[OP-F29] Ope wide the gates! (Post Raid Thread)

[Freyd 0]

Emerging from the portal like a thousand past shadows porting through the void, a familiar stranger reformed mere moments after his departure.  Brows furrowed farther than their usual range.  Barely a thing had changed, yet...

"I left here hours ago.  Why are they still all standing or wandering about the starting area?"  Summoning his interface was no help.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  The clock read wrong.  Not off, but utterly wrong, in the nonsensical sense.  Irreconcilable digits, unreadable glyphs, non-sequential series jumping randomly or even backwards.  "Is this floor out of phase with the rest of the castle?"

Thunder boomed overhead, denial firm and followed in reverse by flashing lightning that should have preceded, yet chose not to or was forbidden by erroneous code.  Distant clashing of swords, not too far away, had his hand reach for his blade to find it already grasped and drawn. He'd appeared with it, ready for the worst.  No safe zone meant easy prey for the unsuspecting if PKers took hold of their beachhead. 

"Hirru seems to have the right idea."  The Vice-Commander already setting up an outpost of some kind.  Or a future field hospital.  Other players wandered warily about in groups.  Probably wise, yet here he was standing alone in the blighted square.  "Who's your friend," he called out, pointed to the purple-clad NPC.  "I appreciate his fashion sense." A nod to anyone with cowling sensibilities. "I assume he isn't local?"  That alone was already surprising.  It wasn't common to see mobs migrate between floors.  Even mentioning the concept seemed taboo in some circles.

Pulling up his own hood against the ever-dreary downpour offered little respite.  Moving closer to the standing torch likewise offered no warmth.  This place seemed to drain any attempt to retain it, likely along with any cheer.

"Make sure you bring cookies - like, real ones.  Good ones.  None of those fakes with raisins posing as chocolate chips.  Honey buns would also work.  I can hook you up with a supplier, if it will help."

"Faaaaaaaaakessssssss..."

Head spun sideways like a high torque power drill on max output, Freyd felt his heart leap like it wanted to change places with his stomach.  Sword spinning at pace, it clanged with a rusty, unlit lamp post at his side, sparking enough to shower and offer a glimpse of something behind glass in a facing shop.  Grasping the hilt with his second hand to steady his pulse and ideally avoid stabbing anyone who accidentally or foolishly spooked him, his head shifted right to glance again.  There was a face inside, blurred by constant drizzle and built up crud upon the pane.  Three careful steps forward brought it into focus through the rain: a white porcelain mask with fine gold filigree glared back, framed by the outline of his  own reflected, trademarked cowl.  Like he was wearing it.  Confused, Freyd drew back a single hand from the hilt, watching it close with the mirrored image, but finding flesh and freshly spawned hair from the raid instead.

What the... how?

Tilting right granted necessary revelation.  The mask was behind the glass, somehow pristine despite the destitute state of their surroundings.

What are the chances that the angles would fall just right for that to happen?  How would such a thing even have survived?

A door slammed shut in response, probably not because of the absent wind. Looking down, he found his shadow leaning towards Hirru's light, as if to poke it for amusement, its umbral outline openly defying convention, let alone his unorthodox control.

"Oh... this place is going to be a problem."

Edited December 30, 2024 by Freyd

[Jomei 0]

The gentle brush of fingertips across a shoulder is what caused the tremble to cease. A recognizable, soft touch of cold, steel plated hands. He had survived. They had survived, that was all that mattered. He did his job, and he should be proud of that. Pushing himself up to his feet, he would unfurl the cloak that bunched behind him and stepped forth to join the others.

–

There was that undying, frontliner spirit. Not even an hour had passed since Callisto’s defeat, and they were already met with another round of danger. Most would retreat to safer grounds to tend their wounds and rest up for another day. Instead, the valiant fighters knew that they were the only ones aware of the lack of a safe zone on this floor. So, whether they liked it or not, it was back to work. Baldur went ahead and paired off a couple of teams to patrol the perimeter and clear out any monsters that could pose a risk to any unsuspecting players portalling in. A familiar face was pointed in his direction. 

“Ah, Arabelle.” he would offer a kind smile and nod of her head. “You’re too kind, thank you. It was my honor to be your shield” droplets of water would fall from the edges of his hood as he bowed his head in respect. “You fought bravely as well.. Almost seemed like an entirely different person if I’m being honest.” a slight chuckle, a hint of nervousness behind it. “Just admiring your laser focus on the battle, is all. In terms of the others, no, I didn’t see which way they headed. Lessa tagged along with Baldur and Acanthus but.. the others, not yet. Can’t say I know enough about the other three to know where their heads are at.”

They had seen floors ravaged by war, others dealing with corruption in same shape or form. This felt completely different.. “I don’t like this..” Jomei would speak in a whisper, barely audible over the persistent drumming of rain. “There’s not a soul around.. I don’t see any bodies but..” he would sigh, “Something in my gut says no one made it out of here..” Perhaps he was mistaken, however, as motion from a nearby body caught their attention. They stood in the entryway to what remained of a house, or shop.. He could not tell by the disarray. Their breathing haggard and heavy, wounded possibly? Before that thought could be put to action, Arabelle pointed out the obvious.

The floating red marker above their head. They weren’t human, or at least.. Not anymore. 

“Do what you must.” Jomei would nod towards Arabelle. “I’ll keep his eyes off of you, you go in for the kill.” 

After Arabelle's scythe would cleave through the creature, it would quickly turn to face the two. Definitely not a person, more of some insect-like monstrosity. At least he felt a bit better about ending its life now. Taking his rapier from his belt, he would press the tip into the dirt before flicking it up into the horrendous creature's face. Did it even have eyes? Hopefully it was enough to catch its attention while Ara finished it off. 

Focused Howl -> +6 Hate - 4 EN

[1]Arabelle | HP: 680/680 | EN: 93/106 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 20 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 1 | FLN: 8 (6-8) | BLI: 32 (9-10); -20 MIT / 2 | BLD: 48 (9-10) | RSK: 8 | BH: 5% | VD: 10% | HB: 4% | LD: 5 | [RSK]

[6] Jomei | HP: 960/960 | EN: 130134 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 44 | ACC:3 | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:53 | HB: 42 | VAMP-D: 106 | BLI: 32/-20  | LD:1 CD 1/2, 1/4

Shambler | HP: 63/408 | DMG: 136

[Morningstar 0]

He cocked his head, seeing the last moments of Crozeph's monstrous counterattack. He was vicious, but effective. He cleaved through the stunned Deep Ones with quick strokes of his katana, a brutal show compared to Star's own merciful display.

As his partner cleaned up the fish-frogs on his end, Morningstar did the same. Into his inventory went a slimy, dark green leg. He sent it to Cro, happy to give away the disgusting sample. "I think it's supposed to be food. I'm sure Baldur will love the gift."

He was hesitant to move too close to the water. The waves rocked what few boats were left tied to the docks. Consistently between them were ripped sails, and Star hypothesized the wind to be the cause. His boots carried him to the edge of one dock, and he peered over the edge. Opaque water stared him in the face. Undiscerning, he twisted off the cap of a tiny vial and filled it to the brim with seawater.

To his luck, nothing reached out and pulled him in. He reckoned the Black itself was no monster. "Here," Star said. "Another sample."

---

-> POST ACTION: TECH-F vs Deep One 2-3

Spoiler

Morningstar gains +4 EN
ID239514 | CD: 5 | Recovery Failed

ID239509 | bd8+6=14 | 22+16*12 = 456 DMG -> Deep One 2
ID239510 | bd3+6=9 | 22*12 = 264 DMG + Stun -> Deep One 3

EN: -12

Morningstar | HP: 840/840 | EN: 96/120 | DMG: 22 | EVA: 4 | ACC: 5 | BH: 43 | LD: 6 | REC: 8 | FLN: 16 | AA | PARA-V
Crozeph | 800/800 | EN: 85/102 | DMG: 20 | MIT: 44 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 2 | FLN: 16 | PHASE

Deep One 2 | HP: 0/600 | DMG: 140
Deep One 3 | HP: 0/600 | DMG: 140

 

Looting:

ID239510 | LD: 10+6+16 | CD: 2
ID239511 | LD: 5+6+11 | CD: 8

7,200 col
2 mats
T4 Rare Consumable 239510a
T4 Rare Consumable 239510b
 

 

[Arabelle 0]

she cuts her---

it open from-

shoulder to torso--

it staggers, breath heaving, inches an agonized step from the door towards jomei's silent taunt; its three limbs are twisted in all the wrong ways and it fruitlessly attempts to feel about its chest for the measure of the inflicted wound, and from the neck up, the clasp falling open and a muddied cloak spilling to the ground, its head is an insect's, membrane and exoskeleton sewn into human skin. a thin reedy whine whistles from its throat. the last sound it ever makes before the woman crushes its offending head with the blunt of her scythe.

it falls to the ground and arabelle cheerfully drops to a kneel beside it.

"a shambler," she reads from the status line. "far from a fish person unless part of this floor's features is that insects populate the ocean now. but she's only our first mob. i wonder how she came to be, then." curious, she tries to lean in and peer closer but a second's glimpse is all she gets before the creature's form fragments and bursts into light shards. arabelle pokes through its remains, then, picking them off the ground and matching them with her recall of the thing's appearance. "weapon," a sheathed dagger that would have been clipped to the once-human's waist, "weapon," a similarly short blade that had skewered its right wrist, "hm? a..." she holds the last one up as though to align herself with a light source, but the pallid night's rain does her no favors. it takes her longer to identify this one from the thin pointed metal coil and the wooden handle it is speared through. "wine opener? the type that stabs corks. i guess this is pointy enough. dagger or throwing weapon," she dismissively concludes.

any old person of this time and place could have owned these. and if she wanted to appraise the drops any further, it would have to be done at her shop. arabelle stands up, returning to her partner. "the poor thing. it looked scary but it fought like a regular mob. dropped the same old loot, too, though i don't have the full line-up of boons to test if it might go further than that. actually, i'm surprised it didn't fight back harder! i had her on the ground in--"

she had lifted her hand to hold down the edge of her hood when her long sleeve, slashed open, parted like two limp petals. a long, gaping wound from the outside edge of her wrist to her shoulder greets both of their sights, and her nerves awaken with pain, the green of her health bar ticking upwards to make up for a loss.

at her feet lies a severed hand with a nail twice the length of its index finger.

arabelle pouts. "i didn't notice that."

---

-> POST ACTION: AOE-II vs Shambler.

Spoiler

PASSIVE: 34 + 27 + 0 (239527: CD 1) = +61 HP
PASSIVE: +4 EN

POST ACTION: AOE-II vs Shambler [14 + (2 * 1) = -16 EN]
239528: BD 9: (23 + 1 + 8) * 18 = 576 DMG -> Shambler

Arabelle | HP: 625/680 | EN: 81/106 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 20 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 1 | FLN: 8 (6-8) | BLI: 32 (9-10); -20 MIT / 2 | BLD: 48 (9-10) | RSK: 8 | BH: 34 | VD: 10% | HB: 27 | LD: 5 | [RSK]
Jomei | HP: 960/960 | EN: 130/134 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 44 | ACC:3 | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:53 | HB: 42 | VAMP-D: 106 | BLI: 32/-20  | LD:1 CD 1/2, 1/4

Shambler | HP: 0/408 | DMG: 136

---

LOOTING: Shambler
239529: LD 20 + 5 = 25: CD 6: 408 * (3 + 4 + 7) = 5,712 Col; 3 T4 Perfect Weapons

 

Edited January 13 by Arabelle

[Hirru 0]

There was much to take care of and start to do to make this place a semi-safe zone for the front lines and the players that would dare to come up.  It would be have to be secure in most ways.  They did not need a breach where the mobs could easily get in and harm anyone within.  They would need room and board.  This building wasn't quite able to accommodate that, but this is what they would have for now until scouts and the others can come back with some useful areas to start setting up checkpoints and better rest stops.

Hirru would turn to hear the familiar voice that differed quite from the torrential rain, but would probably be a storm in of itself.  The owner of the voice was calling to him, but the individual was barely recognizable.  If the hunter had not known what had happened not a few hours before, then he would think this someone new.  No, this one was a friend.  No matter how much they change, nor what happens to them.  They would always be..

"Freyd!"

The hunter would call out to the oddly different looking man.  On much closer inspection, the whisperer could turn quite a head.  Even more so than before.  The gruff look seemed to work better for him, but the hair..  What made it go white like that?  Far too pallid for the someone so lively.  The grand adventurer would inquire about the Mysterious Merchant and his attire before coming closer to the <Emerald Flame>.

"Ah, that's the Merchant.  He's the NPC that takes care of the travelling shop, and taught me how to appraise.  I more or less help guard the shop, but it doesn't need much with a giant chameleon stealing lunches."

He would say as the blurred silhouette of the chameleon would slowly get out of the rain and try to get into an opportune position.

"I can summon him and the shop with the torch, but the reach is limited.  Can't do so too far away from a teleporter or safe zone."

The purple hooded NPC would look back when he was 'introduced' for only a few moments to address the new 'customer' on the topic of 'consumables'.  A small glint from beneath the cowl would have the NPC doing their thing.

"Ah, an Appraiser!  Our wares are not available at the moment, but we may talk trade in time, stranger."

"Quite an eye, as always."

He would say before shaking his head and looking back to the man that brushed with death not too long ago.

"Never mind that!  Are you doing.."

It was then that Freyd had swung at something nearby.  His speed was just as exact as he had been many times before during combat, but the hunter did not sense anything nearby.  Sending another ping out, the hunter would make sure that he wasn't being fooled by anything that was hiding.  Many things were nearby, but most were being taken care of several meters way by the perimeter and recon groups.  No, the issue seemed to be something that only Freyd could see.  He would not question it, but he ensuing sparks would scare Liz out of her camouflage.  In all of their interactions, Freyd had never looked more off.  

[Crozeph 0]

He caught the sample. It seems he and Morningstar managed to scout the area and dispatch of a few creatures along the way. Crozeph looted them one by one and it seems the disintegration to pixels of data was slow "shouldn't these creatures explode right away line piñatas?" he asked Morningstar. Crozeph bent his knees to stare at the slow disintegration "weird but maybe we should report this to Baldur too?"

Crozeph opened his HUD and opened the mail, intending to report their findings to help his guild leader with what info they can gather 

Quote

To: @Baldur

We're near the sea, Lucifer is quite dependable. We'll walk further and see if we can find anything. Also we killed a few tilapia guys and they don't explode after death but rather burn away like paper

He closed the mail system and took one good gaze at the sea. Others may not see the beauty of such lack of color where the light shines. He deeply believed the world has always been dichromatic, people adds color to it through who they are "heh, Yuki..." he snickered. He turned his head to his companion "let's go Lucifer, think we can go near the other end of this area? hopefully we can-"

Where are my childf̸'̵ ̵m̶g̶a̸h̵'̷e̴h̴y̷e̵ ̵n̷o̸g̸e̶p̷h̶a̷i̸i̶ ̶h̸u̸p̸ ̶g̶n̷'̸t̴h̷
Aḧ̵̻̪̠́͜h̷̝̣̆̃̎ ̷̣̞̍̇ŷ̶̤̣̦m̵̟̝͎͓̃́̐g̸̞̜͒͠'̸̡̛̛̞͎̞ ̴̝͕̲̑̇͗̔͜a̶̡̞̞͕̒̒̚h̶̰̳̪̩̽̌͐ ̷̧̠̃̓̂l̵͖̂̊̅̇i̷̜͋̓̽̅k̴̹̳̭̬̿́ë̸͓́̿͒ ̴͇͓͑̑f̵̛͎ă̴͕ẖ̶̙͔̑f̵̝̊̿̽̔ to my children?"

"Children?" Crozeph saw it, a woman-like figure towered behind Morningstar probably after he handed the sample to Crozeph, a creature coming out of the sea. She had six arms, two of it replaced where legs and feet should be. A tattered dress, pale skin that seemed to have been soaked deep water for so long, wrinkles visible on her neck and forearms. "The fuck? dude behind you!" he yelled, they got careless two arms reached out fast to Crozeph elongated and thin like feet of birds and tried to slam him on his back. He managed to pull Ereshkigal and deflected the arms, Morningstar not so lucky. A two-hand backhanded slap was delivered to his companions sending him flying. "Damn it!" Crozeph dashed towards him, intending to break the distance but as soon as he darted more than a feet, the creatures head split open. veins, muscles, flesh, holding it together from head to jaw. Two sides snapped back together and then it split again but this time from ear to ear then joined again. 

As Crozeph saw it, his vision spiraled, instead of catching Morningstar his back struck Crozeph's head. The raven-haired swordsman spun mid-air before landing on the ground, his vision filled with colors and continued to spiral. "Hey, tell me, is the woman still standing menacingly there?" he asked Morningstar

"My child---ren, let th---em ret----urn from t---he s----ea, whe---re are th-th-they?"

"fuck"

Morningstar | HP: 840/840 | EN: 96/120 | DMG: 22 | EVA: 4 | ACC: 5 | BH: 43 | LD: 6 | REC: 8 | FLN: 16 | AA | PARA-V
Crozeph | 800/800 | EN: 85/102 | DMG: 20 | MIT: 44 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 2 | FLN: 16 | PHASE

M̵͖̳̭̘͋͂̓͠ö̸̝͔͕̻́̃̈́̀t̸̖͂̾͆h̶̛̥̆̔e̵̫̟̗̱̅͘͘r̵̹̂̉̈ ̷̞̎̿̚o̴̰̬̱̍͐f̴͍͊͠ ̸̼̝̭̓S̵͎͚̜͐̈́͝m̸͚͒̏̚͘i̶̗͋̒͑l̶̤̝̈́͗̀͠é̸͖͍̥̲s̷͖͆̎͒͝ͅ  |  HP: ???/??? | DMG: ???

[Freyd 0]

Raising a brow at the Merchant's impromptu appraisal, Freyd did the same, but found nothing immediately unusual.

"Are you sure it's wise to have summoned him here? If there were ever any NPCs on this floor, something killed them all."  The face beneath its purple-hood halted and paled, its mask only capable of hiding so much.  "And no current access to stock?  That's rather interesting.  Ever had that happen before?" A few possibilities jumped into Freyd's mind, none of them good.

"Setting up a base camp is a good idea, Hirru.  But maybe one or two others should remain here with you at all times.  You're one of our best healers, but you'd be in a sore position if a couple of PKers ported in and tried to jump you."  The implication being that Freyd intended to remain here on guard and make sure precisely that would never happen. Not only was Hirru a friend, but one of the Frontlines' most valuable assets.  He also knew enough about the Vice Commander's past and curse to know that leaving him alone out here could be a very bad idea.

"Something's hinky with the connection to this floor too.  I left hours ago, from my perspective, but it feels like barely any time has passed since I left.  And my UI clock is having some sort of aneurism.  Are you having any trouble with yours?"

Freyd paced about the square casually as he talked, one hand on his sword hilt while the other picked up and discarded various bits of detritus strewn about the place.

"Whatever happened here was made to look sudden and recent, which begs the question of whether it actually did?  Was the floor just designed this way, or has something altered it?  Think on that.  If the latter is true, then some or all of the unlocked floors above us may also be active, developing at their own pace and living through content we simply cannot fathom yet, let alone its potential consequences.  The implications are staggering."

Noticing a small fallen doll, abandoned in the centre of the cobblestone field, Freyd stepped back and observed how the radiating pattern of the pavers' arrangement emanated from the point where it was dropped, which should have been impossible.  Lifting the doll, he turned it about and found what he had hoped for.  'Annie'.  The name stitched lovingly on her back, embroidery having survived where ink would have bled into obscurity.

"A name.  That might give us a place to start."  Peering into nearby shadow, abundant in this place, Freyd triggered tracking, wondering if there was somehow still an Annie to be found.  With luck, maybe the doll itself would serve as an anchor and tether to help forge an otherwise tenuous connection.

***

Freyd consumes and makes available feast:

Gungir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Smokin' Hot Honey Bun Tray | ACC 2 | EVA 2 | Feast (6/6) - takes 1 portion (ACC filled)
Draft of Keen Edge | Tierless | Perfect Potion | Damage 3 | 235948
Lesser-Duper Anti Snake Sauce (Salve) | Antidote 1 | 165679
Mini Cheesecake (Meal) | T3 Mitigation 3 | 177653-1

Updated stats:

Freyd | HP: 1300/1300 | EN: 162/162 | DMG: 24 | MIT:197 | ACC: 8 (incl. AA)  | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | DOTE: 1/1 | BH:72 | VAMP-D: 72 | VAMP-O: 143 | PARA-V | LD:5

Edited January 9 by Freyd

[Morningstar 0]

His eyes flared. A haunting voice enveloped him from the sea. It was different from the whispers he heard in town. It was clear, but not directed towards either of the players. It spoke as if unaware of its surroundings at all. His feet betrayed him, glued to the dock.

Why can't I move?

Something struck his back hard, launching him straight into Crozeph. They tumbled together, slamming hard into cobblestone. His head pounded and his back ached, but he was otherwise okay. His gaze flicked towards their assailant. "Yeah. She's still there."

More worrisome was her missing health bar. He juggled their options, weighing the pros of staying and fighting. Blue crystals materialized in each of his hands. "Need one?" he offered a teleport crystal to Cro. "I don't like our odds, but we should limit test while we're here—we can bring back some info for the rest of the team. If it starts looking bad, we get the hell out and regroup."

The creature's deformed face inked itself into his mind. She was inhumanely tall with dripping black hair. Her blue-grey skin was wrinkled and waterlogged. She had a wide, crooked smile that never seemed to drop, and her words came in shrill croaks. 

"Let th---em ret----urn, let th---em ret----urn, let the-m ret-urn, letthemletthemlet—"

The boom of a sword art echoed off her deceptively sturdy body. Star grunted, shoved away by a grotesque arm. His attack hadn't even left a scratch on her. Her nameplate glitched above her head, the letters vanishing and reappearing over and over. Pixels spasmed up and down her slender frame, and from her throat came a horrifying scream.

Morningstar | HP: 840/840 | EN: 100/120 | DMG: 22 | EVA: 4 | ACC: 5 | BH: 43 | LD: 6 | REC: 8 | FLN: 16 | AA | PARA-V
Crozeph | 800/800 | EN: 85/102 | DMG: 20 | MIT: 44 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 2 | FLN: 16 | PHASE

M̵͖̳̭̘͋͂̓͠ö̸̝͔͕̻́̃̈́̀t̸̖͂̾͆h̶̛̥̆̔e̵̫̟̗̱̅͘͘r̵̹̂̉̈ ̷̞̎̿̚o̴̰̬̱̍͐f̴͍͊͠ ̸̼̝̭̓S̵͎͚̜͐̈́͝m̸͚͒̏̚͘i̶̗͋̒͑l̶̤̝̈́͗̀͠é̸͖͍̥̲s̷͖͆̎͒͝ͅ  |  HP: ???/??? | DMG: ???

[Acanthus 0]

Quote

“Does that look like a pub to you? Is there anyone inside?”

Focusing on her search skill, Acanthus closed her eyes to listen. The beating rain made it difficult to narrow her senses to the tavern. A ragged scream in the distance caused her to lose focus for a moment. She had to reassure herself that whoever was here was more than capable of taking care of themselves. “I don’t hear anything coming from inside.” Acanthus moved towards the door slowly, botan in hand. “That doesn’t mean it’s empty.”

Upon entering Health Point tavern (she assumed the abbreviation was a gamer thing), her mind drew immediate comparisons to the Sour Rumor, Oz’s pub down on floor thirteen. It had many similar hallmarks: wooden chairs, a low ceiling with exposed rafters, and a large fireplace in the far corner. But HP’s Tavern had been ransacked by something unknown. Shattered bottles and broken mugs littered the floor. Of the dozen or so chairs left, there were maybe two dozen legs. The bottles behind the counter were either cracked, faded, or so clouded that Acanthus didn’t even want to imagine what they would taste like.

“Actually, they don’t taste so bad—”

Acanthus yelped and whirled around, sword in hand. A bedraggled man leaned on the bar behind her, dressed in sackcloth. He mumbled through his long, wispy hair, face almost completely obscured.

The man continued to ramble. “—not so bad when you’ve had a few already. They taste a bit ochre, if you ask me.” He laughed to himself. “Ochre, with a hint of melancholy, and gasoline.”

“Baldur, Lessa, if you’re not in here, I’d appreciate the help.” She backed up from the hunched figure, ready to strike. “I’d like a name.”

“You’d like a name? You already have one, don’t you?” He giggled at his own joke. “But if you’d like mine, it’s Hildred. I’m the king of the last dynasty.”

“Are you the king in yellow?”

The man’s face took an immediate pallor. He turned to Acanthus, shaking. “Do not mention his name. The true king 

Quote

resides in Carcosa. A place outside of time, outside of life and death, but where the final chapter of everything has already been written.

For a moment, the man’s voice became two. Acanthus realized that Hildred was parroting Baldur’s words, while Baldur’s voice layered Hildred’s own. More voices, voices Acanthus did not recognize, joined the chorus.

Quote

Along the shore the cloud waves break,
The twin suns sink beneath the lake,
The shadows lengthen

               In Carcosa.

Hildred jolted up from his stool, staring blank and slack-jawed at Acanthus. Foul ichor began to leak from the corners of his mouth and eyes.

Quote

Strange is the night where black stars rise,
And strange moons circle through the skies
But stranger still is

               Lost Carcosa.

The voices rose in a frenzied chorus, raising higher and higher as the rafters began to shake. Acanthus tried to cover her ears with her free hand, but something about the sound penetrated the physical realm. This feels like the waves of madness from the boss fight!—

Quote

Songs that the Hyades shall sing,
Where flap the tatters of the King,
Must die unheard in

                  Dim Carcosa.

With a sickening crack, Hildred threw his head backwards at an unnatural angle. It lolled to the side like the corpse of a hung man. Ichor flowed freely from his eyes, mouth, and ears. But still the words poured out of his mouth, a thousand mouths.

Quote

Song of my soul, my voice is dead;
Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed
Shall dry and die in

                   Lost Carcosa.

At the last line, a clawed hand burst from Hildred’s mouth. With a deep, gagging noise, the man fell to his knees, and a creature larger than Hildred began to tear out of the man’s body. After a series of jagged, meaty ripping noises, Hildred’s remains fell to the ground in tatters. The creature had hands and legs, but was otherwise formless. It had no mouth or eyes, or any other features that Acanthus could identify. Despite the lack of facial features, she felt the thing staring directly at her, sizing her up.

Rejoice for the c̶̹̍ǒ̶̟m̵̫̣͋ī̶̥̰̉n̸̟͘g̷̰͊͘ ̵̲́͒o̴̘̪̓̕f̴̱͉̅̽ ̵͕̜̽̐t̶̮̿͊h̶̯̩͌ë̶̫́̍ ̴͔̿̑K̵̞̋̌̍̏̌̃́͘̚͘ĩ̶̡͚̆̃̎͊̓͜ṇ̴̻̊̀̑̊́͘͠͠g̶̪̩̔͆͋̚ͅ. The thing flexed its hands, and its claws grew longer. Ȟ̴̨̧̖̖͘͝͝i̷̛̦̟̣͔͈̺͉̙̓̒͂́̈́͜͝ś̴̛̺͒̓̿͆̂͝͝ glory b̴̛̫̜͆ĺ̶͕͝o̷̜̼͌t̷̫͛̓s̷̞͚̈́͆ ̵̗̄ẗ̸̗͈h̵̫̓̕é̴͎ ̶̺̅t̵͇̳̽w̶̲̅i̷̯̫͝n̸̤̯̾ ̴̬̳̄ś̷̨͓u̶̥͛̇n̷͖̙͗̌s̷̲̃.̵͕͋ ̴͙̈́͝. Ȟ̴̨̧̖̖͘͝͝i̷̛̦̟̣͔͈̺͉̙̓̒͂́̈́͜͝ś̴̛̺͒̓̿͆̂͝͝ power d̴̤̋w̵̼͈̟̻̚a̵̬͖̅͊̽͌̌r̵̯̿͋͊̕f̸̟̲͕͕̟͐̈́͝s̵͖̏ ̶̨̭̥̤͚͐͛ the stars themselves. C̸̢͖̞̉o̸̢͙͋͑͑ͅm̴͉̽e̵̘̓̋̚͜,̵̰̤̇͛ ̵̭͆o̸̗͖̔͑̈́f̴͈͆̄f̷̛̥̪͋̒ę̶̪̼͋̀͗r̵̛̝̯̈̐ ̷̱̜́́ͅH̵̨̺̪̓ī̸͙m̴̪̈́̿͝ p̴̯͛r̸͔̥͌͆̍ā̸͍̩i̴̖̺̼̿̍̿s̴̛̠̿̚ě̷̢͔̾ ̵̤̄t̴̫̅͒͛h̷͎̝͙͛̾a̶̦̓́ͅẗ̶̡̼̥́͂ ̴̰̮͐̽y̶̥̺̎͒̓ö̴̧̺͍̈ǔ̸͓ ̵͓̤̋͝ḿ̴̯̖̼͠í̵̤̐g̸̖͕̻̋h̸̡͔̥̊̓͆t̶͎̼͆ ̵͖͑b̴̡̹̹̽̎̋e̸̪͈̊̂̈́ ̵̣͘s̴͎̯͊͠p̸̲̈̿ã̷͍̻̩͘r̸̨̍e̴̹͇̱̋̆ḑ̷̖̦͆.̵̦͗̉̃

Acanthus couldn’t tell if the thing was speaking to her or directly into her head. Either way, the voice was powerful, drowning out her other thoughts. Almost lost to the maddening voice, a familiar voice—and far more terrifying one—pierced the monster’s chorus.

SHE WOULD FALL AFTER HER FIRST REAL FIGHT TO NOTHING MORE THAN TRASH. WORTHLESS.

I am not!— Hatred broke the spell over her and botan flew threw the air, shedding rose petals as she sought the creature’s head. The creature howled and backed up, baring its claws and hissing defensively. Acanthus panted with exertion and light returned to the edges of her vision. No time to think or question it. The thing needed to die.
 

Spoiler

Acanthus | Lvl 61 (34/27) | HP: 740/740 | EN: 75/88 | DMG: 23 | MIT:54 | ACC:5 | AA  | EVA:2 | BH:24 | VAMP-D: 41 | REC: 8 | LD:5
Baldur |
Lessa | 

Post Action: TECH-A -> Hyades Emissary (-13 (16 - 1 - 2) EN)
239691 | BD 1 + 6 | Hit! 23 * 16 = 368 damage. Stunned.

Hyades Emissary | 132/500 | DMG 150 | [Stunned]

Madness of the Yellow King | On MD 9–10, Hyades Emissary attacks each player for 150 damage as it preaches the coming of the Yellow King. Players hit by this attack are stunned. (This stun has a three-turn cooldown.)

 

 

Edited January 2 by Acanthus

[Baldur 0]

There was something odd about this NPC. In a city that by all appearances was abandoned to the forces of the deep ones, why was this one here? But then Acanthus mentioned the K̸̰̗̱̑̆̊i̶̢̢̡̹̰͎̺̼͙̗͛̑̀͆̇n̶̢̛͉̥͖̙̳͈̳̑̄̒͑̌͋̈̿́̈́g̷̡̡̛̗̖̮̥̜͕͎̖̟̒̉̀̌̚͘͘͜͝ ̷̧̢͉̄̆i̵̢̢̝̠̼̲͚̥͎͓̠̜͌͐̓̉̿̀̓̑̉́͂̈́n̵̝̱͆̈́̾̄̋̓̓̄̍ ̴̧̰̱̻̼͔͚͙̦̊̏̉̈́́͒͒͋̓̕̚Ỷ̸͎̋̎͌͊̂̂̎̿̿ę̵͖̥̓̈̿̾̓̀̋͗̀͝l̶̲̻͙͆͂͑͌͂̚͜l̶̛͓͍̠̝̼̼̣͍̬̃͆͆̈́̐ớ̴̝̖̥̤̳̓̓̓̾̿͗̚͠w̴̛̛͖̩̼̜̤̋̎̓͑̇͑̈́ͅ and everything went sideways. What happened to the NPC next was something that would have been nightmare fuel had it been in the real world, but the separation of game and reality gave Baldur a buffer that turned disgust into mere surprise.

Baldur took half a step forward, placed his hand on the handle of his katana and then there was a flash, a hint of the night like a ribbon across the room, and then the Samurai was on the other side of the room with his sword out. He whipped it to the side in an old, practiced motion. Something ritual about it. He then slowly sheathed the sword, and as the blade clicked home, the strange creature... didn't shatter? It... collapsed like a stuffed animal that suddenly didn't have any stuffing in it. Then the pile of flesh seemed to melt and dissolve and flow down through the cracks in the floor boards.

"That... is very strange..."

He shook his head, clearing his long hair out of his face from the sudden movements of combat.

"We should head back to the main square and see how the others are doing. This floor is very strange."

 @Acanthus @Lessa

Spoiler

ID#239863 BD: 5+6=11 (hit) 23x12=276 DMG
ST1 (X12) -10 EN

Acanthus | Lvl 61 (34/27) | HP: 740/740 | EN: 75/88 | DMG: 23 | MIT:54 | ACC:5 | AA  | EVA:2 | BH:24 | VAMP-D: 41 | REC: 8 | LD:5
Baldur | HP: 980/980 | EN: 132/132 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:5 | AA | KEEN: 1 | F-SPIRIT | EVA:2 | BH:49 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BLI: 32/-20 | BRN: 56 | FRZ: 64 | LD:5
Lessa | 
Hyades Emissary | 0/500 | DMG 150 | [Stunned]

---

As the 3 incredibly attractive people walked back into the main square like they had just walked off the set of a CW fantasy drama, Baldur could see Freyd and Hirru holding a camp set up in the middle. Hirru's merchant NPC had arrived as well, though the large creature that pulled the cart wasn't there at the moment.

And as if like clockwork, people started teleporting in through the gate. Lookie-loos and tourists.

Baldur picked up the pace, running towards the square to warn people to wander, but hopefully @Hirru and @Freyd would be on that already. It was less than he expected, and took a bit longer this time than usual. So many word had gotten out and some people were listening to the warning and others weren't. Some came in kitted out. Scouts and guilds that had gotten the warning but were coming to look around prepared for what they may encounter, but for every one who seemed to know what they were about a dozen people who had no discernable combat gear beyond tier 1 started to appear.

Shit, this is exactly what I was worried about.

"We need to get back and keep anyone from wandering out and getting themselves killed."

Edited January 8 by Baldur

[Lessa 1]

At Baldur's Star Wars reference, Lessa choked out a laugh. "Ah yes," she answered, nodding sagely. "You and Yoda do have so much in common."

She fell silent again as Baldur began addressing Acanthus' question. While the King in Yellow rang a distant bell in her memory, there was no way that she could confidently answer the query herself. That was unusual for Lessa, self-proclaimed know-it-all, but she was grateful yet-again to have Baldur at her side. This time, she appreciated his ability to fill in her gaps.

"I know next to nothing about Lovecraft," she mused aloud once the samurai had concluded. "I mean, I know that it involves big, scary monster types. Super spooky. Lots of tentacles." She pressed the back of one gauntleted hand to her chin and wiggled her fingers in a vaguely Cthulhu-esque gesture. "But that's about the extent of it." She let her hand fall back to her side. "I do know horror, though. And I know how unforgiving Aincrad can be. So I know that this is probably going to be one of those floors that we have to take seriously. Especially with the lack of safe zones."

The trio trudged on, the endless thrum of the rain and occasional crack of thunder the only sounds between them. It wasn't until Baldur spoke that Lessa's eyes snapped up from her muddy boots. She followed his gaze, then nodded slowly. "Yeah, it kind of does. I figure if there are any NPCs here, they're going to be hiding from this horrible weather."

Her preliminary sweep of the area stopped on a lean-to attached to the side of the building. It looked large enough to hold a few horses, and maybe a side entrance. In typical Lessa fashion, she pointed toward the possibility of seeing horses. "I'll go around back, see if there's anyone over there. Meet you guys inside?" Without waiting for an answer, she jogged off. She would still be within shouting distance of her companions, so she didn't expect to get into much trouble. Besides, though she couldn't quite explain it, she felt the complete lack of life within HP's. Within the whole floor, if she were being honest with herself. Her surroundings just felt strangely empty. And she didn't want to dwell on how unsettling that was.

But there was nothing to find, aside from more mud. By the time Lessa had looped back around and entered through the front door, she had (blessedly) missed most of the monologuing. She wasn't lucky enough, however, to miss the abomination that clawed itself out of the man's body. For the first time since setting foot on Floor 29, true horror and hot bile climbed Lessa's throat. If she hadn't forced it back down, she'd have lost her raid consumables all over HP's abandoned tavern. Even as she fought back a second wave of nausea, Acanthus and Baldur made quick work of the creature.

"Thanks," she breathed, stepping aside to let the two Players exit before her. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the blinking quest indicator. She would come back for it. Or maybe she wouldn't. That scene had been something straight out of an Alien movie, and she wasn't in a huge hurry to witness it again. Sigourney Weaver, she most certainly was not.

"Definitely strange," Lessa confirmed, jogging up behind her two companions as they made their way back to the square. "I've seen some weird stuff on lower floors, but this is just... on a whole different level. Was that supposed to be an NPC? Did it ever have an NPC indicator? Or was it just a mob all along?" She heaved a shrug beneath her heavy armor, as if in answer to the questions she herself posed. "I just don't get any of this. But I agree, crowd control is a priority right now."

As Baldur peeled off, Lessa turned to Acanthus. "Sorry," she began suddenly, extending a hand to the other woman. It was rain-soaked, as was the rest of her, but she'd gotten used to it over the past half hour. "I realized I never introduced myself. I'm Lessa. Thanks again for having my back back there."

[Freyd 0]

Flashes from behind caused him to whirl and face the newcomers, worried that the wrong sort would already have gotten word and chosen daring over prudence.  Right hand outstretched before him, the Whisper strode forth calmly to intercept, his other hand already tightly grasped around the hilt of his blade, concealed by a half-turned torso and carefully chosen posture.  Eyes darting between swirling icons over the new arrivals' heads, he spoke quietly and steadily as he advanced to corral them near the archway.

"A word of caution.  The arch is unsecured and this area unsafe.  Unless you've come prepared to protect yourselves, I strongly recommend you treat this floor as hazardous and quarantined.  Try Coral instead."  With Hirru at his back, a dozen confused and suspicious eyes widened in surprise at the presence of the heavily armored welcome wagon.  One set at the back looked too opportunistic and gleeful for his liking.  Another, actually wearing sunglasses, of all things, asked where the boss clear party was happening, his hands burdened with an ice cooler full of tropical liquids complete with a cup full of colourful little paper umbrellas that desperately wanted a happier-looking home.

"Yeah.  This place is definitely not what you were hoping for, buddy.  Try a warmer, less sanity-depriving locale."

Giving them a moment to soak in their surroundings, aided by a constant and cold, dreary downpour, most of them got the point rather quickly.

"Meh... this place sucks," called a short pink-hair woman wielding a ribboned pike that waned wearily 'neath the sky's persistent tears.  The others agreed, muttering as they bandied about a better destination for their festivities.

Lady... you have no idea.

"Not you," Freyd called, singling out the shifty eyes.  "Seems you forgot something while getting dressed this morning."  Gaze lifting along with that of the others, groans and gasps marred depleted mirth as they murmured that the last arrival didn't have a cursor over its head at all.  He did, but in the darkened skies it took a timely flash of reddish cloud anger to reveal.  That mob's icon was black.

Edited January 9 by Freyd

[Arabelle 0]

forgot its entire face.

always so annoying when that happens.

"go. go."

gloved hands shove a pair of stunned players to the side. she crosses the gap as the light of the portal winds down behind her -- it takes a mere second's rest, then it flashes again, bringing forth another group of eager yet unprepared adventurers -- and she pulls off her hood to bare her face; her tempestuous red eyes. she pushes her way to the front of the arriving crowd, sweeping an arm out to deter any player behind her from moving forward.

everyone who had been near the entity had more or less backed away and given it a wide berth but it oughtn't be this difficult to push them off the floor entirely. what the fuck. evidently they aren't getting anywhere with calm and pleasant suggestions. road hazard ahead. would you like to take this alternative route? perhaps if they had the time.

they don't. she levels a stern glare at the players who had arrived dressed for a cute party. "are the lot of you deaf? go. this isn't a test of courage. if none of you were strong enough to help us during the boss battle, then chances are you aren't surviving anything on this level. leave us now and spare us the trouble of tallying your casualties."

she is met with unfriendly stares and indignant mutterings, but the fact that freyd and hirru aren't dismissing her like the rest lends arabelle's name some authority. a sizable amount of the addressed begin a reluctant shuffle in the direction of the portal. good enough. she turns her eyes to the faceless creature and the black cursor hanging over its head.

it observes them back.

it waits.

"rude, sir," she playfully chides freyd past its shoulder. she drops the offhand she had been holding out, propping it instead against her hip, and her lips curl into a thin, humorless smile. "it's not like going without makeup is a capital crime. why call him out so publicly?"

she spins her scythe's key between her fingers. the rain comes down in droves and clouds pass over the yellow moon, draping the woman's silhouette in shadow. if its cursor is black for her, it is black for everyone. she hesitates to bring her scythe out in its full form and lock them into hostilities, regardless if freyd and hirru are already armed.

well, no harm in trying?

"hey, you. need to move somewhere private to freshen up? we'll happily oblige."

---

-> CHANGING BATTLE-READY.

Spoiler

| dimensional backpack

1. (5) Teleport Crystal | [>>]
2. (5) cookie | +16 EN.
3. !! paradise lost | incarceration/instant (soundtrack). | [>>]
4. --
5. --
6. --

 

Edited January 9 by Arabelle

[Morningstar 0]

Pieces of dock fell with the rain. Eyes wide, Morningstar deflected the jagged plank that tumbled towards him. Visceral ramblings spilled from the split lips of the creature in the ocean. The phrases she uttered were mindless and decontextualized. Morningstar ignored whatever meaning there was to them and instead chose focus on how they could take it down. Never had he encountered something so difficult to comprehend. Where was her health bar? What was her weakness?

The Mother of Smiles let out another shriek. While she did, Morningstar attacked.

He slipped out of her field of view. It was easy--her focus was always on herself. Star bolted, activating TECH-A midway. His sword burned gold, exploding on contact.

Nothing.

He ducked, prepared for her retaliation. She snaked her long body through the black waters, slamming into the side of the dock. It shook, but he maintained balance. He tried TECH-G. Flames engulfed the creature, and for a moment, Star thought he had succeeded.

Then, they vanished, leaving little more than a scorch mark.

A back-handed slap sent him skipping across the ocean. He dipped below the surface and his vision darkened.

Under the waves, it was quiet. His heart pumped. Water filled his virtual lungs. He hoped to see a mob swim by, which wasn't so strange considering that what he could see was nothing at all. Not the faintest bit of light penetrated the sea, and he was left to sink in an endless void.

It was the nothing that scared him most. In a panic, he swished his heavy hand. His menu expanded, but even its glow was too weak to help. He felt a crystal materialize in his hand and, with hope that Crozeph would have the sense to do the same, returned to the beginning.

His next sights were a blur. People had crowded into 29's main settlement. He stumbled out of the teleporter, coughing and spewing water all the way to the ground. On all fours, he wheezed until he finally caught his breath.

The raid party had not faired much better than he and Crozeph. Players of all sorts had flooded out of the teleporter and into the streets. A few frontliners tried to convince them to leave, but there were always stubborn ones in the herd.

The black cursor caught his eye. Still heaving, he picked himself up.

"Fuck this floor."

Spoiler

Consuming:

Imperial Quarter Blend | DMG III
Magical Yellow Potion | OH III
Breakfast Fry | Protein II

Adjusted Stats:

Morningstar | HP: 966/966 | EN: 120/120 | DMG: 27 | EVA: 4 | ACC: 5 | BH: 43 | LD: 6 | REC: 8 | FLN: 16 | AA | PARA-V

 

[Crozeph 0]

A scream echoed, Crozeph has seen how Morningstar dealt with the Mother of Smiles but it seems his info was still not enough. His companion was already smacked and sent like a rock skipping to the ocean. "Shit" he muttered. Crozeph opened his mail again and started typing fast before the Mother of Smiles can notice him 

Quote

To: @Baldur

Lucifer got smacked, I'll try to fish him out

In a split second of decisions if making, Crozeph pressed "send" and rolled back. The woman has already noticed him. She was screaming, it seems to be frustrated "I sure hope-" he moved to the side and used a wall to propel himself past the Mother of Smiles. "Morningstar held out teleportation crystals" he thought. He ran inside a house, jumping over a table and landing on the stairs 

Quote

To: Baldur

Please tell me Lucifer is there, I haven't seen him go up since he landed on the oceacpncaiuwnnifjanubfeidasd

He dodged and rolled thenpressed send again as he saw her crawling fast towards him. "Woman! calm your tits!" Crozeph ran upstairs and jumped out of the window. Morningstar's attacks never landed properly, there was no chance of winning this fight. She jumped out of the window too but she also took the walls around it. Crozeph ran and was sprinting, changing directions as she tries to grab him. The screams got more terrifying as he continued escape, it's also taking all of him to dodge. "Should I have grabbed the crystal from Lucifer?" he thought. 

The Mother of Smiles then cracked her head open, Crozeph's vision started to spiral, as if it was a vertigo. "Fuck this floor" he opened his inventory, the woman dashed. Crozeph scrolled, his current idea seems to be a dumb one but he's hoping it works.

A swing so strong and fast not even a top batter can hit a pitch from it but for the raven-haired swordsman, he managed to dodge by a few inches. In his left hand Ereshkigal thrumming, on his right a material he just got. veins started going up his arm to his eyes. The Mother of Smiles took a few steps back and shrieked. His vision slightly fixed but the UI letters are all glitching.

"Would you look at that, this motherfucker actually worked" He raised his hand and revealed the Maddening Hex.

[Baldur 0]

The figure with the black crystal seemed to smile, though its face was not visible. Another flash of red lightning revealed a face wearing a mask hidden deep in the cowl of its hood.

Ẉ̷͖͙̻͋̊̌̊̐̏̕e̵̡̡̨̛̟̫̲̜͖̖̲̙̺͖̩͔̯̣̎̋̏̃̓͝ĺ̵̻̼͉̯̱͇͔͓̙̞̲͉̼̳̟̭͓̗̠̪̏̿̓͒͌̈́̃̆̔̐͘͘͜͠͝͠c̷̲̀̀o̵̧̯̞̮̖̮̤̳̜̐̾̃͊͐́̌̅́̎̌͗͐̈́̿̀͠ͅm̵̜̹̥̟̳̬̟̔̾͛̀ể̵̛̳͖̖̭͓̰̭̭͇̟̠̜̳͎̅̋͆̍̒̆̒̈́͂̏͗̄̓̓͝͝ͅ ̸̫̜̐̇̍͌̍͗̾̊̓̾t̸̡̡̻̺̣̞̬̤̱͚͓̜͓̞̼̜̭̗̗͇̔̾͌̆͋ͅő̶̱͕͕̰̹̹̖̟̺̟̩̠̣̻̍̅̓̋̎͑͜͝ ̸͙̆́͂̍̐̂̽̉̀̇̀̽̕m̷̢̟͈̤̫̑͑̑͋̾͊̃̿͛͂̈̽̋̉̀͜y̷͚͍̬͆̃̅͊̿̿̓̕ ̴̘͆̕h̸̛̰͓̞̻̦͖̽͛͋͐̋̒̈͆̃̂̓͒̅̿̀͛͛̎͠͝o̷̡̡̨̳̲̩͎̯̟̹̙̯͎͕͍̳̦̼̮̓͠m̶̘̟̹̺̫̹̌̀e̷̡̨͔̙̲̻͙̖̬̠͙͕̜̦͓̻̤͋́̏

The words didn't seem to be spoken in the usual way, yet they reverberated with every player, regardless of where they were. It was as if the figure was next to everyone, speaking directly to them. Then the figure raised up its hand high, light flashing red in the eye holes of the mask, and it slowly brought its hand down.

And as it did, a massive form lurched out of the clouds above, the giant form of the monster seen towering off in the distance suddenly much closer than it had been. Still in the water, but its size was great enough that it...

That it could reach the square.

A giant, open hand came down from the clouds and turned into a fist, crushing a building in the square closest to the water. The sounds was louder than any of the thunder had been. Debris flew everywhere, as the ground itself shook from the blow. As the fog and the giant form began to recede, the figure with the black crystal was gone.

But the threat was not passed. More monsters could be heard in the distance, shambling down streets that were no so full of fog, nothing beyond the square could be seen. Down each of the four directions that the Frontliners had been sent, a new pack of creatures emerged, each led by a champion of their kind. Each with a deep red crystal that showed they were no mere monster.

<<Kaajh'Kaalbh - The Mother of Smiles>> continued to chase after @Crozeph, though after he managed to hit her, her two health bars flickered to life above her head.

Down another path leading directly to the waterfront a pair of sickly yellow lights appear to meander from the fog several feet in the air, and then the form of <<Y'ha-nthlei - Father of the Deep>>  a large, frog-like man with a deep cloak of seaweed and a pair of luminescent fin rays coming off the top of his head - the source of the yellow lights. His twin health bars ominous to anyone who chooses to engage.

A buzzing sounds comes from the opposite path, and a form hovering about the ground with wings that do little to disturb the fog floats towards the players gathered in the square. It has no face, merely a head full of holes like some twisted trypophobia made flesh, and a large, segmented and crustacean body. It's two large lobster claws clacking as it moves closer. <<Shub-Niggurath - The Wanderer>> was there.

Down the last road came <<Hokolesqua - The Beast>>, a completely inhuman form for one who "walked" upright. Each of its four limbs had multiple joints, but none of them seemed to bend the way they were supposed to. Instead of a face, tentacles hung down, bloody and read towards the ground. It's grey, slimy skin seems to be covered with tiny eyes, blinking in waves as is surveys the crowd. A moment later, it could be seen they weren't eyes, but instead hundreds of thousands of worms, and bugs, and things that slither and bite.

---

"Shit." Baldur curses as the scene continues to develop into a cluster-[censored] around them. The people who weren't supposed to be there started to scream and panic, pushing and shoving their way back to the teleport gate, but now there were too many of them. It was clear that almost none of them came prepared, as he saw only a handful use teleport crystals when they couldn't get to the gate fast enough.

"We need to hold them off until everyone gets out!" Baldur tried to shout over the cries of panic and the sound of monsters and fleeing. While the champions were all eye catching and notable, many other smaller, trash mobs still flooded out of the fog. Perhaps not dangerous to the frontline, they were still dangerous to the tourists.

"Make a perimeter, but keep the big ones away from the square!"

Where the giant hand crushed a building, dozens of tentacled monsters leapt from its wrist and rushed the crowd. A small group of players who had come seemingly prepared engaged them and seemed to be holding the line.

100/100 Players Remaining on Floor
0/3 Rounds until Evacuation
@Lessa @Freyd @Hirru @Morningstar @Arabelle @Acanthus @Jomei @tricolor_mina @Wulfrin @Katoka

---

((There are 3 rounds until all the peasants teleport out using the gate. Any of the champion mobs that are not engaged by at least 2 players will start killing NPC players on their action.

Note, attack effects listed occur on every successful attack, not roll based. The spoilers contain important combat mechanics. Each of these champions is accompanied by trash mobs that you can RP fighting without rolling if you wish. The champions are not close enough to each other to be targetable by AoE attacks. I will roll for all of the monsters at the end of the first round, and I'll do Baldur's action at the same time. Right now he's trying to direct traffic.))

<<Kaajh'Kaalbh - Mother of Smiles>> 1200/1200 HP | No MIT | 3 EVA | 3 ACC | 200 DMG

Spoiler

| Immune to Bleed and Burn Effects | +10 LD for searching | 64 Freeze on hit (EVA set to -1, Paralyzed) - but without ice, just a creepy, unhinged, crazy smile and a moment of mental torment

<<Y'ha-nthlei - Father of the Deep>> 1200/1200 HP | No MIT | 2 EVA | 3 ACC | 200 DMG 

Spoiler

| Immune to Freeze and Shatter Effects | On hit decrease target EVA by 2 for 2 rounds | Anyone engaging him in combat suffers continual 50 Blight damage -20 Mitigation from his aura

<<Shub-Niggurath - The Wanderer>> 1200/1200 HP | 50 MIT | -1 EVA | 2 ACC | 200 DMG
 

Spoiler

| 75 Thorns | 50% Phase | 50 Offensive Envenom (4 turns)

<<Hokolesqua - The Beast>> 1200/1200 HP | No MIT | 2 EVA | 0 ACC | 200 DMG

Spoiler

| 50 Bleed (2 turns) | Roll BD Twice and use the higher | All attacks are AoE | Cannot be parried/countered

 

[Arabelle 0]

it doesn't move. it doesn't regard anyone in particular. it begins and ends its short address to the audience collective when the key in her hand reaches seventeen full rotations.

fear bubbles through the crowd. a man spills out from the portal and hacks and coughs out water before struggling to a stand. he finds that half the tide has reversed, the wiser of the remaining lot clamoring for the exit. many had twisted around to face the source of the voice at their ear only to find that it wasn't there. the faceless entity raises its hand upwards to the sky.

her red eyes follow the motion. her breath almost catches in her throat, was someone in there?, but the same voice that had asked quiets into cold acceptance. the behemoth's fist crushes the building into the ground. half her scythe unfolds and she steadies herself against the tremors, holding tight onto its stem. a sharp, stabbing pain beneath her ribs almost folds her over entirely and her ears ring from the tremendous sound of the impact, but she fights to keep her eyes open, and through the debris flying past her vision, she sees the black crystal disappear, its pet along with it.

she feels for the thin wooden stake embedded in her stomach, pulls it out, and tosses it to the ground with apathy. the amaterasu half collapses back into a key once she releases her hold.

the disorder is escalating into a stampede. terrified players crowd and push towards the teleport gate. from the collapsed structure, from every road leading into the square, hordes of horribly misshapen mobs approach like a flood. she draws a breath inward, preparing to spread out her senses, then stephen star himself regains his bearings beside her. he is drenched, not in the way that looks like he had been standing out in the heavy rain like the rest of the frontlines, but like he had taken an impromptu swim. she regards him vaguely for a moment, then she unhooks an extra teleport crystal from the inside of her cloak.

"eyes up."

she tosses it his way.

"let's regroup. quickly."

 

 

she doesn't bother repeating baldur's words. "i counted four dark red cursors, all of them heading this way," she yells over the panic. (like her eyes, right?) "let's split up, two for each. prioritize disables; if we can't kill them, we must at least stall them until everyone in the square teleports away. the remaining can help maintain the perimeter or reinforce where needed. perhaps check on that collapsed structure on the off chance that someone is alive and stuck under all that debris. can we summon the rest of the frontlines?"

she tilts her head in her chosen direction and swiftly spins around, her cloak too drenched to lift with the motion. "i'll take the one down that street. good hunting, everyone."

had she the opportunity to comprehend her quarry, she would have done so greedily. in a race against time, she coldly tears her perception down to its barest minimum. it is massive, with the pincers to match, and its paper-thin wings lift it just barely off the ground. lines and lines of insect-human hybrids parade down the road it occupies. she pushes past the players maintaining the perimeter, lights her key with a sword art, and doesn't stop as she nears the insectoids' ranks. she vanishes between them, reappears undamaged and high up in the air a moment later, the blade of amaterasu's key slicing off the flying mob's wing at its root.

shub-niggurath falls to the ground, crushing the butterflies and insects beneath it to death.

she nearly crashes through the unstable parts of an abandoned structure's roof in her landing, but her hand catches on a concrete edge and she pulls herself back up. looking down, amaterasu still sheathed, she assesses the change in the mob's status bar.

---

-> FREE ACTION (SYSTEM): Trading (1) Teleport Crystal to Morningstar.
-> POST ACTION: TECH-A vs Shub-Niggurath.

Spoiler

_{fixing in regeneration from previous out of combat round: +40 HP; +1 EN}
PASSIVE: +34 HP
PASSIVE: +4 EN

FREE ACTION (SYSTEM): (1) Teleport Crystal -> Morningstar

Spoiler

| dimensional backpack

1. (5) (4) Teleport Crystal | [>>]
2. (5) cookie | +16 EN.
3. paradise lost | incarceration/instant (soundtrack). | [>>]
4. --
5. --
6. --

POST ACTION: TECH-A vs Shub-Niggurath [-11 EN]
240293: BD 6 + 3 = 9 - 1 = 8: CD 7: (23 + 8) * 12 = 372 - 50 = 322 DMG -> Shub-Niggurath [STUN] [-75 HP]

Arabelle | HP: 605/680 | EN: 75/106 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 20 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 1 | FLN: 8 (6-8) | BLI: 32 (9-10); -20 MIT / 2 | BLD: 48 (9-10) | RSK: 8 | BH: 34 | VD: 10% | HB: 27 | LD: 5 | [RSK]

Shub-Niggurath - The Wanderer | HP: 878/1200 | DMG: 200 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 2 | EVA: -1 | THORNS: 75 | STUN | StunImmune: 0/3

Abilities:

• On successful attack: PHS: 50% | ENV-O: 50 / 4

 

Edited 7 hours ago by Arabelle

[Wulfrin 0]

Wulfrin finally made his way back to the impromptu base camp, his arrival signified by the beacon of flaming light that was his familiar. He gasped for air as he supported himself with one of the nearby buildings as Freyd, Hirru, and Baldur. Seeing some non distorted faces helped him comeback to reality just a hair, at least enough to formulate some semblance of coherent thought.

"Fuck this floor guys," Wulfrin panted as he slowly made his way to regroup with the others. "Not only are the monsters her absolute freaks of unnature, but my raid buffs wore off. On top of that Kat and I got separated by some freaky tentacle teleportation shit. I don't have tracking so I can't locate her on my own. I'm sure she's fine but I'd just need some assistance. Also a quick breather to reup some buffs. I feel naked without them."

Wulfrin slumped to the dirt in a sitting position and began thumbing through his inventory like a mad man. He couldn't bring up much in this short time so he opted for the easiest things to down rapidly. One thing caught his eye, the item that he had requested from Ciela had finished, so he rapidly shoved it into a small shard of ancient metal he had acquired during Diwali. What great timing his beloved had. Wulfrin's new Gungir Shard was ready for its maiden voyage in what was quite possibly the most hellish of floors. Along side the honey buns provided by Freyd appeared an assortment of meats and cheeses for players to munch on.

"I'll just leave the rest of this here," Wulfrin said as he grabbed a portion from the fledgling buffet table. "If yall don't mind, I'm gunna just chill a minute befo-"

Wulfrin's sentence was cut off by the sounds of the warp gate activating. A wave of players in various states of preparedness began to spread out amongst the starting area. Then came the roars, one such roar sent a shiver down Wulfrin's spine.

"I uh," Wulfrin sheepishly spoke. "I think I was followed. Give me two seconds and I'll be on the line. Scout's honor. "

As he devoured his small buff pallet, Wulfrin materialized a roll of bandages from his inventory. With a hasty preparation, Wulfrin frapped his left arm in an attempt to cover his left arm, which had been blackened and singed from the raid. It wasn't pretty by any means, but it would get the job done for now. He just had to hold the line long enough to get the unprepared out. Having downed some meats and cheeses, Wulfrin charged back towards his pursuer. A colossal creature that towered over him. This kaiju sized gorilla made of twisting vines that were covered with razor sharp spines bellowed an angry howl as Wulfrin made his stand before it. The challenge was issued, but Wulfrin had no time to react as a group of players seemed to have already been found by the colossal beast.

"You all!" Wulfrin ordered. "Behind me now! Get your asses to the warp gate and get the fuck off this floor! Solaris! Go for the eyes!"

On command, the small phoenix did its best to harry The Beast. Wulfrin could only hope that it would at least do something. Wulfrin's attention was too focused on the herd of newer players, a small guild called The Knight's Hand it seemed, that had bitten off more than they could chew. There was only a handful of them up against an army of twisted nightmare mobs and at this point Wulfrin was their only back up. Wulfrin rushed to their frontline and began carving as much of an exit as he could. 

* * *

Post Action:
Gungir Shard 239050 | Sharkcuterie Board | T1 Demonic Feast (6/6) | ACC II | EVA II | ID: 239171 - takes one portion makes the rest available for others (5/6 remain)
[desc.] A daring spread featuring a variety of cured and smoked shark meats, paired with exotic cheeses, crackers, and a hint of seaweed garnish. This adventurous platter offers a bold flavor journey, perfect for those with a taste for the wild and mysterious depths.

Free Action (Skill): Rending Familiar -> Hokolesqua - The Beast

Updated stats

Wulfrin | HP: 780/780 | EN: 112/112 | DMG: 21 | MIT:78 | ACC:7 | AA  | EVA:3 | PARA-IM | BH:23 | REC: 8 | FRB: 40 | FRZ: 64 | LD:4
[open player slot]

Hokolesqua - The Beast 1200/1200 HP | MIT: 0 | EVA: 2 | ACC: 0 | DMG: 200 | REND 28 (0/2)
Abilities: 
Rending Strikes: Each successful hit inflicts Bleed 50 on the target. (Deals 50 unmitigated bleed damage each turn for 2 turns) 
Reckless Attack: Hokolesqua Rolls BD Twice and use the higher value
Wide Swings: All attacks made by Hokolesqua are AoE
Colossal: Hokolesqua cannot be parried/countered

Edited 3 hours ago by Wulfrin

[Acanthus 0]

The strange creature ballooned, and then deflated. Acanthus waited for the mob to crash and shatter into the typical blue triangles. Staring at the black puddle on the floor, Acanthus slowly realized it was not going to happen. Everything about this floor acted differently. First it was the lack of a safe zone, now the monsters. The frontlines needed to clear this floor as quickly as possible. There were too many uncertainties to linger.

A scream and a crash erupted from the main square, and Acanthus was sprinted before she knew it. It had only been a matter of time before something big happened on this floor, and it sounded like the game had decided on sooner rather than later. Acanthus skidded to a halt just outside the main plaza to watch the pandemonium.

A hand, so large it left Acanthus unable to comprehend what she had just seen, came down on the main square, smashing a building close to the waterline. Some of the new players screamed.

—wait, new players? Acanthus blinked. Sure enough, word had traveled fast. At least a hundred players Acanthus did not recognize from the boss fight had already teleported in. Idiots! She wanted to scream at them. To be so careless and jump into a new floor so soon… It looked like it was up to the frontlines to put off their search of the labyrinth to save the players stupid enough to slow the frontlines down.

As she watched new, monstrous forms take shape and attack the defenseless players, a mass of rage and bile began to form in her stomach. She fought back tears. Was this it? Her life for the next two, three, *ten* years? Wasting her life in some virtual wasteland, wading through virtual myths like some comic book sidekick? And for the brief moments where she experienced real life, real connections, Cardinal would tear it from her. Nothing in here was certain except for the next floor, and the next player’s death.

Hatred sneered at her naivete. THERE IS NO SPACE FOR HUMANITY IN THIS GAME. But was it still Hatred? It was using her voice. LET THE NEW PLAYERS DIE. TO COME TO A FLOOR SO UNDERLEVELED, WITH NAUGHT BUT THE SWORD ON THEIR BACK AND THE FOOLISHNESS IN THEIR HEART? YOU OWE THEM NOTHING. SO LET THEM DIE.

Watching the chaos unfold from a quiet side street, she calmly sheathed botan. For once, Hatred was right. She owed the players nothing. Her goal on this floor hadn’t changed: the Frontlines needed to find the labyrinth, and they needed to unlock the next floor. If anything, the new players served as fodder so she could search in peace. If they weren’t leveled enough to survive the onslaught, then they weren’t helping clear the game in the first place. And if they weren’t clearing the game—then what good were they?

Without a word, Acanthus slipped into the dark alleys, intent on resuming her search of the town.

Spoiler

Post Action: LET THEM DIE
Their health is our resource. Let them spend it.

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Acanthus

[Morningstar 0]

The once quiet town had erupted into chaos. The behemoth towered over the main square, leveling a building like it was built from LEGO, before vanishing altogether. Debris came down like a hailstorm. A rock nicked Star's cheek. A piece of wood impaled the woman nearest to him. Players pushed and shoved their way to the teleporter, bottlenecking the exit. Anyone who had come without a crystal was trapped.

Somehow, Arabelle recognized that Morningstar was one of those people. He shivered. His skin was ice cold—a going-away present from the murky depths of the Black. He slicked back his drenched hair to keep it out of his eyes. Then, he caught the crystal thrown his way.

Alongside Arabelle, Morningstar regrouped with the remaining raid party members. Immediately, a strategy was put in place. Whoever was available would split up to prioritize the strongest monsters. Looking down each lane, Star sought out a target. His eyes widened at the sight of Crozeph bolting into town, a growing horde on his tail. "Round two," he muttered, recognizing the Mother of Smiles at the forefront of the group.

"See you all in a bit."

A pair of health bars flickered above the Mother's tall figure. A chunk was missing. Star's expression broke into a grin. Somehow, Cro had done the impossible and damaged the grotesque creature.

Morningstar broke into a sprint. He dodged the oncoming storm of players, desperate to escape. He cut through lesser monsters whenever they crossed his path, ignoring those further away. As he moved, his speed compounded, until he passed by Crozeph. His sprint turned into a leap, and with Dying Sun, he brought it down upon Kaajh'Kaalbh's now-feeble form

The explosive sword art echoed like a thunderclap. Kaajh'Kaalbh stumbled back. Whatever Crozeph had done had broken her shielding effect. She was now vulnerable to their attacks. Her mindless wailing ceased, yet the horrifically wide smile lingered on her frozen face. Morningstar dropped, disappearing into a wave of twisting creatures.

Spoiler

Morningstar accepts trade from Arabelle | +1 TP Crystal

POST ACTION | Charge + TECH-A

ID240297 | BD10 | (27+2+3)*16 = 512 DMG -> Kaajh'Kalbh

EN: -20

Morningstar | HP: 966/966 | EN: 100/100 | DMG: 27 | EVA: 4 | ACC: 5 | BH: 43 | LD: 6 | REC: 8 | FLN: 16 | AA | PARA-V

Kaajh'Kaalbh - Mother of Smiles | 688/1200 HP | 3 EVA | 3 ACC | 200 DMG | STUNNED

• Immune to Bleed and Burn Effects
• +10 LD for searching
• 64 Freeze on hit (EVA set to -1, Paralyzed) - but without ice, just a creepy, unhinged, crazy smile and a moment of mental torment