Telrenya 0 Posted February 14 #1 Share Posted February 14 (edited) If there was anything the castle Aincrad could be praised for, it was the consistency of its landscapes. The sixth floor was just as difficult to traverse as always. Telrenya had been having a rough time wading through underbrush and either avoiding or cutting through all of the aggressive flora and fauna that lived here as she trudged ever eastward. Ryo hadn’t given her the most precise directions–how could he when the surrounding area could only be described as “more jungle”?--but after asking around in Krycim about the ‘Sage Waterfall’ that he had recounted to her, she felt decently sure that she would stumble upon it if she just kept pushing forward. When she finally did catch the sound of rushing water competing against the ever-present droning of insects and rustling of leaves in the breeze, she let out a sigh of relief and found a second wind that pushed her through that last stretch to locate the clearing. She came to a stop at the edge of the crystal clear pool and pushed the sweaty bangs off of her forehead, taking in the view. The trip felt worth it just by letting the overwhelming sense of tranquility wash over her. The sound of water running over smooth stones was calming, the smell of the fresh spring air mixed with lush greenery was soothing, and the way the sunrays peeked through the tallest trees and washed over the water’s rippling surface with streaks of colorful light was mesmerizing. Once she had soaked in enough of the atmosphere, she eyed the flat stone slabs at the base of the waterfall and thought back to how Ryo had described his experience to her. He claimed that the area was practically a safe zone, so… With practiced motions, she pulled up her menus. Her boots and stockings vanished, allowing her to step into the chilled water without the unsatisfying squish of wet leather beneath her toes. She took her rapier, scabbard and all, off of her belt and placed it on top of one of the wide flat stones with a tiny clattering sound and eyed the one beside it as a potential seat. She braced herself for the cool sensation of damp cloth sticking to her skin as she pulled herself up and crossed her legs in front of her. She scooted a little awkwardly until she felt comfortable enough to straighten her spine and look towards the softly-rippling sheet of water cascading ahead of her. She caught sight of her reflection looking back at her. She closed her eyes to blink and then– [quest info] Telrenya | HP: 700/700 | EN: 108/108 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | EVA:4 | LD:1 NOTES Hide contents THREAD INFO Hide contents equipped »Celestial Dawn +6 DMG »Celestial Blessing +2 EVA, +1 ACC »Erin's Favor +2 ACC, +1 EVA battle-ready inventory »(3) T1 Health Potion (+40 HP) »Bottled Banshee Scream (Stun all enemies for one turn) »Bandit's Guile (+1 EVA for 1 battle) »Cerberus Soul (+2 Burn DMG) »Snowfrost (1/2 Burn DMG for 1 battle) skills »Rapier R5 (+7 DMG) »Cloth Armor R5 (+20 MIT) »Energist (+20EN) »Combat Mastery: Damage R3 (+3 DMG) »[Extra] First Aid »[Extra] Survival »[Familiar] Protector Familiar »[Combat Shift] ST Specialist addons »[Rapier] Precision (+1 ACC) »[Rapier] Stamina (-2EN) »[First Aid] Hyperactive (+3EN for 3 turns on party member or self | Unique | 3 post CD | 5EN) »[First Aid] Field Medic (Heal self and all party members 25% max HP | 3 post CD | 15EN) »[Cloth Armor] Nimble (+1 EVA, +1 LD) mods »Athletics (+1 DMG) »Purify (Remove all status conditions on self or party member | 1 post CD | 3EN) »Energize (Restore 8EN to party member | 10EN) »Barrier (Reduce final dmg from all sources by 15% on all party members for one turn | 2 post CD | 15EN) buffs » Edited February 14 by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted February 14 Author #2 Share Posted February 14 (edited) ✧♪✦⋆♫⋆✦♪✧ She strained and squinted against the bright light that now surrounded her, lashes fluttering in an attempt to fully open her eyes as she struggled to take in the blinding landscape. She flinched, bringing her hand up as a makeshift visor in order to make it bearable. Telrenya stood enveloped in a blank canvas of empty white. ”What is this place…?” She softly wondered aloud. She held a hand close to her chest, fingers gently curled as she took slow, careful steps forward. ’Tap, tap, tap, went the heels of her boots, echoing in the vague nothingness that surrounded her. A glint of color made itself known and immediately drew her attention. She looked up, rushing to find the source. Refracting the infinite light from above was a sea of disjointed, overlapping panels. Dozens and dozens of thin sheets of plain colored glass of all shapes and sizes floated overhead, borderless and suspended in mid-air, seemingly fixed in place. It was impossible to tell if they had been here all this time, or if they had just appeared with her arrival; maybe she hadn’t been capable of perceiving them until just now. They cast down soft hues of gentle colors, each one feeding the endless light through itself. She tried to pick out some kind of pattern or imagery, but merely ended up staring at the impossible vastness of it all. ”Is it beautiful?” A voice snapped Telrenya to attention and she spun around to find its owner. Standing some distance away was a lone figure cloaked entirely in shadow. It was as if their presence sucked in every ounce of surrounding light in order to hold their form, and the colorful shapes danced far around them, lest they be drawn into the void. Telrenya didn’t allow for a lengthy silence. ”Who are you?” Her voice carried her nerves. It became apparent that the figure wasn’t already facing her when the stark white smile etched into its otherwise blank face came into view as it turned. A wave of unsettling dread washed over her. ”Beauty is subjective. As are most things. Emotion. Memory. Introspection.” Though the words came out of it, the crescent of its smile didn’t budge. Its arm pulled up to gesture in a direction off to Telrenya’s side. Her brows were narrowed, her gaze fixed on the stranger with a look of suspicion and confusion. The shape held its pose. Telrenya’s face turned slowly, begrudgingly, with her eyes still locked on the shape for a few long seconds before she finally relented and followed the direction it pointed. Time stood still, if such a thing existed in this place. The color drained from her face and her features froze, mouth slightly agape. A massive portrait of rich stained glass stood in the distance, its deep, vibrant colors brought to life with the abundance of light shining on it from all sides. A person, dressed in white and blue knightly garb, was intricately pieced together with a hundred delicate shapes. Their face was framed by light blonde hair and barely decorated with the dark curves of closed eyes. In front of their chest, their folded hands held onto a long bundle of white, star-shaped flowers of asphodel. Like some kind of enchanting memorial, Telrenya stood before the looming portrayal of James Cardona. Her brother. Her breath caught in her throat, unprepared for the emotions that flooded her. The beauty of its delicate features captivated her: it cradled her warmly while picking at the scab of her grief. ”Witness them, and face yourself.” Was she ready for this? Could she handle it? She already began to feel an intense weight piling onto her chest that caused her whole body to tighten up. Why was she here? …Why was she here? She remembered her last visit to the Monument of Life. The friends that were there for her and supported her when said her goodbyes. The people that held her hands and let her lean on them while she cried. Those who reminded her to keep looking forward, because she still had something worth fighting for. She missed them so much. Telrenya’s bottom lip quivered into a steely resolve, tears rolling down her cheeks. Wordlessly, she brought herself forward, walking up to the tall mosaic. A straight seam ran all the way down the middle to indicate that it stood as two curved panels forming a double-door structure. She placed an open hand against the smooth glass of one side and braced her shoulder as she pushed. Edited February 14 by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted February 14 Author #3 Share Posted February 14 (edited) A plain stone staircase stood in front of her now, long and imposing and either side lined with tall metal bars affixed from floor to ceiling. Beyond the barred rails, a landscape. Too vague and distant to identify, but it clearly looked and felt like the outside from…wherever this was. Telrenya turned and looked back over her shoulder. The stairs continued downward behind her, with no sign of the massive doorway she had just walked through. She swallowed, the burning sensation of sorrow still fresh in her nose and throat. She hastily wiped at the corners of her eyes and down her cheeks, and began to climb the steps laid in front of her. It was time to begin. ✧♪✦⋆♫⋆✦♪✧ Traversing the never-ending mountain of steps gave her plenty of time to collect herself. She often looked out past the metal bars to the scenery beyond and just roamed in her own thoughts. When Ryo had described this quest as a means to tackle her insecurities and face the things that were troubling her, she figured there would be conflict, maybe even some amount of literalism to “fighting her demons”, as he put it, but this… She began to wonder if the steps would ever end. She climbed and climbed, stopped to take a seat and catch her breath, and then climbed again. The landscape beyond seemed to reflect the distance she’d traveled as well as the height. The ratio of bright blue sky to rolling green grass gradually shifted. If she could somehow slip by the tall bars and leap from the edge, who knows how long she would have to fall. In the real world, the muscles in her legs would have been on fire long ago, but she only felt a dull discomfort in how the game simulated soreness or exertion. She could probably keep going for hours if she wanted to, but it was hard not to grow impatient with no end in sight. She ran her hand along the metal bars with a soft ’tap, tap, tap, tap,’ as her fingers dragged across them. ”What am I doing here?” She wondered aloud after a sigh. ”Is this right? Where am I supposed to go?” She found the smallest piece of comfort in talking to herself, questioning whether the only path presented before her was the correct one to take. Her climbing paused. ”Hello?” She called. A moment passed. She drew in a breath and raised her voice. ”Hello??” She looked ahead, behind, out to one side over the barred edge, then took a few steps over to the opposite side. Her hands held loosely onto a pair of bars and she leaned her face closer, searching for a clue. Then, a rumbling. Low and distant and foreboding, but very real. The stonework beneath her feet seemed to quiver and Telrenya lurched slightly to keep a solid footing, gripping tighter onto the bars to save her balance. ”What was…?” The thought trailed, but was soon answered. Telrenya spotted movement from far down the staircase and she squinted to figure out what was down there, trying to identify the shape before it fully came into view: ✧♪✦⋆♫⋆✦♪✧ A mess of figures spilling over themselves and each other. Arms reaching out, hands groping at the air and grasping at the stonework and clawing at the metal bars to pull themselves forward–to pull the amalgamation of featureless, shadowy bodies over each stair that stood in front of it at an alarming speed. The sight sent a chill up Tenrenya’s spine and caused her eyes to widen in abject terror. What was that thing? There was no time to think, no time to do anything but turn and run. She carried herself farther up the stairs as quickly as she could will her legs to move, but just as there was still no end in sight, the monster on her heels showed no signs of slowing down. She stole a desperate glance over her shoulder, but even that proved to be a mistake. As she turned, the toe of her boot caught the edge of the next step and she failed to lift her knee any higher to compensate in time. She tripped forward and slammed into the stairs in front of her. Fear shot through her like a bolt of lightning and she clambored to regain her footing and keep going, but the knot of limbs allowed her no such recovery. A hand clasped her ankle and yanked it back out from under her, causing her to yelp with another painful drop. She had no time to pull against the grip as another hand clawed, an arm hooked, fingers grabbed at fistifuls of her clothing and hair and she was swallowed by the dark abyss with only a panicked scream. Edited Monday at 02:47 AM by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted February 14 Author #4 Share Posted February 14 (edited) Telrenya thrashed violently, but found no more resistance. She shot up from where she lay on a cold stonework floor and her head whipped around looking for the danger that had just engulfed her. Her hands, shaking in front of her, were free. She was panting, sweating, and shivering, but she was unharmed. ’That couldn’t have been a dream…’ She thought. But then where was she now? ✧♪✦⋆♫⋆✦♪✧ She recognized this place. The massive room she found herself in was carved from smooth grey stone and held modest sconces of torchlight with the faintest tint of blue. Pillars with ornate carvings lined the walls on either side of her. From behind, a strong light spilled into the room’s entrance, coming from the other end of a long, featureless tunnel. Before her, a massive rectangular obsidian slate stood on its side, center-stage atop a small set of raised steps: the Monument of Life. Her breathing eventually slowed to a regular pace and she tried to collect herself as quickly as she could manage. The air was quiet and still save for the sounds of her shuffling to pick herself up from the floor and nervously dust herself off. She heaved a shaky sigh and turned around to face the monument properly. Of course that door would lead her to this: the place where she had mourned her brother. There were still days that were harder than others; little things that reminded her of him and pulled at her tenderest memories. Days that reminded her of how much she missed him. It still hurt at times, but the wound had begun to heal. What sort of fears did she need to face in a place like this? The sound of heavy boots echoing from down the tunnel served as her answer. She snapped to attention and turned back around with stiff shoulders. The seconds drew out while Telrenya couldn’t discern the silouhette of who approached against the harsh backlighting. She swallowed, hesitating to call out. Heavy footfalls continued in a slow, even rhythm, until a man finally came into view. Dressed in plain, dark colors, his skin looked pale and washed out. There was hardly a discerning feature about him, except… One scabbard on each hip. ‘The man with a dual-wielding unique skill.’ Death_Adder. Every muscle in Telrenya’s body tightened up as she stood face-to-face with her brother’s killer. Tangled emotions swirled inside of her: anger and fear, grief and apprehension. Her balled hands were rigid at her sides. So this was the point. Something clicked, and it all made sense. Of course ‘facing her inner demons’ would mean confronting the man who stole her family away from her. And yet…why did his face look like that? A shifting camouflage, his details hidden despite standing directly in front of her. What color were his eyes? The shape of his nose? His hair…it was short, right? Dark brown…or maybe black. Telrenya’s eyes were desperately darting across every feature that she should have been able to make out. She was searching for the person etched underneath her brother’s username in that stone behind her. She knew his name. She knew him! She hated him! Who was he? She took an unsteady step backwards, adrenaline spiking. Before she’d had a chance to prepare herself for a fight, the man standing across from her drew each of his blades with fluid motions and resumed walking towards her. Telrenya hurriedly drew her own sword and steadied her back foot into a solid fighting stance. She tried to steel herself. He came at her with a flurry of strikes, the speed of his blades mismatched with the steady tempo of his otherwise calm approach. The force of his blows staggered her, causing Telrenya to immediately give ground and take small, uneven steps backward as she pulled her rapier up defensively. It was all she could do to deflect his blows, and even then several cuts and slashes broke through her guard. She looked frantically for an opportunity, a chance to parry, to counterattack, to break away and put distance between them, but there was nothing. He pushed forward with an unflinching offense, all the while Telrenya shrank before that distorted, soulless face. His dual swords came down at once and Telrenya had to brace her rapier with the palm of her free hand to carry the weight of them both with her block. The clash held right as her back pressed up against the heavy obsidian slab. He shoved downwards, causing her arms to tremble as she held the twin blades at bay inches away from her face. Panic was clear in her expression. She hadn’t expected to face this kind of enemy, and worse still she was ill-prepared for his inhuman ferocity. At least if she had been facing the real Death_Adder, she could try to search for some scrap of humanity behind his eyes. Pinned and desperate, Telrenya leaned back into the monument and lifted her right foot high enough to deliver a sharp kick to the man’s knee. He buckled, and she could take advantage of the shift in weight to lift and shove his swords off to the side with a grunt of effort. An opening–she had to move quickly. She dashed to the side and broke away from his onslaught just in time before he turned and swung his blades back across his body. A sharp ringing sounded out as they crashed into the monument and the metal dragged across polished stone with a terrible screech, sparks flying between the hot metal and cool stone. Their one-sided duel continued, dragging on and on while Telrenya was slashed and shredded, gasping and panting, torn down and worn out. Death_Adder had but a handful of bright red wounds scattered across his body and showed no signs of physically tiring. ’This isn’t working… At this rate…’ She needed an angle, she needed something that would turn the tides of battle in her favor. She was never the most exceptional duelist, even when she was at the height of her training to reach the frontlines. Unless… An idea struck. Telrenya’s hands took on a soft glow as she urged Cardinal to activate a specific ability, one that she hadn’t seen the opportunity to use since modifying her build. A moment later, a soft shimmer fell over her like a veil that vanished as it settled over her frame. She breathed in, then out. Steady. ”One good shot.” She whispered to herself. She backed away with quicker steps until she reached the threshold of the tunnel that would have normally led to the Town of Beginnings. Death_Adder continued walking straight for her, eliminating the gap she had just created in between them inch by inch. She took one, two, three strides farther back, then brought the next swing of her leg all the way back and down into a lunge. She brought her shoulders forward, touching the fingertips of her free hand against the cold stone floor. A runner’s stance. She spent only a moment activating her sword art, then shot forward to meet her enemy head-on. Death_Adder’s twin slashes had cut through to her health bar, but her Barrier had absorbed enough of the damage to make it bearable. Telrenya stood up straight on the other side of him, his body still and littered with glowing stab wounds. Unceremoniously, his figure burst into pixelated fragments of light that quickly melted away into the surrounding air. She let out a heavy sigh of exhaustion and relief. She turned and cast a long look back at the Monument of Life, letting herself linger before she would sheath her rapier and walk down the long tunnel, into the flood of light. »Post Action: ST-I vs. Death_Adder: First Inner Demon ID#: 240975 | BD: 9 [Minor Critical] (-14EN) | MD: 4 Telrenya dealt [(21+1) * 15] - 5 MIT = 325 DMG Quote Telrenya | HP: 700/700 | EN: 94/108 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | EVA:4 | LD:1 Death_Adder: First Inner Demon | HP: 0/175 | DMG: 63 | MIT:5 Edited Wednesday at 08:12 PM by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted February 14 Author #5 Share Posted February 14 (edited) ✧♪✦⋆♫⋆✦♪✧ She was back in the place full of colored glass. It took her a moment to realize she had entered a new space, but one look back confirmed that the path behind her had disappeared. ”Vengeance, too, is subjective.” The voice of the dark shape snapped her to attention and she spun to lay eyes on it. ”Was it beautiful?” She wondered what kind of question that was, and a frown quickly took over her expression. ”I–” She stopped herself, and hesitated. Would she get anywhere by trying to get this person to explain themselves? Her eyes fell, and she stopped to think. ”I…don’t think so.” She provided an answer. Was that supposed to be vengeance? ”It was…empty. If that was supposed to feel like avenging my brother, it… It didn’t feel like anything.” She shook her head softly. She held her hands in front of her stomach and fidgeted by lightly pinching and squeezing her fingertips. She watched the softly-glowing red cuts on her hands disappearing as her avatar idly healed back its damage. ”I didn’t think I was bringing justice to a murderer, I was just…fighting someone. It didn’t even seem like a person.” ”Justice. A belief.” It remarked so matter-of-factly that Telrenya looked back up at it, puzzled. She wasn’t sure that she was understanding the point of any of this. ”Another.” She followed the shape’s gesture to a different set of towering doors that must have appeared when she wasn’t looking. Just like the first, it was comprised of gorgeous stained glass, fragments glittering in the abundant light. This one depicted a long dark blade with an ornate silver handguard. Behind the rapier, a featureless, silver mask. Telrenya swallowed. She knew exactly which chapter of her life this door represented. It was one she thought about often, and never fondly. After a few moments to ready herself for what was to come, she entered wordlessly through the door. Quote Telrenya | HP: 700/700 | EN: 95/108 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | EVA:4 | LD:1 +1EN 1/3 posts to fully recover Edited Wednesday at 08:12 PM by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted February 14 Author #6 Share Posted February 14 (edited) ✧♪✦⋆♫⋆✦♪✧ When it swung shut behind her, Telrenya was left in complete darkness. Or perhaps the word ‘void’ was more fitting. A space of complete nothingness. She could see–or at least she thought so–as she flipped her clearly visible hands front to back in front of her. She briefly wondered if she was cursed to wander indefinitely in this empty space just like the staircase from before, but when she turned around to take a look behind her, that thought escaped her as she froze. Regret. That deep pit in the stomach sitting hard and heavy. The truth that things can’t be changed, undone, or altered in any way that matters. That’s what she felt the moment she saw Erin’s eyes again. His gaze had always been sharp, like a predator looking for its next meal. Fitting, from what she’d seen of him in their handful of encounters. If Telrenya had come across him for real–at least, outside of this place–maybe she would have stood a little taller. Her head might be a little clearer and she would have found the confidence to shoot a defiant glare back at him. Something else caught her eye before she could consider doing so, however. Another figure, someone standing behind him. Shorter, dressed in concealing, plain dark leathers and wearing a largely featureless silver mask. Her heart twisted at this memory. Such a foolish, harmful little scheme she’d concocted. Telrenya willed every ounce of courage she could scrape from the edges of her soul to pull her shoulders up a little taller, to puff her chest out a little bit higher, and to find a voice that cut cleanly through the empty silence of the void around them. ”I know about this mistake.” She flinched at her own word. ”This choice.” She corrected. ”It was wrong, every piece of it.” Each word built the tiniest bit on the last and she spoke with a confidence, an acceptance, that mingled with guilt. ”I lied to everyone I cared about, because I thought that risking my safety, risking anything, would be a hindrance to them. I told myself that I was better off helping them as nobody important, so that when I got hurt at least I wouldn’t be a distraction.” She swallowed, the action made difficult by the large lump now resting in her throat. ”Everything about that was so wrong.” She blinked against the threatening sting of emotion at the corner of her eyes, fighting it back. ”I lied, and lied, and when I got close to getting caught, I tried to come up with new ways to lie. I thought I was being clever. And it felt good to be ‘Erin’, sometimes. But,” She was reminded of the weight of the trust she had broken in that moment and sucked in a breath. ”But it was wrong. It was all wrong.” She repeated. ”Hiding who I was, sneaking around, using someone’s identity, letting myself be treated the way he treated me, all so that he wouldn’t expose my lies.” She finally dropped her gaze. Telrenya looked downward, her remorse-ridden speech losing steam. The inky blackness of the void in between them was difficult to perceive. If it wasn’t for the feeling of solid ground beneath her boots, she would think they were floating in absolute nothingness. ”I regret it all.” She admitted plainly. ”But I can’t change it. I can only try to make up for it. I can remember it, and never make those kinds of choices again.” She said with finality. She took just a moment to collect herself. The weight hadn’t lifted from her shoulders. This wasn’t some huge relief that she could finally take her mind away from. This was a skeleton in the closet, and she’d been given the opportunity to open the door. And now, that door would stay open. Every once in a while, she’d catch sight of the bones as she passed it by, and she might give it an acknowledging nod from time to time. But the fact of the matter was that she was done hiding it, ignoring it, or pretending like it wasn’t still in there. Telrenya reached for the rapier on her hip. Movement across from her caught her attention and her eyes flew back up to find it. She gripped the hilt of her weapon only to find the masked Erin across from her ready to draw hers just the same. Telrenya’s lips pressed tightly together and her jaw clenched with the confirmation that this was going to be another fight. Uncomfortably fitting that she would have to face off against her masked persona, she thought. She readied herself with another steady breath, then in one quick motion she drew her rapier and slashed across through the air in front of her so that she stood wielding it firmly at an angle by her side. The masked figure matched her movements as she did so. At that exact moment, a sharp discomfort on the back of her calf caused her to wince. Her knee flinched forward, and she took her eyes off of her opponent to whip her head around and try to catch sight of what struck her. Her footing made a mad scramble to shift as behind her she caught sight of that smooth silver mask. The figure–herself? Erin? She wasn’t sure what to think of it as just yet–was standing directly behind her now and the surprise had jolted Telrenya into a defensive panic. She put a couple of steps between them and raised her blade, to which The Mask raised hers as well. Holding that stance, Telrenya hesitantly edged her vision to the left, slowly turning her head so as to steal a glance back over her shoulder. The masked figure was gone from where it had stood before, and the only contrast against the void was the real Erin, still standing there expressionless. ’Weird…’ She returned her attention to her front and thankfully The Mask had stayed put. It squared off with her, each of them poised to strike. Quote Telrenya | HP: 700/700 | EN: 96/108 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | EVA:4 | LD:1 +1EN 2/3 posts to fully recover Edited Wednesday at 08:12 PM by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted February 14 Author #7 Share Posted February 14 (edited) ✧♪✦⋆♫⋆✦♪✧ The fight began. Telrenya made the first move, lunging forward and attempting a quick jab. Her shot went wide, as the threat of The Mask’s own stabbing blade caused her to twist her shoulders and dodge to the side. Her own rapier tip caught the air beside the same dodging motion. They clashed, their swords emitting pixelated sparks as they slammed into and scraped against each other. Every mirrored motion and perfectly-timed movement left Telrenya grinding her teeth. Another clash. Another parry. She refused to give an inch of ground, and so her double did the same. It didn’t take her long at all to realize that they were perfectly in sync. If she didn’t figure out a way to land a hit, they would be here all day. She straightened up. Took a step back. Caught her breath. The Mask doubled the space between them. Another step. Maybe a sword art? Telrenya glanced down at her rapier, wondering if it could replicate that, too. Anything was worth a try until she found the right angle. She took another few steps to put a healthy distance between them, but suddenly a force clamped down on the back of her neck, locking in and squeezing at the base of her skull with such an intensity that the shock caused her to fumble the grip on her weapon. ”No-!” Celestial Dawn hit the ground with a dampened clatter at the same time that Telrenya felt the solid footing underneath her disappear. Her legs instinctively kicked, searching for purchase where it could no longer be found. She was being lifted, inches away from the invisible ground, by a force that she couldn’t see. After a couple seconds of her struggling, her attacker made themselves known. ”Long time no see, princess.” The voice nearly caused the blood in her veins to freeze over. Erin–this representation of the real player Erin–had finally sprung to life. He sounded to relish the control he exerted in this moment. That wasn’t unlike him. ”That was real inspiring. Almost made me forget what a pain in the ass that whole bit was.” He growled. ”I played so nice. Followed along with your stupid little rules. Waited. That was my mistake.” Venom dripped from his voice, the only thing Telrenya could perceive of him as she was held painfully aloft. She grimaced in discomfort, trying to reach behind the back of her neck to grab and claw at his hand, his wrist, or his arm, but to seemingly no effect. ”Watching your little game fall apart was fun, but it wasn’t worth my time. I should’ve just taken my payment.” His grip tightened, squeezing and forcing a pained cry out of her. Telrenya was afraid of Erin. She always had been. A shady womanizer with an imposing presence and emerald eyes that cut right through her. Of course she would be afraid of him. She originally sought him out to ask for his cooperation, but from the moment she put his face to that name with their first meeting, she knew that he simply enjoyed watching her squirm. With each favor, with every new stipulation to their amorphous agreement, that fear grew. Something deep inside of her told Telrenya that the reason he stuck around for as long as he did was because it meant the power he held over her swelled a little bit each day that he played a part in her charade. A second hand clasped onto her, and Erin’s grip shifted fully around Telrenya’s neck to elicit a choking breath from her lungs. The air was squeezed out from her throat and couldn’t make its way back in. The weight of that power came down on her, suffocating her, and her struggle grew more desperate. She kicked the air and grasped at the rigid fingers holding her up by her windpipe. ”I–’m…not–” Sounds escaped her, choked out as her eyes wrenched shut. They opened again to see The Mask moving on its own now. They bent down, taking a runner’s stance. The metal of the rapier they still held began to glow a shimmering blue. ”Not–” Her vision blurred for just a moment. The corners of her eyes grew wet and she moved a desperate hand towards her belt. It fumbled blindly to find the right pouch, digging and grasping for a small bottle made of swirling frosted glass. The Mask shot forward, her rapier letting out a soft hum with the activation of a sword art. A vibrant pulse of energy crackled and surged straight towards Telrenya. She mustered every crumb of strength and endured the numbing pressure crushing her throat to hurriedly fumble with the bottle’s cork, barely able to get a solid grip on it, and yank hard. A shrill, skull-splitting screech flooded the cold air. The pressure on Telrenya’s neck suddenly vanished, and the sensation of falling overtook her. –SHUNK– There the two demons stood: Erin, hands clapped over his ears with a mixture of pain and shock contorting his expression, and The Mask, poised low in a deep forward lunge with one arm extended and rapier gripped tightly. A small trail of sparkling blue fragments were spilling out from Erin’s abdomen where the weapon plunged into him, its humming glow slowly fading away to signal the execution of a sword art. Silence fell as the two figures were seemingly frozen in time. Between them, Telrenya lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. She drew in a raspy, uncomfortable gasp of air and her eyes flew open to find the masked woman looming over her. She coughed and grasped at her neck, fighting to recover the ability to breathe. Telrenya hardly had a moment to take in the scene surrounding her before her instincts screamed at her to act. With the effects of the banshee’s bottled scream soon wearing off on her foes, her hand reached out to her side and groped at the air, the ground, searching for her fallen weapon. Her eyes flickered downwards for just long enough to catch the glint of golden filigree and her arm stretched to grasp hold of the black leather handle. In one swift motion she rolled to her side and thrust upwards to stab cleanly through the center of The Mask’s chest with another sound of pierced flesh to cut through the silence. The Mask would have fallen to a knee if it wasn’t for Telrenya’s blade. They made to collapse, but were held in place by the weapon that skewered them. The sudden weight caused her sword arm to tremble, and Telrenya forced it to one side where her outstretched arm and The Mask both fell to the ground with a ’thud’. She loosened, then released her grip on the weapon. Pushing herself to the side, she slowly picked herself up enough to take in the sight of the two dying figures before her. The only hint of motion came from the continuing stream of fragmented light that now spilled out steadily from each of their bodies. Telrenya heaved a few breaths and winced as she braced herself with a hand firmly planted on one knee and pushed herself to her feet. When she stood straight, both figures ruptured, bursting into thousands of crystalized data fragments. Celestial Dawn clattered softly on the ground. As their death animations glittered away and left her in complete darkness, Telrenya let out one full, shaky breath past her lips. A hand reached up and lingered at the base of her neck, the numbness fading so quickly that it surprised her. ”I’m not going to let you control me.” She said softly. »Free Action: Use Item: «Bottled Banshee Scream» - Stun all enemies for 1 Turn »Post Action: ST-I vs. Erin & The Mask: Second Inner Demon ID#: 240995 | BD: 2+4=6 [Hit] (-14EN) | MD: 8 Telrenya dealt 21 * 15 - 7 MIT = 308 DMG Quote +1EN Telrenya | HP: 700/700 | EN: 83/108 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | EVA:4 | LD:1 Erin & The Mask: Second Inner Demon | HP: 0/231 | DMG: 83 | MIT:7 Edited Wednesday at 08:13 PM by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted February 15 Author #8 Share Posted February 15 (edited) ✧♪✦⋆♫⋆✦♪✧ Going from one void of complete darkness to another of complete light was not as jarring as she would have thought. She blinked heavily for just a moment, but her eyes had no issue adjusting to her surroundings. Telrenya’s shoulders sagged. She wanted to rest. Just how many more challenges awaited her? ”Two remain.” As if responding to her jumbled thoughts, the unexpected voice of the shape caused her to jump. She exhaled a sigh. It was pointing again, past her, to what was inevitably another door. She almost turned to look at what was next in store for her, but instead she glanced towards the ground. ”Do I…have time to rest?” She asked with a nervous uncertainty. ”An eternity.” Her bottom lip stiffened up as this figure rattled her. She wished they were more…personable. It would be nice to have someone to talk to in between these trials. Someone more human, at least. Still, it seemed not to mind her lingering in this intermediate space with it, so she cautiously looked to her feet before dropping down to take a seat. She crossed her legs in front of her and adjusted her clothes. She took some time to think. —-- Next, Telrenya found herself on a lit city street lined with cobblestone paths. ’Taft.’ She recognized the square in a heartbeat, considering she had been living in the town for months. The door that led her here bore a much more vague indication of what she would encounter here: an empty, dark hooded cloak beneath a shining sun. She had tried to anticipate where the trials might send her next, but she wasn’t expecting this place. It filled her with dread and anxiety. Still, she wanted to see this through. She had to. She trusted in Ryo’s advice, and now she needed to trust herself. She carried herself through the quiet streets at dusk and listened to her own footsteps knocking on the stone walkway. Being left to stew in her thoughts seemed to be the natural beginning to each of these places. A few minutes had passed when suddenly a distant, panicked scream rang out and pierced through the silence. Telrenya jolted to attention, stopping in her tracks and trying to determine which direction it had come from. She ran forward, head swiveling as she looked down each alleyway and branching street she passed by until she spotted a figure running in her direction. She practically skidded to a stop and planted herself at the intersection to find a person with a terrified expression running her way. ”Hello?!” She shouted, voice filled with concern and confusion. ”Are–are you okay?!” She wasn’t sure what was going on, but this person didn’t look like a threat–they looked like they were in trouble. Rounding the corner behind them flew an ominous figure: a dark cloak enveloped in smoky shadows. In front of it floated a massive scythe, as if the cloaked shape willed it to move through the air. There was no time to wonder how. Its form billowed in fast pursuit, closing the distance towards the person at an alarming rate. Telrenya met the stranger’s eyes. ”H-help! Help me! Please!” They shouted. Her chest tightened and she leaned forward. ”Hurry, this way!” She beckoned. Taft was a safe zone, but that knowledge gave her very little reassurance. It sure didn’t feel like this thing nor this place were going to play by the rules that she knew. They stumbled to turn the corner so quickly that Telrenya reached out to grab their arm and steady them. ”Come on!” She broke out into a run down the main street with this person at her side. Her mind raced. Where could they go? Maybe if they made it to the inn, or some other building, they might be able to find a safe haven. A strong wind nipped at her heels and the sound of cloth billowing in the wind caught her attention. She glanced over her shoulder for a split second and her eyes widened. ”Look out!” In a panic, she reached over and pushed the other person aside. They went tumbling against the cobblestone floor and Telrenya fell back the other way as she recoiled from the effort. In their place a giant curved blade swung down to cut through the air where their bodies had just been. The disembodied cloak flew forward, past them, as if the momentum of its chase continued to carry it forward. She grit her teeth with discomfort and quickly pushed herself up. The other person lay dazed on the other side of the walkway. ”Are you alright? Let’s find cover, we can hide–” Before she could urge them back on their feet, the scythe-wielding cloak had doubled back and rushed at them again. It was moving too fast. She might not be able to dodge it again. No, it wasn’t aiming for her. Her eyes were wide and her body carried her before she had any time to think–there wasn’t any time to think. She clambered up and over to where the person lay on the ground, just as the scythe came down again. A bead of sweat ran from Telrenya’s brow down the length of her face. She panted heavily from the exertion and adrenaline that surged through her body. She held herself up, palms planted firmly on the ground past either of the shoulders of the stranger who lay beneath her. Her eyes opened slowly after having been wrenched tightly shut, and she met the shocked expression of this person, eyes wide. A sound escaped their open mouth. A fractured noise, like a strained groan. Telrenya’s eyes wandered down the length of them until they landed on the glint of metal. A staggeringly long, curved blade was lodged through both of their chests. She froze. ’It doesn’t…hurt…’ Her definition of ‘hurting’ had changed since living in Aincrad, but she was stunned to not feel anything at all. No dull ache, no tingling numbness, nothing. She lifted one hand from the ground and reached towards her chest. She went to grasp the edge of the blade, but her fingers felt no purchase. They simply curled in on themselves. ”What?” She whispered. The person beneath her vanished into an explosion of light blue fragments. Telrenya froze, kneeling there while the scythe pulled back, phasing right through her and leaving her sight. The tiny lights dissipated all around her, one after another. The hair on the back of her next stood straight and the sweat down her neck ran cold. Several long moments passed before she slowly sat up, turning to look behind her with eyes still wide. The huge shadowy cloak loomed, hovering above the ground. Its raised hood, with no face or body visible inside of it, seemed to be tilted towards her, regarding her with an otherworldly indifference. The scythe floated, suspended in front of it at an angle with the curve facing downward. ”What…is this? What are you?” Her words were small, shuddering, barely more than a whisper. Quote Telrenya | HP: 700/700 | EN: 84/108 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | EVA:4 | LD:1 +1EN 1/3 posts to fully recover Edited Wednesday at 08:13 PM by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted Monday at 02:36 AM Author #9 Share Posted Monday at 02:36 AM (edited) ✧♪✦⋆♫⋆✦♪✧ Of course it didn’t–or wouldn’t–answer her. It silently turned away from her as another distant voice yelled against the silence. Then another. Another scream. A cry for help. Telrenya opened her mouth again to speak, but the cloak flew off. ”Wait!” She shakily but hurriedly pushed herself to her feet. She ran to follow, to try to figure out what was going on. She witnessed another person running out into the main square as she came upon it, with a different, identical scythe-bearing cloak following after them. It closed the gap quickly and struck them down in a single blow. Telrenya came to a halt as her whole body locked up. ”Stop.” A small group of people came from the other side, but a new monster cut them off and made quick work of them. ”Stop this. Please.” Another scream. Another swing of the scythe. ”Leave them alone…! Stop it, stop hurting everyone!” Telrenya found her voice, and with it she drew her rapier. A violent rush of despair and rage contorted her expression and she ran straight for the cloaked monster ahead of her, letting out an anguished battle cry. A sharp force collided with her side and the wind was knocked out of her. She was roughly lifted at her midsection and she felt the handle of her rapier slip through her fingers. The golden metal clattered to the ground as Telrenya was thrown over someone’s shoulder. “Hey—!” She was jostled heavily as the person beneath her was running away from the village square. Away from the danger. ”Wait, stop!” She tried to push herself up, shoving against muddled green cloth. “Let go of me! I have to help them! I have to do something—!” Her words were cut short as she was thrown backwards through an opened doorway. She let out a scream and grunt as she tumbled back, knocking into furniture. She crashed to a stop with her feet up against a wall and the back of her head against the ground. A groan escaped her, and she opened her eyes in time to see an upside-down door swinging shut ahead of her. “No…!” She scrambled to flip herself over to her hands and knees, shuffling forward and reaching out in vain. Quote Telrenya | HP: 700/700 | EN: 85/108 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | EVA:4 | LD:1 +1EN 2/3 posts to fully recover Edited Wednesday at 08:13 PM by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted Monday at 02:42 AM Author #10 Share Posted Monday at 02:42 AM She was alone. Except for her destructive entrance, the entryway she found herself in was plain and clean. And then she recognized it. This was Jomei’s house. Complex emotions tangled in the pit of her stomach and she looked back towards the door. Why here? Was there still danger outside? Was she really alone? ’Please don’t show me him…’ She thought weakly. Even if these were all just some sort of complicated dreams, she couldn’t face Jomei. Not yet. She pulled herself to her feet and held a hand in front of her chest. Despite that looming apprehension, that uncertainty, she felt a small wave of comfort. It was almost nostalgic, being here again. It was nice. It was home. She looked around. The living room, the kitchen… The spaces were untouched, but not abandoned. She righted the small side table that she crashed into a minute ago and placed the items that had fallen back onto it. The last one gave her pause: a recording crystal. The tapped on it and the song it held came to life, one she had heard many times before. ✧♪✦⋆♫⋆✦♪✧ A song of Jomei’s. She closed her eyes, listening quietly to its beautiful melody, and when the song drew to a close she instinctively reached out and let the crystal fall into her palm rather than clatter on the table. She brought her other hand up to wipe the fresh tears that had silently rolled down her cheeks. Why couldn’t things have just stayed as they were? Telrenya looked back to the front door. She had forgotten… Even from just minutes ago, she had forgotten the horrors taking place right outside. Was anything even still out there? If she didn’t open that door, would she even have anything to worry about? It all left a lump in her throat. She turned and hurriedly climbed the stairs. Still empty. She rounded the corner to the bedroom and felt another wave of nostalgia. It was strange being here alone, again, but she was too comforted by the familiarity of it. She remembered organizing inventories in drawers like one would sort through old clothes. She remembered sneaking out of bed in the morning to be the first one to start a pot of tea and make breakfast. She remembered having one-sided conversations with Adere, swearing that the owl familiar perfectly understood all the little nuances of her stories. She was flooded with warm memories, so why did something feel…wrong? Her eyes drifted toward the balcony, shrouded by soft white curtains. She inched closer, as if something was pulling her, beckoning her to the window. What was she forgetting? Was it important? Her hand idly brushed against the neatly-made bedsheets and she looked down for a moment. The only thing that was missing… That’s right, it’s just that Jomei wasn’t here. He would be home soon, surely. He never stayed out all night without messaging. She brought a hand up and swiped down through the air to summon her menus. ”Huh?” That was strange. Nothing happened. Maybe that’s what was making her feel so uneasy, something was just wrong with the game right now. Oh well, things would surely right themselves before too long. …What time was it, anyway? Should she get something ready for dinner? She looked back up towards the balcony. She could always tell how close to sundown it was by where the light shone on the tower on the far side of Taft. She walked the rest of the way over to take a quick look. She drew back the curtain, unlatched the sliding door, and stepped out onto the small balcony. Quote Telrenya | HP: 700/700 | EN: 108/108 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | EVA:4 | LD:1 +1EN 3/3 posts to fully recover Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted Monday at 02:46 AM Author #11 Share Posted Monday at 02:46 AM (edited) ✧♪✦⋆♫⋆✦♪✧ She was met with a flood of nightmares against an inky blue sky. A chilled wind tousled her hair and clothes. Large cloaked figures practically overlapped as they billowed through the cityscape with deadly scythes raised high and poised to strike. A dozen reapers patrolling the streets, cutting down anything that dared to breathe. ’Why?’ Why did she forget? She felt a heat on her cheeks and reached up to feel the wetness on her skin. When did she start crying? She felt her chest burn with a rigid tightness and her bottom lip quivered with a wave of anguish that flooded up from her throat, impossible to suppress. She let out a cry. A horrible, gut-wrenching cry of despair. Her hands curled around the iron bannister and held their grip as her knees shook and gave out beneath her. Tears fell anew and in abundance as she sobbed, her hair spilling past her shoulders. She was filled to the brim with questions and was ready to beg for the answers. What is this place? Why was she here? Was she supposed to choose? Did she have to choose between comfort and safety or fighting to the death? Was there a wrong answer? If she was supposed to fight, why didn’t she just die earlier? Did it even matter? Could she even make a difference? Why was it so wrong to just want to ignore all that? »Post Action: ST-I vs. ???: Third Inner Demon ID#: 241170 | BD: 1 [Critical Miss] (-2EN) | MD: 10 [Critical Hit] ???: Third Inner Demon dealt 126-44 = 82 DMG Quote Telrenya | HP: 618/700 | EN: 106/108 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | EVA:4 | LD:1 ???: Third Inner Demon | HP: 350/350 | DMG: 126 | MIT:11 Edited Monday at 03:03 AM by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted Monday at 03:00 AM Author #12 Share Posted Monday at 03:00 AM (edited) Ah. Telrenya’s shoulders heaved with a shaky gasp, choking through another wave of raw emotion. Her hands fell from the railing and balled into fists in her lap. It was beginning to make sense. The puzzle pieces she had been grasping for were taking shape between her fingers and starting to fit together, but to what end? She hated this so much it made her throat burn. She didn’t want to do this anymore. She wished to be out of here, she wished to be safe, and to be warm, and to be at peace, and to be home. Where was home? Revelations hit her one after another, square in the chest until it felt like she couldn’t breathe anymore. These were the questions that picked away at her soul like a fresh scab. These were the questions that stoked a fissure in her heart where her loved ones resided. These were the questions that she shoved down so far she couldn’t hear them anymore. This was what she had to face, wasn’t it? She brought her fists up and dragged them across her cheeks, fanning out her fingers and trying to mop up all of the emotion that were seeping out of her. She blinked, eyes stinging, and took in the sights past those thin iron bars in front of her again. The screams, echoing past dimly-lit streets. She would think later. She prayed there was time to think later. »Post Action: ST-I vs. ???: Third Inner Demon ID#: 241171 | BD: 7+3=11 [Hit] (-14EN) | MD: 3-4=-1 [Miss] Telrenya dealt 21 * 15 - 11 MIT = 304 DMG Quote +1EN Telrenya | HP: 618/700 | EN: 93/108 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | EVA:4 | LD:1 ???: Third Inner Demon | HP: 46/350 | DMG: 126 | MIT:11 Edited Wednesday at 08:13 PM by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted Monday at 03:08 AM Author #13 Share Posted Monday at 03:08 AM (edited) She pulled herself up, shakily at first, bracing herself against the bannister. She felt so drained: her muscles ached and her head was cloudy. She lifted one leg over the railing, then the other, gripping onto it tightly while she planted her heels onto the bit of ledge on the other side. She faced the town proper and spotted the glint of metal off in the distance where Celestial Dawn lay among the cobblestones. She grasped firmly onto the metal railing and steeled herself. This moment wasn’t about what she wanted. To confront this demon meant to set her feelings aside. It meant doing what was right. She sucked in a breath and held it, her chest puffing with apprehension and a resolve for battle. She clenched her muscles, bent her knees, and locked eyes on the nearest cloak as it drew even closer in her direction. The bottoms of Telrenya’s boots slid against the cracked cobblestones where she landed hard, knees bent and frame low to the ground. Her momentum carried her forward into a roll that closed the remaining gap between her and her weapon, and she grabbed the hilt in one swift motion as she sprang back up to face the reaper in a fighting stance. Celestial Dawn began to glow with a wild aura. «Death», the name beside her opponent’s health bar read, with a title written underneath: «Third Inner Demon». It was painfully fitting, but the name rung in Telrenya’s ears. ‘Am I…really that afraid of dying?’ She had to wonder. She hadn’t given it that much thought. At least, not recently. Not enough that she would have expected it to be haunting her like this. No, that wasn’t exactly right… Cardinal let out a small whine emanating from her rapier. The sword art eagerly awaited her, and with the system’s gentle pull Telrenya launched into the air towards the monster. She unleashed a barrage of quick strikes, a dozen, two dozen swift jabs of her blade raining down and piercing through the empty cloak until it was torn to shreds. She landed on the opposite side of her opponent as its form fell, fluttering softly. The huge scythe clattered to the ground with a massive noise, and then exploded into light blue pixels. »Post Action: ST-I vs. Death: Third Inner Demon ID#: 241172 | BD: 4+3=7 [Hit] (-14EN) | MD: 4 Telrenya dealt 21 * 15 - 11 MIT = 304 DMG Quote +1EN Telrenya | HP: 618/700 | EN: 80/108 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | EVA:4 | LD:1 Death: Third Inner Demon | HP: 0/350 | DMG: 126 | MIT:11 Edited Wednesday at 08:26 PM by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted Monday at 03:32 AM Author #14 Share Posted Monday at 03:32 AM (edited) ✧♪✦⋆♫⋆✦♪✧ She thought back to that encounter with the stranger she had tried to protect. ”I’m…” She hesitated, slowly thinking things through and forming the words, ”I’m less afraid of what it will do to me…but more afraid of it taking others away.” She concluded softly. She thought about each name she’d seen crossed out on the Monument of Life. Those she knew, and those she didn’t. Every frontliner. She remembered every time she tried to talk Jomei out of attending the next floor boss raid. She remembered staying up all night worrying over whether any of them wouldn’t come back. She remembered working so hard to make it there herself, so that Jomei and Ruby and the others would have one more fighting spirit up there with them. She remembered that spirit withering into complacency. Fresh tears began to trickle softly down her cheeks–a calmer storm than the untamed sorrow she had felt earlier. “There were so many of them, and they were all so strong… I know you’re strong, too, I know we both were, I…” She swallowed past the lump in her throat, holding her gaze high towards that old balcony. ”I was so sure… They would be okay without you. You’ve done so much. I just wanted—” Her voice finally broke and she choked on her words for a moment. Thoughts and feelings that seemed so impossible to untangle flooded her mind. ”I wanted us to have a safe, happy life. I still do.” She admitted. ”I didn’t want to stop having adventures, I just… didn’t want to think about the floor bosses anymore. One hundred floors…” A shudder ran through her, carrying into her breath. ”Everything felt so perfect, and the thought of losing you, I—“ Again, she faltered. Her chin fell and her hands balled into reluctant fists at her sides. She had picked her next words, but when she opened her mouth the weight of them stole the air from her lungs. Her bottom lip trembled as she tried to hold some fraction of composure. She took in a short, gasping sob, ”But then I lost you anyway.” The landscape faded out around her, a bright white light overtaking every brick, window, and street lamp until a blank canvas was all that remained. Telrenya sank to her knees just before the refractions of color began to seep into her surroundings. She released the grip on her rapier, letting the guard clatter as she weakly shoved it aside. She just needed to cry for a while. Quote Telrenya | HP: 618/700 | EN: 81/108 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | EVA:4 | LD:1 +1EN 1/3 posts to fully recover Edited Wednesday at 08:14 PM by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted Wednesday at 02:45 AM Author #15 Share Posted Wednesday at 02:45 AM (edited) ✧♪✦⋆♫⋆✦♪✧ It felt like there was more to say. Weak embers still stirring within her heart. Not some burning confession or eye-opening revelation, just…more thoughts to express, more feelings to describe, more words that longed to be spoken. ”An address lacking its audience proves wasteful.” The shape faced her from a distance. There was a long silence. “You said I could be here for a while, right?” Her voice was weak, barely more than a whisper. She had no energy left to speak up or call out to them. ”An eternity.” It repeated. Telrenya merely braced herself against the ground, lowering further until she lay on her side. She had to rest. Another trial, any caliber of demon or spectre that yet still lurked in this place would have to wait, lest this endeavor prove too much for her. Her eyes fluttered open and nothing had changed. Had she fallen asleep? She became aware of the throbbing soreness suddenly present in her limbs, but had little way of knowing how much time had passed. She propped herself up and rubbed at her face. She felt awful. Tired eyes looked around the empty space. She reached a hand out in front of her and pulled it down, but no menu appeared in response. ”A projection may only engage with what lies inside.” That was the most meaningful insight she’d gotten from the shape about this place so far. Even so, the sense of defeat caused her shoulders to fall. She thought briefly about whether or not she could get through the last leg of this journey. About whether or not it was worth it. Mustering a bubble of willpower, she sat up, crossed her legs in front of her, and stared at her hands while she began to ruminate. Death_Adder. Erin. “Death” itself. These were the demons that weighed on her soul, and she had vanquished each one. Had she felt better about confronting any of them so far? Despite how tough, how harrowing, and how painful they had been to navigate, could she say that her soul felt any lighter for them? ’I… I think so.’ She spotted the shape out of the corner of her eye, and she looked up towards it. ”The last one… It’s, it’s meant to be the hardest. Right?” ”Each challenge harbors more dread than the last. More powerful is each demon residing within.” Her eyes fell back to her lap. What could possibly be worse? Quote Telrenya | HP: 618/700 | EN: 82/108 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | EVA:4 | LD:1 +1EN 2/3 posts to fully recover Edited Wednesday at 08:14 PM by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted Wednesday at 02:47 AM Author #16 Share Posted Wednesday at 02:47 AM (edited) ✧♪✦⋆♫⋆✦♪✧ She knew this place. Of course she did. It smelled just like she remembered: springtime. Her favorite flowers sprung from those well-manicured bushes in her neighbor’s yard. They made her walk home a little more enjoyable every day. She felt the weight of a bag slung across her shoulder and she looked down to find herself dressed in a nice pair of leggings, a pleated white skirt, and a soft blue top with baggy sleeves that reached just past her elbows. She knew those clothes, too. ”Oh, Estelle?” A familiar voice called out that pulled tenderly at her chest. Without thinking, she turned to see a blonde woman with a tidy bob and simple blue earrings leaning out just past the doorway. ”I want to make hamburg steak for tonight, would you pick up some ketchup on your way home? …Estelle?” She blinked at her name, and the woman responded with a sympathetic sigh. ”Are you okay walking by yourself today?” She asked with a gentler tone. ”O-of course. I’ll be fine!” The response was delayed and almost frantic, like she had nearly missed her line while taking center stage. Her face most assuredly betrayed her words, and the woman simply took on a weak, crooked smile in kind. ”Do you want to stay home, sweetheart? I’m sure they would understand.” ”No, no! It’s okay! I’ll be home after class.” She felt stilted, like she was reciting words messily written onto a cheat-sheet. Instinctively, she turned in a hurry and began to trot off down the walkway. ”Don't forget the ketchup!” She heard her mother calling behind her. “Class…?” She repeated in a tiny voice. It all felt like a dream. As if by instinct, she carried herself down her usual route towards her old university. Thoughts swirled in her head as she could only wonder what was happening. Was this…real? She slowed to a gradual stop. Acting on the first thought to come to mind, Estelle reached her hands up to either side of her face, squeezed her eyes shut, and brought them swiftly against her cheeks with a crisp slap! ’Ow?’ Did that hurt? She opened her eyes with a dismayed expression and her head swirled with uncertainty. Maybe? What did that mean? She hurriedly reached out and swiped her hand through the air. Nothing happened. Again. Again! She flailed her arm in front of her, neither relieved nor distressed. Just frustrated. Her menus weren’t working in those other places, either, so that didn’t actually mean a whole lot. She looked around, unable to find another soul along her path. That was normal for this time of day, though, she thought. She turned back the way she had been heading and jogged the rest of the way up the hill where the corner store stood. Maybe if she could find someone else, she could figure out a very normal way of asking them if this was all in her head. Quote Telrenya | HP: 700/700 | EN: 108/108 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | EVA:4 | LD:1 +1EN 3/3 posts to fully recover Edited Wednesday at 05:41 PM by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted Wednesday at 07:47 PM Author #17 Share Posted Wednesday at 07:47 PM (edited) ✧♪✦⋆♫⋆✦♪✧ But as she crested that hill, breathing a bit heavier, she was met with a horizon that didn’t quite match the still, mid-morning air that settled on her cheeks or the twittering of birds that intermingled with the noise of the train crossing two blocks over. She was instead met with rolling hills of lush green grass that rippled in wide arcs from a fresh, strong breeze. A sky painted with all different shades of deep blue, orange, pink, and purple as the sun hung low. In the distance lay a sprawling city surrounded by curved walls that stretched on for miles, twinkling to life through street lamps and window lights at the approach of dusk. Ahead of her stood the first floor of Aincrad. It was beautiful. She stood frozen, overwhelmed by the jarring change in scenery. Slowly, as if she might upset the universe with any sudden movements, she turned to look behind her. There, her hometown in Kyoto stood still, just as she left it. Her feet felt heavy, but the gears in her head were beginning to turn. She was still in the game. Still inside of the waterfall trials. She was at the final junction. This place where the real world and the game world stood opposite each other, where her two lives beckoned and pulled at her from either side of this literal threshold: this was her final demon. ”I suppose…that makes sense.” Her soft, simple words rang with a quiet guilt. Yet the goal was unclear. How was she to conquer this ‘demon’? Was she meant to choose one over the other? She heaved a sigh. Estelle ended up sitting at the top of that cobblestone hill, knees pulled in towards her chest and arms folded over top of them. She silently watched the sunset in Aincrad while the daytime birds chirped behind her. Loneliness began to creep in as she wondered how far she might have to wander before the creature she was meant to fight would show up this time. Her thoughts were so adrift she hardly noticed anyone walking in the field ahead of her until a voice called out. ”Tel?” Her body jolted with a start. The familiar sound shot through her and nearly caused her heart to skip a beat. Her head snapped up to attention to find its source. Sure enough, an orange-haired man in a green cloak stood across from her with an expression almost as stunned as her own. ”Jomei…” His username felt foreign on her tongue as she whispered it. A moment passed in stunned silence, and then the image of Jomei took swift strides to close the gap between them. Instinctively, Estelle quickly picked herself up off the ground and did the same. Just a few steps forward. She spotted the transition from concrete to grass and anticipated the difference in texture underneath her feet. Instead, she felt a heavy force push back against her as her entire body slammed into some unseen object. She stumbled backwards, narrowly catching herself, and brought a hand to her tingling nose, her expression scrunched up around it in discomfort. ”Tel! Are you okay? Can you hear me?” Jomei was practically right in front of her, but paused where the scenery shifted. He brought up a hand and gingerly reached out until his fingers pressed against the barrier that stood between them. Attempting to recover, Estelle looked puzzled. ”I… What is this?” Her breath caught in her throat while her mind was busy doing somersaults. Reality proved a difficult grappling partner. Everyone and everything so far had been a result of the waterfall trials, so surely this Jomei couldn’t be the real one. Even so, her bottom lip went stiff. ”I don’t…understand yet. What is this supposed to mean?” She thought aloud, inching forward until she also pressed a hand into the invisible wall. Jomei looked confused himself. He flattened his palm against the barrier and put some weight behind it, but his arm didn’t move an inch. ”Hold on… I’ll–I’ll figure something out.” She glanced up towards him briefly, but tore her eyes away. Her chest hurt. This was awkward. Then something else caught her attention. She noticed another player off to the side of them whose gaze was fixed on something past her. Estelle’s brows narrowed with a touch of concern over the look of disbelief they wore. ”Mom? The call escaped their throat like a hoarse whisper. Estelle froze briefly, but turned slowly to look behind her. She spotted a woman walking out of a shop with a bag on her arm. She wore a smile and called something over her shoulder before closing the door behind her and turning away to walk back down the street. ”Mom! It’s me!” The player ran forward and slammed into the barrier before Estelle could even open her mouth to shout a warning. They must have been around her age, maybe a little younger. They wore standard mid-level gear with a curved sword sheathed at their side. They scrambled to get back to their feet and pressed two open palms up against the wall. ”Wait! Mom, wait! Don’t go!” Tears welled in their eyes as their hands grasped for some edge to grab onto, some way to break through the barrier and get to the other side. Edited Wednesday at 07:48 PM by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted Wednesday at 07:58 PM Author #18 Share Posted Wednesday at 07:58 PM (edited) ✧♪✦⋆♫⋆✦♪✧ Estelle stood perplexed with a weight settling into her chest. She looked back to the woman and took a few hurried steps to catch up to her before she’d disappeared from view. ”Um! Excuse me!” She called out. To her relief, the woman stopped and turned back towards her. ”S-sorry to bother you. I, um… Do you see?” She pointed across towards where the player stood against the threshold. ”Is… is that your son?” She couldn’t come up with a more delicate way to address the situation, but the way the woman’s expression shifted from confusion to silent anguish practically made her squirm. ”Please don’t make such a bad joke.” The woman glowered at her. ”I don’t know who you are or how you know about my son, but you should know that we are all waiting for a miracle that may never come.” The woman looked as if she wanted to strike her, and she might have very well done so if the weight of grief hadn’t caused her shoulders to fall. The woman turned on her heel. Estelle was taken aback, standing shocked from the emotionally-charged response, when the cries of the player behind her snapped her back to reality. Did she not see them? Could she not see any of it? She was dumbfounded for only a moment before the commotion branched into another exchange. A distressed young woman called out for someone else. Estelle looked back towards Aincrad to see a handful of players now up against the barrier, each with a palpable sense of desperation about them. The world around her had also begun to buzz with life. Where she had been sitting on the hilltop in isolation just minutes ago, people went about their days going in and out of shops, cycling down the road, and chatting as they walked alongside others. She looked around for any hint, any indication that someone could see the players on the other side of the barrier. Nothing. She turned and ran back up to where Jomei stood, now surrounded by others. They pounded with their fists, pushed with all their might, screamed as loudly as they could, to no avail. Jomei just looked stressed, confused, and worried. No matter how much he tried to calm the people around him, nothing worked. ”Jomei! I… I’m not sure what to do!” The chaos was beginning to get to her. She watched as he nearly lost his footing, jostled by another player trying to get past him. He braced against the wall and reluctantly replied, ”I’m not sure, either… This thing isn’t budging even with this many people going at it.” She knew it wouldn’t make a difference, but she raised her own hand anyway and brought the side of her fist to pound against the barrier. It was like she was slamming her hand into solid rock. ”Ow…” She muttered, shaking her fingers in front of her. She took a few steps back, trying to keep her head from spinning amid the cacophony of pleading cries, and that’s when she saw it. Her head tilted back and her eyes landed on the large text that hovered high above her. «Severance» Her heart dropped, as did her shoulders. She stood dwarfed by her fourth and final inner demon in disbelief. ”I… How…?” Where her hand weakly reached for her opposite hip, she felt only the soft canvas of her bag instead of the rigid metal of her rapier’s guard. Dismay washed over her. How was she supposed to fight something like this as just…Estelle? She looked around. Maybe there was something she could use, a clue somewhere, a way to turn off the barrier that didn’t require it to be stabbed. That’s when she noticed all of the other eyes on her. Onlookers, regular people going about their day that noticed her acting so strangely in the middle of the walking path. Her cheeks went pink. She gripped the strap of her bag and shuffled awkwardly off to one side of the street to pull it over her head to set her belongings on the ground. ’I have to figure this out.’ She told herself. »Post Action: ST-I vs. Severance: Fourth Inner Demon ID#: 241378 | BD: 7+3=11 [Hit] (-14EN) | MD: 10 [Critical Hit] Telrenya dealt 21 * 15 - 16 MIT = 299 DMG Severance: Fourth Inner Demon dealt 189 - 44 MIT = 145 DMG Quote Telrenya | HP: 555/700 | EN: 94/108 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | EVA:4 | LD:1 Severance: Fourth Inner Demon | HP: 226/525 | DMG: 189 | MIT:16 Edited Wednesday at 08:25 PM by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted Wednesday at 08:09 PM Author #19 Share Posted Wednesday at 08:09 PM (edited) ✧♪✦⋆♫⋆✦♪✧ As the minutes ticked by, nothing worked. She couldn’t find any hole or gap in the wall. Not a single thing could pass through or cause it to waver. Everyone around her just acted like it wasn’t there. The way they looked at her, Estelle may as well have been pacing around a brick wall all this time. ”Excuse me, miss. Do you live around here?” She turned to see a couple of men in police uniforms standing there and she froze. ”O-oh, I, um–” She stammered over an answer, stiffening up and instinctively straightening out her clothes. ”W-well, yes, I do, but I–” ”Please, would you come this way? We can walk you back to your home if you’re feeling unwell.” The second man interrupted her firmly. Estelle could almost feel the color drain from her face. She cleared her throat. ”No, no, I’m so sorry, but really I’m fine. I don’t mean to cause any worry.” She let out a very nervous chuckle as she tried desperately to talk her way out of the situation, but the officers didn’t seem convinced. One of them reached forward and gently took her arm to pull her towards them, away from the wall. She glanced back anxiously, catching Jomei’s concerned eyes among the crowd. Her reluctance seemed only to fuel the officers’ resolve in getting her away from here, and the other man circled around to place a hand on her back and guide her along. ”It’s okay, ma’am, we’re here to help you. If you tell us where you live, we can make sure you get back home safe.” ”No, really! It’s alright!” She nearly interrupted him with a desperate voice and a fake smile. This wasn’t working. The men were nearly pulling her along as she began to exhibit a hint of resistance to being ushered away. ”Tel!” Jomei’s call snapped her attention back to the other world, apprehension clear on her features. ”Please, I have to stay here. I-I have to do something.” She tried to pull away from the officers on either side of her, but they had made up their minds to remove her from the area. Her shoes skipped once along the pavement as she tried to keep her footing in place, and the situation escalated in a heartbeat. Estelle turned, trying to shoulder past them, but one man stuck his arm out and caught her in the stomach while placing another hand on her shoulder. She faced a horde of anguished players all calling out for their loved ones, for her, for anyone on the other side, and she was forced further and further away. ”Let me go! Please!” She struggled against their hold and looked to the one familiar face in the crowd. ”Liam!” This was impossible. The shouting, the pulling, the staring, the impotence, the guilt, the guilt. It was all too much. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision. She felt sick. ”I’m sorry!” She cried. ”I’m so sorry for giving up! You kept fighting and I should have been there!” She threw herself forward, straining as she lost ground while she doubled over the officer’s arm. ”There’s so many people who want to go home, and I abandoned them!” A sob escaped her while the tears stained her cheeks. ”It was too selfish. I thought–I thought I had nothing left to fight for out here, so why bother?” Her voice cracked as her tone shifted up. Her shoes scraped across the ground as she forced all of her weight into fighting back against the people trying to drag her away. ”I should have listened. I should have shared your burdens, everyone’s burdens, because that’s the right thing to do. That’s–” She choked out the words, ”That’s what James would have done… That’s what you’ve always done…!” Estelle ducked down, scrambling and wincing and tearing herself away from those restraining her. She ran. She ran straight for the barrier, as fast as she could. ”I’ll fight!” She declared. ”I’ll fight with everyone, and we’ll all go home together!” As she pulled her arms up in front of her face to brace herself for the impact, she wrenched her eyes shut. She threw herself against the barrier with everything she had, and– ’CRASH!’ The explosion of shattering glass nearly split her skull. Thousands of clear fragments burst all around her and she felt gravity take hold as she landed hard on the ground in front of her. »Post Action: ST-II vs. Severance: Fourth Inner Demon ID#: 241380 | BD: 10 [Critical Hit] (-17EN) | MD: 5 Telrenya dealt 21 * 18 - 16 MIT = 362 DMG Quote +1EN Telrenya | HP: 555/700 | EN: 78/108 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | EVA:4 | LD:1 Severance: Fourth Inner Demon | HP: 0/525 | DMG: 189 | MIT:16 Edited Wednesday at 08:17 PM by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
Telrenya 0 Posted Wednesday at 08:18 PM Author #20 Share Posted Wednesday at 08:18 PM (edited) ✧♪✦⋆♫⋆✦♪✧ When Telrenya opened her eyes and began to push herself up, she was greeted with the white landscape of the void filled with colored glass. Her heart racing, her eyes stinging, and her breathing heavy, she looked around in silence while her mind settled and tried to process everything that had just happened. ”Newfound purpose often brings a sense of enlightenment.” That voice remarked as plainly as it ever did. Telrenya pulled her knees in under her and looked over towards the shape. She had only just begun to steady herself, the events of her last trial replaying in her mind. Silence settled over them and her heart very gradually slowed to a normal pace. ”You have completed the trials.” Still wearing that unmoving smile, it gestured towards another door. A beautiful stained glass portrait of the same waterfall that brought her here in the first place. ”You may go. Discover what you have become.” The shape unsettled her in a way that was hard to describe, and yet it had served as a sort of anchoring point along the way. It was always here, it demanded nothing of her, and while the way it spoke was sometimes a little creepy, it gave her something to think about. Not as if she didn’t have enough to think about already. Telrenya stared at the door for a long while. There was that little piece of her that wanted to lay back down, to rest. She had already taken her time here, and she was so incredibly exhausted that she wondered if she could handle the trip back to Krycim. But then there was that bubbling in her chest. Those last words of hers kept echoing in the back of her skull. The vow she’d made. It felt wrong to spend any more time ruminating in here. She had plenty to occupy her mind, sure, but she didn’t need to stay holed up in her own head to sort it out. Picking herself up, she heaved a deep breath into a heavy sigh. Approaching the door, she turned to the shape and gave it a small bow. ”Thank you.” She awoke with a start, her senses flooded by the sights, smells, and sounds of the jungle oasis at night. She felt the damp chill of her soaked clothes clinging to her body and her wet hair framing her face. She saw her choppy reflection blinking back at her in the waterfall where she sat atop the flat stone and she felt a shiver run through her bones. How long had it been? A chill permeated her skin when she reached out to grab her rapier from where it sat beside her. First thing’s first: make the intimidating trek back to the teleport gate and get back home to her shop in Delilah. Although, compared to that whole ordeal, a long walk back through the jungle was nothing… Right? Thread Summary Quote Quest Complete! Word Count: 13,048 13,048 / 10 * 5 * 1 = 6524 EXP Quest Rewards: 2,000 EXP, «Meditation» skill 1 Page completed (400 col) Laurel Wreath (978 col) Telrenya receives: 8,524 EXP 1,378 col «Meditation» Extra skill unlocked Edited Wednesday at 08:33 PM by Telrenya Link to post Share on other sites
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