having to kill me?"

Ha, Lessa, a super-villain? She could never...or maybe that was just what she wanted Koga to think! Le gasp!

[Lessa 1]

"I think its a sixth sense," Lessa responded, crouching to scratch Okami behind the ears. She planted a kiss on the top of the wolf's head seconds before he returned to his butt sniffing. "Wolves just seem to really like me. Maybe I should focus on training familiars. Have a whole pack of wolves at my disposal." She was teasing, of course. Besides, as far as she knew, the game didn't even allow for such things. But she smirked when Riker slapped her with a disapproving, unamused stare. She would absolutely put money on the fact her familiar knew exactly what she was saying, and it delighted her to no end.

"Sorry to hear things haven't been going super well." She could only assume, based on the way he had answered her question, but she figured it was a safe bet. Was anyone in Aincrad really doing that well? Maybe in little spurts, here and there, when life actually didn't feel like a death game. But lately, those instances had been few and far between. She wouldn't be surprised if he felt the same way. "We've been here for a million years, but Aincrad just never stops sucking, does it?"

At his mention of an evil scheme, Lessa waggled her blonde eyebrows. "If it were a scheme," she began, "and I told you about it, I would definitely have to kill you." She refused to reflect on how real of a possibility that could be; Players had been killed by PKers for far less. Instead, she chirped a quick laugh, then shook her head. "No evil here," she assured him, "though I do give a damn good monologue. Just exploring. What about you?"

[Koga 0]

Koga chuckled at Lessa's reply. He didn't know her all that well, to be honest, but what little he did know had always lent him to believe she knew how to turn a light-hearted joke or too. He was glad to see his expectations were not without reason. "Same here. I don't remember this place existing before all the-" Koga gestured with his hands vaguely, unsure of how to indicate all of Aincrad drowning in black sludge in equal magnitude to the Great Flood, "that...I guess when Cardinal decided to update, it decided to leave us a few new goodies to find too." Koga looked back behind him, where he had just finished dispatching a few skeleton knights. Pretty generic for a video game, but the scale of the enemies simply did not match that of the building. "Speaking of, do you know anything about this place?" the black-clad swordsman asked. "I mean, this is pretty par for the course for Thirteen, but I don't think I've ever seen anything this big...well anywhere in Aincrad."

[Lessa 1]

She tossed her hand absently. "I've honestly stopped trying to figure Cardinal out," Lessa admitted. "Maybe that's wrong, since analyzing how the game works could potentially give us a hint as to how to beat it. And you know getting out is my main focus. But I've been trying to do that for damn near a decade now, and I'm no closer to picking out any real patterns. At least, aside from the typical, like 'this floor is a desert, so it probably won't rain,' you know?" Recognizing she was rambling, she shrugged. "I guess I just don't see a point anymore," came her conclusion. "We're just driving ourselves mad trying to figure it out. Yeah, it's a game, but it feels as unpredictable as real life."

Following Koga's gaze, Lessa shook her head. "No," she replied, "I don't know about it at all. I just heard rumors about it popping up out of nowhere, so I decided to investigate. Honestly, I expected there to be more people here." With a small smile, she reached to rub at the back of her neck. "Granted, this place is so enormous that there could be entire guilds exploring right now, and we wouldn't see them. It was honestly a huge surprise we found each other."

[Koga 0]

"Small world, and all that," Koga said with a shrug. "Well, since we have managed to win the cosmic lottery today, you up for doin' some exploring together?" the man asked as Okami strode up to Lessa and rubbed his side against her leg. "He wants you to come too," Koga points out, although, Riker probably wasn't all that different from Okami so, Lessa had probably figured that out already. "I've heard that the center of this place has a giant skeleton sitting on a throne. It's not even a boss or anything its just...there. I can't really recall every seeing dead things stick around for too long in this game, so I've been wondering if it's got some secrets hidden around there or something ya know?" Or, of course, it could actually be a field boss that no one had figured out how to trigger yet, and Koga was just charging head long to his doom. Who knew.

[Lessa 1]

Cosmic lottery. Lessa couldn't help but grin at the man's use of the term. It had been a while since another Player had seemed genuinely pleased to bump into her, and the thought of it warmed her. "I'm always up for some exploring," she answered him, reaching down to scratch behind Okami's ear. Riker, apparently jealous of the attention, shoved his way between her leg and the other familiar. She snorted a small laugh, then gave her wolf a soft swat on the butt. "You need to learn to share," she informed him.

Straightening, Lessa adjusted the belts that had gone askew as she'd bent over. Her fingers stopped mid-adjustment at Koga's statement. "A giant skeleton? Really?" Her head tilted quizzically as she thought the concept over. "Yeah, you've got a point. Nothing sticks around after it's died unless it's a quest item or something, you know? Or maybe decoration, but that would be kind of weird." Gesturing with one hand to their dim surroundings, she amended, "Weird even for this place. If you know the way to the dead king, lead the way. If not, we can get lost together."

[Koga 0]

Koga practically snorted at the way Riker acted around with his owner. If only Okami were so affectionate. Maybe one day the boy would find it more fun to just get head scratches as opposed to stealing all of Koga's things and making him chase him everywhere to get them back. Sadly, today probably wasn't the day.

Koga started laughing and gave Lessa a cocksure grin when she implied that the man might not know the way to the giant skeleton. "Ha! My dearest Lessa, let me tell you I absolutely never know where the fuck anything is or where I'm going. We're gonna get so lost."

Well...Koga would at least be able to find them their way out, but where this giant skeleton was, he had no clue. Somewhere near the back of the Cathedral, from what he'd heard. "I suppose we can just wander further in and see what's what. I'm sure between the two of us, we can handle anything that comes our way."