Magda

It was a somber day in Aincrad. Almost every day Magda possessed a certain energy about her. She always seemed excited and ready to face anything that crossed her path. This day however she was rather quiet. She always got like that during a funeral and she felt especially out of place since she hadn't known the man. It almost felt like she was invading in on this remembrance of the man. She felt something like an outsider. She showed up clad in her full array of armor that bore the colors worn by the Knights of the Blood Oath. The titanium armor that covered most of her body had been dyed white and it was further accentuated with crimson trim that bore a striking resemblance to her flowing red hair that fell down around her shoulders and nearly to the middle of her back. Her shield and hammer weren't equipped but remained at the ready in case she needed it. It was more of a precaution than anything else since she knew it wouldn't come down to requiring her to fight anything. The grin that graced her face more often then not was nowhere to be found this day. She walked forward with her hands folded at the small of her back. Those dark eyes flitted from one member of the guild to the next. When she saw the Vice Commander she started to approach though she had no idea what she could possibly say in this situation.

When she saw not only her brother but the Commander near her though she hesitated and drifted more towards the outer area of this gathering. For now she was intent to simply remain quiet and play the role of an observer here while those who knew the deceased properly mourned his passing and shared the memories they'd forged with him.

“I know I know,” she quickly replied as Mack made it clear that she wouldn’t be joining the frontlines until she was absolutely ready for it and not just in attitude. She frowned when Xion jumped in to help her brother express that point. Her expression darkened when her fellow Tank made mention of the two players that had died during the last boss raid. She’d heard about that but she didn’t push for too many details. “I don’t plan on joining anywhere until I am fully prepared to fill the role of a Tank and once I do I plan to help you in keeping people from dying,” she was quick to add in. Magda's expression softened whens he looked over towards Mack. "So the Commander will be joining in for this raid? He doesn't normally join in?" She noted the surprised tone in Xion's voice when he reacted upon hearing Heathcliff's name among the roster of Tanks. Her eyes focused on her hammer as she waited to hear their replies. Magda was determined to gain sufficient strength so she wouldn't always be left behind and she would see that goal accomplished.

I was just about to step outside of the gate when I feel someone poke me on my shoulder. My brow furrows and the unexpected touch causes me to spin around more on instinct than anything. My right fist is tightened into a fist as I prepare to defend myself but as I spin around I see someone I recognize. It is that recognition that snaps me out of it and brings my mind back to reality. A grin slowly works its way along my lips. I place my hands on my hips and visibly relax. "Trying to give a girl a heart attack or something?" My tone has a hint of amusement in it and its only enhanced by the look in my eyes. "Last time I saw you was at the hot springs, and don't worry I gave my brother the slip for the day."

ID: 54255; LD: 17 [Found]

"Now that's what I'm talking about Samriel!" Magda shouted in an attempt to encourage her Shield Sister. She felt proud that Samriel had landed an attack against their opponent. Despite this she quickly frowned when she heard what Mack had to say next. "You make it sound like I have an issue getting naked or something," she quickly added in with a smirk. "Alright lets finish this." Magda ran forward but this time she didn't activate a Sword Art. She'd taken a glance at her energy gauge and realized she'd only be able to use it once more before she would need to rest to regain her energy. The only issue with that according to Mack they would need to fight two of these Giant Bats. She ran right towards her brother with her hammer held high. "Oh brother! Don't move," she shouted when the thing landed on his head but he brushed it aside so she quickly followed after it. Her hammer arced through the air and slammed into its back, but only lost a small portion of its health.

ID: 54241
BD: 6 (Hit)
CD: 5 (Regen +9 HP and >=6)

Mack: 157/157 (38/38)
Magda: 20/20 (2/5) [2+1-1][HATE: +1]
Samriel: 16/16 (2/4)

Giant Bat: 14/50 (Regular Attack: 3 Damage)

Magda’s expression shifted as she turned to face her brother. “Did you just call me a dog?” She stood over him while he sat on the ground and allowed her the head of her hammer to dip towards the ground. Her eyes only grew wide when he called her Red and she started to say something before he called Xion either Butch or Rover. She looked over towards Xion in an attempt to conceal her amusement and at least look a little serious. When he said the quest wasn’t over though that drew a look of interest from the red-haired woman. “Right the broker,” she said suddenly. She’d totally forgotten about that guy having gotten too caught up in their quest. When Xion commented that she was braver than most low-leveled players she just flashed him a grin.

When her fellow Tank questioned the arrangement of nicknames she just shook her head so that her hair flailed about then sat down on the ground with her hammer resting across her knees. The revelation that Xion was only ten levels away from being able to fight during the next boss raid perked her ears right up. “Oh?” Fighting on the front-lines was something she’d gained a lot of interest in doing. "One day soon I'll be joining you two there." Magda flashed men a wide smile and let out a low sigh.

Magda smiled at Grave’s reaction to her brother’s warning. Her smile only grew more pronounced when he asked her if he was always that way, both protective and threatening. Her smile waned as she thought about it. “Well,” she started to say and she leaned in closer to whisper. “Actually no he isn’t always like that.” Magda looked over towards Mack and suddenly started to grin but when she looked back at Grave she adorned a very serious expression. “He must be in a good mood because normally he’d be sitting right next to you staring you down and cracking his knuckles.” She offered him a halfhearted shrug. “He’s a little distracted though,” she said as she looked over towards her Shield Sister. “And understandably so.” Mack actually warned her not to flirt with Grave since he had a girlfriend, but the only issue was that her brother never actually told her who Grave was. She continued to wade there and started to grin once more. "You shouldn't have anything to worry about." Her grin suddenly took a more mischievous turn as she quirked one of her eyebrows. "That is unless you intended to touch me?" Her gaze moved to look over Grave's shoulder and back towards Mack and Samriel. Her brother was pretty darn tenacious to move in on Samriel after the drama that had just unfolded between him and two other women.

The fact that the Vice Commander was willing to trust her with some of her items rather impressed Magda and it also spoke volumes over the reputation her brother managed to maintain. "Absolutely," she said with a smile. "I'll return them soon as we're done." The items were quickly equipped and while Lawfer headed off Magda's gaze shifted to the skies. It certainly looked like they were in for some rain. If it wasn't for the terrain they were in Magda really wouldn't mind some rain rain. It was definitely better than snow. Well almost everything was better than snow. When she turned to look towards Opal Lawfer had already climbed up towards higher ground. "Do you think we'll find something out here?" Her eyes shifted along the rock face as she searched for anything that looked out of place. She walked over towards it and started to run her hand along its partially rough surface. Maybe she'd find some hidden lever. The sound of something suddenly shifting from behind her drew Magda's attention away from what she was doing. A door had opened up in the middle of the ground before her and that's when she turned just in time to see Lawfer fall. "You alright?" She walked over towards him but he seemed to be playful enough.

Magda flashed him a grin and walked over towards the Vice Commander. The items were unequipped and sent back towards her through a trade request. The redhead quickly cycled through her menu and equipped the gear her brother had given her. A set of titanium plate appeared over her body in a flash. The metal had been dyed white and accented with trim of a similar color as her hair. She equipped her shield which consisted of the same alloy as her armor and had also been dyed white. A crimson border ran along the edge of the shield and a cross formed of embedded rubies split the white field in four spaces. With her armor on she eased her way towards the entrance and whistled. "I have to say finding a secret dungeon is pretty exciting." She wanted to just jump right in but she knew to do so would only invite death so she quieted that urge and simply took a couple steps back.

The crimson haired woman  walked towards the card and regarded it carefully. The sudden sound of the greeting offered by the one who attended it caused her to sidestep but when he gestured towards the wagon she relaxed enough to look at the menu that popped up. "Well hello," she said to return his greeting. She cycled through it and the more options she saw the more her brow furrowed. "You wouldn't by chance sell a custom fishing rod would you?" She turned her dark eyes to focus upon the one that had greeted her. She'd had some success at fishing but she hadn't managed to catch that one only spoken of in legends. When she thought a new fishing rod may help she immediately set off to find a merchant.

A grin slowly worked its way on her face as she stood out in the center of the grassy fields that surrounded the Town of Beginnings. Four of the vile beasties surrounded her, well the truth was she walked right into their midst. She was fully intent to rely on her armor to tank these beasties and unless they killed themselves first she'd be able to keep this up for quite a while. They moved first as each of the attacked her and their tusks scored hit after hit along her body but her health only dropped a small fraction. The boars weren't quite so lucky. When each boar struck her in turn their health gauge was suddenly depleted without warning and all four of them fell over as their bodies broke up into a flurry of data shards. Magda grinned as the window appeared before her that revealed what she'd acquired out of it. Her eyes widened when she saw that she'd gotten four shields out of the mix. "Well this might be more worthwhile than I thought," she mused and decided it was best to sit back for a bit before she engaged the next group she came across.

Summary Post

Magda: +4 SP, +400 Col, Concentration Skill [ID: 53985; LD: 9 [Concentration Skill] ]

Magda jumped up on her feet with and was quick to retrieve Blood Rage, her hammer, from the ground and returned it to the small loop on her left hip. Due to the thick coverage provided by the jungle's canopy it was difficult for Magda to truly get an idea of how much time had passed since she'd left that small village. She let out a small dejected sigh as she turned and started to head back down along the path. "Stupid quest," she muttered under her breath. If it wasn't for being intercepted by Gemini she might have been able to explore the floor more than she had. She suddenly perked up and quickened her pace. She figured all wasn't lost since tomorrow was another day, another day she could devote to exploring the different floors, but perhaps she'd take it a little easier and try to hunt some Mobs down on the first floor to sharpen her skills a bit. After a little bit of walking Magda passed back between the huge decaying columns and entered the safe zone provided by Amazon, her new favorite place in all of Aincrad.

After that she'd be left with one of two choices. She could invest in the block skill to gain both more mitigation and health or she could invest in another skill. She flipped down the menu and opened up a skill called Battle Healing. At a low rank it wasn't really impressive but as she did some math it looked like it held the potential of healing up to twenty percent of her health upon being activated. That wasn't much at lower levels but at higher levels it could make the difference between life and death. Her mind reeled over the thought of that being used in tandem with the Regen enhancements Mack had put on her armor. She'd definitely survive the tougher battles that way. It was a difficult choice to make though. On one hand she'd gain a set amount of mitigation and health from the Block skill and on the other she'd have the chance of being healed periodically through battle with the Battle Healing skill. Magda sighed as she reached out and finally pressed accept on the confirmation window. She saw not only her level increase but the SP she had available which would now let her learn the Howl skill.

She cycled through the various skills as she tried to get a better idea of what sort of build she wanted. This was the first time she actually took time to think through what she wanted to do. Her inaction was due more to a lack of true knowledge on the matter but now she felt she'd asked enough questions and received enough answers to make the final decisions on her own. She'd been told that mitigation was the heart of a true tank. In order to shrug off those powerful attacks mitigation would be necessary to ensure her survival. She cycled through the list until she identified the two skills that would bolster her mitigation. Those two were the Heavy Armor and Block skills. She quickly noted that she didn't have ranks in either of the skills but as she examined Heavy Armor more closely she realized that it had options to be modified. Her eyes grew wide as she took notice of the modification that would increase her health in comparison to her maximum mitigation score. She let out a low whistle and decided on the spot that she'd focus on maxing out that skill in order to truly increase her odds of survival.

It wasn't that she hesitated she just felt like sitting back for a moment. Her mind continued to flood back over everything that had happened to her since she logged into SAO with her sister in their attempt to rescue their brother. Michiko was the youngest of the three and Mack was Magda's twin. While they heavily favored each other both Mack and Magda had their subtle differences. For one Mack a few inches taller than Magda and their personalities were on completely different levels. Magda rarely took things too seriously and was always ready for the next challenge that life placed before her. In this world though it was the Cardinal System that placed those challenges there but she wasn't any slightly aware of that fact. Her gaze shifted form the grey window and looked back at her menu which was still open. Based on the information on Howl there wasn't any ranks in it so it'd only cost the amount of SP that was required to unlock it. "What should I concentrate on next," she pondered while she swiped her finger across the menu to open the selection of skills again.

Her thoughts drifted back over the past few days that she'd gone on quests alongside Samriel and Mack. The Queen Bee that was really a wasp was the first taste of combat in SAO that she had. The battle had ended quickly from the combined might of a series of attacks from her hammer and the Thorns enchantment her gear possessed that caused anything that attacked her to be damaged in the process. Magda couldn't deny that it made for a potent combination. Draw an opponent in to attack you and let it damage itself against your armor? She certainly wouldn't complain over that. She idly thought of an old saying that went something like "To defeat a strong opponents you should use their strength against them." She wasn't really certain on how it really went but the basic fundamental of it was present none the less. She let out a soft sigh as she shifted her focus on the quest completion window once more.

She could have easily gone for something like a two-handed sword. Magda would have loved to simply sweep across the battlefield like a hurricane and drop her opponents by the dozens but alas when it came down to it she was concerned that if she went that route then she'd simply lose herself in the heat of battle and in the end to more harm than good. So she decided to go down the path that would allow her more control over her actions and ensure that she could survive almost anything. That was the true reason she'd eventually jumped at the idea of becoming a Tank after Mack had explained to her what it the various roles were. At first her eyes lit up at the idea of dishing out massive amounts of damage that there was a dangerous light dancing within her dark eyes. She'd lost control before in a fight and had actually injured her opponent while she was in the throes of that battle high. It was something she couldn't afford to do here. Since she knew if she lost control it would eventually get someone killed. Either herself or someone she considered a friend or to be family.

She felt rather proud of herself at having achieved this last bit on her own without the need of having her brother there to hold her hand. Magda's eyes closed as she let out a low soft fit of laughter. The amusement that formed as she reflected back on everything that had happened to her since she arrived had gone a long way towards dimming the grief she felt over her belief that she'd just killed someone. Even with the revelation that it had just been an NPC hadn't totally alleviated that grief but it had subdued it considerably. The next time she saw her brother and Samriel she'd be able to better protect them with this skill. All of the beasties' eyes would be on her from here on out and all she could do was smile despite the inherent danger of having multiple opponents attacking her at once. That was the most basic job description for her chosen path though. To take as many hits as she could, smile, and simply ask for more.

"Howl," she muttered under her breath as an amused expression appeared on her face. Idly she thought back to what that big oaf of a brother had called that skill. "A tank's mating call." When she thought about the time she spent with both Mack and Xion she couldn't help but chuckle. Xion was her self proclaimed rival in the guild and she was intent on closing the distance that separated them in terms of strength. It wasn't as skill she'd managed to get yet but when she opened her menu with a simple flick of her hand she quickly navigated through it until she was in the skills menu. She tapped on the skill name and it brought up a secondary window that asked if she wanted to invest some SP in the skill. She almost had enough. Her brow furrowed as she compared the SP she had listed on her SP window and then the SP the quest notice listed that she'd earn. Her eyes grew exponentially wider with each passing moment as she realized that this quest had given her the SP required to unlock the Howl Skill. "Well then," she mused.

As she'd been instructed a Tank's job wasn't to hit the enemy and it most certainly wasn't to deal enough damage to kill it. The role a Tank fulfilled was a simple one actually. A Tank was meant to take hits. Any hit that might have killed an ally in one fell swoop it is the Tank's responsibility to intercept that strike and shrug it off. That role was simply one piece of the puzzle though. Magda wasn't fully aware of all the ins and outs of what made a true party but she was getting there. The Tank wouldn't always be able to intercept every single blow. Especially when faced against multiple threats. Did this mean that those party members that were caught by the extra enemies were just out of luck? That wasn't true at all. Magda sighed as she relayed all of the information she'd learned so far. If she remembered it correctly the way she kept the attention of the Mobs was by drawing their hate. The easiest way to do that was with a skill called Howl.

"Concentration?" The word was barely a whisper when it rolled off her lips and Magda placed heavy stress on each syllable. To the casual observer it might have looked like she had tried to sound out the word. To those who know here though knew that she had no trouble at all with reading comprehension. When she was heavily focused Magda had a tendency to speak slower as she considered the different possibilities present in a situation. More often than naught this occurred when she was in the middle of a fight and she was focused on analyzing the movements of her opponent. In that instance she read over the description for the <<Concentration>> skill and pondered over the various ways it would assist her in combat. From the looks of it it'd increase her likelihood of hitting. While that wasn't necessarily a bad thing it wasn't what she required in order to be a true Tank.

Eventually she had to recourse other than to open her eyes no matter how much she didn't want to face reality. For as long as she could remember she'd never been shaken quite so bad as she'd been only a short while ago. It didn't take her eyes long to readjust to the dim illumination beneath the heavy canopy. Gradually she lifted her body up until she was in a seated position and she focused on that small grey window. "The Gemini," she said as she read the name of the quest. Her dark eyes flowed over one line of text to the next until she'd read the notification in its entirety. A small section of the text contained something she hadn't expected to be there. "Well... huh," she mumbled and leaned in to get a better look. She read over that small section several times just to make sure he hadn't imagined it all. She'd earned herself a new skill for the completion of that quest.

Magda was so focused on the bad that she failed to notice that it’d taken the bread Mack had given Samriel. At first anyway and her expression steadily hardened as she hefted her hammer against her shoulder. Her expression did soften once she heard Samriel comment on how they made this look easy. "It just takes practice," she said to try and encourage her Shield Sister. She heard Mack’s comments about the cold but it was something she’d address later. For now she

he was too focused as she charged forward and lowered her hammer. Crimson light sparked along the hammer's spike as she prepared to slam it right into the bat's head once more only the words of her brother slowly registered in her mind. "Get over it?!," Her voice rang out and her strike went wide right over the Bat's head and spun her around on the spot.

She really needed to have words with her dear brother once this was over. Her expression soured as she realized she'd missed her strike by that sudden outburst but all she could do was sigh and try to regain her focus.

ID: 54060
BD:  2 (Miss)
CD: 11 (Regen +9 HP and >=6)

Mack: 157/157 (37/38)
Magda: 20/20 (2/5) [3+1-2][HATE: +0]
Samriel: 15/16 (2/4)

Giant Bat: 19/50 (Upper Swing Misses)

The previous day she'd been so engrossed in questing with her brother that Magda had totally missed out on catching some fish. This time however she was more than determined. She was going to do it. Today was the day she'd catch that fabled beast of the lake. Her line was cast out and almost immediately she felt a powerful tug along the line as something took hold of the bait. Slowly she was dragged forward along the pier but she didn't relent. The redhead put everything she had into catching that fish and she was rewarded with her effort. It wasn't the legendary fish that much was clear but it looked pretty great in her opinion. She quickly added it to her inventory and started to try and get another. This time she only caught a soggy boot which she reluctantly added to her inventory as well.

Day 7 (3/30)

1. ID: 54054, LD: 19 [Large Fish]; CD: 11 [Rare Quality]; MD: 4 [Caught Fish Without an Issue]; 5 Exp
2. ID: 54055; LD: 10 [Soggy Boot]; 1 Exp

She remained there like that prone against the jungle floor. Magda kept her eyes closed even though she knew it wasn't exactly safe out in the wild like that. Robbed of her sight her other senses started to pick up on the local ambience. Earlier she'd been marveling over just how much detail had been put into the world she'd found herself in. Now that she'd actually slowed down enough to actually listen she realized that held more truth than even she knew. All of the noises she attributed to such a locale as a jungle was present. It wasn't quite like most might assume. The chirping of insects created a constant symphony on sounds that served as a constant back drop. At certain intervals the call of some animal or bird would rise up above the chirping only to die back down. The leaves that clung to the leaves desperately as a steady breeze flowed over the jungle's canopy added a rough sound into the mix which only served to enhance the overall effect that Magda was greeted with now that she'd taken the time to admire her surroundings.

Magda didn’t see the Vice Commander suddenly reappear nor did she see the group of beasties that lurked farther down the path. She did hear their deaths and looked forward just in time to see the shards of blue data as they flowed away from where the creatures once stood. She was still a ways ahead of them and as Lawfer spoke Magda paid careful attention to the advice he have her. She’d occasionally nod as he spoke but didn’t say anything until she was certain he had finished. “Now what I would really like to do is,” she said as she idly took note of his wondering eyes but made no comment on it as she figured he must have been checking her equipment out and she paused long enough for him to finish what he was saying. The first moment she had she finished what she intended to say, “To have at least two sets of gear. One set to wear while I go hunting solo and another set up to use in a party.” Those dark eyes shifted to look at Lawfer and a feint smile spread across her lips. “Of course those are some of my long term plans.”

Lawfer declared that was enough and for a moment Magda was confused but she quickly figured he meant their time alone had come to an end now that they rejoined with the Vice Commander. When she mentioned that they should keep a wary eye out for any signs of a passage that had been concealed Magda's gaze shifted from one part of the path to another. They never stayed focused on one area for too long. A drop of water plopped on the end of Magda’s nose while Lawfer made his request to head for higher ground. Magda's brow furrowed as he eyes shifted to change her focus. She tried to stare at the tip of her nose before she smirked and started to keep a closer eye on their surroundings. If he was headed up for higher ground Magda figured that meant she’d be sticking close to the Vice Commander for the time being. "Think we'll be getting some rain?" The redhead looked up towards the sky as she cupped her hand over her brow.