LV 3
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HP: 485
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STR: 08 (+21)
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DEX: 00 (+08)
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CON: 00 (+77)
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THYME? IS
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Post by Comic on Sept 25, 2016 1:41:41 GMT -6
It was darker out here - a welcome change, for sure, but still a weird sensation compared to the cloudless fields that seemed to have a melancholy to them, outside of the pigs and boars. Spending an afternoon on those was a good way to break herself in, but today was a new day. Her second day of the beta, and she didn't want to rehash yesterday.
So it was that she pressed into the woods - a few players had talked about how the difficulty spiked here compared to the boars, but she didn't bother to listen more than that. She wasn't here to play chess, she was here to release some violent tendencies. One of the first things to catch her attention is the sound of... sobbing. Curious, she pressed in to investigate.
She was rewarded with a small child, crying. A spiel, a speech, and a quest prompt, all for more than one person. That meant waiting time - and she wasn't too fond of that, but it would have to do. Plopping her own ass down on the log, she assumed a bored sitting stance, ready to wait it out for the day.
ARETO /// quest prompt
Last Edit: Sept 25, 2016 1:42:08 GMT -6 by Comic
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LV 1
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HP: 115
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STR: 0
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DEX: 0
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CON: 3
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ginseng IS
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Post by ARETO on Sept 25, 2016 12:36:03 GMT -6
[attr="class","strawberry"] [attr="class","coconut"]KILLER QUEEN Areto couldn't remember the last time that he ran for his life. Though, this didn't seem like the appropriate time to worry about something like that either. The young adventurer was currently running away from two large nepents. He wasn't sure how he ended up on their radar, his intention being to explore and see the different fauna, and he managed to stumble into their sights instead. One of the tendrils shot out and seized Areto around his leg, lifting him up and off the ground. He resisted the urge to flail his limbs and instead held on tighter to the strap of his round shield and the hilt of his sword. The tendril pulled him closer to the pair and he grunted with pain as his back hit the ground. That would've lost some HP surely, and he glanced at his gauge to be sure of it. He slashed at the tendril holding him captive, cutting it in half and freeing himself from the nepent's hold. The other nepent reached out for him and he held up his shield in order to block it. Alright, let's try this.Areto's sword glowed a light blue color and he thrust his sword into the body of the injured nepent and it let out a frightening shriek, before exploding into shards of data. His momentary shock gave the other nepent enough time to react. Wrapping it's tendrils around his body and trying to pull him closer towards its mouth. Areto struggled and tried to press his boot in between them so that he could keep away as much as possible. Seriously?!Areto grunted and glanced around. He couldn't move his arms, his HP bar was going down bit by bit. And he wasn't sure if his boots would be able to hold out against the nepnt. " Hey! If anybody's out there, I could use some assistance!" Comic [newclass=.strawberry] background-color:#fff;box-shadow: 2px 2px 3px #c0c0c0;height:auto;margin:auto;width: 350px;padding:24px;font-size:11px;[/newclass] [newclass=.coconut] padding:10px;text-align:center;font-family:VT323;font-size:30px;text-transform:uppercase;[/newclass]
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LV 3
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HP: 485
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STR: 08 (+21)
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DEX: 00 (+08)
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CON: 00 (+77)
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THYME? IS
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Post by Comic on Sept 25, 2016 12:50:00 GMT -6
The yell for assistance pierced it all - the NPC's crying, her relative boredom, and near-disassociation that came from being stuck in the middle of the woods surrounded by both silence and the sound of nature. Comic wasn't sure when she had drawn her blade, but the rusty, dull edge was now out and in her right hand. The grip and her palm felt like a match, it felt like the only thing that should fit there. She turned on her heel, once, twice, feeling her hair whip into her shoulders before the rustling and sounds of struggle finally picked up in a direction.
She tumbled through the underbrush, coincidentally having the NPC tag along - apparently he was going to follow until the quest parameters were finished, just great - and came across a player with a big green mother from outer space. If that kid was Seymore, then Comic was about to play the part of weed killer. Crouch down, sword in hand, focus focus focus on the action of it coming to a point and slash - with a guttural yell, something to steel nerves and catch attention, she shot forward and then released the Sword Art. She felt the sword cut into it, and watched as the creature dipped all the way down... to one hit point.
Shit shit shit she thought as she turned in place and shoulder-tackled it; she wasn't sure what she was trying to accomplish now beyond drawing attention.
ARETO /// quest prompt
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LV 1
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HP: 115
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STR: 0
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DEX: 0
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CON: 3
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ginseng IS
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Post by ARETO on Sept 25, 2016 13:16:20 GMT -6
[attr="class","strawberry"] [attr="class","coconut"]KILLER QUEEN Areto grunted and struggled against his binds. There was no way that his first death in game would be at the hands of something like this. He just wouldn't let it happen! Pressing back with as much force as he could muster into his leg, he tried to free himself. A blur of red caught his attention and he turned his head noticing a glowing sword and a girl. His struggling was lost for a moment as he watched her strike the nepent, lowering it's HP to 1, and Areto couldn't help but cheer. " Amazing!" He yelled. " Finish it off!" She struck it with her shoulder and immediately the tendrils unraveled from him as the nepent's form began to waver and then shatter into bright blue shards. Areto sighed, his head lowering in relief as he fell to his knees. That was close. He was almost plant food, literally. Rising to his feet and securing his shield onto his back, he turned to face her with a bright smile. " That was great! Thanks for coming to save me." Although, he wasn't sure if anyone would have heard him even if he called out. It was a risk to take but it paid off in the end so no harm, no foul. Areto folded his arms across his chest and tilted his head to the side, noticing a quivering child who had been following her. " Huh?" He turned to face the child and held out his hand to comfort them only to be confronted by a text prompt and large tears in the child's eyes. " Oh. Were you on a quest, sorry if I interrupted." Comic [newclass=.strawberry] background-color:#fff;box-shadow: 2px 2px 3px #c0c0c0;height:auto;margin:auto;width: 350px;padding:24px;font-size:11px;[/newclass] [newclass=.coconut] padding:10px;text-align:center;font-family:VT323;font-size:30px;text-transform:uppercase;[/newclass]
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LV 3
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HP: 485
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STR: 08 (+21)
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DEX: 00 (+08)
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CON: 00 (+77)
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THYME? IS
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Post by Comic on Sept 25, 2016 17:29:51 GMT -6
The most important part of the entire exchange was that she got the experience rewards for killing the plant - a nepant, if the temporary targeting had told her anything about it. Saving someone felt almost like a necessity with how her body reacted, but it felt... very useless. The player would just respawn, no real issues. If this was any of the other games she had tried before, she would have let him die due to his mistake.
This virtual reality made it seem too real. It was like hearing shouting in the alley and someone getting mugged - something kicks in and you act on it. She was still trying to figure out that, staring at the blade, when the rescued party member of this conversation gave her some cheery words. She could only return a puzzled look and flipped the blade over in her hands. "Yeah." Yeah, you're welcome. Yeah, I know. Yeah, I'm sorry.
She was ready to leave him as he was - someone caught up like that might not be out here to do quests - when he spoke up, and she shrugged her shoulders. "Kids gotta be escorted to town. Probably more of those plants." She took a moment to brush off some leafy residue from the exterior of her plate chest piece. "Do you need an escort, too?" He might, given what just happened.
ARETO /// quest prompt
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LV 1
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HP: 115
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STR: 0
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DEX: 0
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CON: 3
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ginseng IS
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Post by ARETO on Sept 25, 2016 19:49:49 GMT -6
[attr="class","strawberry"] [attr="class","coconut"]KILLER QUEEN " Not particularly," he said. Though, with that display, it would seem as if he needed to read the manual again. Putting a large part of his time into increasing his CON stat may not have been the best choice. If he was rendered immobile then the best his increased health would be able to do for him was keep him alive for awhile longer. Areto made a mental note to work on his build later on but the situation at hand was vital. He did wander into the forest but didn't expect to be greeted by an NPC or another beta tester. How long had she been in the forest and she was successful in being able to run a quest by herself? That was amazing. Areto wasn't sure if he heard any news of quests being able to be done solo but that would've been something to note later on. " But to repay you for helping me out, I'd like to come along with you," Areto said. " We are headed back in the same direction." After that little scare, he figured that he needed to work on his skills and strategy more so than explore and get himself killed. Well, he didn't mind dying but if he could avoid it then that woul be nice. Areto folded his arms behind his head after sheathing his weapons and smiled happily. " Promise that I won't be a nuisance, cross my heart." Comic [newclass=.strawberry] background-color:#fff;box-shadow: 2px 2px 3px #c0c0c0;height:auto;margin:auto;width: 350px;padding:24px;font-size:11px;[/newclass] [newclass=.coconut] padding:10px;text-align:center;font-family:VT323;font-size:30px;text-transform:uppercase;[/newclass]
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LV 3
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HP: 485
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STR: 08 (+21)
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DEX: 00 (+08)
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CON: 00 (+77)
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THYME? IS
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Post by Comic on Sept 25, 2016 22:54:54 GMT -6
If he didn't want an escort, she was perfectly willing to leave him to his own devices; even if her quest HUD was going to keep bugging her about grabbing a plus one for the quest before it could officially start, she would be willing to wait it out for someone else. A willing quest partner would be better than someone who would rather get back to relative safet-
Or he could bring up an offer and go for it. Honestly, that was alright, as well - Comic wasn't necessarily going to tell him no, since she did need one more. She just wasn't willing to say yes. On top of that, he hadn't acted like her usual male nuisances, from either the gaming community or her job. A slight recollection of broken fingers from the night before was almost enough to make her smile.
"Alright. Grab the quest. Make it profitable, at least." She cleared her throat and sent a party invite. No need to introduce herself, proper, when her HUD could do that for her. Comic let her own sword hang loose in her fingertips, blade touching at the soft grasses below. Whenever he was ready, she would be willing to move out.
The NPC sobbed silently between them.
ARETO ///
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LV 1
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HP: 115
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STR: 0
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DEX: 0
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CON: 3
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ginseng IS
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Post by ARETO on Sept 26, 2016 9:04:36 GMT -6
[attr="class","strawberry"] [attr="class","coconut"]KILLER QUEEN She didn't seem like the talkative sort though that was alright. He was steadily meeting new persons as the days of beta went on and many of them were of different personalities. Some were quiet, others were rather sociable, but the point of the matter stayed the same. They were entitled to what they may want to say or not say and who they want to be while in the game. He was just trying to make a few connections before their time came to an end before the launch. Granted, he didn't really make a good first impression with this person. Taking note of her armor, he made sure to reinforce the idea in his mind that plated armor seemed to trump everything else more or less. A window opened up in front of him and he raised an eyebrow. «COMIC» is inviting you to a party.
ACCEPT or DECLINE
That was an interesting name. Comic. Areto committed it to memory and pressed "accept", noticing her name and HP appeared in the upper left corner of his eyesight. Her HP is so high!She was amazing! He wasn't even sure if he could get that high anytime soon. The NPC's sniffling knocked him out of his stupor and out of habit, he moved to put his hand against the child's head, giving a light pat. " Don't worry, we'll get you home," he said. Even if it was an NPC, and after they finished the quest, the child would be transported back into the forest to be left for someone else to bring back — it wouldn't do for an adult to just leave a child in tears. " Alright, ready to go?" He turned his attention back to Comic with a smile. Comic [newclass=.strawberry] background-color:#fff;box-shadow: 2px 2px 3px #c0c0c0;height:auto;margin:auto;width: 350px;padding:24px;font-size:11px;[/newclass] [newclass=.coconut] padding:10px;text-align:center;font-family:VT323;font-size:30px;text-transform:uppercase;[/newclass]
Last Edit: Sept 26, 2016 9:04:55 GMT -6 by ARETO
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LV 3
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HP: 485
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STR: 08 (+21)
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DEX: 00 (+08)
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CON: 00 (+77)
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THYME? IS
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Post by Comic on Sept 26, 2016 12:52:05 GMT -6
Getting the chance to look him over revealed that he wasn't decked out in the standard starter gear. That was... promising. It wasn't anything she initially recognized; she didn't exactly browse a lot of the stores, though. The first NPC vendor to hawk her over was the first she dropped money on; the plate armor wasn't very cheap, but it was much better than the initial gear she had to work with.
The username Areto appeared in the corner of her HUD. He was certainly a strong contender; stronger than her. Involuntarily, she raised a brow - if someone of that level could get stuck out, then she was at risk too. Those plants might be a threat to a single player target, but it didn't look like they dealt with a group well...
Her line of thought was derailed when he comforted the NPC. It seemed like a pointless action. That was a theme for the day. Comforting a computer program just... seemed like they were doing it out of some kind of reaction or for themselves, and Comic made sure to tick off in her head not to do that. No more pointless actions. No more pointless lives.
She returned the smile with a nod, bringing her sword up to rest on her shoulder. "Yeah. Should be less than an hour's trip." Without waiting, she let her feet carry her forward, into the woods.
ARETO ///
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LV 1
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HP: 115
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STR: 0
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DEX: 0
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CON: 3
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ginseng IS
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Post by ARETO on Sept 26, 2016 21:44:37 GMT -6
[attr="class","strawberry"] [attr="class","coconut"]KILLER QUEEN This wasn't going to be the easiest person that he ever quested with. Areto smiled a little towards the NPC and shrugged his shoulders. If he had to be stuck with anyone on a mission, at least it was someone who was capable, and wouldn't ignore him too much. He hurried after her with the NPC in tow and crossed his arms behind his head while glancing around to see if there were any other nepents lurking around. It wouldn't bode well if he was caught again and they were cornered. Areto hummed and tilted his head back to look towards the sky. There were a few clouds but not many and the leaves shielded them from a large amount of sunlight. " Do you prefer one-handed swords," he asked. " I've seen a few people with spears or axes but not many." He glanced around and lowered his arms. " Seeing as you didn't come with anyone else, I'm going to assume that you're a solo player?" Comic [newclass=.strawberry] background-color:#fff;box-shadow: 2px 2px 3px #c0c0c0;height:auto;margin:auto;width: 350px;padding:24px;font-size:11px;[/newclass] [newclass=.coconut] padding:10px;text-align:center;font-family:VT323;font-size:30px;text-transform:uppercase;[/newclass]
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LV 3
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HP: 485
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STR: 08 (+21)
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DEX: 00 (+08)
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CON: 00 (+77)
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THYME? IS
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Post by Comic on Sept 26, 2016 23:09:55 GMT -6
Comic was aware of her inaccessibility. She tried not to dwell on it. The urge to socialize was something she had long-since suppressed, out of necessity to not feel anything from her constant failures in that department. The silence that momentarily loomed between herself and Areto bothered her, but only because she had noticed it and was dwelling on it. She was better than this. She was usually able to just focus on being the person she was seen as: cold, angry, ruthless, and willing to push everything else out to forward herself.
At least, that was the illusion she preferred to tell herself about.
She focused, instead on the weight of her blade; it seemed odd, then, that he would bring that up next. She had still mulled over it in silence with his next question. She might as well answer him. In a hoarse voice - one from disuse - she responded. "Two-handed swords. Just haven't found one yet." She raised up the plain starter sword, to show it off. "Solo player... probably. Not friendly." A shrug. She looked away, and focused ahead.
She didn't wanna think about it. Unfortunately, it distracted her from the vine that snagged her foot and snatched her off her feet, dragging her into the brush. The nepent's patience paid off.
ARETO ///
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LV 1
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HP: 115
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STR: 0
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DEX: 0
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CON: 3
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ginseng IS
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Post by ARETO on Sept 27, 2016 0:25:57 GMT -6
[attr="class","strawberry"] [attr="class","coconut"]KILLER QUEEN He didn't expect her to say anything back to him. She seemed to prefer silence or maybe was deep in thought. Though he could understand if she didn't feel inclined to speak with him. They were practically strangers, aligned for a common goal, nothing else really was keeping the moment alive. But he couldn't leave well enough alone and would have to scold himself another time for that. However, when she did speak up, he glanced up at surprise as she brandished her weapon for him to see. A fond smile crossed his features and before he could speak up to ask her something — tendrils shot out and lifted her from the ground. Areto's heart nearly stopped in his chest. He drew his sword from it's sheath and readied his shield. The NPC quivered in fear and his gaze shifted between Comic and the child. " Hide!" He yelled. They were only made of data but important to the success of the mission and without saying so, he promised Comic to make it a success. Areto rushed forward towards the nepent holding her and noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. This was going to be difficult. His sword glowed a luminescent blue as the «LINEAR» Sword Art activated and he shot forward, driving his sword into the nepent's body. It wavered with a shrill cry before vanishing into crystals. His head turned to see if Comic was okay, unaware that two other nepents were encroaching on their position. " Are you alright?" Comic [newclass=.strawberry] background-color:#fff;box-shadow: 2px 2px 3px #c0c0c0;height:auto;margin:auto;width: 350px;padding:24px;font-size:11px;[/newclass] [newclass=.coconut] padding:10px;text-align:center;font-family:VT323;font-size:30px;text-transform:uppercase;[/newclass]
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LV 3
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HP: 485
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STR: 08 (+21)
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DEX: 00 (+08)
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CON: 00 (+77)
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THYME? IS
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Post by Comic on Sept 27, 2016 12:13:14 GMT -6
The sensation of having the world pulled from under her, ripped entirely off her feet, was disorienting. She felt her head dragged along the ground, the feeling of roots and rocks upon her back for the moment, before being pulled up to a proper height. Hanging by her feet in front of a salivating plant was not her idea of a good time. She couldn't reach a body part with her sword as her arms dangled down, and right as she began to adjust it shook her, throwing off her sense of balance and direction -
Flash of blue, flash of light, and then she was dropping down to her back. With a huff, she pulled up to her knees and stood, rolling her right arm where she had impacted. The sensations in game were throwing her off - she could feel the pain, but something like that could have broken a bone or dislocated her shoulder... and she didn't feel that. It was odd, and it felt like her mind was overcompensating for it. Her momentary savior was caught up in asking her if she was okay, rather than focusing on the encroaching nepents.
"I'll live." She dropped down for a <<Horizontal>>, pressing her legs forward into the Nepent and whirling to try and strike at its backside. If she could just keep from getting snared, she could keep up the pace.
ARETO ///
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LV 1
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HP: 115
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STR: 0
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DEX: 0
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CON: 3
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ginseng IS
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Post by ARETO on Sept 27, 2016 14:12:55 GMT -6
[attr="class","strawberry"] [attr="class","coconut"]KILLER QUEEN Areto wasn't sure if he should praise her for bravery or clap a hand over his face in exasperation. The nepents had a very wide range when using their tendrils and he wasn't very fond of being stabbed or lifted off his feet. At least less fond of it than the next guy. If he could draw their attention towards him and keep her from being locked in their hold again then it could be possible that this wouldn't turn into another debacle. Areto turned towards the other nepent which was making its way toward its companion. He rushed forward between the two of them, turning to face the oncoming nepent. The one behind him seemed to be focused on Comic for now or rather was trying to turn and face her. Being attacked from the back seemed to be the best possible solution when encountering nepents. If they couldn't touch you, they couldn't hurt you. Stay away from the mouthes and the tendrils then you'd be alright. Following her lead, Areto hurried around the nepent as one of it's tendrils shot out to grab him. He gripped his sword tightly and it glowed as «SLANT» activated. Slashing his sword along the creature's backside, he watched as its HP dropped to a third of what it once was. It screeched and shot a tendril at him. Areto raised his shield and winced as the tendril thunked against the wooden surface. Long range, close range. Tendrils first, main body. Don't be grabbed.Areto grunted and forced the tendril back, lunging forward to thrust his sword into the nepent's body. It wavered and screamed, vanishing into crystalline shards Comic [newclass=.strawberry] background-color:#fff;box-shadow: 2px 2px 3px #c0c0c0;height:auto;margin:auto;width: 350px;padding:24px;font-size:11px;[/newclass] [newclass=.coconut] padding:10px;text-align:center;font-family:VT323;font-size:30px;text-transform:uppercase;[/newclass]
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LV 3
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HP: 485
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STR: 08 (+21)
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DEX: 00 (+08)
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CON: 00 (+77)
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THYME? IS
OFFLINE
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Post by Comic on Sept 28, 2016 16:40:32 GMT -6
Her attack hadn't been enough to kill the plant, and it payed her back with a whipping motion; she was moving to dodge one vine, ducking down, when another stabbed out and caught her in her gut. A rolling wave of pain hit her, and it felt unpleasant. Surge of immediate heat in her gut followed up by a further kick of her own adrenaline. Another call from Comic's mouth, a shout at the creature; nothing by instinct at this point, and this is how she wanted it.
She wanted to lose herself to this kind of anger, this kind of fighting.
She cut at the nepent again as she cut the tendril off and then rolled forward for another cut, slicing at the midsection of the overgrown weed. A moment of damage, a gurgling cry from the nepent, and then it was all over. Both nepents gone, with Comic left bent over for a moment, sticking her sword into the ground and catching her breath. That was a bit of an exhilaration, but now she had to bring it back in. Bring it all together. Become that socially accepted other.
"Not so... bad." Rolling shoulders, she plucked up the sword and looked over to Areto, then around for the boy. Where had he gotten off to?
ARETO ///
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