[f25-pp] out of the woods <<essence of titanium>>

[NIGHT 0]

quest.

floor 25 sucked. the difficulty was set way too high for what it was meant to be, an introduction to what a hallmark floor in aincrad would look like. so its difficulty meant that it was a perfect avenue for night as a different kind of warm up – endurance – to see how long she'd last in the labyrinth proper.

the target of today was the titanium warden; a formidable boss on its own, and there was the environment to contend with to boot. night didn't need the loot it would drop, but it would make an amazing trophy or bargaining chip, at the very least. she decided it would be best to come as geared as possible, and yet she was wondering if, for this adventure, she was going in overly prepared, as indicated by an old friend of hers. still, the labyrinth was a different kind of beast, the player justified. some chalk from the inhabitants of the settlement, and a few inventory checks was all she needed.

for some reason, night had the urge to slot in an extra teleport crystal into her battle-inventory, just in case.

 

  

[ lv. 139   ->   l. 32 / p. 107 ] NIGHT | HP: 1060/1060 | EN: 144/144 | DMG: 25 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 6 | MIT: 44 | LD: 13 | VAMP-D: 58 | FS | [DoT: 160 DMG, -20MIT, -1ACC] | Stealth Rating: 6 Spoiler notes. n/a. Spoiler equipped Jack's Executioner BLIGHT (32, -20MIT), BLEED (48), FROSTBITE (40, -1ACC), STATIC (40, 24 SPLASH) rider.  LOOT DIE III, VAMP-D Silver Crescent Necklace ACC II, EVA II   battle-ready inventory Cosmic Devourer+1  ABS. ACC, ACC III pretense. VAMP-D II, HB II Obsidian Shard Necklace EVA, REC II (8) Teleport Crystal (3) | TELEPORT Imugi's Inspiration (5) | MASS HP RECOVERY   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 KUMATETSU | +1 DMG consumables  Liquor of Light (1) | DAMAGE III Smores (1) | EVASION II  Berry Crumb Bars (1) | LOOT DIE IV filled 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

[Zajcica 0]

How long had it been? Hours now that she'd been lost in this god-forsaken labyrinth? That's what it had felt like. In order to get back into her element, Yuki had put her armor on once again to wander a decently high level area. She knew she could survive just about anything and with a teleportation crystal she would be able to swoop out without a problem. Too be honest, she probably could have used it by now considering how long she'd been stuck but something about her pride wouldn't let her.

Her luck was finally turning around though as she finally rounded the entrance to the place. Seeing a clearing was probably one of the best feelings she had all day after the walk she'd been through. However, as she rounded the corner of the entrance, the paladin came face to face with someone familiar. A slight blush flushed her features as she realized who it was. "Oh." Was all she could muster for the moment as she looked to NIGHT.

Zajcica, Paladin Reborn
Level: 32
Paragon Level: 48
HP: 880/880
EN: 100/100

Stats:
Damage: 5
Mitigation: 204
Accuracy: 1
Battle Healing: 48
Loot Dice: 5
BLD: 48
FL. AURA: 16
REC: 8
TAUNT
THRNS: 72

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Roaring Talon(T4/Polearm/Per) | Bleed II; ACC I
Armor: Jack's Plate(T4/HA/Per) | Fl. Aura II; Taunt
Misc: Rending Claw(T4/HA/Per) | Thorns II; HM I

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Heavy Armor R5
Battle Healing R5
Howl
Fighting Spirit
Searching R5
Polearm R1

Active Mods:
Impetus

Inactive Mods:


Addons:
Focused Howl
Iron Skin
Reveal

Active Extra Skills:
Survival
Concentration
Block R5
Leadership R1

Inactive Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:
Mochi | LD III x10
Teleportation Crystal x1

Housing 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)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1]

Guild Hall Buffs:

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

Wedding Ring:
Affectionate: Transfer 5% of your health to your spouse (1 post cooldown)

Edited June 17, 2023 by Zajcica

[NIGHT 0]

"oh, sorry about that." night wasn't expecting to meet another player in the most dangerous of locations in aincrad. so she side-stepped, gave the stranger a brief nod, before continuing on her journey.

... at least, she would have, if the interface hadn't just informed her of a tracked target's completion. one zajcica was found, even though night hadn't spotted anyone, but a brief glimpse on her friends list just as (she thought) the player was leaving made her reconsider otherwise.

so she turned, horrified at the prospect that yuki had been missing for ages... in the worst place to be stuck within aincrad.

"... yuki?" night called out, holding out a piece of chalk she'd gotten from one of the npcs from earlier. her hand was shaking, and so was her expression a mix of worry and horror. "... do you need this...?"

(should... should she be telling crow of his wife's appearance? night would have to consider that... later.)

[Zajcica 0]

The blonde was just as shocked as her dark haired partner was to see her. So much so that she could hardly muster words. "I... I uh..." Clearing up her throat, the paladin hung her head in shame. "Night. I hadn't meant to be so distant." The paladin started. She rested her spear in the dirt, looking way different from when she'd last saw her. "I look a little different, I know. I may have been hiding my details and changed my appearance so I could reflect a little on some things."

Her sword, respective to her being the shield, would hold up a piece of white chalk asking if she needed it. The paladin would keel over and break at that. "Oh my god I was lost in there for three days NIGHT, if I wasn't a cook I would have starved. I had so many left overs packed because I'm paranoid. I got attacked in my sleep and things would just die from smacking my armor but I barely got any sleep. Seeing your face is the best part of my entire week." The blonde would start gushing, bleeding out her anxiety like an a gore-y wound. After a short pause to breathe she would sigh and look back up to her friend. "I've been a bad friend lately. I just... didn't want you or Cro to see me the way I was."

[NIGHT 0]

three days? surely it had been longer than that. night couldn't remember the first time crow came to her for help about finding his wife, so all night could do was nod as though only that amount of time had passed. because night wasn't about to help yuki spiral even further about how long she'd been lost for.

the part where things would die on her shield's armor though, was apt. only such things would happen to one of the best tanks in aincrad.

if night paced over, it was to place the piece of chalk directly onto yuki's palm, and then she considered if it was worth the potential of getting pierced by thorns if she gave her friend a hug. so she did, anyway, because it had been too long since yuki's disappearance. "you're not a bad friend," the player found herself saying, as her grip started to loosen after a brief, tight embrace. "so long as you've stuck around for us, that's all we can ask for in here. you did great -- more than that. i doubt most players could say they got into the labyrinth of floor 25 and survived for so long. welcome back."

[Zajcica 0]

The Paladin was left on her knees, wrapped in the arms of one of her best friends in Aincrad, maybe even in the real world included. Tears rolled down her face, and just as NIGHT was pulling away from her she would pull her back into the hug. "Thank you. I really need to hear that... I will message Cro, please don't do it in my stead. I might disappear without a word but I don't lie." Then she would release the girl from her grasp.

Standing up and clearing her throat Yuki would offer her friend a smile. "So, how do I look? This is a little more true to my untreated appearance in the real world. My hair has probably grown so long that my blonde is coming back out. I wonder if they've cut it." She would ponder for a moment before coming back to virtual reality. "Oh, what are you doing here? Isn't the front lines a lot more ahead than I've been through at this point?"

[NIGHT 0]

night nodded to yuki's reply. she'd seen the woman cry before, so it should've been something to have gotten used to. still, the player couldn't help but feel a tinge of guilt, as though she should've tried harder to search for her friend... but yuki often ended up in difficult-to-reach places, for one reason or another. she meant what she said – sometimes, alive is the best she could ask of her friends. the distance may be needed.

"you look good," night afforded, eyeing her friend up and down. she was used to yuki's pink, but she couldn't deny having a preference to her shield's current appearance. though, with a curved index, the player batted yuki's collar, playful. "i kind of miss the fur coat on you though. it was iconic."

then night stiffened at the query of heading into the labyrinth. what should she say? "they are," she replied, with a slow bob of her head, words coming out of her in a drawl. but that was all she could say with confidence before she started stammering. "they're... in a bit of a bind right now, i guess? it's been a while – a long while, mind you – and very little progress has been made. like, ah, i haven't heard of firm anima in a while, for example, and my guild activity's been dwindling too, and people are going missing so often that it's hard to keep track, and..."

eventually, the player closed her eyes and shook her head. she'd mentioned more than enough for yuki to get the picture, she presumed. so night gestured further down the corridor that yuki had originated from, with a shrug. "i'm... here. for some training. before trying on my own." then, her gaze darted to the darkness before meeting her friend's sights again. dare she mention it? her shield just went through hell and back, and of course night had to go ahead to head back in...

"... do you... want to come along...?"

behind her back, night had her fingers crossed, hoping – hoping yuki wouldn't be too mad at her for suggesting to get lost in there, with her, once again.

[Zajcica 0]

Before NIGHT could even ask the Paladin if she'd want to come along, the shuffle of her armored boots would move past her towards the ruins of a labyrinth. "What good is a shield if you leave it at home? I've polished the rust, I do not need a shield for I am just that." Her spear would shine against the wandering rays of light. The usual smile that NIGHT was accustomed to might be even brighter. "So long as I stand, nothing will threaten my friends - My life."

The tank would offer a party request, something that neither of them had been seen in quite awhile. The girl would open her map and NIGHT would instantly see the absolutely awful scrawl of a picture that she'd created over an outline of a map. "...I've lost track of the directions of this map...I SUCK WITH DIRECTIONS NIGHT PLEASE HELP ME." Yes, back to things as usual.

[NIGHT 0]

yuki wasn't mad, thank goodness. and it seemed as though her friend was as she always had been; grinning, self-assured, and ready for the fight. night couldn't help but feel comforted by it – things were as usual, of course – until the party request was sent, the window overlapping a disastrous looking map on yuki's interface.

oh, so that's how she got lost in the first place.

"i-i think this labyrinth kind of shifts around a little," night clarified, to the backdrop of the sounds of the walls shifting, a heavy dull noise that would only be observed upon close attention to its sound. "which is what the chalk is for – it'll reconfigure your route out sometimes, so you won't manage to get lost." simply by having it in their inventory, the magic of the item would work, despite the player's own disbelief in such a system. but nonetheless, night would stand by yuki's side, just as they started walking into the make-shift dungeon. "look, we'll both be fine – i'll guide you out when it's time to leave! so don't worry..."

as they started, the dark would start to fall upon them proper, but things would seem okay around yuki's light. night's map interface was clean, but rather than pulling that up, she flipped open one of her notes instead, and presented her file on the titanium warden to her friend.

"look. that's the guy i'm trying to take down today. apparently he's got a pretty decent drop, but i don't need it." then night looked away, trying – and failing – to recall yuki's setup. her gaze bounced back to her friend. "do you want it? your gear's in alright shape, right? things have been dying on you still, after all..."

[ entering the endless maze. ]

---

roller look up down. post images.

Edited June 17, 2023 by NIGHT

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki sighed heavily as Night revealed to her the reason she’d gotten so lost in the maze: It was not a static feature to the floor’s design. It shifted it’s layout indiscriminately over time. “Nice, so people just get completely lost and starve to death in a labyrinth.” The Paladin groaned as she led the way through the corridors of stone, her armor clanking and shifting with every step that echoed off the walls. Then Night would mention the chalk.

“Oh, that’s why I got so lost then. I was trying to avoid people for the most part so I didn’t stay long.” Yuki would admit, trying not to be too embarrassed about it.

Night would pull up a picture of the boss that she was looking for to show to the tank. She would take a mental note of the golem before nodding. “I’m not sure I’ll need it but maybe a low level player could use it. I try to help them whenever I can.”

Their conversation would be swiftly interrupted as they turned the corner to meet with some random mobs. “Well, let’s see how rusty this shield really is.”

---

Spoiler

Zajcica | HP: 840/840 | EN: 96/96 | DMG: 2 | MIT: 204 | ACC: 1 | BH: 46 | LD: 5 | BLD: 48 | FL. AURA: 16 | H.M.: 4 | REC: 8 | TAUNT | THRNS: 72

NIGHT | HP: 1060/1060 | EN: 144/144 | DMG: 25 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 6 | MIT: 44 | LD: 13 | VAMP-D: 58 | FS | [DoT: 160 DMG, -20MIT, -1ACC]

 

Lost One 1) HP: 640/640 | DMG: 192 | ACC: 2 | Blight T4
Lost One 2) HP: 640/640 | DMG: 192 | ACC: 2 | Blight T4

215598 & 99 are invalid

Edited August 16, 2023 by Zajcica

[NIGHT 0]

"or your armor," night returned, with a snort and a grin. she hadn't exactly been expecting to run into trash mobs so soon – was hoping she would be able to get to the warden without running into them, actually. but the twenty-fifth's layout was inhospitable; everyone knew of that, especially yuki, so perhaps night should've accepted her fate of encountering a stray soul or another.

what shambled up to them were two husks, near carcasses – one minotaur, one orc. and night didn't exactly know where the orc came from, but threw herself into the fray nonetheless. her sword bit into the hide of the minotaur, finding its quarry familiar, before she whipped about to strike back to orc headed her way and yuki's. the player didn't carry any food meant for taking.

"do any of the monsters seem different to you on this floor?" she asked, placing her guard up with the raise of her sword. just like old times. "not that i'd ventured into it before the shadow fight. but i'm not sure if i've seen an orc here, of all other places..."

Spoiler

> POST ACTION: AOE-I

ID215729 | bd3+4 = 7 | -> Lost One #1
ID215729 | bd9 | -> Lost One #2

25 * 15 = 375 DMG
(25+2) * 15 = 405 DMG

---

[0, 0] Zajcica | HP: 840/840 | EN: 96/96 | DMG: 2 | MIT: 204 | ACC: 1 | BH: 46 | LD: 5 | BLD: 48 | FL. AURA: 16 | H.M.: 4 | REC: 8 | TAUNT | THRNS: 72
[2, 3] NIGHT | HP: 1060/1060 | EN: 144/144 | DMG: 25 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 6 | MIT: 44 | LD: 13 | VAMP-D: 58 | FS | [DoT: 160 DMG, -20MIT, -1ACC]

 

Lost One #1 | HP: 241/640 (-375-24) | DMG: 192 | ACC: 2 | Blight T4
Lost One #2 | HP: 75/640 (-405-160) | DMG: 192 | ACC: 2 (-1) | Blight T4 | [DoT: 160 DMG, -20MIT, -1ACC] (1/2)

 

[Zajcica 0]

Yuki would listen to her sword’s words as she readied to jump into the fight. “I understand what you mean. However, I think the fight with the Shadow changed a lot about this floor that maybe we weren’t aware of. Perhaps mobs from other floors were pulled into thralls and still seek out players in the maze because of it. That’s my best guess anyway.”

The two haven’t fought along side one another in what felt like years. The paladin was a little rusty but soon found out that it wasn’t unlike a riding a bike. She swiftly followed up her sword’s attack with her own - something she almost never did usually. The results were much better than expected too. Her spear gleamed brighter than the radiance of the sun, quite possibly the brightest thing inside the maze. It’s deterring radiance was almost enough to eradicate the minotaur from it’s existence.

After her hit, it’s body shone with a radiant glow, nearly finishing it off. “Equipping a weapon gives me less thorns but I can use my thorns as a weapon. What an interesting way to play.” The shield would comment as she watched the minotaur bleed to death.

---

[3, 0] Zajcica | HP: 840/840 | EN: 86/96 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 204 | ACC: 1 | BH: 46 | LD: 5 | BLD: 48 | FL. AURA: 16 | H.M.: 4 | REC: 8 | TAUNT | THRNS: 72
[2, 3] NIGHT | HP: 1060/1060 | EN: 144/144 | DMG: 25 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 6 | MIT: 44 | LD: 13 | VAMP-D: 58 | FS | [DoT: 160 DMG, -20MIT, -1ACC]

 

Lost One #1 | HP: 7/640 (-184+48) | DMG: 192 | ACC: 2 | Blight T4
Lost One #2 | HP: 75/640 (-405-160) | DMG: 192 | ACC: 2 (-1) | Blight T4 | [DoT: 160 DMG, -20MIT, -1ACC] (1/2)

Edited September 2, 2023 by Zajcica

[NIGHT 0]

yuki's theory did seem sound. night ruminated on the answer as she watched the lost souls bounce around, trying to reach for the players as they side-stepped their aimless attacks. a finger went up to scratch at her cheek as she waved to her shield, walking further down the corridor past the dying figures. "maybe. but the only place i do recall an orc – er, i think? – was back on the twenty third. ...maybe? come to think of it, i don't even know if orcs are all that common in aincrad... i think maybe beastmen are but only in specific areas, cordoned off in their own little tribes..."

there wasn't a point in striking the zombies, now. given time, their forms would deteriorate based off the marks the duo had left upon them. so night went back to searching, making sure yuki was firmly by her side this time – she was going to make sure her friend wouldn't get lost in the maze again, this time.

"oh, right." night gestured to yuki's weapon, knowing well she usually didn't use arms. "how're you finding it? having to hit things. it's a bit of a pain having to be accurate, but common mobs are easier pickings, i feel. and if you've been stuck here for so long, you must've gotten used to using it by now, right?"

Spoiler

[3, 0] Zajcica | HP: 840/840 | EN: 86/96 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 204 | ACC: 1 | BH: 46 | LD: 5 | BLD: 48 | FL. AURA: 16 | H.M.: 4 | REC: 8 | TAUNT | THRNS: 72
[2, 3] NIGHT | HP: 1060/1060 | EN: 132/144 | DMG: 25 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 6 | MIT: 44 | LD: 13 | VAMP-D: 58 | FS | [DoT: 160 DMG, -20MIT, -1ACC]

Lost One #1 | HP: 7/640 (-184+48) | DMG: 192 | ACC: 2 | Blight T4
Lost One #2 | HP: 75/640 (-405-160) | DMG: 192 | ACC: 2 (-1) | Blight T4 | [DoT: 160 DMG, -20MIT, -1ACC] (2/2)