Birdie

Battled waged on in the volcanic valley. Birdie and the Rock Elemental stared down one another, the girl's eyes pulling down whilst the beast stood still with its featureless face eliciting a low hollow tone.

Thanks to her choice of weapon, she was able to avoid each of its lumbering strikes with little to no effort and had been able to lay on the pain without remiss. It still required conscious effort to slide out of the way of each ground slam and fruitless swing, though the strategy had worked to her advantage so far and unless the Golem had a second phase of sorts, it would likely carry her through til the fight's end.

And that brought them back to the present, each opponent waiting for the other to strike. After a time passed with no movement, she began to wonder if the monster's AI had bugged out and left it unable to move, though a slight shift of her arm caused its body to twitch ever-so-slightly. She hummed, recalling her arm back to her side. I need to bait out its attack... oh!

ID# 88087 - BD: 1+3 - MD: 2-3
Sword Art used - Miss

[H:2] Birdie: 740/740 <> 49/74 <> 48 MIT
Rock Elemental: 336/672 <> 111 DMG

Birdie's eyes fell, brows pinching together as Hikoru finished his announcement. She summoned an old relic from the bottom of her inventory - Retaliation, a rapier she used to fight alongside Beatbox many times in the past. Pulling it from its scabbard, the thin blade rattled as she placed it into a ray of sunlight, placing it down on the table. When one of Shield's rags made its way around to Birdie, she carefully stretched the material to cover the better length of her original weapon, paying tribute to the Star of Aincrad in his passing.

The wave of sorrow sweeping across the room forced Birdie to divert her eyes, unable to bear seeing the pain on the others' faces. She knew of Beatbox's fall and had already grieved for a time, but to hear those sobering words from one of the blonde's brothers-in-arms brought back that very same feeling of anguish. If the Star could watch over the guildhall now, she had to think he wouldn't want to see them like this.

To protect the people and pave the way to a better, brighter future- those were some of the things that he preached to Birdie in their final meeting, and there was no doubt in her mind that his legacy would live on in his stead. If not for Beatbox himself, then for the people he spoke of - those thousands still confined to the lowest reaches of Aincrad's torturous floating castle. "The last thing Beatbox said to me was 'There's a fight that I must win', or something along those lines. Earlier still, he mentioned inevitably fighting the leaders of Laughing Coffin, calling it the day that the guild would temporarily fall... or the day that he would die." Birdie twiddled her thumbs atop the table, drawing her gaze towards the centre. She didn't want to falsely extrapolate and parade it as the truth, though it felt like a necessary point to make. "N-not that I'm certain, but it seems like Death Adder could be a driving force of Laughing Coffin. If he really does possess a unique skill too..." Words trailed away from the bluenette as her throat became dry, unable to conclude the thought.

Recoiling from the assault, the Rock Elemental swung its earthy arms in an effort to strike the bluenette. Her reaction speed outdid the rock as she ducked beneath its swinging appendages, though her efforts to enact another Sword Art were thwarted by Over Radiation's hefty post-motion delay. A growl escaped the girl as she was forced to evade a powerful kick and retreat to a safer distance; Her weapon relaxed, she took a second to evaluate the fight. Crap, if I were a tank that thing would've hit me twice by now. I'm being reckless by all accounts, and I should've noticed the post-motion delay... ugh.

Though painfully slow, the beast didn't allow Birdie a moment's rest as she danced between slam after slam. A glance at her display revealed the delay would lift soon and an instant later, the monster succumbed to a temporary stun after missing her and stumbling to its knees. Initiating her attack with a powerful thrust and mean kick off the ground, a blinding light surrounded the volcanic landscape as she unloaded a wagon of pain upon her target, barely knocking its health into the yellow.

ID# 88058 - BD: 2+3+1 - MD: 4-3
Sword Art used - Over Radiation: 12*14=168 DMG
Notice: Concentration used, 5 post cooldown

[H:2] Birdie: 740/740 <> 50/74 <> 48 MIT
Rock Elemental: 336/672 <> 111 DMG

Just as the girl went to answer Aereth's question, the appearance of a restaurant derailed her train of thought as she absentmindedly gazed upon its exterior. Unsurprisingly, what he said about it was true; It looked exactly like a rundown ruin from the outside. Praying that things would be prettier inside, Birdie turned to see Aereth changing outfits and wondered if she should do the same - a light half-breastplate and combat-oriented gear wasn't the most comfortable outfit after all. Deciding it was better to enter an unknown established prepared, she dispelled any thoughts of changing her clothes and fine-tuned her focus to Aereth's voice. "In that case, I'll make sure to savour the experience. S-sorry to hear you can't buy them anymore... but I could always keep an eye out for more books for you."

After a quick shift of scene, her eyes jumped around the room's decor in awe. The transformation from horrible ruin to wonderful café was like night and day, though Birdie's innocent inspection of the room stopped abruptly the moment she laid eyes on another orange player. Tensions appeared to arise all of sudden, though all was revealed to be a spout of banter as both men laughed it off and exchanged pleasantries. After Ren uttered a real name- 'Max', which she assumed must be Aereth's real name- the waiter inquired about the bluenette and she perked up a little bit, speaking up once more. "It's a pleasure to finally meet, I've only heard good things about you from Aereth." After careful consideration, she decided to omit the part about Aereth calling him shady. "Would you happen to know where two hungry stomachs can get some food around here?" A lighthearted smile adorned her lips as she spoke, quite obviously being facetious.

@Aereth

"W-well... not since coming to this world, no." In truth, Birdie was never a stickler for romance. She could decimate an entire library of written literacy yet love novels would remain untouched; They were always a painful reminder of how much the girl's Mother starved her of affection growing up. Catching sight of Aereth's menu, the girl watched his hand drift across the greyed-out display, and she tried her best not to seem surprised or confused from his seemingly random quote. IT became somewhat clearer when he presented her with an item- a book- and she promptly accepted it from his extended hand.

Birdie's eyes danced around the surface of the cover, a soft smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I haven't read any of Shakespeare's works since school," she commented, flipping the assortment of pages to its back cover to scan the synopsis. "God, writing essays on these made them hard to appreciate..." It almost felt wrong to accept such a gift - after all, there was no telling how rare the item was. "D-definitely, I'd love to read it. I wouldn't have pinned you as the kind to read- no offence." The girl dragged her eyes away from the cover and looked up to Aereth, "It feels a little wrong take one of your favourites though... Are there more like it?"

@Aereth

Transactions were initially recorded in Journal under 'Archive' spoiler, now tracked via Google Spreadsheet. Total Col is displayed on the 'Character Data' sheet and is calculated using Col rewards from completed threads ('Threads' sheet) and transactions/other expenditures ('Transactions' sheet).

Materials were initially recorded in Shop under 'Archive' spoiler, now tracked via Google Spreadsheet. Total Materials are displayed on the 'Character Data' sheet. Totals are manually inputted and are determined through a Material log in the 'Artisanry' sheet (totals updated after each expenditure).

Col - 45,918
Tier 1 Materials - 5
Tier 2 Materials - 3
Tier 3 Materials - 25

As if realising the answer to an age-old question, Birdie's eyes lifted in pleasant surprise as @Shield made his services known. "O-oh, thank you, I might need to ask you about that later." Having amassed a collection of faulty trinkets and unappraised goods, the bluenette was eager to unload the scraps of junk clogging up her inventory. She returned the gesture to Itzal, a soft smile adorning her features whilst more and more faces entered the scene. Most new arrivals were those of CA whom the bluenette was varyingly familiar with; Kasier, Jonathon and Hikoru among them. Mina was a player she'd seen before, of that Birdie was certain, though when/where and under what circumstances eluded the ex-member entirely.

Birdie scooted in closer to the table as Jon issued silence around the room. She hadn't any details about the boss arena to share, much less anything that remotely pertained to the raid. Something did occur to her, however, and she thought against overbearing cowardice to push her chair out slightly and rise to a stand. "U-uhm... this doesn't have anything to do with the battle ahead, but I wanted to extend thanks to @Itzal for inviting me to this meeting. I'm a guest within the Ascendants' halls, and I'll treat them with every bit of respect as I would my own." Her nervous tone nearly derailed towards the end though she stuck it out, and sat herself down with a gentle ease of breath.

A true beast, the <<Rock Elemental>> was made entirely of scorched rocks that each connected at the surface, allowing the arms free range of movement around its body. In lieu of facial features, a deep hole had been carved where its face should be, presumably allowing it some form of sight or enhanced senses. Its lumbering form trudged along the terrain, paying no mind to the world around it until a valid target would trigger its aggravation event.

Playing on the enemy's short aggro range, the bluenette crept up behind the <<Rock Elemental>> just enough to put herself 6 metres away; her favoured distance for performing Sword Arts. Lying low until a golden opportunity arose, the fencer unsheathed her rapier and waited patiently, learning from her past mistakes of being too quick on the draw. The Golem paused abruptly and twisted its head with sharp, brief movements- Birdie drew in a sharp breath and thrust her blade forwards, unleashing Over Radiation's devastating power to steal 25% of the mob's health.

ID# 88027 - BD: 3+3 - MD: 8-3
Sword Art used - Over Radiation: 12*14=168 DMG

[H:1] Birdie: 740/740 <> 62/74 <> 48 MIT
Rock Elemental: 504/672 <> 111 DMG

Soon after Birdie sat down, Itzal assured her that should she have something important to say, he would be her voice for the meeting. She nodded in a show of appreciation, "That means a lot, thank you. I think it would be dangerous for me to weigh in on any issues though, my raid experience is... lukewarm at best."

Her attention was stolen by Mac as he brushed past, uttering a few words that made her eyebrows fall. "I... see," was all she could utter in response, seeing as he hadn't stuck around for any meaningful converse. One day, the girl would learn why he'd taken such unnecessary lethal action - just not today. A set of footsteps drowned out the rest. As Birdie turned her wandering eyes, she spotted a particularly imposing figure who claimed the grandest seat in the hall; Authority seemed to ooze from the man's figure, and the girl naturally pinned him as the leader of the Knights.

Although it appeared that the discussion would begin soon, more players entered, Zandra among them. She couldn't recall the last time they'd exclusively interacted, though the bluenette smiled and replied all the same. "Right? It's good to see you again." Now facing the man at the head of the table, the girl laid her forearms down and awaited whatever may come next.

A short time passed. Sparing the occasional glance at her on-screen clock, the girl set off on her journey at around 08:42 and found herself an hour and a half South from the main town already. And yet, the bluenette couldn't help but think about how much longer she would have to travel - if the broker's estimates were right, it would be at least 20 hours more of straight travelling, maybe half that if the girl put some effort into it. She sighed to herself, It's times like these that I wish horseriding was a thing...

Not all was bleak. Although she hadn't been keeping a close eye on them, materials seemed to catch her eye every now and then, and she sat a total of eight after a couple of hours. Birdie wasn't entirely enthused about them- she hadn't much use for low tier materials, but they would come in handy when her shop re-opened its doors.

Some way off the path, a rock elemental that appeared larger than most mobs spawned. Birdie paused, gazing at the golem and then the path, and then back to the golem. Hmm... I have a minute to spare.

ID# 88025  LD: 14+7 (+4 [T1 Mats])

Loot:

• 8 T1 Mat

Though appearances suggested otherwise, the fencer wasn't so easily spooked by ghostly beings. Smaller insectoids, serpentines and hellish beasts were among the worst of her fears though few-to-none of those things would be able to spawn; Only the uncertainty of what might lie in the dark had made her feel uneasy.

The bluenette watched Ariel and Domarus strike the new Wraiths, leaving just over half a mob standing. As the axe-wielder backed away to set Birdie up for an attack, she nodded in thanks and leapt forwards with her sword hand at the ready. Judging by the mob's health, two top-tier Sword Arts would be enough to finish it off and following that logic, a stream of light swallowed her weapon whole as she initiated her strongest attack. Thanks to Domarus' setup and with help from the aim assist system, she struck the mob with pinpoint precision and concluded with a powerful thrust & a burst of light, emerging a short distance from the mob as the Sword Art's VFX finally died down. 

ID# 87980  BD: 8+2-1

Sword Art: Over Radiation (13) [12*14=168-20=148 DMG]

[H:0] Aereth: 806/880 | 69 /88 | 48 Mit |  3 Evasion
[H:2 #1] Ariel: 1,315 /1,315 | 95 /130 | 93 Mit | 1 Evasion
[H:0] Domarus:  700/700 | 2/70 | 54 MIT | 0 Evasion
[H:1 #2] Birdie: 680/680 | 52/68 | 39 MIT | 3 Evasion

@Aereth @Ariel - The Crowned Lion @Domarus

Elite Wraith #1: 000/500 | 150 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 1 EVA
Elite Wraith #2: 128/500 | 150 DMG | 20 MIT | 1 ACC | 1 EVA

A time ago, Birdie fled the Ascendants after facing a moral dilemma: to choose between caring for a dying widow and be at their side 24/7, or live knowing she condemned them to an untimely, lonely death. The girl gave all she had to the guild and disappeared without a trace, falling off the face of Aincrad and breaking off contact with those she knew.

And now, the girl stood before the halls of the very guild she ran away from. Its comfortable stature stood out among the natural landscape, an accomplishment of countless days spent grinding at the hands of every member. Birdie had hoped her contribution was put to good use and as she phased the wooden front doorway, her desires were pleasantly put at ease. Feasting her eyes on the cozy interior, the girl saw a few closed doors and a guild banner or two, though her nonchalant admiration came to a halt as she spotted two players. @Itzal whom she was well acquainted with and @Shield, a man she'd met on one or two occasions before.

It dawned on her that others might be confused by her attendance. The girl wasn't entirely sure why she'd been invited in the first place, though the scout paladin hopefully had an answer to that. A grimace caressed her lips upon realising she was early, but a neutral smile soon wiggled its way back. "Thanks for the invite, Itzal. Sorry if I'm interrupting, it's great to see you two again." Centering her eyes on the table, she choose the spot opposite her former mentor and moved to sit down. "This is a nice place, I'm quite surprised the fundraising worked out so well."

Instead of dwelling on the inevitable, she rose from the comfort of the iron grate bench and stretched a limb across her chest. Two whole days of travelling with presumably little rest in-between, she liked to think the broker was being facetious though the stealthy player wasn't one to over exaggerate.

There wasn't an obvious way to distinguish where the town's safety barrier would end - a short iron path led to the wilderness and as she crossed half-way over, a notification to say she'd left the no-crime zone appeared in the corner of her display. It was always quite daunting to leave the clutches of a town's safe zone - the thought of monstrously high-levelled PK'ers lurking in the wilderness would make even the strongest players shudder, though the ninth floor wasn't the most pleasant to roam and certainly wasn't popular enough for a murderer to hunt other players. These thoughts in combination eased her worries, and as she stumbled across a small set of materials, she stashed them away and ventured forth into the fiery domain.

ID# 88002  LD: 20+7 (+4 [T1 Mats])

Loot:

• 4 T1 Mats

Terra Firma burst through the scorching sands & immediately went for Morg, and the girl could only watch and grit her teeth as the man succumbed to an attack. Its health dropped by 10% as the tank returned the favour and the upgrade Land Shark slumped, presenting Birdie with the golden opportunity as her sword hand tensed. The path was clear when she leant forwards and pulled her weapon backwards, allowing the blue sheen of a Sword Art to envelop its form as the system thrust her body across the battlefield. With a high grunt she forced her weapon through the boss' chest, swiftly executing Over Radiation's flashy parade of twists and turns before grinding to a graceful halt. Terra reared and roared at the top of its lungs and the blue-clad fencer leapt away before getting hit, succumbing to a post-motion delay as she landed once more. "It's below 33%, it might not have a second phase but watch out just in case!"

88001 BD: 8+2+4
BD:3+4=7. 18*14=252-75=177 DMG

[5] @Morgenstern: 1031/1221 <> 106/106
[2] Birdie: 720/720 <> 48/72

Terra Firma: 206/650 <> 250 DMG <> 75 MIT

Troubled emotions stirred up as she stared at the Headquarters' exterior. After watching a Knight end another player's life only seconds before they were due for imprisonment, the girl put a question mark over the guild's moral standing ever since. Had @Macradon not fled the scene immediately then she probably wouldn't think so ill of them- for now though, Birdie wasn't fond of the red-cloaks.

Her reason for even being there was simple; the boss raid meeting. It wouldn't be her first time attending one but her stats weren't sufficient before, hopefully things would be different this time around. Realising she'd been putting it off for some time now, the fencer shoved her ill-feelings aside and walked through the front doors, paying little attention to the flashy interior as she passed through to the main hall. She only recognised two out of those currently attending, though the fellow blue-head looked vaguely familiar.

"Hey @Itzal, it's nice to see you again @Hikoru."  As she moved across the room and sat nearby her former mentor, the girl coughed to ease her awkwardness and faced the rest of the table. "I hope I'm not too much of a bother, this is my first real time attending one of these things." @Hirru seemed to be the one in charge so she mostly spoke towards him, "There isn't much I can add to the discussion but I'll be a good listener."

"... takes two sleeps south to reach Inferno Cave, 'a fiery cavern constructed through an obsidian mountainside'." A feminine voice spoke, sitting on a grated metal bench.

"Two?... and you're sure there's no shortcut through a valley or something?" asked Birdie, hiding beneath a hood on the opposite side.

The Info broker snorted, "If there was, I'd charge you extra for it."

"Figures," the blue-haired fencer sighed, tapping a button to summon one gold coin. "There. Anything else I should know?"

"..." Raising an eyebrow, the broker looked at her customer expectantly. Expelling another huff, Birdie obliged and tossed in another coin. "Hm... now that you mention it, folks have mentioned needing to kill some Hell Hounds before gaining access to the boss room. First was a duo that killed six, second was a party of five who took out fifteen-"

"So it's safe to assume I'll be putting down three?" To her question, the broker nodded. Uneasiness set in the girl's eyes - two whole days of travelling was a long time, especially with the boss raid coming up soon. "G-great. Thanks for the info as always, message me if you find anything when the 22nd floor is open."

"Alright, but my prices'll are going up~"

She waved a hand, "Yeah, yeah. Till then...?" When the bluenette turned to see her good friend off, the stealthy player already disappeared into the shadows. Grr, wish she'd stop doing that...

The decision to meet up with Aereth seemed like a bigger blessing as time went on. It pained her to learn how much he was suffering; the bluenette understood how he felt in a way, though to nowhere near the degree of his pain. Deep inside, Birdie became uncomfortable at the prospect of discussing emotions, though she masked her unease by giving the softest smile one could muster, speaking in a kind tone. "We're only human. I know I'm not much of a counsellor but if you're ever feeling down and get a chance to talk, I'm only one message away." Now that she was back from hiatus, nothing stood between helping her friends.

Her face flushed ever-so-slightly, "D-don't put evil notions in my head!" Aereth had a point, and she sighed softly before facing the road ahead. "It's only romantic if you think of it like that. Besides, you wouldn't think it was romantic if you and a guy friend were getting food... or would you?"  Her lips contorted into a lighthearted smirk and she turned sidelong, looking at the man with curious eyes. "What makes you say that, anyway?"

@Aereth

Though her health was slowly ticking away, she shrugged it off and focused on the conversation right as Aereth began to speak. He even personally recommended a restaurant, to which she commented: "Sounds... shady." Birdie raised a smile, "As long as I don't have to worry about getting a knife through my back, I like it. He got some kind of specialty?"

As Aereth brought up his real story's unveiling, she reminisced on the things they spoke about earlier on the third floor. So much had changed since way back - Aereth exceeded her in level, they both grew as people & players and perhaps most importantly, they were already able to learn more about each other. "A-about that, again, I'm really sorry for everything you've been through. I can't begin to fathom what that would be like... I'm happy you're comfortable enough discussing it with me. To an extent, talking about him is... also quite unpleasant." She lowered her eyes. Although the bluenette talked about Tobias like his very name was taboo, her true feelings weren't quite as extreme. "At least we have each other again, right?"

The Sun grew heavy over the horizon. Checking the time in her menu, a startled look came over Birdie as she realised how long they'd been out for - no wonder their stomachs were getting antsy.

@Aereth

Birdie - HP: 537/720 - Bleeding, 1 turns left

Unfathomable relief swept through Birdie as the Queen finally fell, exploding in a charade of floating digital fragments. One last punch from Aereth put an end to the tyranny and, more importantly, allowed them to turn in the quest and reap a few extra experience points for their troubles. Before that however, a trade window popped up in front of the bluenette, leading her to curiously inspect the item's properties. "Hmm... I suppose it could come in handy sometime," she commented, lifting a finger to press accept. Before she did, however, a sense of guilt overwhelmed her and she hovered over the 'Cancel Trade' button instead. "Buuut, I wouldn't get much use out of it either. And seeing as you're paying for dinner, you might be able to pay back the difference with that LH bonus." She sent a smile his way, "Besides, I'm not ordering light, gotta abuse this while I can." Quiet laughter escaped her lips, and she turned towards the dirt path that led them there.

"Hey, uh... thanks for today. I was kinda nervous about meeting up but all things considered.. it's been a productive day." An embarrassed smile overwhelmed her, and she started towards the road. "Sooo, not to be a downer or anything, but you wouldn't happen to know some nice restaurants outside of the cities would you? I don't usually eat away from a safe zone - n-never have, actually."

Birdie - HP: 561/720 - Bleeding, 2 turns left

@Aereth

Somewhere in the chaos, Birdie succumbed to another sting although only the bleeding effect had been reapplied. As she watched Aereth approach and offer a hand, the girl eagerly accepted his help and rose to her feet, resting a hand on his shoulder to support herself for a moment. "Am I okay? You want an honest answer?" A smile arched across her lips, and she looked back to the elite boss. "As far as fights go, like this has been like... the worst I've ever taken part in." Although the stun had already expired, she couldn't help but experience a placebo stiffness in her limbs. Rather than dwell on it for too long, Birdie moved aside and sent the man a nod, managing to keep herself upright. "For the love of God, finish this dumb quest so we can get the hell out of here." A thought suddenly occurred to her and she tried to smile casually, "Looks like you'll be the one buying dinner tonight."

ID# -
Battle: -

ID# 87935
CD: 10 <<Matriarch's Stinger inflicted, bleeding for 2 more turns
MD: 4-3

[H:3] Birdie - HP: 585/720 - EN: 46/72 - Stunned/Bleeding - 1 turn left, Bleeding for the next 2 turns
[H:2] Aereth - HP: 624/880 - EN: 42/88

The Queen - HP: 67/500 - MIT: 75 - DMG: 200

@Aereth

Birdie shrunk as her eyes fell to the cold stone floor - the cancelled SA resulted in a less potent delay yet it would still take a moment to recover. She lifted her head and leant aside as each party member passed by; First came Aereth and his clean AoE attack. Next was Ariel who despite missing every attempted strike, never let up against the enemy and continued to apply pressure. After watching the black-clad axeman cleave and nuke the enemy's hit points, she marvelled at Domarus' creative strategy to bring himself to a halt. And there stood Birdie, hunched over as she recovered from an attack that she couldn't follow through with.

As everyone recovered from cooldowns & delays, the bluenette was finally done with hers. She didn't desire the limelight nor did she want to display her strength; at the moment, proving that she could swing her weapon and that she wasn't an easy target was enough to push her to fight. Her Fleuret lit up a brilliant green as she dashed the closest enemy, carving a 'V' pattern into its ghostly chest before backing away from the last Wraith standing.

ID# 87915  BD: 8+3  MD: 10-3
Sword art used: Rip Ravine 12x2
12x2=24 Damage

[H:1 #5] Birdie: 680/680 | 64/68 | 39 MIT | 3 Evasion
[H:1] Aereth: 806/880 | 71 /88 | 48 Mit |  3 Evasion (-74 HP)
[H:0] Ariel: 1,315 /1,315 | 111 /130 | 93 Mit | 1 Evasion
[H:0] Domarus:  700/700 | 30/70 | 54 MIT | 0 Evasion

 @Aereth @Ariel - The Crowned Lion @Domarus

Wraith#5 00|350 | 120 Dmg
Wraith#6 18/350 | 120 Dmg - Attacks Aereth with 122-48=74

Seconds felt like minutes as she lie on the ground, motionless with her paralysed wits about her. A single streak of the Queen's abdominal needle had inflicted a crippling status effect - Matriarch's Stinger, a combination of paralyse and bleed. The poison stung in a non-literal sense, slowly and easily draining her HP every second until the timer would run out. Fifteen seconds later and barely half of its duration had been expelled. She couldn't turn her body or move her eyes far enough to see but as the boss' buzzing grew closer, the bluenette sealed her eyes and hoped for a miss.

Slice

When she opened her eyes, a numb pain rang through her entire body. Just over 15% of health bar dropped in an instant and continued to drop - if Aereth didn't intervene quickly, she feared entering an inescapable cycle of paralysis and damage, and there was only one possible outcome at that point...

ID# -
Battle: -

ID# 87912
CD: 4
MD: 9-3 (Crit!)
Damage: 126-39=87

[The Queen: 3] Birdie - HP: 609/720 - EN: 46/72 - Stunned/Bleeding (24 damage), 1 turn left
[Bee Minions: 1] Aereth - HP: 624/880 - EN: 42/88

The Queen - HP: 300/500 - MIT: 75 - DMG: 200
Bee Minion #6 - HP: 57/250 - MIT: 25 - DMG: 125
Bee Minion #7 - HP: 57/250 - MIT: 25 - DMG: 125
Bee Minion #8 - HP: 57/250 - MIT: 25 - DMG: 125

@Aereth

The post-motion delay seized control of her muscles, leading her to stand completely still whilst overlooking Aereth's fight. Things didn't seem to be going well - the Bee's hive mind allowed them to strike in near-perfect co-ordination and left the brunette little time to get in an attack of his own. If only she help him out with an AoE...

A loud buzz brought her attention back to the Queen and Birdie quickly regained control of her actions, twisting around just in time to notice the boss charging. The bluenette's high evasion stat allowed her to dodge the incoming assault and prepare a fresh attack of her own, using her most favoured Sword Art as her rapier glowed a brilliant blue. She darted at her foe and swung her blade forwards and back, repeating the same motion with a flashy display of swirls and spins to decimate the Queen's health bar by another 20%. The Queen's eyes flashed a bloodthirsty red as she spun faster than Birdie dodge, slashing her stringer into the bluenette's abdomen. The girl fell to the dirt with a thud, frozen with a hand pressed against her wound and the other propping her body up from the ground.

ID# 87906
Battle: 9+3
Damage: 13*14=182-75=107 damage

ID# 87910
CD: 8 (Matriarch's Stinger activated, stunned and bleeding for 24 damage for the next two turns) 
MD: 1

[The Queen: 3] Birdie - HP: 720/720 - EN: 46/72 - Stunned/Bleeding (24 damage) for the next 2 turns
[Bee Minions: 1] Aereth - HP: 624/880 - EN: 53/88

The Queen - HP: 300/500 - MIT: 75 - DMG: 200
Bee Minion #6 - HP: 57/250 - MIT: 25 - DMG: 125
Bee Minion #7 - HP: 57/250 - MIT: 25 - DMG: 125
Bee Minion #8 - HP: 57/250 - MIT: 25 - DMG: 125

@Aereth

Birdie smiled as she half-failed to suppress a snicker, though just as the girl opened her mouth to reply, a heavy buzzing caught her ears from behind. "Huh- gah!" As if the system took temporary control of her muscles, she instinctively fell backwards to avoid the stinger of the Queen. "Damn, too close!" Catching herself before she fell, Birdie dashed backwards and watched as the Wasp Queen swung herself around mid-air, initiating another charge without delay. "I'll lure the Queen away, deal with the drones!" She kicked against the dirt and sprinted, moving as far from the other mobs as she could to ensure Aereth's AoE wouldn't catch the boss. Once far enough, she glanced across her shoulder and ground to a halt, rearing her blade to prepare a fresh Sword Art as her target drew closer.

"Scccrrreeee!"

The Queen cried as fourteen stabs burst into her abdomen, knocking her health down by 20% as the bluenette emerged just metres away.

ID# 87903
Battle: 8+3
Damage: 12*14=168-75=93 damage

ID# 87909
CD: 2
MD: 2

[The Queen : 1] Birdie - HP: 720/720 - EN: 58/72
[Bee Minions: 1] Aereth - HP: 624/880 - EN: 54/88

The Queen - HP: 407/500 - MIT: 75 - DMG: 200
Bee Minion #6 - HP: 57/250 - MIT: 25 - DMG: 125
Bee Minion #7 - HP: 57/250 - MIT: 25 - DMG: 125
Bee Minion #8 - HP: 57/250 - MIT: 25 - DMG: 125

@Aereth

She smirked towards Aereth, looking at him with a peculiar look fastened across her brows, "Indecision is usually a girl's thing, y'know." Doubting her words had made it to his ears, the bluenette sighed and readied herself to strike.

Senses still dulled from the fall, Birdie took a moment to compose herself and allowed the SA cooldown to tick over. She'd caught the tail end of Aereth's assault whilst lying on the ground - the way he handled his sword, his footwork and accuracy; All things that the man had changed (and improved upon) since their last training session all those months ago. It's no doubt they'd both grown in respect to combat, Aereth perhaps more so, though now that she was back and training again, Birdie hoped their once-friendly rivalry could reignite the sparks of self-improvement, driving them to better themselves even further. The Sword Art cooldown timer finally gave out, gaining a sigh of relief from the bluebird. "Alright, coming in hot!"

ID# 87882 results:
Battle: 1+3 MISS
Damage: n/a

[0] Birdie - HP: 720/720 - EN: 70/72
[Bee Minions: 1] Aereth - HP: 624/880 - EN: 71/88

The Queen - HP: 500/500 - MIT: 75 - DMG: 200
Bee Minion #6 - HP: 167/250 - MIT: 25 - DMG: 125
Bee Minion #7 - HP: 167/250 - MIT: 25 - DMG: 125
Bee Minion #8 - HP: 167/250 - MIT: 25 - DMG: 125

@Aereth