[PP-F9] <<Guardian of Fire>> Hot Take

[Teion 0]

The view of Taft was impressive from atop the hill where Ryo's estate proudly stood. A large window sat between Teion and the gentle breeze outside. She stood in front of it for a short time, staring through the spotless pane of glass almost wistfully before a short sound roused her from her aimless thoughts.

"Ahem. Miss Teion?" Pennyworth gave a polite clearing of the throat to catch her attention before addressing her properly. The NPC butler stood at attention like he always did. "The first-floor restroom is available in the east wing, should you like to prepare for your day." Teion's mouth turned with a wry smile that contorted with a tiny sneer at the man's underlying snark. Though she'd grown weirdly fond--or maybe just grateful--for Pennyworth's presence, she wasn't sure how Ryo put up with him at times. Granted, having just crawled out of the couch that served as her bed for the night less than ten minutes ago, she did look less than put together. "Subtle as always, Pennyworth." She remarked. He simply bowed his head in return, and Teion stole one last glance through the window before she turned and began to walk the length of the living room. Pennyworth moved to the couch to collect the pillow and blanket strewn on the furniture, posing one more question before she'd gone. "Shall I wake Master Ryo, Miss Teion? I wouldn't want him to keep you waiting for your foray." She smirked a little and nodded, "Please do. I'll lose my patience if I'm the one who has to drag him out of bed this early."

Teion approached the east wing and all of the caution tape that came with it. Practically right up against the threshold of where the mansion was nigh-eternally "under construction", she turned and opened the almost out-of-place regular door.

Minutes later, Teion's hair was brushed out and pulled up into a high ponytail and she stood in front of the mirror with a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth. One hand scrolled through her inventory to find the outfit that she'd brought to change into and the other slowly, distractedly reached back up to grab the toothbrush. Pulling it free, the item soon disappeared to return to the vanity's inventory. Teion tapped on what she was looking for and in a flash her pajamas were replaced with sensible warm-weather light armor. Living in VR was strange. Most of what she was doing was wholly unnecessary. Sleeping in her armor wouldn't make her neck feel stiff. Her teeth wouldn't develop cavaties if she didn't brush them. But it was these little rituals, imitations of the real world, that let her feel grounded. If this was her life for the foreseeable future, she didn't need to miss the feeling of a hot shower or soft pajamas.

When she was finished with her morning routine, Teion made her way to the dining room and pulled up the chair at the end of the long ornate table. She unfurled a large piece of parchment and the blank canvas just stared back up at her. Below, her foot lazily kicked against the leg of her chair while she waited her for her partner to rise from the purgatory known as his mattress and join her.

[quest info] Teion | HP: 760/760 | EN: 90/90 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:4 | BH:42 | REC: 8 | LD:3  NOTES   Hide contents   THREAD INFO   Hide contents equipped »Requiem (+12 DMG) »Waning Crescent (+2 ACC, +4EN Recovery) »Amethyst Set (+48 MIT, +4EN Recovery)   battle-ready inventory »Sand Armor Potion (Parry next attack) »Bottled Banshee Scream (Stun all enemies for one turn) »*Potion of Fallen Strength (+3 DMG, -9 MIT) »Banner of Command [3 Charges] (+1 ACC to your party until start of your next turn) »Monkey's Agility Potion (+1 EVA) skills »Axe R5 (+7 DMG) »Light Armor R5 (+30 MIT, -2 Stealth) »Battle Healing R5 (38 healing per turn) »Searching R3 (+3 LD, +3 Stealth Detection) »Charge (+3 DMG -1 ACC attack | 3 post CD | 8EN) addons »[Axe] Precision (+1 ACC) »[Axe] Ferocity (+2 DMG) »[Axe] Stamina (-2 EN) »[Light Armor] Resolve (+1 ACC, +40 HP) mods »Meticulous (+1 DMG) »Emergency Recovery (Heal 76 when brought below 190 | Once per thread | 10EN) »Night Vision (No penalties from low light/darkness) »Detect (+2 Stealth Detection, +1 LD to dungeons/labyrinths) »Bull Rush (Charge may stun instead) buffs Spoiler »

Edited February 28 by Teion

[Ryo 0]

"Master Ryo." The samurai's eyes fluttered, barely acknowledging the words. He wanted to sleep.
"Master Ryo." Louder this time words came, to take him from his slumber. He just wanted to keep dreaming.
"Master Ryo, if you do not awaken and leave that bed this moment I will have no choice but to fetch the pail." A fierce shove finally jolted him from his dreams. His eyes half open Ryo looked up. "Oh, good morning Pennyworth." He said speaking through a yawn and giving him a smile. Pennyworth returned the smile, and spoke again.
"Need I fetch the pail, sir? Again?" This caused Ryo to stir and sit up in bed. "No no no, not necessary. I'm awake." He said, swinging his feet out of the bed. He had no want to be soaked this early in the morning. Removing himself from bed, his bulter left the room no doubted please with himself. Ryo stepped into his bathroom and began to freshen up for the day.

Dressed for the day, Ryo made his way downstairs where he seen Teion already preparing for the day. "Hopefully I didn't keep you waiting too long." He said, half jesting knowing he was not a morning person. However, that didn't stop him from lighting up his stove. "Breakfast?" He asked, as he placed a pot onto a burner heating water and rice. Letting that cook, Ryo began preparing more bits and pieces of a breakfast. "So, what's the plan for today?" He asked, seeing the blank parchment out on the table.

<Quest Info>

Ryo | HP: 700/700 | EN: 102/102 | DMG: 21 | MIT:36 | ACC:3 | BH:31 | REC: 3 | LD:3 PARTY STATS Spoiler Ryo | HP: 700/700 | EN: 102/102 | DMG: 21 | MIT:36 | ACC:3 | BH:31 | REC: 3 | LD:3 THREAD INFO Spoiler equipped »Gin Kin (Damage | Damage | Damage) »Fierce Deities Coat (Mitgation | Mitigation | Recovery) »Accuracy Charm (Accuracy | Accuracy | Accuracy) battle-ready inventory » » » » » skills »Katana R5 »Heavy Armor R5 »Battle Healing R4 »Searching R3 » extra skills »Survival (Healing effects 10% more, immune to environmental effects) »Leadership R1 (Grants access to Leadership Arts, takes 2 Extra Slots) »Leadership R1 » » addons »[Katana] Focus (Minor Crit on BD 8, reduce DoT threshold by 1) »[Katana] Stamina (-2 EN) »[Heavy Armor] Iron Skin (+15 MIT, +45 HP) mods »Impetus (+1 DMG) »Emergency Recovery (Heal 10% when brought below 25% | Once per thread | 10EN) »Night Vision (No penalties from low light/darkness) shift » ST-Shift buffs » Dining Room: "Tasty" - Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread. » Basic Kitchen: "Filling" - 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.) » Living Room: "Relaxed" - Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.

Edited February 28 by Ryo

[Teion 0]

The parchment rolled itself up until it reached her fingertips, pinching the edge against the surface of the dining table. Then, Teion would flick her index finger out to push the parchment and it would roll itself back out, laying flat and pristine. A few seconds went by and, without anyone making use of it, the sheet would roll itself back up. This idle pattern repeated alongside the dull, irregular 'thunk'-ing of Teion's boot tapping against her chair leg until Ryo's voice broke through the silence. She perked up, looking over her shoulder where she spotted him pulling out some ingredients. She smiled. "Just in time. I was so close to raiding your pantry." She jested, straightening up and swinging her legs over the side of the dining chair. She lifted up an arm and draped it over the back, peering at him while he worked. "Please?" She was lucky to be seeing someone who enjoyed cooking so much. She'd save her gratitude for later.

"You wanna get your hands on some unique enhancements, right?" Her lips pulled into a different smile. More a mix of pride and determination. "I found a two-part quest chain that should give us some Burn augments that you could use on a weapon. And it unlocks one of those extra Sword Arts that I've seen people running around with." Teion wasn't typically a talkative person, but Ryo was closer to her than anyone in Aincrad. If there was anyone she would be caught yapping around, it was him. "While we're out there, I picked up one of these blank dungeon maps and a thing to make it easier to find dungeon entrances. I don't know if we could clear something like that just the two of us, but worst case we could record it and sell the map." She removed her arm and leaned back, her gathered purple hair hanging over the floor and her head poking out on the opposite side of the chair's tall backing. "Best part," Her brows raised with a mischievous, or maybe enticing expression, "It's not even on the desert floor."

Edited February 28 by Teion

[Ryo 0]

Ryo placed a lid on the rice and water, letting it steam as he began to fry something. "Unique enhancements are fun." He said, engaging with the conversation as he continued to split his focus between cooking and the woman of his dreams. A two part quest cycle that would net Burn. He thought for a moment. Perhaps, that would be useful. "Burn would be nice. For a special build I'm working on. Need to get a hold of some demonics at least, and I'm working on that." He said regarding his plan on becoming a fishermen. He heard that you could get something called Gleaming Scales from them and that would be a decent collateral when trying to net those. And the gleaming scales would help him get those demonics with what he would want.

Some more cooking later, and Ryo would've produced a decent breakfast. Hearty and filling, just what they needed to start a busy day. "Extra, Sword Arts?" Ryo asked. He hadn't recalled seeing anything about that. Was that a recent change that had happened? And if so, why weren't they being used more frequently than normal? His eyes shifted to the blank parchment that was supposed to help with them finding something. "Dungeon Entrance? No idea what's in one of those. Might be good to grab some teleport crystals to be safe." He said. He met her eyes when she said 'Best part' and grinned even more when she said it wasn't a desert floor. "Alright, sounds good." Ryo said.

[Teion 0]

"If you find any of those Demonic Shards, save me some." She remarked. Until Theo had obtained and ranked up a gathering skill, she was still without any reliable source of those rarer materials.

"Already ahead of you." As he approached the table she procured a single pale-violet crystal from her inventory and slid it over to him. "Only grabbed one for each of us, though." Her eyes fell upon the meal that was placed in front of her: a bowl of rice, a smaller bowl of miso soup, and a plate with a neatly-rolled egg and a pair of friend sausage links. It smelled good. She sat back upright and took the pair of chopsticks waiting for her. "Thanks for the food." Though a phrase she'd normally just say directly to Ryo, it had taken on a different meaning since they started having meals together. He seemed to always say it before eating, so, she followed suit.

"Mm," Once she'd cleared her plate and was working through the last bite of rice, Teion made a noise to indicate something that came to mind. She swallowed. "Almost forgot." She pulled up her inventory with a few practiced gestures and stood up from her chair. With her free hand, she swung it around to face to the side. Clicking on a couple of tiles, she summoned three pieces of equipment that materialized in her hands one by one. She draped the armor over the back of the chair and on its cushion, then propped the katana in its vibrant sheathe up against its side, laying them all out for him to inspect. She took a half-step back and placed her hands on her hips. "I finished working on those notes you sent me for some new equipment. They're all yours." She wore a prideful smile.

Trading the following to Ryo:
»Violet Samurai's Sode (T4 Heavy Armor: MIT I / Heavy Momentum II)
»Violet Samurai’s Kuwait (T4 Heavy Armor: MIT I / Recovery II)
»Shigure (T4 Katana: PARA I / BLD II)

Edited March 1 by Teion

[Ryo 0]

Ryo shook his head. "I would get gleaming scales from fishing, but I'll keep an eye out for those shards. Maybe Theo can gather up those shards too." Ryo said, explaining the difference between his fishing hobby and gathering. He didn't want to get Tei's hopes up and not be able to deliver. He reached down and grabbed the teleport crystal. "Look at you battle planner." Ryo said, giving her a smirk and a wink. "Done?" He asked about her plate, empty of food. He grabbed it and moved to the kitchen sink to quickly rinse them off and set them aside. Either Pennyworth would do them, or he could just add them back to the kitchen's inventory. But there was something about just following through the motions that made everything seem more real and connected. And after his soul quest, he discovered he really needed that.

Ryo turned around to see the new armor he commissioned out and about. "Oh my!" He exclaimed. "Faster than I thought, and looks way better in person than in my mind and doodles." He said, jesting. He examined the armor and then added it to his inventory. He opened his menu and swapping his gear to test fit it. His accuracy dropped, but his survivability more than doubled. And with what he was planning, he wouldn't need accuracy anyway. The katana was sublime, everything he imagined and more. Obviously some of his beloved's best work. He attached the katana to his hip, replacing the usual Gin Kin. It felt odd, not being able to have a different sword of his hip. Regardless, he unsheathed the blade and held it to inspect it. He smiled. "These are perfect. Thank you honey." He said, giving compliments to the smith and sheathing the katana.

Now dressed for the occasion, breakfast cleaned up, he was ready to head out. "Right then. Where to first?" He asked ready to get started.

  

<Quest Info>

Ryo | HP: 700/700 | EN: 102/102 | DMG: 21 | MIT:103 | BH:31 | REC: 8 | HM: 8 | BLD: 48  | PARA | LD:3  PARTY STATS Spoiler Ryo | HP: 700/700 | EN: 102/102 | DMG: 21 | MIT:103 | BH:31 | REC: 8 | HM: 8 | LD:3 Teion | HP: 760/760 | EN: 90/90 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:4 | BH:42 | REC: 8 | LD:3 THREAD INFO Spoiler equipped »Gin Kin (Damage | Damage | Damage) »Fierce Deities Coat (Mitgation | Mitigation | Recovery) »Accuracy Charm (Accuracy | Accuracy | Accuracy) battle-ready inventory » » » » » skills »Katana R5 »Heavy Armor R5 »Battle Healing R4 »Searching R3 » extra skills »Survival (Healing effects 10% more, immune to environmental effects) »Leadership R1 (Grants access to Leadership Arts, takes 2 Extra Slots) »Leadership R1 » » addons »[Katana] Focus (Minor Crit on BD 8, reduce DoT threshold by 1) »[Katana] Stamina (-2 EN) »[Heavy Armor] Iron Skin (+15 MIT, +45 HP) mods »Impetus (+1 DMG) »Emergency Recovery (Heal 10% when brought below 25% | Once per thread | 10EN) »Night Vision (No penalties from low light/darkness) shift » ST-Shift buffs » Dining Room: "Tasty" - Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread. » Basic Kitchen: "Filling" - 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.) » Living Room: "Relaxed" - Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.

[Teion 0]

One thing that always brought a genuine sparkle to Teion's eye was the heartfelt compliments of her blacksmithing creations. She'd picked up the profession so early on in her time here that it felt like a real, fulfilling trade. It could make her money, and her time and effort were directly translated to fantastical equipment that people got real use out of. When someone she knew came to her for her skills, it meant something. And regardless of their romantic relations, Ryo's satisfaction fueled that pride all the same. She beamed back at him, then leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. She briefly placed a hand on his chest, resting on the metal plates that now guarded his torso, then gave the armor a firm couple of taps. "Tankiest samurai this side of the castle." She almost felt a touch of guilt at what was to come.

Some time later, Teion was holding onto Ryo's hand as they warped in to the village of Yōgan on the ninth floor. The heat radiating in the air came in waves, and she had to let out a steadying breath to help herself adjust from the perfectly comfortable temperatures of Taft. She didn't wait long before tugging Ryo along down the teleport platform, to the south side of town, across the volcanic wastelands, and up the nearby mountains along the path to Knorilt Village. Sweltering heat gave way to the acrid smell of sulfur, and only once they'd crossed the safe zone threshold did she let up to allow them a break to rest from the uncomfortable trek. Hopefully he wasn't too upset (or miserable). She'd have to beg for his forgiveness after this was all said and done, but if all the planning she'd done for this outing proved successful, she was pretty sure it would all be worth it.

"Okay, from here we just need to cross the flatlands to the west and find the cavern. The brokers around here were not very helpful, but I got the directions, at least. I think it's some fire-foxes we're supposed to fight for these drops." She explained. A little squeeze of their hands, which were noticeably sweaty at this point, and she released him to wipe her brow.

Edited March 1 by Teion

[Ryo 0]

The smile that decorated Teion's features was like a bright light in the darkness. A symbol of hope in his life, something that caused him to keep trying and push himself harder everyday. Ryo's face flushed red when Teion reached up and kissed his cheek then touched his chest. Despite the metal mail, he could still feel her touch. He reached up and touched his cheek still in disbelief that she continued to be with him. The warmth from her being so close, the continued smile, her everything that made him as happy as he could be. For the slightest moment he thought about scooping her in his arms, to hold her and kiss her and to love her. The rhythmic tapping on his armor broke him from Teion's spell. "Oh definitely the tankiest for sure. Ha ha." He said agreeing with her.

No amount of cute words, bubbly smiles, or cheek kisses could undo the damage that was betrayal. She technically hadn't lied, but how was it somewhere worse? His Survival skill would ensure he'd, well, survive and not take damage. But his general disdain for hot areas, not coupled with the heavier armor would mean he'd be miserable. When Teion dragged him away, his corpse rag dolling behind her. Reaching their designated break spot, Ryo fell to his hands and knees in utter disbelief. "I can't believe you would trick me this way." He said nearly sobbing. "You said it wasn't the desert, and you took me to somewhere worse!" He said, playfully airing his grievances.

[Teion 0]

Teion's brows turned up with some genuine sympathy. She looked down at Ryo while he lamented and stepped to the front of him, squatting down with her knees together. She reached out and pushed the bangs on the left side of his face out of the way. Her thumb gently stroked his cheek."It had to be done." She said solemnly. With the flash of lopsided smile, she cupped his cheek in her palm for just a moment and then stood back up, withdrawing her hand. "In all honesty, I didn't think you hated this one more than Floor 5." She remarked. "I thought you'd like it a little bit better than if it was a sand monster or something." She sighed softly, then brought up a hand to fan herself. The heat was pretty strong when they were close to the lakes of magma, and Knorilt Village was only slightly more bearable.

After a bit of rest, Teion stretched her legs in preparation for the next trek over the volcanic flatlands. This would be the part where they'd be left rather directionless. "Ready?" She asked, already knowing the answer. This time she wouldn't be carrying Ryo behind her.

A few minutes in, and she felt a small sense of relief when she remembered the Teleport Crystal in her inventory. At least they had a quick way out once it was over. "You pick the next thing then, yeah?" She offered. "Any floor you wanna go to."

[Ryo 0]

Her sweaty hand caressed his equally sweaty face, moving his hair out of the way so that he could see properly again. He understood that it had to be done, just some floors were better suited for him than others. WHy was he so sensitive to the heat anyway? It wasn't like he was taking damage from existing here, no matter how much it felt like. The more intense heat was the issue, but Teion was right. There was no sand or sand monsters to contend with. The silver insulating heat shielding lining to this hellscapade. "Y'know what?" He said, bringing his body to its feet. "Deal. I get to pick to next place." He said, starting to think of where he would want to go. Someplace cold at least.

Crossing the flatlands wouldn't be difficult, but it would at least be a bit more boring. "We're about what, halfway there now?" He asked aloud, wondering when they'd destination. He kept thinking for a moment. "Teion I've been thinking, about going back to floor 4. Just to, make sure that the old place is still cleared out." He said, suddenly serious.

[Teion 0]

Their path was more boring than treacherous. Any time a lava wyrm or a cracked golem came their way, one of the two cut it down before it could do any damage to either of them. ”Hopefully.” She sighed and wiped at her forehead for the hundredth time so far. She paused to open her menus and pull up the map of the ninth floor, trying to gauge how far out from the village they’d traveled and making sure their path was following a relatively straight shot. She was trying to line up how she was standing with the direction of her map to give her the correct sense of ‘forward’ when Ryo struck up conversation.

”Hm?” What started as an idle hum as she glanced over her shoulder towards him turned to a surprised, then serious expression to match his tone. She looked back to her map, quiet for a moment while the weight of his words really sunk in. ”Do you mean, like… See if they’ve packed up and moved? Or are you saying that you want to clear the place out?” She was wearing a frown, and perhaps her tone may have come across a little harsh, but with a swipe she closed her menus and turned around to face him, hands on her hips. ”Either way, do you want me to come with you?”

[Ryo 0]

Ryo sheathed his blade, the pair easily cutting down yet another mob, as he would continue the conversation. "Just to make sure it's stayed cleared out. Jomei and Lowenthal already broke in and cleared it out to get Piera." He said, wondering how the alchemist was faring these days. "And yeah, having you around would be nice. I always like having you around." He said smiling. The smile quickly faded as he remembered what that place meant. And while it was true that he wanted to make sure they stayed gone, but he was also going for himself. "I think I also want some closure. Seeing that place completely closed off and covered in dust would be a nice way to assure myself that i'm actually done with it." He said. He shook his head, clearing his head. "But that's neither here nor there. Hey, you think that's it up ahead?" He asked, pointing ahead. There was a cave up ahead in the rock structure. Large enough to see from their position, but small enough to not let something incredibly large like a dragon or something similar through. Perfect for dogs of uncomfortable sizes to hide around and bite at them.

Edited March 5 by Ryo

[Teion 0]

For the briefest moment, she regretted asking that last bit as a question. There was a chance he might say he didn’t want to put her in any danger, or he was better off going alone. Not that she didn’t value his privacy, but she felt like she’d heard that sort of “for your own good” or “it’s better off this way” kind of thing enough times before that it might make her gag at this point. But of course, Ryo surprised her. He invited her along so matter-of-factly that she blinked in mild disbelief.

She paused and watched him for a moment. ”You ever worry that someone would come looking for you?” Teion suggested. Her face carried some sympathy. This was a lot heavier than just ‘falling in with the wrong crowd’, and she wasn’t sure how to navigate it. Guess they would have more to talk about before strolling down memory lane.

He drew their attention towards the Inferno Cavern, standing tall against the side of another mountain range in the distance. ”Guess so.” With that being the only cave-like thing in sight this whole time, it better be.

Approaching the mouth of the cavern, Teion kept a firm grip on her axe. Her eyes scanned side to side and she looked for any trace of monsters, listened for any scraping or shuffling echoing off the walls. When the two of them crossed the threshold is when the environment sprung to react. The ground beneath their feet rumbled and the plates of volcanic rock cracked. Fissures of scalding steam hissed and magma bubbled up through newfound paths to the surface. A loud series of snaps and sputters announced the arrival of the cavern’s guardian: A head burst from the ground, spewing lava and chunks of hot rock. Then a second. Then a third. Cerberus clawed itself out from the depths of the ninth floor, its slobber indistinguishable from molten slag as it dripped onto the cave floor.

”Heyyy, we found it.” Teion gave Ryo a nudge.

Without sparing them a moment, Cerberus reared back and let out a wicked howl. A war cry and a call for reinforcements all at once. All around them, more fissures cracked and sizzled while half a dozen Hellhounds were born of the fire below. Teion winced and snapped to attention, turning to put her back to Ryo’s. ”Okay, so, you take the big guy, I’ll get the rest of them?” Her tone stubbornly held onto a little bit of that playfulness.

Without giving them the luxury of preparation, the fiends descended upon them.

Cerberus and Hellhounds attack!
Head #1 | ID#: 242856 | MD: 2 [Miss]
Head #2 | ID#: 242857 | MD: 10 [Critical Hit] - Deals 40-52(ignores 1/2 MIT) = 1 DMG | Inflicts 10 BRN
Head #3 | ID#: 242858 | MD: 8 [Hit] - Deals 40-103 = 1 DMG

Hellhound 1 | ID#: 242859 | MD: 2 [Miss]
Hellhound 2 | ID#: 242860 | MD: 3 [Miss]
Hellhound 3 | ID#: 242861 | MD: 1 [Miss]

Quote

Teion | HP: 760/760 | EN: 90/90 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:4 | BH:42 | REC: 8 | LD:3
Ryo | HP: 698/700 | EN: 102/102 | DMG: 21 | MIT:103 | BH:31 | REC: 8 | HM: 8 | BLD: 48  | PARA | LD:3 | Burn 10 (0/2)

VS

Cerberus

• Head #1 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 40
• Head #2 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 40
• Head #3 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 40

Hellhound 1 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 50
Hellhound 2 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 50
Hellhound 3 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 50

 

Edited March 6 by Teion

[Ryo 0]

Ryo shook his head, the ran his hand along his face removing the bangs that stuck it it. "Ah, I'm not sure." He said truthfully. He didn't know if anyone from back then would truly hold a grudge so hard that they'd come after him. Then again, how would they know that he was the one who gave them up in the first place? "Then again, I don't think they'd know I was the rat. So to speak. If anything, I don't wanna be recognized." He said waving a hand in front of his face.

THe first thing about the cave that Ryo noticed was the excess heat. Being in the volcanic rock made it warm, but something made it warmer. Ryo's hand went to his katana, and gripped it firmly. The ground started shaking, the earth was quaking, and a trio of dog heads revealed itself. It was, smaller than he expected, but still uncomfortably large. He met with Teion's playful elbow. "Think he's house trained?" He asked, before rolling to the side.

Almost instantly, the beast called in the hounds. More hellhounds swarmed from out of the cave, and ran past him. Before he could react to those dashing past him, he sensed something behind him. He leapt into the air, narrowly dodging one of the heads from biting him.  However, now he was a much easier target in the air and the third head slammed into him causing him to bounce off of the floor. Thankfully he turned his body and blocked the most of the dogs impact, thanks to his new armor, but the second head was ready for him. Unable to move quick enough, and its maw full of fury and fire it's teeth sank into him engulfing him. Ryo's health however, stayed pretty much full for this entire exchange, his pride taking the full blow. He wrestled with the maw, forcing it off of him. "Oh I'm going to kick this guys ass!" He said, angry. Ryo stood up and went to make an attack, but instantly had to raise his blade another way to block another head from slamming into him.

Ryo Attack
ST-1 used
ID: 242862 BD: 4 (miss) Heavy Momentum Triggers, +8 base damage until next successful attack
Battle Healing: 31-10 burn=21 healing
-12 Energy(12 energy from ST1 - 2 from Stamina + 2 from shift)
Stats

Spoiler

Teion | HP: 760/760 | EN: 90/90 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:4 | BH:42 | REC: 8 | LD:3
Ryo | HP: 700/700 | EN: 102/102 | DMG: 21+8HM | MIT:103 | BH:31 | REC: 8 | HM: 8 | BLD: 48  | PARA | LD:3 | Burn 10 (1/2)

VS

Cerberus

• Head #1 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 40
• Head #2 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 40
• Head #3 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 40

Hellhound 1 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 50
Hellhound 2 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 50
Hellhound 3 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 50

 

Edited March 7 by Ryo

[Teion 0]

As Ryo had his hands full with three growling heads, Teion was left with the pack. She caught the jaws of one with the handle of her axe, bracing her footing to hold the rabid dog at bay with a grunt. The others wouldn’t wait for their wrestling match to conclude, though–she had to move. Her forward leg pulled up and kicked across to jab the toe of her boot into the monster’s ribcage and it let out a yelp as it released her weapon. Teion ran forward, swiping at nearby hounds in wide arcs. She caught two with clean cuts that ran nearly the whole length of them, and shortly after the damage registered they stuttered and burst into shards of light.

She kicked up dust and rock as she skidded to a stop, turning and cleaving at a couple more that darted warily around her. If only they would group up and let her him them so she didn’t have to go chasing them around. A quick glance over to Ryo and she silently decided she wasn’t envious of the task she’d forced on him.

”Yeah! Get mad!” Teion questionably cheered in reply before she was forced to quickly duck and roll out of the way of a leaping hellhound. She tried to pull her weighty axe up as she caught her bearings, but the thing was too fast and cleared her reach with ease. ”Tch.” She scoffed, seemingly taking her own advice as she cut through nothing but air and her brows came together in annoyance.

Teion attacks! AOE-I vs Hellhounds 1-3 (-17EN)
ID#: 242863 | BD: 3+4 = 7 [Hit] | Teion deals 23*15 = 345 DMG | MD: 1
ID#: 242864 | BD: 6+4=10 [Hit] | Teion deals 23*15 = 345 DMG | MD: 8
ID#: 242865 | BD: 1 [Critical Miss] | MD: 1 [Critical Miss]

Cerberus attacks!
Head #1 | ID#: 242866 | MD: 3 [Miss]
Head #2 | ID#: 242867 | MD: 7 [Hit] - Deals 40-103 = 1 DMG
Head #3 | ID#: 242868 | MD: 10 [Critical Hit] - Deals 40-52(ignores 1/2 MIT) = 1 DMG | Inflicts 10 BRN

Quote

Teion | HP: 760/760 | EN: 73/90 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:4 | BH:42 | REC: 8 | LD:3
Ryo | HP: 698/700 | EN: 102/102 | DMG: 21 | MIT:103 | BH:31 | REC: 8 | HM: 8 | BLD: 48  | PARA | LD:3 | Burn 10 (0/2)

VS

Cerberus

• Head #1 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 40
• Head #2 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 40
• Head #3 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 40

Hellhound 1 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 50
Hellhound 2 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 50
Hellhound 3 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 50
Hellhound 4 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 50
Hellhound 5 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 50

 

Edited March 7 by Teion

[Ryo 0]

His girlfriend egged him on, calling for him to get mad. He thought about it, but no. There was a pattern here, one he could exploit. Ryo got to his feet, and held his katana above his head. He took in a deep breath, before exhaling. "Ittōryū-" The first Cerberus head lunged at him dragging it's chin to bait him into jump again, or diving to the right into the other two heads. That was the pattern Ryo recognized. The beast would only grab dust and air as it missed him, in the blink of an air Ryo was beside it's neck his blade alight with the power of his newfound armor ability and his sword art. "Violet Crescent!" Ryo called out his blade coming down on the beast's neck. A loud whimper echoed throughout the area and the head was properly severed. Ryo smiled, before looking over at Teion. "Hey! Did you see tha? Wasn't that coo-" He was cut off as a second head slammed into him. Somehow, he had forgotten that there were two other heads to contend with. Ryo was on fire again, and now he was starting to get mad.

Ryo Attack
ST-1 used
ID: 242871 BD: 10 (CRIT!!!)
21 + 8 (1 instance of HM) + 2 Crit = 31 * 15 = 465 damage to Cerberus Head #1 
Battle Healing: 31-10 burn=21 healing
-12 Energy(12 energy from ST1 - 2 from Stamina + 2 from shift)

STATS

Spoiler

Teion | HP: 760/760 | EN: 90/90 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:4 | BH:42 | REC: 8 | LD:3
Ryo | HP: 700/700 | EN: 92/102 | DMG: 21 | MIT:103 | BH:31 | REC: 8 | HM: 8 | BLD: 48  | PARA | LD:3 | Burn 10 (1/2)

VS

Cerberus

• Head #1 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 40
• Head #2 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 40
• Head #3 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 40

Hellhound 1 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 50
Hellhound 2 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 50
Hellhound 3 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 50
Hellhound 4 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 50
Hellhound 5 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 50

 

Edited Tuesday at 06:36 PM by Ryo

[Teion 0]

With a grunt of effort, Teion pulled her massive axe around in another sweeping arc that cleaved a lunging dog in two before its fangs could find her. The bladge sank into the black rock at her feet and she switched her grip to pull up and dislodge it. Sweat flung off her brow just the same as flecks of searing molten rock flew off of the sharpened edge of her axe. She braced and the polearm came to rest in the crook of her left shoulder.

Ryo called out, having just dispatched a third of the leader while she worked to thin out the packs of hellhounds. She cracked a grin at his enthusiasm, and then Cerberus’ immediate retribution cutting him off caused her to double over with a chortle. ”It was!” She called back, cupping a hand to the side of her mouth so he could hear her over the dirt getting shoved in his ears. ”Just do that two more times!”

Wearing a cheeky grin, Teion got back to work. Those little dogs weren’t gonna cleave themselves.

Recovery...
ID#: 242902 | CD: 5 - None

Teion attacks! AOE-I vs Hellhounds 3-5 (-17EN)
ID#: 242903 | BD: 5+4=9  [Hit] | Teion deals 23*15 = 345 DMG | MD: 1
ID#: 242904 | BD: 6+4=10 [Hit] | Teion deals 23*15 = 345 DMG | MD: 3
ID#: 242905 | BD: 4+4=8 [Hit] | Teion deals 23*15 = 345 DMG | MD: 3

Cerberus attacks!
Head #2 | ID#: 242906 | MD: 1 [Miss]
Head #3 | ID#: 242907 | MD: 5 [Miss]

Quote

Teion | HP: 760/760 | EN: 60/90 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:4 | BH:42 | REC: 8 | LD:3
Ryo | HP: 700/700 | EN: 92/102 | DMG: 21 | MIT:103 | BH:31 | REC: 8 | HM: 8 | BLD: 48  | PARA | LD:3 | Burn 10 (1/2)

VS

Cerberus

• Head #1 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 40
• Head #2 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 40
• Head #3 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 40

Hellhound 3 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 50
Hellhound 4 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 50
Hellhound 5 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 50
Hellhound 6 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 50

 

Edited Monday at 03:05 PM by Teion

[Ryo 0]

Ryo felt the warmth over his body as the embers began to die out, his HP dwindling only slightly before shooting back up to full. This entire fight wasn't dangerous, just annoying. He stood up, rubbing his torso where he had gotten slammed into. The armor he wore took the brunt of the attack. This new build felt better. It allowed him to stare things down, and then attack as he wished. No more just flailing about, no more wild strikes. He took in a breath and took a few steps towards the Cerberus. It's remaining two heads snapped in anticipation, almost as if waiting for Ryo to strike. Ryo exhaled, and was suddenly beside the beast. Closing in behind him was a gust of wind, still hot and warm thanks to the floor, and caught up to Ryo. The Cerberus turned it's body to attack him, but one of the heads stayed behind as it turned. "Ittōryū - Flying Tiger Slash." Ryo said, severing another head of the beast. Now it was no better than a normal dog of unusual size. He smirked, remembering a conversation that Acanthus had. Could the AI in this game feel fear? Was that programed, was it simulated? Do the beasts of this place know that the battle was unwinnable? It didn't matter, the quest required that he slay the beast, and so he would.

Recovery...
ID#: 243076| CD: 12 - Success +8 Energy

Ryo attacks! ST-1 vs Cerberus Head #2  (-12 EN)
ID#: 243077 | BD: 7  [Hit] | Ryo deals 21*15 = 315 DMG |

Spoiler

Teion | HP: 760/760 | EN: 60/90 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:4 | BH:42 | REC: 8 | LD:3
Ryo | HP: 700/700 | EN: 92/102 | DMG: 21 | MIT:103 | BH:31 | REC: 8 | HM: 8 | BLD: 48  | PARA | LD:3 | Burn 10 (2/2)

VS

Cerberus

• Head #1 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 40
• Head #2 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 40
• Head #3 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 40

Hellhound 3 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 50
Hellhound 4 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 50
Hellhound 5 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 50
Hellhound 6 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 50

 

Edited Tuesday at 06:56 PM by Ryo

[Teion 0]

They were thinning out. The Hellhounds were running out of numbers and Cerberus was running out of heads. She allowed a hand to come off the handle of her axe for just long enough to run the back of her hand across her forehead. Her bangs were slick and stuck to her skin. "So," She called over to Ryo between heavier breaths, "We can stop back at your place for a shower before the next thing, yeah?" For someone who boasted about living in a desert, a volcano was apparently a different kind of beast. The air was thicker, the craggy blackened ground looked as if it would burn her skin, and a slight haze seemed constantly present. It wasn't the heat--it was the humidity.

The last of the hounds rushed at her, barking and snarling. Teion swung wide, catching the first dog in the shoulder. Her axe kept going, tilting downward and digging into the ground as she put her weight onto the polearm with a firm grip. She braced herself, turning and bringing her boot up to slam into another hound's jaw. The sound of paws beating against rock in a run behind her caused her to spin around and she ducked as the last remaining monster leapt at her. Planting her feet flat, she wrenched the blade free and swung it back around to catch the hound's flank. Each one was down after a single strike.

"The fight actually wasn't as bad as I thought." She surmised, straightening back up and catching her breath.

Recovery...
ID#: 243099 | CD: 11 - 8EN recovered

Teion attacks! ST-I vs Hellhound 6 (-10EN)
ID#: 243100 | BD: 4+4=8  [Hit] | Teion deals 23*12 = 276 DMG | MD: 7

Cerberus attacks!
Head #3 | ID#: 243101 | MD: 4 [Miss]

Spoiler

Teion | HP: 760/760 | EN: 62/90 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:4 | BH:42 | REC: 8 | LD:3
Ryo | HP: 700/700 | EN: 92/102 | DMG: 21 | MIT:103 | BH:31 | REC: 8 | HM: 8 | BLD: 48  | PARA | LD:3 | Burn 10 (1/2)

VS

Cerberus

• Head #1 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 40
• Head #2 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 40
• Head #3 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 40

Hellhound 6 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 50

 

Edited Wednesday at 03:09 AM by Teion

[Ryo 0]

Ryo fought against the maw of Cerberus. His heels dug into the craggy rock as he was pushed back. Grunting he spoke back. "Yeah. Not too difficult!" He said, throwing the beast off of him. It had gotten more wild, more desperate. Now with only one brain and set of teeth to work with it was getting harder and harder to land a hit. He needed some windup, some breathing room. Someone who tanked would be lovely. "I can't get a clean shot in." He said, trying to find an opening. Teion had already cleared out her mob pack, and now he was standing here unable to kill three heads in that time. How embarrassing. "I would ask for help, but I think I got it. Unless you wanna kill steal." He said, attempting to taunt his girlfriend into helping him. He had constantly been on fire this entire fight, and frankly he just wanted to go home.

Recovery...
ID#: 243244 | CD: 4 No Recovery...

Ryo attacks! ST-I vs  Cerberus Head 3 (-2EN)
ID#: 243245 | BD: 3 [Miss] | Ryo deals 0 = 0 DMG |
+8 Base Damage from HM

Spoiler

Teion | HP: 760/760 | EN: 62/90 | DMG: 23 | MIT:78 | ACC:4 | BH:42 | REC: 8 | LD:3
Ryo | HP: 700/700 | EN: 94/102 | DMG: 29 | MIT:103 | BH:31 | REC: 8 | HM: 8 | BLD: 48  | PARA | LD:3 | Burn 10 (2/2)

VS

Cerberus

• Head #1 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 40
• Head #2 | HP: 0/200 | DMG: 40
• Head #3 | HP: 200/200 | DMG: 40

 

Edited 6 hours ago by Ryo