Anda moved into the dungeon with her party close behind. She spotted the other group, but went down a separate path, as the dungeon spread out in different directions. As they did, they came across a fair sized room with several executioners, spaced out fairly far so they wouldn't aggro if one of them were attacked. She was about to go in and try to stun one, but Siegfried moved in first, dealing some heavy damage. Anda sighed, and watched as he even took an unnecessary attack. From her distance, Anda raised her sword, point towards the beast, and let it go. She used flash stab to close the distance between her and the executioner and deal some damage, but she didn't stop there. She quickly charged up cross cut and delivered two strikes before he could act again. As he brought his axe down to attack, Anda's shield began to glow. She delivered a stunning smite to the beast. It was a large monster, so it had weight to it, but Anda dumped most of her points into strength so she could wield the heaviest armor. The executioner slid back four feet and was interrupted from his skill. As soon as he skidded back, the rest of the party, who were close at Andalious' heels, dashed forward, and engaged all at once while he was still reeling from the smite. The full sized party made quick work of the executioner, which was missing much of its health from Siegfried's assault. The monster disappeared in a flash of data as Anda glared over at Siegfried, "Next time let me get first strike to draw aggro," She looked at the party's health bars at the corner of the HUD. He took a large amount of damage from that strike. She let out a sigh, wondering if she could beat team combat into this guy's skull.
Equipment Appraisal 170/1000
Slash Weapon Forging 100/1000
Thrust Weapon Forging 100/1000
Blunt Weapon Forging 150/1000
Light Metal Armor Forging 100/1000
Heavy Metal Armor Forging 190/1000
Metal Equipment Repairing 100/1000
Metal Refining 130/1000
Extended Weight Limit 200/1000
Battle Healing 200/1000
Heavy Metal Equipment 170/1000
Dual-Twohand 200/1000
Armor: Clothing in pics.
Dungeon armor: Not Obtained Yet
Swords: Durandal- Purple weapon in left hand (Not obtained), Gram the Silver sword in his right hand (Not Obtained). 2 large two handed silver swords.
Potions: Health pots x 8
⋙Siegfried looked at her and was a little shocked to tell the truth she could block all that? Pretty impressive "S-sorry...." he said with a lower voice. already he had been ridiculed by his new friend. He knew he wasn't cut out for something like team fights. ⋘
"As long as they're moving forward, then that's all that matters." Keiyo replied once Geki was caught up. Kou seemed to be lagging, but he would be able to rejoin them quickly enough.
Keiyo's eyes slid back and forth while he walked. It wasn't particularly necessary, given that the corridors were relatively narrow. It was likely a habit he had developed as he had been playing, and also likely because of the wall claws back on floor one. But even as he tried to maintain his hunter-like awareness, he couldn't ignore the slight soreness in his eyes and the chill in his body from sleep deprivation. How long had he been playing? More than 24 hours, he was sure. He'd only pulled off his NerveGear to eat a bit and to use the bathroom. More and more the game was absorbing him, and he didn't mind it in the slightest.
Geki briefly looked back, wondering where Kouda was, but continued to follow Keiyo regardless. He briefly thought about how everyone worked together in the first floor. But now, the atmosphere was different. Keiyo, for one, didn't seem to be having fun playing the game, but the fact that he didn't get any sleep meant that he couldn't stop either. Perhaps playing SAO was like a drug to the guy. Putting all that aside, the corridors were pretty narrow. A surprise attack in a place like this would be near impossible.
The labyrinth had few diverging paths, but it also felt quite long. The almost featureless walls made it hard to determine how far a person had traveled, or if they were, perhaps, going in circles somehow. The monotony of the walking, and the surprising lack of monster appearances, were taking its toll on the swordsman's mind. He felt more and more drowsy with each step he took. "I don't know if I can do this. I might just drop on the floor." Keiyo grudgingly admitted to himself.
While thinking about how comfortable even the stone floor might be, something caught his eye. To Geki and Keiyo's immediate right, there seemed to be a passage, but it was pitch black. Though his mind was hazy, even he could tell something was wrong. There was a burning torch on the opposite side of the wall, but the light couldn't pierce the darkness. It was almost like someone just painted a black square on the wall. He cast a glance to Geki, then reached out a hand toward the opening. He expected to find resistance, but his hand passed right through. As it did, his display suddenly filled with static. He couldn't even see his HP indicator. The shock made Keiyo pull his arm back, and he stumbled back until he hit the wall. "I think it's a glitch. My HUD screwed up when I tried to pass through it."
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_____ Kou followed the pair quietly, thinking about that stupid NPC and his stupid songs. He also thought more on his theory but pushed it aside when Keiyo stumbled back into the wall. he looked to where he'd put his arm through to see a black space. "Do you see a black space on the wall too then? May be the Hardware, may be the game itself."
Geki also saw the black space on the wall. Apparently, it screwed up Keiyo's HUD when he tried to pass his arm through it. "Let me try it." Geki stepped forward next and exhaled before sticking his arm into the passage. He pondered sticking his sword through it, but it was still brand new. And he'd rather not be unable to use a perfectly good weapon. Instead, he stuck his own arm through, and just like Keiyo, his display started acting up turning static-y and snowy until he pulled back. Geki, unsurprisingly, looked very panicked. "That's crazy! Do you think it has anything to do with what happened earlier? And is this seriously the only way we have to go through? There must have been another pathway we missed."
"It's some kinda glitch. I'm sure of it." Keiyo responded to both his party members. He offered a nod to Kou, having rejoined them. Keiyo held his chin as he thought about the anomaly. "This could be some kind of aftermath from the big glitch earlier. It seems small enough that it could be overlooked, even though Carsys seems on top of these things." He rubbed his eyes a bit from the fatigue without thinking. It wouldn't help any, given that this was all simulated, but it was the instinctive thing to do. His brain felt like scrambled eggs right now. He wanted to speculate more about this and try to deduce something, but he could barely add two numbers together in his head. "Let's just take a look inside. It might just be a minor bug on the passage."
Throwing rationality and caution to the wind, Keiyo simply marched into the pitch-black opening. The burst of static didn't startle him this time, so he kept going through. From an onlooker's perspective, he seemed to just vanish into the void. Was it safe?
The return trip to town was uneventful. Sleipnir, Eir's newly tamed Nightmare, sauntered along beside her. The horse's appearance was still rather intimidating admittedly, but the thought of having a constant companion overshadowed that fact. She could hardly keep her hands off of her pet, constantly stroking him and just trying to show attachment in general. Now that she had a partner, she didn't want him to disappear.
Walking around with a large horse following everywhere was a bit impractical, though, she had to admit. Eir stopped by the stables when she stepped back inside town to see if it was possible to have him wait there while she took care of her business. Being that Nightmares were technically a type of horse, the system apparently allowed it. The amount of obedience pets had was surprising as well, given that Sleipnir didn't seem to mind. Eir left her steed a bit of food before setting off for the inner parts of Draconis.
Along the way to the smith's shop, Eir paused to look at a man that was apparently sitting down and dripping. She furrowed her brow at the sight. It was reasonable to conclude that he had fallen into the fountain, but why wasn't he trying to dry himself off or anything? The lady cast a glance around. No one else seemed to be paying any mind, so she figured that she could give it a try. "Hey, uh, are you all right there, guy?" She asked as she approached him.
Shisei Tenshi
Canias... Just call me Cai. I Am: Lv. 24 Medic Health:████████████████████ 4300/4300 Status: Normal I'm With: -- I'm Doing: Looking for a party to do quest with My Inventory:
Equipped: Hands:Crosier Two Handed Staff ATT 20 Head: Empty Torso: Midnight Coat Hide+ DEF+1 Cloth Shirt DEF +0 Legs: Cloth Leggings DEF +0 Wrists: Lunar Gloves Hide+ Detect+ DEF +1 Feet: Reinforced Boots DEF +1 Accessory: Empty Misc: HP Potion 30% X 17 AntiVenom X 10 Col: 550
OOC: Sorry Cai's is kinda short. Trying to get back into the swing of things XD
After falling into the fountain Cai felt really embarrassed even if it seemed like no one noticed him at first. "Why did I start playing this game again? It seemed fun based on all the reviews on the gameboards, but the more I play the harder things get. I want to help people get to the top floor, but I have a long ways to go before I'm ready for that..." Cai thought to himself as he stared up at the clouds going by. He hadn't realized it, but he was slowly drifting off to sleep. A first time experience for him to actually fall asleep while playing a game. It wasn't like those skip scenes where you sleep for a second and then continue on either. Cai was both physically and mentally exhausted, but he was starting to enjoy the game and it's challenges. "If I stay here much longer, I may not want to go back home..." He thought about his family for a few moments. His parents and how they always pushed him to give his all at everything. He would never forgive himself if he just gave up and quit halfway though. That was never his style and so he decided to keep moving forward. Whatever happened would happen and hopefully he would be there at the end of it all to smile. Cai was a little startled when a player with two different colored eyes approached him and asked if he was ok. "I'm alright. Just fell in a bit of water, but no harm done. Guess I have a lot on my mind lately. I wanted to go on a quest, but it's hard getting a party together." Cai wasn't brave enough to take on the mission alone since he knew nothing about the terrain or monsters that lived there.
Red Rose I Am: Lv. 27 Adventurer Health:████████████████████ 5500/5500 Status: Normal I'm With: -- I'm Doing: -- My Inventory:
Equipped:Hands: Duelist Blade - 20 ATT / 4 DEX Head: Empty Torso: Iron Breastplate - 3 DEF Legs: Knee Guards - 1 DEF Wrists: Empty Feet: Knee High Boots - 3 DEF Accessory: Woven Bracelet (Right Wrist) - 1 DEF - Unique bracelet made by hand. Pattern matches her wolf companion's collar. Misc: Sewing Tool Kit X1 Col: 000
OOC: --
Red Rose wandered into Draconis not looking back until she was sure to be in the city gates. The towns were marked as safe zones for players and player kills were not allowed. Skirmishes between players were allowed, but neither party would die from it. Maybe if she spent some time in the city the theives would give up on stealing her equipment and move on. She didn't want to keep beating them over and over again. Even if they were doing something wrong, they were still players like her. It left a guilty feeling inside her for player killing to save herself. "Maybe I should go easy on them next time, or throw some coin and run away. Man this sucks. My third day here and already I'm wanted for player killing. Soon they will start associating me with that one guild that actually enjoys it. Guess I'll lay low for awhile..." Red Rose thought to herself as she walked deeper into the city. Several merchant stalls lay scattered on her left and right, but she didn't want to look at the items. It would only make her want what she couldn't afford.
Red Rose hadn't realized, but her white dire wolf companion Snow had been listening to her thoughts. He nuzzled her hand and whimpered. "You protected what was yours. You did nothing wrong." His voice spoke clearly in her mind as the two walked towards town square. "I know...I just don't like the looks some people are giving me. They are afraid." Red Rose answered back and then she stopped and opened up her inventory to check her equipment. She was able to upgrade her equipment thanks to the previous quests she had completed, but it was always nice to have some spending money. As she started to walk towards the quest board she noticed two players standing near a fountain. She quickly darted into an alleyway nearby hoping not to be seen. Until the red status faded away from her name, she had to be careful not to get caught in the wrong crowd or they might turn her in and claim the reward. "Snow go read the questboard. Find something with a lot of gold as the reward and bring it back here." Red Rose told her companion before Snow started to walk towards the quest board while Red Rose stayed in the alleyway hoping no one would notice her.
Snow White+ Level : 5+ HP: 1000/1000+ Active skills +
Geki watched as Keiyo actually disappeared into the black void. He briefly looked back at Kouda before venturing closer to the black space. "Keiyo?" He really seemed to have disappeared. "Keiyo! What's going on in there?!"
((Just wanna make a note that there likely wouldn't be any info about the game on public forums, given that it was distributed in a quiet, secretive manner. And Red Rose would probably have been playing for a lot longer than 3 days to be level 27.))
Eir rubbed her arms absentmindedly. It sounded like the guy was a bit down in the dumps. "I'm not doing anything if you wanna party with me." She replied. She had gotten the notice about the dungeon opening, like everyone else, but being that she wasn't in a party, either, she didn't feel like going and trying to take on whatever lurked underground. A quest, though, that sounded to be a bit more in her league.
As she spoke with the man, something caught Eir's eye at the edge of her vision - a wolf. At first she thought it was a monster and instinctively she wanted to equip her spear, but paused as she noticed that the animal didn't seem to be targeting anyone. In fact, it seemed to be... reading? "Uh. Is there an event going on or something? Why is there a wolf reading the quest board?" She asked the man, and jabbed a finger in the direction of the white animal.
. "Come on in. The water's fine." A familiar voice floated out from the void in the wall of the dungeon.
What was waiting inside the glitch was rather unimpressive. It was a room that was similar in appearance to the rest of the dungeon design, but of a lower quality. It lacked the quality of the texture that everything else featured, as though it was a forgotten piece of the game, or a test room. At the center was a chest, but what was more eye catching than the box was what was atop it - the curious bard from outside the dungeon. His smirk was present, as it always was. "Yes, come in. You really shouldn't be here, but what fun is it if we're not a little naughty now and then, hm? Rules are made to be broken, live a little dangerously. Pick your favorite justification, there's plenty of them." The NPC rested his chin on his interwoven fingers. "But really now, you're quite brave, crossing that threshold. Weren't you worried about what would happen? Of what was waiting on the other side? I could have been a big scary monster." He unlaced one of his fingers to claw gently at the air, making a mocking 'rawr' noise, before resuming his posture.
To his surprise, Geki actually heard the voice of the NPC from before. And if he was here... Although he was still hesitant, Geki pushed his way into the glitch. To his surprise, the room was of ridiculously low quality, like one of those 64 bit gaming systems. And smack in the middle of the room, was the bard, sitting on a treasure chest and delightfully mocking them yet again. "If we're really not supposed to be here, the mods would've found us by now, right? That said, just who are you anyway? Really?"
. "Mods?" The bard repeated with a soft giggle. "I adore the vocabulary you all have. It makes things so... delightful!" He said, as he stood and flourished. The curious man then began to walk around the room. "Tell me, my friend, what makes you believe that anyone knows you are here right now? Here, in this cramped little room, hovering in the middle of nowhere, with no activity going on whatsoever?" He paused, then seemed to inspect the wall with great interest. "Hmm hmm~ No, I don't believe there is a single person in the world right now that has any idea of where we are. Just us, having our merry little gathering. Oh! A party! How delightful! Would you care for some tea? Perhaps some sweets?" He began to asked excitedly, and bounced on the balls of his feet. "Oh, it has been ages since I've been to a party! Ah, but wait! There is no tea! Or sweets! Drat. Oh well." He resumed his pacing. "Ah, but I'm ignoring your other question, aren't I? Who am I? Who are you? Who is he? Who is anyone? So many questions! Ah, I know! What if we make it into a game? You like games, don't you? I daresay you do. How about... twenty questions! That's a lovely one. You can ask me twenty things - except my name! - and try to figure out who I am." The man paused in front of the chest, held his hands behind his back, and stared at the people before him. Creepy smile as always. "Fire away."
