Fantasy Into the Dread Labyrinth

[TreasureSniper]

As the blood spurted out from the ruptured eyeball, Seymour tried his best to retreat and reposition himself, knowing a devastating counterattack was coming. Unfortunately for him, his blade was planted much deeper than he had anticipated, preventing him from escaping the blobby opponent. "Damn it. Everyone get clear!" Seymour turned to warn his allies, repositioning his feet to push against the face of the beast as it flailed about, trying his best to pull his sword free. By the time he succeeded, Blobjun was already airborne. While Seymour never considered himself to be afraid of heights, Blobjun's sudden leap in the air provided him with a "renewed" perspective.

Thankfully, Samara, the ever-helpful defender would forcefully pull him toward her side with her anchor ability. He was hoping that he would be able to capitalize on further injuring the monster while he was flailing about, but he couldn't blame the shield maiden. After all, it's in her nature to protect the people. The young man made his appreciation known to the shieldmaiden while flicking the blood on his blade off in slight annoyance. "Much obliged, party leader." Seeing no reason to take unnecessary risks, he allowed the vanguard to do her job, tanking the oncoming shockwave and debris. "Hey Rider, why don't you try to mount that thing?" Seymour jested just as Thames was also pulled towards her. Watching Daeva summoning her skeleton to willingly sacrifice them to take a hit for her was oddly funny. The other greenhorn...the Chinese guy, was already on the ground, gasping for air.

Things were looking bleak and yet...he felt excitement. "So this is what it's like to be a dungeon diver..." Seymour spoke out loud, his mouth slowly forming into a grin of audacity. Watching Samara casting another one of her skills to momentarily contain the blubber monster within her bubble, he saw this as a good opportunity for him to deal a grievous blow to the monster. "Alright, Rider. You heard her, here's our chance. You take the left, I'll take the right." Without further explanation, Seymour took a few steps forward before breaking out onto a full-on sprint. "Red Razor Rush!" Beginning to pick up speed, the young man eventually turned vibrant red, leaving afterimages behind him as he closed the distance.

Seymour would open his onslaught with a swift horizontal slash with both his blades towards his right leg. With his current speed, strength stat, and bonus damage to towards limbs, he should be able to leave a nasty wound. Regardless of whether his previous attack was effective, he would immediately follow it up with an upward strike, dragging his blade across the length of the Blobjun's arm as he ran up the creature's arm. Finally, he finishes off this combo with a whip strike from his blade, specifically aiming the monster's other eye.

Interaction: AnonyMouse Thalia_Neko Thanny

 

[Thanny]

The jiggle instead of the cleaving of flesh left Thames's strike to the creature's side feeling hollow and disappointed. Re-weighing the axe to its proper weight, he ducked back and prepared for the worst, only to realise that the results were worse than that. It jumped up and leapt down for a seismic sumo slam.

He prepared to defend as best as able, not that he could stay stable enough for the slam into the ground, but he was saved from its results by the shieldmaiden. With a gravitational pull and a yell of "What the--" he was sent flying into the shelter of the defensive tower shield and Mara, saved from the shaking earth and the flying rubble in one fell swoop.

The others were not so lucky, he realised. The Walking Swordsman was downed and in need of healing, but he was still striving to fight. If they wanted to save everyone, they had to act fast at the necrotic weak points called out by Samara and Daeva.

Thanks would have to wait. Samara, Daeva, and Seymour have made their moves and Thames had to be up on his feet again. Gaining enough ground to stand far from others, he opened his mana tap and physical tap and made to summon.

Rhythms of beast and man be wed,
Ichor of god and monster bled,
Tired of war, the rider said,
"Come forth, Monster, and be led."

Spinning magic circles spun from before him in opposing directions as a mount erupted from the ground, a fiery display of gnashing yellowed teeth and whiskers. Whiskers? Viewers might notice the long, winding body of an overlarge bilge rat, long, muscly, and lanky. The summoning had taken care of the fleas, but there were locations of mange along its body. Thankfully with Monster Riding that was not communicable to humans. He was bound to the creature through soul and emotion, and a thin barrier of magic allowed him to bond physically to it so that he can mount it without a saddle.

Thames did not waste time, jumping on the creature as it calmed down and riding upon its back. Taking care that his axe did not harm it, he readied again and closed his eyes.

Man and beast froze for a moment, Thames opened his eyes watching Seymour's actions, then both loped forward at full speed towards the Blobjun's side. A strike was locked on to the injured, burned necrotic burns of Blobjun's right and swung with Cleave active. With any luck this would do much more than bounce off, and the axe cleave would be timed in conjunction with Seymour's whip strike.

Please, let this count, he thought to himself.

 

[Thalia_Neko]

After singing the monster with necrotic dark magic, Daeva looked at the pile of broken, smoking bones in front of her. Her face fell, looking on sorrowfully.

As the melee units went on the offensive, the Blobjun wondered what the strange thing was in front of it. It was Samara's barrier, but this creature lacked any intelligence at all, so it simply couldn't fathom what was in its way, bumping into it stupidly a couple times.

This left it wiiide open to getting attacked. Its foes second attack wouldn't be the same as the first. They used skills this time, and had Daeva's necrotic dark magic burning on its skin.

Both Seymour and Thames' strikes landed, drawing bluish blood from the monster's body. The various attacks were annoying. But the one that sliced up its thin arm and its side caused it untold rage and pain. With the cleave to its side slicing clean through. Then Seymour's strike to its other eye caused the monster even more pain.

"REOOYERRRRR!!!" The Blobjun roared.

Suddenly, its skin began to change from its blue-green-grayish to a deep red. Once the Blobjun took enough damage it would go into a "Enraged Mode". This was signifying it was close to death, but it was also at its most dangerous.

The monster went out of control. It began swiping its claws and stomping its thick legs, smashing up the ground. It flailed and cracked the barrier multiple times until it finally burst straight through, simultaneously its flailing was dangerous for the melee fighters right beside it. The red blobjun reached down and began chucking rocks every which way, no longer aiming at anyone. But that was almost more dangerous, as it made it impossible for most people to anticipate where they would land.

Jiànlong had managed to get up to his feet. Still breathing heavily he raised his sword. His entire front was bloodied, as he was bleeding through his tunic. One of his eyes was half closed. "I still have my Amassed Energy Strike. If.. you can get me a clean opening.. I think -urgh.. -I think I can take it out."

Meanwhile, Daeva checked her mana. She still had some mana left. But didn't think she should frivolously expend it. "Raise Simple Undead." Two more skeletons came from the ground. She got to her feet, smiling proudly at them. She knew by now they were too weak and would break instantly at the monster's attacks. So she would be smarter about how she used them.

 

[AnonyMouse]

Samara Morghan​

Samara couldn't help but give a slight frown and a barely-audible, "hmph," at Seymour's teasing remark. 'Party leader,' he said. On one hand, maybe she should be flattered. On the other, she didn't like the way he seemed to be enjoying this battle. Lives are at stake here! That cockiness is going to get someone killed, she thought as she watching him rush from behind her shield, grinning like a madman as he charged toward Blobjun, leaving red afterimages as he moved.

But at least he was doing his part. If nothing else, she trusted him to do that and do it well. Also, it seemed his boastful nature had awakened something in Thames, too. Using an elaborate incantation, the eyepatched man summoned a... giant rat? Okay, not the most majestic of mounts, but it was nice to finally see Thames in his element, galloping across the battlefield. Their resident Monster Rider was finally coming into himself.

She hoped their combined efforts would be enough to fell Fat Blobjun. Surely, a pair os S-Ranks could damage him enough to skip right over his violent second phase and straight to death? Sadly, no. Their synchronized attack deeply wounded him, but also further enraged him Damn, Samara thought as her barrier shattered and the transformed Blobjun began to heft boulders from the earth to rain upon them all. The shieldmaiden immediately snatched up her shield and ran toward him, before his erratic throws could do more harm.

"No. You're wounded, dear, and we dont need a desperation play. He's on the ropes," she said, after the Walking Swordsman rose to his feet and declared he still had some gas left in the tank. There was blood on his tunic and he seemed too weak to stand. His resolve was admirable, but unecessary. Samara reached him just in time for a large rock to break against her shield. The sound of the impact was deafening, but the defender's stance remained firm.

She began to slowly advance toward Blobjun, even as the monster hurled boulders at her. They crashed against her shield, which she angled just right to diminish the blows. Mabe it was her imagination, but it seemed Blobjun was throwing them at her, instead of randomly at the other adventurers. Hopefully, this meant everyone behind her would remain safe or at least go unnoticed. Good. That's right. Focus on me, big fella, Samara thought as she drew closer.

In his red form, Samara doubted she could safely grapple him, like she had done at the start of the fight. Instead, she stopped a few meters from him, close enough to capture this simpleton's attention, but far enough to be able to see and react to his throws, ensuring none of the rocks got by her, if possible. Ironically, her actions might be giving Jianlong the opening he needs, despite her warning.
Interaction(s): Thalia_Neko
Mention(s): TreasureSniper | Thanny

 

[ERode]

"Crimson rites, dragon scale, qualia of ember. Flame Enchant."

Red flames flickered to life, dancing upon the surface of the garish, twisted spiral of metal that called itself a 'lance'. It illuminated what the shadows of the canopy hid, casting warm hue over the verdant asphyxiation. As mana burned, her blood boiled, muscles and tendons coiling like a spring. There was no particular plan. There was only a belief: even in a party of exceptional individuals, there was little possibility that they would be able to slay a monster so ferocious as a Blobjun six times the expected level.

Someone had to be kept in reserve for when the creature Enraged, to strike as a fresh fighter, who could commit their everything once everyone else had already given their everything. It couldn't be Samara, their main frontline tank. It couldn't be Seymour, who was simply too eager to stand and wait while others fought. Sophia and Callidora were both backline supports with little killing power, while Daeva and Seraphina were mages who possessed skills that made them better for protracted conflict. Lemondrop fell in that same category, an individual that had been established to be more beneficial after a fight rather than during. It left only Thames, Ken, and Kirsten.

And during the time it took to reach this point, it was clear that though Thames could gain the affection of monsters, though Ken proved inexhaustible in travel, it was Kirsten whom possessed the straight and simple combination of very fast and very strong.

A bullet, loaded into the chamber.

A meteor, on the cusp of entering the atmosphere.

"Haaa..."

She could never get used to the air of the Labyrinth.

One step carried her out of the tree line, and the second step left an imprint five inches deep within the packed earth. The third step was when the wind finally caught up to her, tossing her hair back in a black stream, a black tail. The fourth kicked her heart rate up a notch, old scars an angry red as lactic acid seared into her calves and hamstrings. The fifth step was necessary only to step out from the shadow cast by Samara's shield. The sixth step rattled her bones, as the tip of her lance struck an incoming stone, the fragmenting shrapnel slicing into her flesh. And with the seventh? The Hellbreaker Diamond had breached the rampage of the Blobjun, and rammed herself right into its monstrous chest, intent on piercing through fat, piercing through muscle, piercing through organs, piercing through!

It mattered not whether this was the finishing blow though.

Because if it came down to it, she could release another charging strike, this time at point-blank range, and leaving a grevious enough injury in this creature that another could push it off the ledge and send it to its grave.

 

[TreasureSniper]

Unlike before, Seymour did not have the assistance of the shieldmaiden to pull him out of harms way this time, forcing him to rely on his future sight. Upon enraging the fat beast, the young man hopped off the flailing monster but still remaining dangerously close to it.

It is here where he showcases his daredevil-like tendencies, staying within melee-range and dodging potentially lethal strikes, narrowly avoiding an unfortunate demise. And then came the boulders, forcing him to use his blades as to slash through them with varying levels of success. Eventually, his increased speed would wear off, and one of blobjun attack would kick off just enough dust to momentarily cause Seymour to lose sight of his opponent causing him to take a glancing blow, sending him flying to across the floor.

Thankfully, blobjun would shift its attention mainly towards the shieldmaiden, who was more than willing to bear this burden. As he cleared his eyes, he could see that he had managed to let his blades take the brunt of the attack, breaking its inner mechanism, forcing them to be stuck in whip mode. "Tch , just my luck." While he was indeed injured, his concerns lied elsewhere, seeing an reserve party member entering the fray. She was a bit of an enigma, even with his mind reading powers. But if nothing else, she wasnt lying about her strenghts. From her current mindscape, he could at least see her intentions were to gut this monster.

Seeing the determination within the Kirsten's thoughts, he couldnt help but spring into action as well, seeing this as an opportunity to strike one last time. Interlocking the tips of his blade whips into one another, Seymour charged forward while the monster was preoccupied with the newcomer's gut piercing strike and Samaras shield. Leaping upwards once more, he rapidly climbed the monsters back from behind like he was running up a wall. From there he would attempt to use his connected whip blade as a garrote, trying to wrap it around its fat neck to constrict the beast. Tightening his grip around handle, he would pull back with all his remaining energy, attempting behead it to live up to his Dread title, The Headbringer.

"I hope you'll drop a good trophy."

AnonyMouse ERode Thalia_Neko

 

[Skyswimsky]

Was this what it meant to be of the supporting class? Lumi wondered, as most of the Blobjun's retaliation focused on those who directly harmed it. Maybe, just maybe, she should have jumped into the first-row seats. After all, she had been prepared to gracefully graze its incoming attacks ever since she posed Lemondrop a challenge. All for the sake of entertainment!

Instead, the scene unfolded like a flashback to those old stories she'd read. She knew of countless stories of adventuring parties fighting against so-called slimes. Occasionally, one or the other author enjoyed taking the weakest of those enemies and turning them into a more deadly variant. Just that this was like a live-action-thingy! Though, the group managed to deal with the monstrosity properly even without her intervening in any way or form.

Well, not quite. Lumi continued to weave whispers of the happenings in front of her into a story. Seeing how this chapter was coming to an end, she clasped her hands together with a smile. "Well, well. A riveting tale we have spun! Yet, hold your breath, for it's not yet done~" Clearing her throat, she added in a softer, but firm tone:

"As the Blobjun rages, it flails about~
With powerful strikes, it misses out...
Eyes wide in shock, a bewildered glare~
A mix of humor and fear, now filling the air.

So watch as our heroes, with cunning and might~
Exploit the opening, in this odd-numberd fight.
A jab, a strike, to the eyes so grand~
Bringing the Blobjun's downfall, right at hand!"

...Something like that? Not that she ever studied any of these sorts! At the very least, it should move the Blobjun to show its weak point once more.

 

[Tau]

Sera turned as her name was called and had to tilt her neck up just to meet Seymour’s eyes. "Oh? A tribute?" She felt the feather shawl and a smile crossed her lips. It was horrible. The wheatwing feathers felt coarse and rough. Worse than her soft, fluffy scarf in every way. But she threw it around her shoulders nonetheless.

Sera fixed her hair and glanced up at Seymour, throwing him what felt, to her, like an obvious, ‘How do I look?’ signal, without actually speaking the words.

---

"Aaaahh, it’s so gross!!! Kill it, kill it, kill it!! Judgement upon thee, you nasty abomination!!" Seraphina shrieked, shielding herself behind the closest party member, which happened to be Lumi, while she flailed her arm in the beast’s general direction. In truth, she was shielding herself more from the flying blood and viscera than the deadly attacks.

Sure, she could attack, but those swords were really darn heavy, and she still hadn’t fully recovered her stamina from yesterday’s blessings. Everyone else looked perfectly capable of things as it was now. She’d handle any healing that needed done after. Well, within reason.

Except maybe they weren’t all that on top of things, because the beast was suddenly red and hurling boulders everywhere! Sera held out a hand and whispered something impossible to perceive over the sound of Lumi’s vocal chords, and soon after, a large boulder froze in midair right in front of the two ladies. Sera dropped it rather quickly thereafter.

"Whew, close one," she sighed in relief, noting the nasty mud on the bottom of the giant rock, which now sat there threateningly. If she had to be bludgeoned to death, she’d at least prefer it to be done cleanly.

Before Seraphina could even think of taking out her weapons, however, a loud pounding of dirt echoed behind her, and not a second later, a figure blasted past her. In the powerful wake of her dash, Sera was tossed forward into by the powerful stream of air whipping alongside their reserve fighter.

Forward, face-first, straight into the muddy rock.

A few moments passed with her face planted in the soft, gross, brown junk, and then…

"REOOYERRRRR!!!" the Seraphina roared.

Suddenly, her skin began to change from its pale cream to a deep red. Once the Seraphina suffered enough disgust, she would go into an "Enraged Mode"… her most dangerous state.

The rock suddenly lifted and shot forward like a cannon, striking the blobjun in the chest. Minimal damage, but it was more a warning shot for things to come. Sera stepped forward, her dirty face filled with indignant fury. A second in her menu, and three bright lights flashed around her, blue hues forming into 3 massive blades.

Like a conductor, she waved her hands through the air, and the swords obliged, striking again, and again, and again. A relentless stream of cleaving steel, turning the mountain of fat into constellations of scars. For a moment, it felt as if Seraphina’s loyal swords wouldn’t stop until the thing was cut to pieces smaller than sand.

After what must’ve been dozens of slices, Seraphina’s knees began to wobble. And just as quickly as her attack had begun, it ended, as she and her weapons— together —collapsed on the ground in a daze.

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Blobjun didn't really even have time to focus on Samara. Though, in its enraged state, it was hard to say it was "focused" on anything other than blind rage like a baby throwing a tantrum. It didn't have any time to focus on Samara because some other woman flew out of no where and stabbed it dead center of its chest. Typically Blobjun's blubber would be enough to repel such attacks, but this woman was vicious. She used her skill and high Strength parameter to finally push through its fatty barrier, piercing deep into the monster.

"GRAAHHHHGGHH!!"

The monster wailed, flailing even more. Despite being pierced straight through by a lance, the monster hadn't yet bit the dust; it was alive on pure rage and hate and pain. As in thrashed about, it dislodged the woman, but not the lance stabbed into it. Anyone could tell, as it flailed about with the weapon still lodged deep into it, bluish blood spurting out everywhere from the wound, that the boss was on its last legs.

But that didn't mean it was going down without taking someone with it!

The whip blade cut into the beast's neck, but that barely bothered Blobjun. Still screaming utter bloody murder, it reached up and grabbed the blade, then wrenched Seymour down off its neck and tossed him aside. And unlike Seymour, Thames could not dodge crazy and lethal strikes. The man collided with Thames and his mount. Then Blobjun grabbed the rat and with a roar, leapt into the air, and came smashing down with the rat directly under it, dangerously close to Thames, sending him to the ground with the impact. Then Blobjun attacked the downed man in front of him with a vicious flurry of blows, smashing and beating on the man's face and chest, ripping up what he could.

Blobjun then took the flurry of Seraphina's own -erm- 'rage' mode. And that was enough, finally, to bring down the beast. The first Floor Boss was defeated. It collapsed, its fatty weight and all, right on top of the S rank Monster Rider.

Levels could be felt across the group.

With the boss's demise, its drops fell out like a pinata. First a shield hit the ground. Some Unidentified Scrolls -3 of them, rolled along the floor. Since they were 'Unidentified', that meant they had to be identified before their use could be ascertained, not even any Analyst-type Talents would see through them. Unique uncommon-grade materials dropped out, like Blobjun gelatin sack and Blobjun's tongue - useful materials in alchemy or other similar Talents. Callidora, specifically, would probably be interested in those materials! Then there were the Beacons. A flood of shiny quartz Beacons ran out, clinging along the tough ground, glittering like gold. It was a couple hundred at least. And one single coin that had a beautiful green sheen rolled out, landing on the ground floor, shining like a beacon against the soft foliage.

It seemed Jiànlong's attack wasn't needed after all. He collapsed back when it was all said and done, catching his breath. He was still injured, and it was making his breaths heavy and painful. But when he thought about Thames, his spirits fell, looking over to where the monster lay over the man. It pained Jiànlong. He had thought of the man as a close comrade in arms! Basically a friend!..

Shit, this dungeon-diving thing was some serious shit, wasn't it?..

Even Daeva, looked at the deceased man with a sorrowful expression. She held up her hand and clenched it.

And so is the end of the first of many bosses. And so falls the blobbiest of blobjuns. Our first comrade death happened as well, truly a day to rejoice, and mourn. A day of highs and lows, ups and downs. What will the 'morrow bring?

Marceline_idue AnonyMouse Tau TreasureSniper Skyswimsky

 

[AnonyMouse]

Samara Morghan​

"No! Shit..." Samara exclaimed when she saw the lancer's strike had failed to fell the beast in one blow. Blobjun's rage only increased and the woman was in too deep to get a second strike. The shieldmaiden charged forward, with the intent of pulling Kirsten free or at least protecting her from the monster's wrath. But she failed to arrive in time. Blobjun tossed Kirsten aside, disarming her in the process.

The events which followed played out like a horror story. Samara reached the flailing monster, but a single mightly blow from him was enough to nearly bring her to one knee. He was certainly stronger than before -- much stronger! She pressed on, but, at the same time, Blobjun tossed Seymour aside as if the man were nothing, using him as a projectile against Thames. Samara gave chase, but the monstrous boss took hold of Thames's mount and flung it wildly, keeping her at bay. The sickening thud of the rat's body against her shield would forever take up residence in Samara's memories.

And then Blobjun was airborne once more, his bulk eclipsing the sun, creating a grotesque silhouette of blob and beast. Samara outstretched her hand and prepared to use her Skill to pull him back to her. She would die if she had to. If that's what it takes to keep him focused on me! But, again, she was too late...

Blobjun came crashing down beside Thames. The Monster Rider lost his footing as the ground trembled. With the lance still embedded in its chest, the Floor 1 boss proceeded to pummel Thames into the earth. Blood --both blue and red-- stained the Labyrinth floor. "Anchor... Pull..." Samara said, the words little more than a shrill whimper caught in her throat, a plea to whatever gods exist in this tortured plane to give her strength. She stowed her tower shield and drew her sword as an invisible force pulled her toward the monster with more speed than her steps alone could muster, like being swept up in a fast-moving river. By now, a flurry of greatsword strikes surrounded Blobjun, but she cared not. Samara would brave a tornado of steel, if that is what it takes to pry him off of Thames.

But again, she was too late.

Anchor Pull's attractive force faded away to nothing. The 'fast-moving river' became a calm lake. Its target had died before she could reach him. The shieldmaiden skidded to a stop, sword in hand, and stood over the corpse-pile as it vomited forth a smattering of loot. A shield clattered to the ground at her feet, like an insult. The world fell silent. The blue skies above, a mockery of what lay before her. The video-gamey 'ding' of rising levels punctuated this cruel joke, like the laugh track of an old sitcom.

Blobjun: dead.

Thames: dead.

Samara: not okay.

Samara gripped the shaft of Kirsten's lance and pulled it free of Blobjun's gut before planting it in the ground beside her, like a flag. Or a grave marker. Then she gripped the blubbery behemoth by its throat and unceremoniously tossed him aside as well. Next, the flattened corpse of the giant rat was swiftly removed, leaving only Thames. Poor Thames. That face, which had smiled at her so sweetly, was now mangled beyond recognition. Samara simply stared down at him for a long moment, saying nothing, as tears refused to fall. What more was there to say? What more was there to do?

She was no stranger to deaths in the Labyrinth. These things... happen. For some reason, she expected more from a team of S-Ranks. For some reason, she expected less from a Floor 1 boss. She could play it over and over in her head, but what use was that? What if I had been faster? What if Kirsten and Seymour had killed it sooner? What if Sera had joined in earlier? What if, what if, what if, what if...

What if we had a leader?

With a pained sigh, she sheathed her sword and took up the shield. "A duplicate? How dare you..." she scoffed. It was exactly like her Iron Shield, only less pockmarked by battle. It vanished into her inventory, where its twin resided. Without another word, Samara scooped up Thames's body in her arms and began to trudge back the way they had come, away from the battlefield and away from the passage to the second floor.

"The deeper we go, we may need to bury or burn our dead... but not today," she said, her tone firm. Her heart may be broken, but her voice would not falter. "I'm taking him back to Skirm. They can deliver him to Ambition and his next of kin... if he has any. May he rest in peace. Come if you want or wait here. I don't care."
Interaction(s): Thalia_Neko | TreasureSniper | ERode | Tau | Skyswimsky | AriAriAbabwa | Marceline_idue

 

[ERode]

AnonyMouse AriAriAbabwa TreasureSniper​

By the time she rolled up to her feet, ready to engage once more, the battle was over.

One dead on both ends, the Blobjun and the monster rider both nothing but a mass of blood and pulped flesh. And in Kirsten’s mind, there was only a sense of…disappointment. The blow she dealt was a mortal one and they had plenty of back-line support. Even if she had been disarmed, they would have all been safe to back off at that point, let the monster bleed out. Re-establish the lines, hold the creature off with shield, skeleton and flying sword.

In an optimal situation, Seymour would have retreated, taken Thames with him while Samara covered their escape. Daeva’s skeletons would serve as distractions while Lemondrop offered ranged assistance. Perhaps that ‘Narrator’ could even say something to assist as Seraphina lost her mind and finished the job. But it was suboptimal instead, and any weakness in strategy, in planning, meant that someone would pay.

Her breath whispered through the mask as she watched Samara heave an unrecognizable lump of flesh off the ground. She could feel a few bruises forming over her body, could feel the faintness in her legs after an all-out sprint, but otherwise, her condition was fine. She walked over to the monster’s corpse, steps heavy, steps light. Passed by Seymour, exchanged only a rasp of a line.

“Was the trophy worth it?”

And then she was beside Samara, space fluctuating beneath her hand as she reached in and retrieved a sack made of a brown and coarse material, a thick drawstring on one end to seal it. A bodysack. “Put him in. If you’re going to carry anyone, carry Sera.” They were still in the Dread Labyrinth, after all. The living still mattered more than the dead, and if their only defender was going to occupy both her hands with a body rather than a shield, she may as well do it for someone who deserved to be carried like a human being.

If Samara was adamant, Kirsten wouldn’t push it.

There were other things to take care of, after all. Ignoring the loot dropped by the Blobjun, she turned towards the rat-mount instead, rolling it over to pull out the axe that had been embedded in its side. The rations and potions, the armor and the essentials, had all been ruined by the rampage, but the Bearded Axe that Thames carried with him had not. It was a Rare-Grade Labyrinthine weapon, durable enough to last and of immense value outside Ambition. She picked it up, wiped the gore from its edge, inspected its alignment, and slipped it into her Inventory.

“Lemondrop, you can manage the drops until we find camp.” No point in wasting time deliberating now, in the middle of nowhere, with the smell of shit and iron hanging like smog all around. She turned to the others as she retrieved her own lance, new stains seared upon its surface by the flame that had once burned.

“I’m going with Samara to drop off the package. The rest of you should consider too, whether you want to continue to the second floor like this.” A full party of S-rank Chosen, but missing coordination entirely. It was never about an individual’s capability down in the abyss. The Labyrinth had made it clear, after all. An S-Rank meant nothing. “It’ll only get harder.”

 

[TreasureSniper]

Try as he might, blobjun's thick layer of blubber was still much too thick for Seymour to fully cut through. Having spent a good amount of his energy to get up onto his enemy, he couldn't put up much of a fight when the fat bastard grab hold of him and tossed him aside like garbage. Once more the young flew across the ground the floor with nothing but his broken blade to slow his momentum. Seymour tumbled across the surface of the hard floor before finally forcing himself to stop by stabbing his blade deep enough into the ground. He never really saw himself the best fighter, but he didn't think this battle would be so one-sided. Thankfully, whatever damage the party did inflict onto blobjun was sufficient to put that beast down.

As the tower of blubber slowly collapsed, he could see clearly that one of their party members, the rider, was dangerously close to it. "Rider! Get out of there!" Seymour shouted, swinging the remains of his whip sword towards his colleague, extending the sword towards the young man. Alas, the blade's mechanism would finally break apart piece by piece, never reaching its intended target. In hindsight, perhaps it was a vain attempt, but considering his current state, that was the best he could manage.

In a split second, Thames was flattened by the heavy corpse of Blobjun. By the time Samara had managed to pull him out, he was barely recognizable, it was easy to mistake him for just another pile of Blobjun guts if it wasn't for his eyepatch. And then came Kirsten, who understandably was not too happy with the situation. Her mind, was full of disappointment, thinking that group should have performed better. And if they did, Thames would still be alive. While Seymour agreed with the sentiment that they could have performed better, Thames' untimely demise was mostly his own doing. After all, what mad man would openly charge towards a raging monster several times their size. That said, even someone like Seymour could at least respect and honor a fallen party member, a would-be comrade.

"No. It wasn't." Seymour flatly replied, getting back up and dusting himself off.

Despite only taking a few hits, Seymour was not in the best shape to continue, especially considering he no longer had his "trusty" whip-swords. "I'll accompany both of you. I am in no condition to continue the expedition. And I'll need better gear if we wish to go further." Scrappy whip swords weren't going to cut it. He needed something better, deadlier. A tool and weapon that fit for purpose. Hopefully, with the funds he had accumulated from killing the trash mobs earlier and whatever he earned from the blobjun fight, was enough for him to get decent gear.

As he walked towards Samara he could the grief and sadness within both of which passed on relatively quickly. Clearly she was an experienced adventurer, one who has her share of death and destruction. Unlike him, she was doing this out of necessity and altruism rather than "fun". A respectable stance, but not one he shared. "Now that I think about it, perhaps all of us should head back. Continuing this expedition without enough combatants can be...challenging." It was only then he realized that the number of members who were capable of combat was decreasing even more. He recalled seeing much more of them during the presentation. Where were the rest of them?

Thalia_Neko AnonyMouse ERode

 

[Tau]

The most extraordinary consequences often arrived from the tiniest of missteps. Being so close, it would have been so easy— near effortless, even —for Sera to yank Thames out from the kill-zone. Yet, she didn’t. At no point did it ever cross her mind that she had to. After all, fast-paced combat had forced decisions over mere milliseconds, inevitably leading to endless regrets and "what-ifs" born from flash decisions.

"Th-Thames…!?" Seraphina cried in shock, concern saturating her voice as she pushed herself to stand with sheer willpower. It was obvious to everyone watching that her stamina had been completely spent, but somehow she managed to drag herself a few steps closer to Samara as she picked up his corpse.

The sight was too much to bear, and Sera looked away almost immediately. She wouldn’t cry. This wasn’t the time, and she wasn’t a child, and… and… "…it’s my fault…" she realized. "I had him carry me so long, he… he must’ve been tired, and… and then…"

The intermittent sobs turned to intermittent words, and then the words fell away entirely. Seraphina fell back to the ground and laid there, crying uncontrollably for several minutes. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go! They were supposed to be an unstoppable force! How had this happened before they even passed the first floor!?

Sera tried to stand and follow Samara back, but failed to keep up even a little bit, as every little step was a hurdle she had to jump.

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Once Blobjun was felled, the 'mighty' beast collapsing in death, the entrance to Floor 2 was unsealed. Rocks peeled and broke away, with cracking sounds and all, in the cliff face beside the mourning group, crumbling away like some grand reveal. Disclosing a stony staircase leading down into the proverbial dark unknown just beside them. The dark of the staircase was both a creeping threat, and looming abyss, daring anyone to adventure even farther down into this hell hole.

With the maw of Floor 2 looming behind her, Daeva looked at her DS. More specifically her new skill.

Raise Unique Undead Lv. 1​

Some entities are known as 'Unique', and fall under this category. Can only control one 'Unique' at a time, and not all raises will work every time - certain factors will deny the spell. However, unique undead possess skills and abilities regular undead do not. Extremely high mana consumption.​

Her eyes flicked back over to Thames. She wondered...

Her fingers were literally itching to try out the spell. It was literally like a compulsion. She felt tingly all over -like she just HAD to use it. Like she was being forced, pressured, compelled to use it. Right now. How badly she wanted to try..! It would work. Wouldn't it? It had to, if it felt this way! It felt like she needed to use it, right now. Like the Labyrinth had given her this skill, right now, for a reason.

But Samara and the others already seemed to be handling it. Maybe her chance had already passed. Her fingers twitched, and her hand clenched. The big woman had already lifted him up. Now she was left feeling somewhat empty. At a loss.

Well, it seemed most of the others were already preoccupied with the whole Thames situation, so Daeva went ahead and deposited to the 3 scrolls in her inventory. Her inventory was already lighter than most, so might as well. She also picked up the Emerald Beacon, admiring the deep, beautiful green glow before the coin with the 9-headed serpent upon its face disappeared within her DS. She pocketed a few more Beacons, but left the rest for the others.

"Are we not going down there?" Daeva asked, motioning towards the new entrance leading towards Floor 2. Daeva had been on Floor 2 once before, and wasn't too scared of it, despite what just occurred. If not, then would they have to set up camp here? A floor boss wouldn't spawn for another 5 days, so... it was relatively safe.

 

[Skyswimsky]

"Huh...?" Lumi blinked a few times as all adrenaline in her body seemingly left her at once as she bore witness to the demise of the first-floor boss—the tutorial guy. No... that wasn't quite right, she was supposed to be happy and excited! It should have been the moment she squealed something about loot and excites and gushing over the cool battle scenes! "A...?" But instead, the blonde S-Rank couldn't form a proper word at first. They won, but they lost.

She could feel her legs growing weaker as she shook her head in disbelief. "A..." 'And so, the oh-so-stylish Thames decided to play a prank! Or should I say, Play Dead, as the cool kids said! Before he went kaboosh! Bam. He's all living again.' If only she had the power to turn these words into reality, but she didn't, and neither did she speak them.

"No..." Lumi instead, finally, stammered to nobody in particular but herself. "T-This isn't supposed to happen! It-this CAN'T happen! We... we're the heroes! Saviours! S-Ranks to save the World from all e...evil..." Her voice grew more silent by the second. If they were oh-so-great, then how could they already die to the FIRST BOSS? It wasn't even a cool sacrifice! Heck... in a more macabre mood she might have joked about the audience not building even any attachment yet! "T-Too soon..."

But, her fantasies were just fantasies. And this was not. There wasn't an audience. This was reality. Taking a few steps back, Lumi could feel it. She could see it. Oh, how dumb she had been before. She wasn't in her room, surrounded by the warmth of paper and the vibrant color of words. And neither was on stage, where she could forego all fears and worries for the sake of entertainment. She was outside. Where nobody cared about her. Weak, and small. The Labyrinth wasn't her stage, it was just... a place. An unwelcoming dungeon. And seeing how some of her allies were seemingly unfazed was just as unwelcoming...

She shook her head for the nth time, before pulling her oversized hat further down her face to hide before wrapping her arms around herself. Shaking, as she moved further. She had survived her father, she would survive this. She knew, she had to move, even if every fiber in her body just wanted to curl up in a ball and stop thinking.

 

[AnonyMouse]

Samara Morghan​

Samara's gaze slowly slid to Kirsten when the other woman addressed her. For a moment, she wondered if she had heard her correctly. A... sack? There was the briefest flash of indignation in the shieldmaiden's eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. She knew the lancer was merely being pragmatic --too pragmatic, I'd say-- and didn't mean any disrepect. But the insinuation that Thames was just meat to be shoved into a burlap sack and thrown over one's shoulder was not what Samara wanted to hear right now.

"Sera can stay here. She needn't be carried anywhere," Samara responded, glancing over her shoulder at the bawling goddess as she continued to walk away. That one should be healing Jianlong's wounds, but instead had squandered all of her resources by throwing her cartoonishly large swords at an enemy who was already run through!

Stop it, Samara said, abolishing that thought and focusing on putting one foot in front of another. If she was going to blame anyone, she should blame herself first. And that Director, a close second! she thought. She had warned the man that this party wasn't ready. They lacked coordination, had no experience, no practical field time. I can defend a party. I can't defend a herd of cats, Samara thought, her patience finally wearing thin. This journey wasn't even about Thames anymore. It never had been. She just needed some space, couldn't bear to look at any of them right now, not even herself.

But the final straw came with the sound of Seymour's voice. He, too, wished to tag along, not just to Skirm Isher and the Monday party, but all the way back to Ambition, to procure better gear. Samara finally stopped. She turned to face him and, by doing so, faced the entire group. What a pathetic scene. Sera crept toward them, barely able to stay on her feet, still mewling about Thames's death being her fault. Even their exuberant announcer seemed to have lost faith, all while Daeva pondered going deeper, toward the open passage to the Second Floor. Deeper, at a time like this!?

The team was splintering. It might be heartbreaking, if Samara had any heart left.

"Okay... okay... fine," Samara said, as if she were reaching a decision in real-time. She couldn't fight it any longer. Didn't want to, really. She gently laid down Thames's body and angrily snatched up the sack Kirsten had offered. The contrast between how she lovingly handled their departed comrade and the contempt with which she accepted the lancer's offer was frightening. But she was gentle once more as she retrieved some cloth from her inventory and carefully bound his hands and feet, ensuring they remained in position as she tucked him into the bag. It didn't take any mental gymnastics to arrive at the conclusion that she had done this before... and probably would have done so at the start, had she been in her right mind.

Well, she was now.

"Okay, listen up," Samara said as she rose to her full height. In her full armor, she seemed like an iron giant, gazing down upon them, while standing over the Thames-shaped mummy. "Lumi, pull yourself together. Lemondrop, Callidora, bring it in," she said, gesturing for them to gather around. "Perhaps, I was too hasty, so let's pump the brakes a moment, alright. I'm not going anywhere until we reach a consensus, as a group.

"Thames is dead," she said, in case that wasn't clear already. But, rather than dwell on the loss of a friend or comrade, she continued, "That means we've lost one-fourth of our frontline fighters. Another broke both of his weapons," she gestured to Seymour, "And another is injured," she gestured to Jianlong. "Meanwhile, our only healer has completely exhausted herself and can barely stand. So, no, Daeva, we won't be 'going down there.' Not yet, anyway.

"Kirsten made a good point, as did Seymour," she said, with an apologetic glance at both of them and a noticeable shift in tone from the militant status report she had delivered a moment ago. Although she hadn't voiced her prior opinion, she had judged them harshly in her mind. "Perhaps returning to Ambition isn't such a bad idea. Perhaps even... permanently. None of you have armor. Most of you are barely armed. This was a fool's errand from the start and there is no shame in saying as much. If we return to the city, those who wish to continue can do so better equipped. And those who do not... well, I will see to it the Director listens to reason this time."
Interaction(s): Thalia_Neko | TreasureSniper | ERode | Tau | Skyswimsky | AriAriAbabwa | Marceline_idue

 

[ERode]

AnonyMouse AriAriAbabwa TreasureSniper Tau Skyswimsky​

Kirsten matched Samara’s gaze, their intersecting intensities causing tensions to bubble and broil. Just as Samara was indignant about the treatment of the dead, Kirsten felt a lick of heat from the treatment of the living. The majority of them were children, in her eyes. An even greater majority simply had too little experience in the Labyrinth to begin with. All that power, all that ability for procuring new Skills, and yet they couldn’t even watch each other’s backs.

Her hand hung in the air, even after the defender snatched the sack away. Gradually, it clenched into a fist.

All the hope of humanity, thrust upon amateurs by a Director that couldn’t even be bothered to fund their expedition properly, who didn’t even allow them time to do some training runs before announcing their presence and their mission to Ambition. Perhaps there was a possibility of them performing well if each and every one of them were an adventurer beforehand, had participated in raids and scouting missions, had gained experience and learned which role suited them the best. But that wasn’t it.

She turned away, her pale gray eyes flashing with a cold fury towards Daeva. “Did I stutter, Daeva? Lemondrop is in charge of loot management. Hand it over her.”

There was no reason to spend much longer on the necromancer though. Instead, Kirsten strode over to where Seraphina remained, sprawled on earth that was littered with stone shrapnel. She picked up one of the gore-caked zweihanders and called out to Seymour, tossing it over to the unarmed swordsman. Stupid choice, picking such structurally-unsound weapons as whipswords on an expedition that had been intended to dip beyond the deepest floors that humanity had challenged. If he was to return to Ambition, he better pick up a real weapon, one that can be easily maintained even with only the most basic tools.

With that dealt with, she dropped down to a crouch in front of Seraphina, grabbing her by the face and lifting it up. “People die in the Labyrinth. You can do everything right and they’ll still die.” The scar, crossing the center of her brow to the left of her jaw, burned an angry red still, the Fireblood coursing with restrained violence. “But you didn’t do everything right, so think about what you’ll do next time. And then do it.” She dropped the Deity’s face, grabbed her collar instead. Without caring for whether or not the fabric would rip, Kirsten pulled her white-haired companion up to her feet and then even higher up, carrying the child on her back like a sack of potatoes as she rejoined the group.

On passing, she saw the Narrator folding in on herself, that stupidly-large hat pulled so far down that it may as well have swallowed her head whole. Her brows furrowed. She still had one hand left. Good. She reached out for the top of that hat and pulled it back up, enough that Lumi’s vision was no longer fully blocked. “You’re going to trip and snap your neck,” she said, not a smidge of kindness in her tone. “Hide in your hat after you get out of the Labyrinth.”

Samara desired a group discussion, a group consensus, but in the end, the majority had already made their desires clear. Lumi and Seraphina were in no state to continue, Seymour was using a borrowed weapon, Ken was still injured with no healer in sight, and both Lemondrop and Callidora had been so shocked by their first experience with a real fight that they were still unresponsive.

So Kirsten remained still and silent, carrying a Deity on her back as she waited for the inevitable.

 

[Thalia_Neko]

While a couple of their merry band were having their own personal crises because one of their member died, some of the others were discussing what to do next. The big shield woman was the one to round everyone up and start the discussion.

He doesn't have to be, Daeva thought wryly, glancing down at the wrapped up dead man, Death isn't permanent.

She could still feel the itching on the tips of her fingers to cast her new spell.

Jiànlong had dug out his first aid kit he had in his pack. Since there was no one amongst them capable of healing, he was administering shoddy first aid to himself. His tunic was off, and he was addressing his wounds. He had some bruises, scrapes, and cuts. He glanced up when Samara made a comment about him. "I'm fine! -Ugh," he countered, holding up his hand holding a bloodied cloth, only to wince and pat down his wound again. "I'm fine.. I can continue..! Don't count out the 'Walking Swordsman' just yet!" He said in a convincing tone, while wrapping up his chest in gauze and bandages covered in some ointment.

"Adventurers die all the time." Daeva pointed out, staring at the ground. It was just the way of this world. Who didn't know that? They should get used to it.

After being denied by Samara, Daeva pouted. Really laying it on thick there, pursing her lips and going, "Mmm!" As if she was indignant about being denied continuing their adventure.

At her last statement Daeva couldn't abide by it. With a shake of her head, swishing that oily, stringy black hair, she said, "I won't be returning. If you all go back, that's your thing. But I'm going forward. Forward. There! Down there!" She pointed at the gnawing black abyss of the stairs leading downward. She had no intention of going back to Ambition.

Someone else spoke to her next. The spear woman.

Daeva blinked. "Loot belongs to the party.. It's common sense that everyone gets their share of the loot. The lemonhead didn't even do anything to the boss; it was my necrosis that helped others pierce the boss's skin. And she already has mounds of Beacons." Satisfied with her argument, she kept what she pocketed. Frankly, she wasn't pocketing the scrolls for herself, she just thought the others weren't considering the loot, so pocketed them before they were blown away by the wind or forgotten, or something.

At least the spear woman agreed with her, and reiterated how raiders and adventurers just died. "Mhm mhm, that's what I said."

Thinking everything on her end was settled, the necromancer decided to try out her new skill. Even if she couldn't try it on Thames, she could at least try it regardless. It felt like good practice to try out any new skills one got, just to see how they acted and what they did. Reading a tooltip was one thing. Feeling the skill in practice was another. And not everything was said in the tooltip. Most skills had some sort of internal cooldown or other stipulations that weren't mentioned. It was better to know the limits of one's skill before using them in the heat of the moment, and finding out the skill didn't behave in the way you expected.

"Raise Unique Undead."

She said walking over to the floor boss's corpse. If she couldn't use it on Thames, then why not the next best thing?

She felt energy welling up inside of her. Her hair began to flow in sudden mystic wind, and her eyes began to glow with eerie light. She even felt energy flowing out from her outstretched hand into the Blobjun.

However.. Nothing happened.

She frowned as the skill basically 'fizzled' out. Then she got some 'notifs' explaining what caused the skills failure. Almost mental "Oh, I know whys" appeared in her head, as if she just understood.

Her mana was too low, for one. She had used up most of her mana in the fight. It seemed this skill would take up around 90% of her full mana pool. She'd have to wait till her mana regened to try the skill again.

Daeva frowned, feeling put-out.

What a downer.

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

Lemondrop Meringue
Thalia_Neko ERode AnonyMouse @OthersAround​

"Well, you lot sure haven't understood what it means to be S-rank!" Lemondrop said, beaming, coming out of her 'defensive position' that definitely wasn't a hidey-hole. "And I guess he wasn't a real S-rank after all. Frauds come up in business all the time! Unfortunately, this only means we'll need to deduct some of our Beacons for compensation to his family. But since I'm generous, my own Beacons shall take the hit! You're all welcome!"

After watching the rest of these supposed heroes fight their hardest... she wasn't impressed. It was like hiring a batch of top-of-the-class employees, only for all of them to crash and burn! But Lemondrop received this with a confident smile. A good boss didn't force the team to work around him, but worked with the team. That was her father's philosophy, and she'd be damned if she didn't follow his advice. "For once I agree with the corpse girl—on this one thing! Why turn around when the wall of diamonds could be mere inches away from us?" She turned to Kirsten. "I also agree with you! I should keep most of the loot for safekeeping! That way, if any more of you perish—bless Thames' soul—your belongings will not go to waste! They will be returned into the market and help sustain our business for the long-term! Help the future generations of Spelunkers! And in return, you all will earn wages for your cooperation! A 5% raise for each floor we go down!"

A good boss also made sure team morale was high. And what better motivator was there than her biggest resource: money? "And let's look on the bright side! With one less worker, you all can receive extra pay!"

This first encounter was a real eye-opener for Lemondrop. This was what they meant by the horrors of the Labyrinth: clashes with the unpredictable tide of stock exchange that will either give or take; crash or soar. In other words, luck. They'd need a backup deposit of Beacons and loot to avoid losing too much in the event of the latter. But having more weapons and loot on hand could give a better chance of success!

"Oof, this is exciting!" Lemondrop squealed, losing herself in the world of statistics and business. She set to work organizing her inventory.

 

[TreasureSniper]

The members of the party processed Thames's demise differently from each other. Some like Sera and Lumi were devastated by the loss of their comrade, especially this early into the expedition. Others, such as Samara and Kirsten had a much more professional and realistic outlook on the situation, seeing as just an unfortunate casualty in the line of duty. Seymour himself was saddened by his passing but recognized that in the grand scheme of things, it did not matter. Turning to face Kirsten, he could already hear her concerns and complaints about the group, even going as far as to insult his choice of weapons. Nonetheless, he was thankful that she was at least willing to lend him a weapon if it was one covered in filth. Without saying a word, Seymour had already extended his arms even before Kirsten called out to him as if preemptively preparing himself to catch the sword.

"This will do. Thank you." Seymour responded as he took out a cloth from his inventory to begin wiping the sword. It was heavier than what he was using before, most likely around twice as much, and difficult to wield with one hand. It lacked the flexibility, utility, and range of his old weapon, but if nothing else it would serve its purpose. It wouldn't be the first time he wiped off viscera from a blade and certainly won't be his last. He continued to meticulously wipe his blade while listening to what the others had to say about the matter.

First, there was Samara, stating that perhaps now would be a good time to return to ambition to bury the fallen, send the broken home, and regroup with the people who were willing to continue. A reasonable plan, but it did mean that they would have to fight another boss by the time they got back here. "That is an option, however, that would also mean that we would need to fight another boss by the time we get back here. While that may not sound problematic, do note that this Blobjun was noticeably stronger than what has been reported in the past. Considering that there was an earlier report about some adventurers running back not too long ago...Perhaps these monsters are getting stronger in general...across all floors." He was taking a shot in the dark here, but it was plausible.

And then came Lemondrop, who up till this point had been completely silent and hiding.. somewhere during the boss fight. She chose to share her own opinion of what had transpired, trivializing Thames' death while also attempting to give everyone a pep talk. Considering her upbringing, he couldn't blame her, but at the same time, he was hoping that she would have more nuance with her "sales pitch". "Ehem. This area is safe for now. I suggest setting up camp for the time being. Perhaps we can contact the Monday party or even the cleaners. Trade whatever supplies we need and...have them accompany whichever one of us wants to go home." Hopefully, the other members of the party would not take a hostile stance towards Lemondrop's bluntness. Since the area will be safe for the time being, he saw it as a good opportunity to take a rest.

Eventually, the blade was clean enough for him to see his reflection, earning a smile from Seymour. "Daeva, why don't you take some time to rest? After all, your mana needs time to recover." Seymour spoke, almost as if he had just seen her fail to cast a spell. Noticing that the necromancer just tried to use a new skill, Seymour checked his menu as well. And sure enough, he too had a new skill as well. "Hmm did anyone else get a new skill?"

AnonyMouse Thalia_Neko ERode AriAriAbabwa Tau Skyswimsky

 

[Skyswimsky]

"Thames is dead." The shield-bearer attempted to drive reality further home.
"Death isn't permanent." Just for the necromancer to outright deny that claim.
“Hide in your hat after you get out of the Labyrinth.” The newcomer continued to antagonize the majority of the party.

Sophia blinked once. Twice. Thrice. With her vision now unobstructed, and a moment to process the shock more, she felt a blur of emotions. She was afraid of the way the scar-faced woman handled the Goddess. It was only a matter of time before Kirsten's ire turned onto her too! She felt misunderstood, the mere thought of leaving the Labyrinth just seemed... NO! Even if Sophia wanted to, Lumi knew very well if she left this place under the current circumstances, she wouldn't return.

"And I guess he wasn't a real S-rank after all."
Lemondrop dropped a line of salvation. Hope. But, of course! It all made sense! The way the mayor was gauging the authenticity of their abilities had been nonsense anyway! Yes. Thames wasn't an S-Rank. He was... an extra. Sophia had read about this in plenty of books before, after all! How could she forget? Someone or something to die or get sacrificed in the very first pages for the sake of driving home just how grim and dark the setting was. Yet, it had often limited effect on her as a reader. There was no attachment to the sacrifice in question. So why would THIS be any different? She barely knew the guy! Yeah. Absolutely. It all made sense.

Thames was weak.
He was, for a better lack of term, a side-NPC.
Unimportant!
Thank you, Lemondrop!

As Sophia was processing all this in her head, there was a visible change in her demeanor. Her lips curled upwards, her folded posture turning upright. The very air around her starting to, carry once again, a hint of personality. Lumi entered the stage wasn't quite fitting, as she had never left! Duh.

"Ahem..." The Narrator, her voice now full of life again cleared her throat followed by a very silent, somewhat creepy, chuckle. "Thank you so so much!" Walking over and pulling Lemondrop into a shortly-lived hug, and finally addressing the rest of the group with her own opinion. "Lemondrop is ab-so-lu-tely correct! And you, and you, and you are all right, too!" Pointing towards Daeva, Kirsten, and Seymour one after the other. "That is, I believe we should rest up and continue after! Sure, Thames died. But it is what it is. He simply was too weak. And we aren't. None of us are. None of us will be." She shrugged nonchalantly, her eyes to the side before focusing on Sera in particular (or on Kirsten, as she was carrying her for that matter). Clapping her hands together yet again and smiling.

"Now now, I understand the death of a stage prop can weigh heavily on one's soul! Even if you only knew him for a few pages! But, worry not. For I have just the right thing. Ahem. Challenging Proclamation: Disposable Character equals Disposable Emotions! The Challenge: Be willing to venture to the second floor... soon™. If you are willing to, your saddening emotions may just go KABOOSH, gone! And who knows, a few floors in and you may have even forgotten all about him!?"

With these words spoken, Lumi, Sera, and Samara all got a gamified prompt of the proposed challenge in front of them. Beckoning them to either accept or decline.

AriAriAbabwa Tau AnonyMouse

 

[Tau]

Sera nodded slowly as Kirsten gave her what may have, in her mind, qualified as a pep talk. Wasn’t much of one, but having a stern, no-nonsense figure there did help a bit, and she appreciated the ride.

Seymour and Samara had the most sensible takes. Plans to get those ill-equipped back to safety, to rest up before continuing, and… new skill? Huh, indeed, new skill. She’d worry about that later.

The more important bit was the sheer irreverence for the dead, coming from the less desirable members of the party. The sort who most wanted to push on, ironically the ones Sera wished to push on with the least.

Of the terrible three, the necromancer had, against all odds, been the least offensive. By now, Sera was used to her coo-coo brain, but the other two… insulting, demeaning, reducing her deceased friend to nothing but a wage slave, and then an NPC!

…truly the Labyrinth would be proud of them.

Sera didn’t hesitate— not for one second —to slam DECLINE. She didn’t have much strength left, but she mustered up one tiny sliver of stamina, whispered her creepy-sounding latin, and flicked a finger in Lumi’s direction, knocking her hat clean off her head in defiance.

"I’m going down there either way, because unlike some people, I’m not here to fatten my purse, or find some grand adventure. I’m here because someone I love needs my help, and I wouldn’t dare forget anyone who sacrifices their life to make that possible. Judgm— I mean, shame on you two!"

She turned away, not able to stomach the sight of either of her party’s crazy blondes right now. Instead, she let her indignant rage steady her focus on the mission. Plus, this had reminded her of why she was here, so they’d helped… just not in the way they’d tried to.

"Does anyone know how long the floor bosses take to respawn? Let’s rest until then… maybe an hour or two less, just to be safe. After we hand off our friend…"


AriAriAbabwa Skyswimsky (…and friends)

 

[AnonyMouse]

Samara Morghan​

Samara merely frowned at the pouting necromancer, as the girl shook her head and declared she would be going down, against all odds. Her response was so divorced from the reality of their situation that Samara found herself wondering what "Daeva" had been like before the Labyrinth twisted her mind. Where did she end and the Labyrinth begin? Was she always obsessed with the macabre or was she, perhaps, a sweet child who had been morphed into this grotesque caricature?

There was once a time Samara used to look at such Chosen and think 'I hope that never happens to me.' And then she woke up one day and was seven feet tall and overcome by a burning desire to throw herself into danger, so long as someone or something needed defending. We're not so different after all, she thought... and not for the first time.

Right now, she needed to focus on defending Thames's dignity and honor from these savages. Delivering him to the surface was all that mattered. He would not be planted in Labyrinthian soil and left here to serve as seeds for whatever wicked schemes this place conjured. He must rest under the true sun and moon, not these shoddy imitations.

Seymour's pragmatism came as a welcome distraction from the violence and bickering taking place in the background. "Ah, so we are back to my original suggestion?" Samara said with a gentle smile at him, though inside she was thoroughly perplexed by his sudden change of heart. 'Weren't you the one who suggested going back to Ambition for gear? I should've just kept walking. Could have delivered Thames and skipped the theatrics... but... I suppose opening the topic up for discussion was the right thing to do, instead of running away. That was... cowardly of me, I suppose.'

Such self-deprecating thoughts were common for her. She seemed proud and steadfast in battle, but, outside of it, Samara always second-guessed herself and wondered what she could have done differently or how she could integrate others' ways of thinking into her own. But Lemondrop's sudden outburst snapped her out of these self doubts. The moment the girl denounced Thames as 'not a real' S-Rank, Samara's anger went through the roof. She said nothing, nor did her face show it, but the way she looked upon Lemondrop was the way one might look upon a roach while pondering whether to stomp it out swiftly or get the bug spray and let it die a slow death. How did this Meringue girl, this cartoonishly flamboyant impression of capitalism, who had hidden under a rock during the entirety of the battle, even when called upon to assist, have the gall to call anyone weak!?

Samara took a deep breath and tried to remember she was not dealing with sane people. She continued to stew on it as Seymour spoke. And thank God he did, for had there been dead air, Samara would have filled it with every rebuke known to man. Fortunately, as time marched on, she found space to remember she was better than this. In a past life, the same arrogance which made Lemondrop talk down to others had made Samara prostrate herself before the needy and toil in filth for the underprivileged. Some felt they were entitled to their wealth and clung to it ferociously. Others felt they were never worthy of it, and tried to sweat it out like a sickness.

Just like you, I came from money, she thought. So sad, you never learned to let it go.

"Skills? Oh, right, I suppose I did," Samara said, promptly turning to Seymour, as if Lemondrop did not exist. Even without opening her DS interface, she knew what she had acquired. It lurked in a corner of her mind, like a forgotten memory rendered anew, but without the fog of nostalgia. Mastery took time, but knowledge was instantaneous. 'Though I wonder why a man so intent on concealing his skills is asking about ours?' Samara thought, but quickly caught herself. He didn't deserve that. Her anger at the Meringue girl's inane prattle was bleeding over. 'Forget it. Why suffer a fool? I should go.'

Sophia spoke next. Or Lumi. Yes, definitely Lumi now. Gone was her depression. She was out of her hat now and, frankly, out of her goddamned mind too, having found salvation in Lemondrop's words. The weak-willed seek comfort in the unlikeliest of places. This Labyrinth truly was a sickness. And, so, it spread...

"Enough idle chatter," Samara said, without even waiting to hear the end. She knelt to pick up Thames's corpse before these imbeciles could defile it any further with their crass speech. "I do not require rest yet, nor did I sustain any injuries, so I shall deliver him while the rest of you-"

Before her eyes materialized a prompt: "Challenging Proclamation: Disposable Character equals Disposable Emo-

The words never even had a chance to finish generating. She swiped it away so quickly, she seemed as if she wanted to swipe left on the entire Labyrinth.

"You're damned right he wasn't a real S-Rank!" Samara said as she drew her sword and pointed it at Lemondrop, her words thundering over Sera's. "But he was a hell of a lot more REAL than you will EVER be! He was a man --a good man-- who knew what it means to be human and knew that was more important than ranks and numbers. He died for us! Unlike you, who will die a real death for fake money!" She gripped the sword so tightly, her hand trembled, yet its tip, blunted by the blows it had deflected over the years, remained perfectly still as it remained aimed at Lemondrop's obnoxious face. Were there not so much space between them one might think she intended to run the girl through here and now.

"When your time comes, Lemondrop, I will leave you where you fall," Samara said, finally lowering the weapon. "Eyes wide open, staring up at this fake sky in this fake world, for that is where you BELONG, and I will bare steel at ANYONE who dares give you anything more!" In one final burst of anger she hurled the weapon at Lemondrop. It sailed through the air, end over end. Surely, this would be the end of the Meringue dynasty, cut short so soon! But mere inches from splitting Lemondrop's skull, the sword vanished. It fizzled out of existence, leaving only a gentle breeze which tossed Lemon's hair.

'Hmmm.... okay, so that's what it does. Hahaha, I'm glad that worked. Imagine the mess if it hadn't!' she thought, almost giddy with delight.

"But, until that day comes, I will continue to defend you, to the best of my abilities, Lemondrop Meringue," she said, with a smile. "And I pray you will find the courage to do the same." After a brief pause, she lifted Thames's corpse and slung him over her shoulder before retrieving her sword from her inventory and returning it to its sheath. "Anyway, as I was saying. I'll be going now and should be back in an hour or two. Make camp. Rest up. You are welcome to join me, Seymour, if you like. I would appreciate the company. Kirsten, be a dear and look after the children, would you kindly?" she added, to the lancer whose hands were already full. "You seem to have already taken to them quite well."
Interaction(s): Thalia_Neko | TreasureSniper | ERode | Tau | Skyswimsky | AriAriAbabwa

 

[ERode]

AnonyMouse AriAriAbabwa Tau​

She could understand Samara's fury. Lemondrop had pulled Lumi in an entirely other direction, one that trampled on the possibility of camaraderie, one that was a millstone of arrogance and apathy that ground to dust the figment of an emotional foundation. But this divide was worse. Death threats and delusional takes, dragging any positive dynamic into a quagmire of festering hatred. The shieldmaiden claimed that she would do her job, but so too did others labor at varying levels of effort. Would she risk her limbs for Lemondrop? Her life? Would she even be bothered to do so when a small inconvenience prevented one from doing so?

Children and the inexperienced. Tack on deluded idiots as well.

An S-rank may as well be a detriment at this point, by how out-of-touch they all were. Weak as they were, at least her former party knew how to socialize properly. They remembered how to be human, when faced with the tragedy that wiped away all their childhood memories. And now, in a gaggle of kids who had been born in this apocalypse instead? Kirsten felt positively old. She bit back her retort though, bit back her desire to point out how absolutely worthless Lumi had been, how she hadn't contributed a fifth of what Thames had. She reined in the desire to give a history lesson to Lemondrop, about what happened to the landlords of the old era who sought to regain their status even in a world with no laws, no institutions. She simply held it all down, letting it condense to charcoal. And, seeing that Samara had once again settled to splitting the party, taking with it two-thirds of the frontliners, Kirsten narrowed her eyes.

What was the point of a group decision, if it would become a split decision either way? Without much ceremony, she dropped Sera once more. "Five days, on average. While there have been cases documented on either end of that average, this place will be safe for another day, at least."

Discounting the possibility of regular monsters running in to fill in the gap.

Her eyes settled upon Samara again. "Take Callidora and Lemondrop with you, if you're intent on splitting. I can only carry one person." And there was only one person that Kirsten cared to carry, if a retreat was necessary. "And this."

She had intended on delivering the axe herself, but in the end, it didn't matter who did it, so long as it happened.

"It's wasted as a monument. Have Skirmisher sell it when he returns to Ambition and send the funds to whomever Thames cared about. If you need a name, there's a 'Mattius Abreo'."

 

[Tau]

"Oww…" Sera whined as she hit the ground.