Ariel - The Crowned Lion

Ariel couldn't help but cackle at that comparison since it was aimed at her. "Looks like we got a new addition to the family." Snickered the blonde while addressing her white furred familiar, who she had seen many times 'adopt' different familiars and players into her own pack. Despite her easy going attitude, the blonde picked up on the tension in Yuki's tone and movements. Eyeing their health bars, it looked like the wolf's attack visibly removed a chunk of her pink haired companion's. Trying not to be too blunt with her intentions, the blonde added: "If it gets too annoying, let's switch. I'd like to see it try me." The beginning of a predatory smile creeping on Ariel's expression as she eyed the 'sheep' before charging it. Effectively shortening the distance between her and the mob in a instant, leaving behind a red streak.
Her spearhead gets engulfed in black flames as it pierces through the wolf's body multiple times. The blonde would audibly click her tongue as she saw the wolf once again going for her partner.

• [3] Yuki: 639/840 | 78/78 | DMG: 6 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 112 | ACC: 3 | DoT Restst: 25%+25%(1st proc) | Thorns: 36+20 | BH: 8 | Conc. CD: [0/3] | Bleeding [36/2]
• [2] Ariel: 1374/1490 | 55/146 | 79 | 19 (+4) | AA +6(7) BD | BH+HB: 92 | +5 LD | +1 Hate
• Blood Bane: 819/1250 | 225 DMG | 50 Mit | 3 ACC
  Spoiler

  << Fenrir Fang >> : Blood Bane bites the player with the highest hate with magnificent force. Deals 200 Mitigatable DMG and Leaves a 2 Turn Bleed of 36 DMG on a attack roll of 9-10.
  << Call to Hunt >> : Blood Bane creates a howl that rips through the battlefield and invigorates itself and its allies.  Raises all enemies DMG and MIT by 25 for 2 turns on a CD rolls of 10-12. Has a cool down of 2 turns, does not stack.
  << Feast of Blood >> : Blood Bane consumes enemy blood, healing itself. Blood Bane heals itself by 25% of the Damage it deals to its foes after mitigation. If Blood Bane attacks someone under the effects of Bleed, then it heals itself for an extra 200 HP.

   

Once again, the blonde found herself coming near the now familiar hunting grounds of the 21st floor. This time she had invited a dedicated tank to come with her to make things easier. Seeing Raidou's intention of joining the 25th floor boss fight, as a side objective she wanted to test his resolve and capabilities against some of the strongest mobs she could find on this floor. With those goals in mind, she started snacking on some consumables she had available to boost her stats. Taking a look around, she marveled how different this cavernous floor seemed now that she had the 'cat eyes' as one particularly nosy maid characterized it. The blonde allowed herself a smile while adjusting the gray cape she had equipped for this occasion; on the back side layed crossed out in red a part of her past (picture in the description). She felt a little exposed, replacing the crimson red cloak that was her go to armor when fighting with this one but she reminded herself that she did so in order to maximize her gains. With her white feathered spear in hand, she leaned against the cave entrance, examining her surrounding some more with her new 'eyes'.

Ariel could see Claudia pause and turn towards her notes, tracing with her finger over the papers. “Oh here it is!” she raised her finger and adjusted her glasses before putting it back on the board and lightly tapping it as she presented the info: “I noticed you either only use single target attacks or only area attacks.” she pauses her tapping and raises her gaze to meet the blonde’s: “Have you ever thought about combining them?” she could see the blonde raise an eyebrow so she pressed on. “You can use area attacks to collectively drop their health bars down to a value that would allow you to finish them off with a single target sword art.” The blonde’s brows furrowed, clearly never considering the possibility. Ultimately she muttered, while reaching for a nearby stone. “Wouldn’t that be inefficient, if you think about the energy cost. How would that be compensated?”

• Ariel: 1033/1490 HP | 106/146 EN | 24 (+4 FLN) | 59 | AA(KEEN) +4(+1) BD | -3 MD | +59 BH | +48 HB | +8 LD

ID# 154872  LD: 20+8 +2 T3 Materials!

+45 HP | Survival
+30 HP | OOC regen
+1 EN | OOC regen (3/3, Full EN)

Moments later the gray cloak she had shined bright and got replaced by a more worn-up crimson colored cape, the symbolics on the back also changed from showing the logos of all the blonde’s past guilds to the mark of the spartans; a reversed golden V. Ariel’s mood visibly improved as she looked over her shoulders and made adjustments to her cloak until it felt like it never left her shoulders. Which technically never did as the other cloak has similar dimensions with this one. Anyway, nothing could beat the real thing and alongside her health, her spirits were also rising and Claudia could see her face brighten up with just that small of a gesture. “Okay let’s take a small rest now and have some of your health recover. I’d like you to have as much of it before engaging the new group. Oh and I have something to tell you!”

• Ariel: 958/1490 HP | 106/146 EN | 24 (+4 FLN) | 59 | AA(KEEN) +4(+1) BD | -3 MD | +59 BH | +48 HB | +8 LD

ID# 154857  LD: 10+8 +2 T3 Materials!

+45 HP | Survival
+30 HP | OOC regen
+1 EN | OOC regen (2/3)

In a short time after she and Sin arrived, the avenue got crowded. Yet she still watched amused as Crowzeph involuntarily gave them a glimpse of his daily mundane routine, then made himself busy by helping people set in. Various players came by and greeted their host, Ariel nodding and waving despite not being directly adressed except by a couple of them. She felt a little... distressed... under the weather, for a while now, even before coming to this meeting and she knew exactly the source of it. It was one of the reason she wanted to talk privately with Baldur but saw that she wouldn't probably get a chance to as a couple came with the same request as her. 

She listened to Mari's words and softly sighed, thinking they were still like like oil and water, despite not interaction for some time. Luckily the former pinkette, took up the host role and directed her attention towards other matters before Ariel would try to explain herself. With only the gaijin samurai and a couple of people around them and within earshot, she thought she could impart her concerns with him. get this over done as soon as possible.

Putting a gentle hand on Assassin's head she asked: "Can you hold onto this for me, for a minute?" next handing her the umbrella she had, dismissing the fan on the other hand back in storage. She then would slightly position herself so that the girl clinging to her kimono wouldn't see directly in front of the blonde, trying to shield her from the influence of what she was about to show.

With a couple of hand gestures she summoned from her inventory a odachi which she held in both hands. Its color as black as the night, the item itself seemed to exhume darkness. The moment it materialized a slight sense of dread filled the blonde, the weapon's malevolent aura probably affecting those in their immediate vicinity to some degree. " I'm sure you're familiar with noroi ken (cursed swords) since you wield a Muramasa yourself, Baldur. This is what our shadow 'friend'... " she put a heavy emphasis on the marked word before resuming, her tone serious and concerned: "...left in my inventory after we fled... or should I say.. 'cleared' the labyrinth." She looked Bladur in the eyes, clearly quoting his message and questioning the choice of words via a raised eyebrow. She hesitated for some moments, her expression showing that she was trying to mustering up courage to continue. After a long sigh, she then partially drew the sword; black flames/smoke? reminiscent of the labyrinth boss himself spewed out from the gap in the sheath and even the silver blade itself. The weapon's description read as following:

She let Baldur and whoever was interested to read it, enough time to do so, then hastily sheathed the naked blade, significantly reducing the baleful aura it was producing. She let out a long sigh of relief. "I have no use for this and even if I plan on taking the Katana skill in the future, it would be a waste to have it laying somewhere; unused. I wonder if like a true cursed sword, would it would draw someone to wield it." she said in a failed attempt of a joke. After a brief pause pause, she looked towards the two members of Jacob's Ladder that were currently ushering the players then turned her attention back to Baldur. "Initially I thought about having Karasu-kun safekeep it for me but he's still not high enough level to use it so... Until I get my grandmastery in the katana, I want you to have it as Crow's sensei, use it if you like and pass it on to him when you feel he's ready. It'll be a long time until I can invest in the katana skill." She then extended the odachi towards him and smiled softly as she asked: "What do you say?"

@Baldur @Shield @Morgenstern @tricolor_mina (+idk, whoever is close or interested)

Seeing a pink streak beside her, the blonde couldn't help but let out a small smile: 'What damage?' she was about to ask but after a quick glance at the corner of her screen she noticed that, while still green, her health bar took a dip without the blonde even realizing it until now. "Hehe.. knock yourself out!" she finally replied hoping that she won't take her words literally. With  deleting the remaining wolf from their sight. Now all that remained was the alpha "Yeah... Don't even think about running." she added with a menacing look in her eyes, making the beast backstep momentarily before lunging for an attack. The blonde thought that her intimidation worked as, despite having mowed down the rest of the pack, the leader decided to attack Yuki as soon as she jumped into the action. She let out a small curse under her breath but other than that didn't show any signs of distress.

ID# 154547  BD: 1 (+7, Keen proc.) Imperial Southern Cross x14(19) =266 -20 = 246 DMG > Warg Wolf 3
ID# 154548  CD: 1  MD: 8(+1, Hit!)  LD: 15 (Target Yuki!) 225 -112 =113 DMG

• [0] Yuki: 727/840 | 78/78 | DMG: 6 | EVA: -1 | MIT: 112 | ACC: 3 | DoT Restst: 25%+25%(1st proc) | Thorns: 36+20 | BH: 8 | Conc. CD: [0/3]
• [0] Ariel: 1282/1490 | 68/146 | 79 | 19 (+4) | AA +6(7) BD | BH+HB: 92 | +5 LD | +1 Hate
• Warg Wolves 1: 268/500 | 200 DMG | 45 MIT | 2 ACC | 1 EVA
• Warg Wolves 2: 64/500 | 200 DMG | 20 MIT | 2 ACC | 1 EVA | 
• Warg Wolves 3: 198/500 | 200 DMG | 20 MIT | 2 ACC | 1 EVA
• Blood Bane: 1250/1250 | 225 DMG | 50 Mit | 3 ACC
  Spoiler

  << Fenrir Fang >> : Blood Bane bites the player with the highest hate with magnificent force. Deals 200 Mitigatable DMG and Leaves a 2 Turn Bleed of 36 DMG on a attack roll of 9-10.
  << Call to Hunt >> : Blood Bane creates a howl that rips through the battlefield and invigorates itself and its allies.  Raises all enemies DMG and MIT by 25 for 2 turns on a CD rolls of 10-12. Has a cool down of 2 turns, does not stack.
  << Feast of Blood >> : Blood Bane consumes enemy blood, healing itself. Blood Bane heals itself by 25% of the Damage it deals to its foes after mitigation. If Blood Bane attacks someone under the effects of Bleed, then it heals itself for an extra 200 HP.

The blonde let out a chuckle at his initial reply. She might have shown more of her battle frenzy than she intended, judging by the increased rate of her heart's beats that still lingered despite having finished the fight. She took a couple of breath to calm her ticker and continued to listened. She displayed a simple smile as she recognized the comparison and the quote. "We'll need all the help we can get, this time around you can see the influence of the boss all across the floor. It stole the sun from the sky... the 25th floor is in an eternal night after what happened in the labyrinth." she had to spot herself there before she would do more damage than good.

Wanting to change the subject, she fiddled with her HUD. "Okay let's see if the dragon quest updated for us or do we have to do more snooping around like before." Dracul and Claudia would be prompted by her action to do the same. "I'm not that of a fighter.." muttered the alchemist, openly acknowledging his own faults. However, one could see determination in his eyes; he would contribute in other aspects to make sure he's not just dead weight.

Ariel couldn't help but show a small smirk, if she were to have trouble managing the mobs on this floor then she would have to resign from her position as a frontliner. Still, it felt good to fight alongside someone for a change, after all this time of fighting her battles alone. But somehow, being watched like this, she couldn't shake the feeling of being silently judged on her performance. That only drove her to put on a better performance to keep Yuki entertained, memories from the time she fought in the Colosseum slowly surfacing. 

She eyed the Alpha wolf, which she failed to land a clean shot so far as it was always protected by the remaining members of the pack. To thin the herd even more, she needed once again to use a AoE attack, thus finishing off the low HP mob and bringing the other one within her 'kill range'.

• [4/0] Ariel: 1282/1490 | 68/146 | 79 | 19 (+4) | AA +6(7) BD | BH+HB: 92 | +5 LD | +1 Hate
• Warg Wolves 1: 268/500 | 200 DMG | 45 MIT | 2 ACC | 1 EVA
• Warg Wolves 2: 64/500 | 200 DMG | 20 MIT | 2 ACC | 1 EVA | 
• Warg Wolves 3: 198/500 | 200 DMG | 20 MIT | 2 ACC | 1 EVA 
  Spoiler

  << Sonic Fangs >> : Many Rapid Bites inflicted on the Player with the most hate. Deals 225 DMG on CD:10+
  << Protect the Alpha! >> : Warg Wolves place themselves in a position to protect their leader. <<BloodBane>> [if present] may not be targeted or hit while at least 1 <<Warg Wolf>> still lives. 

• Blood bane: 1250/1250 | 225 DMG | 50 Mit | 3 ACC
  Spoiler

  << Fenrir Fang >> : Blood Bane bites the player with the highest hate with magnificent force. Deals 200 Mitigatable DMG and Leaves a 2 Turn Bleed of 36 DMG on a attack roll of 9-10.
  << Call to Hunt >> : Blood Bane creates a howl that rips through the battlefield and invigorates itself and its allies.  Raises all enemies DMG and MIT by 25 for 2 turns on a CD rolls of 10-12. Has a cool down of 2 turns, does not stack.
  << Feast of Blood >> : Blood Bane consumes enemy blood, healing itself. Blood Bane heals itself by 25% of the Damage it deals to its foes after mitigation. If Blood Bane attacks someone under the effects of Bleed, then it heals itself for an extra 200 HP.

Hearing Raidou offer a peaceful solution made the blonde involuntarily snort: "Should try saying it in their native tongue..." she watched how again they went and attacked him, completely ignoring her. "You'd think they'd me mad at me for killing it... but you're still their target." she added with a chuckle, being aware of the aggro mechanics at work behind their irrational behaviour. She watched them clash against Raidou once more, barely putting a scratch on him. She assumed it was the work of some form of thorns seeing as she also took some damage despite her mitigation. From behind them, the blonde closed the distance with a charge and decapitated both elves with a smooth vertical swing. Both of their bodies exploded into pixels, leaving behind only a brief memory of their existence for the players. "Or we could just finish them off like that. Nice and clean." she affirmed with a smile.

ID# 154463  BD: 10 (Crit!, Keen proc.) Hellish Twice x4(19+5) =96 -25 =71 DMG > Cultist 1, Ariel takes 14 thorns dmg
ID# 154465  BD: 8 (2+6-1, Keen proc.) Hellish Twice x4(19+5) =96 -25 =71 DMG > Cultist 2, Ariel takes 14 thorns dmg

• Dracul: 180/180 |18/18 | 5 | 27 | 18
• Raidou: 919/920 | 86/92 | 4 | 54 | 0 | EVA:3 | VAMP OFF:92 | PARA:1 | TAUNT | BH:46
• Ariel: 1426/1450 | 140/140 | 19 | 79 | 4 | 1 
   
• (0,3,2) Elven Dragon Cultist 1: 49/50 | 35 | 25 | 14
• (0,1,2) Elven Dragon Cultist 2: 50/50 | 35 | 25 | 14
• (0,4,2) Ghidorah: 214/215 | 70 | 40 | 1 | 1 | 14 [Paralyzed]

A few moments later she read the name tag and recognized his features, she let out a chuckle on Calrex' expense before greeting him. "Long time no see. Cal-kun." she added with a smile before directing her attention at their local chef. Her gaze then trailed at her furred familiar that was happily stuffing herself and reveling in the attention she's gotten so far. "Tank-lady... a pleasure to finally meet you, Sin-chan has been mentioning you ever since I meet her. I got curious as to what kind of person you were." she put a hand on Assassin's head and lightly ruffled her hair then looked at Snow from top to bottom. As she finished her examination, she extended her right hand slightly and offert a curt bow: "Kayla Ariel D'sole, again, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. And thank you for looking after this spoiler one."  she slightly tilted the fan in her 'free' hand towards her oblivious familiar.

The familiar, almost nostalgic sound of sliding panels captured the blonde's attention, as she turned towards the source. Finally, the master of the estate made his appearance and Ariel felt somehow relieved. It would've been rude to visit someone's home without greeting them, especially since she dropped in announced. She opened her arms, letting the sleeves of her kimono drop down and a bowed once more, this time more formally. "Ohayo-gozaimasu, Baldur-dono." she returned the greeting, reverting to her initial posture and resting one hand inside the other's sleeve.

"Sorry to drop by unannounced like this but when I heard from a black bird..." she made a momentary pause to smile, knowing he'll know who she was talking about " how it sung this place's praises, I just had to come visit and see it for myself. So here I... we are; Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. Shield here has offered to escort and show us around the estate grounds." she added with a grin, eyeing the man behind her as soon as she brought him in the spotlight. She then also took a seat seiza-style on the tatami flooring: "Can I have a cup too, please?" she asked politely, looking in Snow's direction with a warm smile. 

"So you sensed them too." muttered the blonde, charging right behind the red streak. She was surprised to see him jump and clip the dragon's wing, effectively paralyzing it in front of her. "On a silver plate." she added with a smile right before she heard more shouting from the elvish folk. They didn't take it kindly to the players grounding their little pet project and turned their attacks on them, ignoring completely Dracul and Claudia. Even with just one attack, Dracul could see that in the time they haven't seen each other, his alchemist counterpart increased his firepower from when the two first tackled the initial dragon.

Ariel had a similar opinion but said nothing. Instead she singled out the dragon and finished it after stabbing it repeatedly six times in a cross pattern. Its health bar was depleted before she ended her animation, having her think that her move was a bit of overkill.

ID# 154455  BD: 6 (2+5+1-1-1, Keen proc.) Imperial Southern Cross x14(19+5) = 336 -40 =296 DMG > Ghidorah Ariel takes 14 thorns dmg
ID# 154456  MD: 4-3 (Miss)
ID# 154457  MD: 10 (Crit!) 35 -54= 1 DMG > Raidou

• Dracul: 180/180 |18/18 | 5 | 27 | 18
• Raidou: 919/920 | 86/92 | 4 | 54 | 0 | EVA:3 | VAMP OFF:92 | PARA:1 | TAUNT | BH:46
• Ariel: 1436/1450 | 140/140 | 19 | 79 | 4 | 1 
   
• (0,3,0) Elven Dragon Cultist 1: 49/50 | 35 | 25 | 14
• (0,1,0) Elven Dragon Cultist 2: 50/50 | 35 | 25 | 14
• (0,4,0) Ghidorah: 214/215 | 70 | 40 | 1 | 1 | 14 [Paralyzed]

Before her latest floor scouting, the blonde would fiddle around with her HUd, looking to retrieve something from her inventory to help her see in the dark. Now, yet again, her eyes showed her night vision mod's passive activation. Her silver iris would now glow in the darkness much like Kimba's, ensuring she had a perfect sight in any unforeseen situation. This of course only added fuel to the maid's restlessness, who began to ask her more questions related to the new occurrence. "Shhh!!!" came the apparently harsh reply from the blonde, who was looking around them, as if trying to spot something. With a couple of hand gestures, she summoned her inventory and materialized her weapon in one hand and a strange glowing fragment in the other. which she throwed in Raidou's direction after making sure she got his attention. "Use this!" she muttered in a low tone, now grabbing her weapon with both hands, as needed in order to initiate any sword art.

Giving Raidou the following item.

Quote

<<Pillar Fragment>>
A special item that serves the same function as a Glow Stone, but does not hinder the use of weapons.
A fragment of the Pillars of Light, the final safeguard against Shadow's release. Even in its destroyed state, the fragment is capable of giving off a blinding radiance.

The group starts advancing, leaving the safe haven of the settlements and following the map towards their new destination. To the maid's satisfaction, Ariel keeps making regular stealth checks, prompting the unusual change in her eyes. At one point, noticing Claudia's intense gaze practically burning a hole in her back, she performed the check while staring in the crimson haired direction. Letting her take note and answering whatever she could from her barrage of questions. "Can you permanently do that?" "No it got a short active period and it has a cooldown." "Are seeing what Kimba sees?" "...No... It's probably just a coincidence." "Can Kimba get human, silver eyes?" "??????" At one point she slightly turned her head towards Dracul, pleading him to stop his assistant. His reply came in form of a small grin followed by a shrug. Checking their maps, they were steadily getting close to their destination but also darkness was starting to settle in as evening took over.

Before she could reply to Arabelle, a notification appeared on the corner of her eye. She raised her index, requesting a second and she started typing a quick message. 'We just left the safe zone through the eastern gate.' and she sent it in a heartbeat, feeling that spending too much time on details will offend the girl next to her. Call it a defect she'd brought from real life; she always prefered to deal with people in person and would give them priority. A small remnant from her somehow traditional upbringing. WIth that now out of the way, she turned her attention back to the pinkette "I've spend more than my fair share of time on this floor, back when I decided to go out and explore... the floor above was the latest frontline." she pointed towards their current  'sky' which consisted of the 11th floor's... floor. "Though the one that suffered the most was this little one, she too dislikes this places." she let out a soft chuckle as the white lioness, even now threaded carefully, visibly uncomfortable in the heat. "She did enjoy when we set shop on the 4th floor though." added the blonde with a grin.

"Nice to see you're well prepared." added the blonde after watching the quest item disappear. She brought up her HUd once more but this time she just made a couple of gestures, changing equipment. Moments after her red cape was engulfed with a blazing white light and as the light subdued, the color changed to a gray one. The current item, a vestige from the blonde's past, bore the mark of her journey throughout the years under the form of five guild logos on the back; all crossed off with a red X. She gave it a squeeze, her expression a bit nostalgic: "It always was my lucky charm when doing fetch quests." the blonde furrowed her brows, trying to remember anything related to the 'lessons chain'. "You mean the profession quest? Who in their right mind would skip on that?" she asked as soon as she remembered something relatable, unsure of this was the quest the pinkette was referring to.  

Logos pic.

"Don't apologize to me I have no use for it and you have no need to do it. Instead apologize to your body for your lack of trust in it." she replied, her features softened after the impromptu scolding. "If you've been training for as much as you say and I can tell that there is some truth behind those words. You should have more confidence in yourself, that includes mind and body."...
" 'Meikyo shisui' at this point I know I'm repeating myself but it's easier to exemplify the concept with what just happened. 'Clear and serene; still water like a polished mirror' would be a rough translation to english; which is not nearly enough to explain the meaning but just enough for what I want to say.

Now, imagine your mind being undisturbed, immovable... still... like the water surface of a lake. So still and calm in fact, that it turns into a mirror. Don't worry about what the mirror reflects, that's a topic for another lesson. " she stopped, letting out a smile before continuing. "Now if you were to throw mud or dip your toe into the water, the mirror would become distorted and wouldn't function as intended, right?" she paused, looking for any hint that he understood so far. "The mud or foot in your case is your insecurity in your abilities, you hesitated and muddied your mind with unnecessary thoughts instead of letting your body act naturally. You know what you can do and what not, you know your limits. Now trust yourself to act without second guessing or overthinking." that was where she had to stop herself. This sermon was probably not what Crowzeph wanted to hear right now but she couldn't help herself once she started. Luckily it ended, and the blonde turned her gaze to where she finished of the bear, searching for whatever it left behind.

Ariel nodded at Dracul's suggestion and let go of the entrance door handle. She took in the scenery for a moment, this floor brought back memories and luckily more happy ones than not. She wondered if the log cabin where she first set up her tailor shop was still there but knew they didn't have time for sightseeing. Moments later, Raidou chimed in skipping the part in which he would greet them and passing a piece of paper to Claudia. "Long time no see!" she said as she got closer to them, trying to see what was written on it. The maid first read through it and then passed it to her master which in turn took his time to thoroughly take in the content. He pulled out a paper of his own and started making comparisons. "They're signed by the same person. "Dr. Belch!" he finally spoke and went next to Raidou. "I see you cracked the elven code as well." he added with a nod.

As Ariel recovered everything that the mobs left behind, she turned towards Claudia with an expression that said she had something to tell her. The maid could make a few educated guesses as to what that was but decide against voicing them and preferred to listen. “I appreciate the hard work you’re putting there. Did you get enough data from that fight? It feels weird fighting without the armor and even if I didn’t take that much damage I’d be more natural fighting with my cloak on.” she admitted and Claudia would respond first with a nod. “Yes, I’ve seen enough of that aspect. Next we’ll add some extra enemies, have you fight against a party again. So you’ll need all the help you can get, armor most of all.” added the maid with a smile. She didn’t have to explain more it seemed, as Ariel was already fidgeting with her HUD.

• Ariel: 883/1490 HP | 105/146 EN | 24 (+4 FLN) | 59 | AA(KEEN) +4(+1) BD | -3 MD | +59 BH | +48 HB | +8 LD

Swapping ≪Guardian Cloak#65787≫ with ≪Leonidas' Strength#151568≫
Updated LD Bonus= +8 LD.
Updated Mitigation= 59.
Added effect: Holly Blessing +48 HP.

+45 HP | Survival
+30 HP | OOC regen
+1 EN | OOC regen (1/3)

The blonde couldn't remember the last time she stepped in his store... probably too long time passed. She was finally getting her affairs in orders and was starting to reconnect with old acquaintances and ...friends. A little reluctant, she came inside Zandra's studio, a bell chiming her arrival. "Hey Z..." she uttered as she got closed to the counter and checked the available wares. Swallowing a nod at the sight of the t3 prices, she decided to place a order. "I'd buy those that you have already but I'm kind of saving for a house... hehe." she said with half a smile, not wanting to appear cheap. "Or more like... open up a school." she added with a blush. "Sorry I kind of went off the radar for a while without saying anything..." she would continue to talk even as she took a sheet of paper and started scribbling on it her custom order. Once she finished writing she fiddled with her HUD and sent the alchemist the predicted costs for the order: 15 T1 Mats and 18 T3 Mats.

Buying the following items from @Bistro, for 15800 Col.

She let out a large sigh after listening to him trying to explain himself. She closed her eyes: "you're wrong!" she said in a calm voice, mentally chanting 'meikyo shisui' akin to a mantra. "I want you to realize why you hesitated and how it made you miss." she the pointed her spear towards his head and started drawing closer, she let go of the weapon which returned to her inventory and poked Crow in the forehead if he stood still. "You think to much." she scolded him, unconsciously entering something akin to a teacher mode. "It took you too much to act at the right time and you missed your chance. Whatever sword art you'd used I'm sure you would've been the one finishing it." she moved her finger from his forehead and started poking at the left side of the chest. "Act more with your heart, you training everyday so summon that muscle memory by impulse instead of wasting time thinking." her little rant ended as she stopped jabbing her finger at him.

I expected Crowzeph to act quickly, it was the perfect opportunity presented to him on a silver plate. Ariel takes in a couple of breaths and still, no extra blade end's the bear's troublesome existence. As I turn, I see the aspiring kendoka frozen in place, unsheathing his sword in a typical iai movement. 'Too late...' I though as I felt the boxing bear move away, displacing my spear's end as well. I let out a annoyed sigh and only eye Crow, by his brief curse seemes he was already aware of his mistake. Right now she had to end the deplete what remained of the bear's heath before it would try to run away or activate some unknown ability. And so it did, reverting on four feet his body somehow seemed bulkier, having renounced momentarily his boxing habits. Before it would try anything new, the blonde side stepped and start to  briefly spin her spear to gain momentum. Next she would perform a single vertical swipe that cut the bulking bear in half, removing all its remaining HP. It let out a deafening roar one more time before exploding in the familiar death pixelated animation. "She took a couple of second to get her breath after control, then after looking around them, her gaze returned to Crow: "Mind explaining to me what was that last thing you did?" she asked with a frown, and serious tone.

ID# 154241 BD: 7 (3+6-2) Divide x8 (19) =152 -25 =127 DMG

• [0] Crozeph I HP: 556/600 I EN: 60/60 I DMG: 12 I MIT: 44 I ACC: 2 I EVA: 1 I FRZ: 1 I REC: 2 
• [4] Ariel 1490/1490 HP | 131/146 EN | 79 MIT | AA +5(6) BD | 1 EVA | +1 Hate
• «Kumatetsu» 65/300 HP | 205 DMG | 25 MIT | 0 ACC | 2 EVA

The scene before her eyes was starting to look more and more ridiculous, and the blonde actually pinched her cheek to check if she was perhaps sleeping. Then agin, as soon as her hand touched her face she let it drop, remembering once more that the pain absorbers wouldn't make her feel anything that a tactile sensation. Not nearly the same stimuly the sharp pain produces when you pinch your skin. Her parry didn't do anything, a dud. WIth little else to do, Ariel charged at something that could've died. The freaking walking beacon that Assassin had rode for a while and even now continued to prance around this pathetic excuse for a battlefield, as if mocking them. She used her charged to catch up with tonight's supper and extended her spear towards it, making sure she'd use her most powerful sword art for a swift and painless death. Also to not damage the goods for cooking later.

ID# 154239  BD: 5 Miss Swine Bajesus

After a few years they were finally tackling the quarter milestone of their end goal...  Despite being a somehow joyous occasion, Ariel couldn't help but be concerned about what they were going to face. After shaking her head a couple of times, she began bobbing the traditional fan in her left hand up and down, in an attempt to cool her thoughts. "keep it together..." she muttered in a low tone, not to get the attention of her small companion who was leading the way with Kimba in tow. On a whim more than anything, she decided to bring Sin-chan with her to this raid meeting. While the girl would not directly benefit or bring something extra to the talks, her being there kept the blonde's mind centered and Ariel saw that as more than a valid reason for her to be there. 

"Are you excited to visit the estate again?" she asked with half a smile. "We'll get to meet some of the people from last time, and more... hopefully." As they walked towards the pier, Ariel was greeted by a ... student?

"Ariel-dono. This way please." he muttered, the blonde noticing his eyes wavering. She let out a soft chuckle, she would feel offended if she didn't stir up such a reaction. She knew exactly the effect her attire had on the opposite sex, on some more than others. One of the reasons she decided to dress traditionally, in a dark colored kimono with flower patterns and a red pointy rose as a hair accessory. Priding herself as one of the best tailors, everything was of course hand made by her. As well as Assassin's attire which she wanted to match with her own. Doing her utmost best when manufacturing her attire.

She decided to make her kimono a little more modern and experiment with the flower patterns, trying to give it a more cute design compared to hers, she even went and shortened the skirt size to have her move more freely. She was pretty proud of her work and was happy to flaunt it too. "How many players have arrived so far?" asked the blonde as they started boarding the small boat.

"Not many ma'am, I think just a couple of 'em." he replied, trying to avoid eye contact with the lioness. "I see... What's your name boy?" she asked, her sudden interest sending chills on his back. Did she know he was checking her out before... "T... Takumi.." he replied just before they arrived at the tori marking the entrance of the estate. "I... I'll be on my way then... Baldur-sensei is waiting... just near the entrance, you can't miss him." he added, and after a short bow, turned around and went back on the boat.

While walking through the main entrance, the blonde turned towards Assassin and asked with feinted concern: "Do I look that scary?" Afterwards she adjusted her and SIn's kimono before spotting the small gathering of people. Luckily she recognized all of them and with a small nod she greeted them. "Thanks for having us today, ronin-dono." she first said to Baldur, with a small grin. She then turned at Cordelia who she barely recognized before reading her name tag. "Long time no see." she took a moment to examine her attire, leaning to the sides a bit. "Cute obi." she added with a smile. "And our geisha. Also, long time no see. I'm looking forwards to working together again." the smile grew larger as she spotted the koi fish design and nodded to herself. She couldn't help but stare at the hair color, somehow she had the feeling she was talking to a different? person than what she remembered; despite the name tag being the same.

She then eyed Baldur, a tinge of concern visible on her gaze, which until now had been mostly a happy expression that she kept partially hidden behind her fan. "I'd like a moment with you before everyone's here and the meeting starts." At this point, she hope Assassin was still next to her and willing to introduce herself but knowing the girl, she and Kimba were up to their own attics. 

Ariel And @Assassin making their way through the entrance:

Stats:

The blonde listened to the elder and gave a small wave as he walked away. Strange fellow but she wasn't really one to judge either. Instead she looked at one of the documents he handed them, dismissing it as gibberish at first glance. Before she even had the chance to ask a question, Raidou decided to walk away using a teleport crystal. She let out a sigh and turned towards the other two: "Wouldn't it be easier to just send us a message?" she asked with a puzzled expression and decided to send him a Friend Request anyway.

After she finished fidgeting with her HUD, she watched as Dracul and Claudia started studying the papers. It seemed that she was the only one surprised by the way Raidou left the party just now. With a sigh she snapped her fingers, drawing their attention, knowing that they had to come to a conclusion before she lost them to the piece of paper. "What's next?" she asked when their eyes meet hers. After a nod from Dracul, Claudia said: "We need to decipher the documents. Right now we have no lead on what to do next on the dragon hunt except 'part 3 opal'. Neither Raidou or us recognized the language or coding, neither can we do it on the spot so we'll have to get back to our shop and start researching." her eyes trailed to the side as she continued. "A busy frontliner like Ariel-sama probably doesn't have time to investigate books and libraries, so it's better if you leave this part to us."

"You don't say..." muttered the blonde before the elder rushed towards her with renewed vigor and tried his best to take away the apple she was holding. The blonde of course, didn't let him and by taking advantage of the height difference she had over him, hanged the apple overhead as he was trying to get it; reminding her of a child reaching for its favorite toy. When the elder got tired and stopped the charade, she lowered her arm and listening to his words. She looked at Raidou then nodded at his words with her eyes closed and hand crossed below her bosom. 

"Try me." she added baring her fangs at the old man who by now has given up on taking the item from her. She extended her free palm and materialized the quartz stone she got  earlier from the dragon. "Here's the proof that we killed the dragon bothering you but I'd say it's too early to be relieved yet." she threw it in the air and the stone returned to her inventory before touching the ground. Instead she presented the apple again and continued: "If this was stolen, there's no guarantee that another dragon won't come back for it and all this will happen again." she took a deliberate and got closer to the old man, muttering the next words in a low menacing tone almost next to his ear: "or worse..."