[PP-F25/28] The Endless Maze

[Morningstar 0]

Morningstar looked into the Redcoat's eyes as Freyd pummeled him. He didn't last a minute. His sword free from the man's shoulder, he refocused his attention to the last foe. On the opposite side of the fight, Freyd continued to evolve into an even more terrifying yet somehow beautiful form. The mob struggled to stand, let alone fight back. It was over. In one clean swing, Morningstar severed its head from its defeated body and watched as it disappeared from sight.

He clutched his waist. "All in a day's work," he smirked, unwilling to admit to the obvious injuries. He could already feel the effects of the passive regeneration. "These are nothing," he chuckled, pointing to his wounds. "Time King stabbed me through the chest and cut out my eye once. Gruesome stuff."

"Anyways," he continued, leaning up against the railing of the bar's entrance, "what the hell was that about? Are we using the word safe zone loosely now? I swear, that was more dangerous than my average day outside!"

***

Spoiler

Morningstar regains +4 EN
Morningstar regains 25 HP from BH
ID: 219157 CD: 11 | Morningstar regains 47 HP from VD

Post Action | TECH-B (x16, 15 EN): 15 EN - (Rested 2/3; Stamina) = 12 EN.
Free Action | None

ID: 219153 | BD: 7+6+1-1=13 (hit) DMG (16*26=600-120=480) to Surly Redcoat 2

Freyd | HP: 1140/1140 | EN: 121/152 (123+4+8-14) | DMG: 24 | MIT: 105 | EVA: 7 | ACC: 5 | BH: 62 | LD: 9 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8 | V.D.: 125 
Morningstar | HP: 655/865 (583+25+47) | EN: 49/108 (57+4-12) | DMG: 26 | ACC: 6 | MIT: 134 | EVA: 1 | LD: 7 | THRNS: 36 | AA: 1 | VO: 125 | VD: 47 | STK: 40/24 | BH: 25

(5,1) Surly Redcoat 1 | HP: 0/700 | DMG: 280 | MIT: 120 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 1 (0) | STUNNED | StunImm[F] (0/3) (368-480)
(5,1) Surly Redcoat 2 | HP: 0/700 | DMG: 280 | MIT: 120 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 1 (184-296)

Looting:

ID: 219158 | CD: 7 | LD: 16+7=23
+ (700*3)+(700*2)=3,500 col
+ 2 materials
+ 1 P. T4 Armor/Shield
+ 2 P. T4 Weapons

 

Edited February 17 by Morningstar

[Freyd 0]

Decapitated, the sole remaining mob's body collapsed under its own weight and converting into a pile of stardust on the ground.  Once more, everything about them vanished saved their long coats, Even pierced and cut to ribbons, they somehow lasted beyond the deaths of their wearers, denying another Cardinal rule.

"Glad to hear you're alright," Freyd offered, not believing it for a second, but accepting that he'd probably deny the seriousness of such injuries himself if their roles were reversed.  "I don't know what the hell is going on around here, but I don't like it in the slightest."  Nudging the clothing with his boot caused them to tear slightly as their ripped edges caught against uneven floor boards and tore further.  Ahead of them, inside the tavern they'd been about to enter, someone cleared their throat.  Looking up, Freyd wasn't expecting a packed studio audience, the entirety of the bar being completely packed with every NPC staring wide-eyed in their direction.  They'd just watched the whole scene unfold.  And, by the looks of them, all were struggling with their internal programming to decide on how to react to its impossibility.

"Oh, for goodness sake," came a female voice from behind most of the others.  A small middle aged woman with a hearty pioneer's build came forth, a dish rag draped over her shoulder, and heavy work boots clomping loudly on the wooden floor in contrast to the stunned silence.  Grabbing the two coats, she draped them over her arm and shooed the two players outside so she could close the door behind her. 

"Look, I don't know what you two are thinking or how you even pulled off such a thing, but there'll be a heaping load full of stinky trouble once the Lord Magistrate finds out you killed two of his men!"  A certain frantic panic grew behind her voice even as her words became quieter and quieter.

"Who the heck is this magistrate?  What is going on around here?"  Freyd's patience was wearing thin.

"SHHHhhhh!!!"  Sally's eyes flared wide as she gestured for him to keep his voice down.  "Are you daft or something?  He's the Crown's man in these parts - which mostly means collecting taxes, throwing his weight around and declaring his latest word to be the arbitrary law of the day.  You two louts will just have brought his..."  Her voice trailed off as confusion claimed her expression and she looked down at the garments in her hands.  "What the...  URK!"

Sally's form suddenly twitched, twisted and shifted undergoing some strange and sinister metamorphosis right before their eyes.  Odder still, colour seemed to bleed from the coats in her hand, fading to a dull, lifeless grey and disintegrating to dust.  The jackets held by Freyd and Morningstar did the same, wispy strands of powdery red filament coalescing around the woman whose moans and groans became increasingly abrupt and desperate.  Where the clothing lost their hues, the weave of her dress suddenly became laced with the same brilliant reds.

"It's like watching the decade-long colorization of 1950s television happening in a single moment," Freyd muttered, his eyes narrowing with apprehension even as he moved to stand between her and his injured companion.  Whatever was happening, the system wouldn't let him target her to do anything about it, at least not until the transformation was complete.

Her eyes snapped open, expression bearing nothing but malice, clothes turned to brilliant, scarlet and blazing with a palpable, seething hatred.

"That wasn't very nice, meddlers.  You messed up our play things.  Now we'll have to do the same to you!"  Her voice was no longer singular, sounding more like a half-dozen separate speakers overlapping in a badly broken chorus with mixed pitches of male and female tones.  Clenching her hands around the rag draped over her shoulder, the cloth twisted and elongated into a nasty, barbed whip, lashing out towards her nearest target.  

"Sorry, lady."  Dodging and grabbing the whip as it struck, Freyd yanked and pulled the turncoat forward.  Persi burst forth from his own garb and slammed hard into the woman's chest, Freyd following up with a massive headbutt that left the mob reeling, blood gushing out of a badly broken nose.  "I'm not letting whatever this is get the better of us a second time."

***

Spoiler

Freyd regains +4 EN
CD 2 (No REC proc) ID #219159
Cooldowns: Howl (2/2)

Post Action | AoE-I (x15, 11 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 15 EN - (Rested 2/2; Stamina) = 12 EN.
Free Action [skill] | Grappling Familiar (CD 0/5)
Free Action [item] | Crystal of Divine Light (1/thread)

ID: 219160 | BD: 9 (Crit +2, Holy +16, Crystal) DMG (15*48=720-160=560) to Turncoat Sally.  Familiar stun applied.

Freyd takes double damage until his next turn.

Freyd | HP: 1140/1140 | EN: 113/152 (121+4-12) | DMG: 24 | MIT: 105 | EVA: 7 | ACC: 5 | BH: 62 | LD: 9 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8 | V.D.: 125 
Morningstar | HP: 655/865  | EN: 49/108 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 6 | MIT: 134 | EVA: 1 | LD: 7 | THRNS: 36 | AA: 1 | VO: 125 | VD: 47 | STK: 40/24 | BH: 25

(3,0) Turncoat Sally | HP: 1440/2000 | DMG 360 | MIT: 160 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 (0) | STUNNED | F.Stun.Imm (0/3) (2000-560)

• Critical (MD 9): Deals (Tier * 100) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (Tier * 60) DMG to every other player.
• Critical (MD 10): Deals (Tier * 110) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (Tier * 85) DMG to every other player.

 

 

Edited February 17 by Freyd

[Morningstar 0]

The game was evolving, he remembered himself saying. It wasn't the same as it used to be. In the past, it was "kill mobs and collect experience" on repeat. It was straightforward and things made sense. Ever since the twenty-eighth floor had opened and he'd been trapped in the manor, things felt off. A mob he had fought a million times before would adjust its attack pattern ever so slightly. An NPC with little to no sense of awareness would say something unexpectedly unique. And now... whatever this was. Morningstar was perplexed. The scene played out rather normally at first: a woman pulls the pair out of the bar and tells them to knock it off, warning that the big boss of Glyndebourne would be rather cross with their actions. It was not unlike quest dialogue he had heard before. Sure, the situation was odd but not entirely unexplainable.

Then, she began to change. Morningstar dropped the thug's jacket as the colour faded to grey. It disappeared succinctly, leaving dust particles where it once lay. In pained transfiguration, the woman became someone new—someone far more dangerous. She spoke strangely in the voices of many and flicked her spiky whip at Freyd, who evaded effortlessly.

Morningstar followed his lead, stepping back a handful of feet. His calculation of the distance was more of an estimate than anything. He stomped his foot, beaming back towards the fight at lightspeed. His blade clipped Turncoat Sally's arm but not deep enough to impair her any further than Freyd already had.

He realized his miscalculation as soon as he crashed through the wooden doors of the bar.  "Ah, rats," he muttered, knelt to the floor, using his blade to prop himself up. "Sorry about the mess," he looked apologetically at the NPC behind the counter. "Toss the damage on my tab?"

***

Spoiler

Morningstar regains +4 EN
Morningstar regains +25 HP from BH
CD 8 (No VD proc) ID #219161

Post Action | Charge + TECH-D (x16, 16 EN, +8 charge): 24 EN - (Rested 3/3; Stamina) = 21 EN.
Free Action | None

ID: 219162 | BD: 8+6+1=15 (hit) | DMG (16*29=464-140=324) to Turncoat Sally. Shatter applied.

Freyd | HP: 1140/1140 | EN: 113/152 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 105 | EVA: 7 | ACC: 5 | BH: 62 | LD: 9 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8 | V.D.: 125 
Morningstar | HP: 680/865 (+25)  | EN: 32/108 (49+4-21) | DMG: 26 | ACC: 6 | MIT: 134 | EVA: 1 | LD: 7 | THRNS: 36 | AA: 1 | VO: 125 | VD: 47 | STK: 40/24 | BH: 25

(3,1) Turncoat Sally | HP: 1116/2000 | DMG 360 | MIT: 160 (140) | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 (0) | SHATTER (1/3) | STUNNED | F.Stun.Imm (0/3) (1440-324)

• Critical (MD 9): Deals (Tier * 100) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (Tier * 60) DMG to every other player.
• Critical (MD 10): Deals (Tier * 110) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (Tier * 85) DMG to every other player.

 

Edited February 17 by Morningstar

[Freyd 0]

Sally slumped, the wind having been literally knocked from her sails and subsequently rent sheer through by Morningstar's follow-up.  Unfortunately, he overreached in his zeal and did precisely what they didn't need by bursting back through the tavern door.  Inside, the patrons of the Naughty Pigeon paused their drinking for the second time in mere minutes to see the blonde swordsman come crashing in once more.

"Sally?"  A wizened man sitting at the bar spilled beer all over his long white beard seeing Freyd and their favourite bartender tangling with supreme lethality.  "Wha... What's going on?!"  

"What is it this time, Alfred... oh.  OH!  GUARDS!!!"  That did it.  The entire bar was up in arms a moment later, rushing towards the door and barreling towards Morningstar who stood to get overrun if the mob turned hostile like their lady had.

"Awwww... shit."  Freyd knew that it was a simple stroke of bad luck.  He'd had plenty.  But they really didn't need to whole town turning on them, and the added fear that they'd somehow end up getting tagged with orange for circumstances beyond any of their control.  "I'm really sorry about this, lady."  A sudden burst of speed propelled him into the still-recovering mob, plowing his shoulder into her midriff in a full-body tackle that folded poor Sally in half and sent flying into the same alley where this whole business had begun.  Samael's Pride flared from the impact, scouring away half of the poor NPC's skin and surface mesh as its inner hunger fed them to oblivion.

"Keep them inside," Freyd barked, following her in and struggling to come up with a way to reverse whatever curse had befallen her from the clothing.

***

Spoiler

Freyd regains +4 EN
CD 3 (No REC proc) ID #219187
Cooldowns: Grappling Familiar (1/5)

Post Action | AoE-II (x18, 14 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 18 EN - (Rested 1/2; Stamina) = 15 EN.  Charge (CD 0/3, +8 EN)
Free Action [Item] | Rhino's Horn (1/battle)

ID: 219188 | BD: 6+5-3-1=7 (hit, Fallen +16, Charge +3, Rhino +3) | DMG (18*46=868-140=688) to Turncoat Sally.  (CD 10 | ST-B unlocked)

Freyd | HP: 1140/1140 | EN: 94/152 (113+4-15-8) | DMG: 24 | MIT: 105 | EVA: 7 (6) | ACC: 5 | BH: 62 | LD: 9 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8 | V.D.: 125 
Morningstar | HP: 680/865  | EN: 32/108 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 6 | MIT: 134 | EVA: 1 | LD: 7 | THRNS: 36 | AA: 1 | VO: 125 | VD: 47 | STK: 40/24 | BH: 25

(5,1) Turncoat Sally | HP: 428/2000 | DMG 360 | MIT: 160 (140) | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | SHATTER (1/3) | F.Stun.Imm (1/3) (1116-688)

• Critical (MD 9): Deals (400) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (240) DMG to every other player.
• Critical (MD 10): Deals (440) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (340) DMG to every other player.

 

Edited February 17 by Freyd

[Morningstar 0]

He grimaced upon realizing what he had done. He didn't bother to count out each NPC in the bar. It was obvious by looking that there were too many to take on injured. Besides, an accident wasn't worth going orange for. Freyd shouted for him to keep the patrons inside. It was a tall order.

Morningstar inhaled nervously and exhaled through a deep bow. "Ladies and gentlemen," he exclaimed on the way up, "we apologize for our intrusion! We are the Actors of Aincrad, a group of traveling thespians who have stopped in Glyndebourne for the end of our tour! Your Lady Sally, a genius upon the stage, is in no trouble at all; rather, she has joined our troop! Just now, we were rehearsing for tonight's big show," he grinned.

He could tell they weren't buying his unlikely charade. Technically, only most of it was a lie. He really was an actor. Not that they would care. One smacked the end of a bottle against the table, shattering and sharpening the glass. "Brilliant, Star. Just brilliant." Morningstar backed up as the lot of them approached.

They were slow and careful, which he was thankful for because, for both of their sakes, he did not want to lay a finger on them. He backed up to the door, sword raised, and peeked outside. There was no sight of any guards racing to the bar. He hoped that meant that none had heard the calls of both the fearful and furious NPCs.

Oh what he would have given for Disguise in that moment.

Meanwhile, in the alleyway, Freyd and evil Sally went toe-to-toe. She had steadied herself post the improvised tackle and snapped her whip against the ground intimidatingly. She struck first, one hard swing hitting against his leg and another wrapping around the base of his sword.

***

Spoiler

Morningstar regains +4 EN
Morningstar regains +25 HP from BH
CD 3 (No VD proc) ID #219191
Cooldowns: Charge (1/3)

Post Action | Persuasion?
Free Action | None

LD>=18=successful roll
LD<18=unsuccessful roll

ID: 219192 LD: 7+7=14 (they, in fact, did not believe him)

ID: 219193 MD: 10 | DMG 440-105=335 to Freyd | DMG 340-134=206 to Morningstar

Freyd | HP: 805/1140 (1140-335) | EN: 94/152 (113+4-15-8) | DMG: 24 | MIT: 105 | EVA: 7 (6) | ACC: 5 | BH: 62 | LD: 9 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8 | V.D.: 125 
Morningstar | HP: 499/865 (680+25-206)  | EN: 36/108 (32+4) | DMG: 26 | ACC: 6 | MIT: 134 | EVA: 1 | LD: 7 | THRNS: 36 | AA: 1 | VO: 125 | VD: 47 | STK: 40/24 | BH: 25

(5,1) Turncoat Sally | HP: 428/2000 | DMG 360 | MIT: 160 (140) | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | SHATTER (1/3) | F.Stun.Imm (1/3)

• Critical (MD 9): Deals (400) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (240) DMG to every other player.
• Critical (MD 10): Deals (440) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (340) DMG to every other player.

 

Edited February 17 by Morningstar

[Freyd 0]

That stung...

Spinning to pin Sally's whip against the alley wall with his uninjured leg, Freyd used his body weight's momentum to close the gap and hammer the possessed mob with a series of strikes.  It was enough to knock her momentarily to her knees, her health bar dipping dangerously low.

"Yield!"  Freyd's command went ignored, the battered woman's haggard appearance and bulging bloodshot eyes making her look like she'd gone completely insane.  

"We do not yield.  We infest and consume, and you will be next.  All shall be our feast, in time!"  Her cacophonic multi-layered voice grated enough for Freyd to suggest she reconsider by driving his elbow into her already spurting nose.  Somehow, adding more red splatter to her dress didn't seem likely to be helping, but it couldn't be helped.

"Star!  Tell me things are under control in there!"  He could likely take Sally down with another blow, but the tides would soon turn against them if the rest of the crowd went feral along with her.

Alright... we might need to get a bit creative with this one...

***

Spoiler

(Correction: Sally would not suffer thorns damage on a MD 10.  Added 36 hp back to total)

Freyd regains +4 EN
Freyd regains 62 HP from BH
CD 1 (No REC proc) ID #219205
CD 10 (+125 VD proc) ID #219206
Cooldowns: Grappling Familiar (2/5), Charge (1/3)

Post Action | ST-B (x20, 20 EN): 20 EN - (Stamina) = 18 EN.  
Free Action | None

ID: 219207 LD: 5+5-3=7 (hit).  DMG (20*24=480-140=340)

Freyd | HP: 992/1140 (805+62-125) | EN: 80/152 (94+4-18) | DMG: 24 | MIT: 105 | EVA: 7 (6) | ACC: 5 | BH: 62 | LD: 9 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8 | V.D.: 125 
Morningstar | HP: 499/865   | EN: 36/108 | DMG: 26 | ACC: 6 | MIT: 134 | EVA: 1 | LD: 7 | THRNS: 36 | AA: 1 | VO: 125 | VD: 47 | STK: 40/24 | BH: 25

(7,1) Turncoat Sally | HP: 88/2000 | DMG 360 | MIT: 160 (140) | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | SHATTER (2/3) | F.Stun.Imm (2/3) (428-340)

• Critical (MD 9): Deals (400) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (240) DMG to every other player.
• Critical (MD 10): Deals (440) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (340) DMG to every other player.

 

Edited February 17 by Freyd

[Morningstar 0]

Star could faintly hear the concoction of voices speaking from the alleyway but could not make out a word they were saying. Inside the bar, things were looking grim and out of his control. A woman had snuck out the back door and wrapped around the side to run for a guard. With no way to stop her while remaining a virtuous player, all he could do was shout, "no, don't," which wasn't of much use.

"Star!  Tell me things are under control in there!"

He wished that he could, deflecting a wine bottle with the edge of his sword. He was careful and made sure to smash it to the side, afraid of accidentally hitting an NPC with the tiniest shard of glass and having the whole place rain down on him.

"I think it's about time to go!" Morningstar called back.

Then, from both sides of the street, came the guards. They didn't look like the Mounties he knew. Dressed in jackets—coincidentally of the same red as the surcoats—and tall hats, they jogged towards the bar. At their sides were rapiers. "Okay," he muttered, "now it's really time to get moving."

He abandoned his post, turning away from the bar and racing to the alley. The guards clearly noticed him, and shouted something that he hadn't heard. He turned the corner, pivoting his next step. Sally tried for one last strike but Morningstar was quicker, slashing through both her whip and body.

***

Spoiler

Morningstar regains +4 EN
Morningstar regains 25 HP from BH
Cooldowns: Charge (2/3)

Post Action | TECH-D (x16, 16 EN): 16 EN - (Rested 1/3; Stamina) = 13 EN.
Free Action | None

ID: 219211 BD: 7+6+1-3=11 (hit).  DMG (16*24=384-120=264) to Turncoat Sally.

Freyd | HP: 992/1140 (805+62-125) | EN: 80/152 (94+4-18) | DMG: 24 | MIT: 105 | EVA: 7 (6) | ACC: 5 | BH: 62 | LD: 9 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8 | V.D.: 125 
Morningstar | HP: 524/865 (499+25)   | EN: 27/108 (36+4-13) | DMG: 26 | ACC: 6 | MIT: 134 | EVA: 1 | LD: 7 | THRNS: 36 | AA: 1 | VO: 125 | VD: 47 | STK: 40/24 | BH: 25

(7,2) Turncoat Sally | HP: 0/2000 | DMG 360 | MIT: 160 (120) | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | SHATTER (2/3) | F.Stun.Imm (2/3) (88-264)

• Critical (MD 9): Deals (400) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (240) DMG to every other player.
• Critical (MD 10): Deals (440) DMG to the target with the highest hate. Also deals (340) DMG to every other player.

Looting:

ID: 219216 LD: 15+7=22 CD: 7

+ 2000*3=6000 col
+ 2+2=4 materials
+ 1 P. T4 Armor/Shield
+ 2 P. T4 Consumables

 

Edited February 17 by Morningstar

[Freyd 0]

"Go!" Freyd shouted as harshly as he dared, pushing Morningstar to run faster down the alley.  "I've got this and will meet up with you later."  Before he could protest, the player watched Freyd's features shift, his cowl melting into draping long hair and form changing proportions to matching those of the fairer sex.  Sally's broken form was still sinking into the cobblestones as the Whisper assumed her guise and stepped out into the open street to greet the guards.  When he spoke, he did so with her voice, matching her intonations perfectly.  Few truly appreciated the extent to which the man had studied the ways and means of the Gemini, dissecting their talents and refining them into his own custom art.  Though it was hard to tell amidst the flurry of cries, whistles and alarms, shadows engulfing the alley to cover his escape, Morningstar swore Freyd's green cursor also disappeared.

Whatever scene he caused, it was enough to draw everyone away from the centre of town and give his ally a clean line of escape.  The mysteries they'd uncovered would have to wait to unravel in a separate, later tale.

***

Thread Closing:

Dungeon Wave #1 (Flr 28) = 56 mats per player
Dungeon Wave #2 (700*2*20) = 28,000 col per player
Dungeon Wave #3 (2000*50) = 100,000 col / 2 players

Dungeon Drop | ID 219219 | LD 3 | Additional (2000*50 = 100,000) col and (28*2=56) mats per player

Morningstar receives:

7,883 EXP (Word Count [8058/10*5*0.7] + Quest [3000] + Dungeon [1350]+ 10% Advanced Training [716])
188,882 col (1 page [200] + Dungeon [178000] + Loot [9500] + 15% P5 Reward [1182])
118 Materials (Dungeon [112] + Loot [6])
1x Essence of Titanium
T4 Perfect Armorshield 219158a
T4 Perfect Weapon 219158b
T4 Perfect Weapon 219158c
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 219216a
T4 Perfect Consumable 219216b
T4 Perfect Consumable 219216c

Freyd receives:

18,616 EXP (Word Count [8058/10*16*0.7] + Quest [0] + Dungeon [9600])
192,142 col (1 page [200] + Dungeon [178000] + Loot [11150] + 15% P5 Reward [2792])
114 Materials (Dungeon [112] + Loot [2])
1x Essence of Titanium
T4 Rare Consumable 218886a
T4 Rare Weapon 218886b
T4 Rare Consumable 219154a
T4 Rare Weapon 219154b

Edited February 18 by Freyd