[f27-sp] buried. <<tmd-iv>>

[NIGHT 0]

quest.

wagon wheels spun over and over. they crushed gravel and snow, rolling over wood and dirt and stone. they'd halted for only a moment, the silence from their inaction only punctured by muffles and the squeak of a gate opening. then they continued, now accompanied by soft marches, iron boots hitting upon the earth.

it was snowing. the sky above the settlement of braso was dark and muted, much unlike the path the wagon's riders took to get here. while the travelers were on the road, the heavens were only a dimming gradient, sun setting and hidden beyond obscuring, puffy layers of grey. 

once the vehicle came to a stop, the individuals on it stood up from their seats, and started to shuffle down. one of them had a cloak on, an ugly and muddied shade of black, as she made her way out of the lot the wagon had been parked into, headed out onto the main street.

NIGHT | HP: 1060/1060 | EN: 144/144 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 4 | MIT: 75 | LD: 8 | BH: 58 | VAMP-D: 108 | FS | AA | Stealth Rating: 6 Spoiler notes. sumofallfears | HP: 960/960 | DMG: 256 | MIT: 96 | ACC: max. | EVA: 1 | PARA-V (D) | Phase Spoiler equipped Cosmic Devourer+1  ABS. ACC, ACC III pretense. VAMP-D II, HB II Iridescent Blue Scarf MIT II I (6), PARA IMMUNE   battle-ready inventory Imugi's Inspiration (5) | MASS HEALING Teleport Crystal (3) | TELEPORT   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 FIGHTING SPIRIT QUICK CHANGE CHARGE EXTENDED MOD LIMIT extra SURVIVAL CONCENTRATION HIDING untraceable, vanish, surprise attack-t buffs Spoiler statue TANOS | +25 MIT consumables  Crème Brûlée (1) | ACCURACY II  Liquor of Light (1) | DAMAGE III  Breakfast Fry (1) | PROTEIN III* (filling)  Yaki Hatahata | T4 | (1) | MITIGATION III paragon Lv. 5 | Gain additional col equivalent to 15% of EXP earned in that thread. Lv. 10 | +1 LD to looting. 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-F | x8 | AOE STUN  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.

 

Edited June 17, 2023 by NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

it wasn't the cold that kept her hooded. after all, her mirror tagging along behind her hadn't kept up with the temperature. rather, there was a hint of fear over bumping into anyone that might've found her familiar. night was keeping a low profile at the moment, and she would be damned to be noticed now, out of all times.

her eyes glazed over her messages just as she began tailing a few jogging guards from before. they were spotted once at the gate, while the two were being permitted entry into braso. and night figured they were headed to whoever their leader was, based on how difficult the roads had seemed on their expedition here; anyone coming in would have to have good reason for the effort expended.

night had a quest and a labyrinth to break into. she didn't think what cardinal assumed as normal circumstances, then; to the players, this was more than an acceptable enough reason for a deviation from the norm.

[NIGHT 0]

she would be foolish to think that the quest had nothing to do with her venturing into the depths. the last time they went in, they'd only made it so far before the party's personal supplies and morale went out. and she heard of at least another scouting party having gone in without making so much as a dent into her own progress. if she had to do it alone, then by god she would at least try. 

so this was just the warm up for night. a warm up in a dreadfully chilly place.

the only note night took that her pace might've been too slow was from a deliberate soft bump from her follower, and a tap on her shoulder after, while night had her sights still cast downwards. she followed the pointed gesture in her vision towards a building, barely larger than most. stationed men gave their greetings to the incoming troops, a hand crossed over their chest with their feet set together.

Edited June 17, 2023 by NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

the player contemplated twice if she should follow the same greeting to match. hesitant, she strode up to them, deciding otherwise. night came to face crossed shafts in an interlock, pole arms held out by the guards to prevent her from moving forward, though as night turned to her inventory to produce the necessary envelope, day had already slipped underneath the make-shift gate, letting herself in without any problems.

while the document was materializing in her hands, night could only stare in disbelief. her finger tapping on the seal was enough for the guards to be convinced after a brief inspection, and night walked briskly, trying to catch up with her double.

there, on the second floor, was the commander’s office, where night strolled into with a knock on the open door. the guards that she’d tailed were stationed at the side of the room: two of them at the ready, whilst a last collecting a crate that seemed to be moving out later. fudral was the man’s name she was whispered to, and with a curt exchange and a reveal of the envelope, the commander was quicker to start investigating than acknowledge her introduction.

[NIGHT 0]

his thumb traced the page’s outline as he read the letter. fudral remained quiet, only deciding to make a sound once he was done reading, placing the note on his desk and smoothing it out, eyes set towards the player. “that sounds ‘bout more than right,” he remarks, with a sniffle and a thumb wiped across his nose. “but sending an outsider here seems a bit much even for brienne.” 

night glowered at the man, only comforted by the hand on her shoulder. was this a cardinal thing, or was the commander just being rude? it was only when he’d asked, “how’d she figure?” did night remember the president had mistaken her for one of his workers. and she paused to consider if fudral would’ve taken it as an insult if she told him the truth.

so instead, she shook her head, shrugging. “don’t know? … what’s it matter, anyway? if she thinks you know what’s going on, then surely you can help her out.”

[NIGHT 0]

“even if i can, that’s a job for me to know about on behalf of our settlements that you’re not so privy to,” fudral remarked. his eyes went from night to the note, then to one of the stationed guards, giving them a nod. when he returned eye contact with the player, it was with a side look, and an expression of disbelief. “i’ll get one of my men to make the trip to ordsea when preparations are done. you’re dismissed.”

night wanted to protest, but she wasn’t sure on what foundations she had to negotiate with. before she could gather her words, the cued guard began to usher her out, alongside the firm grab of her other on her forearm, pulling her away from the office. 

“day,” she whispered in disbelief, but in the hallway the three of them were walking towards the stairwell, and stopped once they were in a corner, distant enough from fudral to not have overheard.

[NIGHT 0]

“this is part of it?” night whispered to day, just as the guard was removing his helm.

“this is it,” was whispered back. 

night received a greeting, same as the last, and then a tug at the collared red scarf, indicating rank, especially with the attached gilded badge. “lieutenant rook,” he clarified, before turning to glance up the stairwell. “i suppose that wasn’t the kindest of him; the commander, i mean. he’s like that with people he’s not familiar with.” rook scoffed and shook his head, tentatively. “i mean, even with individuals from the other settlements included. so long as they don’t seem to pull any rank with authorities, i mean.”

the player watched the light bounce off the steel gauntlets, as rook tucked his helm under an arm and waved his hand. “look, i just wanted to give you a heads up. he’s usually kinder to those who’ve gone through some of the harsher trainings in braso, and there’s a really straightforward one if you’re interested. if you made it here, you must have unfinished business beyond being a simple messenger – that’s what most of us guess, anyway.” then came a pause, and a brief stutter, “...do you have a map? i’ll jot it down for you…”

[NIGHT 0]

night obliged him. it was the least she could do, and had the will for, given that she hated being cornered by someone in authority as such in the first place. the player gave him simple, curt thanks – similar to the commander – and rook seemed to take it routinely. which meant night was able to move on quick and easy.

she didn’t have a map, but cardinal was more than willing to project it onto her own interface once some paper and monster’s blood had been handed to the lieutenant. convenient; while the cave itself was a difficult hike, the road to it wasn’t so obscure; it was well trodden enough to be laid down with wooden markers to help the accident-prone, and climbing picks were tools she already had to scale the extreme mountain face. they would be there faster than his estimates, if she did this right. so she hurried her steps to begin before dark.

[NIGHT 0]

bistro: so you’ll let me know how it goes, right?
night: has no one done this yet smh
bistro: my books are empty and so are my finances.
night: o+<

the worst weather to climb in would be heavy snowfall; she’d consider hail if it was just as likely than the average downpour. but in the storm, with its wind starting to pick up, night made sure to quicken her pace in their escalation, keeping an eye out for day’s progress as the player struggled to adapt to the new mode of traversal. day always made it seem easy – this climb was no different – and when night was face-to-face with her, the machine started giving some advice.

“it’s about your hips! lock yourself closer to the wall!”

“that’s easier said than done…!”

it was a form night wasn’t used to, yet; without proper training, navigation using any possible method was key, so long as it helped her move. day had the gall to let go of one of her anchors, gesturing at night’s leg work. “press yourself up against it, closer – no, not like that! …i’m going to have to get you invested in a strap to make this work next time, huh?”

“–sorry?”

[NIGHT 0]

the drone of ambience from within the cave was a welcome respite from the blizzard’s stir outside. night found herself leaning upon, before collapsing against one of the walls, much to day’s nonchalance. their surroundings, in contrast to the winter scenery, was drenched in all shades of blue; had they been reflective just the same, perhaps it would’ve looked like one of the ice caves down on the fourth. the player stared down the void, leading them further in, just as the shove of two boots upon the ground by her leg prompted her attention – day extended a hand towards her, and she took it willingly, just to hold.

“we’re almost done here, so hang in there a little more, okay?”

a tough tug, her rallying cry. it took night a brief moment before she followed the pull, a hand to the wall beside her for support. 

“ah, yeah… i’ll get it.”

[NIGHT 0]

into the dark they went. within was unremarkable, as the light from the outside fell away, and the void consumed their forms. night walked, her ears open for any signs of noticeable change. water drips, a hollow white noise, and her own footsteps echoing through the tunnel.

–that was just it, she realized, a little too late. she wasn’t alone, so where were the second set of steps?

night’s head whipped back, eyes to their entrance–

“day?!”

–but it was too far from where she presently was; behind her was nothing but empty, now. and, damn it, day would’ve been the first to say something to catch her attention, made sure she had it, too, if night hadn’t been so distracted with the wrong thing at the time. the player raced back, giving up her progress; whatever this cave was meant for, it wouldn’t be like before in the ruins. she was going to look after her living memory, from cardinal, just like her dopple was looking out for her.

[NIGHT 0]

a bright glow stopped her in her tracks, however; something that bordered between her and the light still far away. drifting in from the ceiling, it wouldn’t be remiss to find some mushrooms or moss present, emitting a brilliant blue – but there had been nothing on the way in. somehow life found her on the way out. and it shifted, too, falling to the floor enough that night found herself recoiling from the sight. the mushroom helmet its head, tethers holding it upright just made the entity (!) in front of her look like a jellyfish on land. out of its habitat. night was out of her depth, too.

“get out of the way,” she seethed under her breath, pulling out cosmic devourer. she didn’t have time for it – but with a whirl and a blink, the stranger thing decided to make sure she did, instead.

(by the cave’s entrance, far from night, her secondary paced back and forth an invisible barrier, curses under her breath.)

[NIGHT 0]

etched in the corner of the paper given to rook was a scribble in cursive – ‘your greatest fears will be present, go prepared’. but night couldn’t read it, and neither had she paid attention – oh, she pays attention to the wrong things, all the time. for instance, when the jab of the spear came her way, shooting right above her shoulder, she barely had enough time to recognize the figure as nari’s, before remembering, ‘wait, she’s using a scythe now.’ 

– to mention nothing about how her hair had changed since they’d met long ago. with a swipe from her opponent, night realized reflexively that the choice of weapon registered wasn’t a spear anymore, and held onto that curved blade with a hand. it hurt, but cardinal had already keyed in her mistake; the player simply skipped out of the way of its follow-through with a leap, feet planted on a nearby wall long enough to find a foothold for a lunge at the make-believer. cosmic devourer came to life at the clash of sword on steel – and a bar, nameless, started to empty at her motions.

---

Spoiler

> POST ACTION: AOE-I

ID212527 | bd8+7-1 | -> The Sum Of All Fears

-15 EN.

26 * 15 = 390 DMG
390 - 96 = 294 DMG

---

ID212527 | md8+7-4 | -> NIGHT

256 - 75 = 181 DMG

---

NIGHT | HP: 879/1060 | EN: 129/144 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 4 | MIT: 75 | LD: 8 | BH: 58 | VAMP-D: 108 | FS | AA | Stealth Rating: 6 | PARA-IMMUNE

sumofallfears | HP: 646/960 | DMG: 256 | MIT: 96 | ACC: max. | EVA: 1 | PARA-V (D) | Phase

 

Edited June 17, 2023 by NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

night was still certain she didn’t have time for this, however. the cursor above that player-figure was obviously hostile, a mark reserved for monsters, and though she forced her eyes to stay open, just in case the threat would change, so too was it unafraid of self-tessellation in front of her eyes. a myriad of rhombuses cluttered its form, feet to head, and she felt herself blinking at the break in the dark. ‘i need to get back to day,’ was her last thought; so it shouldn’t have been surprising that now the figure switched into firm anima’s god-forsaken guild leader, and now night understood why the fight was personal.

two fingers to adjust glasses with lenses without a prescription. then, a sweep of a red cape, and down came the blow of a sword unforeseen, against her own blockade. cosmic devourer hummed, the instigation surging its heat to life, just in time for a secondary vanta to snake its way across their skirmish and behind her with a maw and jaws reminiscent of a rabid beast. one heated slash in defense against that alien thing – she took the cut to heart – before she darted past the walking reaper in an attempt to escape the fight.

Spoiler

> POST ACTION: AOE-II

ID212528 | bd2+7-1 | -> The Sum Of All Fears

-18 EN.

879 + 58 = 934 HP

26 * 18 = 468 DMG
468 - 96 = 372 DMG

---

ID212528 | md7+7-4 | -> NIGHT

256 - 75 = 181 DMG

---

NIGHT | HP: 756/1060 | EN: 111/144 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 4 | MIT: 75 | LD: 8 | BH: 58 | VAMP-D: 108 | FS | AA | Stealth Rating: 6 | PARA-IMMUNE

sumofallfears | HP: 274/960 | DMG: 256 | MIT: 96 | ACC: max. | EVA: 1 | PARA-V (D) | Phase

 

Edited June 17, 2023 by NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

gods, it was stupid. all her past fights with versions of herself needed words. so now, it was much more deafening, and deadly, when cardinal decided she didn’t need to hear it anymore, that she was done listening to a spiel or other. that cardinal could hold her attention better than her counterpart, just by making her quiet, untold dilemmas visible.

she didn’t want to be here, right now. that was the whole point of her absence in the first place–

the same tessellation particles appeared in her vision, stopping her from continuing forwards. night wasn’t ready to decide on recognizing who it was just yet, so the game decided for her with an avoidance of three dagger thrusts; her body moved faster than her mind could work on identification. like-minded eyes, and a make-believe hunt that ran its course – the player bounced backwards to allow hidden to finish her combo, before giving the ghost a swipe and turning tail. she didn’t have time, she didn’t have time–

Spoiler

> POST ACTION: AOE-I

ID212529 | bd3+7-1 | -> The Sum Of All Fears

-15 EN.

756 + 58 = 814 HP

26 * 15 = 390 DMG
390 - 96 = 294 DMG

NIGHT | HP: 814/1060 | EN: 96/144 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 7 | EVA: 4 | MIT: 75 | LD: 8 | BH: 58 | VAMP-D: 108 | FS | AA | Stealth Rating: 6 | PARA-IMMUNE

sumofallfears | HP: -20/960 | DMG: 256 | MIT: 96 | ACC: max. | EVA: 1 | PARA-V (D) | Phase

 

Edited June 17, 2023 by NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

–so no matter who it was that formed out of those memories, she didn’t care. she already knew the answer to it, she stood by it the other day within that boss room. be it an objection from a long-standing front-liner, or a mysterious figure who had all the answers and an objective on saving the world through sarcasm, night wasn’t going to care. each swing of her sword pushed her forward, cut down on the figures that pressed just a little too hard, too firm to her heart. her sword whirred and steamed at each strike, glowing red and hot, a manifestation of her own frustrations if she’d willed it that way (night didn’t), all while acknowledging the impossibilities that the sum of her fears could not.

if push came to shove, then so be it – she would die trying to save what little remained of herself from beyond sword art online. even if it wasn’t ren; even if it was just a false fabrication of her memories. just as she tore down a weak-willed samurai that wouldn’t even stand in complexity to the true player, night’s attention was stolen by the hammering of fists upon the invisible barricade. her gaze went upwards, and there she was.

there was no night without day.

[NIGHT 0]

just one more bout, then, the last of the festering lights curling up in tessellations to a familiar figure. night would recognize that suit of armor anywhere, for it was the same that she’d designed herself back in the day. doombringer plunged against the cosmic sword, and their strikes came and went like waves – fitting, then, that she would have her double here watching. night’s gaze drifted if only for a moment to shoot day a glance; the player would be fine. wasn’t she before, when the same fight was imposed upon her years ago?

night lived in a loop, following the same steps, breathing in the same fights. but that was okay – the consistency was key, and being able to fall and follow through made her certain that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. like an ouroboros, she would never stop facing the same problems, but that always meant she knew how to beat them back, if only for the time being. in certain uncertainty, there was a certain outcome,

so night whirled around with two swipes, the second higher than the first, and let her blade sink into the ground before her false self. it motioned, palm on its broken chestplate, before giving her a look never seen before – surprise, and admiration. night’s facade melted at that, to watch the rhombuses scatter across the fake form, and return the jellyfish’s image to reality. then, it flitted away, with nothing but stardust in the wake of the sole ghost.

[NIGHT 0]

day, leaning upon that barrier, fell through and tumbled down from her height. night would admit later she hadn’t expected that mistake from a system that knew of all – yet, in the moment, she moved first, catching that form in her hands. day wasted no time from recovery to cup the player’s cheeks in her hand – “you’re awful! you should’ve paid more attention to your opponent, what in the world was that glance my way even for? i’d called for you twice and couldn’t reach out to you in time; what were you distracted by?”

“hey– one question at a time…!”

“are you just trying to show off?”

and night was stunned into laughter, curling up into day’s chest, holding her close. 

“i learned from the best,” she admitted, gripping the cloak too tightly to be accidental, and pressing her eyes deep so as to lose herself once again. it had been comforting in the dark, and with the ordeal completed, that meant they were done, weren’t they?

(… rats, she was sure she buried these problems deep enough before…)

[NIGHT 0]

night could feel it afterwards, then, the brush of day’s fingers up in her hair, on her scalp. her breathing slowed from an unnoticed rush, and her hands regripped the cloak, making sure to reach upon body, just to know that day was more than real in her hands.

“man…” the entity heaved, looking back out towards the blizzard. it was heavy, extremely so – the cave only took 10 minutes at best to walk to the back and out. still, day was precise in the way night was not, and logical enough to ascertain the cave was likely not the best resting spot for the eve. she pulled herself away from night, knowing what came next, but was surprised at the grip of the player. 

“...we can go back to town first, if you’re looking to cry into me.”

“i’m not,” came night’s objection, though she hadn’t the strength to continue arguing.

“then do you mind releasing me for a bit?”

day’s plea was answered with a nod and a loosened hold. the system tumbled out, helping night to her feet again once she was on her own, but pulled the player up in a scoop before she could realize what was happening.

[NIGHT 0]

“wh– hey…!”

and night scrambled to hold onto day, breathing deep the scent of freshly-washed linen. the entity chuckled, with several skips upwards; this time, her original would know what it was like to be crushed unexpectant, as she did to herself. boots disturbed the freshly-fallen snow, accumulated at the cave’s entrance, and night pulled over day’s hood if only to ensure her hair protected from the onslaught.

“it’s too bad,” day began, chugging down the long road, gaze set to the far beyond. “you really did look like a cool hero back there, the way you were gunning for me.”

“that’s not what i was trying to do…” 

night’s protest was only met with a chuckle and a smile. “so what was all that time spent with me in the zero for, then?”

“taking you out for a walk,” night barked. “like a dog. since you always complain about being stuck indoors.”

“sure,” day replied, “if you say so.”

---

despite the long trek, it was fudral and his lieutenant to have greeted the travelers as they drew closer to braso. no large furs were thrown their way, but they were at least treated to a bowl of hot soup in one of the local kitchens. the commander set his message down on the table, alongside brienne’s seal, before continuing, “now we should be able to work together just fine.” 

then he leaned back in his chair, grinning. “tell me what you wanted to know.”