[Clash Of Blades Season 1] Week 4: Katoka vs NIGHT

[Kindling 0]

The stillness, the silence. You'd think one could hear the horrified screams of damned souls, or echoed screeches of banshees mimicking human terror and pain. That, or at least the footsteps of the large beings beyond their comprehension. No, instead there was just the complete and utter lack of any activity. Even the air remained unmoving, stale. Shifting only with the pink, slimey tendrils that slithered around buildings and into the broken alleyways of this forsaken city. Kindling fought the overwhelming urge that nagged at his brain, to look up. The being there was tugging at his mind, unspoken will for him to gaze up and at the dark god above him. He kept his eyes down, his lips pulled tight. Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

Too late. "Combatants!" He tried to add some cheer to the word, without allowing it to echo off the far away walls of destroyed bricks and collapsed ruins of this place. A worry that was in complete vain; for all sound was dampened, as though trapped in a small room covered in insulation. Nothing carried. Nothing could escape. "Today, you may notice the complete lack of an audience. Fear not; we don't need a lot of audience members, we have one very big one!" He lifted his hand up, but stopped it midway through, completely unsure if he should even been acknowledging the lord above. Too late now. "Minako and I have the intense ecstasy of being hosted and granted refuse by Emrakul!" Finally able to indicate the mass of tentacles that dwarfed the entire building floating above. All coalescing into a calcic shell the size of a small island. It's one, translucent pink eye moving unpredictably over the entire landscape. Ultimately settling on the round opening of an ex-plaza area. This district was likely a town center of sorts, the ruins of a fountain in the middle being little more than a pile of rubble now. Making this an almost perfectly circular arena their perfect combat place. 

"P̴̗̾á̵̱r̴͉̄t̶͍͂í̷̹c̵̤̈́i̷͍̚p̶͖̒a̸̮̓n̷͎̒t̸͖͑s̶̝̔ ̴̺͝o̸̡̅f̵̲̂ ̷͉͒t̵̼́h̶̢͠ĩ̴̧s̷̞̋ ̸̻͐f̵̩̂o̶͜͠ŕ̵͙s̴̯͑ả̶͎k̶̺̓e̷͙͒ń̵̼ ̶̪͠c̵̼͝o̴̩͊n̵̼̋t̵̫͝ḛ̶́s̴͎̎t̶̞͌,̴͚͠ ̵̥̀h̸͍͘e̸͓͘e̶̤͠d̵̦̾ ̶̞̀t̴͖̓h̴̥̍ẹ̶͑ ̸̦́c̶͚͑ạ̶̈́l̵̿ͅl̴̛̜ ̷̨̀o̴̪̐f̴͖͠ ̶̝͝t̵̪̾h̸͇͊ẹ̸́ ̷̝̎a̷͔͌b̷̝̀y̸͖͝s̸̖̆s̴̭̉.̵̰̔ ̷͉̓T̷̳́ḧ̵͇́e̶̖̋ ̷̪̋t̵̕ͅĩ̷͖m̵̪̒e̶̳̕ ̶͇͒f̸̠́o̸̪̚r̸̞̽ ̴̞͂y̵̡͑ő̴̲u̶̹͂r̶͊͜ ̶̣̈́r̶͙̋e̸͔͒c̵̾ͅk̴̺̃ö̶̳́n̷̰̅ị̴̒n̷̼̋g̴͍͊ ̷̦͒h̵͇̿a̶̟͂ș̵̀ ̵̣͘c̴̗̎ȍ̷͜ṁ̵̨e̴̾ͅ.̵̭̀ ̶͎̆K̵͍͐n̸͉̾ǫ̶̈́w̵̹͊ ̸̪̍t̴̮͝h̵͍͝a̶̝̅t̵͈̆ ̵̮̽t̷̬͒h̵̦̅i̵̳͋s̴̝̐ ̶̫̾r̶̖̈́o̶͔̎u̶̫̅n̷̦̍d̸͚̉ ̸̹͋ḭ̶́s̵͝ͅ ̵̨̆b̷̳̂u̴̻͝t̶̮͆ ̷̣͂a̵̪̒ ̴̢͘f̸̯͆l̷͎̇e̷͔͐e̴̗̿t̵̩͂i̵̝̇ṋ̸͛g̴̱̀ ̴͓̑m̴̝̓ö̵̩́m̵͖̐e̸̟͌n̶̼̓t̷͚̅ ̵͕̊ì̶͖n̵̩͒ ̴̪̽ṫ̶͍ȟ̸̥ę̵̚ ̴̳̓ȋ̸͍n̷̨̅f̸̦͌i̷̩͘n̶̗̊i̵͖͒t̵̺͠e̸̪̕ ̵͎͊e̴̥̐x̷͖̏p̶͇̋a̶̞͊n̵͕͛s̵̟̅e̴̯̒,̴͉̓ ̴̮̆y̵̼̏ë̸̘́t̵͓͐ ̶͕͆ǐ̵̡t̵̻̃ ̶̢̐w̶̢̽i̶̱̔ḷ̴͘l̸̪͊ ̷̬͊c̷̖̓a̸̬͠ř̴͉v̵͎͠ě̵̠ ̵͜͝ỹ̴̰o̵̭̊ů̶͚ŗ̶́ ̵̭̍f̷̦̀a̵͖̚ţ̷̂e̷̲̚ṣ̸͊ ̴̠̿i̵͈̋n̴͙̄ṭ̸͆o̷̞̒ ̵͔̈́t̷̹͝ȟ̸͈e̷̼͌ ̵̯̋f̸̯̎à̸̖b̵̤͝r̶̖̒í̸̟c̶͍̓ ̴̻̉o̴͎͋ḟ̵͔ ̶̢̏o̶̦̾b̵̻̐ḽ̸̈i̴͓͂v̶̲̎i̵̯̍ȍ̶̲n̴͕͑.̴̫́"

Kindling froze in place, feeling the aching, throbbing pain of that being's voice inject itself into his conscious. Not a word actually spoken, or boomed from the sky. It subsided with time. It seemed this being understood ther mission, and that would be cutting the introductions short. They needed to get out of here as soon as possible. "Combatants, take your stance. Katoka and NIGHT, say your piece. And try not to look that Lord in the eye for too long. Lest you step on his... appendages." Giving them now the ever so brief moment to exchange words, and mentally prepare themselves for the visages and unknown terrors that were sure to assault each. 

Then he raised his hand. "On my mark, Get ready, get set..."

God, he hoped no one died here.

~̵~̴E̸m̵~̴~̵~̴R̴a̵~̴~̶~̷K̵u̷l̷~̷~̵

 Welcome to the Fourth week of Clash of Blades - March Madness begins! This month will include a host of whacky, and absurd thematic, this week's honing in on MADNESS. There has been several changes from last week, so please be sure to have the Informational at the ready!
Another soft reminder to NOT use outside items. Please use only the items purchased in the Event Shop.

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• Please remember to LINK your Spreadsheet, and triple check that all your stats are correct. Failure to do so before the actual combat begins will result in a loss by default. Going forward, we will be taking a much more hardline stance on this rule. The reason for that is out of respect for the time and energy of the hosts, and your fellow participants. 
• Remember that initiative has changed last week, and will remain that way. 
• Below is the explanation of the thematic, and its mechanics.

 

Spoiler

 

Thematic Explanation

Every turn players will be assaulted by the unnaturalness of the arena, and forced to steel their mind lest they go mad. On every post, no matter the action, must come with a ‘Madness’ Roll. On a CD of 6 or higher you gain 1 Madness.
Upon gaining your third Madness, you suffer from <Going Mad>. Consult the table below of which Full Post Action you take, then lose all Madness.

Note: The effects of going mad are instant, going after self healing and before main actions. Madness and Going Mad CANNOT be cured with cleanse abilities or items. other than those specifically stated to do so (Sanity Tablet, Straight Jacket)

CD Roll	Effect
1 -2	Unequip current weapon
3-4	Use ST-1 or ST-2
5-6	Use an Item of your choice if no items, pass turn
7-8	Use the <Rest> Main Action
9-10	Become Stunned. Ignores immunity, does not reset immunity
11-12	Break Free of your Madness, No Effect

 

 

 

 

Edited March 2 by Kindling

[NIGHT 0]

| NIGHT  | Lv. 154 >> P. 120, Lv. 34  | Status: HAHAHAHAHA WHAT IS THAT  Notes:  sheet found [here].

Spoiler NIGHT | HP: 205/205 | EN: 43/43 | DMG: 9 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 4 | BH: 7 | HB: 5 | VAMP-D: 11 | FLN: 4 | PARA-V | LD: 4 | AA | FS | STEALTH: 4 equipped oblivion. FLN II, AA, PARA-V transient. EVA II, HB, VAMP-D signet. ACC III, EVA battle-ready inventory oathkeeper. HLY II, AA, PHASE pretense.  VAMP-D II, HB II Cosmic Devourer+1  ABS. ACC, ACC III infinity. ACC, EVA III skills Spoiler mod count: 5/7 STRAIGHT SWORD | RANK 3 focus, stamina, precision shift: aoe UNHINDERED COMBAT MASTERY: DMG | RANK 3/3 SEARCHING | RANK 3 BATTLE HEALING | RANK 3 emergency recovery ENERGIST QUICK CHANGE CHARGE FIGHTING SPIRIT HOWL focused howl SCOUTING FAMILIAR EXTENDED MOD LIMIT extra SURVIVAL CONCENTRATION FIRST AID R3 HIDING untraceable, vanish, surprise attack-t buffs Spoiler   sword arts Spoiler en cost matches multiplier unless stated otherwise. shift underlined. ST | x8 -> x11 AOE | x7 TECH-A | x8 | STUN | 9EN TECH-D | x8 | SHATTER TECH-F | x8 | AOE STUN  TECH-G | x8 | BURN misc. Spoiler housing Dimensional Backpack, Item Stash | +2 Battle-Ready Inventory Slots. Well Rested | -1 EN for the first three expenditures of each combat.  Relaxed | +(5 * Tier) HP per out-of-combat post. Full energy restoration occurs after two turns out of combat. Squeaky Clean | -25% DoT damage taken from the first DoT applied to this player in a thread. Skylight: Searching | +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cooldown of 30 days to reassign. Multipurpose | +1 LD/Prosperity/Stealth/Detection to one post per thread. Can be applied after a roll. Filling | +1 T1 slot to a food consumed by this player in a thread. Can exceed Cook enhancement caps. Col Deposit | +5% col from loot-minimum mobs, +10% col from treasure chests. foraging | r2 | xp: 69/150 Greenhouse | +2 G.EXP, +1 CD&LD to gathering attempts. Familiar: Profession | +2 G.EXP Demeter's Cornucopia | +1 CD to gathering attempts.

where were they? f29? there was a hum in the air as though to introduce their new sponsor... host... er... predator... the moment night entered the arena. there wasn't an audience present, save emrakul, and maybe the kindling and minako both. which left a curious notion towards why they each thought this was an ideal fighting grounds for their tournament thus far.

if anything, she closed her eyes to wave at the lord. a sort of 'hello, pardon our intrusion, we'll just be here and get out of your way soon' sort of thing.

facing katoka's position, night adjusted the ring on one of her fingers. felt the unspent tokens still kept in her pocket somewhere. anything to keep her grounded for the moment, before the fight began in earnest would help. she wasn't sure how much better she'd fare with her usual tools in play, and neither did she want to draw this out long enough to find out.

ID242553 | cd3 | ld18 | initiative. madness (1/3).

[Katoka 0]

Returning to floor 29 had put Katoka on edge. The fact that there was no safe area for players to stay was enough to make her consider dropping form the tournament. What were they thinking? She had hoped that they wouldn't draw the attention of any of the lumbering creatures that populated the floor. Once the introduction had been made the samurai turned to Night and bowed, doing her best to not let her anxiety show.

She had fought alongside the woman only a handful of times, but she knew that she was strong. Deep down Kat felt that if she lost to Night, she wouldn't feel so bad. The blonde quickly pushed aside her fears and worries, instead flashing her opponent a grin. "I can't say I'm a fan of the location of our fight, but I am looking forward to it." she turned to their announcer, "Just keep an eye out for any creepy crawlies, I'd rather not get killed in the middle of a fight."

----

Initiative:
ID#: 242585 | LD: 5 | CD: 2

Katoka | HP: 200/200 | EN: 43/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT:30 | ACC:3 | EVA:1 | BH:6 | REC: 2 | FLN: 4 | HLY: 4

Spoiler

Character Sheet

Name: Katoka, The Cerulean Storm True Tier: 7
Level: 10
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 200/200
EN: 43/43

Stats:
Damage: 10
Mitigation: 30
Accuracy: 3
Evasion: 1
Battle Healing: 6
Stealth Rating: -1
REC: 2
FLN: 4
HLY: 4
Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket:
- Muramasa's Legacy | T4/Demonic/Katana | Holy II, Fallen II
Armor/Trinket:
- Oni Haori | T4/Demonic/Light Armor | MIT 2, REC 2
Shield/Armor/Trinket:
- Aquamarine | T4 Demonic Trinket | ACC III, EVA I

Combat Mastery:
- Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
- ST Shift

Familiar Skill:
- Rending Familiar

Custom Skill:
-

Skills:
- Battle Healing R3
- Energist
- Extended Weight Limit
- Katana R3
- Light Armor R3

Extra Skills:
- Concentration
- Forgotten King's Authority
- Frozen Hide

Inactive Extra Skills:
- Survival
- Parry
- Photosynthesize

Addons:
- Ferocity
- Precision
- Resolve
- Stamina

Mods:
- Meticulous
- Vengeful Riposte

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:

Housing Buffs:
- Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
- Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
- Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.
- Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
- Attic (Storage): +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
- Slime Farm: +5% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.

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

Scents of the Wild Totem:

Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:

Gathering Profession:

 

Edited March 3 by Katoka

[NIGHT 0]

night kept her sights trained on katoka as she pointed to emrakul. "unless you mean them, i think the creepy crawlies are the least of our problems... but i'd rather be anywhere else too." then, she stammered, bracing herself for the fight. "uh, no offence, emrakul."

she thought the lord took offense anyway, with the edges of the world going hazy. still, as the bell tolled, night swayed not from her objective. her greatsword was flipped pommel-first as she darted towards the other swordswoman, allowing the weight of the new blade to trail behind her, that darkened steel that feigned as gem and rock. her focus was first kept on dodging -- she had a feeling katoka was incredibly capable as a striker, but the moment night spotted a committed swing that left her opponent's back open, she slid behind katoka, driving the end of oblivion bluntly against her spine, directly in between her scapulas.

Spoiler

> MAIN ACTION: TECH-A
> SWIFT ACTION: CONCENTRATION

ID242586 | bd9 | cd8 | -> Katoka
 | paralysis from para-v applies first.

- 9 EN.

(9+1) * 8 = 80 DMG
80 - 30 = 50 DMG

HATE: 1 + 1 (crit) + 1 (fs)

[0] NIGHT | HP: 205/205 | EN: 34/43 (43-9) | DMG: 9 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 4 | BH: 7 | HB: 5 | VAMP-D: 11 | FLN: 4 | PARA-V | LD: 4 | AA | FS | STEALTH: 4 | [MADNESS: 1/3] [CONCENTRATION: 1/5]

[3] Katoka | HP: 150/200 (200 - 50) | EN: 43/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT:30 | ACC:3 | EVA:1 | BH:6 | REC: 2 | FLN: 4 | HLY: 4 | [STUN IMMUNITY: 1/3] [PARALYZED] [MADNESS: 1/3]

 

[Katoka 0]

Taking her eyes off of Night was her first mistake.

Katoka turned her attention back to the swordswoman and blinked. She was already gone. Dust having kicked up where she originally stood wafting in the slightly salty breeze. Before realization had set in she felt the pommel of a weapon slam into her back. The wind exited her lungs in a nearly cartoonish sound, her eyes snapping open in shock that she had been taken completely off guard. A small status popped up in the corner of her vision that she had been paralyzed from the hit.

Cursing under her breath she turned her head as much as she could in her frozen state. "I guess I should be more worried about you. Sorry for not giving you my full attention, you definitely deserve it." she flashed her a sly grin, hoping that flirting for a moment might catch her off guard.

----

Spoiler

 

Main Action: Be paralyzed
Swift Action: None

Madness Roll:
ID#: 242698 | CD: 6

[0] NIGHT | HP: 205/205 | EN: 43/43 | DMG: 9 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 4 | BH: 7 | HB: 5 | VAMP-D: 11 | FLN: 4 | PARA-V | LD: 4 | AA | FS | STEALTH: 4 | [MADNESS: 1/3] [CONCENTRATION: 1/5]

[3] Katoka | HP: 150/200 | EN: 43/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT:30 | ACC:3 | EVA:1 | BH:6 | REC: 2 | FLN: 4 | HLY: 4 | [STUN IMMUNITY: 1/3] [PARALYZED] [MADNESS: 1/3]

 

 

Edited March 4 by Katoka

[NIGHT 0]

"-- you weren't paying attention to me?"

night spoke those words aloud, blank. still wary about the lord in the background, she hadn't even considered kat was someone who was interested in talking mid-fight. should she be familiar with that? they'd gone hunting, once. night remembered little from it, beyond needing the items for the floor boss. with mina, she'd already known to be aware of the chatter. not so much with kat.

night flipped her blade. "you're going to lose if you..."

 

 

 

... ?

suddenly, a little too late, she put the pieces together.

... wait, should she be thinking so hard about this right now? two blinks, fast, and a swipe out of flames made in hesitance. night skipped backwards two steps, on instinct, once she realized her attack hadn't connected. her eyes were narrowed, fixed on her opponent -- any moment her attention went straying away from her combatant, she was sure she'd fall into emrakul's trap.

"what was that about being worried about me again?"

Spoiler

> MAIN ACTION: TECH-G

+1 EN.

ID242723 | bd1+5-1 = 5 | cd9 | -> Katoka

-2 EN.

HATE: 1 (fs)

[0] NIGHT | HP: 205/205 | EN: 33/43 (34+1-2) | DMG: 9 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 4 | BH: 7 | HB: 5 | VAMP-D: 11 | FLN: 4 | PARA-V | LD: 4 | AA | FS | STEALTH: 4 | [MADNESS: 1/3] [CONCENTRATION: 2/5]

[4] Katoka | HP: 150/200 | EN: 43/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT:30 | ACC:3 | EVA:1 | BH:6 | REC: 2 | FLN: 4 | HLY: 4 | [STUN IMMUNITY: 2/3] [MADNESS: 1/3]

 

[Katoka 0]

Had it worked?

Kat was grasping at straws when she threw in the remark about paying attention. A soft ping signalling her paralysis had faded sent her into action. The samurai pivoted, turning her body to face the dark haired woman as she adjusted the grip on her katana. "Yeah sorry, I was a bit distracted by the cosmic horrors of this hell hole. But I think I've found someone that I can keep my eye on."

Just in case her hunch was right she was going to keep up with the banter. Launching herself forward she swung her blade, the light from her sword art reflecting off of Night's won weapon. Her attack missed its mark, sending a blast of air sailing off and crashing into an abandoned building. Thunder rumbled overhead as color flooded Katoka's cheeks. Bolts of electricity slowly snapped and cracked around her, reacting to her embarrassment.

"It's been a while since a pretty girl has made me fumble." the blonde rolled her shoulders, keeping to her word and not taking her eyes off of Night.

----

Main Action: [x8] ST-I : -8 EN -2 EN
Swift Action:

ID#: 242724 | BD: 4+3-4=3 MISS! | CD: 2

[0] NIGHT | HP: 205/205 | EN: 33/43 (34+1-2) | DMG: 9 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 4 | BH: 7 | HB: 5 | VAMP-D: 11 | FLN: 4 | PARA-V | LD: 4 | AA | FS | STEALTH: 4 | [MADNESS: 1/3] [CONCENTRATION: 2/5]

[4] Katoka | HP: 150/200 | EN: 41/43 (43-2) | DMG: 10 | MIT:30 | ACC:3 | EVA:1 | BH:6 | REC: 2 | FLN: 4 | HLY: 4 | [STUN IMMUNITY: 2/3] [MADNESS: 2/3]

Edited March 4 by Katoka

[NIGHT 0]

night felt her eye twitch.

their blades had parried, and night redirected the art meant for her assailing somewhere else. but neither did she tear her gaze away to look where it'd went. the flush on kat was telling -- night continued to size her up still, gritting her teeth. "sorry?"

and now she was in too deep to realize she wasn't supposed to be listening to psychological warfare. where was she to start? that this wasn't the time and place for a nice date? night angled her blade ahead of herself once more, trying not to avert her sights -- a difficult task for someone so anxious. in the moment, hot under the collar, night tracked sideways, rounding towards katoka's position after tossing away a growl.

she brought the heat to katoka with a slash that singed. no matter how kat must've blocked it, night pressed her blade through, forgetting how heavy its toll must've weighed on the thinner blade of her competition. in the scatter of flames, night's glare bore into kat's eyes.

(windows to the souls. in trying to discern the truth behind those words, confusion was laid bare behind her own.)

what sounded like it should've been said in a roar was only eeked out pitiful after a half-hearted snarl. "you could've said that when we first met, smartass!"

Spoiler

> MAIN ACTION: TECH-G

+1 EN.

ID242725 | bd6+5-1 = 10 | cd10 | -> Katoka
 | applying [BURN: 14 DMG (2)].

-12 EN.

(9+4) * 8 = 104 DMG
104 - 30 = 74 DMG

HATE: 1 + 1 (fs)

[0] NIGHT | HP: 205/205 | EN: 22/43 (33+1-12) | DMG: 9 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 4 | BH: 7 | HB: 5 | VAMP-D: 11 | FLN: 4 | PARA-V | LD: 4 | AA | FS | STEALTH: 4 | [MADNESS: 1/3] [CONCENTRATION: 3/5]

[6] Katoka | HP: 82/200 (156-74) | EN: 41/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT:30 | ACC:3 | EVA:1 | BH:6 | REC: 2 | FLN: 4 | HLY: 4 | [STUN IMMUNITY: 3/3] [MADNESS: 2/3] [BURN: 14 DMG (0/2)]

 

[Katoka 0]

Oops.

That was not the nerve that Kat had meant to hit. Night's strike was much hotter than she had expected, but not nearly as much as the piercing gaze that seemed to be boring directly into her. With each swing Katoka met her opponent's own with a resounding clash. Sparks flew and metal on metal rung out through the streets. "Woah, Night hang on. I didn't mean--"

The swordswoman snarled a response that made her heart pang. "The first time we met?" she felt her own face scrunch up at the words. "We first met at the raid meeting just before the Wushen fight." she could feel herself getting worked up now. How could Night be upset at her for saying something if she didn't even remember the first time they were in the same room, let alone fought together. "You were giving a debref on the labyrinth boss that you soloed and this was my first raid. So I apologize if I didn't jump up in front of everyone to complement you."

Anger creeped up from deep down. Something was wrong but she was too distracted to notice right then and there. "After that we didn't see one another again until we grouped up with Mac and Freyd." the samurai went in for another strike but her sword went wide, missing its mark once again. This time an unseen force seemed to grasp onto her wrist, making her entire body tense up. Her eyes widened but her mouth seemed to continue, "That had been a bit more of an intimate time but there were still two other people there, on top of me being fresh out of a failed engagement!"

The muscles in Katoka's legs clenched as her body began to move on its own. She felt herself turn towards Night, long tendrils of electricity arcing from her with loud snaps. She moved, in an instant she was in front of the swordwoman, her katana slashing at her chest in a move that could have been missed is if any onlookers blinked. Thunder rumbled again in the clouds above as the Cerulean Storm had struck her mark once again.

Kat blinked, her eyes rapidly darting about in confusion. She leapt back from Night and shook her head, "I--What happened?" she wanted to look up at Emrakul but she knew better than to look away from the woman in front of her. "I, couldn't stop myself from word vomiting all that just now... I'm sorry."

----

Spoiler

 

Katoka regains +1 EN
Katoka regains +6 HP via BH

Main Action: [x8] ST-I : -8 EN
Swift Action: Antidote Crystal -2 EN

ID#: 242726 | BD: 2+3-4=1 MISS! | CD: 2 [Going Mad Unlocked] Attack Nullified

Going Mad Roll:
ID#: 242727 | CD: 4 | Attack with ST-I or ST-II

Going Mad Attack:
ID#: 242728 | BD: 10 CRIT! | [Holy Proc] 16*8=128 DMG vs NIGHT!

[2] NIGHT | HP: 77/205 (205-128) | EN: 22/43 | DMG: 9 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 4 | BH: 7 | HB: 5 | VAMP-D: 11 | FLN: 4 | PARA-V | LD: 4 | AA | FS | STEALTH: 4 | [MADNESS: 1/3] [CONCENTRATION: 3/5]

[6] Katoka | HP: 88/200 (82+6) | EN: 32/43 (41+1-10) | DMG: 10 | MIT:30 | ACC:3 | EVA:1 | BH:6 | REC: 2 | FLN: 4 | HLY: 4 | [MADNESS: 3/3] [BURN: 14 DMG (0/2)]

 

 

Edited March 5 by Katoka

[NIGHT 0]

talkative! talkative, talkative, talkative -- this was exactly night's problem with everyone else in the middle of a fight. but when it was just them, one on one, night had to listen. almost forced to, against the droning of an uncaring, omnipotent eternity, but this time, she wasn't sure where the rage was coming from.

at being wrong? night had completely disregarded the gathering after the labyrinth boss with wushen defeated. the exhaustion from beating down that dragon had taken its toll, never mind the solo effort with the golem. and, past that, had she actually remembered the attendees at bistro's conference, they would've hardly spoken if she had even exchanged words with kat. night hated that her memory was fallible, but still, she grit her teeth and pushed through.

what about her discourtesy? there was a lot kat had to say about them, just the two of them, being as passing ships in the dark. perhaps night had put her mind to her work so much, so often that she'd completely disregarded the social dynamics of most around her, and it wasn't due to incapability so much as being tunnel visioned. in contrast to kat's clear head? just the idea that she was choosing to look in a mirror once again burned her furious to her core, a never-ending cycle -- nails digging at old wounds.

it was annoying how she couldn't let herself go.

"... That had been a bit more of an intimate time but there were still two other people there, on top of me being fresh out of a failed engagement!"

(night would have time to think about it later, spiced drink in hand, over how kat had remembered so much about a hypothetical nobody. most of which stemmed from irritation about being a sore loser, but something about kat having had gone through the same thing she did, just inversely, echoed in the lights reflecting on the surface of her ceramic cup. quiet, curious, annoyed --

-- stewing.

but now?)

all of kat's attacks seemed to bring her on the offense. night unwillingly obliged, giving up ground -- this was not how she had expected to maneuver, turn the tides. she'd lost the narrative, and what anger kat somehow threw at her at a slash too quick for the perceptible eye night felt in the gash of her skin, burning red and whites struck out against the fabric on her torso. there was a thunder as night staggered, head down low, and kat was unsure of the effects of cardinal.

 

 

the swordswoman, who seeped of (regret? sorrow? guilt?) --

"I, couldn't stop myself from word vomiting all that just now... I'm sorry."

"-- that's not my fault!"

night, ever blind and reckless, brandished her sword and charged ahead, a tiger ready to pounce.

"shut the hell up!!"

Spoiler

> MAIN ACTION: ST-I

+12 HP / 1 EN.
ID242733 | cd12 | -> +11 HP

ID242734 | bd9 | cd8 | -> Katoka 
| paralysis from para-v applies.

-8 EN.

(9+4) * 8 = 104 DMG
104 - 30 = 74 DMG

HATE: 1 + 1 (crit) + 1 (fs)

[2] NIGHT | HP: 100/205 (77+11+12) | EN: 15/43 (22+1-8) | DMG: 9 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 4 | BH: 7 | HB: 5 | VAMP-D: 11 | FLN: 4 | PARA-V | LD: 4 | AA | FS | STEALTH: 4 | [MADNESS: 1/3] [CONCENTRATION: 4/5]

[9] Katoka | HP: 14/200 (88-74) | EN: 32/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT:30 | ACC:3 | EVA:1 | BH:6 | REC: 2 | FLN: 4 | HLY: 4 | [MADNESS: 3/3] [PARALYZED]

 

[Katoka 0]

The arena, the thing that was watching over their fight, that had to be the reason.

Kat was not one to dump her sadness onto someone that she hardly knew. Hell she had avoided Freyd and Elora when things were rough with Sam. "Night wait, I--"

The woman in front of her was angry. That much was clear. Why though? Was it the effects of Emrakul and this damned floor? In all honesty it was probably something she had done. Between the flirting (which she thought of as harmless) and her reaction to Night nit remembering her, the black haired swordswoman was clearly not in the mood for her mouth. This thought was backed up by her final shout.

Katoka granted her wish, it was the last she could do after all, and pressed her lips into a hard line. Her brows furrowed and she leapt back, putting some distance between the two as energy gathered about her once again. She wanted a silent fight, then so be it. Her body tensed just before she vanished from sight once again. Her body a blur as she struck her target, skewering her as if she was nothing more than a simple mob on the first floor. Thunder rumbled again over head, the storm above eager to answer her call. In a quick motion she removed the blade, her chest heaving with every breath as the victory notification produced a fanfare.

Her face was hard, anger attempting to claw its way out of her like a hungry beast. Katoka took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before letting it out. She would not let anger define how she felt about Night. She spoke one last time, hoping that she would listen. "I've apologized enough so I'll just say this. I don't do that. Dump all my feels on people. I don't know if you felt it or not but there was something fishy going on with our observer." she pointed over her shoulder with her thumb at Emrakul. "I have a lot of respect for you Night. You're strong, and I've always been able to see that, even if it was just from a distance." She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck, looking away from the swordswoman. "What I said earlier about not paying attention to you wasn't entirely true. It's hard not to notice you, but this place had me on edge."

The samurai turned around so that Night couldn't see her face, her cheeks flushing slightly as she started to walk away, "And I wasn't lying about you being cute."

----

Spoiler

 

Katoka regains +1 EN
Katoka regains +6 HP via BH

Main Action: [x11] ST-II : -11 EN
Swift Action: Forgotten King's Authority | -5 EN

ID#: 242736 | BD:9 CRIT! | [Holy Proc] 15*11=165 DMG vs NIGHT!

[2] NIGHT | HP: 0/205 (165-100) | EN: 15/43 (22+1-8) | DMG: 9 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 4 | BH: 7 | HB: 5 | VAMP-D: 11 | FLN: 4 | PARA-V | LD: 4 | AA | FS | STEALTH: 4 | [MADNESS: 1/3] [CONCENTRATION: 4/5]

[9] Katoka | HP: 20/200 (14+6) | EN: 21/43 (32-11) | DMG: 10 | MIT:30 | ACC:3 | EVA:1 | BH:6 | REC: 2 | FLN: 4 | HLY: 4 | [MADNESS: 0/3] [PARALYZED] [FKA: 0/7]

 

 

Edited March 5 by Katoka