[F14-PP] a wish your heart makes.

[NIGHT 0]

"what if we never beat the game? just kept on living here? it's... better... in here. right?"

the thought haunted her eves in the days to come.

it wasn't so much the question. night had contemplated on the idea multiple times. it called to her endlessly, like a siren, a preacher cloaked in white garb and held her gold hair back in a pony tail.

hell, night still had that scrunchie she was gifted one time. sometimes she would keep it on her wrist, as protective ward as she watched her companion prepare cooking ingredients. the forced drumming, the sharpness of the knife's edge in warm artificial light; she couldn't spot the blood on that silver, but she could trace where her stains had ended. fingers clung onto that scrunchie as the player stood her ground, if only against what she felt when she took in the culinary sounds, a hand to her abdomen.

she'd meant to give it back, but...

 

... so the question. night was no stranger to it. still, knowing it plagued her friend was troubling.

even more so--

"--i think i asked you this, once. a long time ago."

--she was bothered by the thought of not knowing when.

 

she was bestowed with a dream of hellfire and ash. a shivering in her pockets. hands that wrapped themselves around her shoulders, reached down and set firm on her torso. overlooking a field aghast of life from on high, the central image of a river of lava, of fire, snaking its way down the horizon. night breathed, and gasped as her head turned downwards, the height of her potential fall striking the wind out of her lungs. but the air wasn't as dry as she thought it should've been.

the land was devastated, but not barren. not without purpose. ruby, where there should've been amber. the scars of earth still bled, still beat, still pulsed like there was a heart underneath it.

when she awoke, she barely remembered her nightmare. only sorrow upon the tip of her tongue, and a hand on her abdomen, keeping her close. the traces of duty ghosted her fingers.

pretense was all she could hold on to.

 

to: @Koga

night: ur qn
night: ill ans it
night: f14 labynth
night: cm prepd

 

| NIGHT  | Lv. 115 >> P. 83, Lv. 32  | Status: tswift - red.  Notes:  //

Spoiler NIGHT | HP: 960/960 | EN: 134/134 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 3 | LD: 14 | QTY: 2 | PROSP: 4 | BH: 52 | Stealth Rating: 6 equipped Cosmic Devourer+1  ABS. ACC, ACC II Lucky Tracksuit LD III locket. QLTY II, PROSP I battle-ready inventory Teleport Crystal (3) | Instant | TELEPORT Imugi's Inspiration (5) | Instant | MASS HP RECOVERY [+30*Tier HP] Imugi's Inspiration (5) | Instant | MASS HP RECOVERY [+30*Tier HP] 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 OROCHI | +1 LD consumables  Crème Brûlée | ACCURACY II | [#176310]  Smores | EVASION II | [#175577-1]  Breakfast Fry | PROTEIN II  Liquor of Light | DMG III  Berry Crumb Bars | LOOT DIE IV | [#178001-2] | FILLED  Mousse | PROSPERITY III | [#190262]  Water Canister | +15 HP PER OOC REGEN 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.

offering  [Berry Crumb Bars (1) | LOOT DIE III | #178001-1], [Mousse (1) | PROSPERITY III | #176320-2]  to koga.

[Koga 0]

k o g a the elder wolf Spoiler notes: i'm so poor now Koga Lvl 32/46 | HP: 860 | EN: 120 | DMG: 23 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 3 | BRN: 56 | BLT: 32/20 | FALN: 8 | REC: 4 | B.HEALING: 47/94 equipped battle-ready inventory T4 Demonic Katana <<Tsuki no Hikari>> [ CRSED // BRN I // BLT I // FALN I ] T4 Perfect Light Armor <<Twilight Coat>> [ EVA II // REC I ] T1 Perfect Trinket <<Kashira Cable - Wolf>> [ ACC III ] Teleportation Crystal (1) <<Queen's Honey>> [DMG +3] T1 Uncommon Consumable <<Cupcake>> [Evasion] Spider Ciders [90 HP Restoration] (2) skills Spoiler | UTILITY Gathering: Fishing I | Successfully forage for materials on a LD 14+ | 0/49 EXP  Searching III | +1 LD per rank. +1 to Stealth Detection per rank. | 14 SP Night Vision | Ignores any penalties from low light or darkness. Negates the bonus Stealth Rating from low light or darkness. | 3 SP | COMBAT Combat Shift: Single Target | For the following Sword Arts, +3 to multipliers and +2 to EN cost; ST-I, ST-II, ST-B. No other Shifts may be taken. | 10 SP Mastery: Damage III | Gain 1 * Tier Damage per rank | 13 SP Battle Healing V | Recover 5% (rounded down) of your maximum HP at the start of your turn | 30 SP Emergency Recovery | When non-fatal damage would leave you with 25% or less of your maximum HP, recover 10% of your maximum HP after the attack resolves. Effect cannot occur more than once per thread.  When activated if the player has lower than 10 energy remaining, simply reduce the player's energy to 0. | 6 SP EN Cost: 10 Energist | Increase Base Energy by 5 * Tier | 8 SP Charge | Perform a single attack/Sword Art with +5 base damage. Charge attacks have a -1 Accuracy debuff and cannot be affected by any auto-hit effects. | 10 SP Cooldown: 3 Posts | WEAPON Katana V | +7 DMG when equipped with a Katana | 30 SP Stamina | Reduces the energy of all Katana attacks by 2 EN | 4 SP Precision | Gain +1 ACC. | 2 SP Ferocity | +2 DMG when using Katana Sword Arts | 4 SP | ARMOR Light Armor V | +30 MIT when equipped with Light Armor, -2 Stealth | 30 SP Meticulous | +1 DMG when equipped with Light Armor | 4 SP Resolve | +1 ACC and +10 * Tier HP when equipped with Light Armor | 6 SP | EXTRAS Familiar Master: Rending | You and your familiar attack in tandem, applying Rend [7*tier unmitigatable damage] to the target that lasts for two turns. | 10 SP Cooldown: 5 Turns Survival | Increases Healing effects received from all sources by 10%. Grants immunity to all damage dealing environmental attacks/effects. | 0 SP Parry | 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. | 10 SP 9 EN, Cooldown: 3 Turns Vengeful Riposte | 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. | 6 SP Cooldown: 4 Turns Justified Riposte | A successful Parry also stuns the target for 1 turn. | 5 SP Cooldown: 4 Turns buffs Spoiler | PARAGON REWARDS Lv. 5 | Earn Col equivalent to 15% of player’s EXP earned in thread. Lv. 10 | +1 LD to Looting | BUFFS <<Well Rested>> | -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat. <<Squeaky Clean>> | The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down). <<Filling>> | Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. <<Item Stash>> | +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot <<Tasty>> | Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread. <<Relaxed>> | Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. <<Multipurpose>> | Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll.

Koga awoke to a mysterious message, the sharp beep almost drowned out in the incessant screaming that was his damnable alarm. The one night Koga actually managed to get a little bit of sleep, and he'd decided to set his alarm for an early morning. What god of insomnia had cursed him?

Okami was no happier than Koga, his lips curling back into a snarl as he let out a low growl, despite not opening his eyes. A door clicked open from across the hall, and the man heard something soft collide with his door and then fall to the floor before he heard Tala's voice shouting, "TURN THAT OFF MAS, YOU'RE GONNA WAKE UP THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD!"

Koga groaned as he obliged his irritable younger sister, the annoying blaring finally ceasing, and allowing Koga a moment's silence. "As if you didn't just do that," the man sighed before sitting up and finally noticing the message notification.

"Hmm?" He'd thought that he and NIGHT had passed the mysterious messages phase of their relationship...The man opened the message and read over it. Four short, choppy messages. But even still, they surprised Koga, each one curious in it's own right. The first two more than the others.

"C'mon, Okami. We got work to do."

---

Koga stepped out of the teleporter with a brief yawn and a stretch, before his face returned to it's usual dour countenance. His eyes scanned the crowd for NIGHT, but not seeing her immediately, he opened his messenger and sent her a single worded correspondence.

here

---

| Koga consumes <<Queen's Honey>>, +3DMG
| Koga consumes T1 Uncommon Consumable <<Cupcake>>, +1EVA
| Koga accepts <<Mousse>>, +3Prosperity
| Koga accepts <<Berry Crumb Bar>>, +3LD

Spoiler

Koga Lvl 32/46 | HP: 860 | EN: 120 | DMG: 23 26 | EVA: 2 3 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 3 6 | BRN: 56 | BLT: 32/20 | FALN: 8 | REC: 4 | B.HEALING: 47/94 | PROSP: 3

 

Edited March 11, 2022 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

'here' was such a decisive statement. when night had sent the message, she hadn't expected him to be not-'here'.

night: @ the laby?

it didn't matter too much where he was. the blackwatch bastion was only a short walk away from the settlement, if that was where the man had appeared at. and though night had set out as soon as she could, even she wasn't at the labyrinth's entrance just yet.

night: 1mo
night: dont move
night: tptr?

the fallen cloaks around her were obedient enough to have fallen to her input. like a quick snap of her fingers, if abstracted enough, yet the player felt her entire body pivot if only to swing her blade. her weapon glowed in its original hues in lieu of the shaders that befell this location.

she didn't recall that part, at the very least. rarely anyone had shown up on the fourteenth after the changes to the system.

night: omw bck

the rabble could aggro her all they wanted. better for the woman, trekking to and fro from her point of interest. footsteps shuffled upon uneven ground, cosmic devourer stuck steadfast to her hand.

Spoiler

> POST ACTION: AOE-I

with acc5 + abs acc, bd1 + 5 = 6. bd unnecessary.

ID205512 | bd8  | -> Fallen Red Cloak #4
ID205511 | bd1 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #3
ID205510 | bd9 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #2
ID205509 | bd7 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #1

-15 -(2*4) +2 = -21 EN
26 * 15 = 390 DMG

---

Fallen Red Cloak #1 ~ 4 | HP: 0/390 | DMG: 192 

NIGHT | HP: 960/960 | EN: 113/134 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 3 | LD: 14 | QTY: 2 | PROSP: 4 | BH: 52 | Stealth Rating: 6

[Koga 0]

A short series of back and for messages between the players.

Koga: No, the town

...

Koga: Yeah, teleporter. Ill be here

...

Well, all that could be done was wait for now... Koga moved off to the side just a bit, staying away from the small pockets of players that always formed in the squares. Around the billboard, around the shopping stalls, and some just scattered about chatting. He wasn't exactly keen on joining any of them, so instead Koga found a quiet place to lean against the wall with his arms crossed, a sight NIGHT would surely be accustomed to by now.

--

Her arrival was not gone unnoticed either, as Koga pushed himself away from his reclined position and gave the woman a short wave to grab her attention. "Yo," he greeted her, as he walked towards her. "What's up, why are we hitting the Labyrinth?" he asked, uncertain as to his friends motives. She'd never showed interest to him in exploring them before, especially not after a boss had already been cleared, and Koga had never actually set foot inside one. Was this another one of her unprompted training sessions?

[NIGHT 0]

a few stragglers cleared, before she skipped into the safe zone. she was lucky cardinal thought her obedient to its whims, the way it registered loot to her inventory, though she ignored the influx of what materials were going into cache. sword still held at the ready by her side, as koga fell into position before her, night glanced to the bodies dissipating. floating fragments, an obnoxious white in monochrome, were what was left after their forms had exploded when she wasn't looking.

"no reason," night decided, "except for gear and seclusion from everybody else." her gaze turned back on her friend, expression stern. "you came prepared as i told you to, right? if that's the case, then let's be off."

the blackwatch bastion was a landmark on the floor they were on. granted, that should've been enough for the player to be wary about showing up at, for its notoriety meant frequenters should've been abound at the fort. so the labyrinth, further in from where most others would venture to, was ideal had she wanted to pay it a visit.

night wasn't lying when she said she'd chosen it on a whim.

she bid koga cross the threshold out of the settlement as they started towards their destination.

Spoiler

> POST ACTION: AOE-I

with acc5 + abs acc, bd1 + 5 = 6. bd unnecessary, but stated for verification.

ID205536 | bd9 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #8
ID205535 | bd2 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #7
ID205534 | bd8 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #6
ID205533 | bd5 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #5

-15 -(2*4) +2+4 = -17 EN
26 * 15 = 390 DMG

---

Fallen Red Cloak #5 ~ 8 | HP: 0/390 | DMG: 192 

NIGHT | HP: 960/960 | EN: 96/134 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 3 | LD: 14 | QTY: 2 | PROSP: 4 | BH: 52

[Koga 0]

A briefest glance was all that was given to the dissipating bodies behind NIGHT, a not uncommon sight. Were they not NPC mobs, that fact would make the woman sound like a serial killer. Maybe that would make them both serial killers.

Koga gave little more than a shrug to NIGHT's response. "Alright, sounds good to me, I guess." The man would've been lying if he'd said that he wouldn't mind the seclusion. Preferred it even, a fact NIGHT was sure to know.

"As prepared as I could," Koga answered back, opening his stats window to check on his buffs one last time. The man's consumables inventory was woefully empty compared to nearly any other player. He'd always just made due with his base stats in the past, save for a few occasions or particularly difficult boss fight. He'd never liked relying on temporary buffs, despite understanding their necessity.

The man started just a pace behind NIGHT, saying nothing as he allowed her to lead him to their destination, not being familiar with this particular floor. It was macabre in appearance. Dour, foreboding, practically stinking with fear, although that was certainly just Cardinal enforcing the Floor's atmosphere.

[NIGHT 0]

she took the topic of their day one step at a time.

first, the build up. between koga's wait at the teleporter and the enemies slowly targeting the players' tiny party, what differed between those two moments were the seconds leading up to the next occasion.

next, the tension. the zombies rushed after them in accumulating droves, though only one at a time. had they not been higher-level players, perhaps they would've seemed more a threat. and night knew she was keeping her friend in the same state, too, because she was trying to consider how to start speaking about the subject.

finally, the release. once she was certain the cloaks were lined up neat and orderly on her behalf, she swung her blade at their followers, sparing them from physicality within the blink of an eye. the figures howled, raised their hands towards the sky, and shattered.

likewise, they were stopped at the front entrance of the bastion. only loosely guarded, for zombies didn't have good organizational motives. night turned from their slain quarry to the building ahead.

"so your question," she began, glancing to koga. "that life's better in here. i disagree with it."

a simple statement. a fundamental truth.

"but tell me why you think differently." she returned, bowing her head towards the stronghold's interior, its doors wide open for adventurers to wander through. and she walked, making sure her friend kept pace even as he spoke.

Spoiler

> POST ACTION: AOE-I

with acc5 + abs acc, bd1 + 5 = 6. bd unnecessary, but stated for verification.

ID205696 | bd1 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #12
ID205695 | bd3 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #11
ID205694 | bd4 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #10
ID205693 | bd3 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #9

-15 -(2*4) +2+4 = -17 EN
26 * 15 = 390 DMG

---

Fallen Red Cloak #9 ~ 12 | HP: 0/390 | DMG: 192 

NIGHT | HP: 960/960 | EN: 79/134 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 3 | LD: 14 | QTY: 2 | PROSP: 4 | BH: 52

 

[Koga 0]

NIGHT dispatched each of the Red Cloak's lazily, almost no effort was required on her part to eliminate them in scores. With the next batch gone in a flurry of glowing digital snow, she began their topic of conversation.

Her disagreement with days old statement however...it surprised him. The man neglected to answer at first, formulating his response as he engaged the next set of Red Cloaks. The Wolf took a couple steps forward, lifted his sword, and brought it down, biting into the rotten flesh of the four undead.

"Because," the man began to answer, as he leapt backwards, avoiding one of the Red Cloak's counter strike. "What do we have to look forward to out there?" It was an honest question. One that probably varied from person to person when it came to the details, but that was not the subject of Koga's line of questioning.

"How long have we been in here?" The man ducked beneath another horizontal slash and danced around another blade. "Six? Seven years? No matter what, we'll be so far behind everyone else when we get out." Koga grunted as he attempted a basic attack, if only to give himself a little bit more room to finish speaking. "That's not to mention the physical toll on our bodies."

---

Spoiler

Koga | HP: 860/860 | EN: 101/120 (120 -19) | DMG: 26 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 6 | BRN: 56 | BLT: 32/20 | FALN: 8 | REC: 4 | B.HEALING: 47/94 | PROSP: 3

NIGHT | HP: 960/960 | EN: 79/134 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 3 | LD: 14 | QTY: 2 | PROSP: 4 | BH: 52

 

Fallen Red Cloak 9 | HP: 104/390 (390 -286) | DMG: 192

Fallen Red Cloak 10 | HP: 16/390 (390 -374) | DMG: 192

Fallen Red Cloak 11 | HP: 16/390 (390 -374) | DMG: 192

Fallen Red Cloak 12 | HP: 104/390 (390 -286) | DMG: 192

---

Koga uses AOE-I
  | 205956, BD nat3 +5
  | DMG 26 * 11
  | 205957, BD nat7
  | DMG (26 +8) * 11
  | 205958, BD nat8
  | DMG (26 +8) * 11
  | 205959, BD nat5 +5
  | DMG 26 * 11
Fallen Red Cloak 9 takes 286 damage
Fallen Red Cloak 10 takes 374 FALLEN damage
Fallen Red Cloak 11 takes 374 FALLEN damage
Fallen Red Cloak 12 takes 286 damage

 

Edited March 15, 2022 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

"then all the better to work towards our exit," night retorted, taking her anguish out on the set of incoming zombies koga had failed to execute completely. she hadn't bothered enough on observing their prowess, and only did so once her friend's strength lacked in comparison to her own. a different build, it seemed, or one without an equivalent of buffs. "they can't sustain us forever, both the nerve gear, the servers this game runs on, nor the medical equipment they must've hooked up to us by now."

the player scoffed in light of that statement. "if we were in states so dire, what's to say the conversation we're having now isn't a figment of our imagination? that each one of us is creeping up to death's door even as we speak, and these are the last moments of our brains struggling to survive." another wave cleared, she started up the stairs to higher ground of the bastion. "i meant that as a jest, of course. but if we were pushing the narrative we would be completely destitute by the time we'd emerged, then why not take that to its extremes? you get what i mean, don't you?"

Spoiler

> POST ACTION: AOE-I

with acc5 + abs acc, bd1 + 5 = 6. bd unnecessary, but stated for verification.

ID205965 | bd5 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #12 #16 
ID205964 | bd1 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #11 #15 
ID205963 | bd2 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #10 #14 
ID205962 | bd8 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #9 #13 

-15 -(2*4) +2+4 = -17 EN
26 * 15 = 390 DMG

---

Fallen Red Cloak #13 ~ 16 | HP: 0/390 | DMG: 192 

NIGHT | HP: 960/960 | EN: 62/134 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 3 | LD: 14 | QTY: 2 | PROSP: 4 | BH: 52

 

[Koga 0]

"If we're being honest," Koga grunted ducking beneath another blade and retaliating, the steel cutting cleanly through the Red Cloak's torso this time, splitting it in two before it disappeared, "if this was all just a figment of my imagination before I died, I wouldn't be too upset." This wasn't the worst thing to see before one died after all. A good friend and a meaningful, if troubling, conversation. The adrenaline and excitement of the fight fell by the wayside for once.

"But, to your point," Koga went on, his words punctuated by the act of thrusting his katan through the throat of another Red Cloak, "I fail to see how us being on the verge of death, the extreme as you say-" A brief clang of steel interrupts him as he parries aside a blow and dispatches the attacker. "I'd prefer to die in the world where I can still act, instead of bed-ridden."

The last Red Clock collapsed to the ground as Koga turned to look over at NIGHT. "Or am I way off the mark here?"

---

Spoiler

Koga | HP: 860/860 | EN: 83/120 (101 +1 -19) | DMG: 26 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 6 | BRN: 56 | BLT: 32/20 | FALN: 8 | REC: 4 | B.HEALING: 47/94 | PROSP: 3

NIGHT | HP: 960/960 | EN: 62/134 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 3 | LD: 14 | QTY: 2 | PROSP: 4 | BH: 52

 

Fallen Red Cloak 9 | HP: 0/390 (104 - 308) | DMG: 192

Fallen Red Cloak 10 | HP: 0/390 (16 -286) | DMG: 192

Fallen Red Cloak 11 | HP: 0/390 (16 -286) | DMG: 192

Fallen Red Cloak 12 | HP: 0/390 (104 -374) | DMG: 192

 

---

note: lmfao made rolls out of order, whoops

 > 206001, CD nat6

Fallen Red Cloak 9 attacks Koga
  | 205997, MD nat3
Fallen Red Cloak 9 misses!

Fallen Red Cloak 10 attacks Koga
  | 205998, MD nat7 -3
Fallen Red Cloak 10 misses!

Fallen Red Cloak 11 attacks Koga
  | 205999, MD nat8 -3
Fallen Red Cloak 11 misses!

Fallen Red Cloak 12 attacks Koga
  | 206000, MD nat1
Fallen Red Cloak 12 critically misses!

Koga uses AOE-I
  | 205993, BD nat10
  | DMG (26 +2) * 11
  | 205994, BD nat2 +5
  | DMG 26 * 11
  | 205995, BD nat3 +5
  | DMG 26 * 11
  | 205996, BD nat6
  | DMG (26 +8) * 11
Fallen Red Cloak 9 takes 308 CRIT damage!
Fallen Red Cloak 9 dies!
Fallen Red Cloak 10 takes 286 damage
Fallen Red Cloak 10 dies!
Fallen Red Cloak 11 takes 286 damage
Fallen Red Cloak 11 dies!
Fallen Red Cloak 12 takes 374 FALLEN damage
Fallen Red Cloak 12 dies!

---

Loot
206596, LD nat6 +3, CD nat6
206597, LD nat12 +3, CD nat10
206598, LD nat1 +3, CD nat12, you're fucking kidding me
206599, LD nat20 +3, CD nat9

17550*Col
4*Materials
T4 Rare Trinket #206596a
T4 Rare Armor/Shield #206597a
T4 Perfect Consumable #206599a

 

Edited March 23, 2022 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

"well, i would be."

as much as she appreciated good company, she knew she'd think differently when it came to her final moments. the world rearranged to her benefit wouldn't have involved the living dead, for example, and she had ties closer than koga despite loathing them in equal measures. "have higher standards for yourself."

they slowly dispatched the oncoming waves, and night let herself go quiet to hear what her friend had to mention. irony at its finest was all she heard in return. she rolled her eyes. "you're already bed-ridden, whether you die in here or k/o right after waking up. are you hearing yourself correctly? if your concern is having agency in how you die, then you can better spend your efforts in working up to your final moments of 'getting out of here'."

if she didn't owe it to herself on freedom from their cages, then she owed it to the people who were waiting for her back home. even if that list only consisted of hospital staff and caretakers.

Spoiler

> POST ACTION: AOE-I

with acc5 + abs acc, bd1 + 5 = 6. bd unnecessary, but stated for verification.

ID206005 | bd7 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #20 
ID206004 | bd5 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #19 
ID206003 | bd9 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #18 
ID206002 | bd8 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #17 

-15 -(2*4) +2+4 = -17 EN
26 * 15 = 390 DMG

---

Fallen Red Cloak #17 ~ 20 | HP: 0/390 | DMG: 192 

NIGHT | HP: 960/960 | EN: 45/134 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 3 | LD: 14 | QTY: 2 | PROSP: 4 | BH: 52

 

[Koga 0]

"But we do have agency in here," Koga spat back, feeling a swell of anger rise in his chest. "What does it matter that this place is just ones and zeros?" The man turned to engage the next set of enemies as he spoke, his blade igniting as he struck out at the first of the skeletal beings.

Was none of this real to her? Were their actions within Aincrad just figments, doomed to be lost once the servers were finally shut down? "We can act in here. Choices we make matter, but out there?" The first revenant burned to ash behind Koga as his weapon dug into the chest of the next, and then another. "What the hell does anything we do out there matter? We just work our asses off in the hopes we can make ends meet," Koga raised his blade high, "but at least here we can help people." He brought the blade down, but the skeletal figure leaped back, Koga's blade driving itself into the ground. The Red Cloaks then retaliated, and Koga winced as the point of a sword buried itself into his shoulder.

---

Spoiler

Koga | HP: 666/860 (860 -194) | EN: 69/120 (83 +1 +4 -19) | DMG: 26 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 6 | BRN: 56 | BLT: 32/20 | FALN: 8 | REC: 4 | B.HEALING: 47/94 | PROSP: 3

NIGHT | HP: 960/960 | EN: 62/134 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 3 | LD: 14 | QTY: 2 | PROSP: 4 | BH: 52

 

Fallen Red Cloak 21 | HP: 0/390 (390 -308 -56 -32) | DMG: 192
[ BRN, DMG56, 1/2 ]
[ BLT, DMG32, -MIT20, 1/2 ]

Fallen Red Cloak 22 | HP: 104/390 (390 -286) | DMG: 192

Fallen Red Cloak 23 | HP: 390/390 | DMG: 192

Fallen Red Cloak 24 | HP: 104/390 (390 -286) | DMG: 192

---

> 206245, CD 9, recovery procced

Koga uses AOE-I
  | 206244, BD nat9
  | DMG (26 +2) * 11
  | 206246, BD nat5 +5
  | DMG 26 * 11
  | 206247, BD nat1
  | 206248, BD nat5 +5
Fallen Red Cloak 21 takes 308 CRIT damage!
Fallen Red Cloak 21 is BURNED!
Fallen Red Cloak 21 is BLIGHTED!
Fallen Red Cloak 22 takes 286 damage
Koga critically misses Fallen Red Cloak 23!
Fallen Red Cloak 24 takes 286 CRIT damage

Fallen Red Cloak 21 takes 56 BURN damage
Fallen Red Cloak 21 takes 32 BLIGHT damage
Fallen Red Cloak 21 dies!

Fallen Red Cloak 22 attacks Koga
  | 206253, MD nat7 -3
Fallen Red Cloak 22 misses

Fallen Red Cloak 23 attacks Koga
  | 206254, MD nat4
Fallen Red Cloak 23 misses

Fallen Red Cloak 24 attacks Koga
  | 206255, MD nat9
  | 206255, DMG 192 +2
Koga takes 194 CRIT damage!

 

Edited March 16, 2022 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

"people who aren't real."

like a mirror, she burned as koga did. words growing teeth, just as her blade found root in the heart of another undead. night simmered in her truth, as unfair as she knew it seemed. "it matters because we're owed a life outside of this existence. it matters because none of this has consequence, except a bool of whether we're dead or alive. it matters-- because we're mortal. we get complacent beyond the struggle. it matters despite the fact you don't want it to."

steel fought bone and rotten meat. with a pulse of light, the entity and its allies fell apart. night stepped back from the impact, chest heaving from heavy breathing. her eyes fell on koga. "have you forgotten what the purpose of games are? once they were built to teach, to pass the time. and now you would fight to repurpose them from escapism. isn't that selfish? something unfair? whatever happened to 'ask not what the world could do for you, but what you can offer the world'?"

Spoiler

> POST ACTION: AOE-I

with acc5 + abs acc, bd1 + 5 = 6. bd unnecessary, but stated for verification.

ID206274 | bd8 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #26* 22
ID206273 | bd7 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #25 
ID206272 | bd2 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #24 
ID206271 | bd10 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #23 

^{* should be #22, intending to kill koga's group of enemies. pain,,, they are not now,,,!!!}

-15 -(2*4) +2+4 = -17 EN
26 * 15 = 390 DMG

---

Fallen Red Cloak #22 ~ 25 | HP: 0/390 | DMG: 192 

NIGHT | HP: 960/960 | EN: 28/134 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 3 | LD: 14 | QTY: 2 | PROSP: 4 | BH: 52

 

[Koga 0]

"people who aren't real."

"What?!" The man questioned as he grasped the blade in his shoulder and wrenched it out. How could NIGHT, of all people, think that? NIGHT, who had a goddamn NPC living with her. NIGHT, who acted like that woman mattered to her as much as any flesh and blood person. "How in the hell could you say that?"

"...it matters despite the fact you don't want it to."

And so, what? It mattered that this 'existence' that they were owed was just more suffering? Slower, more drawn out, even more powerless against it? That didn't sound like much of an existence at all to Masato. It just sounded like a life without living, pointless, doomed.

"isn't that selfish? something unfair?"

Another flash of black flames removed the last of Koga's opponents. The man wheeled around to face NIGHT, something akin to rage and fury in his eyes. "You think I don't fucking know that!" he shouted at her, stepping closer. "Of course I know it's fucking selfish, of course I know it's not fair for everyone else to be stuck in here. They have something to go home to." Koga pointed his blade towards the settlement, stabbing the air. "They're why I joined the fucking Frontlines. Because it matters for them!" Koga stopped dead there, eyes boring into NIGHT as he forced himself to take a breath. "But don't pretend that the people in here don't matter either. Don't pretend that DAY doesn't matter, or that any of this is fair to her either."

---

Spoiler

Koga | HP: 713/860 (666 +47) | EN: 54/120 (69 +1 +4 -20) | DMG: 26 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 6 | BRN: 56 | BLT: 32/20 | FALN: 8 | REC: 4 | B.HEALING: 47/94 | PROSP: 3

NIGHT | HP: 960/960 | EN: 62/134 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 3 | LD: 14 | QTY: 2 | PROSP: 4 | BH: 52

 

Fallen Red Cloak 21 | HP: 0/390 | DMG: 192

Fallen Red Cloak 22 | HP: 0/390 (104 -364) | DMG: 192

Fallen Red Cloak 23 | HP: 0/390 (390 -392) | DMG: 192

Fallen Red Cloak 24 | HP: 0/390 (104 -476) | DMG: 192

 

---

  > 206325, CD nat12, recovery

Koga uses AOE-II
  | 206326, BD nat2 +5, DMG 26 * 14
  | 206327, BD nat10, DMG (26 +2) * 14
  | 206328, BD nat7, DMG (26 +8) * 14
Fallen Red Cloak 22 takes 364 damage
Fallen Red Cloak 22 dies!
Fallen Red Cloak 23 takes 392 CRIT damage!
Fallen Red Cloak 23 dies!
Fallen Red Cloak 24 takes 476 FALLEN damage!
Fallen Red Cloak 24 dies!

 

---

Loot
206600, LD nat18 +3, CD nat3
206601, LD nat11 +3, CD nat12
206602, LD na3 +3, CD nat9
206603, LD nat2 +3, CD nat12

13650*Col
8*Materials
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #206600a
T4 Perfect Weapon #206600b
T4 Rare Armor/Shield #206601a
T4 Rare Trinket #206602a

---

31200*Col
12*Materials
T4 Rare Trinket #206596a
T4 Rare Armor/Shield #206597a
T4 Perfect Consumable #206599a
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #206600a
T4 Perfect Weapon #206600b
T4 Rare Armor/Shield #206601a
T4 Rare Trinket #206602a

 

Edited March 23, 2022 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

"well i wasn't talking about everyone else trapped in here, i was talking about you!"

just as the last fragments of the beasts around them vanished, night too turned to koga, and all in the world fell away. meaningless. how could her friend not see the irony in his point? his actions? his demeanor?

it was just as well the sword in her hand had faded away from her, because if it hadn't, night could've sworn she saw one of her closest friends as nothing more than a threat in the moment.

"well look at you, mister big shot. who died and made you feel like you had to be a martyr for the people who can't help themselves out of aincrad?! no one's personally asking you to help them get out of here. if you really so wanted to, you would've just quit the moment you thought it contradictory to what you believed in!"

"that it's better in here?!" she took a step forward, and then another, hands balled in a fist. "you really think so?! and what of the life you would leave behind -- what of it?! what of the people who're counting on us to get out of here?! never mind the refugees you so desperately want to save -- because no one's asking that of you! no one's expecting you to! all you have to do to make good on your life is to get out of here -- and you don't want that, so what the hell do you want, koga?!"

she saw fire. she saw red. the land had a life of its own and it pulsed and it breathed and it bled.

"But don't pretend that the people in here don't matter either. Don't pretend that DAY doesn't matter, or that any of this is fair to her either."

night gritted her teeth. her eyes were drawn as slits as she squinted. "don't you dare drag her into this. don't you dare pretend like you know her. don't you even think about speaking on her behalf."

Spoiler

> POST ACTION: AOE-I

with acc5 + abs acc, bd1 + 5 = 6. bd unnecessary, but stated for verification.

ID206402 | bd8 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #004 
ID206401 | bd2 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #003 
ID206400 | bd9 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #002 
ID206399 | bd1 | -> Fallen Red Cloak #001  

-15 -(2*4) +2+4 = -17 EN
26 * 15 = 390 DMG

---

Fallen Red Cloak #001 ~ 004 | HP: 0/390 | DMG: 192 

NIGHT | HP: 960/960 | EN: 11/134 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 3 | LD: 14 | QTY: 2 | PROSP: 4 | BH: 52

 

[Koga 0]

NIGHT's words stung more than Koga cared to admit. Though he'd never considered himself a martyr, the accusation held some truth. He wanted to die in here. To go out in some blaze of glory for the greater good. It had always seemed like a better end than he deserved.

As to the who...Koga bit back the names he'd refused to utter for years. Stories he'd not told in ages. Old wounds he thought he'd healed. No one had asked him, but he'd sworn it anyways. He couldn't just sit back and watch others suffer, even if this was a life he'd preferred to live in with blissful ignorance.

"You're right NIGHT, I don't know jack-fuckin-shit about DAY. Just like I don't know shit about you," Koga finally spat back, his own weapon disappearing into the virtual ether as he threw his hands into the air. "I've known you for years and I don't know have the slightest clue who you are! But you know what I do have? Eyes! And I can see that you care about her, and that she cares about you, which is why I'm so fucking bewildered by the fact that you can say that she isn't real! Explain that to me, please, because it just doesn't make sense to me."

[NIGHT 0]

"because you and i both know she's not!"

it was insufferable. night thought better of koga, because they had a shared history, a similar background with that similar education. it was intolerable, because he was her friend and she couldn't understand why the man wasn't about to do what he'd set out to do for the earnesty of it all. to have done so for his own sake. it was insane, then, for him to accuse her of a contradiction they both should've had the answers to. night took her steps forward.

if she'd wanted to, she knew she could've swung the first blow.

(she did want to. she just didn't.)

"you think i like that fact?!" night grappled with the collar of koga's shirt. poorly. the woman was only so tall in comparison to her friend after all. "you think it doesn't kill me inside every day that she's not real?! damn you, koga -- of course i care for her! because i want her to be! but she's never going to be real!! everything in here is all ones and zeros!!"

as best she could, she started to shake him.

"are you daft?! are you insane?! --you speak, as though we haven't spent our whole lives in here trying to fight for our right to live. just listen to yourself!" the woman swallowed, an inferno burning within that put the hues of the floor to shame. "whether you like it or not, we're all going to head out one day out of this stupid, godforsaken castle. i know this, because even without our input, it's been happening anyway!!"

"--and nobody wants another death on their hands, but i'll be damned if i said i didn't know of the inevitable. that the moment i'm gone from this place, so too will this life on my hands be extinguished." night pushed him, her friend, backwards-- she hadn't the strength to do it far, not when all of her effort was strung along in her voice. "that there's no life beyond this one for day. so no shit i care for her. no shit i understand she's not real, and no shit, that despite my best efforts, i don't know what to do for her."

"but she needs me-- just like how we need to get out of here-- and that's all i ever know!!"

[Koga 0]

NIGHT reached out and pulled on Koga's shirt, drawing him down to her as shouted and shook him. "Are you listening to yourself?" Koga shouted back as she finally pushed him away. "You keep saying she's not real, and then you turn around and cry about how you can't do anything for her. If she wasn't real then what the fuck does it matter?" Koga stepped towards NIGHT again, close enough that he could just reach out and touch her. "This isn't about her being some lines of binary or some shit, NIGHT! That...construct, AI, whatever you wanna call her, she's just as alive as you and me, in case you hadn't noticed we're all made up of ones and zeros right now!" Koga jabbed a finger in his own chest as he spoke. "This. It's not flesh and blood. The only difference between us and DAY is that we have bodies in the real world. Just some more avatars for us to go around and pilot until we fucking bite the dust."

"What in the hell about DAY tells you that she's not alive? That she isn't thinking, and feeling, and just as fucking human as us? Is that not enough for her to be real?!"

[NIGHT 0]

"If she wasn't real then what the fuck does it matter?"

"oh, grow up!" she waved her arms around, sarcastic, before pulling them into a fold. "what does it matter that we invest ourselves in anything -- isn't that right, sir nihilist?!"

"This isn't about her being some lines of binary or some shit, NIGHT! That...construct, AI, whatever you wanna call her, she's just as alive as you and me, in case you hadn't noticed we're all made up of ones and zeros right now!"

"then surely you understand what the point of getting out of here is for!"

"This. It's not flesh and blood."

night clenched her teeth, eyes following his gesture. brutal and scared and scarred. "but it should be," she growled.

"The only difference between us and DAY is that we have bodies in the real world."

"then what the hell don't you understand?!"

"Just some more avatars for us to go around and pilot until we fucking bite the dust."

the player's eyes widened. and it was as though the world came to a stop.

so that was the rationale. that despite his initial remark, night had thought it general, but koga really believed life outside of aincrad wasn't worth going back to. that even beyond what she'd mentioned, all of it -- from the people, to the experience, to the surprises. from the duty, from the responsibility.

to night, koga was acting like a petulant child.

she'd wanted to hit him. the shaking fist by her side really proved it. all her anger and rage -- all the arguments, the theories and rationale that fought her every day had finally taken shape, in the form of a player. in the form of one of her closest friends.

night thought about her menus. it would be so easy to put him to the sword, just as he'd wanted. he'd asked for it, hadn't he? to reason that the death granted in aincrad was no better than the one slated for them out of their castle. that he would have no problems finding himself gone, whether it be in an artificial landscape or a hospital bed, because the difference wouldn't have changed a thing. that the destination was more important than the journey.

she perished the thought. stepped up to her friend instead -- and for the first time she let cardinal judge her for her actions, because without her just input, it had already decided to do so.

ren let herself deck the man she thought -- she believed -- to be her friend.

it wasn't hard. the blow she gave him wasn't so soft. but it wasn't enough to put him to the ground either, not if koga hadn't let it. she knew the change from green to orange was immediate, and this time she wasn't afraid. this time, she let it, because she knew it wasn't the worst reason to have gotten the infraction.

"this? this is sophistry." she pointed to the crystal above her with her index, gaze steady, demeanor stern. "you have it on my head to remind of that." she dropped her hand without hesitation. "you want to talk about solutions? then fine. let's talk. but you have to make peace with the fact that we're getting out of here, one way or another."

"so-- what. life outside of aincrad sucks? you fucking bet it does. and if you don't know shit about me, that's because i don't want you to. but since you asked-- i hate it out there. before you met me, i hated my life, both in and outside the game. and you know what? i don't care that you do too. how in the world do you know that things waiting for you on the other side are just as awful as you'd expected them to be?!"

her eyes weren't lucid. and yet, they were captured by hope.

"when we get out of here, things are going to get better. they have to be. they have to be, koga. they have to be, because they already were in here. they have to be, because i believe in the probability of things turning out for the brighter rather than the chances of it sinking down. they have to be, because that's exactly what the point of games as an art -- as a medium -- are made for. to try and tell us that life's worth living. that's the point of getting better with play -- you get to learn from the mistakes you make. that's the point of play in its own right. that we better ourselves for it."

"--and in making your whole life the game, you let the rest of the world pass you by."

night was spent of anger. instead, she just stared at koga, fierce.

"why the hell did you like games in the first place, you fucking idiot?"

 

---

 

| ♦ this is a game about getting infractions for night without turning her orange. 2/5.

[Koga 0]

There was nothing at first. Just silence. Heated glares. Words hanging between them like a brick wall that neither could breach to get through to the other. That is, until NIGHT shoved her fist through it.

The blow came entirely unexpected, just the solid connection of her fist colliding with his jaw. Koga's head whipped to the side as everything span for a moment, no presence of mind to take note of any subtraction from his health gauge. Just the flicker of NIGHT's cursor as it transitioned from green to orange.

"...you have to make peace with the fact that we're getting out of here, one way or another."

"I doubt I'll ever make my peace with it," Koga muttered just loud enough for NIGHT to hear before spitting onto the ground. He swore he could taste the metal of blood in his mouth, but no red spots blossomed into existence. "But I've accepted it."

The man righted him himself and turned back to his...could they still be considered friends after all this? He turned back to NIGHT and stared back at her, his gaze meeting her eyes, distant as if looking out at some starry plane of existence he couldn't see.

"when we get out of here, things are going to get better. they have to be. they have to be, koga."

"Well, I'll leave the optimism to you then," bitter words that could only speak to depths of how dark an outcome he foresaw.

Clarity seemed to return to her eyes for a moment, determined, or perhaps, simply focused.

"why the hell did you like games in the first place, you fucking idiot?"

Koga's eyes flitted across NIGHT's face, now more alien to him than the day they'd first met. Any sense of familiarity seemed to have shattered. Or maybe it was just his sense of self that had broken.

The man turned away from NIGHT, step by step, hands retreating to his pockets, as if erecting some barrier between them. He looked out into the distance. The high mountains. The gothic buildings of the settlement, and the ruins that surrounded them. All of it grey and bleak, save for the hues of blood splattered across it all, like some macabre child had thrown a bucket of bright red paint across the floor.

"You said it yourself," he answered her. "Escapism." That's all his life has ever been. Running from one bad thing or another, off to some other world, be it words in a book, or the setting of a game. That was what he'd always done.