[F14 - PP] Blood and Water <<Cull of the Dead>>

[Koga 0]

"On it," Koga replied before a familiar whirring sound filled the air, making him pause mid-stride to look at the source of the peculiar sound. As the man's eyes fell upon the now animated hunk of metal, moving on it's own and quiet threateningly towards them, the man let out a low groan. "Oh c'mon, gimme a break." That thing reminded him way too much of the Dwemer Centurions from Skyrim, and he was definitely not in the mood right now to take a hammer to the face.

Growling in annoyance, Koga launched into a wide slashing attack, quick flashes of black flame and energy wrapping around his blade, striking the enemies, even reaching out towards their new metal foe, and reducing one of the zombies to dust as he attempted to draw their attention to him. A successful gambit, it seemed.

"Take out that last corpse," Koga said, "don't want anymore of those robot things to pop up." If they managed to keep the zombies from activating any more of the constructs, this fight could be over soon at least. Just one more after that, and then they could grab this stupid sword and move on to their next target.

---

Spoiler

[1, 1] Koga | HP: 880/880 | EN: 67/122 (83 +1 -17) | DMG: 23 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 3 | BRN: 56 | BLT: 32/20 | FALN: 8 | VD: 96 | B.HEALING: 48/96
[1, 0] NIGHT | HP: 752/1000 | EN: 92/138 | DMG: 28 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 5 | LM: 2 | HLY/FLN: 16 | LD: 5 | BH: 55

Red Cloaked Revenant 4 | HP: 389/1000 (655 -266) | DMG: 150 | MIT: 75 | Paralytic Immunity | HOLY x2, VAMP-O /2
Red Cloaked Revenant 6 | HP: 145/1000 (145 -189) | DMG: 150 | MIT: 75 | Paralytic Immunity | HOLY x2, VAMP-O /2
Ancient Mechanical Construct | HP: 1009/1250 (1250 -241) | DMG: 300 | MIT: 100 | ACC: 3 | EVA: -3 | Status Effect Immunity

Activate! | This mob will passively seek to engage the <<Ancient Mechanical Constructs>>. When a Red Cloaked Revenant attacks, use the CD value from that roll to determine how much to increase the activation score of an Ancient Mechanical Construct. When the total activation score reaches 30, one Ancient Mechanical Constructs enters the fray. Additional constructs will activate at each multiple of 30 until all Red Cloaked Revenants are dead.

Current Score: 5/30
CD:1-6: +5 Activation Score
CD:7-12: +10 Activation Score. 

Unrelenting Swarm | Red Cloaked Revenants will replace their fallen allies immediately after they are defeated. This will continue until all of them have been dispatched.

---

Koga uses AOE-I
  | 209340, BD nat8, DMG ((23 +8) * 11) -75
  | 209341, BD nat9, DMG ((23 +1) * 11) -75
  | 209342, BD nat8, DMG ((23 +8) * 11) -100
Red Cloaked Revenant 4 takes 266 Fallen damage!
Red Cloaked Revenant 6 takes 189 Crit damage!
Red Cloaked Revenant 6 dies!
Ancient Mechanical Construct takes 241 Fallen damage!

 

Edited May 22, 2022 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

her sword reangled was all she could afford. "no promises," she shot back, kicking off the ground towards the target duo. night was hoping for a runby, with a single crash of her blade heavy onto the centurion figure. her blow landed with a spark of twilight and a bell, enough to incapacitate the robot from getting up with an attack. on the other hand, her upwards swing afterwards completely missed the mark, the master of the mechanical construct leaping backwards, shooting the players a drawn hiss.

night rolled her eyes and scoffed, a boot shoved firmly onto the droid on the floor to keep it in place. "i said no promises," she reminded her friend, glancing back just in case he was ready with another set of blows on his own. the moment he'd tap in, night would kick off the defense system to tumble out of harm's way, hand to the dusty floor, stopping of friction.

Spoiler

> POST ACTION: AOE-II

ID210518 | bd1 | -> Revenant #4
ID210519 | bd6+5+3 = 14 | -> Ancient Mechanical Construct

18 + (2*1) -2 = 18 EN

(28+16) * 18 = 792 DMG
792 - 100 = 692 DMG

---

ID210520 | md8 - 3 = 5 | cd9 | -> Koga
ID210521 | md5 +3 - 5 = 3 | -> NIGHT

> activation score: 15/30.

---

[1, 1] Koga | HP: 880/880 | EN: 67/122 (83 +1 -17) | DMG: 23 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 3 | BRN: 56 | BLT: 32/20 | FALN: 8 | VD: 96 | B.HEALING: 48/96
[1, 1] NIGHT | HP: 807/1000 | EN: 74/138 | DMG: 28 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 5 | LM: 2 | HLY/FLN: 16 | LD: 5 | BH: 55

Red Cloaked Revenant 4 | HP: 389/1000 | DMG: 150 | MIT: 75 | Paralytic Immunity | HOLY x2, VAMP-O /2
Ancient Mechanical Construct | HP: 317/1250 | DMG: 300 | MIT: 100 | ACC: 3 | EVA: -3 | Status Effect Immunity

Activate! | This mob will passively seek to engage the <<Ancient Mechanical Constructs>>. When a Red Cloaked Revenant attacks, use the CD value from that roll to determine how much to increase the activation score of an Ancient Mechanical Construct. When the total activation score reaches 30, one Ancient Mechanical Constructs enters the fray. Additional constructs will activate at each multiple of 30 until all Red Cloaked Revenants are dead.

Current Score: 5/30
CD:1-6: +5 Activation Score
CD:7-12: +10 Activation Score. 

Unrelenting Swarm | Red Cloaked Revenants will replace their fallen allies immediately after they are defeated. This will continue until all of them have been dispatched. 

Edited December 31, 2022 by NIGHT

[Koga 0]

NIGHT responded to Koga's callout with a flash of sparks and steel, the clanging sound ringing like a bell in the courtyard as she rounded onto the last of the surprisingly nimble shamblers. Unfortunately for them both, her blade went wide, cleanly cutting the air instead of bisecting the corpse.

"I said no promises."

Koga couldn't do anything but roll his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know," the man grumbled before he went in for his own hit and tactic. A few quick steps forward had the man leaping into the air, only to descend upon the Revenant, his blade catching between the undead's ribs as he drove his weapon through its body and into the dirt like a stake. "What about now?" the man queried as he leapt away from the thing's flailing arms and weapon, only having to duck beneath one of the robot's own blows, which happened to catch NIGHT square in the face. "Oof, sorry!"

---

Spoiler

[1, 1] Koga | HP: 880/880 | EN: 56/122 (67 +1 -12)| DMG: 23 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 3 | BRN: 56 | BLT: 32/20 | FALN: 8 | VD: 96 | B.HEALING: 48/96
[1, 1] NIGHT | HP: 505/1000 (807 -302) | EN: 74/138 | DMG: 28 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 5 | LM: 2 | HLY/FLN: 16 | LD: 5 | BH: 55

Red Cloaked Revenant 4 | HP: 119/1000 (389 - 270) | DMG: 150 | MIT: 75 | Paralytic Immunity | HOLY x2, VAMP-O /2
Ancient Mechanical Construct | HP: 317/1250 | DMG: 300 | MIT: 100 | ACC: 3 | EVA: -3 | Status Effect Immunity

Activate! | This mob will passively seek to engage the <<Ancient Mechanical Constructs>>. When a Red Cloaked Revenant attacks, use the CD value from that roll to determine how much to increase the activation score of an Ancient Mechanical Construct. When the total activation score reaches 30, one Ancient Mechanical Constructs enters the fray. Additional constructs will activate at each multiple of 30 until all Red Cloaked Revenants are dead.

Current Score: 15/30
CD:1-6: +5 Activation Score
CD:7-12: +10 Activation Score. 

Unrelenting Swarm | Red Cloaked Revenants will replace their fallen allies immediately after they are defeated. This will continue until all of them have been dispatched.

---

Koga uses ST-I vs Red Cloaked Revenant 4
  | 211281, BD nat2 + 5, DMG (23 * (12 +3)) - 75 = 270
Red Cloaked Revenant 4 takes 270 damage

---

Red Cloaked Revenant 4 attacks Koga
  | 211284, MD nat7 - 3, CD nat 10
Red Cloaked Revenant 4 misses

Ancient Mechanical Construct attacks NIGHT
  | 211285, MD nat10, DMG 300 + 2
NIGHT takes 302 damage

 

Edited December 30, 2022 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

too fast, too eager -- a jab in the face was nothing more than insult in the system, but boy was night furious about it afterwards. she threw herself back into the fray without hesitation, grabbing the revenant's shoulder and throwing it against the wall before her mind could process the lack of strategy, just rage. the bell tolled for it, in that brief pillar of light that followed, and once more again when she kicked off the wall to halt the construct from getting up.

now, standing in a field of dust in that dark gothic hallway within the keep, night took a pause to reorient herself with her surroundings. where were they supposed to head towards, again? a vampire, somewhere, right? to her, that simply meant storming towards wherever was the most important room in the enemy's domain, but she still gestured towards the side rooms, eyes on koga. "think the mark would be in any of these?"

Spoiler

> POST ACTION: AOE-I

ID211415 | bd10 | -> Revenant #4
ID211416 | bd6+5+3 = 14 | -> Ancient Mechanical Construct

15 + (2*1) -2-4 = 11 EN

(28+16+2) * 15 = 690 DMG
690 - 75 = 615 DMG

(28+16) * 15 = 660 DMG
660 - 100 = 560 DMG

---

[1, 1] Koga | HP: 880/880 | EN: 67/122 | DMG: 23 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 3 | BRN: 56 | BLT: 32/20 | FALN: 8 | VD: 96 | B.HEALING: 48/96
[1, 1] NIGHT | HP: 862/1000 | EN: 63/138 | DMG: 28 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 5 | LM: 2 | HLY/FLN: 16 | LD: 5 | BH: 55

Red Cloaked Revenant 4 | HP: 389/1000 | DMG: 150 | MIT: 75 | Paralytic Immunity | HOLY x2, VAMP-O /2
Ancient Mechanical Construct | HP: 317/1250 | DMG: 300 | MIT: 100 | ACC: 3 | EVA: -3 | Status Effect Immunity

 

Edited December 31, 2022 by NIGHT

[Koga 0]

The bloom of light from NIGHT signaled the end of the fight, and as the dust settled, the only figures left standing were the two players. Koga's shoulders sagged and his chest rose and fell as he heaved air into his lungs. A gloved hand wiped the sweat from his brow. "Geez, I'm getting outta shape..." the man muttered to himself.

Both players began to look around themselves, confirming there weren't any other mobs to clear, and to find their next objective. "I doubt it," Koga said as he pushed open one of the aforementioned door with the tip of his boot, it's rusted hinges creaking loudly. The door opened fully, revealing an empty room, the furniture covered in a thick layer of dust. "Better we check anyways though. Don't really feel like backtracking." At least neither of them were hurting for loot. Just a quick peek, and they could move on.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

'neither of them were hurting for loot.' so what, pray tell, was it that drew them to the random shiny sword that was found lying on the floor in the middle of a depreciating room? the oddness of being able to uncover anything tangible, much less something that looked holy?

one peek, and the moment she caught glimpse of the sword, night wanted to approach it. if it was a trap, too bad, because the player hadn't even considered entertaining the thought. the blade simply looked out of place, its edges glowing, the air around it unstable, causing it to look undefined. almost like it was on fire.

night just ogled it up close, a looming pervert. and after a moment, she had her fill.

"no thanks," she declared aloud, waving her hand about the room, to a hypothetical someone (not koga). "not my thing. the only sword that's devout is here in my hands." the player turned to her companion with a dip of her head, expectant. "you though? maybe it'll benefit you." and then she laughed, tempting fate. "maybe it'll be a cursed weapon and it'll stick with you forever. wouldn't that be nice?"

Edited July 31, 2023 by NIGHT

[Koga 0]

Koga, on the other hand, had completely missed the strange glowing golden weapon, having gone right past the room, confident that NIGHT could check it by herself. In the time that NIGHT had spent ogling the strange weapon, Koga had checked another three rooms before he finally heard NIGHT call out to him.

"What?" he shouted back to her as he made his way towards the room he heard her voice come from, his own echoing down the stone halls, certainly waking up whatever else called this place home. "Oh," he mumbled as he peered into the room and spotted the glowing sword.  Golden and glowy wasn't exactly the edgelord's Koga's style. Nonetheless, shiny loot meant potential shiny coin. And Koga still needed to pay off his debt to NIGHT for helping him buy his house.

Without so much as a second thought towards consequence, Koga walked over, reached down and grasped the handle of the sword before yanking it free. "...Huh...that was it?" Koga muttered, glancing over to NIGHT. "You'd think all the fancy VFX would mean this thing was a little bit...I dunno, cooler?"

Eh, whatever. They had things they needed to kill.

---

Spoiler

Koga | HP: 880/880 | EN: 122/122 | DMG: 23 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 3 | BRN: 56 | HOLY: 16 | VD: 96 | B.HEALING: 48/96

---

Koga equips Sanctified Sword

 

Edited August 22, 2023 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

night watched koga pick up the sword. and it was shiny, and burning, and 'cool'. but the first thing night was curious in was--

"well? is it cursed?"

that aside, they did have things they needed to kill. night then thought twice about their presence in the keep. it didn't seem as though there were any signs of vampires nearby – but her quest log did update to direct them elsewhere. night shrugged as she waved to koga. "think we should check a window." so they swept the keep grounds for one.

(yeah. they did pass by the sword in the stone from earlier. but it lost its luster in lieu of the sword koga was holding. night wasn't even sure if that was the right weapon they were supposed to be after, now.)

through the stone window, in the distance, was a remarkably convenient gothic castle that seemed to be where they were meant to be headed. and forget the keep housing such a creature of the night, beyond the undead – vampires usually had class, so it made sense that they wouldn't be existing in some back-alley soldier's home base. she pointed it out to koga, for clarity, and then her real gripe began. "can't believe the quest is making us go to a secondary location. did you know you're more unlikely to come back from one?"

so night got up on the ledge of the window, and offered a hand to koga. "i'm going to take the quickest route possible. you coming along or what?"

[Koga 0]

"well? is it cursed?"

Koga looked at NIGHT blankly for a moment. "Well how the fuck should I know?" He wasn't an appraiser after all. And all the blacksmithing skills in the world couldn't help him there. But, there was one trick he'd picked over the years that might help them figure it out. The man shrugged before turning towards the empty doorway, and the still closed door on the other side of the hall way. "Only one way to find out I guess."

Chambering his sword arm back, the man propelled the golden katana forward, sending it careening through the air only for it to embed itself in the wooden door a moment later with a solid thunk. Koga left his arm outstretched and open palmed, and willed the weapon back as he would have with Tsuki no Hikari. Except, instead of a coalescence of light...nothing. "Nope, not cursed," Koga sighed as he walked over and retrieved the sword from the door. This weapon got more and more disappointing by the minute.

Disappointment aside, the players had other manners to attend to. And that matter, was, apparently, a window? Koga wasn't quite sure what it was that NIGHT was intending, but the man faithfully followed her as she waved him to come hither. Looking out from the window, perfectly framed as if it were a painting, a massive stone castle, looming menacingly in the distance. If Koga squinted, he could have sworn that he saw giant bats circling it's tall spires. "Huh...how did we miss that earlier?" Koga's eyesight was bad in real life. Was it finally catching up to him in game?

"can't believe the quest is making us go to a secondary location. did you know you're more unlikely to come back from one?" NIGHT complained, to which Koga sighed. "Well, yeah. I mean, I think it has more to do with rolling the dice more often than an actual shift in probability..." Tomato, tomato. Either way, he'd hoped they'd be able to finish the quest here and now, especially after fighting off all the Night Of the Living Dead extras.

"i'm going to take the quickest route possible. you coming along or what?" NIGHT said as she clambered up onto the window sill.
"You're going to...what?" Koga blinked in surprise at her. Usually he was the one coming up with the stupid ideas and then following through, not her. Jumping out of a third floor window wasn't that high on the stupid list, but it still made it. What if one of them sprained an ankle or something? Somehow though, that thought didn't give Koga any pause as he took NIGHT's hand and joined her up on the ledge. "...Hey. Do a back flip."

@NIGHT

Edited October 3, 2023 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

"well not that kind of cursed…"

night was fibbing. she totally did want to know if it had such a lucrative enhancement attached to it. but after seeing koga fail to retrieve it with the snap of his fingers, her interest quickly faltered. if she were to continue, it might've been lies on top of more lies.

so she let herself skip the topic if it was followed. took a look at koga as she paused in her scramble to the outside world through 'a convenient exit'. quest were made to be done as soon as possible, so...

was he hesitating?

"we won't die from this height if we use our arts right–"

"...Hey. Do a back flip."

oh, no. he was thinking of how best to make a show of her death if she did slip up somehow.

night but stared back at him for a couple of seconds, silent and empty. then she lowered herself to a squat on the sill, before looking up at the top of the window frame. her voice grated in filler, groan stuck in her throat.

"...it might be too low."

nevertheless, it was well worth a shot. and she found out quickly that it wasn't, as she tossed herself out the keep. the back of night's cloak slapped the window's edge as she exited, almost stealing her attention away from sticking the landing. and she did just talk about making sure they would be safe –

focus, focus.

sword out, tip down. a flash was all she needed to drive her through the air, straight down. the makeshift horizontal caught the player right before her feet would touch the ground, and night spun on the spot, reveling in that cut velocity, just to catch herself steady on the dirt.

safe.

"i think i did it...!"

taking a few steps back, night looked back up towards the window just to see if koga was watching – or following her lead (and to him, she would've cupped her hands around her mouth in a yell, "well? you can do it too!"). even if he were to have went out by the hold's main entrance ("laaame."), night would've waited by an ever convenient hole in the keep's wall, an eye on the road if her friend were to decide to have left her behind.

[Koga 0]

The sword wasn't even worth mentioning anymore. A useless hunk of shiny metal, it might as well have been gold-gilded shit. Koga sheathed it as his hip with a sigh, resigned to using it for now for 'quest reasons.'

What was worth mentioning on the other hand was the height from which the pair were about attempt to jump out of. If Masato's vague memory of engineering and architecture served him correctly, they were roughly twenty three in the air, standing on the (absurdly large) window sill, as they were. "...it might be too low," NIGHT audibly moaned. Obviously, Koga knew just what to say to encourage his friend. "To snap our necks? Sure, unless we land on our heads." Which was a distinct possibility when trying to perform a backflip. "If we land poorly, on the other hand, we can definitely snap our legs in two. No pressure." Operation Encourage NIGHT, successful.

Thanks to Koga's encouraging words, NIGHT leapt out of window, actually managing the flip before darting down towards the ground in a flash of light. The whole movement reminded Koga of dragoons in some fantasy games he'd seen. "Nice job!" the man called down, clapping his hands, the lone applause sounding more sarcastic than if there'd been others.

And now it was Koga's turn. The man sighed as he suddenly felt a small rush of vertigo. No way he could do anything as cool as NIGHT just had but...

Arms outstretched, Koga tipped forward. Forward, forward, forward, more and more until he tipped right over the edge, swan diving towards the ground. At the very last moment, just before it seemed that Koga would indeed break his neck, he disappeared in a cloud of ash and flame, reappearing behind NIGHT, sword out at the end of some kind of battouho draw.

A small flourish as Koga sheathed his weapon. "Well, that wasn't that bad. So, shall we?"

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

talking about fancy graphical effects. one moment it just seemed as though koga had pushed a practice dummy out the window, with how lifeless the man had seemed to be whilst falling. the next, he'd 'pssh, nothing personal kid' behind her with a scatter of cinders and ash. night had jumped at the initial sound of the sword draw, before turning herself on her heel to face her friend. of course, she did glance at the area he should've landed at before facing him, "did you just target me for that sword art…?"

night paused, beginning their walk. then, she folded her arms.

"what. what if you'd hit me on accident – wouldn't that have been, like, a day of having an orange cursor over your head? koga. we're trying to finish a quest here…"

but beyond that, night then gestured over to her friend's weapon, but only because it still looked familiar…? "that's where all your flair's from, isn't it?" she guessed, "haven't you had that sword for a while? i don't recall if i'd ever seen you without it. made your fall look sick though."

given their walking pace, the player wasn't sure how long it would take them to get to their destination. ideal, if the castle only seemed far but was much quicker to get to, in the way that games could play with euclidean geometry. night hummed as she set her eyes upon it.

well, they would get there in time eventually, at least.

"hey, maybe you should do that for the vampires later. i bet that'll confuse them. gives us an opening for a bait and switch or something, right?"

@Koga

[Koga 0]

"did you just target me for that sword art…?"

Something about the question amused Koga, and the man tilted his head slightly as he gave a bemused half smile. "Untargeted cast," the man explained as the pair started their march towards the distant castle. "Have you never done that?" Meaning did she never just mess around and cast sword arts to watch the pretty, shiny colors while waiting for party members to show up. Koga had always assumed that that was just a universal player experience, but then again, even if he'd been late to meet up with NIGHT for a quest or farming session, he'd never once seen her do something like that. Not that she'd ever seen him do it either.

"C'mon, have a little faith," Koga scoffed with feigned offense. "I've been using these Arts for, uh..." the man lifted his fingers one by one as he tried to recall how many years they'd been stuck in Aincrad. "Six? Seven years? Christ, how long has it been?" The days blurred together after a fashion. One just bled into another. Farm mobs, craft weapons and armor, probably forget to eat or sleep while at it. Even with so much having happened since the game had started, it was so hard to put a time or date on things. "Anyways, at this point, if I didn't know the range of my moves down to a centimeter, I'd just tell you to end me," Koga moved on.

NIGHT motioned towards the katana at Koga's hip, and he nodded in confirmation. "Thanks," he chuckled as NIGHT called his fall 'sick'. "You didn't look to bad yourself. But yeah, pretty much all my Shonen power is cause of this sword. Pretty sure I got it off that Halloween event way back when. Like, right before we met if I recall correctly," Koga reminisced. His mind lingered on their many yesterdays, even as NIGHT, ever the strategist suggested he use the blink-dash when they fought the vampires. "Oh, that's a really good idea actually. Never really thought about using it for a switch before." 

And then Koga started snickering. "Oh god," the man said as a wide grin stretched across his face. Looking back, Koga realized that though he always saw NIGHT as calculating, thoughtful and serious, she hadn't always been that way. "Do you remember our first Nature's Treasure? The giant fucking bugs?"

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

night wasn't buying the 'untargeted cast' excuse. partially because it felt too coincidental for koga to have ended up at her back when he'd executed his art, and partially because she hadn't even seen him draw his sword partway through the fall.

"i have," night replied with an eye roll. the player often had training sessions alone with her arts practice in some secluded garden out on the first floor — not her fault she never wanted to look like a manic goon whilst waiting for someone in her party to show up. even if the boredom was killing her, there was always time for shuteye, or to look busy on her interface, even if she was just cleaning up her notes.

"C'mon, have a little faith. I've been using these Arts for, uh... Six? Seven years?"

"seven years," night repeated, as though confirming his count — but realistically, she was just as surprised.

"Christ, how long has it been?"

she kept the quiet, choosing not to think about the passage of time. koga could do the reminiscing for her, if he wanted.

"Anyways, at this point, if I didn't know the range of my moves down to a centimeter, I'd just tell you to end me."

"that's…"

she trailed off, only to consider how practical that knowledge was to remember. night had always considered the arts mastery an instinct, rather than an intended memory — if koga could measure the way his skills operated at all, she wasn't entirely sure what the point of it would've been.

"… well, not like i'd know," she decided to rebut, after a pause. "strange how you'd have that as a criteria to end yourself over, but to each his own, right?"

and they'd got to talking about the halloween event — one that night still remembered, if only just barely. there had been this effort, if she recalled, to end the zombies lurking about for one reason or another. night simply hummed at the thought. it put an age to jack's executioner, too, she realized, but wasn't keen on switching out her oath for show just yet.

then koga went, "Oh god," and laughed.

"what's so funny?"

"Do you remember our first Nature's Treasure? The giant fucking bugs?"

night blinked twice.

"yeah, i do," she replied, before shriveling at the thought of the insects, her face scrunched in disgust. had they been at the first, or second floor? "ew. no, i don't want to think about it; how'd it go again, genius? don't bigger ones still exist on some other floors? i heard there was an ant colony or whatever on the eleventh; i'm never going there. why'd you bring this up now?"

[Koga 0]

NIGHT rolled her eyes at Koga's explanation, and the man cocked a brow, not quite understanding why she didn't believe him. The look quickly faded though, as the number as to how many years they'd spent in game was finally pinned down to a tangible digit. Seven years. He'd have graduated by now, and probably working in the industry. If the industry had even survived the public backlash at what happened with SAO. No point in lingering on the what ifs and what could have beens though. The pair moved the conversation along to an arguably equally concerning topic.

"After all the practice I've put in? It'd be a waste if I wasn't good enough to judge my own range," the swordsman shrugged in response to NIGHT. "Maai," the man said, remembering the word they'd used at his old dojo. "Engagement distance. I mean you know yours in the same way, pretty much, even if you're not thinking about."

NIGHT blinked in mild remembrance of their first outing together. In fact, Koga could have almost sworn that was also the first time they'd met each other. Unlike then, NIGHT face screwed itself into a look of abject disgust as she recalled the monsters that had hounded them as they'd tried to farm for materials. She went on to express her absolute distaste for all the insect mobs of Aincrad, which only made Koga laugh some more. "I wasn't about to ask you to help me clear those bosses," he laughed. "Already done 'em in, and I'm pretty sure I could solo them now anyways. No, I was just thinking," the broad grin faded into more of an amused smile. "You've changed since then, I think. I remember you running around, screaming your head off while those things killed themselves on your Thorns." Koga's hands found their way to his pockets as they ambled their way towards the castle, slowly growing closer as they reminisced. "I don't think you'd blink twice nowadays."

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

"Engagement distance. I mean you know yours in the same way, pretty much, even if you're not thinking about."

"yeah," night replied, unwavering, "but i wouldn't say i'm familiar with it down to the centimeter."

they continued walking and talking. koga mentioned how much she'd changed since their first meet. night simply quirked a brow at that statement. "i'd still scream and run from them for the record," she continued, sights on the castle ahead, "but it's much easier and faster to kill them in one shot."

"sure, they're equally as creepy as i'd known them before. arguably even creepier since aincrad likes making them look even more monstrous as you go up the floors." night shuddered slightly, but didn't hesitate to speak. "but we got stronger too, and there's no more efficient swatter than the blade in your hand now."

"... and yes," she realized, "more efficient than the thorns i was using at the time." come to think of it, her build had changed a lot since she first started. night had intended to go full armor so she wouldn't fall. that didn't happen much -- especially given how much the game had altered the values for defensive equipment and abilities.

if she had to don heavy armor again, night wondered if she'd falter, now, from the weight of it alone.

in any case, they'd made it safe to their destination without incident. the player was expecting brick-laid walls or spiked metal fences, but she found nothing to defend the building from intruders; even the front door had been pulled open, chain taut and secured for visitors to pass through.

so she turned to koga, as they entered the grand building, "do you think they were expecting us? i'd be pissed if they did the james bond villain thing later."

[Koga 0]

Koga finally just shrugged at NIGHT's response. Some people understood what he meant, or truly were that accurate, some didn't. Though the man was still certain that NIGHT did indeed have that innate understanding of her and her weapons' ranges, honed over the years of combat, convincing her of that fact was ultimately pointless. Her skill spoke for itself. Unless she was an auto-battle player...Koga cast a brief curious look over at the woman, but neglected to ask the question.

The man couldn't help but scoff though as NIGHT said that she'd still run from the giant bugs, screaming. Not that the swordsman could blame her, he hated insects just as much as her probably. "It is so very like you to narrow everything down to efficiency," Koga chuckled as NIGHT they walked into the surprisingly undefended bastion. It had indeed taken a long time for the bugs to kill themselves on her Thorns, Koga recalled. Though it probably would have gone a bit quicker if his laughter hadn't made him miss almost every attack he'd made then.

"do you think they were expecting us? i'd be pissed if they did the james bond villain thing later," NIGHT asked.
"So you've come," a feminine voice echoed from ahead, the sultry tone echoing off the grey stones around them.
Koga let out a quiet sigh. "Welp, that answers that question." Please no Bond villain monologue.

The pair followed the voice down the hall, meeting a large oaken door. "I guess this is it," Koga muttered, before pushing the door open with a grunt of effort. Massive, Koga could have only guessed that the room was once the seat of opulence. Voids in the dust that clung to the wall, and cobwebs hanging from tilted and broken gold-gilded frames served as evidence of paintings hanging from the walls. A pair of golden chandeliers had crashed through to the floors, leaving only the light filtering in from the broken stained-glass windows above to illuminate the room. At their feet, a long crimson carpet was laid out, stretching all the way to a raised dais, whereupon a throne, there sat Lilith.

"I don't quite know who you are, though you seem familiar with me. I can also feel the power of the weapon you are carrying. It has been some time since I've actually been threatened by its like."
"Monologue incoming," Koga whispered to NIGHT.
Lilith blinked at the man in surprise. "Why, how dare you? Have you no manners?" The vampire stood from her throne, a wicked snarl curling at her lips, which Koga more than a bored look.
"Now, now Lilith. These travelers have had a long journey. You must forgive their impatience," a masculine voice said from behind the two players. Koga looked behind himself with a quirked brow.

"Quite sorry. Always seem to be late to this kind of thing," the newcomer said, waltzing around the pair, eyeing them both. His eyes lingered on NIGHT a moment, first her face, then her weapons. "Don't mind me here, I'm just here to enjoy the show," the man said as he sauntered towards the throne. Lilith quickly moved aside, and the man sank into the dusty chair, draping a leg dramatically across the other. "Well? Go on." He said to Lilith, gesturing for her to proceed.
"Uh, of course Master," the woman said hurriedly. "Right, where was I? Oh, yes, suffer!"

From the shadows themselves another pair of vampires materialized, and Koga looked towards NIGHT with an uncertain look, before shrugging. Kill them all? he seemed be asking.

Whatever the answer, Koga swept in, drawing the 'blessed' sword with a swift movement. Lilith shot into the air, avoiding the blade, whilst her attendants ducked. Neither of the two saw the boot arcing through the air though until it was too late, and their faces collided with the stairs.

@NIGHT

---

Spoiler

Koga | HP: 880/880 | EN: 110/122 (122 -12) | DMG: 23 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 3 | BRN: 56 | HOLY: 16 | VD: 96 | B.HEALING: 48/96
NIGHT | HP: 1000/1000 | EN: 138/138 | DMG: 28 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 5 | LM: 2 | HLY/FLN: 16 | LD: 5 | BH: 55

Lilith | HP: 2000/2000 | DMG: 275 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | Bleed: 48 (3 Turns on BD 8-10)
Undead | The Holy enhancement is twice as effective against this mob. Vampiric (Offensive and Defensive) enhancements are only half as effective in combat with this mob.
Vampire | Suffers triple damage from Burn, Flame Aura, and Flame Thorns. Restores own health by 25% of final damage dealt to opponents or 50% against targets suffering from Bleed.
Vampire Spawn | Lilith always begins combat with two <<Vampire Spawn>> in tow. When rolling for Lilith's attack, on an LD of 18+, two more Vampire Spawn will be added to the fight. 
Bloodbath | On MD rolls of 9-10, Lilith's attack becomes an AoE that automatically strikes all players, dealing 75 unmitigable damage to them and preventing Battle Healing from activating for two turns. This replaces her normal attack.
Vampire Spawn 1 | HP: 341/500 (500 -159) | DMG: 125 | MIT: 25 | ACC: 2 | Bleed 48 (2 turns, on MD 9-10) | Bloodclot
[STUNNED]
Vampire Spawn 2 | HP: 341/500 (500 -159) | DMG: 125 | MIT: 25 | ACC: 2 | Bleed 48 (2 turns, on MD 9-10) | Bloodclot
[STUNNED]

---

Koga uses Tech-F
Lilith
   | 220764, BD 1
Critical miss!

Vampire Spawn 1
   | 220765, BD 2 +5, DMG (23 * 8) -25
Vampire Spawn 1 takes 159 damage!
Vampire Spawn 1 is stunned!

Vampire Spawn 2
   | 220765, BD 2 +5, DMG (23 * 8) -25
Vampire Spawn 1 takes 159 damage!
Vampire Spawn 2 is stunned!

 

Edited March 25 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

"So you've come," boomed an unfamiliar voice through the keep.

"oh," night muttered. "goddammit."

down the hall was a large room in disarray. was it used for functions in the past? given the decor, it seemed that it should be so, but the throne ahead highlighted a kind of irregularity that night couldn't place reason to.

"Monologue incoming," koga had said.

"i'd already tuned out," night replied, quiet.

"--Why, how dare you? Have you no manners?"

to be honest, it wasn't like their enemies had any manners, either. only courteous to introduce oneself during a first meeting or some such, yet when some other man walked in on their crossing paths, he spoke without an introduction. and neither did the apparent queen give them a name -- she'd only been able to guess from the man's brief mention of it in instruction.

so when she finally comprehended the interactions between (the vampires...?) the attention she was suddenly given from the newcomer had been uncomfortable. somehow, night was just as irritated that he decided to take the throne too, but in the way that the scene reminded her of something familiar. maybe... if the man's suit was in blue...?

"Uh, of course Master. Right, where was I? Oh, yes, suffer!"

'master?' oh yeah, night was suffering alright.

she shrugged alongside koga. they had come in without a plan, and so their battle henceforth would commence also without a plan, since that had worked so well for them so far. their priorities seemed to differ as they entered combat, because while koga was cornering the vampire spawns, night decided to chase lilith herself.

an aerial enemy was no problem. with her blade fixed across her torso, tip pointed towards the mistress, she let the system take her soaring far upwards, night cutting through her foe. then, to even the playing field, a recovery swing forced lilith to the ground, the monster slamming right into koga -- but more importantly, force shattering the trapped minions from the impact. night landed on the ground with a simple stabilizing hop, readying her blade for the next move from the boss.

Spoiler

POST ACTION | AoE-I

ID220804 | bd9 | -> Lilith
ID220805 | bd7+5 = 12 | -> Vampire Spawn #1
ID220806 | bd5+5 = 10 | -> Vampire Spawn #2

15+(2x3)-2-1 = 18 EN 

(28+2+(16x2)) x 15 = 930 DMG
930 - 50 = 880 DMG

(28+16) x 15 = 660 DMG
660 - 25 = 635 DMG

28 x 15 = 420 DMG
420 - 25 = 395 DMG

 

ID220807 | md4+2-5 = 1 | ld16 | -> NIGHT

 

Lilith | HP: 1120/2000 | DMG: 275 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | Bleed: 48 (3 Turns on BD 8-10)

Undead | The Holy enhancement is twice as effective against this mob. Vampiric (Offensive and Defensive) enhancements are only half as effective in combat with this mob.
Vampire | Suffers triple damage from Burn, Flame Aura, and Flame Thorns. Restores own health by 25% of final damage dealt to opponents or 50% against targets suffering from Bleed.
Vampire Spawn | Lilith always begins combat with two <<Vampire Spawn>> in tow. When rolling for Lilith's attack, on an LD of 18+, two more Vampire Spawn will be added to the fight. 
Bloodbath | On MD rolls of 9-10, Lilith's attack becomes an AoE that automatically strikes all players, dealing 75 unmitigable damage to them and preventing Battle Healing from activating for two turns. This replaces her normal attack.

Vampire Spawn 1 | HP: 341/500 (500 -159) | DMG: 125 | MIT: 25 | ACC: 2 | Bleed 48 (2 turns, on MD 9-10) | Bloodclot
[STUNNED]
Vampire Spawn 2 | HP: 341/500 (500 -159) | DMG: 125 | MIT: 25 | ACC: 2 | Bleed 48 (2 turns, on MD 9-10) | Bloodclot
[STUNNED]

Koga | HP: 880/880 | EN: 110/122 (122 -12) | DMG: 23 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 3 | BRN: 56 | HOLY: 16 | VD: 96 | B.HEALING: 48/96
NIGHT | HP: 1000/1000 | EN: 120/138 | DMG: 28 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 5 | LM: 2 | HLY/FLN: 16 | LD: 5 | BH: 55

 

[Koga 0]

Was this quest meant to be fought as a team? Yes. Were NIGHT and Koga meant to fight the boss and mobs together, as a single unit? Yes. Were they high-level players though? Also yes. So, that pretty much meant that the pair could do whatever the fuck they wanted. And that's exactly what they did. While Koga chose to finish dealing with the two extras, NIGHT chased after Lilith herself.

With his boot firmly planted in the two vampires' heads, Koga had prepared to finish them both off, lifting the golden sword the quest evidently expected him to use high above his head to decapitate them when a Koga heard a crashing sound over head. Koga looked up just in time to see Lilith's body plummeting towards him.

"OH SHIT!"

Koga leapt backwards, out of the way as Lilith struck the ground and her two attendants, cratering the ground beneath them. "A little warning next time!?" Koga complained loudly to NIGHT as he pointed at the hole in the floor. Bright blue shards floated out of it towards the sky, and Lilith's quivering hand grabbed the edge as she wearily tried to pull herself out. "You coulda killed me!"

@NIGHT

---

Spoiler

[0] Koga | HP: 880/880 | EN: 110/122 | DMG: 23 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 3 | BRN: 56 | HOLY: 16 | VD: 96 | B.HEALING: 48/96
[2] NIGHT | HP: 1000/1000 | EN: 120/138 | DMG: 28 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 5 | LM: 2 | HLY/FLN: 16 | LD: 5 | BH: 55

Lilith | HP: 1120/2000 | DMG: 275 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | Bleed: 48 (3 Turns on BD 8-10)
Undead | The Holy enhancement is twice as effective against this mob. Vampiric (Offensive and Defensive) enhancements are only half as effective in combat with this mob.
Vampire | Suffers triple damage from Burn, Flame Aura, and Flame Thorns. Restores own health by 25% of final damage dealt to opponents or 50% against targets suffering from Bleed.
Vampire Spawn | Lilith always begins combat with two <<Vampire Spawn>> in tow. When rolling for Lilith's attack, on an LD of 18+, two more Vampire Spawn will be added to the fight. 
Bloodbath | On MD rolls of 9-10, Lilith's attack becomes an AoE that automatically strikes all players, dealing 75 unmitigable damage to them and preventing Battle Healing from activating for two turns. This replaces her normal attack.

---

Lilith attacks NIGHT
   | 220909, MD 5 +2 -5
Miss

Koga uses ST-I vs Lilith
   | 220910, BD 1
Critical miss!

 

Edited March 28 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

"what?"

night tilted her head, absentminded, maintaining her stance at the ready as lilith scrambled out of her current pitstop. "no way. i wouldn't have wanted my attack to go through you. that 100% wasn't going to hit you -- you move fast. you can dodge out the way."

rather, what night did expect was for koga to be on the ball for breaking down lilith just as she sent the boss hurtling towards him, almost as though chaining a combo. though, given their combat pace, the moment her friend would've wanted to retaliate with his own response, the vampiress had freed herself and immediately darted over to night's position, and the player dropped to roll out of the way. she shimmied back towards koga, adjusting the grip on her blade. "i told you wasn't great at estimating my attacks down to a hair, or something like that. you can believe me now, right?"

Spoiler

ID220959 | bd2+5-3+1-1 = 4 | -> Lilith

-2-8+4 = -4 EN

LM | +2 ACC

ID220960 | md8+2-5 = 5 | -> NIGHT

[0] Koga | HP: 880/880 | EN: 110/122 | DMG: 23 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 3 | BRN: 56 | HOLY: 16 | VD: 96 | B.HEALING: 48/96
[2] NIGHT | HP: 1000/1000 | EN: 116/138 | DMG: 28 | ACC: 5+2 | EVA: 5 | LM: 2 | HLY/FLN: 16 | LD: 5 | BH: 55 | [CONCENTRATION: 1/5] [CHARGE: 1/4]

Lilith | HP: 1120/2000 | DMG: 275 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 3 | Bleed: 48 (3 Turns on BD 8-10)

Undead | The Holy enhancement is twice as effective against this mob. Vampiric (Offensive and Defensive) enhancements are only half as effective in combat with this mob.
Vampire | Suffers triple damage from Burn, Flame Aura, and Flame Thorns. Restores own health by 25% of final damage dealt to opponents or 50% against targets suffering from Bleed.
Vampire Spawn | Lilith always begins combat with two <<Vampire Spawn>> in tow. When rolling for Lilith's attack, on an LD of 18+, two more Vampire Spawn will be added to the fight. 
Bloodbath | On MD rolls of 9-10, Lilith's attack becomes an AoE that automatically strikes all players, dealing 75 unmitigable damage to them and preventing Battle Healing from activating for two turns. This replaces her normal attack.