[F02 – SP] A Passage of Darkness | <<Let There Be Light>>

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari found herself returning to the second floor once again, determined to make a day of searching for materials for her shop. On her shoulder, Yuki gave a stretch of satisfaction – as if waking from a long nap. Nari raised her hand to stroke the fox in a reassuring manner, when she suddenly noticed a woman rushing through the crowd towards Nari’s current position. Even to Nari’s socially inadequate capabilities, the woman looked distressed – as if something was chasing her, or something had happened.

Hoping that the woman would pass her by, Nari stepped off the teleport platform and onto the hard roadway beneath. She glanced about, trying to look anywhere but in the NPC’s direction. Her actions, however, were in vain as she felt a sudden tug on her elbow.

Turning her head slowly, resistant to what she knew was about to occur, Nari felt her heart tighten. The voice at her side suddenly spoke up, the voice seeming to quiver as it tried to get its words out in a comprehendible way. Nari could only have sympathy as the words sputtered out, knowing the feeling all too well.

“Pl-please, I've been trying to find someone to help me all day. My child—" Nari’s attention suddenly snapped to the woman as she heard the final words, her awareness peaked. "She-- she was playing in one of the caverns in the mountains with her friend. I-I told her not to go but she didn't listen to me!"

Nari's Statblock

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 15 | HP: 300/300 | EN: 48/48 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 73 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0 |

| STH: -2 | KEEN [+2BD] | BLEED [12 DMG] | THORNS [9 DMG]

Tier 2 Level

Equipped Items

Wølf Fang Blade [One-Handed Straight Sword; Perfect] A hand and a half blade with a silver cross hilt, the blade itself is coloured a dark blood red that glimmers in the light. The hilt, wrapped in a black leather, is long enough for two hands to hold, with a small silver round pommel on its finishing end. | Enhancement: Keen [2 Slot] | Effect: After a successful attack, gain +(1 per slot) BD. Keen expires once you exit combat. Cannot be used to cause a critical hit.) | Enhancement: Bleed [1 Slot] | Effect: Natural critical attack rolls of 9-10 deal (12 * Tier) unmitigated bleed damage each enemy turn for 2 turns. Bleed damage does not stack, but can be refreshed. The highest tier of Bleed damage overrides lower tier versions; cannot be overridden by lower-tier versions.

Frost of Defiance [Heavy/Plate Armour] Glittering with a hint of ice blue colour, this plate armour has a near-frozen appearance to it, as if ice rests on its surface at all times. Along its edge lines are a shifting ice blue and dark purple colouring, seemingly drifting in and out between the two colours with no clear path. | Mitigation [2 Slots] | Effect:  Prevent (12 * Tier) damage from successful attacks against you.

Lanreth's Defender [Heater Shield] Black outline with a dark purple interior, red howling wolf painted in the centre. | Enhancement: Thorns [1 Slot] | Effect: Successful non-critical attacks against you deal (9 * Tier) unmitigated damage to the attacking enemy. Only activates on damage dealing, melee attacks.

Battle-Ready Inventory

Teleport Crystal (3)

Arrowhead Brooch | Tier 1 Perfect Trinket | Accuracy III

Music Box | Tier 1 Perfect Trinket | LD III

Weapon Skills

Straight Sword Skill Rank 5 Passive Effect: +7 DMG

Sword Arts

[x12] ST-I (12 EN) | A single-target sword art.

[x15] ST-II (15 EN) | A powerful single-target sword art. Only available for use when ST-I was used and successfully struck an enemy the previous turn or if ST-II had been used and had missed the previous turn.

[x20] ST-B (20 EN) | A devastating single-target sword art. Can only be used if the sword art used the previous turn is not ST-B and had rolled a natural CD9+. When performing an AoE attack, use only the first roll.

[x11] AOE-I (11 + 2 * targets EN) | AOE | A sword art that strikes multiple targets at once.

[x14] AOE-II (14 + 2 * targets EN) | AOE | A powerful sword art that strikes multiple targets at once. Only available for use when AOE-I was used and successfully struck an enemy the previous turn or if AOE-II had been used and had missed the previous turn.

[x12] TECH-A (13 EN) | STUN | A single-target sword art that stuns an enemy.

[x12] TECH-B (12 EN) | DELAY | A single-target sword art that, on a successful strike, applies [Delay] on the enemy. [Delay] is a status condition that reduces the enemy’s ACC by 1 for one turn.

[x3] RAW-A (10 EN) | THORNS | A single-target sword art that utilizes the [Thorns] of the individual against the enemy. Other types of enhancements that apply damage upon contact with the individual are also considered in improving the damage of this sword art (eg. Immolation Potion, Flame/Frost Aura, etc). Outgoing damage is considered mitigatable.  Must have a weapon equipped to activate this sword art. Unlock Condition: Have the skill [Heavy Armor].

Armour Skills

Heavy Armor Rank 4 Passive Effect: MIT + 25. You can only benefit from one armour skill at a time (the respective armour type must be equipped). Your evasion is capped at 1 enhancement slot and you take -1 to Stealth Rating per rank.

Combat Mastery

Combat Mastery: Mitigation Rank 3 Passive Effect: Gain +36 Mitigation.

Spoiler

Word Count: 248

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari raised a hand in an attempt to stop the flow of words coming from the emotional woman, but before she could usher a word the NPC had continued, spilling the story of horror and sadness. Nari couldn’t help but take a step back, the absurdity and intensity of the situation taking over any composure she might have been able to maintain.

"Her friend came back to me just this moment a-and said that they were attacked by monsters! T-the beast is still in there with her, please, I don't know how long my Koko can last in a place like that!" The woman stopped talking only due to what Nari was assumed the inability to continue with the amount of sobbing that she was proceeding with. A few seconds passed where the woman stood before Nari – struck silent as this stranger sobbed in front of her, a few passerbys giving differing looks of pity, or amusement at the situation.

Unsure of what to do, but wanting this entire scene over and done with, Nari eventually found her voice – albeit, just a whisper. “I-I can…go look for her…? If you want…”

Spoiler

Word Count: 191

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

"R-really? Thank you! Thank you so much, you have no idea how grateful I am," she will say with a wide and relieved smile. "Your e-efforts won't go to waste, I swear! I'll have something for you when you get back, I-I promise!" The moment the woman’s voice stopped, a small dialogue box appeared beside Nari’s form, and she quickly hit the accept button – noticing a map pin appearing in her vision. The woman continued to smile-sob at Nari, who, realising the conversation was now over beat a hasty retreat.

The moment she was a distance away, out of sight of the disaster that had been the woman, she paused and reached up to pet Yuki. “If I ever act like that, feel free to bite me.”

As if on cue, Yuki nipped the side of her throat, not breaking skin in any way, but clearly responding to the words. Nari felt a moment of shock before she laughed, her hand shooting up to playfully tap against the fox’s nose. “Well, screw you too!”

Her laughter carried on behind her as she made her way to the edge of the town, hoping to get this all behind her as quickly as possible – and hoping that she didn’t need to encounter the emotional wreck of a woman in order to complete the quest. ‘Wait…is this how people feel around me…?’

Spoiler

Word Count: 229

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Glancing at the pin, Nari noticed that the location – this Koko – wasn’t too far beyond the main settlement. Deciding that there was no immediate rush - or so she seriously hoped - in reaching the location, Nari took some time to examine the pathways along the way for anything of use to her, watching for the shiny metallic bars that sometimes appeared along the edges of the paths she walked.

She chatted with Yuki as she made her way along the open areas, reminiscing about the last times that she had visited the second floor, and the numerous ways in which Nari herself had grown and changed since then. As she was talking her mind drifted back to earlier days, days when she had been less assured in herself, days when she had hidden away from everyone else and herself – lost in a world that could quickly take everything from you. Sometimes she still felt like that – but it wasn’t too often anymore, not now that she had others she could rely upon.

Bringing up her small friend’s list, Nari felt a smile spread across her face as she read the names there. There weren’t many – far less than the more social players like Astreya – but still, she had people that she could call upon if she ran into trouble. Or if she simply needed someone to spend time with – something that she hadn’t had up until recently. She wondered for a while about the changes that had occurred in her, how she had gone from a stuttering, absolute mess around people, so someone who was at least able to hold a conversation – maybe not in large groups, but with a small collection at most. She knew for many people it wasn’t a lot to be proud of, but Nari wasn’t one of those people – and she was quite proud of how far she had come.

Her mind turned to another, one that she had come across a few times now in this death game. She was aware that he went by another name, but she had given him the name of the Gardener – a name that was brought forth by their very first meeting, and the tenderness that she had seen within him during that encounter with his garden. Nari had been unaware at the time of who he was – she still felt that she was at least mostly unaware – but something had begun to make her think that there was more to the man. He was certainly…something else, and had certainly made an impression on Nari as she thought about the advice and guidance he had provided her.

Yuki’s chirping brought her attention back to the present, and looking around she smiled shyly as two other players passed her – no one she recognised, but that wasn’t saying much. For the most part they ignored her – she had seen their green cursors and wasn’t too worried, but her hand had drifted towards her sheathed sword, readying herself just in case. They quickly passed and continued on their way, making no sign of rounding on her when they thought her unaware.

ID203603 | LD: 5 | CD: 5 | Material Search | Failure [+3 EXP; 148/149]

Spoiler

Word Count: 521

 

Edited February 12, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Although she didn’t find anything immediately, Nari knew she wasn’t quite ready to enter the area marked on her map. Her mind wasn’t quite there yet – having been thinking back upon the people she had come to know here. Taking some extra time to search the area, just in case anything did appear, she began to think back to her first encounter with the girl known as NIGHT. It had been…less than perfect, in Nari’s mind – and had been something that brought her to a mind-numbing weakness whenever she did think back on it.

Even as she thought back upon it, she could feel her cheeks heating up, her knees weakening at the embarrassing thoughts. It had been, as far as Nari was concerned, one of her worst encounters in this game – and that was including the Christmas party where she met Astreya. The entire encounter had been odd from start to finish – with misunderstandings leading to further misunderstandings, and eventually an admission of…something. Which of course had both her and NIGHT in a frantic emotional mess – made worse by the fact that Koga and NIGHT clearly had some sort of history, even if it wasn’t romantic in nature.

She had learnt later on that Koga had acted upon Bismuth – however she still wasn’t sure to what extent, and wasn’t willing to trust those who had told her entirely. She still wondered if it wasn’t some sort of big joke to them – seeing if they could get her to believe just anything they told her.

As she giggled at the idea of it, her mind suddenly flashed back to the first meeting with Astreya. Apparently preparing her to relive all of her recent social encounters. The image of the girl greeting her with a smile at Koga’s home had been forever engrained in her brain, including the melt down that had followed as she realised that this wasn’t some small get together – but rather a large scale party which seemed to include a lot of the frontliners, and others.

For Nari, the entire encounter had been an absolute disaster – excluding of course the part where she met Astreya. She had taken that new friendship to heart, falling completely into the girl’s charm almost immediately as Astreya had kindly welcomed her and taught her the valuable lesson of dealing with social settings – to view it simply as a different kind of conflict, such as how she viewed the battlefield.

ID203604 | LD: 12 | CD: 12 |Material Search | Success (2 Materials) [+8 EXP; 156/299]

Spoiler

Word Count: 408

 

Edited February 12, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

The pair materials transferred into her inventory, Nari shrugged and turned to face the pinpoint once more. She knew that she could only delay so long before advancing on the quest. Quickly crossing the small rises between her and the pinpoint, she found herself on the outskirts of a cave entrance, the depths of it lost to the darkness. Nari hesitated on the edges of the entrance, trying to figure out if heading in was a good idea or not. The pinpoint clearly required it, but the darkness meant that there was going to be difficulties seeing – and she had nothing to light up the dark around her.

She knew the dangers of heading into just such a situation – her ability to react to anything would be limited, and she would have to rely on her other senses in order to defend herself if it ever came to that, but she also knew that the quest would require her to head inside. There was no avoiding it, at least none that Nari could see.

Glancing at Yuki, she gave the small fox a nudge with her chin, disturbing the rest that the little critter had clearly been enjoying. “What are you thinking, Yuki? Think it’s safe for us?”

The small beady eyes stared up at her, and Nari could almost swear she saw a sadness in them – although she assumed it was mostly just her interpretation of the little creature’s coding. ‘You’re probably right.’

Without another word, Nari turned and headed into the dark cave, giving way to the obvious concerns that should hold her back. There was a little girl to save – even if it was just an NPC, Nari couldn’t say no to that and still call herself a defender. She knew her path now, and was determined to follow it to its end, no matter where it took her along the way. No matter the dangers it meant for herself, or the risks she would have to take towards its end.

Spoiler

Word Count: 334

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

As she moved deeper into the dark of the cave, Nari’s vision slowly dwindled – eventually reduced to only the length of her arm, at best. Even that was mostly just the ability to see the general outline of her form. She found herself tripping constantly in the dark – cursing her lack of foresight in preparing for this quest. She likely could have purchased an item before starting this that would’ve allowed her better visibility, but here she was now without any chance of seeing any creatures sneaking up on her. The only positive she could see in her situation was that her hearing seemed to have improved – the sounds of her footsteps echoing loudly in her ears as she pushed ever deeper.

From somewhere around her, she heard the sudden sounds of something else nearby. At first, a simply clattering against the rocks, as though something had shifted and caused a disturbance in the stonework. But as she drew further in, she began to hear something unfurling, as if a bird was about to take flight. She strained her ears, trying to determine what it was, and where-

‘Duck!’ The voice in her mind called out right as Nari herself ducked, something going over her head. Drawing her sword, Nari raised her shield up, trying to bring it between herself and anything coming at her. She could still hear the flapping sounds of what she assumed were wings. ‘A…bat?’

Before she could consider the situation any further, she felt something rushing by her, and she swung out with her sword, attempting to catch it as it swooped by her.

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 15 | HP: 300/300 | EN: 48/48 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 73 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0 |

| STH: -2 | KEEN [+2BD] | BLEED [12 DMG] | THORNS [9 DMG]

 

Giant Bat| HP: 75/75 |  DMG: 35 

Combat Start

Round One

ID203619 | BD: 1 - 1 = 0 | MOB: 1 | <<ST-I vs. Giant Bat>>

The strike misses! Critical Miss! (-2 EN)

The Giant Bat misses!

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 15 | HP: 300/300 | EN: 46/48 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 73 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0 |

| STH: -2 | KEEN [+2BD] | BLEED [12 DMG] | THORNS [9 DMG]

 

Giant Bat| HP: 75/75 |  DMG: 35 

Spoiler

Word Count: 269

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

She felt her sword swing through the empty air, clearly not connecting with whatever was out there. The only blessing in Nari’s mind was that whatever had attempted to assault her had also missed the chance to strike at her in return – swooping by without any sort of contact. It wasn’t much, but to Nari – and in this situation – it was worth taking advantage of, while it lasted.

Realising that her eyes wouldn’t help her here – Nari closed them, relying instead on her other senses to guide her strikes. She brought her sword down to her side, listening for the creature to attempt to rush her again, the sound of its wings giving away its position more than anything else.

For a moment, she heard nothing, and began to think that perhaps the creature had retreated after she attempted to attack it back. As the flapping sound returned, however, Nari knew that her hopes for that were in vain. She could hear it approaching on her left – perfect in her mind – and brought her sword swinging up the moment she thought it would be close enough to connect.

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 15 | HP: 300/300 | EN: 48/48 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 73 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0 |

| STH: -2 | KEEN [+2BD] | BLEED [12 DMG] | THORNS [9 DMG]

 

Giant Bat| HP: 75/75 |  DMG: 35 

Round Two

ID203620 | BD: 6 - 1 = 5 | MOB: 8 | <<ST-I vs. Giant Bat>>

The strike misses! (-2 EN)

The Giant Bat hits!

| 35 - 73 = 1 DMG

| Thorns = 9 DMG

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 15 | HP: 299/300 | EN: 46/48 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 73 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0 |

| STH: -2 | KEEN [+2BD] | BLEED [12 DMG] | THORNS [9 DMG]

 

Giant Bat| HP: 66/75 |  DMG: 35 

Spoiler

Word Count: 188

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari felt as something connected – and for the briefest of moments she felt elation as she thought she had struck the creature even without being able to see it, until she realised that it was she whom had been struck. The damage had been minimal, but still it frustrated her. In this darkness the creature had all the advantage, and Nari had nothing but disadvantages. The fight itself was entirely one sided at this point, and she knew there was nothing to be done about it.

Trying to pinpoint its movements once more, she brought her blade down beside her left leg, preparing to swing it upwards when she thought the creature was within range. She knew that she only needed one good hit in order to follow through with felling this thing – whatever it was.

The flapping sounds hit her ears again, and Nari brought the blade swinging upwards, a slight prayer on her mind as she did so – hoping that this time, she would connect with it.

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 15 | HP: 299/300 | EN: 48/48 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 73 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0 |

| STH: -2 | KEEN [+2BD] | BLEED [12 DMG] | THORNS [9 DMG]

 

Giant Bat| HP: 75/75 |  DMG: 35 

Round Three

ID203621 | BD: 5 - 1 = 4 | MOB: 6 | <<ST-I vs. Giant Bat>>

The strike misses! (-2 EN)

The Giant Bat hits!

| 35 - 73 = 1 DMG

|Thorns = 9 DMG

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 15 | HP: 298/300 | EN: 46/48 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 73 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0 |

| STH: -2 | KEEN [+2BD] | BLEED [12 DMG] | THORNS [9 DMG]

 

Giant Bat| HP: 57/75 |  DMG: 35 

Spoiler

Word Count: 169

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Her timing was off again – the blade catching nothing as it swung upwards and carried through wildly. The creature on the other hand, managed to rake what felt like claws across her back, her armour taking the brunt of it, but her pride and frustration also taking a hit. She felt and heard herself growl in response at the failed attempt – a growing number that certainly seemed like it wouldn’t change course anytime soon.

Determined to fell whatever this was, she turned to face the direction it had gone, the blade once more lowered by her leg in preparation. She knew – without any doubt – that if she was able to see, if this was an equal grounds fight – that this would’ve ended already. But it wasn’t, she was completely in the dark here – figuratively and literally. Which meant that she was at the mercy of whatever was harassing her. ‘I won’t lose to something that’s unwilling to meet me on level grounds.’

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 15 | HP: 298/300 | EN: 48/48 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 73 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0 |

| STH: -2 | KEEN [+2BD] | BLEED [12 DMG] | THORNS [9 DMG]

 

Giant Bat| HP: 75/75 |  DMG: 35 

Round Four

ID203623 | BD: 7 - 1 = 6 | MOB: 1 | <<ST-I vs. Giant Bat>>

The strike hits!

| 96 DMG

The Giant Bat is defeated!

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 15 | HP: 298/300 | EN: 36/48 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 73 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0 |

| STH: -2 | KEEN [+2BD] | BLEED [12 DMG] | THORNS [9 DMG]

 

Giant Bat| HP: 0/75 |  DMG: 35 

Spoiler

Word Count: 162

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Her blade slashed through something this time, the blade transforming in colour as it did so – a soft violet light against the darkness. Whatever had been assaulting her exploded in a shower of data crystals, the pieces scattering to the floor before dispersing from existence. Nari waited a few moments, listening for anything else to come flying towards her, before sheathing her sword and continuing deeper into the cavern.

She remembered suddenly that she had been sent here to find a little girl – who was likely hiding, if she was still alive. Her sight limited, Nari knew that she would have to take the risk of giving away her position if she was to find this girl. Hesitating only for the briefest of moments, she called out into the darkness. “Uhm…hello? Is anyone out there? Your…your mother sent me to come find you…If you can hear me, call out and I’ll…I’ll come find you.”

Her voice didn’t sound confident as she continued to prod her way forward in the dark, her limited vision really slowing her progress in this area. She hoped that the child – an NPC – would react to her voice, and that she wouldn’t have to rely on accidentally bumping into her in the dark. That would certainly make this far harder than it needed to be, if the child didn’t respond verbally.

ID203624 | LD: 4 | Search for Koko | Failure

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 15 | HP: 300/300 | EN: 37/48 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 73 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0 |

| STH: -2 | KEEN [+2BD] | BLEED [12 DMG] | THORNS [9 DMG]

Spoiler

Word Count: 225

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari tried to listen as she continued to prod farther along into the cave. She could hear her voice echoing on the walls slightly, and although she hoped for something to call out in return – no other voices returned to her ears. She wasn’t surprised – there’s no way the quest would be this easy, Cardinal would make sure of that – but she had somewhat hoped that a voice would at least guide her a little ways. Deciding that there was no harm in continuing, she kept her calls into the darkness going – maybe the system would take pity on her and have the little girl speak out in response, or maybe she would accidentally trip over the child in question while stumbling blindly through the caves. Either situation would work for Nari.

“If uh…if you can hear me…your mother sent me. I’m uh…I’m here to take you home. Just…call out so I can find you. Help guide me to…to your…spot.”

Nari kept talking, the words coming at random to her mind as she tried to get some sort of response. It was likely she would summon more of whatever had already attacked her, but it was a risk she was willing to take – it hadn’t been that strong after all, anyways. She figured she could take on a whole hoard of them without too much concern, if it came to that. Although, she would rather avoid that if at all possible.

ID203625 | LD: 8 | Search for Koko | Failure

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 15 | HP: 300/300 | EN: 38/48 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 73 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0 |

| STH: -2 | KEEN [+2BD] | BLEED [12 DMG] | THORNS [9 DMG]

Spoiler

Word Count: 241

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

“This is going nowhere. Hey! Child! Where are you? Answer me, you damned little brat!...this is why I don’t have children. Such a frustration. I can’t believe I somehow got involved in…”

Nari’s words echoed down through the cave and back into her ears. They were full of what she knew was anger, although she knew it was directed at the quest itself. She didn’t figure the child would be hearing the same words, with the same intonation. ‘This will definitely make her run into your arms, happy to have been found…’

Nari scowled at the voice in her head, knowing it was right, but cursing it all the same. She trudged on through the darkness, trying hard not to trip on anything in the darkness. Sighing, and realising there was nothing else to do but keep crawling forwards and calling out, Nari let her voice carry through the caverns once more.

“Listen, I know I haven’t really…well, I may have been a bit annoyed, but…I don’t like not being able to see. And well, I just want to get you back to your mother. Safely. And quickly.”

ID203626 | LD: 18 | Search for Koko | Success!

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 15 | HP: 300/300 | EN: 48/48 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 73 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0 |

| STH: -2 | KEEN [+2BD] | BLEED [12 DMG] | THORNS [9 DMG]

Spoiler

Word Count: 188

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

“Hello…?” A sudden soft, quiet voice called out to Nari’s left. Shifting her direction of movement, Nari squinted in the darkness, trying to find the source of the voice. “H-hello?”

“Hello? Where are you?” Nari began reaching out with her arms, searching for the form of the voice in the darkness. She could hear a soft scampering sound close by, and shifted slightly to try and intercept it. “Are…did you come here to play with your friends? Your mother…well, she sent me to find you. And bring you home…but it’s dark, where are you?”

“I’m…I’m here…” The soft voice was directly to Nari’s left, and she felt herself jump slightly as she realised how close it was. Carefully reaching out with her arm, she felt it brush across something – that almost immediately recoiled away from Nari.

“It’s – It’s just me! Can you reach out and…grab my arm? I’ll…I’ll lead you back out the way I came. I think it’s safe now!” Nari’s outstretched hand was suddenly clasped by something that felt smaller, very similar to child’s grasp. “Right. I’m going to head back…it’ll be a little slow, but just let me know if I’m going too fast for you…okay?”

“Okay…it’s so dark…” The voice echoed slightly even though it was little more than a whisper. Nari winced at the words, realising how much even a little bit of light would help.

“I know…but…but it’ll be better once we get out….” Nari began pulling the girl back the way she had come, moving slowly to ensure that neither one of them tripped. She knew immediately this was going to be a long trip.

Spoiler

Word Count: 272

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

The girl remained quiet as she followed Nari’s guidance towards the entrance of the cave. It felt like hours passed as the two of them slowly moved forward – or backwards? – towards the exit. Nari felt herself growing more and more impatient as the going felt slower and slower with each step. It seemed as though they would never make it out of the caves.

Just as she was fuming internally over the whole situation, Nari heard a familiar sound – the flapping of wings pushing something through the air. Realising what was about to happen, Nari pulled the girl in close, pulling her shield up and in front of the little girl.

“Something’s in here with it, and I’ve got to deal with it quickly. I need you to stay behind this shield, okay? It’ll keep you safe while I dispatch this thing. And then we’ll get out of here for good, okay?” Nari heard a scared cry of agreement from the girl, and drew her sword in her left hand, making sure the girl stayed behind the shield. She knew it would make fighting this creature that much harder, but Nari was determined – determined to get her out of here no matter what the cost.

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 15 | HP: 300/300 | EN: 48/48 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 73 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0 |

| STH: -2 | KEEN [+2BD] | BLEED [12 DMG] | THORNS [9 DMG]

 

Giant Bat| HP: 75/75 |  DMG: 35 

Combat Start

Round One

ID203628 | BD: 7 - 1 = 6 | MOB: 7 | <<ST-I vs. Giant Bat>>

The strike hits!

| 96 DMG

The Giant Bat is defeated!

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 15 | HP: 300/300 | EN: 36/48 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 73 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0 |

| STH: -2 | KEEN [+2BD] | BLEED [12 DMG] | THORNS [9 DMG]

 

Giant Bat| HP: 75/75 |  DMG: 35 

Spoiler

Word Count: 205

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari felt her blade whip through the air, and saw the violet light as the sword art activated. The blade struck into something – she caught a slight glimpse as the creature was engulfed in light, appearing almost batlike to Nari’s eyes, but far larger in size. Then, just as suddenly the light exploded, the creature erupting into thousands of shards before disappearing and leaving Nari and the girl in darkness once more.

Letting out a breath of relief, Nari checked on the girl behind the shield – realising that she was fine, she pulled the shield away, sheathing her sword before grabbing her hand once more and pulling her forward. The girl gave almost no resistance as Nari pulled her, slightly less carefully than she would’ve likely done had she not have been absolutely ready to escape this darkness and return to the world of light. Nari felt her pace picking up as she forced them onwards, the girl giving no resistance to the change in momentum, simply stumbling after Nari as she was dragged.

Spoiler

Word Count: 174

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

The light broke around them as Nari rushed them out of the cave – more than happy to escape into the light as quickly as possible, regardless of what that meant for the girl in tow. As Nari’s eyes adjusted to the sudden burst of light, she glanced behind her, seeing the little girl for the first time. Nari had to admit that she was an identical representation of her mother – the soft brown hair and similar facial features a match for the woman who had been sobbing to Nari not too long ago.

Nari felt her legs give out as soon as she knew for sure that they were in the clear from the dangers of the cave. Falling to the ground, Nari let herself collapse onto her back, closing her eyes as she did so. She could hear the soft breathing of the girl beside her – still clearly not calmed even though they had made it into the light, but not whimpering in fear anymore either.

Nari smiled as she realised she had did it – and without the help of more powerful players. ‘I’m growing with each passing day here. In strength, and in…’ She didn’t finish the thought, realising that speaking the words – aloud or in her mind – might break the effect they were having. Content to relax for a moment, Nari allowed the girl beside her some time to calm and recover, before they pushed onwards.

Spoiler

Word Count: 239

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Knowing that she needed to walk the girl back to the town in order to complete the quest, Nari forced her tired body off the ground. The girl hadn’t left her side, having clearly not felt like risking the open grasses after her ordeal in the caves. Nari couldn’t blame her – even if it was just programming reacting to the system requirements.

“We should get you back…your mother is likely worried about you. And…well…it’s safer in the town for you, too.” Nari tried smiling at the little girl, in an attempt to make her more comfortable. Nari wasn’t sure if it worked, but the NPC seemed content to follow Nari back towards the town.

As she pulled the girl along behind her, Nari began pointing out the different flowers they passed, the girl staring in wonder as Nari pointed out each of the different flowers. She was quiet for the most part, but after some time the girl’s little voice peaked up.

“Uhm…which one is your favourite?” Nari glanced around before spotting the violet-coloured flowers. Pointing to them, Nari wandered over to the flower, carefully pulling the flower’s top from the stem itself, making sure not to destroy the beauty of it. Wandering back, she took a moment to look for anything of value in the area.

ID203629 | LD: 19 | CD: 9 |Material Search | Success Failure (2/4 Materials) [+8 EXP; 164/299]

Spoiler

Word Count: 217

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari stopped briefly to collect the materials that she had seen out of the corner of her eye. She took a moment to glance about for anything further, before returning to the girl waiting for her by the side of the road. She smiled at the little NPC as she held up the small violet tulip so that she could see.

“This is my favourite. It’s called a tulip in my- where I come from. They’re not super common, but they are…well, I think they’re the most beautiful…” Nari’s voice drifted off as the face appeared in her mind once more, a face that hadn’t troubled her until recently. She felt that tightness in her chest again as memories flooded her mind, the emotions tugging at her. Shaking her head, she forced herself back to the present, continuing to explain the flower to the girl. “They come in a few different colours, but…well… I like this one the most. The violet matches…well, me…”

Nari gave another smile at the little girl, before remembering that she still needed to get her back to her mother. Handing the flower to the little girl, Nari turned and continued to lead the girl back towards the town where they would find her mother waiting. This entire adventure had been…well, an adventure.

ID203630 | LD: 8 | Material Search | Failure (4 materials) [+3 EXP; 167/299]

Spoiler

Word Count: 217

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari led the girl through the front gates of the town, sighing a breath of relief as soon as they passed through fully. She hadn’t realised how tense she had been on the entire walk back, her guard up the entire time as she expected something else to jump out at them. Nothing had – much to Nari’s relief, although she had to admit she was a little bit…well, sad about that. She had always enjoyed the thrill of combat – but maybe it was for the best, seeing as she had to lead this child back safely.

The child – right. Nari turned to make sure she was still there, thankfully finding the girl standing beside her. Nari glanced around, wondering how she was ever going to find this girls mother again. Not seeing the woman, Nari decided to wander the town in search of the her, hoping that she would just stumble across her and be able to finish the quest through pure…luck.

“Come on, we’ll fine her!” Nari gave the little girl a soft smile, before turning and heading through the town’s main street. The girl appeared more than happy to follow Nari – likely happy to being returned to her mother.

The streets themselves were fairly busy for the time of day, and Nari found herself wandering for quite some time before spotting the woman near the teleport pad – close to where Nari had originally encountered her. Pulling the little girl along behind her, Nari approached the woman, speaking as she came closer.

“Uhm…excuse me. I have your daughter. I think. This is her…right?” Nari gestured towards the girl beside her, waiting for the NPC to look and –

“Koko!” The woman leapt forward, tears in her eyes as she grasped onto the little girl and pulled her into a tight hug. “You found my Koko! Thank you so much…! I can’t thank you enough! You don’t know how much this means to me!”

Nari wasn’t sure what to say in response, and simply mumbled out a quick, half-hearted reply. “O-oh, uhm…it was…well it was nothing, really. Just a little bit of cave exploring and…bat fighting…”

The woman didn’t seem to hear Nari, or was ignoring her rambling. Either way, Nari felt like she was watching a scene from afar, stuck waiting for it to end – but not really involved in it. The girl and mother passed some words between them as Nari watched, tuning out from most of it. Eventually, the woman turned to Nari, speaking directly to her again.

"I know it's not much, but please, take it," The woman states, handing over a pouch. "It's some money I scraped together... and a little something extra." The woman glanced down at the child again, a soft sigh leaving her smiling lips. "Again, thank you for saving her. I have no idea what I would do if Koko was harmed... and speaking of Koko, what do we say?"

From beside the woman, the little girl lifts her head, smiling happily at Nari in what she felt was a rather odd way considering everything that had just happened. “Thank you again for saving me!”

Nari gave the two a shy smile, mumbling some further words of politeness before attempting to dislodge herself from the conversation. Stepping a distance away, the voice in her mind speaks up, bringing to life the thoughts that had been hiding in the depths of her head. ‘I hate these social quests. Why can’t I just go out and kill something and have the rewards appear in my inventory?’

Spoiler

Word Count: 592

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth