[F08 – PP] When the Void Calls | <<Monkey King>>

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari’s hand hovered over the dialogue box, the words shimmering in the air. Her heart beat, feeling as if it would burst out of her chest. The message – typed almost an hour ago – still unsent. She hadn’t left her bedroom in almost two days, trying to dredge up the courage just to type the message. That had taken her until early this morning – nearly four hours ago. The last hour had pertained to her sitting and staring at it, reading it over and over again, trying to figure out if the words were right.

Quote

NIGHT. I need help. Are you able to come to Floor 8 in two days? There’s something I want to talk about, as well. It’s important.

She wasn’t sure if the message was too little, too much, too vague, or not vague enough. She started to delete the words – before stopping herself. Her finger sliding in the air between the cancel and send button. ‘What are you waiting for? Just send it already!’

The voice in her head was hard to ignore, but Nari wasn’t sure she was quite ready to hit the button yet. She was still considering it when a flash of white shot out of the corner of her eye, slamming into her elbow.

“Yuki! What are you doing?!” Her voice sounded almost broken, not having been used in many days. Her eyes went wide as she noticed the confirmation notice that her message had been sent. Her hand shot up to her mouth, covering the scream that erupted from her throat as she realised what had happened. Not ready to face the reality of it, Nari jumped into bed, hiding beneath her covers and slamming the pillow down on her head, shutting herself away from the world and everything around her – her heart racing, her face on fire, and a small bit of hope pushing through it all.

Nari's Statblock

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth | Lv. 32 | P. 3 | HP: 700/700 | EN: 82/82 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG] | BLEED [48 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 Reckoning [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 shifting soft silver, orange and red colour. Upon the chest's centre stands a white fox, slightly cured with fangs barred, black eyes staring out as if at the individual in front of the piece. 

| 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: Heavy Momentum [1 Slot] | Effect: After an unsuccessful attack, gain +(1 per slot * Tier) base damage until your next successful attack, at which point this bonus is removed. Another unsuccessful attack will reactivate this enhancement. Must be using the Heavy Armor Skill for this enhancement to take effect. [For Area of Effect attacks: This effect only activates if you miss all enemies targeted by the attack.]

| Enhancement: Taunt [1 Slot] | Effect: +1 Hate generated from Howl, Focused Howl, and successful 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

 

Inventory

T1 Uncommon Health Potions {5} | Heals 5% of Maximum HP
T1 Uncommon Damage Potion {1} | +1 DMG for an entire thread.
T1 Uncommon Overhealth Potion {1} | Adds 5% of Maximum HP to users Maximum HP for a thread.
T1 Rare Health Potions {1} | Heals 10% of Maximum HP.

 

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.
[x16] TECH-A (16 EN) | STUN | A single-target sword art that stuns an enemy.
[x16] TECH-B (15 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.
[x16] TECH-C (15 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.
[x12] TECH-F (11 + 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.

 

Bedroom
Effect: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat

Storage Closet
Effect: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot

Spoiler

Word Count: 316

 

Edited February 25, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Statblock

[NIGHT 0]

It must've been in the afternoon when NIGHT had received it, some time past lunch. Listless in Bistro's shop, going over the potential rumor threads that some novice journalist or another had strung up. To her side was a sheet of paper that had each possibility etched upon it copied over, listed, some crossed out with mind maps and some blatantly proven untrue. Black coffee was never her thing, but still it felt wrong to turn down her informant's specialty while over at her stall.

Anything to take her mind off recent events. Not that her broker minded the company. Rearranging shelves could get old pretty fast.

"--Have you ever thought about expanding?"

That was the player's first thought watching the alchemist, though taller, reach out for one of the glowing bottles of light, standing upon her tiptoes to accomplish it. The latter rolled her eyes, not without amusement. "Oh, me and what col, NIGHT?"

"For all the work that you do, and not even enough to upgrade your business?" NIGHT raised a brow. "Sounds like torture. Maybe you should take on the adventuring lifestyle one day."

"Well, that's your way-- not mine."

Almost a chuckle eeked out from the shop keeper. And NIGHT would've turned to her work then, if it hadn't been obscured with a new message that arrived from a friend.

Well, were they still friends? What's a name on a list? What's a half-hearted thought on a piece of paper, able to be struck out with a single flick of her wrist with a pen?

When NIGHT paused, it was to ponder on the safety of her wellbeing, answering the message. To guess at Nari's intentions behind the message. To wonder if she were to falter; to assuage the beating of her heart. To calm the pain in her abdomen.

She hit reply.

NIGHT: ok

With a swing of her legs across the stool, NIGHT hopped down from the bar counter and sauntered out. What items she'd initially left on the table remained, save for the pen she was using from earlier.

"I'm going for a walk for now. I'll be back in a bit."

"Ah, yeah. And I can take a look at your hypotheses in a bit? --"

As the door swung open, she didn't even hear Bistro tell her goodbye.

Perhaps, in a way, NIGHT didn't want to ruminate on the possibility of goodbyes just yet. She just wanted a stroll.

| NIGHT  | Lv. 112 >> P. 80, Lv. 32  | Status: set a reminder for 2 days. did she even state a time?  Notes:  //

Spoiler NIGHT | HP: 960/960 | EN: 134/134 | DMG: 22 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 44 | LM: 2 | HLY: 8 | PHASE | LD: 5 | BH: 38 | Stealth Rating: 6 equipped Orgoth's Legacy ACC, PHASE, HOLY (8) Tracksuit of Unfathomable Fashionability MIT (24), LM II Silver Crescent Necklace ACC II, EVA II battle-ready inventory // skills Spoiler mod count: 5/5 2HSS | RANK 5/5 focus, stamina, precision shift: aoe CLOTH ARMOR | RANK 5/5 athletics, nimble COMBAT MASTERY: DMG | RANK 3/3 SEARCHING | RANK 4+1/5 BATTLE HEALING | RANK 5/5 EXTENDED MOD LIMIT ENERGIST FAMILIAR: PROFESSION QUICK CHANGE extra SURVIVAL CONCENTRATION HIDING blindside, untraceable, vanish, surprise attack-t buffs Spoiler statue KUMATETSU | +1 DMG consumables - - - - - - paragon Lv. 5 | Gain additional col equivalent to 15% of EXP earned in that thread. Lv. 10 | +1 LD to looting. sword arts Spoiler en cost matches multiplier unless stated otherwise. shift underlined. ST | x12 -> x15 | x20 AOE | x15 -> x18 TECH-A | x12 | STUN | 13EN TECH-B | x12 | DELAY TECH-D | x12 | SHATTER TECH-G | x12 | BURN misc. Spoiler housing Dimensional Backpack, Item Stash | +2 Battle-Ready Inventory Slots. Well Rested | -1 EN for the first three expenditures of each combat.  Relaxed | +(5 * Tier) HP per out-of-combat post. Full energy restoration occurs after two turns out of combat. Squeaky Clean | -25% DoT damage taken from the first DoT applied to this player in a thread. Skylight: Searching | +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cooldown of 30 days to reassign. Multipurpose | +1 LD/Prosperity/Stealth/Detection to one post per thread. Can be applied after a roll. Filling | +1 T1 slot to a food consumed by this player in a thread. Can exceed Cook enhancement caps. Col Deposit | +5% col from loot-minimum mobs, +10% col from treasure chests. gathering Greenhouse | +2 G.EXP, +1 CD&LD to gathering attempts. Familiar: Profession | +2 G.EXP Demeter's Cornucopia | +1 CD to gathering attempts.

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari cursed herself, losing track of how many times this had been. She had cursed herself after sending the message. Cursed herself after rolling into the bed – ‘lunging into the bed’ – and even after she had finally managed to peel herself from the covers. Then, just for good measure, she had cursed herself for hiding in the bed to begin with – as if it would somehow save her from the reply. Not that she had expected a reply.

She had spent the following day preparing herself. She kept telling herself it was for the mission, for the quest. But she knew the truth – as, so she assumed, did Yuki. The poor fox had quietly sat through a barrage of constant self-bickering, listening to the woman’s thoughts brought to life, likely wishing that it had a different companion. Nari lifted a hand, providing the small fox yet another small treat – a token of her appreciation for the fox’s patience, and like the hundredth that she had provided this day, already.

“You’re far too good to me, Yuki. Especially after the whole Cerberus thing. I’m sorry for that, by the way. Your fur took a few days to grow back out properly – and I think my hair still smells like the damned magma sometimes.” She knew she was rambling again, her nerves getting the best of her. Closing her eyes and breathing deeply, she forced herself to try and calm, the shield on her right arm clattering as she fidgeted. In the crook of her left arm sat the glaive – shining darkly against the sunlight of the day.

Ellesmera had a lovely feel to it – it reminded Nari of a fantasy movie she’d seen once or twice before. And although she would normally have spent some time enjoying the scenery and general area of the floor, today she was focused. Today she had a mission, something that she needed to complete. ‘I’ve defeated Cerberus, and so many others. Now…this Monkey King. I’m coming for you, with help or alone.’

Her face turned dark as she thought about it, drawn into thought about the rumours she had heard. Her smile disappearing as the frown took its place, her eyebrows drawing inwards towards each other. Staring at the ground, she considered what little she knew about the quest – knowing only that it was found in the village of Florenthia, and that she needed to speak to one of the NPCs there – a man named Remington, of all things…

Spoiler

Word Count: 414

 

[NIGHT 0]

She couldn't remember a thing about the eighth.

Part of it was Aincrad to blame -- somehow, Cardinal's wild magicks kept it shifting, ever changing, despite the consistency of life its residents had been provided once upon a time. Then there was the fact that she couldn't ever remember each individual quest she was sent out to do, only the people she'd met and kept in contact with remained. The people that were the memories, the essence of the places she'd visited, the monsters she'd slain.

There were no memories that stuck with her on the eighth. And as the light faded from NIGHT's vision as she paced off the teleporter, breathing in the cool forest air, she wondered now if she would make one. At least, from when she last saw it, the city had changed for the better. Not that she figured out how the old one looked like--

--Well. No use dwelling on thoughts of the past that didn't seem to matter, the woman figured.

A quick pop of her interface open, and she sent a message out to Nari.

NIGHT: whr?

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

The notification startled her from her thoughts, bringing her back to the present. With a trembling hand, she opened the message, a single, partial word standing out against the dialogue box.

Nari quickly typed back, hitting the send button before she could think twice. Her heart was in her throat, and a sudden fear had gripped her.

Quote

Western gate, fountain on the right. Look for the glaive.

She tried to take a deep breath, instead nearly hyperventilating as the air was sucked in and pushed out in repeatedly quick, jerky spasms. She gripped the glaive’s shaft tightly – to the point where she wondered if it would break in her palm.

She felt her leg begin to twitch, and her right hand rose to begin twirling the hair beside her face, the purple strands flowing around the fingers. Her teeth drove into her bottom lip, and as she stared at the ground, she wondered if she was making another mistake – if this was all a mistake. ‘I made a promise. And it’s time I fulfill that promise. Get ahold of yourself, act like the warrior you desire to be… let the emotions go.’

Spoiler

Word Count: 192

 

[NIGHT 0]

Western gate -- that was where NIGHT moved herself towards, then, trying to ignore the biting feeling in her pit that now felt the pierce of a weapon far greater than a dagger nor sword. To ignore the parts of her mind that rationalized her hiding better than to stay and fight. A glaive's reach could easily best her great sword; that was just the reality of their weapon types, and she had to accept it.

And though she'd expected to see Nari in the combat gear last remembered, what she hadn't expected was the anxiety stored in the woman's frame, reading body language from even a distance away. While NIGHT hadn't been spotted yet, she staggered subconsciously -- a mix of fear crashed with confusion and surprise, and she nearly tripped over her steps.

But she would put them to the way side, for just a moment.

As though nothing had transpired between them before, NIGHT strolled up to Nari with a call and a wave to catch the woman's attention. Fingers tucked into her pockets ran over cloth; from uncertainty, for grounding. "So what did you need me for?"

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

The young girl called out to Nari, her greeting one of an almost casual nature. Nari pushed off the half-wall that she had been leaning against, tucking the glaive into the crook of her elbow as she did so, and attempting what she hoped was a welcoming smile. Her eyes roamed everywhere but NIGHT’s face, and she felt her pulse quicken for a moment.

“I uh…I’m glad you came.” Her face flushing lightly, Nari forced herself to continue speaking, focusing on the question that NIGHT had presented. “I…I heard a rumour that a village around here had some trouble. Something about a…Monkey King?...I’ve been…”

Nari thought back to the fact that she had essentially been missing for weeks, spending her time alone – either locked away in her house, or out grinding on the floors. She had ignored incoming messages, avoiding the busy times of the central populated areas – even going so far as to camp in the field if she figured there was a chance she would run into anyone.

“I’ve been out working on myself. I defeated Cerberus recently. But…something about this quest…I don’t think I can do it alone…” Her voice drifted off as she realised she wasn’t sure where she was heading with the conversation. A moment of awkward silence hovering, Nari quickly moved to fill it, her eyes still roaming the area around them.  “Would you…would you help me out with it? Just this once?”

Spoiler

Word Count: 239

 

[NIGHT 0]

Cerberus?

It had been a while since she'd hunted that boss. The last time she was there, it had been with Koga; the two day trek was nothing she'd wanted to manage alone, hence she staved it off for her friend when she could manage it. Likewise, the first entrance to that dog's lair was on her own. NIGHT remembered what she'd muttered to Koga after the culling of the baby boars, and all at once that realization struck her hard.

Instantly, she folded her arms.

It wasn't Nari's fault that NIGHT had her own issues.

"Sure," she mentioned, before motioning towards the direction out of town. Cardinal shouldn't have changed where it spawned Sun Wu Kong himself, as far as the player believed it, and she detested the tales of the monkey in the first place. Any reason to beat it up again was good enough.

But partially--

"-- ...Was this the important thing that you were meaning to talk about?"

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

She’d just begun to step off, right as the question slipped from NIGHT’s lips, causing Nari to stumble in her single step movement, catching herself on the glaive. Her face reddening deeply as she glanced away from the girl. She hadn’t expected it to be so abrupt, nor had she expected NIGHT to bring it up. She wasn’t ready, hadn’t considered the words she wanted to say, and yet now – here they were.

“Yes. No. Yes…but also no…” The words fumbled, almost as much as her step had fumbled. She couldn’t bring herself to look at NIGHT, staring at a patch of grass off to her right, her face a mix of emotions that she tried to bring under control – ranging from sadness, to fear, to hesitation. Taking a deep breath, she forced her mind to slow itself, trying to calm her insides before letting the words out. “I…wanted to talk about the tournament. What happened there. What I did.”

She let out the breath she’d been holding, her hands already shaking slightly. Her heart was beating so hard she could hear it in her ears, drowning out everything around her. Time seemed to slow for her as she thought about what she would say next, what she could possibly say. An image of Oji, seated on the beach with his saucer of sake, staring off into the sunset as the waves lapped the beach, flashed into her mind.

“I made a promise to someone…that I would fix what I had done. I don’t know if I can fix it…but, I want to try. To try and be better, to make things better. To…be better.” It sounded horrible to her ears, and Nari could only imagine what the other girl must be thinking. She felt her face fall, and she tucked her chin in towards her chest, closing her eyes and waiting for the response she knew was coming. She had given her…well, she couldn’t really call it a speech, but as it was all she had to say. For now. She would manage more later, if there ever was a later.

Spoiler

Word Count: 354

 

[NIGHT 0]

“I…wanted to talk about the tournament. What happened there. What I did.”

"..."

NIGHT wouldn't forget so easily.

In the silence that passed between them, she shifted deeper into her tracksuit, almost hoping that it would swallow her up.

“I made a promise to someone…that I would fix what I had done. I don’t know if I can fix it…but, I want to try. To try and be better, to make things better. To…be better.”

Eyes searched Nari's figure for signs of an answer. Curious, but not discriminatory. Hesitation, but not reluctance. When enough time passed for her to decide on an answer, she started to move, passing the warrior on her way out of town.

"I don't know what better is," NIGHT replied, soft. Her sights were on the leaves of the trees that decorated the settlement, the woman trying to avoid meeting the gaze of her companion. "I don't know who you made the promise to. Don't know what there is to fix."

She lowered her head to the forest floor, checking the steps behind her to know if Nari was following towards their destination.

"But I'm still here. ...So what about the tournament?"

And in the brief quiet that followed, NIGHT continued, barely audible had her companion not caught up.

^{"... You know, whatever happened back then wasn't completely your fault."}

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

It took Nari a moment to realise that the girl had begun to leave, her thoughts considering the few words she had managed to catch. She had expected anger, outbursts, yelling. The quiet had been worse. Far worse. It was as if there was a detachment, a wall. She wasn’t sure how to approach the situation, except through the ways she always did – direct honesty.

“I…I was out of control. During the tournament. I wasn’t…I broke the rules, the very essence of the tournament. I wasn’t just trying to win. I was trying to…to kill.” Her words carried a combination of hesitation and shame, the emotions flowing from her as if a dam had open. Her eyes on the ground, she continued talking, flowing out without control now that she had started. “I was trying to…to kill something. Something within myself. But…I was taking it out on you. Not out of anger, or spite, or…anything. I just. There was a part of me I regretted…hated…and you…you saw that part. And I wanted to destroy it.”

Three steps in silence, as she suddenly felt the words leave her. Unsure of where this train of thought was going. She thought back to the tournament, to her conversation with Oji, and the others. To her weeks since then, the time in which she had considered all of this. A sudden phrase popped into her mind, one that she had learnt when she first started her martial arts training. “War and love are always similar. It is not the battle that matters, but the heart behind it. If one is filled with darkness, with hatred, with anger, then so shall the other soon follow. A warrior cannot protect what it hates, and thus is doomed to fall.”

A mantra, she had forced herself to remember. One that she had clearly forgotten. “I made a promise to Oji, and to myself. I did something horrible, and I can’t live with it. And although I may never get your forgiveness, I will spend my days fighting for redemption – until I am certain that I have done all I can, to make myself a better person.”

Another pause, as she realised something that NIGHT had said. “I…don’t know what it means to be better. Some view it as being nicer, or doing good things, or protecting others. I just…I know that I hurt others, and I don’t want to do that anymore. I don’t want to cause pain to those who I care for.”

Spoiler

Word Count: 417

 

[NIGHT 0]

“I…I was out of control. During the tournament. I wasn’t…I broke the rules, the very essence of the tournament. I wasn’t just trying to win. I was trying to…to kill.” 

NIGHT stopped. There was only heaviness on her lips, her jaw, her tongue. Because--

"--I know."

And she listened, still, like the shrubbery in the forest, only gently persuaded to move by the wind. Hunched over, empty, her eyes only had the earth to keep them occupied.

"There was a part of me I regretted…hated…and you…you saw that part. And I wanted to destroy it.”

The woman had to wonder if she was the only one to saw things that fight. Doubtless, if Koga had noticed her floundering, then perhaps the rest of the audience would know, too.

But to put words to justify it was... less than ideal.

When Nari started to approach her, so too did NIGHT turn. Terse, unamicable. Like a raging storm beneath a murky facade, a tight lip drawn askew. Eyes that looked anywhere, anywhere but here.

Hollowness in her abdomen. Now there was only a pulsing behind her chest, at the point where she swore she could've felt the wooden blade would follow through.

“War and love are always similar. It is not the battle that matters, but the heart behind it."

Her eyes snapped back to reality, drawing NIGHT out of second thoughts. On Nari's figure. Did she figure it out?

"If one is filled with darkness, with hatred, with anger, then so shall the other soon follow. A warrior cannot protect what it hates, and thus is doomed to fall.”

Unsure. NIGHT couldn't tell. She thought back to when Koga had asked her to explain it better to Nari. But her lips wouldn't open, for better or worse, for room of her companion's speech.

Then... something about redemption, and the woman almost wanted to laugh. A huff, a suppressed smirk, and her sights to the trees. "You speak as though you're a player killer," she mused, absent-minded. Wasn't there a quest like that rumored to exist? How the populous came up with such a name for that tale, she wouldn't know.

"... I don’t want to cause pain to those who I care for.”

NIGHT entertained the thought -- about re-explaining herself right here, in that moment. But a part of her preferred to save that debate for later, where they could be better situated in a much cozier place, a much better hour. If there was a first step, then it had to be there. It had to be that, she reasoned. But for now, she decided on turning back around and walking towards their destination. "Then you've got your work cut out for you. C'mon. You've got time to decide how to do that later."

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Her words lost for a while, Nari followed along behind the girl, letting the more experienced player lead her ever deeper towards their destination. Her thoughts turned inwards again, returning to days long past. She felt like they would never stop haunting her, like they would forever trap her in this torment, repeating in her mind over and over again until her sanity was stripped away. She needed something to distract her, something to pull her away.

“Have you done this quest before?” Her words were distant, as she tried to pull herself back to the present. “The Cerberus quest was far simpler than I had expected it to be, but I wasn’t sure about this one. Cardinal…makes it hard, sometimes. To know if it will be a challenge, or not. Lately…lately, I feel like there’s little in this world I can’t face. Aside from people.”

She was rambling again. Biting her tongue, she tried to stop, to let the other speak. She was still working on control, clearly. But she was determined to show she had progressed – if only to herself. ‘You’ve done all you can, for now, focus on the quest. Focus on that, and everything beyond it can come later.’

Spoiler

Word Count: 203

 

[NIGHT 0]

"That's how it's going to be like these days."

And almost to intercept her route, there seemed to be a village that wasn't present before, on their way towards the Monkey King. A quick reference to her map told her that they were in Florenthia, though as to its purpose, NIGHT couldn't tell. Still, she continued onwards, turning to Nari for a moment. The Cerberus quest was 'simple'? Either it had changed drastically since she'd completed it, or the tank had more potential than she did.

Likely a good thing, as long as NIGHT wasn't staring down the other end of that glaive.

"I'd completed it a long time ago," she admitted. Her pace was slow, almost as though to give the village a good look-over despite her nonchalance of its appearance. "It might've changed during one of the system updates. Better your information than mine, likely -- although knowing the game, the target's probably going to be a pushover, as it ever was."

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

‘A pushover.’ Nari felt herself scowl at the words, her face mimicking an appearance of distaste. She felt herself grip her glaive tighter, pulling it into herself, as if a certain comfort was felt from its presence. “I wish…just once, that Cardinal would give a challenge…”

She realised suddenly she had spoken aloud, blinking surprise. Had she gotten so used to being alone that she couldn’t keep her voice inside her head anymore? Shaking aside the disturbing thought, she popped open her map, trying to locate the location that she had been told they would find the quest.

“Based on the information I’d gathered…what little that was…we should be meeting an NPC named…Remington? I think that’s right.” She frowned again as she realised just how bad her information gathering had been – even with the Cerberus quest, she had specifically avoided people, trying to complete the quests on…pure luck? She wasn’t even sure. “I…hate to admit it, but you may have more information on this than I…I didn’t really…well…I’ve been avoiding people…”

A sudden thought passed through her mind – she hadn’t spoken to Koga, Bismuth or any of the others in those weeks either, there must’ve been some worry…’Or perhaps not. Maybe they’ve been better off…no, don’t let the darkness rise again.’

A sudden shift in her posture, and she forced herself to speed up, trying to catch up with NIGHT, suddenly realising she had fallen behind while lost in thought.

Spoiler

Word Count: 240

 

[NIGHT 0]

Did she hear that right? A challenge?

NIGHT turned to Nari, studying her with immense curiosity. Define 'challenge' too -- because dealing with people was already a feat in itself, she believed. "Are you alright?" was the first thing she'd decided to ask, before pulling open her messages at her companion's notice. NPCs being involved with a hunt were peculiar. "I didn't have to meet anyone when I was looking for Wu Kong," she stated.

"Give me a moment."

Her back was turned on Nari for a minute. Information exchanged through chat -- some rando Remington had his own place somewhere, and the Monkey King's presence was putting a hold on research. Seemed like a decent reason, if only an obstacle. And to entertain some other man called Sewallus was also an odd factor. When NIGHT shot a glance back at Nari, it was to call her over about the intel she'd gathered.

Rather, the look of darkness on her companion was only concerning. The player took it to heart, just as another few messages came in.

She gave them a glance, before whisking them away.

"Avoiding people," NIGHT reiterated, folding her arms. Maybe it was close to that time, then -- though she wondered how she would breach that subject. "... Are you going to disappear on us, then? What's kept you indoors all this time?"

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

“I…didn’t want to be near anyone. Not while I was…figuring things out.” Nari fiddled with her glaive, trying to find the best way to answer the question. Her immediate response was almost a deflection of the question, and she quickly continued, trying to explain herself.  “I was trying to figure out what was wrong with me. Trying to figure out what I needed to do to fix…myself. I needed time to make myself right, before I could make anything else right.”

She knew it was a poor excuse, but at least it was truthful. She wandered over towards NIGHT, still hesitant at getting too close, keeping herself well out of arm’s reach as she glanced at what the girl was trying to show her. Her eyes hovered over the words, the information behind them barely registering in her mind as she realised the first question she hadn’t yet answered.

“I…don’t plan on disappearing. Not forever, at least. But…I don’t know that I’m ready to face everyone again. Not yet. I…still need time, I think.” She rushed to add the next part as she realised the non-committal answer she had given. “I plan on joining the front lines, soon. But I need to complete some things first, to become ready for that. And I still have some people to make things right with, before I can truly step up to the front. I need them to understand I can be trusted…to be there for them.”

Pointing down the road to their left with her glaive’s point, she’ll nod slightly. “It’s this way.”

Spoiler

Word Count: 261

[NIGHT 0]

"Got it."

In their walk over to Remington's position, she looked over her companion. To join the front lines -- that sort of answer was old, by now. Anyone could claim to want to accomplish such a thing. The effort was what made the difference.

NIGHT only needed to think of Yuki, and it was enough. "You don't have to do it alone," she commented, with her eyes set on the road ahead. "Getting ready, I mean. It's not easy for anyone to be on their own. Likewise, though I don't know you that well yet, I wouldn't want you vanishing on me either."

"... Likewise, I did give you my word," she added quietly to herself. Her eyes darted between the different buildings in their surroundings after she'd muttered it, a focus on the one that best matched Bistro's description of their target. And an urgent push to change the subject -- "Do you want to talk to him, or shall I?"

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Lost for words, Nari considered what NIGHT had said. She knew, deep down in her heart that at some point she would have to start relying on others, that you could only go so far alone. The question for Nari was, how far did she need to go before she could rely on them?

Pondering the idea, it took her a moment to realise she had been asked a question. “Hmm…? Uhm… you’re better with people, I think…”

She wasn’t confident in that at all, but it was the best answer Nari had at the moment. She was still trying to figure out where they stood – NIGHT seemed… almost impartial to everything, as if pretending to shrug it all off. Nari wasn’t sure if the girl actually didn’t care, or if it was just a mask. She had never been good at reading people, and now she felt like she knew nothing at all about the thoughts of others.

“What was this quest like when you first completed it?” The question rolled out with a distracted tone, more of an attempt to get the other talking, than anything else. She was curious, but was also focused on just…talking. Trying to get a gauge on where they stood. Another thought popped into her mind then, and without hesitation the question was past her lips. “Do you know many of the frontline fighters?”

Spoiler

Word Count: 231

 

[NIGHT 0]

The onus on her, but not in the way she thought she'd hear it. NIGHT paused, if only for a moment, before picking up her pace. "If you say so. Then wait here."

She left Nari for a beat on the front steps of Remington's home. A quick chat -- NIGHT had little patience to play antics with a man who thought better of himself than the world, and she'd already had experience cutting to the chase with these people -- and she was out the door in a shuffle with a bounty notice in her hands. "Says to find Sewallus." At least the guard house was easier to spot in the outpost. Still, it was a walk, and her companion had questions.

NIGHT gave Nari a glance as she paced. Almost like she was spaced out. Maybe they both were.

"Before the system updates," she started, contemplating on the past, "I was told that there was a flood of darkness. Something that happened to Aincrad that started on the 25th floor, when we were taking down the floor boss. That's when most of the updates started rolling in. It was before that time that most of the quests you know of now didn't have as much structure to them."

"The Monkey King was one of them, and so all that was needed was to find it, kill it, and leave."

And then the second question puzzled her a little more. Though, being prodded this much was just as strange to the woman. She shook her head as part of her response. "I know of them, and that's enough."

"... Most of them are pretty loud in battle,"  NIGHT remarked, after a brief moment of peace, a twinge of disgust showing on her face. "I don't like it. Better to spend the effort on directing your strikes than to speak in such an environment. Likewise, even without direct interaction will you come to know these people. Between the boss meetings, the rumors and the connections you make with others, you can get a lot of context without even speaking to them directly."

"... Well?" The player turned around to look at the other, still walking, still stoic, still observant. "Was any of that what you wanted to hear? Likewise... What made you ask in the first place?"