[F20 - PP] Growth in the Garden | <<Nature's Treasure>>

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

“I…need to plan on your replacement.” She was talking to a spear. Something that long ago, likely would’ve labelled her as insane. Or at least mentally questionable. Now though, now it was common place. So long as the spear didn’t speak back to her, that is. So far, it hadn’t, but she kept an eye out for it just in case.

“That means…I need to start collecting more materials. Which…well, that means Nemo.” She brought up her menu, knowing that she wasn’t going to be going back to the garden alone. Her days of solitude were, hopefully, behind her. At least for the moment. She scrolled through the friend’s menu, eyeing up the names as they went passed. Her finger hovered over one, before deciding that the girl needed more rest, and likely a break. Another name popped up – one she hadn’t seen in a while. Her finger paused over it for a few seconds, debating. ‘I should probably speak to him in person…I owe him that much…’

A heaving sigh, and she scrolled through the menu again, resting on a name that she remembered from many days ago, but one she hadn’t spoken with recently. A smile spread across her face as she decided to ping the man, offering the chance at a whole day with her in a lovely garden.

  Quote

To: Jomei
From: Nari
Message: Hey Jomei! Long time, no see! I was planning on heading with Koga (if I can wrangle him away, I still have to ask him…but I’m sure he’ll say yes!) to hit up Nemo’s Garden. The Nature’s Treasure quest if you’re not familiar with it. Anyways. Did you want to come along? It’s been a moment, and I figure we could get to know one another a bit better – especially if we’re going to be frontlining it together. So yeah, send me a message and let me know? Sources say Nemo can be found on Floor 20 today, somewhere on the edge of the main settlement – Xoco?...let me know!

Expand  

She sent the message with a flick of her finger, before gathering herself and making her way out of the storefront, locking the door behind her. She had another errand to run, before meeting up with Jomei. One that she was not looking forward to, based off the last time she’d seen him.

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

Her form blinked into existence on the teleporter pad, forming as her eyes opened. A deep breath, her hands running down the front of her turtleneck in a nervous tick, before her left began twirling her hair. She made her way down the road towards a house she hadn’t visited in a long, long time. Her nerves only grew as the porch came into view, bringing with it a reminder of the reason she had come here.

Forcing herself up to the door, she gave a knock, before calling out. “Koga…? It’s…it’s Nari…can we talk?”

Nari's Statblock

  Reveal hidden contents

Nari-Lanreth | Lv. 32 | P. 16 | HP: 760/760 | EN: 88/88 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 1 | REC: 8 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG] | FROSTBITE [30 DMG] | Battle Healing [+23]

Tier 4

Laurel Wreath (Earn Col equivalent to 15% of player’s EXP earned in thread).

+1 LD (This bonus only applies to looting, searching for and opening chests).

 

Equipped Items

Síonnách Geímhrídh | [T3 Polearm [One-Handed Assault Spear]; Perfect] Standing at nearly 120 cm in length from tip to tip, this short spear contains a metallic-appearing shaft of shifting dark and light violet, twirling in a mesmerising pattern. The blade - connected by a metal collar of a blackness similar to a void - glints with an ice blue colouring, a shift of light violet visible in the surface at the right angle. Twin wrapped lengths of cord - a combination of ice blue and dark violet - hang from the metal collar, intertwining in a mesmerising pattern when in movement.
Enhancement: Freeze [1 Slot] | Effect: Natural critical attack rolls of 9-10 (1 slot) or natural successful attack rolls of 8-10 (2 slots) remove the enemy’s action on their next turn as a Frost effect. Frozen opponents have their Evasion set to -1. Striking a frozen enemy before the effect ends deal an extra (16 * Tier) unmitigatable damage. [Must hit to activate the status condition.]
Enhancement: Paralyse [1 Slot] | Effect: Natural critical attack rolls of 9-10 (1 slot) or natural successful attack rolls of 8-10 (2 slots) remove the enemy’s action on their next turn. Paralyzed opponents lose any evasion properties.
Enhancement: Frostbite [1 Slot] | Effect: Natural critical attack rolls of 9-10 (1 slot) or natural successful attack rolls of 8-10 (2 slots) deal (10 * Tier) unmitigated Frost damage each enemy turn for 2 turns. In addition, anyone with Frostbite receives a -1 Accuracy debuff until the effect wears off.  Frostbite damage does not stack, but can be refreshed. The highest tier of Frost damage overrides lower tier versions; cannot be overridden by lower-tier versions. [Must hit to activate the status condition.]

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}
Pure Unadulterated Rage (Meals) | Tier 1; Mitigation 3
Starter Healing Potions {5} | Heals 50 HP
Blank Dungeon Map {4} | Tier 4
Immolation Potion {1} | Tier 4; When used, successful non-critical attacks against you deal (10 * Tier) unmitigated damage to the attacking enemy. Must be of the appropriate tier to use. Effect lasts for one thread.
Caribou Stew | Tier 4; Rare Meal | Protein II

Inventory

Monkey Agility {2} | Tier 1; Evasion 1
Super-Duper Anti Snake Sauce (Salve) | Tier 1; Antidote 2
Spyglass {3} | Use to reduce the number of posts required to search for a dungeon, familiar or field bosses by 5 posts. Effect lasts for one thread.
Uncommon Health Potions {5} | Tier 1; Heals 5% of Maximum HP
Uncommon Overhealth Potion {1} | Tier 1; Adds 5% of Maximum HP to users Maximum HP for a thread
Rare Health Potions {1} | Tier 1; Heals 10% of Maximum HP
Arrowhead Brooch | Tier 1 Perfect Trinket | Accuracy III
Music Box | Tier 1 Perfect Trinket | LD III

Combat Skills

Battle Healing
Rank 3
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.
[x16] TECH-D (15 EN) | SHATTER | A single-target sword art that applies [Shatter] to an enemy for 3 turns. [Shatter] is a debuff that can stack up to a cap of 3. Each stack of [Shatter] removes -20 MIT from an enemy, down to 0, if it has MIT.
[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

Active 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

Survival
Cost: Complete <<The Traveler>> with Unlock Conditions
Action: Passive
Effect: Increases Healing effects received from all sources by 10%. Grants immunity to all damage dealing environmental attacks/effects.

Meditation
Action: Post Action
Cooldown: 3 turns
Effect: Recover an additional (4 * Tier) energy. 

Inactive Extra Skills 

 

Combat Mastery

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

Familiar Skills

Protector Familiar
Active: Free Action
Cooldown: 3 Posts
Effect: The next time you would take damage, your familiar rushes to your aid, reducing the final damage by 10%.

Estate Buffs

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

Storage Closet
Effect: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot 

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Word Count: 485

 

[Jomei 0]

 

Jomei the emerald duelist    Reveal hidden contents notes Level: 32 | Paragon: 64 | Tier: 4(10)  Jomei: 880/880 HP | 126/126 EN | DMG 23 | MIT 44 | EVA 3 | ACC 4 | BH 48 | HLY BLS 19 | BLD 48 | FLN 8 | AA | LD 1 | F.Sprt. equipped Nihilim's Wrath  Vestige of St. Patrick Alatreon's Will battle-ready inventory // skills   Reveal hidden contents Skills Saber R5 | TECH Spec. Combat Mastery DMG R3 Cloth Armor R5 Charge B Healing R5 Energist Fighting Spirit MA R2 Extra: Concentration (x) Survival (x) Meditation (x) Parry(x) Forgotten King's Authority Hiding R.4 Mods Athletics (x) Vanish (x) Addons Stamina (x) Ferocity (x) Precision (x) Nimble (x) data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== buffs   Reveal hidden contents Housing Buffs:  Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat     Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)     Dining Room: Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. Living Room: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

Through slightly parted lips, a small cloud of fog slowly poured out, cautious not to make a sound. As the snow continued to fall, heavy and obscuring, mounds of white continued to gather atop the ginger's cloaked shoulders and head. Under normal circumstances, green would be a proper color to wear when trying to hide within the woods, meshing well with the bountiful greenery. When that lush, green color was snuffed out under blankets of white snow, however, he would stick, out like a sore thumb. Trying not to shiver and throw loose snow off of his form, Jomei fought the cold as the snow piled around him, making hiding from his targets much easier. With his back pressed against the thick bark of a tree, emerald eyes peered around the corner from under the shadow of his hood. Two individuals, adorned in deep, maroon cowls that hid their identities spoke in hushed tones, despite being out in the middle of a storm where most players dared not travel for fun. 

The Fourth Floor was the last location Jomei had seen these players, and it was beginning to seem that they still held residence out in the snowy tundra. Jomei could only make out bits and pieces of their conversation, most of their words masked by a loud gust of wind. If he could lean in any closer without risking getting caught, he would. One of the two summoned their menu, for whatever reason, Jomei could not tell from the vantage point he held. Very slowly, he tried to switch positions to get a better look.. were they answering a message? Possibly initiating a trade of some sorts? 

The sudden chime of an incoming notification seemed to draw all of their attention, despite being a soft sound. Though, when conducting shady business in the middle of nowhere, any sound that was out of the ordinary could spell trouble. It did not take long for Jomei to realize that the chime had originated from himself, a message being received on his end. Gritting his teeth, fighting to make any sounds, he pulled his head back in and faced the opposite direction, hoping the two would not discover his hiding spot. His grip around the handle of his rapier tightened as he slowly glanced back out at the clearing, catching the tail end of the players vanishing through use of a teleportation crystal.

"Dammit." he finally let out a breath, before raising to a standing position. Checking the notification, he saw it was a message from Nari, inviting the ginger out once again to a quest of some sorts. He looked back over his shoulder where the players once were.. no trace of where they were going, so he was not going to get anything out of hanging here any longer. That, and he could use a break from investigating.

Jomei sent a quick message back to Nari, simply letting her know that it would take him a bit of time to get back to a teleporter, but he would meet her on the 20th floor.  With the message sent, Jomei shook the piles of snow off of his shoulders, before making the long trek through the stormy tundra back to Snowfrost. 

[Koga 0]

k o g a the elder wolf   Reveal hidden contents notes: none Koga Lvl 32/47 | 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 ] none skills   Reveal hidden contents | 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   Reveal hidden contents | 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.

There was a quiet clattering in Koga's home as he put away the dishes and cooking utensils from the meal. Yukiro and Tala had already left to go do...whatever it was those two did these days. Koga sure as hell didn't know what that was. At this point, he was just happy to have had the opportunity to see them. For someone who had been so attached to her older brother, Akiara sure had been quick to forget about him in leu of one of his old friends.

Eh, he couldn't complain. Not really. They were alive, well, and happy. Three things that were woefully hard to  come by these days.

A quiet knock at his door drew his attention as Koga put away the last of the plates. Drying his hands on a towel and then tossing it on the counter, the man went to answer it when he heard a voice call from behind it.

"Koga…? It’s…it’s Nari…can we talk?"

The man's face turned to a scowl. Oh.

The door creaked open as the man opened it halfway. He was glowering at her. "What's up." Less an actual question with the intent of getting an answer, and more a forced a greeting.

Edited March 24, 2022 by Koga

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

The door opened, only a crack, but enough that Nari could see the glare thrown her way in response to her greeting. The words that slipped through the opening were as kind and welcoming as the eyes that stared at her, an unwelcoming greeting that had Nari withdrawn for a moment, unable to speak as she tried to collect herself.

“I…wanted to come by and – well Jomei and I are going to hit up Nemo’s garden…and…did you want to come? I mean, if you’re busy…” A deep inhale, followed by a soft exhale as she tried to calm herself. Her approach was going far less optimal than she’d hoped – than she’d planned for. All that practice on the way over, for what? “I…want to talk about NIGHT. I…know that you and her were close. Are close. I…need to make things right, like Oji said.”

She had just opened her mouth to say more when the message from Jomei came in, pulling her attention for the briefest of moments as she responded to him.

Message: Hey! Sounds good. I’m just convincing Koga to come along, I hope…I’ll see you in a bit!

She sent the message with a flick, before refocusing on Koga. “I know I didn’t hurt you, but…I get the feeling that I…well, that I somehow did hurt you. And. I'm sorry…”

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Word Count: 223

 

[Jomei 0]

The snow crunched underneath the soles of his boots as each step sank into the snow up to his ankles. Gripping at the sides of his cape, he pulled the fabric close to hug around his arms, doing its best to fight off the biting winds from making him any colder than he was. Another notification, most likely a response back from Nari, caught Jomei's attention as his eyes drifted to look at the small icon that flashed on his HUD. Ignoring it for now, the ginger continued to trudge through the snow.

It never stormed much in Snowfrost, usually just the constant, yet gentle, snow. The cold was much more bearable as well, especially with the Survival skill running. Jomei rubbed his gloved hands together to warm them up as he continued down a cleared path and into the center of town. "Warp, Xoco" Jomei said out loud as he stepped up onto the platform used to teleport between floors. With a blue flash, the ginger's body vanished as he was instantly transported to the tropical rainforest that spanned the entirety of Floor Twenty. 

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The rope bridge that Jomei walked on slowly swayed as he stepped onto it, not enough to cause any concern, but still able to strike fear into the heart of someone with a fear of heights. The suspended walkway offered a beautiful view of the settlement of Xoco and a waterfall that poured off of the side of one of the cliffs just above the Temple of Mortha. Resting his elbows on the ropes along each side of the bridge, he took to gazing out at the view as he awaited Nari and Koga. 

[Koga 0]

Koga's eyes narrowed slightly as he listened, once again, to what Nari had to say. At the mention of Oji, Koga wondered what the man had said to Nari. What he did and did not know.

Next, though Koga could not hear it, a message must've arrived to Nari's inbox. His jaw tensed as looked at Nari with a marked displeasure, clicking his tongue quietly, as she opened up the message and appeared to send back a reply before continuing on with what she had to say. Couldn't even make it through another apology without answering a message? Regardless of how mad Koga was at Nari, whether she was apologizing to him or someone else...well, there was something to be said about appearances, and conveying sincerity.

And when she finally had finished saying her piece, Koga gave her a long, hard, silent stare. Moments passed with nothing said.

And then he stepped out through the door, Okami quick to follow after him as he turned to lock the door behind them. Once that was done, Koga turned back around and gave Nari another frosty look. "You have until we get to Nemo's Garden to explain to me why in the hell I should even be speaking to you right now," the man said, before shouldering his way past Nari towards the Teleporter.

The man didn't say another word until Nari caught up to him, his signature coat and weapon flashing onto his body as he summoned them from his menus before addressing the woman again. "You need to understand something, Nari," the man said, not a single syllable wavering as he did so. "You didn't hurt me. You hurt NIGHT. In ways that I still struggle to understand."

The man stopped just short of the Teleporter as he whipped around to face Nari. "Now I have very few friends left alive, Nari, but you can bet my ass I care very deeply for them, and God have mercy on anyone who even tries to hurts them. The only reason I haven't tried to kick your ass off the edge of one of these floors is because I still don't know what happened between you two. Capiche?"

The man turned back around and stood by the teleporter, glowering despite needing Nari to teleport them, not knowing where Nemo's Garden was today. "C'mon. Don't keep Jomei waiting."

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

“I…know. I…Koga there’s something you should-“ Her sentence started as the man made his way towards the teleporter pad, interjecting her softly spoken words with a reminder of their third party waiting for them. Stepping up onto the pad, she gave one glance at Koga, his withering glower enough to keep her from continuing the sentence for the moment. “Floor Twenty.”

The shimmering effects of the teleporter finally came to an end in the center of her eyes, and as she opened them, she saw the expanse of Floor Twenty before them. A small distance away stood their third member, gazing out over the rope bridge before him. She had wanted to finish her conversation with Koga, but the man had already approached Jomei’s position.

“Koga…Koga come back…Hey Jomei.” Her attempts to call him seemed almost futile, and as she approached their third party member for the day, she gave the taller redhead a wide smile and a quick little wave. But her attention quickly returned to Koga. “Koga! As I was trying to tell you, I'm not going to hurt NIGHT. I…can’t. I love her. And after our date day…”

She suddenly realised that she was professing all this not just to Koga, but Jomei who stood beside them. Her eyes went wide as she turned to look at the redhead, the sudden realisation bringing a level of apprehensiveness to her. “Oh. Uhm…hey Jomei…we were…we were just…you didn’t hear that, right?”

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[Jomei 0]

Shifting his position, Jomei turned around and instead leaned his back against the guiding rope, the planks of the suspended bridge pulling and creaking with every little motion. Allowing his head to lull back, staring up at the large, gray slate that served as the ceiling to this floor, and the platform that housed the Twenty First floor above them. It was high enough above them that players could easily find themselves lost in the beauty of a floor, but low enough to serve as a constant reminder that they were nowhere near clearing this game. Lids closed over emerald eyes with a small sigh, muffled by the steady burble of the waterfall passing over rocks and becoming one with a body of water just out of sight. 

Turning his attention towards the source of his spoken name, Jomei saw both Nari and Koga approaching. Nari wore a brief smile on her face as she greeted the man, to which he reciprocated with a crooked smile an small wave. Koga, on the other hand, did not look happy for whatever reason. Perhaps this had to do with Nari having to convince Koga to come along... whatever that entailed. A moment after the greeting however, as Jomei pushed off of the rope bridge to take a few steps to meet with them, the other two players continued their conversation.

Jomei blinked in surprise at what Nari had just openly admitted about her feelings for NIGHT. He had noticed some kind of a friendship between Koga and NIGHT at his holiday party, so it seemed this topic of conversation was about the woman after all. A small chuckle escaped Jomei as Nari realized what she had said in front of the ginger, "Don't worry.. I don't know NIGHT much to begin with, so it makes no difference to me." his smile warmed up a bit, "I hope everything works out between you two." 

[Koga 0]

Light flickered, wavered, faded into a bright white and then coalesced back into a discernable shapes, colors. Mostly still white though, as the Teleporter delivered the players to their destination.

It wasn't difficult to pick out Jomei against the brisk white backdrop of the floor, his green cloak and orange carrottop hair contrasting sharply. A small not was all Koga afforded the other man, not trusting himself to not allow his anger with Nari color the words he spoke towards Jomei.

"Love her?" Koga practically scoffed. "You sure do have a funny way of showing it," he growled at her. Because, somehow, that made sense to Nari. 'Yeah, sure, I tried to kill NIGHT. Probably woulda succeeded if I wasn't using a training weapon. Traumatized her too! But I love her.' "Gimme a break, Nari."

She hadn't seen the state NIGHT had been in after their fight. Hadn't had to be the one to climb over the stacked furniture, or had a still burning incense holder thrown at him. She hadn't been the one to sit across from her in an empty room in silence for God only knew how long, worrying if she was going to be ok.

Edited March 23, 2022 by Koga

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Her shoulders dropped slightly at Koga’s words, wondering why he was being so resistant. She had made things up with NIGHT so easily, and yet, here Koga stood shoving her further away. She felt a familiar fear growing in her as her eyes glanced over at Jomei, for a brief moment a look of pleading in them before they turned back to Koga.

“I…Koga I’m serious. There’s something between us. When she spent the nigh-“ Her mouth snapped shut as she realised what she was about to say, turning bright red. “…when we spent the day together the other day, well, it just…things just happened. And…look, I know maybe I’ve made some mistakes, but…I don’t want to lose you as a friend.”

Her entire body had slumped slightly as she spoke. She suddenly realised that Jomei was awkwardly standing there, and her ears lit up like a fire. “Look, just…think on it.” Turning to Jomei, she bowed slightly, before giving a hastened apology. “I’m sorry, I thought this would be bespoken of before we met. It’s good to see you again, it’s been too long! I’m so happy you joined us for the garden, and I do hope we didn’t pull you away from anything important. I was…well, still hoping to pick your brain for some advice on frontlining. But…well, maybe in a different way than I originally intended.”

A slight twitch as she glanced at Koga again, before she turned and started to cross the bridge, deciding they’d remained stationary for far too long. “Why don’t we find Nemo, and chat as we walk?”

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Word Count: 265

 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's eyes ping-ponged back and forth between Nari and Koga, the latter seeming to not want to hear anything Nari had to say. Yet, here he was out with them on this quest. Even if it was for his own personal gain, he could found anyone else to make the trek out with him. His lips pressed together into a tight line, the awkwardness of being included in this tense conversation settling in. 

"Hey hey its alright." the ginger said, raising his hands with his palms facing outwards towards her, "Sounds like if you guys tried to have this conversation before meeting me, I would have been waiting here for quite awhile" he added with a chuckle, trying to make light of the situation. Though.. if he had an inkling of how long that conversation would have been, he could have continued his investigation into the player-slavers. He decided it best to not bring that up in this conversation, however. "Nah, its alright. I wasn't busy." 

"Yeah, lets start moving. You can ask me whatever you want along the way. I'm sure Koga could provide some insight as well." As the group began to walk, Jomei allowed the two to step out first before he fell in line behind them, "Just.. maybe you guys handle whatever's going on between you first. Pretend I'm not here." the corner of his mouth twitched into a nervous smirk as he rubbed the nape of his neck, speaking to the back of the heads of the other two players. 

[Koga 0]

Koga couldn't do anything but stare incredulously at Nari, eyes narrowed with distrust, mouth slightly agape, sneering, in disbelief. But despite the, at best skeptical, look on his face, and Nari's attempts to not say too much, the way she cut herself off and flushed cherry red...

NIGHT, this is why you need to communicate things to your friends more.

"Alright, fine, let's go," Koga said, finding himself agreeing with Nari, if only for the moment, before turning towards Jomei and apologizing. "Sorry about all this, Jomei. Long time no see though, you're looking good." Well, technically he looked the exact same as the last time Koga had seen him. Their avatar's benefitted from being trapped in some temporal stasis. Lucky them.

Koga then gestured for Nari to start leading the way to her arch-nemesis before swiping open his messenger and sending and finding a specific person, right near the top, in the proximity of others he'd recently spoken to.

night omw bck -- today -- you koga i have questions koga

 

Edited March 24, 2022 by Koga

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

She crossed the bridge with a carefree attitude, spinning halfway across to look back at the other two in the group. Her eyes aimed mostly at Jomei, with a glance at Koga once in a while to try and read his expression. The man had immediately become engrained with his messaging, as if he were trying to…

She shook her head mentally at the thought, figuring her couldn’t possibly be doing that. “Hey, Jomei. I uh…mentioned that I had some questions. And I know it’s not really your forte, so to speak…but uhm…well, in boss battles – what’s your general view of the tanks that are there? Do you find them…helpful? In the way? I’m trying to figure out how best to assist those around me, and well…a…friend recommended that I get Howl – which I will, soon as I can – but what else can you recommend?”

A moment to draw in a breath, before she added one final thought. “I also…well, you know how I fight. Somewhat. Any pointers? From what you saw of the Terra Firma fight? I’m open to any criticism. So long as you don’t make me cry too much.”

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Word Count: 192

 

[Jomei 0]

"Oh?" Jomei blinked wide, not expecting Koga's compliment atop his apology. Fingers pinched at the ends of his cloak as he opened it up, peeking down at his attire for the day. The same long green and black coat he typically wore. Turning his gaze back up to Koga, he grinned, "Well, thank you." Had he done something different today, or was Koga just being kind?

The three had finally disembarked, with the familiar sight of Nari taking the lead towards their quest objective. Jomei didn't have any memory of taking this quest before, at least not on this floor. It seemed a lot of the quests they were once familiar with had received a unique overhaul, giving them all a fresh new face so they could continue enjoying them. 

Luckily enough, Nari chose not to continue speaking with Koga about the NIGHT situation, and instead decided to ask any questions she had about participating in the frontline raids. This was the third time she had mentioned wanting to speak with Jomei about it, but other situations interrupted the first two times. Now seemed a perfect opportunity to ask about his experiences. 

"Definitely not in the way, always helpful." Jomei started plainly, "The job is pretty straight forward, keep the attention off of the heavy-hitters and have high enough of an armor class that you can take the hits for them. Top that with some enhancements to throw that damage back at the boss, and you're good to go." The ginger brought up his hands and interlaced his fingers behind his head as he walked, elbows pointing outwards. "Howl is a definite if that's the path you want to take. Because if you're focused on defending and not attacking, how else are you going to draw aggro away from the line of attack. And the way you fight is fine, just remember that not all tanks deal damage in fights.. sometimes they don't have a single point of damage to their name, but they can keep your ass alive through even the toughest of fights." 

[Koga 0]

Koga's attention was turned entirely to his messenger HUD as he watched and waited from any response from NIGHT. Not that he had any guarantee that she would reply at any point in the near future, he just had some sixth sense telling him to be patient.

Ding!

And it seemed that his patience had paid off already.

-- today -- you koga i have questions koga night wym night wyd did you and nari... koga you know what im asking right? koga please tell me you do koga i don't wanna get decked again koga night no night what night is typing...

Koga sighed and started typing something back before a new set of messages came in.

i don't wanna get decked again koga night no night what night no wait night 1mo

The man waited as he was asked, his face twisting into a peculiar combination of displeasure, annoyance and disappointment. As if this was about what he had expected to receive from NIGHT by way of explanation. What he'd been thinking earlier, something about patience paying off. Well patience be damned, he was out of it and he wanted answers.

night no night is typing ...

Ok. Well that's good.

night no night whyre you asking night is typing ...

Another twisted facial expression of disatisfaction. Koga began to to write back "why do you think numbskull nari showed up at my house and practically implied it" when one more message dinged it's way into the chatbox.

night no night whyre you asking night i mean i did stay over

Wait. What?

night no night whyre you asking night i mean i did stay over night if ur wondering

Queue the eye twitching.

Edited March 26, 2022 by Koga

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

She nodded as Jomei gave his explanation, listening to him speak and taking everything in, but at the same time watching as Koga sent messages back and forth. He seemed to become more and more agitated with whomever he was chatting with, and Nari watched as his eyes began to twitch in response to whatever he was reading. Deciding it was safer not to prod quite yet, she returned her full attention to Jomei.

“Hmm, yeah. I’ve never really cared too much about dealing damage as an attack – even my choice of strikes are all about the effects they have; being able to stun, reduce accuracy, mitigation. Basically focusing on setting up the assault for players like…well, like you. Making it easier for you.” She gave Jomei a little wink, before realising she needed to turn around and see where they were going – having finished crossing the bridge. She turned just in time to stop herself from tumbling down a set of stairs.

Giving a soft sigh of relief that she’d managed to avoid what likely would’ve been death by embarrassment – if not death by fall damage – she glanced down the large set of steps. “Hey! There’s Nemo!”

Almost forgetting the two behind her she rushed down the steps, waving as she hit the bottom and walked up to the NPC. “Hey Nemo, been a while!”

She grinned at the other two as they caught up, before heading after Nemo, ready to hit the garden once again. It hadn’t been super long since she’d been here, but a part of her was happy to be returning to the garden.

“Hey, Jomei have you been to the garden before?”

 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei shone a side eyed glance towards Koga, a curious brow raising to the middle of his forehead. The man seemed engrossed in his inbox, quickly sending small messages, and getting responses back within a few short moments. His gaze did not stray long, as to not make the man uncomfortable or pry into the private conversation he held with another. In the same moment he had turned his attention forward once more, the three had made it to the garden, and Nari was addressing the NPC known as Nemo. The ginger looked upon the quest giver with a furrowed brow, curious as he dug through his own memories to try and piece together a time he had met with this Nemo before. 

Nari chiming in to ask if Jomei if he had any visited the garden before reminded Jomei of the one time he had.. though the name of his traveling companion fell short. "Once, but under different circumstances. Never like this. It was before Nemo was involved with it." Peeling his emerald eyes away from Nemo, he turned them to Nari with a smirk, "Given your tone, I take it this isn't the first time you've visited the garden. Enough to be on a first name basis with the quest giver?" 

[Koga 0]

Listening only absently, Koga made little note of anything that Nari or Jomei said to each other. He was far too bewildered by the fact that NIGHT had gone from cowering in utter fear and desperation, to spending the NIGHT at the home of the person who tried to kill her.

night  night

i mean i did stay over if ur wondering BUT WHY!? WHEN DID YOU GUYS START TALKING??? WE'RE OKAY WITH THIS NOW!? DIDNT SHE TRY TO KILL YOU!?!?!?

koga  koga  koga  koga

Koga wrote back furiously, fingers flying as the absolutely impossible situation he, or rather NIGHT, found herself in was forcing his brain to work overtime. One could practically see the steam coming steaming out of his ears.

night

DIDNT SHE TRY TO KILL YOU!?!?!? day tried to kill me too

koga

Well, one, Koga didn't know that. And two...

night    night

day tried to kill me too im like 90% sure she didnt really have free will then, that doesnt count im not having this discussion w/ you ...fair ...but should i be angry with her still? why are you two so buddy buddy

koga    koga  koga

Nothing came after that. Not even the little text bubbles to indicate that NIGHT was typing something back. Koga let out a "Hmph," of annoyance before he caught the tail end of what Jomei was saying. "Oh, don't worry, you'll get to know him real well too," Koga said dryly as he swiped away his messenger.

Edited March 26, 2022 by Koga

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari took a single glance around the glaive, spotting a nearby berry bush. Walking the few steps over to it she knelt down, tucking her legs underneath her and pulling up her inventory. Storing away her armour and spear, she began running her fingers through the bushes and dirt, pulling aside the roots and leaves as she searched.

“I’ve been here…a few times. Between some ventures on my own, and some with…friends. I’ve even come here with Koga before.” She kept her eyes on the dirt as she talked, focused on her task. “I’ve come to know Nemo fairly well. Although at first I…well, let’s just say that at first I didn’t exactly get along with him. In fact, it would be fair say that I held a bit of a vengeance…”

She realised suddenly that she’d been talking to the air, not really sure if either of the other two were even listening. Pulling her hands from the bushes, she glanced over at them, suddenly realising she hadn’t even asked what their plan for the day had been.

“Sorry, I uh…just kind of followed my routine here…did you two want to…gather some things? Look around for any sort of…goods? Or maybe take on a few of the creatures here?”

ID207215 | LD: 4 + 1 = 5 | CD: 1 + 1 = 2 | Foraging | Failure

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Word Count: 210

 

[Jomei 0]

"Huh" Jomei said with a small nod, looking towards the NPC, "I see."

"Well, if I'm being honest.. I'm not the more persistent crafter. So I don't use materials very often... Maybe I'll pick it back up soon, we don't have enough consistent Performers in the field." B Loosely balled fists slid into the pockets of his pants as he took slower steps forward in Nari's direction, denoting a beginning to the garden where they would gain the ability to find materials more easily. "In reality, I came here in search of these items I heard of.. called Demonic Shards. I heard they can be used to greatly boost the effectiveness of your gear." The ginger would let out a heavy sigh as he pushed around a long leafed shrub using the toe of his boot, trying to see if any materials he could use lay within. "But.. knowing me, I'm probably missing some sort of skill to be able to find them."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'll follow your lead.. both of yours" his eyes shot to Koga as well, offering a small friendly smile, "And just pick up whatever I can grab along the way." When his lazy search bore no results, he silently pursed his lips and stepped back away from the shrub. 

ID 207489 | LD 8(+1) | Nothing