[F01-PP] swordpoint.

[NIGHT 0]

it had been a while since the twenty-seventh floor had opened up. every floor had its own set of challenges before the labyrinth could be found -- either a duration to wait through, a quest chain to be completed; somewhere, some condition had to be met. even if the players hadn't been keeping track of what it was.

but that was what the eyes and ears of aincrad were for; brokers to alleviate their work. despite this, however, it was about due time they got off their laurels to push towards that exodus at some point. not for sake of placing their peace behind them, but rather, it was a necessary shift in dynamic. to ensure that they wouldn't reach a stasis they couldn't escape.

and for that effort, it was all night could to round up players she knew she could trust in the labyrinth search. who better than her household companion... even if he did seem a little sickly these days?

--well, placing him in mortal danger so soon after recovery also seemed like such an evil. but the more the player considered it, looking over towards him from the living room table, the more she'd wanted to investigate how taxing the sickness might've been. better to know now if chase could be found in fit fighting condition than later, on a whim, when they needed to fill rank.

day was the one who caught her staring, turning around from having gathered the bunch of berries they'd saved for a breakfast or another. a raised brow -- because where else was her gaze resting upon? before she followed it towards the blueberry boy.

"is there something you'd wanted to say?"

the player jumped, caught off-guard. she gave her duple a frown before taking the bowl with a hand, slipping out of her seat to join the group at the couches. day lead that train, a similar bowl offered to chase as she slipped around to sit beside him. two bowls were placed upon the floor, then -- one for nyanko, the kitten raising his head off from the cat tree in the corner to notice his calling, and another for blizz, despite not having seen where the little pangolin had went.

in that quiet, it left night with a void to fill with words. "chase," she started, turning towards her friend, leaning back against the seat rest as she settled into cushions. "what do you think about getting some exercise in?"

| NIGHT  | Lv. 137 >> P. 105, Lv. 32  | Status: //  Notes:  //

Spoiler NIGHT | HP: 1080/1080 | EN: 146/146 | DMG: 21 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 44 | LM: 2 | HLY/FLN: 16 | LD: 5 | BH: 55 | Stealth Rating: 6 equipped oathkeeper. FLN II, HLY II (16) Tracksuit of Unfathomable Fashionability MIT (24), LM II Silver Crescent Necklace ACC II, EVA II battle-ready inventory Jack's Executioner BLIGHT (32, -20MIT), BLEED (48), FROSTBITE (40, -1ACC), STATIC (40, 24 SPLASH) skills Spoiler mod count: 7/7 2HSS | RANK 5/5 focus, stamina, precision shift: aoe CLOTH ARMOR | RANK 5/5 athletics, nimble COMBAT MASTERY: DMG | RANK 3/3 SEARCHING | RANK 4+1/5 reveal, tracking, detect, night vision BATTLE HEALING | RANK 5/5 ENERGIST FAMILIAR: PROFESSION QUICK CHANGE CHARGE EXTENDED MOD LIMIT extra SURVIVAL CONCENTRATION HIDING untraceable, vanish, surprise attack-t buffs Spoiler statue BIALAS | +TAUNT MOTHRA | +1 EN Recovery TANOS | +25 MIT MORETSUNA | +50 HP OROCHI | +1 LD KUMATETSU | +1 DMG consumables - - - - - - paragon Lv. 5 | Gain additional col equivalent to 15% of EXP earned in that thread. Lv. 10 | +1 LD to looting. sword arts Spoiler en cost matches multiplier unless stated otherwise. shift underlined. ST | x12 -> x15 | x20 AOE | x15 -> x18 TECH-A | x12 | STUN | 13EN TECH-B | x12 | DELAY TECH-D | x12 | SHATTER TECH-G | x12 | BURN misc. Spoiler housing Dimensional Backpack, Item Stash | +2 Battle-Ready Inventory Slots. Well Rested | -1 EN for the first three expenditures of each combat.  Relaxed | +(5 * Tier) HP per out-of-combat post. Full energy restoration occurs after two turns out of combat. Squeaky Clean | -25% DoT damage taken from the first DoT applied to this player in a thread. Skylight: Searching | +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cooldown of 30 days to reassign. Multipurpose | +1 LD/Prosperity/Stealth/Detection to one post per thread. Can be applied after a roll. Filling | +1 T1 slot to a food consumed by this player in a thread. Can exceed Cook enhancement caps. Col Deposit | +5% col from loot-minimum mobs, +10% col from treasure chests. gathering Greenhouse | +2 G.EXP, +1 CD&LD to gathering attempts. Familiar: Profession | +2 G.EXP Demeter's Cornucopia | +1 CD to gathering attempts.

 

[ChaseR 0]

Chase had gone through all of it by now. He'd gotten sick, gotten better, gotten worse, gone through a fever and some incredible downtime, and it wasn't anywhere close to ending by the looks of it. He quietly sat at the couch, playing with Blizz and petting the little rascal who was trying to reach up to his knees and cuddle him. And around then, he heard DAY speak up and looked up, grinning at the offer and accepting the bowl. "There's some for you and Nyanko over there, go go.", he chuckled and watched the pangolin scuttle over, before they both started to dig in.

And then he was addressed, immediately fixing his eyes on the wall and giving it a blank stare. "Ah, just when I'd started getting comfortable. I probably should though... If I stay inactive for too long, it'll be too sudden to transition back into combat...", he huffed and looked back at NIGHT, giving her a hesitant nod. "Uuuhm... Sure? I'm not sure how much I can do but.", the vanguard warned her ahead of time, knowing his body was half there and half somewhere in the depths of space disintegrating. His coughing fits had gotten more manageable, but that didn't mean they didn't occur any less. Fevers came and went, but it had been a while, so maybe... "What do you want to do anyway?", he asked with a raised eyebrow, continuing his breakfast and resting back on the couch for however long he could before he had to get up and put those muscles to good work. This did get him thinking about his sword though. "It's way lighter than a stone sword should be, but can I even lift it right now..? I'll have to use something more crappy for now.", and he made for a good point. "If it's anything to do with swords, I don't know if I can raise my actual one and use it right now. Just letting you know.", Chase spoke, and then threw a berry into his mouth only to choke on it. Hooray to the first coughing fit not caused by him being sick in a while, but to sheer stupidity. Once he'd struggled to get the berry out of his throat and won, he leaned forward and took a deep breath, coughing once more. "D-Don't mind me."

Spoiler

ChaseR,
Level: 31
Paragon Level: 59
HP: 840/840
EN: 102/102

Stats:
Damage: 23
Mitigation: 69
Evasion: 3
Accuracy: 3
Battle Healing: 46
Loot Dice: 5
HLY BLS: 18
HLY: 16
PHASE
V.D.: 46
V.O.: 92

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: <<Chase's Star>> (T4/SS/Demonic): HOLY II, PHASE, V.OFF I
Armor: <<Azure Getup>> (T4/CA/Perfect): VDEF I, HBS I, MIT I
Misc: <<Chained Bracelet>> (T2/Trinket/Demonic): ACC II, EVA II

Custom Skill:
Custom Test

Skills:
Straight Sword R5
Cloth Armor R5
Battle Healing R5
Searching R4
Fighting Spirit
Charge
Howl

Active Mods:
Athletics

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Stamina
Precision
Ferocity
Nimble
Focused Howl

Active Extra Skills:
Disguise
Forgotten King’s Authority
Meditation
Survival

Inactive Extra Skills:
Restorative Strike

Battle Ready Inventory:
Imugi's Inspiration (Mass HP Recovery) x1
Insta-Life ++ (T2/Perfect/HP REC III) x1
Woodland Armor (T3/Perfect) MIT III (1/3) x1

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor [Potted Tanabata Bamboo Tree]: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild:
Tanos Statue: +25 Mitigation for a thread.

Wedding Ring:

 

Edited April 25, 2022 by ChaseR

[NIGHT 0]

she didn't even bring up anything related to swords, and yet his mind had defaulted towards it. the state of the game they were in, perhaps? at the thought of chase's blade proper, night shook her head. stone, wasn't it? that wouldn't be very comfortable to wield for practice, nor when he was in a weakened state. "i was originally thinking about a run," she tried to clarify, "though if it's to swords, then i'm sure the standard-issued blade would be fine; the beginner weapons? or i could run out and fetch some practice sticks if you'd prefer."

it was probably for the best, night decided, watching her friend choke on a berry. day peeped, surprised, slapping the man on the back. the construct sighed once he'd recovered from the cough, and her player rose from her seat, bowl placed on the nearby table. "um -- yeah. let's go with practice weapons for now."

[ChaseR 0]

Chase was resting his elbows on his knees, hacking to clear his throat and turning to DAY to give a smile and a small thumbs up. "Thank you... blegh.", he expressed gratitude with a slight chuckle, before turning to look at NIGHT with furrowed eyebrows. Maybe combat would be a bit too intensive for now, even if it was just with sticks... It's not like beating boars around would be much exercise to him anyway. "N-No no, it's alright, let's go for a run. It'd do me good to... move a bit, you know. I haven't uh... gotten the chance to in a while...", he mumbled and fumbled, looking up at her and pushing himself off the couch, with a deep sigh.

"Yeah.", he exclaimed with a nod, his arms resting on his waist as he stood there, awkwardly waiting for a response. He wasn't really sure if he could run either, but now that he'd already gotten out of the literal comfort zone of the right side of her couch, it was clear he wanted to go outside. He looked around him out the window quietly, raising a hand to rub the back of his neck and thinking about it. After he pondered for a short while, he let out a huff and looked behind at NIGHT, with an uncertain look on his face. "Er... I don't... Wh-What should we do? I'm kinda lost.", the bluehead blurted, dropping his arms and letting out a long, deep and probably disappointed exhale. "Let's go with sticks, yeah..."

[NIGHT 0]

"sounds pretty straightforward to me," day commented, gaze bouncing between the two players. she held out a hand, fingers raised as she listed off what she perceived. "you two can go for a run, then come back here for some sword art practice afterwards. oh, and leave me to gorge on all of your berries on my own."

night shrugged, partially wincing at the vanishing of her breakfast. "that's... fine by me."

the player walked towards the front door, rolling her head around her neck for a moment. when chase fell into step behind behind her, she pulled open the door, a warm sunlight pouring into the household, almost eating away at the home's preserved coolness. "an npc merchant with the practice blades is a short run across town," night explained, slipping into her running shoes. "cut across the square, there and back, it shouldn't take us more than five minutes if the coast is clear; just follow my lead. you ready?"

at the okay, she started off against the pavement at a moderate speed.

[ChaseR 0]

Chase was somewhat amused upon seeing NIGHT go through the whole process of putting her shoes on properly, rather than just equipping them through her inventory, but... he shrugged and thought to give it a try. He took his shoes out of his inventory and after two, at least, years, he tried putting them on normally. Something so casual, so mundane felt almost new to him, which shocked him more than one would imagine. 

"Good god.", he grumbled almost out of embarrassment, looking up at NIGHT as he stood up himself and nodding. "We won't take too long DAY.", the vanguard tried to reassure the gemini living with the two, with a small smile on his face. "Let's get started.", he gave his training buddy the green light, and she started to jog. At what looked like a dissapointingly slow speed, too. Chase huffed and shrugged, starting to run behind her- but when he did, he begun to realise how out of shape he was. Even going at that controlled speed, his body felt heavy and his movements sluggish, getting more tired than he feels he would have running at full speed on a good day. He remained quiet however, only squinting his eyes occasionally and letting out some discomforted grunts. "... How many days have I been like this? Hell, has it been more than a week actually? Since I got sick, maybe...", the bluehead tried to find some explanation, but he could not.

[NIGHT 0]

night made sure chase kept pace with her the entire jog through. down a couple of streets, turn a corner once they'd made it to the teleporter plaza and out into another road, a smaller path. the player only skipped ahead once she was certain her friend had clear view of where she was going, and when she could see the merchant in stock.

the trade of col was easily the quickest part about their journey for the blades.

she decided it was best they stopped to allow chase to catch his breath. a quick summon of the weapons she'd purchased -- light and flexibly, with a decent durability for training purposes. when her friend seemed open to conversation, night passed him the blade to test it out, her own breathing controlled to slow. "give that a few swings. or, you know..."

pulling out her own copy of the sword, she set it tip-down and rested against it, keeping her weight upon it light -- unlike her own broadswords, it was liken to topple at any moment. "use it to steady yourself. we can head back in a moment. how's that run feel?'"

[ChaseR 0]

It was hard to keep up with his partner, heaving heavily as soon as they came to a stop and holding a hand up, as if asking for help. When she passed him the weapon, he looked up at her to accept it and then promptly plopped on to the ground, leaving the practice blade next to him and trying to pace his breathing.

"One... One moment...", he huffed and wiped some sweat from his forehead, feeling his legs almost burn up from the inside. He hadn't done this in a while and his body was still tired as ever, even though he felt like he was making for a pretty swift recovery so far. "It's... Hoo.", he exhaled and tried to pull himself back up with the blade in his hand, leaning down on it a bit to keep himself standing. Once a minute or so had passed, he seemed good enough to hold his own, taking a few steps back and practicing some slashes on the air in front of himself. The sword was light and weak as ever, but it felt almost as heavy as his own in his hand. Good god... "Sword's good... The run was a lot...", he looked at NIGHT with a small grin, although it was more so of embarrassment at his lack of stamina than anything else. "Okay... Let's head on back."