[F22-PP] The Truth, Will Set You Free

[Eruda 0]

Sitting at the large red table where Eruda was going through notes and papers. Updating her knowledge for future quests. It was very early, rounding 3:30 am and she was unable to sleep. Her mind was racing after the guild had fought the Dragon yesterday. That feeling that she felt when she and Raidou had taken that last hit against him. It was such a thrill to be able to keep pace with Raidou and all though she was still learning something new every day, she was really excited to see what kind of damage they would do to this floor boss as a team. Two tea cups sitting side by side, hoping that she would see Raidou before they left to the sewers today. From there they would most likely go straight to the meeting and right now was the only chance that she would get to speak with Raidou without interruptions. A small bowl of carrots and strawberries, she had the munchies, but she wasn't really that hungry. Dressed in her PJ's still, a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt, no harm would come of her in this safe place. She had her gear on tap just in case though...

Eruda | HP: 800/800 | EN: 92/92 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 179 | BH: 44 | BRN: 56 | BRN IMMUNE | FL. AURA: 16 | FL. THRN: 8 | REC: 8 | TAUNT | THRNS: 72

Spoiler

Eruda, The Blazing Lily
Level: 31
Paragon Level: 32
HP: 800/800
EN: 92/92

Stats:
Damage: 8
Mitigation: 179
Battle Healing: 44
BRN: 56
BRN IMMUNE
FL. AURA: 16
FL. THRN: 8
REC: 8
TAUNT
THRNS: 72

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Consuming Pyre - Surt T4: (Burn 2, Taunt)
Armor: Reinforced Plate - Lily T4 Demonic: Flame Aura 2, Flameproof, Recovery 1
Misc: Stalwart Defender T4 Demonic: (Thorns 2, Recovery 1, Flame Thorns 1)

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Curved Sword R5
Heavy Armor R5
Battle Healing R5
Fighting Spirit
Howl

Active Mods:

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Iron Skin
Focus
Rampart
Stamina

Active Extra Skills:
Block R5
Concentration
Survival

Inactive Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystal x1
Crippling Composition - Lullaby [T1/Rare/Debuff/Instant] -2 Accuracy x5
Crippling Composition - Lullaby [T1/Rare/Debuff/Instant] -2 Accuracy x5
Flash of Rejuvenation [T1/Perfect/Crystal] Mass Heal x5

Housing Buffs:

Guild Hall Buffs:
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:

Wedding Ring:

 

[Raidou 1]

Shuffle of feet, a soft breeze between trees as a day never seemed to end. Rustling leaves that sway ever so gently in that touch. They cry out in a low musical rumble. With it, a robe joining in hands with the hair on his head and ushering like a flag in ripples. Cold held no meaning, as hands moved with his legs folded beneath him. Ruri was long retired, and rewards were already eagerly shuffled off where they would be ready for the battle to come. Now was the simple moments between, the calm before the storm. Where most relax, Raidou simply was not capable.

The red wanderer was not capable.

So instead, he'd play his given burden and collect up what it was he needed. Still not above the simplest chore, not above good honest effort. The snap of a plant, as it's placed off to his immediate right. Nothing but the small chorus to keep him company. The dragon fell, the slime king would be next. In this charade, the motive and method ringing out into parts and finding itself into a plan to action. It was in these minor moments that all of Aincrad was dissected by the nomad in crimson. At the moment just before the dawn where the largest plan was forged.

Above him clung in that star filled sky, a cut-out sphere of limelight allowing eyes to find targets. A sapphire in white in perfection, one that was far too pure to be real. Where others would envy, drink in on that beauty the wanderer could pay it no mind. It wasn't real.

Raidou | HP: 920/920 | EN: 110/110 | DMG: 11 | MIT: 69 | EVA: 4 | ACC: 2 | BH: 50 | LD: 6 | BLGT: 32 | REC: 8 | TAUNT | V.D.: 101 | V.O.: 151

Spoiler

Raidou, The Red Wanderer
Level: 31
Paragon Level: 76
HP: 920/920
EN: 110/110

Stats:
Damage: 11
Mitigation: 69
Evasion: 4
Accuracy: 2
Battle Healing: 50
Loot Dice: 6
BLGT: 32
REC: 8
TAUNT
V.D.: 101
V.O.: 151

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Ebon Star - Vanguard Revenant [T4/Demonic/Straight Sword]: V.O 2, Taunt, Blight 1
Armor: Red Wander's Resolve - Sympathy [T1/Demonic/Cloth] 2 Evasion, 2 Vampiric Defensive
Misc: Vision of Wisdom - Whisper [T4/Demonic/Trinket] Evasion 1, Recovery 2, Accuracy 1

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Straight Sword R5
Cloth Armor R5
Fighting Spirit
Howl
Searching R5
Battle Healing R5

Active Mods:
Detect
Athletics
Vengeful Riposte
Tracking
Justified Riposte

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Nimble
Focused Howl
Ferocity
Precision
Stamina

Active Extra Skills:
Parry
Survival
Forgotten King’s Authority
Concentration

Inactive Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystal x2
Vocal Augmentation - Resonation [Tierless/Perfect/Support/Instant] +15% HP x5
Valiant Decree - Crescendo [T1/Perfect/Debuff/Instant] -10% Final Damage x5
Flash of Rejuvenation [T1/Perfect/Crystal] Mass Heal x5
Flash of Rejuvenation [T1/Perfect/Crystal] Mass Heal x5

Housing 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)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
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 [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor []: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:
Tanos Statue: +25 Mitigation for a thread.

Wedding Ring:

 

[Eruda 0]

Reaching for the bowl of snack foods coming up empty, glancing into the bowl, nothing. A small puff of breath as she glances to the teacups, both were empty as well. "When did I..." a small twist of her lips. "Dang," commenting with a yawn. Grabbing the dishes as she gets up from her chair, walking to the kitchen, washing the dishes. It was clear that the man in red would not be showing up if he hasn't yet. Was he unable to sleep too... Another yawn, drying her hands and walking back to the table. Opening her HUD, sending a message. 

To: Raidou From: Eruda There are some things that have been bothering me. Can we meet? Sorry if I woke you...

With a chime of her HUD the message was sent. Another yawn, Eruda knew that she was tired, but she had already tried lying down and staring at the ceiling thing. It didn't work, not with her mind racing the way it was. The conversation with Nisahime, now knowing her name thanks to Freyd. It made things come to light that she would have never thought of before then. The last few days, the things that she has seen from this man, it was different that before. It could be that he just felt comfortable around the team, or it was something else. All she knew was, the more she thought about it, it brought up more questions. She would never know anything unless she just came forth and asked... Placing a jacket around her shoulders, she walks out of the large guild hall doors, looking up to the net yet ripe sky. A smile, it was a real sight...

[Raidou 1]

A stilled hand, broken roots in a small pile to his side. Potions waiting to be formed, these with the earnest intention of helping the raid. That day was approaching rather quickly, and he had quite a few to brew before the time came. The winds took a strange twist this night, a gentle tension as the very thought of conflict lingered on its bends. Tapping his hands together, a cloud of dust finding itself free in a dry puff. A ding finds his attention, as he begins to move the materials away one after another.

From Eruda?

Placing another into the bag, he stops and begins to type into the given HUD:

From: Raidou To: Eruda Sure, I am just about done? I'll find you.

His grip swaps to picking up the remaining fruits of his efforts, allowing the tiny pigeon to find its host as it had before. Tugging on the small drawstring, and ushering it to a loop on his belt. He begins to rise to his heels. A green glow on his eyes, as he palms a small gem on his neck. A sapphire like the moon above. He'd jump wherever the girl was, a quick tear from one point to another as he always had done. The red wanderer could be anywhere at a moment's notice. Only ever but a single call away.

Raidou triggers Tracking

[Eruda 0]

She felt a small chill, she shrugs it off though. She was sure the hot blooded type and that fire, she was feeling in her chest was keeping her warm. It was a weird concept, she should be cold but just wasn't. Gazing at the stars as her HUD would chime, a quick message peaks the right of her vision. Sitting on the stairs of this large building, she would wait. Her heart raced now, just the thought itself of seeing Raidou set butterflies in her stomach. A deep breath as she knew that even though her body was reacting the way it did, she had to ask the hard questions. She had to fill those blanks that were left unanswered, the results would be unknown and she had not a clue how this conversation would turn out or where whatever they had would be, but it had to be done.

Right then a light, brighter that the moonlight above, covering her face now to reflect it. Looking up now, he was there. Suddenly everything she wanted to ask was just lost in her mind but only for a moment. Eruda stays seated on those steps as she looks at him. That red garb that she made for him, that he kept all this time. Without taking her eyes off him, her face was a bit flushed, "All that time I was gone, what were you doing..." there was so many things that she wanted to ask him but baby steps, one thing at a time.     

[Raidou 1]

With a flash of energy, Raidou was completely shifted to a different floor. A satchel of materials at his side, a pair of lenses reflecting moonlight in a covering of white. "What do you mean?" Raidou quipped with a single response, looking toward the building the girl was anchored in front of. He'd been traveling for a very long time, something she should know by now. Clearly she had something specific. A strange place for her to pluck out of the ether, especially given they'd have their respective plates full come morning.

A hand to his brow, he pulls off the glasses and moves them to his robe. A slight rub to remove the lingering bit of dust from the clear glass, before returning them to his face. He starts to move, hoping the girl would give chase. It would allow him to work while he spoke. Into the hall, back into his normal chamber where he spent the moonlight hours. Behind a wall of glass, various fixtures creating a network of strings and spheres. A turned burner and a low flickering flame starts to bubble. To the wall on his flank, a couple of vials from a newly cluttered cabinet. They start to sing as he removes a dropper and adds just a few droplets into an awaiting apparatus. It begins to change shade, mixing from water to something of a slight cyan color. A world of affairs to take care of, right before the dawn and the fight that would come after.

[Eruda 0]

Walking silently into the building with Raidou, he goes straight to his lab. He started to put together some potions, most likely for the upcoming battle they were going into. She digs into her inventory and places a hand full of different colored herbs on the side of the counter. Hopefully it would help a bit. -What did she mean- a sigh comes from her mouth. Glancing around, she found a small stool, one that she saw Ruri using that one day. Pulling it up, Eruda sits, watching Raidou work. "You told me that you were max level, yet we are still gaining skills. After looking into the amount of experience each quest that we have access to gave, even with the new systems update everyone had to go through, it didn't amount to your rate of growth." Taking a breath as Raidou stayed silent for now. Eruda became uneasy as she didn't know what Raidou was thinking, but she wanted to... "Even if you spent every waking moment, gathering when you were not helping Ruri get better, which I guess is highly possible, but something about that fight with the dragon... Something about you just seemed off to me, and Jublex?" Seeing that thing didn't scare her, she had seen similar stuff with Freyd but she was still curious... "Was there something on the side that you were doing other than what I named off, and if I got anything wrong or if I am wrong, I would like to know..."

A few minutes in silence, "You told me that you were ready to share your world with me. I am ready to know what exactly that world is..." Raidou said that he could never be mad at her, but what line had to be crossed to change that. That was the last thing she wanted to do, but she wanted to know. To ease her mind of any weirdness or concerns that she had. Mainly to know if he was okay...

[Raidou 1]

The insistent boiling of that greenish blue colored liquid, as Raidou begins to grind up flakes in a pestal. A slight grind as she moved a stool on the opposed side of the countertop. "I am, and yes I grew extremely quickly." he remarked past the cooking mixture, as it began to solidify, and you can see the small pieces of crystal beginning to form at the top. "Juiblex." He remarked, placing his hand on the counter and allowing the creature beneath his clothes to slide out of his sleeve. Black like ink, it drips onto the floor and begins to coagulate into a small creature.

"I have a multitude of chores I take care of on the regular, it's in the process I find duty. The guild vault doesn't restock itself, after all. My familiar, if one could call it that, works to keep me focused and strong." Everything spoken was true. It took on an adorable twist, where the thing sported a face that was so silver ratio it hurt. A big face slapped on a side of pudding, waiting for Raidou to give it something when he fucked up. The question was, what would he be feeding it today?

The spigot on the side of the glass turned, pouring an almost gel into his hand and allowing it to turn solid. A soft flash and a color of purple, perfect. One of many that needed production for the coming raid. "How are things fairing with the rest of the guild? From what I can tell, it seems you are growing amicably as well. How well off do you believe our chances in the coming raid? Do you believe that the guild members are finally ready to attempt such a fight?" Raidou remarked his own questions, as more and more crystals began to pile on the counter.

[Eruda 0]

A rather plain face at she bites her bottom lip. He answered her question, but if felt like only half. "I believe that if everyone stays focused and remembers their training that we will get out of there safely. Work with one another as a whole and think rationally and smart, we will all be fine." Scooting a bit closer to Raidou now she takes a deep breath. "When you shielded that Dragon's flames from me and my father, it was different. No glasses just straight and pure rage, but not that normal stuff I see from you. It looked like me when I was channeling the rage of my mother. The pure hatred of one living soul, it was a different feeling coming from you..." His words were precise but not exact. "I do not doubt that you fill the guild vault with everything you have collected. I knew that that amount had to come from somewhere. You say a multitude of chores, what are you doing besides gathering Raidou." In all those words said he didn't say that she was wrong to assume that there was something else, it just seemed a bit avoided. Turning her head to peer into his shielded eyes. He told her that he didn't not need his frames to see, that he didn't need to hide behind them while they were together, so why were the still on. Was it that he was just use to wearing them while he was doing work or was there something else there. "What are you hiding behind your frames Rai?" This was said in a very small voice, one that only if listening carefully would hear. A soft hand placed against his arm. At the corner of her eye, she could see Jublex bounce in place waiting for a meal. 

Edited November 13, 2021 by Eruda

[Raidou 1]

Crystal after crystal into the pile, forming more and more resources that would solve the issue that was the floor boss. "That is because it's different." Raidou remarked, watching the girl inch closer and closer. Juiblex begins to form teeth, waiting for that pinnacle moment. The order it so desperately craved. Raidou pulls a vial out of his pocket, black as the night sky, and tosses it over the counter. It breaks, allowing what was trapped inside to spread out. The glass and the liquid are quickly sapped up by his familiar. Content, it coos and slithers through the cracks in the wood beneath it, waiting for a call back to its master's aid.

"Quests need recording, information needs to be obtained. There are quite a few things I required to take care of. To make our objectives known and easier to take down." More and more down the bottle until it was all but empty, before he starts up another rendition. An array of 4 of these crystals now present on the counter, so much more to create. A pause with that final question from Eruda, he reaches for his brow and plucks them free. "My glasses shield the world from the past, and keep it contained where it belongs." Using his robe to clean of the lenses, before folding them up and putting them atop the counter. When he was with Eruda he didn't quite need them, as he did elsewhere.

[Eruda 0]

Sitting back now removing her hand, Jublex was feasting on a broken vial that Rai had thrown to the ground. Every bone in her body was telling her to leave it at that but those words... It just felt unsaid... "I couldn't agree more," as he sets his glasses on the counter. He knew pretty much everything about her. Raidou has seen every shade of growth, starting at the place in time that she was at her weakest point. Her middle where she was strong, but still dealing with things that held her back, all the way up till now. It was because of Raidou that this was even possible. He did not stop or take a break, he just kept going. She knew that the past was a painful thing to get into and she wasn't ever sure if she could help or even if it was needed. Eruda glances down at the table watching his hands work, it was a real sight to see. "What past would you rather keep hidden from the world..." It was only Eruda and Rai in this building right now. Ruri was asleep somewhere and she knew that she might regret what was asked, but she was not afraid to ask those tough questions any longer. Not since that day with the white-haired girl. Raidou was not the only one that had changed. "You can trust me, and I am not going anywhere." She had no reason to run any longer. Why would she, she loved him... 

Edited November 13, 2021 by Eruda

[Raidou 1]

Glancing down to a pair of lenses, the very same that played the part of anchor. "Well, Elda I used to be a frontliner before this..." He gestures out to Firm Anima's guild hall, a safe haven for upstarting players who wished to make a difference. The very same place he would have needed back then. "My past is jaded with mistakes and loss, it is not an easy thing to put to words. You'll find my name in places it shouldn't be." The conversation was disturbed ever so slightly by the white noise of a bunsen burner, as a concoction bubbles away in a glass sphere. "I do not believe you will so readily accept my mistakes, and it does not matter now. What is important is we continue to march forward. I wear the glasses so that I am reminded of the world outside this place and do not find myself dwelling on such memories, there is much to do and little time to waste."

A bit more flakes begin to twist the mixture, changing the very foundation of what it was meant to be. There was no better icon for what Raidou was, but a potion being brewed. Something that at a moment's notice would change forever, and no two ever worked quite the same. Others found stagnancy, and Raidou was stoic in an outward sense. But just below the skin, he was always changing, just like a potion. If he didn't like the result, he'd alter it, and end up somewhere else for better or for worse.

[Eruda 0]

Was that what he was worried about, the she would not accept him if she knew the truth. She couldn't help but smile with a small puff of breath as her eyes veer to her legs. He was right about the Raid boss battle coming really soon, and they did need to prepare, but she knew that the inventory status at this moment in time was already near completion, even the things for the other parties were almost done. The only major thing that needed to be done is the liquid from those slimes that they were all going to get much later in the day. Without looking at him, "That day that you stole my first kiss from me, after hiding my feelings away for so long, that was the day that I made my final decision." Standing up now she pushes the stool back with her foot.

Gently placing her hands on his, she holds them and moves him it her direction, away from his work for a moment. She was hoping that he wouldn't be that irritated for what she was about  to do, or say. Placing his right hand on her chest where her heart was placed, he would feel it beating a million miles per second. "This is what I feel every time I am with you, seeing you across the other side of the room, watching you fight. Every single time." She holds his hand there and places her other hand on his cheek. "There is nothing that can make me leave what we have built. There is nothing that would send me running scared of you, nothing, and there is only one reason why." A small smile was given as she brushed his cheek with her thumb. "I love you, and when you truly love someone, it's all or nothing. I accept every part of you no matter how bad it may seem. There are things that I don't know about you, and choosing to keep me safe and hidden from the knowledge that you don't feel I would be ready for. This is me telling you that you are wrong." Peering into his eyes, she was wondering what he was thinking, if he would take his hands back and just ignore what was just said. This is truly how she felt... "Say something..."   

Edited November 14, 2021 by Eruda

[Raidou 1]

Mind ablaze, with multiple little renditions of the exact same turn of phrase. A leap of faith that so many have taken time and time again. Every instance they were wrong. "I cannot, no matter how much I trust you, Elda. There are some things better left unspoken. When it comes to the unknown, there is no way to be certain how one will react to them. Trust in my methods, in what is to come and the plan I have built. But I would do you a disservice and an injustice, dragging you into the bed I have made."

He looks to the burner, as the girl holds taut on his right hand. "No matter what I am feeling, or how convinced you are that you can handle it. I don't believe you can, it is my burden to bear. I will not lie to you, but I will tell you that this is the one thing I cannot share with you or the guild. My past is buried, as it should be. What is important is that I've learned from it and all that I have done, we as Firm Anima has done has benefited from it." There was a semblance of concern, that if he were to impart what his actions were, that it would remove the very foundation of the girl's headwind. Her mind may very well be shattered by the fact, and he would not inflict that harm upon her, no matter how hard she pushed. "I would do anything for you, Elda, but I won’t do that."

Removing his hand, if she hated him for it, then so be it. But some hatchets were better left dead and gone, some shadows left unseen. Back to the burner, another array of crystals beginning to form in his palm. He'd stick to his self bestowed duty, working away tirelessly, even if the entire world hated what he had to do. Because in the end, the world would be better for it.

[Eruda 0]

Raidou pulls away from her, arms dropping to her side. A small sigh as she walks to the back of him and lightly wrapping her arms around him. Placing her head on the back of his shoulder blade, allowing him to work still... "I do not accept that answer Raidou. You cannot possibly know what I can or can't handle because you haven't given me that chance to decide. You are night and day different from when I first met you, and like you I have come to that point as well. I have found a brighter light and a stronger path to follow." Closing her eyes now with a deep breath, "You chose not to believe in fate yet that cup that you fond over, your past, your present, and your future. What do you think that is? That path that you walk alone in the darkest parts of this world, just allowing ends to meet and then moving on to the next line in sequence. Walking that straight line not allowing yourself to grasp on to anything that is outside that path in fear of hurting me or someone else. I have been watching this for a while now, I just didn't realize how far you were until now. I am sorry that I wasn't there keeping pace." Her arms around him get ever so slightly tighter. "My path has always been with you, and I will not let you push me away just because you think that you're doing the right thing. You can not tell me that it has always been me and then throw me into the dark like it meant nothing. I will not let you walk that deep dark path alone any longer. Embrace what you feel for me, and let me in. Believe in me as much as I believe in you." Her grip around him gets tighter now. She didn't want to let go, she wanted him to know that she was here to stay for good no matter what. Closing her eyes tighter, she was not going to let go...

[Raidou 1]

The floor boards begin to shift, as Raidou raises his hand. A command to an awaiting beast, an order followed, shattering everything from the countertop in an instant. "You cannot begin to fathom what I am!" The twisting maelstrom of black ichor latching onto his frame like syrup, coiling around his body as he jerks free. It constricts and starts to seek out his eyes and mouth, congealing in them like mud as it dives into every orifice in agony. "I'm a damn monster." The pungent red film pulses out of him as one would expect blood from a corpse, but it floats and raises like steam. His fury tapped and finally released for a second time for real.

"Why don't you understand, I cannot let you get close to me! I cannot put you at risk for this. You don't deserve it, I have always walked this path alone. Tore people in half, fed them to this thing. I don't deserve your kindness." His voice bubbled with a mix of pain and rage, some strange twist of a pair of twinned voices. His marker had shifted from green to an indistinguishable red marker. One of an enemy. The feral boom makes the walls shake, doors swivel just from the power of a beast unleashed. "You are better than what I have to do, and I will not put you in harms way...I love you Elda, enough to know that I cannot do this to you. I love you enough to let you go, even if it destroys me."

A black nightmare, a monster so unrecognizable that the game's cursor couldn't even make the distinction. A writhing mask of bloodshot eyes burning like coal, a row of dagger like teeth that could easily be the size of a forearm. A sickly snap as he rips a hand toward his face and begins to peel away at it, revealing a pair of eyes that mimics it with a notable difference. Tears, one of blood and a ripple in time.

[Eruda 0]

Her chest starts to speed up as she watches him shift into something completely different, but then she hears those words. Relaxing at the sight, it was different, but those words were all that she needed to hear. Grabbing the stool, pushing it in under the table. As that black slime washed over his body, he seemed furious. At her, maybe, but the view didn't scare her. Little things did these days. Seeing those blooded tears, was it him crying... "I may not know who you are or what you are but like I said before, I want to." Taking a step forward, "Doing the best things in the worst ways doesn't make you a monster Raidou. Doing the worse things in the worst ways create that, but you said it yourself, what you're doing is helping us. That I whole heartily believe. You are not a bad person Raidou but you present it that way because it makes it easier to justify what you are doing, but only for the sake of yourself." She takes another step forward... "I may not deserve it, but in the same regards, we do not deserve to be in this death hole but here we are. I have accepted my fate of being on the front lines, knowing far well of that position that I am placed in and that everything could go very south very fast. I am not afraid to die because I know that I would have been doing the one thing that I vowed to do when I first entered this game. It didn't make much sense then, but after knowing that it was us against this world with no help from the outside, I knew what I had to do." Taking another step forward, "I see you and only you under all this anger, I am not afraid of you Raidou. I will never be afraid of you, I will always accept you no matter what." She takes another step forward and places her hand on his face.   

Edited November 15, 2021 by Eruda

[Raidou 1]

The black liquid instinctually fires for the girl's wrist, a defense mechanism from the thing. It attempts the same latching on someone's worst traits:

Eruda's Flaws:
Afraid [Unbridled Fury]
Highly Protective
Determined

It releases, and with it the thing just starts to unfurl like a snake shedding its skin. There was nothing it could do to argue, the girl was infallible, and it weighed the options. Its host would be stronger with her, and it wouldn't comply with the swelling emotion that had beckoned its intervention. Raidou stumbles back, his eyes still burning like flames as the armor covering his emotions were made bear. The exposed nerves, stinging in the wind. His eyes dilated and pained, screaming with a past forgotten and flickering like a living nightmare in them. His skin burned where her hand was placed, as the ink began to creep out from them. A huge mass forms from it, and on it a rather massive face with a row of teeth just like the mask worn.

The red wanderer was shocked stupid, his hatred visible and yet accepted. Broken through armor he'd thought impenetrable by anyone, and yet Elda had circumvented even when he was at his worst. Juiblex forms a smile with those blades in a weird joyish horror, as if for once it wasn't hungry, it wanted this more than his host. The thing had long abandoned him before when he was shattered, and found him again with renewed fervor. This was its way of seeing to that strength.

"I.."

And for once, Raidou was himself and was at a loss for words.

[Eruda 0]

The moment she touched his face the black liquid that encased Raidou tries to latch to her with all efforts lost. Glancing down at the wide smiling goo with sharp teeth in every direction. The more stuff like this happened the more she felt that fate come into play. Chest pounding at both of trying to figure out why Jublex just released him and went for her but then just stops... Glancing back at Raidou, his piercing red eyes and that red mist all around them. Taking a deep breath, as she just stares into those eyes. "We are stronger together as one, as a whole. You do not have to be afraid anymore." Saying this in the small voice as she places her other hand on the other cheek. "You do not have to be alone anymore Raidou," closing her eyes, placing her forehead against his, "Just give me a chance, let me in..." This was more than just the conversation that started this whole thing. Something had obviously happened and she would be here if he needed a shoulder to cry on. Something had broken and for once it was not him... She heard that glass shatter, she didn't need to see that to know that it was all over the floor around him. 

Raising her forehead from his, "It does not matter who you have become, what matters is that you keep doing whatever it is your doing for the right reasons. I will love you always and forever, no matter what, I am not going anywhere..." reassuring him that being like this was okay if only just with her. "Whatever you tell me will stay with me and end with me. I will not speak about it to another living soul. You have my word, Raidou..." Her heart began to race faster than normal, "Just let me be your protector for once..." 

Edited November 15, 2021 by Eruda

[Raidou 1]

Armor released, emotion made laid to see. A lingering sadness that burned alongside his hatred, a visible wave that poured from the pores in his skin. That same skin burned under the embrace upon his face, and those same tears traced themselves to the bottom of his chin. Lit up by feral strength, glowing red as they came from a rage filled eye. At a complete loss for words, unable to comprehend the series of events. Elda had carved her way right through his past and touched upon a place that he'd imagined dead. "I have betrayed people as a whole, I have gotten people killed. I used to be an information broker. All so I could survive, I am no better than the players that used it." Raidou admitted more to himself than to the girl in front of him. It stung hotter than any weapon that found purchase. Where wounds in Aincrad couldn't be felt, emotional ones could.

The slight creaking of a doorway, and it reveals a bluenette that had heard the commotion.

She eyes Eruda, and Raidou, and a slew of broken glass. "Get away from him." Ruri spat, remembering full well how pushy the girl was prior. "And what the hell happened in here!?" eying all the glimmering remnants of broken glass that layered the floor. It snaps and crunches under her feet, as she sways past the countertop and kneels next to the red swordsman. Knowing full well what his past was, after all she walked it with him. There was a glare as she rode his shoulder with a tiny peach colored hand, before his hand stopped hers. "It's alright."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soft wind screams through the trees, a howling boom can be heard off in the distance. One that was heard before, in a sea of white snow. "About time, I wonder if that voice has found an ear. Perhaps that tarnish only runs so deep? What an intriguing web we weave, and as fate would have it I will see you soon. Little Lightning Bolt." A glance into the depths of darkness, finding within it a slight spark of light tainted by a fume of red.

Thread Complete:

5891/30=196*5=980
5891/300=19 Seeds

Rewards:
Eruda
980*7=6860*1.25=8575 EXP

Raidou
980*11=10780*1.25=13475 EXP

Simmone (Guild Treasurer)
15*Materials (10*1.5=15) [Eruda]
15*Materials (10*1.5=15) [Raidou]
Total: 30 Materials

(1286 Laurel) [Eruda]
(2021 Laurel) [Raidou]
(520 Thread Closure)
Total: 3827*1.3=4975 Col

Tags:
Eruda
ID:201850 | Battle:8, Craft:7, Loot:11        
ID:201851 | Battle:8, Craft:10, Loot:9        
ID:201852 | Battle:8, Craft:12, Loot:5  
Tags: 2
10 materials, +5% EXP to the party, 
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #201852a
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #201852b
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #201852c
Raidou
ID:201853 | Battle:2, Craft:8, Loot:6        
ID:201854 | Battle:9, Craft:11, Loot:20        
ID:201855 | Battle:7, Craft:10, Loot:8
Tags: 2
10 materials, +5% EXP to the party, 
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #201855a
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #201855b
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #201855c