[F10 | PP] Quiet Confidence | <<Scents of the Wild: Leeching Nightmare>>

[Nymoria 0]

Scents of the Wild: Leeching Nightmare

The mornings had been getting easier with every passing day. Nymoria found herself slipping, slowly, out of the hesitative awakening that had come shortly after what she was now calling the Dark Purge. The experience had been anything but pleasant, and she knew that only now would she begin to move towards something more normal in existence. She wasn’t foolish enough to think that she was free – she might never be, if she were honest with herself. But she wasn’t afraid of a sudden attack appearing out of the shadows of her mind; not without warning, at least.

Musei nuzzled against her again, his nose sliding across the bare skin of her shoulder where the nightshirt had shifted in place. The coldness of it was the final push she’d needed to get moving, slipping into her more casual outfit of blouse, skirt and leggings before heading into the kitchenette to begin their breakfast. I wonder if a full kitchen wouldn’t have been beneficial for this place… She stared around at the small appliances – similar to those she’d had in an apartment in the real world; functional, but basic in design and appearance. Enough that she could make her morning breakfast, tea and other small meals for the day. Shrugging aside the thought, she settled into the small table and chair – a pair of chairs, one clearly more used than the other – that were nestled into the corner of the kitchenette.

Maybe it’s time to focus on that scents questline again. I’ve had success with it so far. Although the next creature will be…more dangerous. She brought up the minor bits of information she’d been able to gather without outright purchasing it from an information broker. It was bare, compared to what she could have been able to afford. Something had stopped her from reaching out however, a lack of desire to connect with her old broker connections, or a lack of desire to communication in general. Whatever the reason, it had left her with a slight handicap – something that she was used to having, at least.

Some undead thing, from the looks of it. Summons…friends, I guess. It doesn’t seem any more dangerous than the bear, although… She shivered as she remembered the experience, quickly casting it away and assuring herself that this would be different. She returned her gaze to the screens before her, eyeing them as she considered her options. It’s on the tenth floor, so it shouldn’t be implausible for me to face it alone…I can go investigate it, and see if it’s…within the realm of possibilities, at least. If it’s not, well, then I can figure it out from there.

Her decision made, Nymoria finished the tea in her hand, the pastry that had been her breakfast, and then swooped up the dishes to clear them away for later use. Musei had already completed his meal, knowing what was coming next he’d dashed into the shoulder bag that housed him when they went out on adventures – the thing, a sling pack like contraption, was a simple black in colour, and had a solid frame to it that was just big enough to house the weasel comfortably without being a hindrance to Nymoria’s movements. She collected it, and a few of her minor items, before heading for the doorway and into the early morning sunrise that awaited her.

Floor ten was, as one would expect, deserted. She’d arrived mere moments ago onto the teleporter pad, stepping down and glancing around as she took in her bearings. She could see small glowing forms shifting through the streets of Yomi; the remaining souls of whatever had once called this place home. Nymoria chose to move passed and around, avoiding disturbing them as much as she could. Her eyes kept watch as she moved, looking for any dangers even though she knew the area was a safe zone. There’s a path out of here somewhere…I just need to find it.

-

Nymoria consumes;
Imperial Quarter Blend {1} [Tea | Potion | Damage III]
Matriarch’s Stinger {1} | T1 Unique Consumable | Increases Multiplier of SA attacks by 1 for the duration of one thread. ([DMG*(SA Multiplier)] becomes [DMG*(SA Multiplier + 1)]).

Statblock

Spoiler Notes [Theme] Nymoria | Lv. 33 | P. 2 | HP [680/680] | EN [104/104] | ACC [5] | DMG [25] | EVA [4] | BH [+37] | Bleed [36] | Keen [+1 BD] | LD [+1] Tier 4 | Tier 4 Equipment Repressed [Rapier | Tier 3] Enhancement: Bleed [2 Slots] Enhancement: Keen [1 Slot] Ring of Evasion [Jewelry | Tier 1] Enhancement: Evasion [3 Slots]  Hearing Aid [Trinket | Tier 1] Enhancement: Accuracy [3 Slots] Battle-Ready Inventory Uncommon Health Potion {5} [Potion | Tier 1 | Heals 5% Maximum HP] Spyglass {1} | Reduce Search Posts x5 [Dungeon, Familiar, Field Boss] for one thread bento {1} [Meal | Tierless | Oveerhealth III] Teleport Crystal {1} Honey Cookie {5} [Snack | Tier 1 | Vitality II] Chocolate Truffles {4} [Dessert | Tier 3 | Vitality II] Dear My Friend {3} [Support Song | Tier 4 | HP Recovery III | Instant] Crystal of Support | [3/3 charges] | Heals the user and each party member for (50 * Target's Tier) HP. Requires a Post Action to use.  Skills Spoiler Utility Skills Extended Weight Limit [Active: Passive. Effect: +2 additional Battle-Ready inventory slots.] Combat Skills Battle Healing [Rank: 5. Active: Passive. Effect: While in combat, recover 1% per rank of your maximum HP (rounded down) at the beginning of your turn.] Energist [Active: Passive. Effect: Increase base Energy by 5*Tier.] Weapon Skills Rapiers [Rank: 5. Active: Passive. Effect: +7 DMG] [Rank 5 Weapon Addon] Stamina [Active: Passive. Effect: Reduces EN of all attacks by 2.] [Rank 5 Weapon Addon] Precision [Active: Passive. Effect: +1 ACC.] [Rank 5 Weapon Addon] Rapier Ferocity [Active: Passive. Effect: +2 DMG when using the weapon of your choice. Players cannot use Focus and Ferocity at the same time for the same Weapon Type.] [Rank 5 Shift] AOE Specialist [Active: Passive. Effect: For the following Sword Arts, +4 to multipliers and +2 to EN cost; AoE-I, AoE-II. No other Shifts may be taken.] Armour Skills Unhindered [Active: Passive. Effect: +1 Accuracy, +1 Loot Dice, +1 Evasion, +5*Tier HP. Your mitigation is capped at 0 equipment slots.] Active Extra Skills Leadership [Rank: 1. Active: Passive. Effect: Gain access to Leadership Arts every rank. In order to use a Leadership Art, it must take up a mod slot. Each Leadership Art takes up a different mod slot. Leadership Arts from different sources do not stack.] [Rank 1 Leadership Art] Elusive [Active: Post Action. Energy: 4 EN. Cooldown: 2 turns. Effect: Increase the Evasion of all players in your party by 1 for a single turn.] [Rank 2 Leadership Art] Rally [Active: Post Action. Energy: 6 EN. Cooldown: 2 turns. Effect: Increase the Accuracy of all players in your party by 1 for a single turn.] [Rank 3 Leadership Art] Steadfast [Active: Post Action. Energy: 8 EN. Cooldown: 3 turns. Effect: Status Effects that would be applied to the party for the next two turns would instead be applied to the user instead (normal rules for how status effects refresh instead of stacking apply).] Survival [Active: Passive. Effect: Increases Healing effects received from all sources by 10%. Grants immunity to all damage dealing environmental attacks/effects.] Inactive Extra Skills  Concentration [Active: Free Action. Cooldown: 5 turns. Effect: As a free action, gain Absolute Accuracy on your next attack. In the case Absolute Accuracy is already present, increase your Accuracy by 1 instead. Effect lasts until the start of next turn.] Frozen Hide [Active: Free Action. Energy: 5 EN. Cooldown: 4 turns. Effect: As a free action, apply one slot of Frost Aura and one slot of Frost Thorns equal to your tier to yourself until the start of your next turn.] Combat Mastery Damage [Rank: 3. Active: Passive. Effect: Gain +1 * Tier additional Base Damage per rank. Ranks of this Skill obey Damage enhancement caps.] Familiar Skills Hunting Familiar [Active: Free Action. Cooldown: 5 turns. : Effect: Your familiar has a nose for treasure. Roll LD/CD (without bonuses) as if you had slain a loot-minimum mob.] Estate Buffs N/A Sword Arts Spoiler [x13] ST-I (12 10 EN) | A single-target sword art. [x16] ST-II (15 13 EN) | A powerful single-target sword art. Only available for use when ST-I was used and successfully struck an enemy the previous turn or if ST-II had been used and had missed the previous turn. [x21] ST-B (20 18 EN) | A devastating single-target sword art. Can only be used if the sword art used the previous turn is not ST-B and had rolled a natural CD9+. When performing an AoE attack, this CD check applies to only the first roll. [x16] AOE-I (13 11 + [2 * targets] EN) | AOE | A sword art that strikes multiple targets at once. [x19] AOE-II (16 14 + [2 * targets] EN) | AOE | A powerful sword art that strikes multiple targets at once. Only available for use when AOE-I was used and successfully struck an enemy the previous turn or if AOE-II had been used and had missed all intended targets the previous turn. [x13] TECH-A (13 11 EN) | STUN | A single-target sword art that stuns an enemy. [x13] TECH-B (13 11 EN) | DELAY | A single-target sword art that, on a successful strike, applies [Delay] on the enemy. [Delay] is a debuff that reduces the enemy’s ACC by 1 for one turn. [x9] TECH-F (8 6 + [2 * targets] EN) | AOE STUN | A sword art that strikes multiple targets at once. All struck targets are stunned for one turn. Housing Buffs Spoiler Shizuka [Home] Master Bedroom [-1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat.] Living Room [Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.] Atelier (Extended Workshop) [+2 Crafting EXP per crafting attempt & +1 crafting attempt per day.] Greenhouse [+2 Gathering EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to gathering attempts.] Storage Closet [+1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot.] Attic (Storage) [+5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests.]

[Freyd 0]

"You'd think I'd have spent more time here, given the ambiance."  Speaking to no one in particular, Freyd stood in the central plaza of Yomi, scouring its eerie haunted streets with a determined blue-eyed gaze.  Something had been nattering at the back of his mind ever since the frontlines battered their way into Ilridge upon accessing twenty nine.  Something about that place had felt familiar, though he hadn't quite managed to place it until this morning.  Staring at the idle bowl of ether from which Persi had once fed, he hadn't yet brought himself to the point where he could toss the lingering mementos of her presence, this one being prominent among the rest.  Watching the swirling gas respond to passive air currents drifting through Witherwind Rest reminding him of the cursed floor's nightmare-concealing fog, while his steaming bowl of oatmeal cooled, untouched.  Where had he felt that same sensation before? 

He hadn't been back to Yomi in so long that the place's very existence had faded from his recollections - even seemed designed to function that way.  Few ever visited it, and he couldn't recall even a single player having setup their home on the floor.  It would make the perfect hiding spot for anyone who never wanted to be found, and was likely also crawling with player killers as a result.  Hardly a comforting thought.

Fortunately, scents of maple and brown sugar prodded him back to more present reality, backed by resolve to go do more in depth investigation in situ.  Dishes done, he passed a quick word to Elora that he was heading out to follow a hunch.  Whatever she was up to in her greenhouse must have held her attention as he garnered little more than an 'mhammm' follows by a sizzling south and hissing quiet curses with a decidedly irish undertone.  Best to just leave her alone.

By the time he'd made it to Urbus and through the portal, Freyd's form was once again clad in his heavy black armor that felt both appropriate and unwelcome the moment he stepped through into Yomi's central square.  Several spectral forms turned at the sight of him, colours shifting in startled apprehension.  Shadow-aligned black clad samurai had a history here, though Freyd himself was largely unaware of it.  Kagenomura's legacy remained strong in the memories of its residents, who rapidly grew incensed and fearful at any effigy or semblance of their fallen lord's return.

"Where to start?"  His notes were unusually sparse.  "Bandits, banshees, and that lich thing by the discount Styx is about all I really know about this place.  Guess we start by  surveying the terrain and see where it leads?"

In the absence of more than a gut feeling that something important might be found here, any random direction was as useful as another.

***

Note: CS (Shades of the Gemini) and CSA (Beckon the Void) are in use.  If any other player objects to these, please state in first post and it will be considered inactive.
Note: Freyd has previously completed this quest.

Freyd consumes and shares:

Gungir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Smokin' Hot Honey Bun Tray | ACC 2 | EVA 2 | Feast (6/6) - takes 1 portion + (ACC filled)
Armageddon Juice (Potion) | Damage 3 | 197143

Freyd | HP: 1300/1300 | EN: 162/162 | DMG: 24 | MIT:152 | ACC: (8 incl. AA)  | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:72 | VAMP-D: 72 | VAMP-O: 143 | PARA-V | LD:5

Spoiler

Name: Freyd, Kuro bara no kishi
True Tier: 18
Level: 34
Paragon Level: 144
HP: 1300/1300
EN: 162/162

Stats:
Damage: 21+3
Mitigation: 152
Accuracy: 4+2+1
Evasion: 2+2
Battle Healing: 72
Loot Die: 5
Stealth Rating: -5
VAMP-D: 72 
VAMP-O: 143
Taunt
Paralytic Venom
 1

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - Veritas | T4 Katana) | AA, PVO I, VO I, Taunt x1
Armor/Trinket: 
  - Negare Omnia | T4 HA | MIT III | VD I
Shield/Armor/Trinket: 
  - Night Shades | T3 Trinket | ACC III | EVA I

Combat Mastery:
  - Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
  - AOE Shift

Familiar Skill:
  - Grappling Familiar

Custom Skill:
  - Shades of the Gemini (CS)
  - Beckpn the Void (CSA)

Skills:
  - Battle Healing R5
  - Charge
  - Energist
  - Extended Mod Limit
  - Extended Weight Limit
  - Fighting Spirit
  - Heavy Armor R5
  - Howl
  - Katana R5
  - Quick Change
  - Searching R4

Extra Skills:
  - Disguise
  - Survival
  - Meditation
  - Brawler

Inactive Extra Skills:
  - Leadership R5
  - Forgotten King's Authority
  - Lady Luck
  - Photosynthesize
  - Assault Mode
  - Frozen Hide

Addons:
  - Focus
  - Focused Howl
  - Iron Skin
  - Precision
  - Reveal
  - Stamina

Mods:
  - Detect
  - Elusive
  - Emergency Recovery
  - Impetus
  - Inspiring Speech
  - Press the Attack
  - Rally

Inactive Mods:
  - Night Vision
  - Steadfast
  - Tracking

Battle Ready Inventory:
  - Bear Trap (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Bear Trap (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Crystal of Divine Light (Reusable 1/thread) x1
  - Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+10% HP) x7
  - Meathook (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Ordsea Crystal-B (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Ordsea Crystal-B (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Rhino's Horn (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Teleport Crystals x7
  - Samael's Pride | T4 Katana | FLN II | HLY II x1

Housing Buffs:
  - Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
  - Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
  - Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.
  - Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
  - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
  - Attic (Bedroom): +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cannot boost a skill without ranks, or increase a skill past its maximum rank. Cannot boost a skill the user has not learned yet. Ranks obtained using this buff will make the mods of that rank available for purchase. Mods obtained this way are unusable if this buff is removed until the skill is returned to the appropriate rank by way of SP purchase.
  - Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
  - Guest Room: Players can have one «Amenity» in a «Guest Room» and the «Amenity» cannot be recovered. Players are allowed to change which «Amenity» is in the «Guest Room». Multiple instances of the same «Amenity» do not stack. This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.
  - Extended Workshop: +2 Crafting EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
  - Ornate Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts.
  - Dining Hall: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed. Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread.
  - Mega Slime Farm: +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.

Guild Hall Buffs:
  - Trading Hall: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters and Rank 4 merchants/performers receive +1 crafting/identification attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters and Rank 5 merchants/performers receive +2 crafting/identification attempts per day.
  - Treasury: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild Totem:
  - Tanos

Crafting Profession:
 - Appraising[3478exp] R5
Gathering Profession:
 - Fishing[576exp] R5

 

Edited Wednesday at 12:31 AM by Freyd

[Nymoria 0]

This street looks familiar. She’d come to a stop in the cross roads, a hand placed firmly on her sabre’s pommel and the other against her forehead as she stared in vain and perplexion at the area around her. She was certain she’d already passed through the area, although it was becoming harder and harder to tell, the more she maneuvered the streets. A large number of the buildings were similar in design, so much so that Nymoria had sworn she’d passed by one identical to it mere moments ago, and yet was certain she hadn’t managed to walk in a direct circle. No, no…I’m certain I’ve been here. If I head right, then I’ll be back at that noodle shop. Left will take me to the main courtyard, I think. And straight ahead was… She stared blankly, unable to remember what had been straight ahead. The fact that she was uncertain caused a slight bit of fear in her, and yet she also found her feet carrying her in the direction as she realised that meant she likely hadn’t explored it yet.

Straight it is. At least it’ll be something new. Maybe. She wasn’t hopeful. She still hadn’t figured out how she’d become lost in the main settlement – a place where navigation should be easy, especially without the forms of other individuals making things more complicated. The deserted nature of the town, however, seemed to be her undoing. There was no one to ask for directions, no one to mark as familiar if she passed by the same point twice. No one that could be considered any sort of navigational aid, should one become lost within the winding and rewinding streets. The map is useless, too. Her eyes shifted up to the mini map at the top corner of her vision, noticing that it was marked over and over again with winding paths; many that she had walked today, and others that seemed to be distant memories from previous visits. She cursed herself for not remembering the town’s streets from other times she’d attended the floor.

Another corner passed, and Nymoria found herself staring at the main courtyard she’d left earlier, entirely certain that she’d somehow managed to get herself even more lost. Sighing heavily, she tapped her foot impatiently as she considered her options. The quest was anything but successful so far, and although she was in no real danger at the moment, she was also no closer to getting towards the danger she was looking for.

Wait, that I’m looking for? The thought made her pause, a sudden smile broadening across her face as the daftness of the situation dawned upon her. She was actively looking for danger, actively looking for something that could harm her – an act that was, in essence, questionable towards her own sanity. Maybe I’ve finally gone insane?

Any chance of confirming her new suspicion was taken away from her, however, as she saw something move against the darkness. Nymoria’s hand went to her sabre, a new wave of fear washing over her as she turned to face whatever was moving in the dark. Her eyes searched the area, barely breaching the shadows and noticing a form walking. She almost dismissed it as an apparition, but the lack of glow surrounding it caused her to rethink the misunderstanding. A moment later, and she was crossing the area, waving her hand in the air high above her head, before launching into a collection of signs to try and communicate with whatever the individual was.

Excuse me. I think I am lost. I am trying to- The signs stopped as Nymoria realised that she hadn’t bothered to check the marker, hadn’t bothered to confirm if the individual was friendly, or a possible danger. She’d assumed, simply, that the safe zone applied to Yomi, that there would be no player killers in the area. The thoughts raced through her mind as the danger of the situation caught up with her, and the foolish way in which she’d acted, causing her to freeze up and step back all at the same time.

[Freyd 0]

The armored figure turned to reveal blue eyes blazing at the edge of a darkened overhanging cowl.  Easily interpreted as menacing, especially at a distance, the steeply black curved blade sheathed at his hip certainly didn't help.  It took him a moment to recognize the young woman in the fog, night vision lacking the added value required to peer through crawling cloud.  

Is she casting a spell?

Hand instantly flicked to hilt, until the eerie swirling green above came into better view.

A player?  Grip loosed, slightly, head tilting as its contents processed.  It had been a while.  He might have died once or twice since they'd last met, and couldn't be quite sure.

"Nym?"  It took him a moment to realize his face might be too concealed.  Casting back his trademark cowl, Freyd's features were a fair bit more bearded and bleached than last they'd met, drawing a smug smirk across his lips cast foremost against himself.  With but a thought, she would see his form alter and blend itself more to the one she would recognize.  Younger?  Perhaps.  Wilder, edgier, definitely more generic - exactly as he had always intended.  How ironic that his most stereotypical traits, so meticulously cast to keep him nondescript, had become so much a familiar part of his identity. Even more so now that they had changed.  More distinctive looks might actually have made him less recognizable.

Good.  Let there be other Freyds aplenty out there.  That'll  serves its own purposes too, when the time comes.

"You're certainly off the beaten path?  What brings you to this dreary, dreadful floor?"  Every word migrated his appearance back to its more aged form, whiskers sprouting back onto his lips like some sort of pseudo werewolf.  At least Elora seemed fond of the added scruff.

Edited February 8 by Freyd

[Nymoria 0]

Freyd…? The signed name came slowly, hesitantly as Nymoria stared at the face that had appeared before her. It had taken her long moments to recognise it, and he’d already moved on to other questions by the time she’d even made the connection with whom was standing before her. Her hands moved again as the question reached her mind, taking a moment to process as she came to terms with who the man truly was. I came because of the Scents of the Wild quest. To face…the Leeching Nightmare? I am not sure what it is, exactly. I think some unalive creature.

She smiled suddenly, confident that the man before her was Freyd. It had been a long time since Nymoria had last seen him, and although he appeared different somehow, she knew that often times people changed throughout their experiences in Aincrad. As much as the system kept individuals from naturally aging, or changing, players had found impacts upon their own features and appearance that sometimes seemed to affect their image.

What is it that you are doing wandering through Yomi? This place is…usually deserted, is it not? She cocked her head slightly in a slightly confused fashion, her eyes showing how awkward it was for her to question someone else. She never quite met Freyd’s face as she asked, always looking somewhere else – a nervous twitch that she had when she felt out of place. She quickly covered up her awkward question by providing the other player with a means of avoiding it entirely, her signs rushed and clearly filled with an emotional apology even if they came out monotonous in translation. You do not have to tell me, though. I understand that some times we just do things because we must, and that sometimes we do not need to inform others. It was a silly question, spoken without thought or consideration.

She paused for a second, an odd look coming across her face as she battled the emotions within herself. She wasn’t quite sure how to carry the conversation any further, and immediate jumped into the natural flighty response that came whenever she felt like she was imposing. I am sure that you have much to do. I should let you get back to your travels, I have already kept you too long.

[Freyd 0]

"Ah.  Yes.  Bart.  Sorry, I have a tendency to give mobs nicknames, and the leeching lich is a distinctly pesky fellow."  A smirk validated his distaste, knowing he'd have to face the creature with Elora soon enough, and had done so with Katoka not all that long ago.  "I hadn't realized you were already this far into the quest chain, though perhaps it shouldn't surprise me.  You've always been resourceful."  Eyes flicked towards her flittering hands, acknowledging respect for her ongoing efforts to overcome the challenges speech the system could impose, even as other parts aided her efforts.

Features settling back into their new default, Freyd found himself stroking short black strands garnishing his jaw line as still hazy memories recalled the quest details.  Clarity had been more elusive since the last raid, his very existence having come close to permanent scrambling and shattering to glassy shards from which no one should return.  He'd come to Yomi searching for clues to those circumstances, as much as for its similarities to twenty nine.

"A new floor has been unlocked: the twenty-ninth.  But, please, be extremely cautious if you choose to go there.  The floor is desolate, devastated by some sort of nightmarish corruption that would make eldritch horrors feel right at home.  Some may, in fact, already be doing so."  Images flooded his mind of a building exploding in slow motion as a distant figure the size of a small mountain flattened with a casual swat of its hand, and at the beckoning of a mysterious masked figure with a penchant for amber flare.  "There is no safe zone around the portal, and we've found no NPCs to date.  I'm warding everyone I meet to stay away or be prepared.  It would be a shame to lose any players to an un fortunate excess of curiosity, as assumptions of safe travel."

Glancing around, his eyes roamed and scrutinized every detail of their surroundings searching for something more than general similarity before he insisted they return his visage to her line of sight.  Though their encounters had been brief and limited, Freyd admired players who overcame adversity.  Nymoria had a more heaping helping than most, and always seemed to take it in stride. 

So why not lend a helping hand to those already willing to help themselves?

Fair point.  

"This floor shares kinship with its new cousin.  I'm searching to see if I can find anything more meaningful than them sharing a stylist, or perhaps a common game dev?  This isn't a place I've scoured to the same depth as others, though I can't actually say why?  That alone make me curious."  Smiling gently as she politely recoiled from their conversation for fear of prying, it took conscious effort to keep his eyes from rolling at shared societal norms.  He also didn't wish to insult, risking falling into the same trap.

"How about we wander together for a bit?  The haze around this town is more than just mere fog.  It can addle senses, if you stay too long.  We can keep each other company and both remain alert?  As far as Bart goes, he likes his groupies, undead social butterfly that he is.  I'll gladly clear them out to give you a clear shot at your quarry, assuming that suits you?  All we need to do is find the river and follow it.  He never strays far from its shores."

[Nymoria 0]

Nymoria stood silently listening as Freyd explained…well, a lot, if she were being entirely honest. Words flowed around her as she caught portions of his tone, his intention and the content that he tried to share with her. Words that seemed to flow with a level of haze and misconnection; as if listening to a conversation from a distance. She focused on his face, trying to read the lips as they moved, and although she was well versed in such exercises, some words were foreign to her – or perhaps simply corrupted through some visual affect upon her capabilities.

…ditch…horrors? She signed the words with a look of confusion upon her face, the slow movement of her hands as much a signifier of her lack of understanding as the expression upon her features. She couldn’t picture the scenes that Freyd was trying to explain, and as much as she knew there was no desire to attend such a place – if Freyd said it was dangerous, than Nymoria knew it was far beyond her own skills to survive in such a place – and yet, she knew that she would likely be forced to at some point.

…dangerous? Best to avoid? She followed up her confusion with a question, as much a redirect of the conversation away from herself, as to try and make something of it. It was swept away, however, as the man before her offered to provide assistance and guidance in finding the creature for her quest. Nymoria found herself suddenly hesitating, the words not flowing from her as quickly as they should. She knew that it was the polite thing to accept such an offering, and yet…she found herself hesitating. Isn’t this how it always happens? They politely offer assistance, and then you provide nothing but a burden? You rely upon them to do everything, to carry you through life, because you can’t do that yourself.

Thank you, for the offer. I would not wish to impede you, or cause you disturbance in your own search. She gave a deep bow, hoping that it would be enough to show the sincerity in her denial of his assistance. Only a small twitch of her facial features would have given away the dilemma and discontent within herself; a small break in the otherwise friendly smile that covered the true emotions within herself. She signed once more when she had risen from the bow, her words coming alongside an expression that was anything but genuine. I appreciate the assistance, however I should not hinder you from your important work. I…can handle this myself, I believe. It cannot be harder than the bear. I should be okay.

She hoped it would be enough, to convince the man that she was safe by herself. That she wouldn’t need to rely upon him; to hinder him as she hindered everyone. To be nothing more than a burden. Nothing more than a problem, that others must carry…they don’t deserve that.

[Freyd 0]

People tended to forget how much of communication was actually non-verbal. While Nym might be more aware of it than most, on some level, could she be equally blind to it in others?  Normalizing gesture with speech must surely breed familiarity, leading to casual dismissal or expectation of certain throwaway tells.  Some of her own, for example, were plain as day to see.  Since their conversation started, she'd been shying away and making excuses.  At first he wondered if his armor smelled and she was just being polite.  Enough mob guts had spilled over it, by now, that he'd likely become accustomed to whatever odor might linger in the aftermath.  Then it finally dawned...

I appreciate the assistance, however I should not hinder you from your important work. I…can handle this myself, I believe. It cannot be harder than the bear. I should be okay.

Hard everyday lines around his eyes creased into sudden sullen realization of what an awful plight she must be in.  Not for lack of competence, as he knew Nym was perfectly capable, but from sheer derth of personal confidence when the unappreciated ease of communication was so trivially impeded.

"I talk too much, don't I?  Or too fast?  Is that it?  Shit.  I was so busy being impressed by your resilience that I never truly considered what this must actually be like for you."

Memory of another fiercely proud and confident friend sprung to mind, only recently met yet equally and expeditiously demised.  He'd found Morrighan's name over where his would have been on the wall, and nearly lost himself in rage and grief for which he had never properly prepared.

"Alright. I get where you're coming from.  I've been there myself, taking way more risks than should ever be taken, especially solo.  So how about a compromise?  You do you.  Prove whatever you need to yourself.  I'll keep my blade to the adds and leave the boss you've come for entirely to you.  Sound fair?"

Freyd knew he couldn't prevent her doing whatever she pleased, and would never suggest otherwise, but if all he had to do was stand by uselessly while she proved her strength to herself, so be it.  He'd face her wrath over interfere if it came to it, only if required to save her life.  Gauging the measure of her at a glance, a professional habit of occasional benefit, he tended to agree with her assessment.  She's be fine.  Mostly.  Probably.

...her name in my place.

Something unfamiliar wrenched in his gut, urging him to blurt words in surprise that he had never meant to admit.

"Please."  The word delivered with uncharacteristic care and sincerity, a flicker of something in the flinch of too often harsh, brilliantly blue eyes. "I recently lost someone who thought the same thing.  Prove whatever you need to prove.  Just don't force yourself to feel like you need to do it alone.  Too many of us die that way, in here, and for no better reason than because they think they need to carry everything themselves."

Hello, pot.

Edited February 13 by Freyd

[Nymoria 0]

Nymoria found herself shocked into silence, the small joke that Freyd had started with disappearing beneath a torrent of more serious tones. At first, the compliment had caught her off guard, and when she’d gone to downplay it, to suggest that she was nothing more than an average individual found in Aincrad, Freyd had continued onwards. She had leaned backwards – not willing to take a step, not so off put as to feel the need to run, but her body had taken a physical pull away as she tried to comprehend what was happening.

Then, he had begun to request his presence alongside her. She moved once more to argue, to point out the hindrance that she was, the way in which she would only slow him down or stop him from doing whatever needed to be done in combat. To note how she couldn’t communicate like others could. Except, he gave her alternatives. Offering to hold off the smaller minions while she went for the boss itself. Offering to assist her…but in a way that would not provide her the capabilities of hindering him. Her mind whirled as she tried to comprehend what was happening, how someone could be so interesting in helping her.

The final piece that broke her, however, was the almost pleading manner that appeared before her as Freyd explained his most recent loss. Before, she had wavered, but as the words reached her mind, she found herself breaking down any resistance she had, giving in to the nature of the situation, and feeling nothing but more torment in her own mind. He’s worried…about me? But why? I…he barely knows me. Why would he…? Is he just grieving, and this is the best option before him? No…this is Freyd. He’s…this isn’t how he…he’s strong, capable…he’s more than I could ever be…but why…?

I am sorry, I did not mean to insult you in any way. The words escaped her finger’s tips before she could hold them back. An automatic response that she had learnt over the years, a defensive mechanism that she jumped to when she assumed she had done something wrong – whether there was proof of that or not. Whatever had happened to Freyd, Nymoria found herself falling into habits that were well engrained in her; habits which she had always used in her life. I appreciate your offer of help. I…it is nothing you did wrong. I simply…do not do well. In groups. It is…hard to speak, when fighting. It makes me a liability. To others.

She found herself biting her lip, her foot bouncing on the ground slightly as she fought the urge to turn and distance herself from the situation. She was held in place only by the desire to not upset the man before her more – a desire which raged against the necessity of not causing him any trouble, of not being a burden. A conflict with no outcome that would appease them both, or her by herself. When she signed again, her eyes somewhat distant as her mind seemed to roil within itself, her hand movements were slow and careful; the words coming out in an obvious apprehension. Would…you come…with me…then? I…would appreciate…the help.

[Freyd 0]

Straightening his stance, as his grandfather had taught him long ago, Freyd clasped his fist in the palm of its opposing hand before him and bowed slightly to offer thanks.  Something within felt the need for the formality of it.  Maybe recognition of the silent magnitude of her acceptance?  Maybe it just felt right and respectful?  Yeah.  The latter rang true.

"Thank you.  It would be my honor to travel with you."  Genuine relief visible in the more weathered lines of his bearded face.  He had definitely changed since their last meeting, in ways that dwarfed the altering of his appearance. The same intensity was there, behind his eyes, but somehow tempered and absent of the former hawkish harshness of his smoother features.

"If I could impose for one small additional request?  As a tank - a defender - in groups or raids, as the need may arise, the role falls to me to guide and protect those under my charge.  You don't always choose your party, and not all parties inherently function well.  The true challenge of a tank is not just to hold back the enemy, but to keep his party safe, together, functional.  These... are not talents to which I am well suited.  I rose through the ranks solo, mostly carving my own path forward.  But, no one can beat this game alone."

Gesturing down a wider avenue, he led them away from the main square in a direction loosely familiar from past forays, drawing upon blind luck and vagaries of distant memory to lead them where they needed to go.  Setting a slow pace, Freyd made sure to keep his features visible, his speech and cadence measured.  Deliberately not to be patronize, but as a matter of simple, honest courtesy. She deserved no less, nor did anyone else, at least until they proved themselves a callous jerk or otherwise.  Nym didn't strike him as that type, in the slightest.

"If I'm to be a good tank, I need to adapt to my circumstances, not expect the reverse. So, given that, I find myself curious about our little venture.  Rather than you finding better ways to speak to me, I would like you to teach me how to better listen... to you."

[Nymoria 0]

Her brow furrowed in response to Freyd’s actions; no disdain crossed her face, but rather an uncomfortable expression that showed she was far from used to the treatment he was providing towards her. The formal bowing, the description of his own limitations and capabilities, the insight into his own ideals, and how he operated. All things that Nymoria was used to either not receiving, or figuring out for herself.

It took her a few seconds to register his final words, her feet pattering against the ground as they made their way along the path towards, what she assumed was, the Stygian River. She considered the question, entirely uncertain of how to answer it; something that was obvious in her sudden look of confusion and fear, before her hands began moving, filling in the empty void in an attempt to try and provide something.

How to…listen? I…am not sure what that means. I do not speak. I… Her brow furrowed again as she realised how unhelpful her response was. She took a moment to try and think about what he might want, before shaking her head and trying to explain herself again. She wasn’t sure if her answer was at all helpful, but it was the first thing that came to mind. I…maybe battle signs? Are you familiar with non-verbal communication? Not sign language, but the body movements that everyone makes? A lot of that is how I…

She’d almost said watch other people, before realising that might come across wrongly. She knew that a lot of her cues, responses, and even behaviours towards others were based upon their non-verbal communication; their behaviours and movements in response to their reactions to her – or something, if not her. She wasn’t, however, exactly sure how to explain that, much less how to use that in battle. She bit her lip, trying to think it over, trying to come up with a solution, before sighing and tossing her hands up into the air dramatically.

When I fight with others…I always position myself somewhere in their line of sight. This allows me to use what I call battle signs. She began explaining her own creation, a tactic she had come to use whenever she’d been lucky enough to party with other members. It hadn’t happened often, and if she were entirely truthful, it had rarely proved useful or beneficial in a fight. Most individuals were watching their opponents, not their companions. I am not sure if the system requires someone to pay attention to me entirely when I am signing, or if it just needs to be in sight, but…I always try and communicate simply. Less words are better, when you need to focus on an opponent.

She shifted slightly, turning to face Freyd more fully. She raised her hands, flowing through some simple motions, half-completed signs that she had developed and morphed from her regular signage, in order to relay small ideals faster. Enemy. Left. Watch. Dodge. Charge. Cover. Retreat. Press. Engage. Defend. Trap.

She gave a few seconds as she completed the last one, before moving to explain herself. The issue is, if you are not familiar with them…they are not very helpful. It would be like calling out towards another…without any context. Imagine someone screaming bull in the middle of a street, where no one could see what was happening.

She’d been careful to use a sign that wouldn’t signify the animal, as if trying to show her point in the requirement of context. It was a problem she had long since found hindering herself, and she knew it was one of the many reasons she had been left alone when so many parties had been formed. Who wants to tag along with the deaf girl who can’t communicate in battle, without hindering others? No one, that’s who. She bit her lip again as the thought pushed through her mind, before signing a final comment towards Freyd. I am a hindrance, not because I cannot hear. But because I cannot be heard.

[Freyd 0]

"You're speaking now, aren't you?  The medium may be different, but it works.  I hear you."  Her frustrations were perfectly understandable, and clearly reaching over a threshold requiring patience and delicacy.  Not traits most would normally associate with him, and wrongly so.  Freyd could give masterclasses in long term planning, but learning to actually developing the emotional intelligence to devise the underpinnings of a human soul remained a novelty.  Until recently, at least.  Calamitous change had a way of altering personal perspective.  In this case, for the better, or so he hoped.  Ever since, he'd found himself insatiably drawn to deciphering such puzzles in a way previously deemed utterly irrelevant. 

How the world has turned...

Listening intently as she explained her use of battle signs, he nodded understanding without interruption.  Nymoria finally opening up was a precious gift not to be dismissed with the rudeness of overlapping words. Tactics and stratagems formed in the arcane, weblike pathways of his mind, probing possibilities to defy and defeat the limitations of their captor system. Cardinal was hardly infallible. In fact, despite its lethality, his archnemesis had dozens of exploitable flaws, if you were just willing to think outside the box.  She was already halfway there and just needed to recognize amazing accomplishments already bending the rules in her favour.  

"You are no hindrance," he finally replied, perhaps more forcefully than he should. "Player-killers are a hindrance, wiping out the very thing they need to save their own twisted lives.  A raid boss is a hindrance.  You are here, fighting, trying, willing to put your existence on the line for the sake of others."  He flinched again, as if recognizing an echo of similar encouragement once given to others, with calamitous results.  Or, maybe she had died doing the very same because challenging the status quo actually mattered more than anything.  A ring of wisdom undeniable in the thought, it also granted solace he hoped she had earned and found before the end.  It also gave reason to keep trying, and help others do the same, or else this war was already truly lost.

"These battle signs.  The system already interprets them and exports them as text, right?  What if we could mod a script to translate them into custom UI input instead, or trick the system into doing so for us?  For all of its constraints, SAO's underlying systems excel at one particular thing: interpreting thoughts into digital reality.  It's already adapting your thoughts into text.  Why not see if we can push it a step further to convey intent on a different level and in a different way?  We could start in a smaller scale controlled environment, like our party.  Care to try?"

[Nymoria 0]

Nymoria turned away, if only for a few seconds, at the mention of her not being a hindrance. There was no embarrassment, pleasure or general collection of warmth towards the words. If anything, she had turned away in order to stop herself from retorting with a self-depreciating commentary in return. Instead, she chose to simply let the emotions roiling within herself, before dissipating as they always seemed to do as of late.

When she turned back towards Freyd, it was to follow up with a conversation that had already continued onwards, his words flowing towards an ideal of something more – and yet something that she didn’t quiet understand. Complex in nature, technical in theory, Nymoria found herself sprawling before an intellect that left her, in a word, befuddled. She stared for a few seconds after he had finished speaking, before bringing her hands up into motion and response.

Text? Script? U…and I? I may not be following your idea very well. She shook her head, as much to clear away the unending thoughts of the previous self-imagery, as to try and show just how confused she was. I know Cardinal translates sign language into something others can understand. I do not know how. Does…it display text to be read? That is inconvenient.

She paused and pursed her lips, as if chewing on some thought she hadn’t previously had. When she did continue her thoughts, her expression was muddied with confusion and concern; a clear divulge from the confidence she might have been gaining in her communication moments before. If people have to read my words, that would make combat even harder. They would have to pause. Pause is death. That…would not be helpful.

She knew that Freyd had some idea to make it easier, but she found her mind spiraling as she realised that her communication attempts may have been even more hindering than she had originally assumed. Are people really forced to read my…words? Do they have to take time to register what is being said? Does it pop up like some…subtitle over the hands?

[Freyd 0]

She was clearly struggling with some of the concepts, and Freyd knew he tended to go too big brain, more often than not.  Maybe if he worked to keep the language plainer, it might help.  Patience suffused as he calmly repeated the concept in, hopefully, simpler terms.

"Turning text to speech is old tech.  Cardinal can turn thoughts into audible, understandable words.  We just need to tune it to translating what you're saying into something easier for others to follow and understand." 

Opening up several settings, he already knew that more sensitive options had either vanished or been locked off since Kayaba sprung his trap, but likewise hoped this might be a simple enough tool that it could have been overlooked.  Pursing his bearded lips as he pondered and wandered about the interface, he finally found what he was looking for.  Maybe.  The game had readily available subtitle outputs, for when players preferred to play music or had to keep check on other real world surroundings.  Right below it was a feature to enable text to speech for when others were communicating in the same.

"Huh.  What do you know?" Freyd beamed at the thought of having possibly found Nym a solution. "Wonder what sorts of voice options it provided?  Try to say something.  Hopefully you won't sound like my grandpa."

[Nymoria 0]

She could see him flowing through his menu, but a measure of respect that Nymoria had been raised with kept her from prying towards his intentions. She waited patiently, his explanation doing little other than confirming for Nymoria that she wasn’t entirely aware of his end goal – or the plan to get there, if she were being entirely honest with herself – but that she had no choice other than to play it through and hope he was more inclined towards understanding himself.

Huh? She signed the confusion without a second thought, the action coming naturally to her as she processed what he’d said to her. Her hands continued to flow mere seconds after, as she tried to understand and anticipate what he had done. Did you activate a setting that reads everything out loud for you? Would that not work on all non-verbal segments?

She paused, trying to think of how best to explain her confusion in the moment, before continuing her line of thought again. It may assist with understanding sign language a little bit easier…but would it not also read out anything you look at that is written? Such as signs? Overwhelming information?

She shook her head, before realising she had forgotten one important factor in her questioning, and threw the last idea out to see what he would say in response. It would also still require line of sight, would it not? Therefore it would work similar to the translation system already in place. I appreciate the idea…but the issue is that people need to pay attention to me, when they would rather not.

The words seemed a bit harsh, and she found herself wincing as she realised just how aggressively she’d been towards the other player. Bowing deeply, she signed her apology. Excuse me, I have been rude. You have been attempting to…help me, and I have done nothing but complain. That is inexcusable behaviour, and I wish to extend this apology towards you for acting in such a selfish, and disrespectful manner. You have been kind, and I have not. I dishonour us both with my reaction, and hope that you can forgive my behaviour.

[Freyd 0]

"No, not everything," he responded to her worry that he'd opened up the channel to all possible inputs.  That would have been bad. "It only converts party chat.  Might still be a little cluttered in a raid, but for testing purposes, with only two of us here, it should work fine.  We can already turn off most of the system noise, like trade requests and all the other stuff people always turn off in MMO's, so this should do the same."  More hope than certainty, Freyd scratched pensively at his beard, as if that might somehow stroke some insight.  It did not.

"Line of sight shouldn't be an issue."  She was really hung up on that, wasn't she?  But the text option she'd come to rely on was likely just as much a crutch as it was a boon, and so Nym might have grown fearfully attached to it - defensive, even.  "Look, I can't make any promises here, but party chat works even when players are separated, so I think we have a.... what?"

Blinking as she bowed in apology, his brain was still catching up to her comments, their hasty conversation having become disjointed as its two streams worked at separate paces.

"Oh.  OH!"  Gears started grinding to a halt.  "No, no... that's not what or how..." 

Groaning, Freyd felt like he'd just kicked the local crippled kid and stolen their lunch money, the ethical and mental impact suddenly reverberating back at him with full force.  Flinching at his faux-pas, he pursed his lips and palmed his forehead at having let himself leap so deep down this particular rabbit hole without more conversation.  The poor woman was clearly confused and overwhelmed, and he'd just babbled on like a total jerk, thinking he could fix other people, or bypass life's insidious challenges with a few setting prompts.

"You haven't been rude.  I have been."  Slowing his responses to a more legible pace, he realized that he'd been ramping up as his excitement grew, which had only made the situation worse.  "I shouldn't have pushed so hard for this.  If you would prefer to simply do as we originally agreed, I will gladly serve as a distraction for the minions summoned by the lich."

"Oh, you will, will you?"  

Turning slightly, neither of them had even realized how close they'd come to the river, a low rubble dike having blocked their line of sight.  Rubble that, upon closer inspection, consisted entirely of tombstones.  Overhead, the ir multi-limbed, skeletal villain hovered on some sort of arcane platform, out of reach and quite content to raise a horde of undead mooks all around them,.

"Well... shit."

[Nymoria 0]

Nymoria blinked as her apology was met with the most non-responsive, and yet somehow non-insulting response, she could have expected given the situation at hand. She stared at Freyd as he seemed to fluster for the blink of an eye, before a natural calmness returned to him, his words turning away from apologetic, towards the cold and calculated logical path that seemed to fit him so perfectly. She had just raised her hands to respond to his commentary about focusing on the quest at hand – a quest that they had been continuing towards, without any real notice by either of them – when the man turned away from her in a measure of calm distraction. She would have almost guessed surprise, if he hadn’t been so collected about it.

Turning, Nymoria saw the creature that they had been hunting. At least, it appeared to be the creature that they were hunting, to her eyes and understanding. The thing appeared to be something out of a piece of horror media; a rendition of something beyond death, and yet connected to the living world in a measure that shouldn’t be possible. More disturbingly, she could see collections of skulls in various forms of decay; freshly retrieved through long since deceased and unrecognisable beyond the bones that had once been covered in flesh. Numerous arms reached from the thing as a face that screamed the dreams of nightmares twisted and turned towards them, the mouth moving and yet discernible words reaching Nymoria’s mind.

Is it…speaking? She signed towards Freyd, without turning to look at him. Her eyes were locked upon the creature, and without thinking she reached for the blade at her hip with her left hand, even as the right continued to communicate with the other man. I cannot…see any words coming from it. If it is speaking…I do not understand what it is saying. Should we…attack?

As if breaking from some sort of reverie, she turned to look at Freyd suddenly, a thought coming across her face that was clear for any there to read. Bowing her head slightly, she signed the words quickly before drawing her sabre and stepping towards the thing. Assist me destroying this horror?

-

Combat

Nymoria | Lv. 33 | P. 2 | HP [680/680] | EN [86/104] | ACC [5] | DMG [25] | EVA [4] | BH [+37] | Bleed [36] | Keen [+1 BD] | LD [+1] | -18 EN
Freyd | HP: 1300/1300 | EN: 162/162 | DMG: 24 | MIT:152 | ACC: (8 incl. AA)  | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:72 | VAMP-D: 72 | VAMP-O: 143 | PARA-V | LD:5
[0,0] The Leech Lich | HP: 1300/1300 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 55 | ACC: 2 | Protected
Leech | Four <<Stygian Warriors>> spawn with the boss when it is engaged in combat. <<The Leech Lich>> will consume up to two creatures per turn as a Free Action and will do so whenever it can. If it consumes the creature, it gains +25 Mitigation, +50 Base Health, +25 Damage for the rest of the battle, and restores +100 HP after the other effects have taken place. If it lands a hit on the player, <<The Leech Lich>> will heal a third of the final damage it dealt to the player (rounded up). At the start of every other turn (starting on the second turn), two more <<Stygian Warriors>> will spawn, but there will always be a maximum of four <<Stygian Warriors>> at any given time.
Protected | <<The Leech Lich>> cannot be attacked until the all active <<Stygian Warriors>> are defeated or devoured by <<The Leech Lich>>. After the original 4 die, <<The Leech Lich>> is no longer protected.
Undead | Fallen damage has no effect on <<The Leech Lich>>, but Holy damage deals +25 final damage when the enhancement procs.
[1,0] Stygian Warrior 1 | HP: 0/100 | DMG: 75 | MIT: 35 | ACC: 1
[0,0] Stygian Warrior 2 | HP: 0/100 | DMG: 75 | MIT: 35 | ACC: 1
[0,0] Stygian Warrior 3 | HP: 100/100 | DMG: 75 | MIT: 35 | ACC: 1
[0,0] Stygian Warrior 4 | HP: 0/100 | DMG: 75 | MIT: 35 | ACC: 1

ID241237 | BD: 5+5 = 10 | <<AoE-I vs. Stygian Warrior 1>> | Result: [25x16=35] = 365 damage | Stygian Warrior 1 destroyed
ID241238 | BD: 5+5 = 10 | <<AoE-I vs. Stygian Warrior 2>> | Result: [25x16=35] = 365 damage | Stygian Warrior 2 destroyed
ID241239 | BD: 1+5 = 6 | <<AoE-I vs. Stygian Warrior 3>> | Result: Miss
ID241240 | BD: 6+5 = 11 | <<AoE-I vs. Stygian Warrior 4>> | Result: [25x16=35] = 365 damage | Stygian Warrior 4 destroyed

Edited Tuesday at 05:46 PM by Nymoria

[Freyd 0]

"What?  Can't hear... oh, right. No lips." With an eerily practiced nonchalance, Freyd figured out the problem after flitting his attention between the monster's features and watching Nym, demonstrating the very subject of their earlier conversation.  Academic debate over communications quickly fell to the wayside as she drew her weapon and charged its gathered minions, most of which fell before they'd even had a chance to fully rise from their waterside graves.

Blade drawn with a telltale snikt, Freyd moved at her beckoning to down the last of the miniature skeletal horde, lopping the lone warrior's head clean from its shoulder and batting into the river's black water with a casual flick of his wrist.  He was accustomed to being in the thick of the melee, surrounded by foes on all sides and slashing seven ways from Sunday to keep pace.  Fighting just one mob, and not even a boss, was a frontliner's equivalent to T-ball practice.  

"What?!  How dare you!  Insolent..."

BOP!

Still safeguarded against attacks, the Lich never expected its carefully crafted monologue to be interrupted by a chunk of broken tombstone bouncing off the quickly shattering shield.  Freyd waved to it, a smug-looking grin splashed across his face as he pointed to the right with feigned concern, while Nym bore down on the distracted monster from the opposite direction.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Freyd dispatched as audio over an open group chat channel, curious to see how well it worked.  "He's a bit of a pesky chatterbox at the best of times.  Better to just cut him down swiftly.  I'll be over here smiting his minions while you deal with his horrible highness.  Oh, and try knocking him off his little green goblin floaty disk thing.  It's hella fun, and the lich gets really, really mad."

***

Freyd's Action:

Spoiler

Post Action | ST-I (x12, 12 EN): 12 EN - (Rested 2/2; Stamina) = 9 EN.  
Free Action | None

ID #241242 | BD: 5+8=13 (hit).  DMG (12*24=288-35=253) | CD 8 | ST-B/BtV Locked

Nymoria | HP [680/680] | EN [86/104] | ACC [5] | DMG [25] | EVA [4] | BH [+37] | Bleed [36] | Keen [+1 BD] | LD [+1] 
Freyd | HP: 1300/1300 | EN: 153/162 (162-9) | DMG: 24 | MIT:152 | ACC: (8 incl. AA)  | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:72 | VAMP-D: 72 | VAMP-O: 143 | PARA-V | LD:5
[0,0] The Leech Lich | HP: 1300/1300 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 55 | ACC: 2 | Protected
Leech | Four <<Stygian Warriors>> spawn with the boss when it is engaged in combat. <<The Leech Lich>> will consume up to two creatures per turn as a Free Action and will do so whenever it can. If it consumes the creature, it gains +25 Mitigation, +50 Base Health, +25 Damage for the rest of the battle, and restores +100 HP after the other effects have taken place. If it lands a hit on the player, <<The Leech Lich>> will heal a third of the final damage it dealt to the player (rounded up). At the start of every other turn (starting on the second turn), two more <<Stygian Warriors>> will spawn, but there will always be a maximum of four <<Stygian Warriors>> at any given time.
Protected | <<The Leech Lich>> cannot be attacked until the all active <<Stygian Warriors>> are defeated or devoured by <<The Leech Lich>>. After the original 4 die, <<The Leech Lich>> is no longer protected.
Undead | Fallen damage has no effect on <<The Leech Lich>>, but Holy damage deals +25 final damage when the enhancement procs.
[0,3] Stygian Warrior 3 | HP: 0/100 | DMG: 75 | MIT: 35 | ACC: 1

Enemy's Action:

Spoiler

Note: The Leech Lich will summon additional Stygian Warriors next turn.
Note: The Leech Lich has no hate and has not been attacked.  Targets Nymoria (CD 1-6) or Freyd (CD 7-12) on its attack.

ID #241243 | BD: 5+2-4=3 (miss) vs Freyd

Nymoria | HP [680/680] | EN [86/104] | ACC [5] | DMG [25] | EVA [4] | BH [+37] | Bleed [36] | Keen [+1 BD] | LD [+1] 
Freyd | HP: 1300/1300 | EN: 153/162 | DMG: 24 | MIT:152 | ACC: (8 incl. AA)  | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:72 | VAMP-D: 72 | VAMP-O: 143 | PARA-V | LD:5
[0,0] The Leech Lich | HP: 1300/1300 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 55 | ACC: 2 
Leech | Four <<Stygian Warriors>> spawn with the boss when it is engaged in combat. <<The Leech Lich>> will consume up to two creatures per turn as a Free Action and will do so whenever it can. If it consumes the creature, it gains +25 Mitigation, +50 Base Health, +25 Damage for the rest of the battle, and restores +100 HP after the other effects have taken place. If it lands a hit on the player, <<The Leech Lich>> will heal a third of the final damage it dealt to the player (rounded up). At the start of every other turn (starting on the second turn), two more <<Stygian Warriors>> will spawn, but there will always be a maximum of four <<Stygian Warriors>> at any given time.
Undead | Fallen damage has no effect on <<The Leech Lich>>, but Holy damage deals +25 final damage when the enhancement procs.

 

Edited Tuesday at 02:49 AM by Freyd

[Nymoria 0]

Nymoria had been charging towards the Lich, her sabre held in a firm grip as she crossed the small distance – glad to have seen Freyd react to her request, even if it had been haphazard at best. As the wash of broken words roiled over her, however, she found herself stumbling and glancing around, trying to figure out where it had come from. It was, partially at least, discernable to her mind – although it took her a few precious seconds to understand that it had come from Freyd himself.

Knock. Up. Mitch? She signed the words in confusion as she turned towards Freyd, her sabre dipping slightly as she stared at the black clad fighter, trying to discern exactly what his message had meant. Seconds passed, and although Nymoria’s guard had dropped ever so slightly, she watched as the Lich chose instead to rush towards Freyd’s form, as if taking personal afront to something he had said. Cocking her head slightly to the side, she signed again, pointing at the creature as she finished her question. Name. Mitch? Weird.

Whether the creature had been named Mitch or not, she chose instead to rush forward and move into position across from Freyd, nodding as she went before drawing her blade up and back in preparation to stab through the thing’s back. She stopped only when something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, causing her to spin and notice two more of the Stygian’s rising from the depths of dark murk.

Nymoria didn’t have time to sign towards Freyd, instead moving through an arc of limber steps towards the rising pair, placing herself directly in the centre of them and the Lich. Her blade spun in her hand once, before lashing out towards the first, preparing to follow through with a collection of stabs and slashes in a simple pattern meant to move from one target to the next in a flurry of motion.

-

Combat

Nymoria | Lv. 33 | P. 2 | HP [680/680] | EN [74/104] | ACC [5] | DMG [25] | EVA [4] | BH [+37] | Bleed [36] | Keen [+1 BD] | LD [+1] | +4 EN | -16 EN
Freyd | HP: 1300/1300 | EN: 153/162 | DMG: 24 | MIT:152 | ACC: (8 incl. AA)  | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:72 | VAMP-D: 72 | VAMP-O: 143 | PARA-V | LD:5
[2,0] The Leech Lich | HP: 939/1300 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 55 | ACC: 2 | Protected | Bleed [36 | 0/2]
Leech | Four <<Stygian Warriors>> spawn with the boss when it is engaged in combat. <<The Leech Lich>> will consume up to two creatures per turn as a Free Action and will do so whenever it can. If it consumes the creature, it gains +25 Mitigation, +50 Base Health, +25 Damage for the rest of the battle, and restores +100 HP after the other effects have taken place. If it lands a hit on the player, <<The Leech Lich>> will heal a third of the final damage it dealt to the player (rounded up). At the start of every other turn (starting on the second turn), two more <<Stygian Warriors>> will spawn, but there will always be a maximum of four <<Stygian Warriors>> at any given time.
Protected | <<The Leech Lich>> cannot be attacked until the all active <<Stygian Warriors>> are defeated or devoured by <<The Leech Lich>>. After the original 4 die, <<The Leech Lich>> is no longer protected.
Undead | Fallen damage has no effect on <<The Leech Lich>>, but Holy damage deals +25 final damage when the enhancement procs.
[1,0] Stygian Warrior 5 | HP: 0/100 | DMG: 75 | MIT: 35 | ACC: 1
[1,0] Stygian Warrior 6 | HP: 0/100 | DMG: 75 | MIT: 35 | ACC: 1

ID241244 | BD: 5+5 = 10 | <<AoE-I vs. Stygian Warrior 5>> | Result: [25x16-35] = 365 damage | Stygian Warrior 5 destroyed
ID241245 | BD: 6+5 = 11 | <<AoE-I vs. Stygian Warrior 6>> | Result: [25x16-35] = 365 damage | Stygian Warrior 6 destroyed
ID241246 | BD: 9+5 = 14 | <<AoE-I vs. Lich>> | Result: [(25+1)x16-55] = 361 damage | Bleed [36 | 0/2]

Edited Wednesday at 04:41 PM by Nymoria

[Freyd 0]

"Mitch?  Where did Mitch come from?!  Uh... just keep doing that slashing thing.  It's working well."  Not that Freyd truly minded the dubbing, given his own penchant for nicknaming mobs to help with taunting during battle. It would likely also take time for the algorithm to learn and adapt to their individual thoughts and turns of phrase.  The very fact she was receiving any input at all was promising.  "That's it!  You have them."

Undead reinforcements fell nearly as quickly as they rose from the brackish black, returned to watery graves with a shrapnel-like splash of shards, a few deigning to skip once or twice before winking from existence. The enemy screeched, like it had extra mouths squared under the rags it wore, just to make it even more creepy than it already was.  Batting aside Nymoria's guard, it raked three wicked sets of claws across her arm, leaving glaring gashes in orange and cackling with self-satisfaction.

"Babble all you want, girl!  I certainly didn't Mitch you!  Har har har!"

Freyd groaned, dying a little inside, swearing to himself that this thing must have had a twirly mustache, in life, to debase itself with such a corny line.  

"What are you?  Still in beta testing or something?!  That was just... the worst.  Hard reset incoming, Mitch!"

Katana ready and willing, he had to consciously stay the yearning blade to keep it from swinging, refocusing its efforts into an intensely controlled kata.  Like weaving a spell, his practiced motions cut through the ambient darkness with a whispered song, an ominous tune hummed in steel and raising hairs on necks (or upper lips), for those who still had them.  Bound by his word, Freyd refrained from engaging the boss directly, but funneled the strength of his arts and knowledge in newly minted ways.  Honing the message in his mind, harnessing his thoughts into martial action, he sought to meet Nym halfway.  His weapon became an instrument akin to the way she used her hands, signaling, speaking, communicating intent and opportunity.  With a final, steady thrust, the blame left an indelible mark upon their enemy, without contact, in a way he hoped that she might 'hear' and understand.

Strike.  Here.

***

Freyd's Action:

Spoiler

Freyd regains +4 EN

Post Action | Press the Attack (CD 0/3, 10 EN)
Free Action | None

Nymoria | HP [680/680] | EN [74/104] | ACC [5] | DMG [25] (+4) | EVA [4] | BH [+37] | Bleed [36] | Keen [+1 BD] | LD [+1] 
Freyd | HP: 1300/1300 | EN: 147/162 (+4-10) | DMG: 24 | MIT:152 | ACC: (8 incl. AA)  | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:72 | VAMP-D: 72 | VAMP-O: 143 | PARA-V | LD:5 | PtA 1/3
[2,0] The Leech Lich | HP: 939/1300 | DMG: 100 | MIT: 55 | ACC: 2 | Bleed [36 | 0/2]
Leech | Four <<Stygian Warriors>> spawn with the boss when it is engaged in combat. <<The Leech Lich>> will consume up to two creatures per turn as a Free Action and will do so whenever it can. If it consumes the creature, it gains +25 Mitigation, +50 Base Health, +25 Damage for the rest of the battle, and restores +100 HP after the other effects have taken place. If it lands a hit on the player, <<The Leech Lich>> will heal a third of the final damage it dealt to the player (rounded up). At the start of every other turn (starting on the second turn), two more <<Stygian Warriors>> will spawn, but there will always be a maximum of four <<Stygian Warriors>> at any given time.
Undead | Fallen damage has no effect on <<The Leech Lich>>, but Holy damage deals +25 final damage when the enhancement procs.

Enemy's Action:

Spoiler

The Leech Lich takes 36 damage from Bleed.

ID #241277 | BD: 10 (Crit +2) | DMG (102) vs Nymoria

Nymoria | HP [578/680] (680-102) | EN [74/104] | ACC [5] | DMG [25] (+4) | EVA [4] | BH [+37] | Bleed [36] | Keen [+1 BD] | LD [+1] 
Freyd | HP: 1300/1300 | EN: 147/162 | DMG: 24 | MIT:152 | ACC: (8 incl. AA)  | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:72 | VAMP-D: 72 | VAMP-O: 143 | PARA-V | LD:5 | PtA 1/3
[2,0] The Leech Lich | HP: 903/1300 (939-36) | DMG: 100 | MIT: 55 | ACC: 2 | Bleed [36 | 1/2]
Leech | Four <<Stygian Warriors>> spawn with the boss when it is engaged in combat. <<The Leech Lich>> will consume up to two creatures per turn as a Free Action and will do so whenever it can. If it consumes the creature, it gains +25 Mitigation, +50 Base Health, +25 Damage for the rest of the battle, and restores +100 HP after the other effects have taken place. If it lands a hit on the player, <<The Leech Lich>> will heal a third of the final damage it dealt to the player (rounded up). At the start of every other turn (starting on the second turn), two more <<Stygian Warriors>> will spawn, but there will always be a maximum of four <<Stygian Warriors>> at any given time.
Undead | Fallen damage has no effect on <<The Leech Lich>>, but Holy damage deals +25 final damage when the enhancement procs.

 

Edited Wednesday at 02:27 AM by Freyd