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[F28 | SP] From the Ashes


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The smell in the air and the cool temperatures of floor 28 had set a smile on Katoka's face. She had only been to this floor once previously when it had first opened up, there she had been sucked into an escape room that had taken her far too long to get out of. After a few weeks she had decided it was time to return to the land of pumpkin spice and forever fall to do a bit more exploring.

After doing a quick sweep of Glyndebourne the samurai hitched a ride on the back of a small cart that was leaving the settlement. The man driving it gave her a warm smile and told her to hold on as he steered the horse across a narrow bridge.

"I could get used to a place like this." she mused, taking out a fresh apple that someone back in town had passed to her. "Strange that there haven't been any quests or anything that have popped up around here."

----

Katoka consumes:

Draft of Keen Edge | Tier 1 | Damage 3 | 217533
breakfast fry. | TIERLESS MEAL | PROTEIN II [Link]
mousse. | TIERLESS DESSERT | PROSPERITY III [Link]

Katoka | HP: 780/780 | EN: 112/112 | DMG: 28 | MIT: 38 | ACC: 2 | BH: 42 | LD: 3 | AA | BLGT: 32 | P.V.O | REC: 8 | STK: 40

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After half an hour the driver let Kat know that they were coming up to a fork in the road. "What's in either direction?" she asked him, peaking ahead to see what she could make out in the distance.

"I'll be heading off to the left hand side, going towards the MacDonald's place. To the right side the road will lead you to the Fire Forest." he pointed in each direction as he spoke. "Don't let the name fool you, it's not actually on fire." The man reassured her when he saw the look of surprise on her face when he mentioned the name.

Once they had reached the fork Katoka had come to the decision to head to the forest. The cart slowed to stop and let her hop off, the man waving as he began making his way off to his destination. After a some time waving her goodbyes she turned and went her separate way, growing excited as she saw the beautiful colors or the forest as she approached.

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As the samurai entered she couldn't help the feelings of awe that washed over her. The colors of the leaves were gorgeous. She could see in great detail as she walked how this location was named the Fire Forest. As she walked she could see various animals through out the trees, though she found it odd that every single one she saw seemed to be albino.

Looking up to the canopy of foliage above her she could see that very little light managed to make it down onto the forest floor. "Hmm, maybe it's something to do with that." she said to herself as she observed two squirrels as they chased one another around the trunk of a tree.

It felt odd exploring a floor with so much life in it, but not having a goal in mind. Kat usually went to various locations in order to complete a quest or fight a particular boss. This time she was just exploring, searching to see if there was something that hadn't been discovered by players or info brokers.

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Her thoughts drifted to her friends, to Elora and Freyd and anyone else that may be pursuing this floors labyrinth and it's boss. She wished she had been able to take a position on the team making the advance, but she knew that there were others that were more qualified for mapping those areas.

The samurai thought it was odd that to this date there were no defined quests on this floor. For a place this inhabited by NPCs and interesting places, there had to be something. Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard what seemed to be voices in the distance.

Looking about she didn't see anyone close by that was in eye sight, though that wasn't saying much with the amount of trees and rock formations that were spread about. She had stuck to the path this whole time so she was sur that she would be seeing people at some point, but with it being as quite as it was she was caught off guard for a brief moment.

----

Vanity tag: @Elora@Freyd

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Rounding a particularly large tree Katoka had expected to see the source of the speaking, however there was nothing more than more empty path before her. The voices continued, though now they seemed to be coming from deeper in the forest, off the path. The blonde chewed her thumbnail as she fought with herself, unsure of if she actually wanted to leave the path to pursue the mysterious voices.

After a few seconds she sighed, "Fuck it." she grumbled and quietly stepped into the uncharted woods before her. As she advanced towards the sounds she could begin to make out more and more of what they were saying. Before she wasn't sure how many voices there actually were but now she was able to discern at least two individuals.

"How long is this supposed to take? This place is freaking me out man." the first voice asked, it sounded gruff and clearly afraid.

"Would you shut it? There's no one around here man. Plus we have to make sure this is set up properly like the rest or else the boss will kill us." the second replied, more irritated and strained as whoever it was worked.

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Katoka stopped at a tree and peered around, finally laying eyes on the two individuals she had been hearing for the past several minutes. One was short and stout, wearing what looked like a skull mask and looking about with wild eyes. The other was tall, wearing a hooded cape that covered their face. The hooded one seemed to be positioning what looked like various cuts of meat  on the ground and hanging from the tree.

The samurai arched a brow as she watched him work, confused as to what he was doing. Next he uncorked a jar and took what looked like a pair a medical forceps from a pouch on his person. He reached in carefully and removed a red looking crystal and tapped it to a piece of meat, causing it to glow in the way that some items in the game do when they are combined together. Next he stood and hung a separate bottle from a piece of twine, letting a dark viscous liquid drip down onto the meat, which now had various crystalline growths on it.

He quickly turned to his companion and nodded, "That's the last one, now lets get the hell out of here before this stuff spreads." With that they both pulled teleport crystals from their inventories and cracked them in their hands, whispering locations to themselves so that Kat couldn't quite pick it up. She was sure that one had said Tolbana, however the other had said a completely different town name.

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She cursed to herself for not being able to hear them fully and at the men for being smart. One thing was certain though, they were both players. Kat wasn't sure if this had disturbed her more or less yet.

Stepping out from behind the trees the woman approached the contraption they had set up. Whatever was dripping onto the meat below seemed to make an odd pulse spread through the ground every tie it dripped down. She got as close as she could before stopping a foot or so from the meat. Just to her left the jar that the cloaked man had pulled out was sitting, seemingly forgotten in his haste. There only seemed to be one dull red crystal inside, but as Katoka crouched she noticed that it seemed to react as she got closer.

She quickly grabbed the cork and slammed it on the lid before anything else happened, her heart racing and her anxiety growing. "What the hell is going on here." she thought to herself as she lifted the jar to eyelevel.

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Tapping the outside a windowed display opened, revealing the name of the item in the jar. "Sundered Embers?" she asked aloud, "What the hell does that mean?" Her eyes were now drawn to the dripping vial nearby. Placing the jar in her inventory she approached the tree once again, this time leaning in to tap the side of the glass to being up the item name without getting too close.

A window appeared once again and Kat had to squint to read the tiny frame. "Brew of Blighted Pheromones. This is... an alchemist brewed this." Kat stepped back, trying to process the information she was taking in. "Someone is trying to attract something to this. To eat it? That guy said something about spreading, are they trying to infect the animals here with whatever these crystals are?"

She began to pace back and forth as she mumbled to herself, trying to piece things together with what little information she had. She stopped for a moment, "He said last one." she looked off into the woods as realization flooded over her. "There are others."

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With that she heard a growling noise in the distance, growing louder as three white wolves emerged from seemingly nowhere. Katoka slowing began to back away as the creatures padded over to the meat. Two of them stopped at the haunch of meat that was covered in the gross concoction of pheromones, crystal, and what she assumed to be blight.

Kat had stepped back slowly several feet to put some distance between her and the hungry monsters. She had wanted to destroy the trap before anything had been drawn to it, but at this point that would have just made the wolves attack her outright. The third wolf approached the other two, stopping next to them. It's white fur was different, seeming to be matted and duller than the other two.

Katoka felt the hair on the back of neck stand up as she saw various growths of red crystal on it's side. Her hand slowly inched to her weapon, gripping the hilt as she watched the two normal wolves begin to eat the infected meat on the ground. Within a few bites of their meal they dropped to the ground, coughing and sputtering until they stopped moving all together. Kat stared dumbfounded at the monsters, waiting for them to shatter into light and fade away. However they did not.

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Panicked eyes shot towards the beast left standing. It chuffed a breath of air from it's snout and stepped forward to sniff the bodies of it's companions. The samurai had a better view of the growths on the wolf's side as it did this, seeing veins of black that snaked through the red crystals and into the flesh of the creature.

"I need to get out of here." she thought to herself, "Before this thing decides it wants something fresh to eat." The wolf whipped it's head up and glared at Katoka, as if it could hear her thoughts right then and there. A growl creeped up it's throat and rumbled from it's maw as it pulled it's lips back to reveal razor sharp teeth.

"Me and my big brain mouth." the samurai groaned as the wolf took a step towards her. "Looks like you aren't letting me get out of this that easily."

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The wolf lunged before Katoka could react properly. She only managed to draw her katana before it's jaws clamped down over the blade, sending sparks flying from it's mouth. Using all her strength she only just managed to yank her weapon free and kick the monster back to put some distance between them. Only then did the name of the mob appear above it's head for her to read, 'Sundered Blight Wolf'.

The animal jumped once again and left Kat to move on the defensive, smacking her sword into the side of it's head in order to deflect it's attacks. She moved and danced through the trees, not getting a moment to stop and rest as she slashed and slammed the monster as much as she could. Clearly whatever was in the jar left behind by the man earlier had an effect on this wolf, and the name sounded like something she had heard in passing before. At this time she couldn't do much to think, but once she had finished it off she would make a break for town and wrack her brain in the process.

Slipping behind a tree to dodge another bite, Kat finally took the opportunity to charge sword art as she circle around the trunk and cleave the beast from shoulder to hip. Its body slumping lifelessly to the ground with a thump. The samurai let out a sigh of relief, and turned to walk away. However she stopped and looked back at the fallen wolf, her eyebrow cocked in confusion.

All the enemies in Aincrad always died in the same way, exploding into light with the sound or glass shattering. This one however, remained on the ground like it was an actual dead body. After a few moments the crystals on it's back pulsed with a deep red light and the wolf dissolved into a black sludge that slopped onto the ground with a splat before slowly oozing back into the crystals.

Katoka gagged as she stepped away from the things on the forest floor. "What in the hell was that?" she thought to herself as she began to back track to where the other wolves had died. "Those other two also didn't disappear." With that last thought she entered the clearing she was in once before to find one of the previously dead wolves now on its feet, the same crystalline growths protruding from different spots on its body.

"I really need to shut the hell up sometimes."

----

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Looting Sundered Blight Wolf 1:
ID#: 223139 | LD: 11 | CD: 7

2520*Col
4*Materials
T4 Rare Weapon #223139a
T4 Uncommon Consumable #223139b
 

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Flashes of light and the echoing clang of metal meeting what sounded light more metal sounded through the trees. Katoka was on the defensive almost as much as she had been when fighting the sky pirates on floor 26, and that was while fighting four enemies at once. This one wolf was keeping her from being able to perceive her surroundings.

She stepped back and tripped over a tree root, sending her toppling over into a sprawling mess onto the ground. The monster had jumped as she was falling, sailing straight over her and missing it's attack. Kat thanked the horribly placed root for once and did her best kick up from her back, landing on her feet only slightly wobbly.

A growl followed by a bark signaled the samurai that she didn't have time to rest. With a reactive swing of her sword she turned and cut the head from her attacker in one fluid motion. The body of the creature slammed into Katoka's chest, sending her once again to the ground. She blinked a few times, confused at the corpse of the wolf lying on top of her.

She shoved the bloody body to the side and scrambled back to her feet. Why hadn't they been breaking down like everything else had? The crystals on it's back began to glow and the remains once again dissolved into goo and were sucked into the stones.

"I hate this. So much." she sighed. The howl of another wolf sent a chill down the blonde's spine, confirming that the final monster had finished doing whatever it was doing previously and was ripe for the cutting. "No rest for the wicked huh?"

----

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Looting Sundered Blight Wolf 2:
ID#: 22314 : LD: 7 | CD: 10

3780*Col
2*Materials
T4 Rare Trinket #223141a
 

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The third wolf had the most unique growths on it's body, with crystals jutting from various points of it's back as well as several from it's side and joints. Katoka would have been mesmerized had it not been for the imminent danger she felt like she was in. Despite these creatures not having a lot of health, they were surprisingly nimble and quick to act. The first two made sure to constantly attack, not giving her a moment to react. This one however, was circling her, watching her every move. It almost seemed to be analyzing her.

Kat had fought and interacted with numerous NPCs and enemies in this game, and while they all seemed very life like, there were also ways to tell that they were fake. This felt... wrong to her. This things eyes made her skin crawl as it watched.

With one final step it stopped moving and lunged, it's mouth wide and drool following behind it. The one thing that the creature hadn't accounted for was her being able to charge a sword art while it waited. The samurai cleaved the creature in two from it's mouth to it's tail in one swift motion, leaving the two halves to land on the ground and turn to disgusting ooze not long after.

With a sigh of relief she returned her weapon it her side and watched once again as the corrupted crystals slurped the blighted goop into itself. She let out a gagging sound as her face was set in disgust, "I really hate these things."

----

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Looting Sundered Blight Wolf 3:
ID#: 223144 | LD: 19 | CD: 7

2520*Col
4*Materials
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #223144a
T4 Perfect Consumable #223144b
T4 Perfect Consumable #223144c

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The samurai made her first mistake in thinking the the fight was over, her second was taking her eyes off the red and black crystals that had absorbed the fallen mobs. Once she had caught her breath Kat had returned to the initial tree where everything had taken place, taking care to retrieve as much evidence as she could of the mysterious players that had created the lure and, at least to her assumptions, the wolves that had gone after her.

The small bottle of blight was now corked and safely in her inventory when a twig snapped behind her. A grow began to reverberate through the forest and caused the hair on the back of Katoka's neck to stand on end. She slowly began to rise, cursing herself for being lax and not leaving immediately.

Once she had stood up fully she wasted no time in drawing her weapon and spinning around, sensing the creature had already began it's attack. She however was no fast enough, her sword not even reaching it's target as razor sharp jaws clamped down on her forearm and sending pain racing up her arm and into her shoulder.

The wolf let out a snarl as it clamped down tighter, sending a pulse of energy down deep into her arm causing the samurai to cry out in pain. What in the hell was wrong with this thing?

----

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Using the pommel of her weapon, Kat slammed a heavy hand down on the wolf's head, causing it to let go of her for just long enough for her to jump back. The half hearted attack had not been without its disadvantages, her arm throbbing even more from the strike. She watched at the mob shook it's head slightly from disorientation, but the blonde felt herself freeze up as she got a better look at her opponent.

This wolf was not unlike the ones she had faced previously with their disgusting mineral like growths, however this one had several that ran from it's shoulder to it's hip. The same direction that she had slashed the first monster when she had snuck around the tree to hit.

"It-It's the same one. That's why it's so pissed." her voice trembling as she spoke aloud. "How in the hell is it the same one?"

The creature lunged once again, this time Katoka responded on instinct. Her sword art striking true and cutting the wolf in twain once again. This time she watched as the creature melted down and was sucked into it's dropped blight infused crystals. Instead of leaving them behind this time she stabbed downward into each glowing red piece and watched it shatter into light.

"That's how I have to kill you." she muttered. Her eyes widened for a moment as she realized that she had two other respawning friends that would be joining her soon.

----

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Looting Sundered Blight Wolf 4:
ID#: 223215 | LD: 10 | CD: 7

3360*Col
2*Materials
T4 Rare Weapon #223215a
T4 Uncommon Consumable #223215b
 

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Katoka didn't have to go far to find the next blight wolf, it's snarling and corrupted form emerging from the darkness of the woods emanating a feral aura as it stepped into view. The samurai swallowed her fear, pushing it down for her to process later. Now was not the time to loose focus.

The wound on her forearm throbbed, the teeth marks from her previous opponent making her wince as she gripped her blade with what resolve she could muster. The creature in front of her scratched as it's neck, the music like sound of tinkling stone from it's mane of protrusions. This had been her second kill, the decapitation. It seemed like the mob was letting her know that it remembered her just as much as she did it now.

With a bark the wolf ran at her, it's jaws snapping and drool dribbling from its open maw. It was starting to get difficult to keep up, Kat's brain was in overdrive as it attempted to process the battle and the fact that her kills were not really dying. She had just managed to deflect the incoming blow and severe the things spine, sending it sprawling to the ground in a heap of fur and eventually liquid to be slurped up by it's infection.

Several more rapid blows and the remaining crystals were dealt with. At least she had hopped they were.

----

  Reveal hidden contents

Looting Sundered Blight Wolf 5:
ID#: 223216 | LD: 6 | CD: 11

3780*Col
2*Materials
T4 Rare Trinket #223216a
 

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A sharp and excruciating pain jolted Kat from her stupor. She cried out and looked around wildly, her mind barely able to process anything that was going on. She had just finished destroying the last wolf's growths and now she was on the ground, her arm inside the jaws of another-- no, the third wolf, the one she had cut from jaw to ass previously. She must have blacked out from the pain, only just now coming to as she was being shaken around like a ragdoll. 

"Let me go you son of a bitch!" she shouted, her voice shrill and counted in panic. She managed to bawl up her fist and strike it over and over in the side of it's head in the hopes of dazing it much like the other. It had taken several clumsy punches before her knuckles smacked into the side of it's head and it let out a wine and let her free.

She wasted not time scrambling away and looking around frantically for her sword. She had realized all too quickly that she no long had it whilst the mob had gnawed on her wrist like a chew toy. A glint to her left signaled her to her prized possession, her feet moving before her mind managed to do much in the way of thinking.

The Cerulean Storm's right arm was a ragged mess, but she still had her left, and that was more than enough for her to take care of this beast.

----

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With pixelated blood dripping from her right arm, the samurai stood with her sword in her non-dominant hand, it's tip wavering ever so slightly as she attempted to keep her composure. If it wasn't for her battle healing skill she was certain she would have been in real trouble. Though she did manage to keep a few better quality healing potions on her after her near death experience on the sky docks for floor 26, she wasn't sure if she would have been in the right from of mind to remember to knock them back.

The final wolf in front of her began to circle around her cautiously, never taking it's eyes off of Kat as it paced about. She too followed suit, her breathing ragged and her eyes darting about franticly. Why were these wounds so much worse than any she had received before? She was still sitting at a fairly large portion of health, so what was different about this thing?

The beast darted forward, it's rage and lack of patience getting the better of it. Katoka swung haphazardly with her left hand, the katana skipping off the dirt and startling the wolf enough that its own attack missed its mark. She cursed and shook her head, fighting through the pain and shifting her stance for a better strike.

"Again!" she called, "Come at me again you bastard!"

----

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The wolf wasted no time. It loped forward, its jaws wide and snarling, only to be met with the glowing edge of her blade. The sword connecting with its open mouth once again and coming to a stop. Katoka yelled, her voice loud and filled with hate and pain and fear, her weak left arm struggling to hold the large creature in the air. Sparks flew from the blade and with one final shove the edge cut through the crustal reinforced jaw of the mob and cut clean through once again from head to tail.

Kat continued to scream, her frustration having reached its peak long ago. She slashed and cut and stabbed at the red stones in the dirt around her. Making sure to get every last bit, and more so as she broke down stabbing the earth beneath her feet.

She collapsed to her knees and sobbed, tears running down her face as she screamed herself hoarse.

----

  Reveal hidden contents

Looting Sundered Blight Wolf 6:
ID#: 223217 | LD: 16 | CD: 8

4200*Col
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #223217a
T4 Perfect Trinket #223217b
 

Edited by Katoka
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She didn't remain on the ground long. Katoka knew that if she waited too long there would have been more things that emerged from the darkness. She knew that she wasn't ready to face them on her own just yet. With trembling knees she rose and stumbled her way back to the path she had previously been on.

Her eyes were red, puffy and hollow, her nose running and her arm left a trail of blood behind her. She was broken, but she was not dead. Her hand gripped the hilt of her weapon fiercely, her teeth clenched and she shut her eyes tight. A growl rumbled from her own throat not unlick the wolves she had slain. "Never again" she thought, "I can never let myself be taken off guard like that again."

As Kat left the fiery canopy of the forest and emerged back onto the open road the figure of a woman stood in the shadow of a large tree, watching the battered and bruised warrior trudge back to the safety of the safe zone with her tail between her legs. A smile touched the figures lips as she allowed herself to feel delight in what she saw. It was after all, her plan that was coming to fruition. With that she stepped back into the shadows, and disappeared entirely from view.

----

Thread Closing:


Katoka receives:


2,640 EXP (Word Count [4,403/10x6x1])
20,956 col (1 page [400] + Loot [20,160] + 15% P5 Reward [396])
14 Materials (Loot [14])
 

T4 Rare Weapon #223139a
T4 Uncommon Consumable #223139b
T4 Rare Trinket #223141a
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #223144a
T4 Perfect Consumable #223144b
T4 Perfect Consumable #223144c
T4 Rare Weapon #223215a
T4 Uncommon Consumable #223215b
T4 Rare Trinket #223216a
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #223217a
T4 Perfect Trinket #223217b

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