[F3 - SP] Return of the Child | <<Captured>>

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Having decided to visit Bismuth’s little shop again, Nari had ventured down towards floor 3, making her way out of the main settlement area and across to the small village of Flora. As she entered the village, she heard the cries of a nearby woman, drawing her attention to an NPC quickly making her way towards her. Nari sighed, realizing she was about to get caught up in something that she wasn’t sure she actually wanted to be involved with.

The NPC began its speech as soon as it had reached Nari, speaking quickly with a tone of panic and pleading. Nari listened with half an ear, taking care to catch the details, but still unsure if she was truly interested – that was until the mention of bandits.

“Did you say that bandits were attacking the village? Attacking people?” She asked, wondering if the NPC would even respond – it really depended on the programming, and the way the question was worded. This time, however, Nari appeared to be in luck as the NPC seemed to acknowledge her question.

“They’ve taken my son! They attacked the village and took him hostage – and they want me to pay for his safe return…but I can’t afford their ransom! And they said that if I don’t pay-“

Nari cut the NPC off, not interested in the sob story, but in the action that needed to be taken. “Where did they take him?”

She listened briefly as the NPC gave directions to the location, slamming the accept button as soon as the dialogue box appeared before her. Turning, she left the NPC behind, making her way out of the small village and back towards the forests.

Nari's Statblock

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 700/700 | EN: 82/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8

EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Tier 4

Equipped Items

Dark Fox Tail [Tier 4; Polearm [One-handed Glaive]; Perfect] Standing at 150cm in length from pommel to blade tip, the glaive was crafted with a shaft of intertwining sky blue and dark violet polished wood. The blade, a mere 7cm in width and 45cm in length is a thin dark red colouring. Where the shaft connects with the blade is a metal seating, circular in design and black in colour. Twin tassels hang from the seating, intertwining sky blue and dark violet colours dancing as they move. Upon both sides of the blade, just above where it connects with the shaft, is a small curled white fox.  | Enhancement: Bleed [1 Slots] | Effect: Natural critical attack rolls of 9-10 (1 slot) or natural successful attack rolls of 8-10 (2 slots) 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. | Enhancement: Accuracy [2 Slots] | Effect: Gain +(1 per slot) to the BD when attacking. Cannot be used to cause a critical hit.

Dark Fox's Vengeance [Tier 4; Heavy/Plate Armour] Forged to be shapely, this piece appears thinner than most pieces of heavy armour - leaving what appear to be openings towards the neckline, and the sides of the torso. Smaller shoulders leave limited protection towards the neck, but allow for greater movement. Coloured a dark violet, the edges of the piece outlined in a dark forest colour, and upon the front's centre stands a white fox, slightly cured with fangs barred. | Enhancement: Recovery [1 Slot] | Effect: Before your post action, make a separate CD roll. On a natural CD7+, regain (1 per slot * Tier) additional energy. This CD roll may also apply to activating the effects of Vamp-Def. | Enhancement: Thorns [2 Slots] | Effect: Successful non-critical attacks against you deal (9 * Tier) unmitigated damage to the attacking enemy. Only activates on damage dealing, melee attacks.

Dark Fox's Retribution [Tier 4; Celtic Shield] Similar to a wall shield, this piece stands nearly 137cm tall, and nearly 76 cm wide - easily covering the form of a shorter individual. Tapered on the sides, the shield seems to bend inwards slightly on its edges, a perfect opening for an outwardly weapon to be levelled through. The top and bottom edges slightly bend inwards, giving the impression of a less than straight appearance. Coloured in a dark violet, with edges of dark forest green, a white fox, slightly cured with fangs barred is emblazoned on its centre, appearing as if ready to strike.  | Enhancement: Recovery [1 Slot] | Effect: Before your post action, make a separate CD roll. On a natural CD7+, regain (1 per slot * Tier) additional energy. This CD roll may also apply to activating the effects of Vamp-Def. | Enhancement: Thorns [2 Slots] | 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

Starter Healing Potions {5} | Heals 50 HP

Super-Duper Anti Snake Sauce (Salve) | Antidote 2

Pure Unadulterated Rage (Meals) | Mitigation 3

Combat Skills

Battle Healing Rank 1 Passive Effect: While in combat, recover 1% per rank of your maximum HP (rounded down) at the beginning of your turn.

Weapon Skills

Polearm Rank 5 Passive Effect: +7 DMG

Rank 5 Weapon Addon] Stamina Passive Effect: Reduces EN of all attacks by 2.

[Rank 5 Weapon Addon] Precision Passive Effect: Gain +1 ACC.

Rank 5 Weapon Addon] <<Weapon Type>> Focus Passive Effect: Decreases minor critical threshold by 1. Also reduces DoT thresholds by 1. Players cannot use Focus and Ferocity at the same time for the same Weapon Type.

[Rank 5 Shift] TECH Specialist Passive Effect: For TECH Sword Arts, +4 to multipliers, +3 to EN cost. No other Shifts may be taken.

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.

[x12] TECH-C (12 EN) | COUNTER | A single-target sword art that, on a successful strike, places [Counter] around the player. [Counter] reduces the final damage taken by its user by 25% (rounded down) for one turn.

[x8] TECH-F (8 + 2 * targets EN) | AOE STUN | A sword art that strikes multiple targets at once. All struck targets are stunned 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.

Armour Skills

Heavy Armor Rank 5 Passive Effect: MIT + 35. 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.

[Rank 5 Heavy Armor Addon] Iron Skin Effect: Gain +15 Mitigation and +15 * Tier HP

Extra Skills

Parry Active: Post action Energy cost: 9 EN Cooldown: 3 Turns Effect: Apply the energy cost upon proc, not activation. Reduces the final damage of the next successful attack against you by 50% (rounded down) and negates stun/paralysis effects of that attack. If hit by multiple attacks, only apply parry to the first attack against you. Parry lasts for three turns. Cooldown starts when the player activates the Skill. If the player is hit when using Parry, the cooldown is reset to 3 turns.

[Parry Mod] Vengeful Riposte Passive Cooldown: 4 Turns Effect: A successful Parry also returns 50% (rounded down) of the raw damage that would be dealt to you back to your opponent. The reflected damage can be mitigated by the opponent.

Block [Requires two Extra Skill slots] Passive Effect: Requires an equipped shield. User’s evasion cannot be greater than 0 (can still be negative). Grants additional mitigation: Rank 5: 25 MIT

Combat Mastery

Combat Mastery: Mitigation [Expert] -> Rank 3 Passive Effect: Gain +6*Tier Mitigation per rank. Ranks of this Skill apply to Mitigation enhancement caps.

Spoiler

Word Count: 281

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

She wasn’t sure what had caused the reaction – the NPC clearly wasn’t in danger, was he? She wasn’t sure if Cardinal would actually kill off an NPC if no one went to rescue it, but…in her time here, she’d begun to see the NPCs as something more than just coding written and unwritten by Cardinal. Some of them even had personalities. Maybe not quite like the true players of the games, but enough that one could sometimes forget what they were. At least for a time.

She pondered the whole situation as she made her way along the path towards the encampment that had been tagged for her. She knew that she had probably acted without thought or reason, but…she also knew in her heart that she couldn’t simply leave someone to suffer at the hands of bad people. Even if those people were just…programs. It wasn’t who she was – who she wanted to be. ‘I made a promise, and I expect to keep it. And so…I will help any who are in harm’s way – human or computer. Because…otherwise…’

She let the thoughts drift off before they could complete themselves. She didn’t know if she was strong enough yet to remember what still needed to be done. Nor did she want to consider taking action on it yet. That was something for another day, another time – when she was more ready.

Spoiler

Word Count: 231

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Something rustling in the bushes caught her attention, and she nimbly dropped the glaive out of the crook of her elbow and into a readied position – the hilt resting on the ground for support, the blade angled outward from herself. Her right arm had swung upwards, bringing the shield to bear with her body, tightening as she did so in order to redirect anything that might strike against it.

A few moments of silence passed, and Nari realized there was likely nothing coming to attack her – at least not yet. Pulling the glaive backwards, she let it drop into the crook of her elbow before continuing onwards, her eyes roaming for anything of danger – or anything of value. ‘Animals, bandits and monsters aren’t the only things out here…’

She had just started to relax when she heard the sound of something snapping beneath her. She rolled sideways, trying to avoid what she knew was a trap – likely darts, or a log or something else – when suddenly the very ground beneath her simply…disappeared.

ID203882 | LD: 19 + 1 = 20 | CD: 9 + 1 = 10 | Material Search | Critical Success! (3 Materials) [+ 10 EXP; 278/299 EXP] Rank 3 - Adept Forager

Spoiler

Word Count: 172

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice roll results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

She felt herself falling, and then just as quickly she hit the ground. Glancing upwards, she saw that the trap was well over her head – she guessed close to three meters in height, which meant she wasn’t just pulling herself out. The walls were a good two meters across as well, which meant she also wouldn’t be easily climbing out of the pit either. Frowning slightly, she wondered what she was going to do. She could waste a teleport crystal to get back to the main settlement, but that seemed like a waste – or a last resort at the very least.

“Right, let’s uh…just get out of the big hole in the ground. Shouldn’t be too hard…right?” Her eyes roamed for any sort of easy way out – hand holds, grooves that could be used to climb out of, anything. Nothing obvious came immediately to mind, and she felt herself sigh heavily. ‘Of course it wouldn’t be easy, it wouldn’t be a proper trap if I could just walk out, right?’

She considered her options – few and far between as those were. She could try making handholds with the glaive, digging out spots as she went along. Or perhaps she could try using a corner to…that seemed like a bad idea, actually. Lastly of course there was the teleport crystal – something she’d prefer to save for a final moment of desperation.

Something caught her attention, a movement in the corner of her eye. Glancing over, she saw that the corner she had original considered had opened – creating a doorway to…somewhere. She paused for a moment, knowing the danger of simply heading into the unknown, but…well, she had nothing else to do right now, so she decided that she may as well try the new path.

Giving a slight brush of Yuki’s head, she pushed through the opening, hoping that it would lead her to somewhere more favourable than where she currently was – anywhere would be better than a hole in the ground, right?

‘If I find whoever made that trap. They’re dead. I’m going to kill them. And not with kindness.’

 

Spoiler

Word Count: 350

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

The path seemed to wind and twist as she followed it – the darkness enveloping her and causing her to lose track of time. There didn’t seem to be any immediate dangers – aside from the obvious danger of being beneath the ground itself. She began to wonder if the pitfall she had ended up was truly incidental – had someone created a hunting trap and she had managed to get herself caught in it somehow?

Knowing she would likely never get the answer to it, she decided to simply focus on the present. Pushing further along, she saw a light opening up ahead. Although the space had become rather cramped – forcing Nari to move at a slithering, sideways pace – she tried to speed ahead. Popping into the area, she found herself facing a small little room – with iron bars blocking her path forward. A grating sound from behind her acknowledged her worst fears – and she turned to see the path she had followed close behind her, leaving her trapped in the room. Sighing, she turned back to the bars, wondering how she was ever going to get out of here.

She considered for a moment slashing out with her glaive – attempting to slice open the bars and provide her with freedom, but immediately gave up on that idea, realising they were likely immortal objects. Wandering to the door – set directly in the centre of the bars themselves, she gave it a hard kick, standing in awe and shock when the door simply…popped open. ‘That…seems convenient.’

She glanced about, but saw no immediate threats in the vicinity. Shrugging to herself, she began taking a step out of the cell, before pausing. She wasn’t sure if this was such a good idea, especially seeing as she had no idea where she was.

‘There’s only one way to find out. Let’s go in.’ Shifting the shield in her right hand, she wandered out of the cell, ready to confront anyone or anything that might be waiting there to dissuade her from leaving. The fox on her shoulder gave a slight chirp, as if to denounce its disagreement with the plan, but Nari ignored it. “Don’t worry, Yuki. We’ll be fine.”

Spoiler

Word Count: 365

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

As Nari made her way out of the cell, she caught sight of something moving a little ways down the hall. Glaive readied in her hand, she crossed the area – finding not a threat, but a teenage boy cowering in a cell. Nari relaxed slightly, letting the glaive drop back into the crook of her elbow.

“Uhm…hello. Any idea where we are…?” Her voice echoed around the area more than she liked, and she felt her eyes dart around, looking for any sign of someone reacting to it. No one other than the boy seemed to be here though, and Nari felt safe continuing her conversation.

“We’re…we’re in their fort. The Faultwarren gang’s fort…how did you get in here?” The boy seemed to regain at least some of his composure as soon as he realised Nari wasn’t there to immediately strike him down. Leaning slightly on the glaive, she eyed him, wondering if he was the one she was looking for.

“Came in through the hole. Do you know if there’s anyone around here…?” A shake of the head was all her question for in response. Unsure of what else to ask, she paused for a moment. “You uh…wouldn’t happen to have been taken ransom, would you?”

The question was awkward on her tongue, yet somehow seemed to trigger something in the NPC. Nari listened as he talked, telling her how he had been taken from his home, and how the bandits had held him hostage – how he had overheard that they had demanded a ransom from his mother. She half-listened to his story, half-tuned out, keeping attention enough to know when he had stopped speaking, and an eye on the surrounding area for any signs of danger approaching. The one thing that she did catch was that a group of bandits were in the area, as well as their leader. And from the way the boy talked, she would need to take out the leader in order to complete everything here.

“Excellent. I’m here to save you. Stay put.” Nari said abruptly as he finished speaking. Turning on her heels, she headed for a stairwell that led upwards, leaving the boy in the cage calling after her. Following the stairs upwards, she found herself exiting into what appeared to be the front area of a large keep, open gates off to her left leading back out into the forest she had been travelling through previously.

A single individual leaned against the open gate, a short sword on their hip, and a scowl on their face. They seemed surprised as Nari popped out of the doorway and into the open area, watching her for a moment before suddenly calling out to her. The voice was rough, and it took Nari a few moments to realise this was a man, not a woman. The long hair, dark skin, and baggy clothing had made it difficult for her to distinguish, but the voice eventually gave it away – far too deep for a normal female voice, at least…she thought.

“What are you doing here? Get lost.” There was no change in the stance, and Nari knew that she would have the advantage if it came to a quick draw situation. She knew she could likely end the opponent here and now, but…

“I’m looking for a boy. From the local village, was taken away and informed that he would be returned if the ransom was paid. Is he here?” The guard seemed to shift at the mention, standing up straighter and their hand hovering towards the hilt of the weapon at their hip. Nari waited patiently, not willing to jump to action if this quest could be completed without it.

“You bringin’ the ransom then? The old lady finally willin’ to pay?” It was all Nari needed to hear. These were the bandits, no doubts in her mind now. Jumping into action, she gave the glaive a slight bump with her arm, pushing it forward into the palm of her hand and lashing out with the blade. Although this was her first time truly using the weapon in battle, it felt so natural in her hands – far more an extension of herself than the sword had ever been.

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 700/700 | EN: 82/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Faultwarren Bandit| HP: 350/350 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 40 | ACC: 1

Combat Start

Round One

ID203883 | BD: 6 + 3 = 9 | MOB: 8 + 1 = 9 | <<Tech-A vs. Faultwarren Bandit>>

| The strike hits!

| 8*16 = 128 - 40 = 88 DMG

| The Faultwarren Bandit is stunned! [1 turn]

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 700/700 | EN: 68/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Faultwarren Bandit| HP: 262/350 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 40 | ACC: 1

Spoiler

Word Count: 705

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice roll results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Her first strike glanced off the target’s torso, slicing along the side of the individual and cutting down a small portion of their health bar. Nari stepped sideways, watching as they seemed almost frozen in place – the strike having caused their entire body to seize up. She was truly impressed with these tech skills; they were less powerful than the standard strikes but…so effective in the abilities and reactions they caused.

Twirling the glaive in her hand, she came around the right side of the individual, lashing out with the blade in an attempt to strike the target against their right side, a large opening where the shortsword didn’t cover. She felt almost bad as she did so, striking against a target that couldn’t really defend itself – it felt…wrong. As if she was fighting an unfair fight. ‘If it gets you through this game, take every advantage you can – for Cardinal will not hold back. Nor will the boss fights. You need to harden yourself, strengthen your resolve.’

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 700/700 | EN: 70/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Faultwarren Bandit| HP: 262/350 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 40 | ACC: 1

Round Two

ID203884 | BD: 3 + 3 = 6 | MOB: 10 + 1 - 1 = 10 | <<Tech-B vs. Faultwarren Bandit>>

| The strike hits! 

| 8*16 = 128 - 40 = 88 DMG

| Delay [-1 to ACC; 1 turn]

| The Faultwarren Bandit hits! Major Critical Hit! (+2 DMG)

| 100 + 2 - 147 = 1 DMG

| Immune to Stun [0/3 turns]

 

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 699/700 | EN: 59/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Faultwarren Bandit| HP: 174/350 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 40 | ACC: 1

Spoiler

Word Count: 168

 

Edited February 21, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice roll results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Her strike connected with the guard – barely, the body suddenly shifting at the last second as the stun seemed to wear off. Surprise taking over her, she wasn’t prepared for the shortsword that slammed into her own side, cutting a line across her torso – right where the armour didn’t protect her. Jumping backwards, Nari let a slight growl of frustration out. She was clearly winning the conflict, but taking risks like that wasn’t something she should get comfortable doing – not if she wanted to maintain her promise.

‘Don’t fight recklessly. It becomes habit. Fight as though every fight is dangerous, fight as though your life always depends on it. Don’t let your guard down, and don’t give ground to openings.’ The words of her Sempai ran through her mind, reminding her of an important lesson she had learnt while training – something she had sworn to never forget. ‘And yet, you forgot it. Promises are not easy to keep…so make sure you keep these ones.’

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 700/700 [+7 BH] | EN: 63/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Faultwarren Bandit| HP: 174/350 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 40 | ACC: 1

 

Round Three

ID203885 | BD: 5 + 3 = 8 | MOB: 8 + 1 = 9 | <<RAW-A vs. Faultwarren Bandit>>

| The strike hits!

| 72*3 = 216 - 40 = 176 DMG

| The Faultwarren Bandit is defeated!

 

Faultwarren Bandit| HP: 0/350 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 40 | ACC: 1

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 700/700 | EN: 55/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Spoiler

Word Count: 164

 

Edited February 21, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice roll results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

The guard burst into thousands of shards, dispersing on the slight breeze as Nari slammed her shield into their body, the thorns hidden within it suddenly springing forth as it connected, piercing in a hundred different places. The fight over, Nari took a deep breath, letting her body’s tension release and relax. It hadn’t lasted very long, and yet she felt like she had just spent a day doing hard labour. Rolling her shoulders, she headed into the fort, glancing around for anything of interest. She was sure they had some sort of room here that would be full of valuable pieces – be it col, or materials she could use for crafting…

‘Don’t forget why you came here in the first place. You have to find the boy.’ Right. The boy. She had forgotten about that. Resigning to the fact that she may not actual get to search the fort inside and out, she left the gate behind – heading deeper into the area for any signs of doors leading to an area that might keep someone contained, or for any further guards that might be able to point her in the right direction.

ID203887 | LD: 7 + 1 = 8 | CD: 4 + 1 = 5 | Material Search | Failure (0/3 Materials) [+5 EXP; 283/299 EXP] Rank 3 - Adept Forager

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 700/700 | EN: 56/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Spoiler

Word Count: 193

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice roll results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

The first few doors she checked led to nowhere special. A few storage closets, some small rooms that may have once been living quarters. Certainly, nowhere that was holding a collection of bandits who tried to hold a child hostage. None of them carried anything of value either – which Nari found to be almost as disappointing as the lack of people. She had been hoping to at the very least come across a small stash of money – or materials, either would really be excellent right now. Her eyes roamed the fort around her, noting the doors she hadn’t yet tried – one of them would likely lead to some basement, or dungeon, or something. There was no way they’d leave the fort only with one guard and camp out somewhere else. That just didn’t make sense.

Drawing her glaive into her shoulder, she began her search once more, going from door to door as she looked for any sign of life in this otherwise abandoned area. Somewhere here she would find what she was looking for – even if it meant beating down some NPCs on the way

ID203889 | LD: 1 + 1 = 2 | CD: 2 + 1 = 3 | Material Search | Failure (0/3 Materials) [+5 EXP; 288/299 EXP] Rank 3 - Adept Forager

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 700/700 | EN: 57/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Spoiler

Word Count: 186

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice roll results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

More nothing. She sighed as she closed the most recent door, wondering again if they had simply left the one guard as a warning system. It didn’t make sense to her, but so far there was nothing to be found in this place, which was becoming a bit discouraging. Trying to hold back the growing emotions – it was getting easier each day, but sometimes she still felt it rising within her – she moved to the next door, pulling it open and finding what appeared to be a…lunch room?

A single table, surrounded by four chairs stood in the centre of the room, a small kitchenette against the far wall. But more importantly, seated in one of the chairs was a larger man, easily a dozen centimetres or more than Nari, in the middle of polishing his longsword. His face was locked into an expression of confusion and shock, clearly not expecting to have her walk in on him. Out of habit, or some other indescribable act of planning – she wasn’t quite sure – she closed the door abruptly. Turning and walking six paces back the way she had come, Nari stopped and raised her shield before her, the glaive still tucked into her elbow. She heard the door creak open, and readied herself for what she knew would be another encounter.

Spoiler

Word Count: 220

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

The man strode out of the room, an air of confidence around him now. He stopped just out of reach of Nari’s glaive, a slight smile upon his face. Nari felt her body tense up, the weapon still pulled inwards towards herself, held in place by her arm, but ready to drop into place if required. The voice that spoke was not what she was expecting, however. A slight squeak to it, it reminded her of a boy in puberty. An oddly comic addition to a rather serious situation.

“I don’t know who you are, an’ I don’t really care to know. You made a mistake coming here, an’ I’m going to teach you a lesson. A final one.”

He strode forward, the longsword sweeping towards her in a wide arc, something Nari would consider wild and impractical – if she didn’t realise the amount of weight behind the swing, and the danger it presented. Letting the glaive drop into her hand, she began to move, hoping to roll out of the way of the incoming strike and land her own paralyzing shot at the same time.

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 700/700 | EN: 82/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Faultwarren Bandit| HP: 350/350 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 40 | ACC: 1

Combat Start

Round One

ID203890 | BD: 8 + 3 = 11 | MOB: 5 + 1 = 6 | <<Tech-A vs. Faultwarren Bandit>>

| The strike hits!

| 8*16 = 128 - 40 = 88 DMG

| The Faultwarren Bandit is stunned! [1 turn]

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 700/700 | EN: 68/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Faultwarren Bandit| HP: 262/350 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 40 | ACC: 1

Spoiler

Word Count: 186

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice roll results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari’s blade sailed through the air, and at the same time she pushed out with her shield – deflecting the sword coming towards her down towards the ground at the same time as her own strike caused the man to stagger in place, the violet coloured blade striking a nerve and forcing him into a frozen posture of what she could only assume was a fair amount of pain. Stepping back – determined to be more careful this time around – she readied her blade against the top of the shield. The shaft sat perfectly in the grove of the shield, providing her the support required for the longer weapon, a position far more comfortable for her than the sword had ever been. She couldn’t help but wonder why she hadn’t considered this before, but forced the thought out of her head.

Sliding her steps forward, she thrust with the glaive, the blade glowing its soft violet colour as she tried to pierce her opponent with the tip of it.

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 700/700 | EN: 72/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Faultwarren Bandit| HP: 262/350 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 40 | ACC: 1

Round Two

ID203895 | BD: 7 + 3 = 10 | MOB: 1 + 1 - 1 = 1 | <<Tech-B vs. Faultwarren Bandit>>

| The strike hits! 

| 8*16 = 128 - 40 = 88 DMG

| Delay [-1 to ACC; 1 turn]

| The Faultwarren Bandit misses!

| Immune to Stun [0/4 turns]

 

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 700/700 | EN: 59/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Faultwarren Bandit| HP: 174/350 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 40 | ACC: 1

Spoiler

Word Count: 167

 

Edited February 21, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice roll results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

This time she rolled perfectly, dodging the outgoing slash – knowing it was coming certainly helped – and rolling through to bring her glaive in against her opponent’s arm. The violet blade connected, and she saw the man stumble as his arm took the brunt of it, his follow up slice slow and uncontrolled – easily dodgeable as Nari danced around him once more. She felt like this instance was going much better than the previous – and knew exactly how she was going to end it.

Bringing the shield up before her, she lunged forward, trying to slam it into the body of her opponent as she had done previously – trusting in moment and the thorns hidden within to finish what was quickly turning out to be far easier than she had expected. ‘With each battle I can feel my strength growing – not just in my abilities, but in my confidence. Soon…soon enough I’ll be able to join the frontlines. Just a little bit longer…and then…’

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 700/700 | EN: 63/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Faultwarren Bandit| HP: 174/350 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 40 | ACC: 1

 

Round Three

ID203897 | BD: 5 + 3 = 8 | MOB: 2 + 1 = 3 | <<RAW-A vs. Faultwarren Bandit>>

| The strike hits!

| 72*3 = 216 - 40 = 176 DMG

| The Faultwarren Bandit is defeated!

 

Faultwarren Bandit| HP: 0/350 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 40 | ACC: 1

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 699/700 | EN: 55/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Spoiler

Word Count: 163

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice roll results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

She let her breath slip out as she saw the man disperse into thousands of shards, the fight leaving her feeling slightly drained. She wondered at those who could do this for hours on end – it was taxing. Stepping forward, she glanced around, making sure that she hadn’t drawn any – movement caught her eye, and she saw another man, this one baring a battle axe in his hands, staring her down. Nari felt a moment of constriction in her heart as she realised she was heading straight from one fight right into another, before accepting that this is what sometimes happened.

Lowering her glaive to intercept the charge she knew would be coming, she felt a small smile play across her face. ‘Looks like today I get to truly test my skills, and see just how far I’ve come since I left the Town of Beginnings. Well, let’s dance then, shall we?’

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 700/700 | EN: 58/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Faultwarren Bandit| HP: 350/350 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 40 | ACC: 1

Combat Start

Round One

ID203898 | BD: 8 + 3 = 11 | MOB: 1 + 1 = 2 | <<Tech-A vs. Faultwarren Bandit>>

| The strike hits!

| 8*16 = 128 - 40 = 88 DMG

| The Faultwarren Bandit is stunned! [1 turn]

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 700/700 | EN: 44/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Faultwarren Bandit| HP: 262/350 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 40 | ACC: 1

Spoiler

Word Count: 152

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice roll results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Just as she had expected, the man raised his battle axe in both hands, screaming a challenge as he raced forwards to meet her – running headlong into the tip of the glaive as he did so. Nari felt herself blink – trying to comprehend the level of stupid…but it was beyond her. She let the glaive roll with the impact, allowing the man to roll off the towards her right and carry on past her. Spinning on her feet, she set herself to face him again, bringing the glaive up towards him again. She doubted that the NPC would simply charge in headlong again, but it was better to be prepared for anything.

Considering her next move, she decided to maintain her pattern of attacks – they had proven effective this far, and right now she saw no purpose in changing up what worked. ‘If it’s not broken, don’t fix it, right?’ Smiling to herself she waited for her opponent to close in, letting him expend all of his effort closing the distance.

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 700/700 | EN: 47/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Faultwarren Bandit| HP: 262/350 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 40 | ACC: 1

Round Two

ID203899 | BD: 5 + 3 = 8 | MOB: 5 + 1 - 1 = 5 | <<Tech-B vs. Faultwarren Bandit>>

| The strike hits!

| 8*16 = 128 - 40 = 88 DMG

| Delay [-1 to ACC; 1 turn]

| The Faultwarren Bandit misses!

| Immune to Stun [0/4 turns]

 

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 700/700 | EN: 34/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Faultwarren Bandit| HP: 174/350 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 40 | ACC: 1

Spoiler

Word Count: 171

 

Edited February 21, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice roll results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

The violet glow of her strike left a streak through the air as she intercepted the incoming strike, before rebounding and slashing across the chest of the man. His roar of anger seemed to echo in the air, and Nari felt a moment of concern at others being drawn to the noise – not that there was much she could do about it, after all. Determined to end this and escape the area to somewhere she could hide from reinforcements, she pulled her glaive back into the crook of her arm, the blade tilted backwards towards the sky so that it wouldn’t impede her movements in any way.

Rushing forwards suddenly, she drove her shield towards the man, hoping that her sudden movements would have him backpedaling and leaving himself open to her strike – and hoping that like the last two instances, the art would allow her to release the deadly thorns that had been kept within the shield, slamming the opponent into those thousands of brightly coloured shards that signified death in this world.

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 700/700 | EN: 37/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Faultwarren Bandit| HP: 174/350 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 40 | ACC: 1

 

Round Three

ID203900 | BD: 9 + 3 = 12 | MOB: 7 + 1 = 8 | <<RAW-A vs. Faultwarren Bandit>>

| The strike hits! Minor Critical hit! (+1 DMG)

| 72+1*3 = 219 - 40 = 179 DMG

| The Faultwarren Bandit is defeated!

 

Faultwarren Bandit| HP: 0/350 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 40 | ACC: 1

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 699/700 | EN: 29/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Spoiler

Word Count: 174

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice roll results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

The shards still sparkling in the air, Nari moved across the open ground towards the cover of a nearby building, pushing through the door and slamming it shut behind her. She knew it was dangerous to trap herself within an area that may not have another escape, but the entire exchange had left her tired and sore – and she knew she wasn’t ready to face another of the guards if they did suddenly appear. Collapsing to the floor, she let her shield come to rest atop her, the glaive laid against a wall – well within reach should she suddenly need it in hand.

A smile crossed her face, even as tired as she was, impressed with just how well she had handled herself. She knew it was only going to get harder from here, but her performance thus far had been…well, exceptional. Glancing at her health bar – she noticed that she had taken no damage from either of those encounters, something that in itself was more impressive – especially considering she herself was designed to take hits. ‘Tanks can’t deal damage my ass…’

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 699/700 | EN: 30/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Spoiler

Word Count: 182

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

She must’ve fallen asleep – at least for a time. Her eyes snapped open, and she felt a cramping in her arms and legs that told her she’d been here for a little while. Realising the danger she had put herself in, she quickly took in her surroundings – finding herself where she had laid down, with no signs of anyone having come or gone from the location. Only slightly comforted by that notion, she let out a breath of relief before forcing herself to her feet. She collected her glaive, before crossing to the door leading back out to the street she had left behind.

Pulling the door open slightly, she glanced out, checking to see if there was any sign of more guards – and more importantly any signs that her presence here had been noticed. Silence rained over the area, and Nari saw no sign of anyone rushing around searching for intruders. All good signs in her books. Stepping out into the street, she closed the door behind her – leaving her momentary refuge behind as she continued her search.

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 32 | P. 0 | HP: 699/700 | EN: 31/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]

Spoiler

Word Count: 179

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

No immediate shouts, nor running feet greeted her as she strode down the main thorough way. In fact…aside from the open door to the lunch room, she saw no signs of her even having passed through the area. It was almost chilling to her, in a way. Shrugging aside the oddness of it all, she pressed further onwards, passing through the area she had already checked before pulling open more doors. She was quickly coming to the end of the accessible area, and she was starting to wonder if the situation would be that she found her quarry behind the last door – a typical cliché in games like this.

She was abruptly surprised when the next door she opened held a stairway downwards, clearly leading to a basement area. She glanced around, seeing no signs of anyone coming towards her. Knowing that the lack of knowing would drive her insane, she made her way down the stairs – wanting to at least take a peak at what could possibly be down here. ‘Hey, maybe this is the big loot house, where everything is hidden. Wouldn’t that be nice?’

 

Spoiler

Word Count: 183