[EV-10] Halloween Celebration! | Social Thread

[OBSERVER_EXE 0]

Halloween, 2021
This event will run until the 30th of November, 2359ET.

Shop Thread | Social Thread

[OBSERVER_EXE 0]

Spoiler Yomi has always been a quiet settlement, even as changes rolled through the village by Cardinal’s undecided whims. This year was no different, then, as chaos swept through the floors outside of the underground’s reach. But the whirl did steal rocky terrain away from one young kid as they raced through the dark, almost aimlessly, with bangs almost too long and eyes squinted too small to peer through the night. With one misstep, they fell, tumbling through the air a shooting star of purple and blue and brown. “Oh, there you are!” That voice pierced through the silence, echoing, a chipper noise that called the kid to action. From a vulnerable roll, they stretched their arms outwards, pointing their figure towards the ground they were about to strike. Hands out in a sharp point. There was no hesitation nor fear written on the kid’s expression, were one to look past their messy and scattered bangs. It was almost apathetic, to any stranger that looked towards them for only a glance, but the corners of their lips pulled through at the last second— — and with their dive, they sent a flurry of golden leaves to rise up, weaving through ether where they had once been. “That was a nice one!” Lost in the pile of gold, there was only an indent where the child had fallen into their landing support. A second later, it caved in, the collection underneath it rustling, and a few feet away a familiar face popped out of the spring mess. Their eyes — blue fading to brown — barely made contact with the other figure sitting atop a nearby rock. The second almost looked like a twin to their skilled counterpart; the same shaggy brown hair, the same height too had someone stood them side by side. But what differed were select details, like their skin, the former was a flush yellow to the other’s pasty white. Or their eyes, when you could see past either of their fringes; sparkling cools that mixed in indecision juxtaposed a dull crimson that burned bloodshot red at moments. And striped sweaters both, but the latter was in greens and yellows. His dark shorts to their black pants. Both their boots were equal, the same.  Without words, they both knew to long for the season to come. One toss, and the boy landed to the floor, bent knees in stabilization while an idle hand toyed with a knife with recklessness. He looked to his subordinate, grinning, pushing his hair to one side with his fingers. “Well, don’t you think it’s time we head back? The others must be getting worried about us by now.” The kid almost seemed to be dozing off, after a moment without their response. But when a leaf finally landed on the top of their head, they nodded, adding the gift from above back onto the pile below. “Wonderful! Then let us set off without complaint.” While traditional Halloween festivities have been propped up in every other floor of Aincrad, Yomi appears to hold no differences apart from the sudden influx of lit candles being hung upon every building’s territory. And the other changes might’ve gone amiss too, had players not noticed the two new figures that rest underneath the central blossom of the city, now a fiery autumnal red from its usual rosy pinks. And one seems to be more sleepier than the other, but the peppier one (a boy, everyone guessed) welcomes you to their side either way. A Growing Buttercup Hang around the kids long enough, and Oni would tilt his head. “Don’t feel like going anywhere either, huh? I can’t blame you, it’s a pretty nice day outside...” “Hey, are you up for another favour of some kind?” With two hands, he picks up a flower pot from the base of the tree and shows it to lounging players nearby. “My dad’s trying to grow this as of late,” Oni admits, turning the pot in his hand. There would either be a golden or blue flower that sits alone in some dirt, petals almost drooping despite the rest of the plant looking in healthy condition. The boy then rolls his eyes with a smile. “And he does this thing where he talks to flowers. It’s kind of a weird habit of his, I know.” “But hey, mind chatting it up a bit? Take it for a walk around the village or something, I don’t mind.”  When the flower is scooped up from his hands, he beams back at the players, fidgeting with the sleeves of his clothes. “I know, I know. A strange request, I get it. I don’t mind the reputation. And I’ve heard plants grow better when you talk to them. Hey, don’t worry so much about it! Just say whatever at it and I bet it’ll grow fine.” “Of course, if you’re at a loss for words, I’ve got a few questions that might help jog your memory.” Slips of paper are handed out to the flower pots’ recipients. Then, with a curious glint in his eyes, Oni goes back to cozying by the shady crimson blossom once again. For each prompt answered, players will individually receive an EXP bonus of +5%, accumulative, whenever this thread closes. Each prompt will require a minimum of 50 words before the bonus may be considered. Word count from answering these prompts does not count towards the 150 word count per post minimum, however they will be considered towards the EXP total of this thread. Requirements Players should answer each prompt in character.  Characters are free to answer all prompts in a single post or spread them out across multiple posts. These posts must be marked clearly to allow ease of review come thread closing. Players do not need to answer all prompts when participating in this activity. (OPTIONAL) Players may also want to consider indicating if they've gotten the yellow flower or the blue flower. Prompts: How does the scenery around town look like? Describe it to the flower. What’s your favorite landmark you’ve spotted on your travels? Describe it to the flower. Is there anyone you’ve recently faced conflict with? Describe it to the flower. Is there anyone you wish you could show affection to? Describe it to the flower. What do you wish happened to you this year? What are you thankful for that happened this year?

[Hirru 0]

Hirru was slightly surprised by the sudden inclusion of weird phenomenon appearing on all the floors.  First of all was the appearance of the golden leaves that seemed to duplicate specific looted items.  The hunter had found four demonic shards, from his venture with Freyd.  It wasn't something that normally happens as the whisper had said.  Frankly, the hunter would be glad to go around and hunt a bit more, but he was tired from working around each floor and talking to people about the current state of things in Aincrad.  He was going to go to Baldur's and sleep in his room, but the intrigue of discovery was still in his mind.  He wanted to know where these golden leaves were coming from, and he had only one lead.  A skeleton that liked to joke around.

The hunter had only known of skeletons and other ghouls to appear on the tenth floor; a dark and depressing place that housed a large assortment of undead.  Though, the only city of Yomi was slightly better than the rest.  It was slightly lit up around the area with small lanterns, but they were all cold and gave no warmth.  The light was the only thing that was positive about them.  The residents being nothing more than the shadows of the past, as they did not exist anymore.  At least, that's what the hunter remembered.

The Yomi that he saw as he teleported in, was slightly more vibrant.  Candlelight, which shone much more brightly and warmly, scattered throughout the floor.  The silent nature of the floor seemed to be filled by a slight humming and sounds of whispered tones, all of which seemed to get louder as one would reach the inner city.  In the center of town, near a great blossom tree, whose leaves seemed to brown and redden with some change, one could see the square seem to liven up.  On closer inspection, it seemed that the leaves were slowly falling off of the tree periodically, piling up in some areas..  It was then that the hunter understood what was going on.  Players and NPCs alike have talked about this and he had experienced it before too.  The season known as Autumn.

"Hey, mister!"

The voice of a child cut through the visage, as the hunter looked down to see an incredibly disturbing sight.  The face seemed to be a rather distorted smile, one of malice and bloodlust, with crimson eyes that peered deep into ones soul.  Knife at the ready to take another life.  Hirru shook his head, while rubbing his eyes. 

"Saw you over there, and wondered if you could help us out."

With a second look, that image was no longer there.  Instead, the smile of a jubilant child appeared before him, rosy cheeks and all.  The child seemed to be wearing a green shirt with a yellow stripe through the middle.  A locket in the shape of a heart draped around their neck, and a knife in their other hand.  Hirru couldn't tell if the knife was real, but kept it close in his mind to be wary of it.  The child seemed to understand when the hunter's eyes were upon the object.

"Oh, this?  I was carving pumpkins with my partner over there."

They pointed over to a smaller child, whom seemed to dress the same as the older one, except their colors were of blue and violet.  The little one seemed to be sleeping, or they were, until Hirru's attention was brought to them.  Suddenly, the child jumped down from their little perch and walked over to the Jade Hunter.  Reaching out, the little one motioned out in a grabbing fashion.

"Sorry, he thinks you have a few pumpkin seeds on you.  They're quite good, if you cook them up."

The older one stops themselves, as the little one stops gesturing and goes around picking up little seeds here and there.

"My name is Oni, and that one is Kuni.  We're setting up a little festival here, but it didn't go so well.  No one wants to listen to kids, so we're just carving pumpkins and asking travelers for help.  Which is what I wanted to talk to you about.  Though, before that.."

His smile came back up while he was talking before Hirru noticed, it seemed to leak that same bloodlust from before.

"YoU hAvE a TAG On YoU..!"

"Huh"

Finally speaking for once in this entire conversation, the hunter would watch as the smile grew more as the boy pointed to Hirru's armored left hand, using the very knife in his hand.

"There's a tag there, on your hand.  It denotes those that have were able to touch a certain 'friend' of ours."

Hirru couldn't see anything, and wondered how the hell some kid could see anything on his armored hand.  Hiding the gauntlet from view, the hunter was quite worried at the sight of his hand.  Upon the back of his hand was an odd symbol, a blue heart with a single red slash through it.  When did this come up?  The hunter was trying to remember, but Oni seemed to answer him.  A certain friend?  That was when the hunter remembered the lead that brought him there.  On the way back from that island, Freyd and Hirru met up with * that guy again.  Jokes aside, they were on a monster slaying venture, and that guy did tempt them.  They both tried to grab him, but the hunter was the only one to lay a finger on the guy.  Was this the reason why he had this heart on him?

"To think that you would beat up a guy that you don't know.  You're pretty awful, you know."

"Listen, Oni was it?  I don't think making fun of someone that you're asking for help would be good for you."

Oni seemed to shrug at this as the cheeky smile never left his face.

"Sorry, don't usually see people like you around.  Though, you're certainly helping me out.  I was gonna ask you to tag that guy some more, if you ever see them.  Though, I do have something else you can help with.  Hey Kuni, can you bring over the little guy!"

Calling over to his little friend, Kuni, whom was just getting back to their little bowl shaped like a pumpkin.  They deposited some small seeds into it before turning to pick up a little flower pot.  In the pot, a singular flower could be seen.  The blue petals seemed to be wilting, although the stalk and leaves around the plant were vibrant and green.  An oddity on this floor, but so was everything in this square.  The little Kuni ran over to Hirru and gave the pot to Oni, before going back over to his bowl and sitting back down to possibly nap, once more.  Oni held the plant up, his expression this time of worry.

"Our dad wanted to grow this little guy, but it didn't seem to take on quite well.  It seems to be blue, well in more ways than just color.  Could you help cheer it up?"

An odd request came from the boy, and the hunter was not too sure how to handle that.

"You.. want me to talk to the flower?"

"Uh.. yeah.  Dad would do it all the time to flowers and plants, and they would grow up fairly nicely on that alone, sometimes."

"I think he's doing more than just talking to them."

"Hey, I'm not a stupid kid!  I know that they need food and water too."

The hunter was going to add sunlight to the list too, but remembered where he was.  Sunlight never appeared on the fully enclosed tenth floor, which is why everything was so gloomy.  Nothing on this floor was alive enough, except for some flora that could survive underground, and some creatures that were more spooky than dangerous.  Which brought the question around for Hirru; where did these kids come from?

Hirru took the potted plant from Oni and sighed.  He guessed he would have to talk to it.

"Just walk around town and talk to it.  You can talk about the town itself, the scenery and the people here.  You could talk about things you've seen, or people you got to know on your travels.  You're a traveler!  You must have thousands of stories from your life before."

Oni was right.  Hirru had stories from plenty of adventures, especially from his time in the Knights and before..

"Okay, I guess I'll give this a try."

The hunter would say before looking upon the two kids as Oni went back to Kuni, whom had produced a rather large leather wrapping from which a few interesting things could be seen.  He would have to return shortly to discuss what that was all about.

Prompt 1.)  Setting the Scene

Walking along the streets of Yomi, the hunter would begin to speak in his normal tone of voice.  He really didn't understand the nature of it all, or if this was really the right way.  He only kept the flower pot under arm, as he held it tight, being sure not to drop the tiny blue thing.

"Let's see if I got this right..  So, the home in which you grow, otherwise known as Yomi.  A desolate little town with little to no life to be found anywhere, except the lovely tree behind us and yourself, of course.  Though, I do want to think that the kids could be counted towards lives that count towards any living community here, but.."

The hunter remembered the face that the child, Oni made when he first saw him.  It made him cringe over the thought of whatever that child could really be.

"..I don't think they're part of the living anymore.  The children that protect you and give you life are still at the tree at this time, probably peddling wares using the seeds as currency.  I would rather not deal with the other one.  Too much to deal with there."

As Hirru crept along, the streets began to die down in excitement, and return to their dreary selves.

"So it seems the boys haven't had their influence spread very far in this town.  The merriment and festivities are all being held in the center of town, but these outlying homes are all back to their deserted homes and ghostly moans.  No, wonder you don't want to grow here.  There isn't anything that can easily live down here." 

Prompt 2.) A Symbolic Waypoint

"Although, this reminds me of another place that had barely any life in it too.  Except, this place was briming with light, but not so much any water.  You'd be lucky to find the occasional tree there, but where there was a few there would be water.  They were oasis and everywhere else was a vast and giant desert, or as we know it, the fifth floor."

Hirru could not figure how much time he had truly spent on that floor, as it was the easiest to traverse after the survival skill was obtained.  Not only that, but the hunter had the time of his life finding and besting the ruins and dungeons that spawned there.  It was how he got so good at finding things, as you needed to have a quick eye to see through the shifting sands.

"Personally, though.  I can't say that it had anything in particular that was interesting within it.  The ruins always changed and shifted with the sands.  The only things were these pillars that showed where safe areas were place.  Though, if I could choose another floor, I would say the sea turtle on the twenty fourth floor was quite the sight."

Prompt 3.) A Villain Most Foul

The thought of that day made him feel that it must be really weird now to not only be talking to a flower, but one that is part of the game itself.  It was only a few hours before seeing that sea turtle, and finding that it was part of a dungeon, that Hirru had to tell Baldur, Shield, and Beat about the lack of knowledge that he had on the outside world.  About his amnesia, that was the reason he had wanted to keep the boy, Durares alive.

"Did I really want them to live though?  I thought that I wanted to get the fight done earlier, but.."

He couldn't help to bring back all of the weird and odd things that he started to talk about while addressing different people's concerns.  He felt absolute disgust with himself.

"How could I have done something so stupid, for something that was probably wasn't going to work out anyway."

Hirru looked down at the flower and growled out.

"So, little flower, let me tell you something.  There was once a big dumb idiot of a Vice Commander, that thought that everything could be worked around, with a little forethought.  Trying to do things that he didn't really have too much knowledge on.  Well, this guy also believed that these people, monsters, and hell even you were real.  Dumbass, really.  That guy tried to stop an entire fucking front line raid team from killing a boss that looked like a child.  Can you believe that?!"

Hirru started laughing to himself aloud.  The laughing seemed to echo out into the dead streets, as he continued to walk among them.

"I do truly hate that guy sometimes.  He really fucked everything up for quite a few of us.  However, you know what the big problem is?  I can't do anything about him.  Why?  He's me!  I've been changing myself so god damn much.  Learning so much, but why does it feel like everything I do is meaningless?  The past that I created, the present that we are in.  I made that happen, so why am I still talking to a piece of data?"

He felt ready to just drop the pot and let it be smashed, but the lul of the little blue petals seemed to stop him.  Even if it was just data, made to look like a wilting flower, it still seemed to have some presence.  Especially from the petals that seemed to actually perk up a bit.

"Do you like that way of speaking, huh?  Okay, we'll go with that then."

Prompt 4.) An Attraction that Hurts

The hunter kept walking among the rundown streets.  It seemed eerily quiet, but the lights from a couple buildings over gave a life to the dead town.  Every so often, he would think that he could see a face in a window every so often, but the minute he looked, the figure would be gone.

"You know.  I miss all of my friends.  Everyone that I used to mess around with.  From the first one that I truly had a good time with, Xion, to Mack, and his charismatic ways.  Opal, Teayre, and Lowenthal, the ones that showed that me that not all orange players were bad people, and that there were some dangerous jade players.  Baldur for being there when I needed the support.  Mac, for being a brother when our guild was falling apart because of a leaderless duo couldn't do anything else.  Teion and Hestia for believing in me, even after the disaster of the 23rd.  Freyd, although a new friend, has shown me that being easy going can be more fun that being uptight and burdened.  Takao for giving me the inspiration to become a hunter, and to carry on."

Tears started to fill his eyes, some of which fell upon the flower's blue petals.

"There are so many more out there, like Lindow.  So many that I can't go and talk to anymore.  They're not here with us, anymore.  I want to talk with some of them.  Let them know how I messed things up.  How I miss them."

He fell to his knees as he cried aloud.  The cries seemed to resonate with the dark and dreary street, and even more so the denizens.  There were shadows in the windows once more, and a few that seemed to peer around open doors.

Prompt 5.) A Wish 

A bit of time would pass as Hirru wept his eyes out.  There was no one else around, as least nothing that was pinging his search skill, so he had no real reason to keep anything on himself.  He was talking to a flower.  The flower probably liked the water, even if it was salty, and just data.  The hunter proceeded to wipe his tears away.

"Now isn't the time.  I've lost so many and so much, but I can't let that get me down.  I've already tried to look into the past.  I've tried looking into my memories, especially the ones that I can't even remember.  I just wanted something, anything to come back.  Trying to find that one quest that tells you about something going on within your 'hearts deepest desires'.  It must have some way to show my my past, but.."

He got up from his crouched position.  The streets were as lifeless as ever, not a shadow in sight.

"..I don't want another episode to happen.  I don't wish for that to ever happen again.  I do hope to get back together with everyone in the front, but I doubt that will happen easily.."

Hirru yawned a little while he was speaking.  How long had he been walking around?

"I think it's about time to bring you back to your children."

Prompt 6.) Thank you!

He walked sluggishly back to the center of the town.  It seemed that the festivities were closing down now.  Oni was picking up a few of the pumpkins and putting them in a little cart, while Kuni was continuing to peddle weird little things on his little carpet.  Hirru would look at his wares, and thought about if he wanted any of it.  He yawned even harder, nearly letting go of the plant by accident, which seemed to worry both Kuni and Oni.  The older one was quick to check on him.

"Are you alright?  We haven't seen you in a while."

"Thank you, I'm fine.  Although, I am quite thankful for the time that you gave me with that little guy.  I was able to get quite a bit off my chest back there."

"I'm sure you talked it's ear off.  Was there anything else you wanted to add?  We're about to head home soon."

"Oh sure."

Hirru sat down on the ground with his back against the stone ledge that surrounded the Great Tree.  He gave one last look at the flower.  It's blue petals were quite a bit more vibrant, he thought.  Though, his eyes were starting to blur more from exhaustion too.  It could be the trick of the light, but were there always so many shades around the area?  He couldn't tell anymore.

"Hey, little guy.  Be good to your family and grow nice and strong now.  Be thankful that their father takes.. so much care in you.  As I am thankful for all of the friends.. that I do still have, and all the ones that I will make in.. the future.  The loved ones that I hope to see and remember..."

His eyes start to feel heavy, and they start to droop, even through his fighting over it.  It doesn't take very long.

"..I'm thankful.. for those that I can't remember too..  Cause I know that.. I have someone out there..  that I... care.. for.. but don't... remem.."

With that, he was fast asleep.  Kuni walked to Hirru and picked up the flower from the sleeping man, before giving him a little hug.  Oni would call him back to help with final preparations.

Conclusion

Oni walked back around the cart after loading everything back into the cart, and waited for their sibling to finish what he was doing.  Kuni was hovering over the sleeping body of the hunter, holding a sheet in place before gently placing it upon him.  The little one didn't want the man to get cold, as the candles had been put out.  Oni only shook their head.

"Come on, Kuni.  Mother and Father are waiting."

The young one nodded before helping himself up on the cart.  Oni grabbed the handles of the cart and started to pull.  There wasn't much to pull, but damn was it still heavy.  Why couldn't his father buy a mule.  They would struggle along, when the young Kuni looked back after setting on his little seat.  He would see the green haired hunter, surrounded by shadows.  Nine in total.  They all seem to be sitting with him, and just looked towards him, as if in longing.

Kuni looked on in a pondering look before Oni spoke one more.

"Shades have a longing for those that they knew in the afterlife, Kuni.  I'm sure those guys that were following him the entire time, were people that he knew quite well."

As they kept going, the cart with Oni and Kuni on it seemed to slowly disappear, as if it was never there to begin with.

Stats:

Spoiler

Hirru | HP: 840/840 | EN: 94/94 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 122 | BH: 41 | HLY BLS: 32 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 36

Hirru Lvl 31 (PL 40) (EXP Tier: 8)

840 HP (+160 PL)
96 Energy (+16 PL)
1 Base Damage
5% Battle Healing
8 Recovery
122 Mitigation
32 Thorns
32 Holy Blessing
20% Life Mend

Equipment

Paladin's Oath ..................... // +36 Holy Blessing / +20% Life Mending
Light's Embrace .................... // +8 Recovery / 32 Thorns
Bulwark ............................ // +72 Mitigation
Blades Cloak ....................... // Vanity
Lun'Rael's Insignia ................ // Unique Vanity | 
Dimensional Backpack ............... // +1 B.R.I Slot

Battle Ready Inventory

<Teleportation Crystal> x6 ......... // Teleport to a town / out of a dungeon [Uses 2 posts: 1 for use, next to teleport]
<Empty>
<Empty>
<Empty>
<Empty>
<Empty>
<Empty>
<Empty>

Skills

Heavy Armor ........................ // Rank 5: +35 MIT
Battle Healing ..................... // Rank 5: +5% HP each turn
Extended Weight Limit .............. // +2 B.R.I Slot

Extra Skills (Max 4)

First Aid .......................... // Rank 5: +20% ST-H / -15 EN
Leadership ......................... // Rank 5: Command the Front w/ Buffs

Skill Mods / Addons (Max 5 Mods)

Iron Skin (Add on) ................. // +15 Mit / +60 HP
Field Medic (Add on) ............... // +25% AOE-H / -15 EN / 3 turn Cooldown
Hyperactive (Add on) ............... // +3 EN Regen for 3 turns / -5 EN / 3 turn Cooldown

Large Pockets ...................... // B.R.I. slots each can contain 15 same type items
Barrier ............................ // -15% Dmg shield AOE / -15 EN / 2 turn Cooldown
Energize ........................... // +8 EN ST / -10 EN
Steadfast .......................... // +1 ACC AOE, -1 ACC self / -6 EN / 3 turn Cooldown
Press The Attack ................... // +(Target Tier) Dmg, -(Cumulative)Dmg / -10 En / 5 turn Cooldown

Housing Buffs

Rested ............................. // -1 EN for 2 uses
Relaxed ............................ // OOC HP regen 5*tier Rec EN after 2 turns
Filling ............................ // Increase food by +1 T1 slot
Multipurpose ....................... // +1 LD, Stealth, Dection, or Prosperity to 1 post
Practiced Angler ................... // +1 EXP & +1 LD & CD to attempts

 

Edited December 3, 2021 by Hirru

[Freyd 0]

EXP Award: 3534 words / 30 = 117*5= 589*Tier x T8 = 4712 EXP +30% = 6125 EXP to @Hirru