[EV-F1] "Fear the Reapers!" (pt. 1)

[Mishiro 0]

She was new to this, Mishiro could tell. The lapses in her confidence, the wasted movements, and the very noticeable lack of composure... she wondered if it was a good idea to let her join them. She knew how demanding Arabelle could get. The silver-haired girl had reeled too far back in surprise, and Mishiro was at her side with only minimal delay, fending off the approaching hordes with a swing of her axe. She knocked back a creep with the head of her weapon and slamming its handle deep into the ground, she launched herself into an attack and stunned another with a blow to the head.

"Please don't stray too far from us. We never know what might happen."

Another group of players took over and Mishiro turned back to their new teammate. "As she said. We're returning to the safety of the stage." A pause. Her cold armored grip gently wrapped around the girl's wrist. "The other players can hold off the undead. We're switching back in as soon as Arabelle finishes regenerating her energy." Black smoke gathered at their position, only to be dispelled as the two girls walked through it.

Break number two.

Spoiler

Arabelle: 420/420 HP | 4/42 EN | 14 DMG | 9 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA
Mishiro: 180/180 HP | 17/18 EN | 8 DMG | 27 MIT | 3 Keen | 2 Bleed
Andromeda: 20/20 HP | 1/2 EN | 8 DMG | 18 MIT | 3 LD

❄❄ BINGO BOOK

Spoiler

AP: 0

Achievement Name	Progress
Zombies Killed	24/150
Last Hit on Zombies	4/100
Critical Failures OR Critical Evasions	1/25 OR 1/15
HP Restored (Self)	0/150
HP Restored in a Thread	0/120
Consumables Used	2/13

 

 

Edited October 13, 2019 by Mishiro

[Andromeda 0]

It took her a good few moments to realize she was only paying attention to what was in front of her. And when she did, she was whirling around and raising her rapier to defend - oh, what good did a flimsy weapon like a rapier have to do in defending against something than... other rapiers? - as a horde of zombies took notice and charged her, jaws snapping in hunger. Oh jeez, oh man. She knew she had the MIT but--

The head of an axe slammed down on the ground between them. Mishiro appeared at her side, swinging her weapon and disabling another. It gave An enough time to breath in an recover, pulling herself away from the horde and into relative safety. As the horde's attention snapped to another group of players, a very red-faced An mumbled, "...thanks."

And she allowed herself to be pulled along, only tugging herself free halfway through to evade another horde of creeps. 

She was starting to owe this emotionless girl more favors than she thought she was paying back by joining her in this battle.

Spoiler

Arabelle: 420/420 HP | 4/42 EN | 14 DMG | 9 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA
Mishiro: 180/180 HP | 17/18 EN | 8 DMG | 27 MIT | 3 Keen | 2 Bleed
Andromeda: 20/20 HP | 2/2 EN | 8 DMG | 18 MIT | 3 LD

***BINGO BOOK

Spoiler

AP: 0

Achievement Name	Progress
Zombies Killed	8/150
Last Hit on Zombies	0/100
Critical Failures OR Critical Evasions	0/25 OR 1/15
HP Restored (Self)	0/150
HP Restored in a Thread	0/120
Consumables Used	1/13

 

 

Edited October 13, 2019 by Andromeda

[Arabelle 0]

Arabelle was exhausted. 

But she was absolutely not going to let it show. As soon as they reached the safety of the stage, the small purple-haired girl made a show of carefully propping Shikama Doji up against a wall before looking out at the stage in search of a particular item. Oh, it was still here! And with a few consumables still inside nonetheless! Either no one was getting the last sets of free buffs, or a few other players realized the sheer altruism of buying things for the people who couldn't afford it. It was like a charity case. 

Smiling, she nestled herself comfortably at the back of the treasure chest. She let the back of her head rest against its open lid and closed her eyes. God, she was tired. She was almost tempted to down another one of those horrid energy drinks. Or the pills she'd heard of from a few players. They were at least tasteless, but then again, outside concessions were not allowed. "Get used to this, Shiro-chan. And An," she added that last part as an afterthought. "If this is a raid event worth its salt by SAO standards, we're going to be at it for a looong time. It's a good experience as any though!" Her brown eyes opened to briefly make contact with the newcomer's vibrant red. "So tell us more about you, An~. Call it a team building session. Is this your first time?"

Idly feeling about the ground, her fingers brushed against what felt like a dead leaf. She would have simply fanned it away. But, by some weird force of nature, she turned her head to inspect it instead. 

A slip of paper.

Spoiler

[1/3 full energy regen]

Arabelle: 420/420 HP | 5/42 EN | 14 DMG | 9 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA
Mishiro: 180/180 HP | 17/18 EN | 8 DMG | 27 MIT | 3 Keen | 2 Bleed
Andromeda: 20/20 HP | 2/2 EN | 8 DMG | 18 MIT | 3 LD

 

Edited October 14, 2019 by Arabelle

[Mishiro 0]

"From what we've observed, they have an ability that allows them to survive a fatal blow," she told An as they were sprinting back to the safety of the stage. They passed a line of players in charge of keeping the "safezone" defended and slowed to a jog. "However, it leaves them at only 1 HP. I confirmed it myself earlier and so did you... I suppose. This was the first instance I saw one of them survive twice though, so we can say they aren't limited by the number of times they can use the ability."

That was all she knew so far and as part of a very odd hunch, she had the idea that was all she could learn about the mysterious undead.

"I still haven't surmised what triggers it," Mishiro admitted. They had reached the stage now and Arabelle briefly went off. "So for now, let's settle on it being a random occurrence."

Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, she followed her friend to the back of the treasure chest and quietly took a seat across her. She patted the ground beside her, inviting An to sit with the slightest hint of a smile. "Were you referencing the Tanabata Festival?" 

Spoiler

Arabelle: 420/420 HP | 5/42 EN | 14 DMG | 9 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA
Mishiro: 180/180 HP | 17/18 EN | 8 DMG | 27 MIT | 3 Keen | 2 Bleed
Andromeda: 20/20 HP | 2/2 EN | 8 DMG | 18 MIT | 3 LD

 

Edited October 14, 2019 by Mishiro

[Andromeda 0]

...a special ability. An brightened. So it wasn't her fault. That made her feel better! But, no - then all of the overreacting earlier and pretty much almost walking back into a group of mobs, it all seemed kind of dumb now! Noooo.... An's smile dropped and the silver-haired player visibly wilted.

She went down another line of thought instead. "If the ringleader summoned all these hordes with the weird ritual thingy he did in front..." An noticed that. Right before the "show" was about to start. It had her at the edge of her seat, red eyes sparkling in anticipation. Oh, what a surprise it was. It was not at all the show they wanted. "Then does that mean that magic does exist in Aincrad? I've heard people saying that it doesn't, but you can't exactly explain the undead's explanation through scientific means."

Yep. They were definitely summoned by black magic of some sort. A disease or a mutation could have been a possibility, but they were all already underground in the first place. So distracted was she in her thoughts that she barely noticed Mishiro urging her to sit.

It was Arabelle's singsong voice that snapped her back to reality. An blushed in embarrassment. "I've fought a few before this, but I don't do it regularly so I suppose I never learned." Yes... before this.

She remembered going on a few quests with a mentor she left in the end.

"Ah! Was it that obvious?" An smiled sheepishly and tugged at the ends of her ponytail. "I wouldn't call myself good, but surely not..."

Edited October 15, 2019 by Andromeda

[Arabelle 0]

She tuned out An and Mishiro's nerd talk - oh god, there were two of them now - and curiously picked up her current object of interest.

"Stay safe! c:"

Oh. Huh. Handwritten. She didn't recognize it, but if... .... Ashen eyes drifted to the large treasure chest behind her. It had been overflowing with goodies at one point - and Mishiro apparently had the first claim to it. Arabelle turned the note over in her hands, absently flicking the tip with a gloved finger. "Hey, Shiro-chan," she said suddenly, ignoring the girl's question for the time being. "You were the one who got this treasure chest, right? Someone hand it to you? It's a pretty sweet gift."

The Tanabata Festival. It took all of Arabelle's will to not make a face. First, she had been on a perfectly good date. Second, the minions took freaking forever to kill - not because of their individual strength, but because of their numbers. Third, everyone started dropping out in the middle until she was left with just the nice guy who purchased a performer crystal from her. Lots of respect was earned that day. And last and most important, she had been on a perfectly good date.

How dare they.

"Hmhm~, I just found this one similar to the previous," the small purple-haired girl related. "Like - feels kind of like they're just recycling events. Same objectives, same strategies needed to defeat, but different themes and premises and rewards, and different mobs."

Whatever. They hadn't been there for the Star Festival; they wouldn't get her. She turned to An with a sweet, innocent smile. No, you totally suck. "Somewhat. It gets easy to tell when you have more experience. But hey, you didn't ditch as soon as things started to look bad." The image of a blonde, with a smile just as bright and just as klutzy, came to mind. "I wouldn't say that's enough, but you're at least not a coward."

Big oof.

Spoiler

[2/3 full energy regen]

Arabelle: 420/420 HP | 6/42 EN | 14 DMG | 9 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA
Mishiro: 180/180 HP | 17/18 EN | 8 DMG | 27 MIT | 3 Keen | 2 Bleed
Andromeda: 20/20 HP | 2/2 EN | 8 DMG | 18 MIT | 3 LD

 

Edited October 15, 2019 by Arabelle

[Mishiro 0]

She tilted her head at Arabelle's abrupt inquiry. 

"No, I was fortunate enough to receive it from a player distributing free event consumables," she answered firmly. Mishiro attempted to keep half of her focus on An's musings as she recounted the encounter from earlier - to sate her friend's sudden interest with it. She could understand though; they were all too weary to do anything else but sit and talk as they waited for their energy to regenerate. Anything would be interesting at this point. "I wasn't able to discern who it was though; they left in a rush. I would have thanked them otherwise." 

At the mention of Tanabata, the scythe-wielder remained outwardly composed but months of dealing with her made it easy for Mishiro to discern that she was practically on the verge of ranting. Thankfully, she only resorted to making comparisons. "I see." Similarities. Perhaps that was worthy of discussion; they might find something they could use later. She wasn't the most experienced with events of this sort. "Going down that line of thought... is there anything that happened in the Tanabata Festival Raid that hasn't occurred yet in this event? Anything you think we should be anticipating? Let's see... I mean it more in the sense of - a gimmick."

Wasn't that the vaguest thing.

She noted the silver-haired player's red face; An was apparently relatively new to all this. "We all started somewhere," she offered in conjunction to her friend's... questionable response. She couldn't tell if Arabelle was intending to subtly insult her or give genuine advice. Probably both. "You wouldn't believe it, but around a year ago, Arabelle could barely lift her axe."

Edited October 15, 2019 by Mishiro

[Andromeda 0]

The... treasure chest? It had helped them out a lot, but somehow she wasn't expecting any of them to bring it up. "Yeah. I think whoever gave us these free buffs warrants some thanks, too!" An smiled brightly; the DMG bonuses surely helped their main DPS a lot.

Arabelle talked about the Tanabata Festival. Mishiro was prodding for extra information to get a better grasp of the situation. An... kind of just sat there. She felt extremely out of place - like she was shoved in last minute for reasons she couldn't fathom, like she was intruding on them somehow. They looked like good friends, despite their differences.

"U-um, thanks?" An turned a deeper shade of red at Arabelle's words. She didn't even deny it, as An had been hoping. It was practically half an insult and half a compliment! A perfectly balanced and neutral answer. Somehow... it made her feel a bit worse. The silver-haired player fiddled with her sleeve, unsure of what to think. Mishiro's addition was a welcome relief. She giggled softly. Really, one would never expect someone with Arabelle's small build to even lift a scythe, much more swing it around effectively. 

"I guess that's only natural. The scythe you're using right now is huge!" She wondered how the girl even learned. An ventured a little further, a bit more daring now that she was curious. "Did you always have that weapon?"

Edited October 15, 2019 by Andromeda

[Arabelle 0]

She smiled knowingly. 

"--And when he gave it to you, you were up on the stage, right? Was anyone else there? I presume a few other players must have gotten the same idea as you did."

Arabelle wasn't leading her any further down that line of thought though.

"No. Just numbers." Her answer was immediate. "Just in my experience though. The players in higher tiers faced something stronger, but that''s not our concern right now. What you're getting now is essentially what we got then, minus the second wind ability."

She nodded along in approval to Mishiro's words to An until -- Did she just--? Throw her under the bus? How dare she. Arabelle turned to her friend, glaring deep into the other girl's dead eyes. Bad memories of dealing one damage to a dragon resurfaced. She knew she often said she wanted Mishiro to be less boring, but not like this! Oh, but this was better than the long stretches of silences. Let's humor her, then! Arabelle smiled sweetly. Venomously. "And who gave you permission to say that? Ara, ara, I thought you would have been caring enough to know that was a sensitive topic. I got my perception of you all wrong, Shiiiro-chan~." 

God, even An was laughing.

"So how about I share one of yours too? I believe I know more of your embarrassing secrets than your brother ever did. It's only fair~."

She waggled her finger playfully and smirked. Based solely on her expression, Mishiro should know exactly what she was talking about. Now with that handled - Arabelle turned to the new girl. Laugh at me more and I'll personally ensure you're out of the team. "Nope! I started with the standard two-handed battle axe, but I found it a bit too short and heavy for my liking. So I went ahead and had a customized weapon crafted at a frontliner's blacksmith. You have heard of a guy named Macradon, right? I got that--" She nodded to the scythe propped up on the wall nearby. "--and the scythe Shiro-chan was using awhile ago, from him. I like using it! People say it's inefficient for a weapon, but it fits into my style well, so I'm not complaining."

Plus, it looked fab.

Spoiler

[3/3 full energy regen]

Arabelle: 420/420 HP | 42/42 EN | 14 DMG | 9 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA
Mishiro: 180/180 HP | 18/18 EN | 8 DMG | 27 MIT | 3 Keen | 2 Bleed
Andromeda: 20/20 HP | 2/2 EN | 8 DMG | 18 MIT | 3 LD

 

Edited October 15, 2019 by Arabelle

[Mishiro 0]

A significant pause.

"...and seven years ago, I could hardly throw a proper punch," she finished, returning her friend's glare with an innocent smile. That made them even. Mishiro was hardly the playful type - rather, when comparing herself to Arabelle, she always considered them polar opposites - but she wasn't completely prim either. "What I mean is, you'll get better with practice - as long as you have the determination and the consistency for it. So don't be too disappointed with your current skill level; you'll get better eventually."

She made a note to watch An carefully from now on, and offer advice where it was needed. Mishiro was hardly proficient with a rapier, or any held weapon for the matter, but there were at least some general tips applicable to everyone regardless of weapon type.

This was essentially the same event... so there was no need to revise their strategy, not that she would have anything better to offer Arabelle, anyway.

"Yes. A few other players who were closer to the stage when the undead appeared," she answered, ignoring the girl's teasing. Arabelle would grow bored at the lack of reactions and stop, eventually. Mishiro glanced up at their status bars and stood. "It's time we re-engaged. Lead the way, Arabelle."

Edited October 15, 2019 by Mishiro

[Andromeda 0]

Oh man. Now they were using her for their cute, friendly banter. An was starting to feel like she was really intruding! "It's okay!" An assured, waving her hands in the air out of habit. Once she had their attention, she continued with a sincere smile. "Actually, I think it's kind of admirable. You might not have been the best at it first, but you got a lot better, right? It must have taken a lot of dedication! Especially for someone as small as you... learning how to wield it must have been hard. I can barely handle my rapier," she admitted that last part with a sheepish laugh. "But I'm trying. I want to get better at it."

Because otherwise, what good would she be as one of the ten thousand - or less - trapped in Aincrad?

An blinked in confusion when Mishiro stood up, then her gaze strayed to the status bars at her top left. "Oh! Right..." She picked up her sheath and followed Mishiro's lead, looking at Arabelle for guidance. "Ready! I'll try to be more useful this time around!"

Edited October 15, 2019 by Andromeda

[Arabelle 0]

Awww, An was actually a bit cute! Arabelle smiled politely in return, but she could barely contain the pride welling up inside her. Well, of course! The silver-haired player was just a level one after all, it made sense she would admire any strong player who came her way, but to have it specifically directed to her... and to her dedication... "Thank you!" Arabelle replied with a sweet, sincere smile. All of a sudden, she was acting a lot friendlier with the other girl than before. "Like Shiro-chan said. You'll improve eventually! Just keep it up and you'll be good in no time. Now then, let's start!"

Humming to herself happily, she took off the stage. Again, she chose the nearest group - which was slightly further than it was before, now that she paid attention to it - and fired up another Sword Art. Spinning in the air, the small purple-haired girl landed gracefully on the ground and used her momentum to direct several strikes at their current targets.

Two fell, and two remained standing. Crap. After that boost in confidence--

"Shiro, go after the one with full HP! An, you take the other!"

Spoiler

ID: 125882 | BD: 6 | LD: 3 | Trample Act: 14 * 6 = 84 - 10 = 74 DMG to Zombie 25
ID: 125883 | BD: 5 | LD: 16 | Trample Act: 14 * 6 = 84 - 10 = 74 DMG to Zombie 26
ID: 125884 | BD: 1
ID: 125885 | BD: 9 | LD: 13 | Trample Act: (14 + 1) * 6 = 90 - 10 = 80 DMG to Zombie 28

6 + (2 * 3) = 12 EN

[H:1/0] Arabelle: 420/420 HP | 30/42 EN | 14 DMG | 9 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA
[H:0/0] Mishiro: 180/180 HP | 18/18 EN | 8 DMG | 27 MIT | 3 Keen | 2 Bleed
[H:0/0] Andromeda: 20/20 HP | 2/2 EN | 8 DMG | 18 MIT | 3 LD

Zombie 25: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 26: 1/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 27: 50/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 28: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT

~~BINGO BOOK

Spoiler

AP: 0

Achievement Name	Progress
Zombies Killed	26/150
Last Hit on Zombies	22/100
Critical Failures OR Critical Evasions	2/25 OR 0/15
HP Restored (Self)	0/150
HP Restored in a Thread	0/120
Consumables Used	3/13

 

 

Edited October 15, 2019 by Arabelle

[Mishiro 0]

"Yes, that's what I also meant," she said, lifting the... Widower from where she had rested it beside Arabelle's Shikama Douji. Though she knew it was in relation to the lines wend about its black handle and axe head like spiderwebs, she often caught herself in instances where she was too embarrassed to say its name out loud. It wasn't her craft nor her request, but she could just as easily picture Arabelle custom ordering that weapon just for a few laughs at the wielder's expense. "I don't have the same determination to master the axe either; I'd rather focus on my current abilities."

She hefted up the axe and rested its handle against her shoulder. Turning to her friend as An expressed her admiration, she had to suppress a sigh. What wasn't obvious to the silver-haired player was blindingly obvious to the girl who's been her friend for too long. "I wouldn't suggest spoiling her though."

An was ready. So was Arabelle. The latter took off and Mishiro took a moment to discern the scythe-wielder's targets before following right after. When Arabelle landed and dealt the initial flurry of attacks, she was far enough to redirect herself towards the undead left standing yet close enough to unleash an attack before either of the remaining two had the chance to recover. She heard their team leader's voice. Calling out to her with an order. So she had completely missed one? 

Mishiro's axe flared with a deadly red energy.

"Understood!"

Locking onto the creep with full HP, she knocked it upwards with a swing of her axe and sent another two slashes its way - in an arc wide enough to hit it without worrying about the accuracy of her strikes. The undead screeched and fell to the ground, clawing at its clothes, at the rotting flesh bordering the deep wound on its chest. 

Spoiler

ID: 125886 | BD: 8 | Ultimate Breaker: 8 * 3 = 24 - 10 = 14 DMG to Zombie 27 [bleed] [keen]

[H:1/0] Arabelle: 420/420 HP | 30/42 EN | 14 DMG | 9 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA
[H:0/1] Mishiro: 180/180 HP | 15/18 EN | 8 DMG | 27 MIT | 3 Keen | 2 Bleed [keen until next successful attack]
[H:0/0] Andromeda: 20/20 HP | 2/2 EN | 8 DMG | 18 MIT | 3 LD

Zombie 25: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 26: 1/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 27: 36/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT [0/2 Bleed]
Zombie 28: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT

Special:

• Deals 20 DMG on a 9 or 10
• If the Zombie would be killed by a weapon or defensive ability, and the LD is equal to or higher than 15, the Zombie is instead reduced to 1HP. This ability is ignored if the attack that reduced it 0 was a critical hit or the weapon/armor used has the holy or holy blessing enhancement.

❄❄ BINGO BOOK

Spoiler

AP: 0

Achievement Name	Progress
Zombies Killed	26/150
Last Hit on Zombies	4/100
Critical Failures OR Critical Evasions	1/25 OR 1/15
HP Restored (Self)	0/150
HP Restored in a Thread	0/120
Consumables Used	2/13

 

Edited October 15, 2019 by Mishiro

[Andromeda 0]

"H-huh? A running start? Oh, wait for me!!" Already, she was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. The two had been fighting since the start of the event, and they'd already grown accustomed to navigating around the tent's crowded area: dodging zombies, jumping on and off chairs, and veering around the other teams to reach their goal. And when they ran, they ran fast. An pushed herself to match their speed but after almost tripping over a chair and falling straight into a zombie pulling itself from the earth, she settled for a slower and more careful pace.

She caught up just in time to hear Arabelle giving orders. The one which didn't have full HP... Easy enough! She spotted the one Mishiro avoided - and what a poor disgusting state it was in: with its muddy, tattered clothes, grimy hair, and driven to a point where it could only act on animal instincts - and unsheathed her rapier, charging forward without activating a Sword Art. She had at least been listening to Mishiro's explanation earlier, and if the girl had been right, this one zombie that took Arabelle's attack but didn't die was at 1 HP!

"Hyaah!" Her rapier punctured its skin and in front of her--

It fell to pieces. Leaving nothing but the translucent data shards that would fade as well.

An's eyes were sparkling - rather morbidly given her source of joy, if you would take it that way. She hardly even noticed the other zombie behind her, taking Bleed damage, and making an unsuccessful swipe at Mishiro.

Her first kill!!

Spoiler

ID: 125887 | BD: 10 | 10 - 10 = 1 DMG on Zombie 26
ID: 125888 | MD: 2

[H:0] Arabelle: 420/420 HP | 30/42 EN | 14 DMG | 9 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA
[H:1] Mishiro: 180/180 HP | 15/18 EN | 8 DMG | 27 MIT | 3 Keen | 2 Bleed [keen until next successful attack]
[H:0] Andromeda: 20/20 HP | 1/2 EN | 8 DMG | 18 MIT | 3 LD

Zombie 25: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 26: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 27: 24/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT [1/2 Bleed]
Zombie 28: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT

Special:

• Deals 20 DMG on a 9 or 10
• If the Zombie would be killed by a weapon or defensive ability, and the LD is equal to or higher than 15, the Zombie is instead reduced to 1HP. This ability is ignored if the attack that reduced it 0 was a critical hit or the weapon/armor used has the holy or holy blessing enhancement.

***BINGO BOOK

Spoiler

AP: 0

Achievement Name	Progress
Zombies Killed	11/150
Last Hit on Zombies	1/100
Critical Failures OR Critical Evasions	0/25 OR 1/15
HP Restored (Self)	0/150
HP Restored in a Thread	0/120
Consumables Used	1/13

 

 

Edited October 15, 2019 by Andromeda

[Arabelle 0]

--Arabelle popped off the bottle cap and downed another energy drink. God, the consequences of erratically switching from extreme exhaustion as a consequence of being at low energy for too long and regaining energy in bursts only to use it all up again were going to hit her hard tomorrow. Maybe not as bad as overexertion in the real world, but she had a strange feeling she was going to be struck with a pseudo-sickness or something.

Oh well! If that happens, there was always Claude.

She watched as her other teammates handled the rest. Mishiro finally inflicted Bleed on a mob... or more like, she finally got the chance to. Arabelle hadn't exactly given her that opportunity earlier, but at least seeing the results now proved her idea was right on. An killed her mob and while she wasn't being all too vocal about it, she could just sense that the other girl was internally celebrating over her victory.

And here Arabelle sat with twenty-something kills to her name.

How cute.

Spoiler

Consumed 1 Offbrand Energy Drink. 3 Remaining

[H:0] Arabelle: 420/420 HP | 34/42 EN | 14 DMG | 9 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA
[H:1] Mishiro: 180/180 HP | 15/18 EN | 8 DMG | 27 MIT | 3 Keen | 2 Bleed [keen until next successful attack]
[H:0] Andromeda: 20/20 HP | 1/2 EN | 8 DMG | 18 MIT | 3 LD

Zombie 25: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 26: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 27: 24/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT [1/2 Bleed]
Zombie 28: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT

Special:

• Deals 20 DMG on a 9 or 10
• If the Zombie would be killed by a weapon or defensive ability, and the LD is equal to or higher than 15, the Zombie is instead reduced to 1HP. This ability is ignored if the attack that reduced it 0 was a critical hit or the weapon/armor used has the holy or holy blessing enhancement.

~~BINGO BOOK

Spoiler

AP: 0

Achievement Name	Progress
Zombies Killed	27/150
Last Hit on Zombies	22/100
Critical Failures OR Critical Evasions	2/25 OR 0/15
HP Restored (Self)	0/150
HP Restored in a Thread	0/120
Consumables Used	4/13

 

 

Edited October 15, 2019 by Arabelle

[Mishiro 0]

Now she understood why Arabelle wanted her to use the Widower. It lessened her chances of landing an attack - by only a slight margin - in favor of making the attacks she landed actually count... if she managed to proc Bleed, that is. DoT enhancements were generally perceived as weak, but for a weak player with a lower base damage like herself who's facing off against a mob with mitigation, it was a godsend. Though inconsistent, it dealt just as much damage as she would have dealt with a Sword Art in a single turn and remained in effect for another turn after that. 

Double the damage, if she could land a good hit. Mishiro could work with that.

She didn't need it now though; Bleed was still in effect. Stepping back, the girl shortened her hold on her axe and deflected an attack from the last undead. It stumbled back at the shove of her foot and the ignited blade following shortly after cleaved into its shoulder, eliciting a howl of pain. Mishiro pulled back her axe and turned to An. "Please stay back for now. The effect should be enough to kill it."

Spoiler

ID: 125893 | BD: 7 | Ultimate Breaker: 8 * 3 = 24 - 10 = 14 DMG to Zombie 27

[H:0] Arabelle: 420/420 HP | 34/42 EN | 14 DMG | 9 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA
[H:2] Mishiro: 180/180 HP | 13/18 EN | 8 DMG | 27 MIT | 3 Keen | 2 Bleed
[H:0] Andromeda: 20/20 HP | 1/2 EN | 8 DMG | 18 MIT | 3 LD

Zombie 25: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 26: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 27: 10/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT [1/2 Bleed]
Zombie 28: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT

Special:

• Deals 20 DMG on a 9 or 10
• If the Zombie would be killed by a weapon or defensive ability, and the LD is equal to or higher than 15, the Zombie is instead reduced to 1HP. This ability is ignored if the attack that reduced it 0 was a critical hit or the weapon/armor used has the holy or holy blessing enhancement.

❄❄ BINGO BOOK

Spoiler

AP: 0

Achievement Name	Progress
Zombies Killed	27/150
Last Hit on Zombies	4/100
Critical Failures OR Critical Evasions	1/25 OR 1/15
HP Restored (Self)	0/150
HP Restored in a Thread	0/120
Consumables Used	2/13

 

 

Edited October 15, 2019 by Mishiro

[Andromeda 0]

An could barely contain her smile. She could do it after all! Yes, last time had simply been an unfortunate attack that somehow triggered the zombie's regeneration ability! Of course, the girl didn't pause to consider that she had literally just killed a mob that was already at 1 HP with her team leader doing the work while her other teammate handled a zombie by herself. She wasn't about to rain on her own parade this time; this was special!

Still grinning, she whirled around and found the last zombie still alive with... Mishiro standing nearby, looking oddly relaxed. Huh, talk about confident. She needed help and An was in a good mood and more than willing to give her! Stepping forward, she regarded the zombie's remaining HP and was about to ignite her rapier with a Sword Art when -- 

An was stopped. "H-Heh? Are you sure?"

As if on cue, the zombie in front of them burst into shards without either of them doing anything. The explanation? Status effects. "That's so cool..." Her crimson eyes were shining with interest. "I've never thought DoTs could be that strong. Maybe I'll get one next time!"

Spoiler

[H:] Arabelle: 420/420 HP | 34/42 EN | 14 DMG | 9 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA
[H:] Mishiro: 180/180 HP | 13/18 EN | 8 DMG | 27 MIT | 3 Keen | 2 Bleed
[H:] Andromeda: 20/20 HP | 2/2 EN | 8 DMG | 18 MIT | 3 LD

Zombie 25: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 26: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 27: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT [2/2 Bleed]
Zombie 28: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT

Special:

• Deals 20 DMG on a 9 or 10
• If the Zombie would be killed by a weapon or defensive ability, and the LD is equal to or higher than 15, the Zombie is instead reduced to 1HP. This ability is ignored if the attack that reduced it 0 was a critical hit or the weapon/armor used has the holy or holy blessing enhancement.

***BINGO BOOK

Spoiler

AP: 0

Achievement Name	Progress
Zombies Killed	12/150
Last Hit on Zombies	1/100
Critical Failures OR Critical Evasions	0/25 OR 1/15
HP Restored (Self)	0/150
HP Restored in a Thread	0/120
Consumables Used	1/13

 

 

Edited October 15, 2019 by Andromeda

[Arabelle 0]

She wiped two. An took care of the one that had 1 HP left. Mishiro took care of the one at full HP. All in two rounds of combat! Arabelle had to say, that had been a perfectly lovely run! She smiled smugly at her best friend as they regrouped. "Now what would have happened if I let you keep that weapon with Paralyze earlier...? You seemed pretty reluctant to use the one with Bleed when I asked you to, didn't you?" Still, credit where credit was due. Arabelle gave her friend that Paralyze weapon in the first place because it had accuracy and she was still unsure of how her friend would fare against the zombies, and no random noob could just land those hits. "Keep it up and I'll give you a candy."

Of course they weren't stopping. They wouldn't stop - not until Arabelle ran out of energy. She tossed her hair to the side and located another group. Ordinarily, the grind would have been boring but with her friend and An here, and sure to stay for the entirety of it, she was starting to feel a bit festive even in the midst of such a grim event!

"That one. Let's go!"

Arabelle fired up a Sword Art and charged.

Spoiler

ID: 125894 | BD: 5 + 3 = 8 | LD: 4 | Trample Act: 14 * 6 = 84 - 10 = 74 DMG to Zombie 29
ID: 125895 | BD: 2 + 3 = 5
ID: 125896 | BD: 10 | Trample Act: (14 + 2) * 6 = 96 - 10 = 86 DMG to Zombie 31
ID: 125897 | BD: 8 | LD: 6 | Trample Act: 14 * 6 = 84 - 10 = 74 DMG to Zombie 32

6 + (2 * 3) = 12 EN

[H:0] Arabelle: 420/420 HP | 23/42 EN | 14 DMG | 9 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA
[H:0] Mishiro: 180/180 HP | 13/18 EN | 8 DMG | 27 MIT | 3 Keen | 2 Bleed
[H:0] Andromeda: 20/20 HP | 2/2 EN | 8 DMG | 18 MIT | 3 LD

Zombie 29: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 30: 50/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 31: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 32: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT

Special:

• Deals 20 DMG on a 9 or 10
• If the Zombie would be killed by a weapon or defensive ability, and the LD is equal to or higher than 15, the Zombie is instead reduced to 1HP. This ability is ignored if the attack that reduced it 0 was a critical hit or the weapon/armor used has the holy or holy blessing enhancement.

~~BINGO BOOK

Spoiler

AP: 0

Achievement Name	Progress
Zombies Killed	31/150
Last Hit on Zombies	25/100
Critical Failures OR Critical Evasions	2/25 OR 0/15
HP Restored (Self)	0/150
HP Restored in a Thread	0/120
Consumables Used	4/13

 

 

Edited October 15, 2019 by Arabelle

[Mishiro 0]

"I wouldn't suggest that for regular use," Mishiro said in response to An's remark. "Pure damage still outweighs DoT effects, purely because of how unreliable the latter is unless you've specifically built yourself around it." And even then, one needed unique enhancements to reach full potential. She could think of one effective DoT player - the only reason why she had knowledge on DoTs, admittedly - and he had just been lucky enough to come across a quest that dropped a weapon with enhancements that fit his build. For the regular player though? It was too difficult. "It only served useful to us now because the mobs had low HP values and bypassing their mitigation dealt as much damage as my Sword Art does."

Inflict Bleed, one regular attack, then wait. That was all she needed to do to kill one of the undead. "Yes, but please make sure it isn't just candy you bought from my shop. I can craft my own."

With that little banter done, she shot after Arabelle. Again, her initial attack wiped three but left one alive. Full HP. All she needed to do was trigger her weapon's enhancement. Mishiro ignited her blade with a red flame. So focused was she on her objective that she didn't realize she was keeping a vicelike grip on her axe's handle. She didn't know she was moving too fast. She didn't know that at that speed, it would be hard to stop and actually --

No, she realized.

And she found herself crashing forward and the world in front of her burst into flame. 

Black smoke pooled around the girl as she reached for her weapon and slowly propped herself onto her knees. The last undead was left unharmed. Around her were the charred ruins of a plastic chair. Of course. All too adamant at landing a critical hit, she had charged at it with all the force of a bull. Bulls could hardly change direction once they were already in motion. It only made sense she was countered by the zombie falling onto its side in fright.

Mishiro coughed, awkwardly.

Spoiler

ID: 125898 | BD: 1

[H:0] Arabelle: 420/420 HP | 23/42 EN | 14 DMG | 9 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA
[H:0] Mishiro: 180/180 HP | 12/18 EN | 8 DMG | 27 MIT | 3 Keen | 2 Bleed
[H:0] Andromeda: 20/20 HP | 2/2 EN | 8 DMG | 18 MIT | 3 LD

Zombie 29: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 30: 50/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 31: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 32: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT

Special:

• Deals 20 DMG on a 9 or 10
• If the Zombie would be killed by a weapon or defensive ability, and the LD is equal to or higher than 15, the Zombie is instead reduced to 1HP. This ability is ignored if the attack that reduced it 0 was a critical hit or the weapon/armor used has the holy or holy blessing enhancement.

❄❄ BINGO BOOK

Spoiler

AP: 0

Achievement Name	Progress
Zombies Killed	31/150
Last Hit on Zombies	5/100
Critical Failures OR Critical Evasions	2/25 OR 1/15
HP Restored (Self)	0/150
HP Restored in a Thread	0/120
Consumables Used	2/13

 

 

Edited October 15, 2019 by Mishiro

[Andromeda 0]

Oh. Phooey. An thought Bleed had been an essential part to Mishiro's performance earlier, but if it turned out to be something situational... she would rather not. An didn't have the time and resources for testing and tweaking builds, all she really wanted was one she could use for everything. Preferably one where she could survive and deal damage as well. A tank/DPS hybrid, basically.

Their team leader - wait, when did she start calling Arabelle that - seemed pleased with the previous round and the enthusiasm sort of passed onto An, too! "Yeah! Let's do this!" If she had a hand free, she could have pumped a fist into the air but she resorted to following Mishiro instead. The dark-haired girl had her axe at the ready and was rushing the last zombie left standing from Arabelle's attack, taking the path with less obstacles in the way to get there quicker. Convenient for her!

...She only realized her other teammate was making a mistake when it was too late. 

The world practically exploded. And An was startled and was crying out in concern as she skidding to a stop, and the Sword Art in her hands flickered like a dead light and peacefully went off, and the next thing she knew, she was on the ground with a strange tingling sensation spreading from her lower backside to her nape. "Owww... what the heck?" 

Meanwhile, the zombie joyfully went of to (unsuccessfully) attack Arabelle.

Spoiler

ID: 125899 | BD: 1 | MD: 8 - 3 = 5

[H:0] Arabelle: 420/420 HP | 23/42 EN | 14 DMG | 9 MIT | 3 ACC | 2 EVA
[H:0] Mishiro: 180/180 HP | 12/18 EN | 8 DMG | 27 MIT | 3 Keen | 2 Bleed
[H:0] Andromeda: 20/20 HP | 0/2 EN | 8 DMG | 18 MIT | 3 LD

Zombie 29: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 30: 50/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 31: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT
Zombie 32: 0/50 HP | 15 DMG | 10 MIT

Special:

• Deals 20 DMG on a 9 or 10
• If the Zombie would be killed by a weapon or defensive ability, and the LD is equal to or higher than 15, the Zombie is instead reduced to 1HP. This ability is ignored if the attack that reduced it 0 was a critical hit or the weapon/armor used has the holy or holy blessing enhancement.

***BINGO BOOK

Spoiler

AP: 0

Achievement Name	Progress
Zombies Killed	15/150
Last Hit on Zombies	1/100
Critical Failures OR Critical Evasions	1/25 OR 1/15
HP Restored (Self)	0/150
HP Restored in a Thread	0/120
Consumables Used	1/13

 

 

Edited October 15, 2019 by Andromeda