Birdie

http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/13150-f21artisan-odds-and-ends-~-rank-7-closed/?do=findComment&comment=521737

http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/13150-f21artisan-odds-and-ends-~-rank-7-closed/?do=findComment&comment=521890

http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/13150-f21artisan-odds-and-ends-~-rank-7-closed/?do=findComment&comment=522021

http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/13150-f21-rank-8-artisan-odds-and-ends-~-closed/?do=findComment&comment=522096

Birdie rolled her eyes, "Alright, alright, enough with the semantics~ I was a waitress, not an English student." She sent Itzal a smile and turned to the familiars in play, "Sirius, like that character from Harry Potter. I wasn't sure how he would be around other pets, he's only met with one before-  an Owlbear, but it wasn't a very uh... lighthearted encounter." Shaking away her recollection of the events, she sighed and turned to Itzal. He mentioned the route being safer if they travelled by tree, and after a few seconds of contemplation facing skyward, she sent him a nod. "I haven't climbed any serious height recently but I should be alright, I'll stick close by just in case."

As Sirius returned to her side, she gave the canine a pat before recalling him. "Well, no sense waiting around. This way, right?" she pointed towards the tree where Itzal dropped down from and took off with a light run. Bending her knees, she leapt off the ground and kicked against the tree's trunk, gaining enough height to latch onto a thick branch and pull herself up. Her breathing was heavier-than-usual but nothing extraordinary, and she waved down to her former mentor with a grin. "S-still got it, see!"

@Itzal

"Y-yes Sir," they stuttered in unison, shoulders slumped and eyes dropped to show obvious regret for their actions. Both players looked at each other awkwardly like they had something else to say but they couldn't get a word in over their rowdy companion. Folding his arms, the man flared his nostrils and barked back, "You know that ain't a fair fight! And maybe you could'a - but we would'a been fine with that weak spot they got!"

Standing beside Macradon, Birdie's eye twitched, hiding a clenched fist behind her back. At first, she gazed in disbelief towards the loud mouth, infuriated by the tenacity of a man who could tell his saviours to 'screw off'. His next words caught her off-guard, though, and her lips held apart just long enough for her to blurt out "What?"

"Ha! You idiots didn't know? Alright, I'll tell ya 'cuz I like you- not him." A cocky grin folded on his face, gaining a look of disgust from the bluenette. "Guy made us pay triple for this but he said if ya hit the zombs right in the Achilles, they'll buckle over and ya can hit 'em over. So we woulda been fine, a**hole!"

She pinched her eyebrows and glanced sideways at Mac. "His attitude aside... that doesn't sound right," she whispered, subconsciously facing the rest of her body towards him. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Out-of-combat NRG regen: 2 of 3

@Macradon

Once all three players had accepted their invites, Birdie nodded with silent content and faced North. "All I know is that we're looking for an NPC dog, <<Toto>>. If any of you have seen or read 'The Wizard of Oz' then you'll know the premise of the story, this quest seems to draw pretty heavy inspiration from it." Looking over her shoulder, she asked: "Everyone set?" Should no objections arise from anybody then she'd set one foot forwards and begin trekking North, where the shadowy stretches of forest gradually became twisted and otherworldly, befitting of the magical land of Oz. 

Before long, they came face-to-snout with the quest giver; or rather, it came snout-to-face with them. A gentle breeze had struck the party causing spirals of dead leaves and grass to encase the area - a dwarf tornado barely taller than an apple tree whisked towards them, drawing closer and closer until a black Cairn Terrier pup plopped out from the bottom. In an instant, the winds that surrounded them ceased to be as the tornado fled into the murky depths, and the scruffy little dog would gaze innocently toward the quartet of humans with a small '[!]' hovering above its head. "If anybody wants to read more about this quest, now would be a good time." Birdie would offer the quest window to those who wished to read it, accepting it once everyone was satisfied.

<<Toto>> followed alongside them as they pushed further North. Though no such aerial primates made an appearance, the roaming cries of distant enemies suggested they wouldn't be so far off. Hoping to ensure they were all on the same page in combat, the fencer looked towards the group and asked: "What roles would you guys like to take?" Though she was acting as party leader, there wasn't an ounce of authority in the girl's blood and she wasn't in the spirit of dishing out roles without a care for each player's wishes. "I can take a small hit if need be but I'm best suited as a DPS."

Quest Objectives:
Kill 4 Super Flying Monkeys - [0/4]
Find Lion's Mane - [  ]

@Hidden @Macradon @Kasier

As the might of Mac's Tempest slew the remaining Undead, the bluenette took a moment to appreciate their timing. Had they gotten there ten seconds later, there might've been one less player to save - in fact, for all they knew, the party could have suffered losses already. "Nice job," she patted Mac on the shoulder, turning her attention to the band of boys nearby.

Once the final monster was slain, two bystanders unloaded a sigh of relief each. The tallest, a bulky bald man donning serious heavy armour and an axe-shield combination, spoke first. "M-man, that was close!" Swiftly followed by his companion, a shorter man with leather armour that was barely stronger than beginner's gear. "Yeah, you guys seriously saved our asses! Those things were way too strong for us." Both gazed apologetically towards Mac and Birdie, awkwardly rubbing their necks like a pair of scolded children, though the third friend - a Two-Handed Battle Axe wielder with light metal armour - had quite the opposite reaction and threw his arms in the air. "W-what the hell do you think you're doing, stealin' our kills?! Quit hoggin' our crap and screw off, you KS'ers!" he screamed, planting a foot in the ground as he stood off against the Knight.

Out-of-combat NRG regen: 1 of 3

@Macradon

The sound of feet dragging on the dirt halted all movement. Birdie had turned to meet Aereth's gaze but all she met with were the empty husks of a broken man's eyes. Exploring every hint of emotion ingrained in his facial expression, she could feel the immense emotional turmoil he was overcoming to answer her heavy question.

She took the item from Aereth without a word and tapped on its side to bring up a menu. Tapping 'Show Picture', an image was projected from the crystalline item. She froze. Her eyes grew wide, inspecting every detail - of the first floor-esque environment, of an early Aereth in beginner's armour with the grandest smile she'd ever seen him with, and of a brunette sat beside him. 'I didn't join SAO alone, you know.'

Oh... O-oh my God...

Birdie understood. Aereth had entered the game with the woman in this picture. Laughing Coffin had taken her from this digital world, killing her in the real one too... he wasn't doing it because of an ornate sense of heroism. He didn't want the glamour, the fame and the glory of slaying Laughing Coffin. He wanted pure, cold-blooded revenge against the PK'ers to avenge his fallen partner.

Birdie closed the picture and held still for a moment, silently handing the crystal back to Aereth. She looked him in the eye, eyebrows expressing greater regret than before. "I am... so sorry. I-I had no idea... sh*t..." Everything she said before, about imploring him to be careful and trying to convince him he didn't need to thrust himself into this - it hit her like a ton of bricks. "Please, just... forget about everything I said back there. I-I don't think I'd have been able to stop myself if they'd taken Arc way back when..."

@Aereth

"Can't say I could argue with that." From what little she knew about the One-Handed Sword classes, the Straight Sword variant had fairly average AoE and the strongest skill required Martial Arts, a realisation which came disturbingly late.

Return of the Queen didn't sound familiar- there was Long Live the Queen, so she had to assume the two were somewhat connected. "Works for me, let's swing by the Elf camp first then head on down." Turning and starting back down the path, a few seconds would pass before Aereth proposed a question. A slight frown took over as she lowered her eyes to the floor, contemplating how to properly phrase what was irking her. "Y-yeah, a little. W-what you said earlier, about seeking vengeance on Laughing Coffin and making sure that they can't take anybody else from you... w-well, there's no way to ask this without sounding like an insensitive b**ch, b-but... who did they take from you?"

@Aereth

   In light of Ariel's follow-up question, Birdie had offered a similar answer. "It's my first time too, promise. I'm inferring this from what you three- uh, two- have been saying, but it sounds like that lady is just a wolf in sheep's clothing - not a person at all. I-I would probably stand back if she fought us in human form, though." The bluenette's eyes fell after ending her sentence, unwillingly visualising the act of smiting an elderly person.

   Despite her original intentions of becoming a scout, the Night vision mod wasn't in the cards for her yet, and she silently cursed herself for not having it on this occasion. "I see. O-or, I don't see..." What Ariel said next wasn't great news either. If the mountain range was vastly out of the way, there was no efficient route for safely escaping to town - coupled with the imposing woman's phrasing, 'enclosed spaces', and concern started to build up in the bluenette. Was that a necessary detail? Perhaps Ariel was warning everyone ahead of time - Birdie would be thankful in that case, knowing to watch out for potential enemies which would capitalise on limited space. Somewhat satisfied for now, a smile tugged at Birdie's cheeks as she nodded thankfully towards Ariel.

   The journey stopped abruptly, and Birdie walked a few metres ahead of the group before realising they'd come to a stop. Her mouth hung loosely as if she were going to say something yet a stray voice caught her attention, and she spun to catch sight of the source- Aereth? "Fancy meeting you out here," she spoke with a soft chuckle, bowing at the presence of a friend. "I-It's great to see you again."

   All eyes appeared to be on Ariel, and Birdie started to think she was on a completely different page. Why was there so much tension in the air? Has she missed something? Regardless, the bluenette stood pensively by the sidelines with her arms crossed, feeling rather uncertain.

@Ariel - The Crowned Lion @Domarus @Aereth

Continuing on from this thread:

"All Might? Honestly, I never would have guessed you trained Martial Arts." With a 'fwip', the fencer's rapier clicked into place as she returned it to its sheath. In less than three minutes, they went from discovering the enemy camp to eradicating their numbers completely, and the quest criterion was evidently fulfilled as indicated by the changed icon. After Aereth spoke, she nodded. "Mhm, that didn't take anywhere near as long as I was anticipating..." In the absence of a distraction, Birdie's trail of thought wandered back to their rudely interrupted conversation - what he meant by refusing to let them take another person. She wasn't square enough to so boldly inquire who it was, but he'd said it with certainty and intent as if she should've known who he was referring to.

Still shaken from the past discussion, she tried her best to steel her emotions and seem unphased. "It's a short walk back to the camp, t-then I guess we're free to do whatever. You feeling up for another quest?"  She corrected her shaky tone as convincingly as possible and walked across the clearing to Aereth, where he'd slain the Treant King and spell the end of <<Elvish Rivalries>>. "I haven't been doing very well to keep up with them, so any of the more recent ones work for me."

@Aereth

"Yeah, you too."

Birdie trekked forth into the forest beyond. The canopy grew thicker as a cascade of gushing water became louder, and through a thicket of trees and brush in the not-so-far-away distance, a waterfall appeared. Quite unlike the one they found before, it's height and width easily tripled the former and spewed intense amounts of water into a seemingly tranquil lake below. A fitting home for the Elves, she thought, understanding the Treants' reasoning for claiming it as their own.

An abrupt shift in the wind and rhythmic rustling of the nearby leaves alerted her that something was up. Ripping her blade from its scabbard, she spun an instant and came face-to-face with the sledgehammer-fist of a colossal timber assailant- the <<Treant King>>.

Thanks to a mix of the game's systems and her item-enhanced reaction speed, she ducked beneath the arm and flipped twice to distance herself from the King. Pulling her blade forwards, she leant into an attack of her own and darted towards the enemy, unleashing a flourish of fourteen thrusts and slashes until little over one-third of its health remained.

Aereth's voice reached Birdie's ears and she glanced backwards, "N-no, I found it. One Over Radiation took away two-thirds of its HP so I'd say we're fine. Wanna finish it off?"

@Aereth

-----

ID# 87447
BD: 3+3, Hit!
MD: 7-3, Miss!

Birdie - HP: 680/680 - NRG: 44/68

• Sword Art Used: Over Radiation [Damage: 12*14=168]

Aereth - HP: 860/860 - NRG: 52/86

Treant King - HP: 57/150 - MIT: 75 - DMG: 25

His words echoed in her mind, "I refuse to let them take another person from me." It was a noble, brave and just to thing to say; So why did it sit badly with her? Had she willed ill upon those who've already fallen? Or was she so cowardly that even the slightest hint of a courageous cause had her quivering in fear?

As Birdie pulled back her extended weapon, she returned to a neutral stance and shifted on her feet to glance over at Aereth. No emotions... The fencer took a moment to compose herself, gazing off into the man's direction as he unleashed an expert Shadow Explosion upon a quartet of Treants. Although raging emotions would have no solid bearing on the fight, he was right; Bad practices wouldn't know the difference between an easy encounter and a life-threatening combatant.

"R-right, I'll go ahead and search for the Boss- he might only appear when all the grunts are dead." Birdie offhandedly gestured towards the final two Treant Soldiers which lumbered behind Aereth. If only I had an AoE attack... she silently pleaded, turning tail with a look of resignation to ensure she would catch the last enemy as it spawned.

@Aereth

She cast a look over to Macradon as he spoke, giving a nod in reply. "Got it!" Though the enemies had been grouped up nicely before, with the defeat of an Elite Undead, a gap had opened up between the three remaining. In an effort to control the crowd and allow Mac to finish off the last two, the bluenette focused on the straggler and pulled her blade forwards, getting into the ready position for her favoured Sword Art Over Radiation.

Tempest Fleuret came to life with a sheen of luminescent blue light and Birdie shot forwards with help from the aim assist system, tearing through what remained of the Elite Undead Vagabond's health bar until nothing remained. As the monster released a bellowing cry and shattered into a thousand digital shards, she briefly inspected the loot window for any sign of the fabled unique materials, though any remaining hope that the rumour was true had already died. The last two could easily be taken out by an AoE Sword Art from Macradon and in realising that, the fencer sheathed her blade and awaited the fight's end.

@Macradon

- Attack Roll -
ID: 87435
BD: 2+3+1, Hit! (Concentration activated - 5 post cooldown)
MB: 9, Hit!
Sword art used: Over Radiation - 14*1*18=252 DMG

- Loot Roll -
ID: 87436
LD: 8+3=11
CD: 4 - Rare Weapon, 2034 Col

- Health List -
[2]<Birdie>             700/700  HP ||  43 MIT ||  18 DMG ||  46/70  NRG (-12 NRG)
[4]<Macradon>    (-92) 1263/1355 HP || 155 MIT ||  19 DMG ||  93/134 NRG

Elite Undead Vagabond  -114/678 HP  ||   0 MIT || 201 DMG            
Elite Undead Vagabond  -114/678 HP  ||   0 MIT || 201 DMG            (-252 HP)
Elite Undead Vagabond   138/678 HP  ||   0 MIT || 201 DMG            (201 DMG to Mac)
Elite Undead Spearhead  138/678 HP  ||   0 MIT || 201 DMG            (201 DMG to Mac)

- Acquired Loot -
16,950 Col
1 x Perfect Consumable
2 x Rare Armor
1 x Rare Weapon
3 x T2 Materials

Her squinting eyes moved to Aereth in a blink as he took hold of her trembling hands. The shaking gradually eased, ceasing seconds into the embrace, and her fingers fell loose in defeat. "I believe you..." I really want to.  She'd already watched one person descend into madness, albeit a different kind of madness and from an entirely different set of circumstances. Everything he said, she believed, and she believed in his intentions to eradicate the scourge that was Laughing Coffin. Selfishly, she wished he didn't need to set aside his sanity to achieve that goal, but deeper in the depths of her brain where her reason and logic dare not tread, she realised that to even conceive such a plan was insane in itself.

"Halt..."

A deep voice bellowed in the distance, following the ruffling of leaves ahead. "Who dare disturbs- ahk!"

In a burst of light, the blue-clad fencer's rapier struck the Treant Commander fourteen times over, delivering an array of thrusts and jabs until the second-in-command's health bar fell to zero. "Shut up..." Out of nowhere, three <<Treant Soldiers>> converged onto the pair of players in an ambush, though their commander's fall squandered whatever plan their limited-capacity AI had proposed.

ID# 87434
BD: 10, Hit! (+2 base damage)
MD: - 

Birdie - HP: 680/680 - NRG: 56/68

• Sword Art Used: Over Radiation [Damage: 14*14=196]

Aereth - HP: ???/??? - NRG: ??/??

Treant Commander - HP: -41/100 - DEAD

@Aereth

   A thud and footsteps emanated from behind and she twisted on the spot to face Itzal, accompanied by the familiar sight of his familiar, Velnia. She mimicked his wave and walked towards him, allowing Sirius to take hold of the material and walk alongside her. "Should have guessed you'd be snooping around here already- I'm good to go." Sirius lifted his ears at the sight of Velnia and eagerly wagged his tail, darting ahead to meet Velnia face-to-face. As the purple dragon tugged on his material, the wolf-dog growled fiercely in return and pulled with all his might, but the material eventually came loose from his mouth and he stumbled back onto the floor. Shaking his head, he barked and gave chase to the winged pet, trying to get his retrieve his prized toy.

   Birdie admired the two pets, looking over at Itzal before long. "I was scared he wouldn't be as friendly as Glacia was, but these two like each other just fine." Placing her focus elsewhere, she looked to where Itzal dropped down from and then back to him. "So, how far away is the boss? Is the path clear? I'd like to use this a little more to get comfortable with it," she said, placing a hand over the pommel of her new weapon.

@Itzal

Macradon ran ahead to deal a devastating chunk of damage and Birdie hung back, taking point between the mobs and three lower-level players. "Are you guys alright?" she called out to them, gazing backwards with a fire in her eyes that caused them to nod and mumble incoherently. "Good, stay put if you wanna stay that way!" There wasn't any time to explain the severity of the situation and she had reservations that they'd sussed out the scam, so instructing them to keep nearby was the safest course of action.

The Knight's attack dropped the Undead's HP to above 50% and the blue-clad Fencer sprung into action, shifting her limbs into the correct position for the strongest Rapier-class Sword Art. Free hand grasped tightly behind her back and Fleuret pointed forwards, she tilted her blade slightly to delay Over Radiation's activation and darted forwards for that extra bit of speed, and her weapon shone a brilliant blue as aim assist system controlled her motions. A crescendo of slashes and thrusts and jabs proceeded until the very last strike, where she withstood a brief second of inactivity before leaping away. "All yours!"

@Macradon

- Attack Roll -
ID: 87428
BD: 4+3=7, Hit!
MD: 2, Miss!
Sword art used: Over Radiation - 14*1*18=252 DMG

- Health List -
[1]<Birdie>            700/700  HP ||  43 MIT ||  18 DMG ||  58/70  NRG (-12 NRG)
[2]<Macradon>         1355/1355 HP || 155 MIT ||  19 DMG || 110/134 NRG

Elite Undead Vagabond  126/678 HP  ||   0 MIT || 201 DMG            (-252 HP)
Elite Undead Vagabond  378/678 HP  ||   0 MIT || 201 DMG            
Elite Undead Vagabond  378/678 HP  ||   0 MIT || 201 DMG            
Elite Undead Spearhead 378/678 HP  ||   0 MIT || 201 DMG            

Kih-Ray-On. It's named after the Japanese words for Yellow and Lion (according to Google translate, sorry if that's incorrect). It might not actually be pronounced like that either, but it is for the purpose of the quest.

---

Floor 19
<<Keep Calm and Ki'Raion>>
Repeatable | Party Limit: 4 | 20+ Posts
Recommended Level: 40

Rewards:

• Each player receives:
  • 2 Additional SP at Day/1 Additional SP at Night
  • 8,000 Col
  • (15) T3 Crafting Materials
• Daytime Last Hit reward: <<Ki'Raion's Tail>> [Perfect T2/T3 weapon of choice]:  A weapon fashioned from Ki'Raion's remains, enhanced with two slots of Accuracy and one slot of Paralyze.

Objectives:

• Defeat <<Ki’Raion>>

Summary:

Rumour spreads of an exceedingly powerful monster, hidden deep in the far Eastern reaches of the 19th floor. Locals say that the beast roams high hills and barren plains, laying waste to entire settlements and demolishing every cursed fauna that stands in its path. The scouting party who encountered <<Ki'Raion>> have reported escaping with their health points in tatters and the beast’s untouched, dubbing it extremely aggressive, territorial and dangerous. For fear of the <<Ki'Raion>>'s true strength, it's suggested no lone player trek within a thousand yards of the floral lion’s territory and that parties remain vigilant in an encounter.

(Artwork: FlowerLions, Olya Bossak)

<<Ki’Raion>>
HP: 850 - MIT: 125 - DMG: 175 - ACC: 3 - EVA: 2

<<Tail Swipe>>: If BD 9-10 and MD 1-5 is rolled simultaneously, <<Ki’Raion>> unleashes a powerful tail swipe that can strike a whole party. Deals 150 AoE damage to all party members as well as normal damage to the player with the most hate.

<<Venus Fly Trap>>: If BD of 9-10 and MD of 6-10 is rolled simultaneously, <<Ki’Raion>> lunges at the player with the most hate and encases them in its floral mane. They experience 150 additional damage and will take 100 additional damage for each following turn that they're trapped. They are freed when at least 200 HP damage has been dealt to <<Ki’Raion>> or another player achieves greater hate. A trapped player may still attack.

<<Photosynthesize>>: Absorbing the Sun’s energy, every second attack <<Ki’Raion>> makes will be damage boosted by 150.

<<Moonlight Aversion>>: During nighttime, the boss does not use Photosynthesize and its damage-boosting conditions deal half as much damage. However, the quest rewards are significantly poorer.

"... who is the exact reason this village is suspended by the branches..." A petite woman of pale complexion blinked, and cast a confused glance around the very much ground-bound village. For a moment, she pondered the potential lore implications of the quest's flavour text; Could the villagers have banded together to put an end to the Monkey King's reign, erecting new homes on the fallen beast's land? Had the gargantuan primate fled the forest, never to return until the villagers least expected it?

More than likely, the Cardinal hadn't taken quests into account when the floors underwent redesigns, and the quest summary was an easy-to-rectify inconsistency. Refusing to pay much more mind to it, the level-35 fencer turned from the announcement board to spy on the teleport gate. She was awaiting her former mentor and good friend Itzal, having arranged to take on one of the game's easier quests that had flown under their radars. Though they'd spoken a few days prior, the best way to catch up was to let their swords do the talking, and she'd come geared up with the brand-new and recently forged 'Tempest Fleuret'. Eager to take her new weapon out for a spin, Birdie made way for the central plaza to await the Paladin, biding her time by playing fetch with a low-quality material and her wispy wolf-dog familiar, Sirius.

@Itzal

Her lips rose into one last smile as Itzal assured that they could speak anytime. She felt like it would be abusing his kindness to seek him out for advice or help, though it was inevitable a time like that would come. Out of everyone she knew, Itzal was the one she looked up to most - or at least, one of the people she could speak to without recourse. As he recommended which potions might aid them the most, she nodded. "Alright, I'll look into buying a few more then. Maybe I'll visit Morg- uh, Jonathon in his shop."

Since arriving, the stresses resting on Birdie's shoulders had all but disappeared, replaced by hope for the future. Itzal hadn't reacted in a negative manner at all, and while she was slightly worried about how Beatbox and Aereth would react, she was filled with hope that they'd take it as well as the Scout Paladin. "Thank you for agreeing to meet up today. I can't tell you how it means to me... I-I promise that I'm here for good this time, no running away." The words haunted her, though she truly believed in them.

Thread completed!

All players get 1 SP and 200 Col

Eyebrows packed tightly and lips sealed, Birdie gave the Knight a solemn nod and took off after him. Sirius took charge ahead of the Fencer and kept a steady pace with Mac, his weary eyes and keen sense of smell scouting the area as they weaved between barren trees and dead shrubs. At Mac's question, Birdie's eyes pulled together and fell to the floor in contemplation, but she gave a regretful sigh. "No, not at all. If they're using <<Sneak>> then it'll be tough to find them unless we know exactly where to look." She briefly recalled her scout training with Itzal where he ran over the basics of player stealth.  Shadows are a bandit's best friend, but they know you know that. If they're smart, they'll hide either side of the darkest spots they can find.

"W-wait, I have an idea! If the broker's in on it and has player names, he would have passed them onto an orange player so they know who to pray on. People like to lure mobs into a clearing so that there's plenty of room to fight; let's focus our search on shadowed spots and nearby trees." Birdie prayed to God her suspicions where correct - she wasn't hoping that player killers were present, only that if they happened to be somewhere on the thirteenth floor, they'd be camped out in predictable hiding places.

The sound of three successive swords clanging against armour rang through the air. The Fencer's eyes darted around in search of the source direction, though the third clang was loud and unforgiving- and came from straight ahead. "Mac! Can you see them?"

- Attack Roll -
ID: -
BD: -
CD: -
Sword art used: -

- Health List -
[0]<Birdie>            700/700  HP ||  43 MIT ||  18 DMG ||  70/70  NRG
[0]<Macradon>         1355/1355 HP || 155 MIT ||  19 DMG || 134/134 NRG

Elite Undead Vagabond  678/678 HP  ||   0 MIT || 201 DMG
Elite Undead Vagabond  678/678 HP  ||   0 MIT || 201 DMG
Elite Undead Vagabond  678/678 HP  ||   0 MIT || 201 DMG
Elite Undead Spearhead 678/678 HP  ||   0 MIT || 201 DMG

@Macradon

The blonde had quickly confirmed she was the player in the question, and all unease present on the bluenette’s expression ceased in an instant. As the woman came into full view, Birdie inspected her features with subtlety for any semblance of familiarity. Coupled with her high-level gear, the way she carried herself gave the impression of a confident high-level player, and a possible front runner at that. The woman’s face was somewhat recognizable, though on which occasion and under which impression she’d seen it eluded the fencer completely.

After the likes of Domarus and Keres entered the fray, Ariel – as she revealed herself – had suggested they take business outside and converse on the way, and Birdie obliged without a word of question. A party invite window appeared and disappeared as she placed a finger on Accept, and a short briefing of the quest objectives proceeded as they walked. Only as Ariel’s voice cut off abruptly did the bluenette spare an upwards glance, though the hard-to-peruse expression on the woman’s face caused her to frown in possible understanding.

Until then, such a detail as killing an elderly woman to complete the quest had escaped Birdie’s knowledge entirely. It was easy enough for her to discern that morsel of information, however, understanding it was merely a quest and that the NPC was a fabrication of their digital reality. The cruel inflexion (or therefore lack-of) in Ariel’s words sent an uneasy chill through the blue player’s spine, and as the woman asked for the acknowledgement of all those present, Birdie didn’t hesitate to deliver a jittery nod.

As a distraction from the conversation, the bluenette took notice of the walking fur ball beside her and made a slight frown at the hissing toward Keres. In a bid to calm the cub, Birdie leant down by her side and stroked the nape of her neck, forming a smile in the same instant. “Hey now, there’s no need to be like that." Gauging the small creature’s reaction, the bluenette silently lifted her eyes to Domarus’ companion, offering her a smile of similar integrity.

Gradually, the fencer rose to her feet, just in time to catch the tail end of Domarus' sentence. "As am I. I suppose it's easier to stomach, knowing the old lady intends to kill us beforehand. S-still, it's kind of unsettling to think about." Before too long, the tavern had seemed to disappear from sight. The bluenette's lips parted and closed, facing an internal struggle to summon her words. "Does anyone know how far we'll be travelling?" she managed after too long. If they were to distance themselves far from the town's border, the small chance of the entire arrangement being a setup would fester, and try as she might to feign ignorance of such a possibility, the fencer couldn't shake it entirely from her mind.

@Domarus @Ariel - The Crowned Lion @Aereth

Smiling, she chuckled quietly as Mac's little familiar roughed the Blacksmith up. "D'aw," she started, "He's a lovely little fella, isn't he? It's sad to think of him wandering around all alone down there." Birdie recalled how she came under the possession of Sirius. On the tenth floor, a certain mob - an <<Undead Hound>> - had roughly a 5% chance of spawning an <<Ethereal Canine>> when killed. If the rare spawn occurred, an astral wolf-dog would linger around for thirty seconds before sinking into the grave of its Undead master, only to spawn anew as a fresh living dead mob. If interrupted via successful taming attempt, however, the creature retained its astral form and bonded to the player, maintaining a wispy appearance indefinitely. Sirius sniffed the Knight's glove, curious and timid like any normal canine, and eagerly slipped under the player's hand with eyes closed in delight.

Watching like a proud owner would, the fencer's delicate gaze rose to Mac. Her eyes grew troubled. "Right. For low-levelled players, the safest way to travel is to move out in groups and hunt together. If their tank is strong enough, they can technically fight any monster for as long as it takes; This would allow them to gather those 'unique materials' with some degree of safety. Thing is, they'll be a helluva lot slower than a solo frontline player. The gain is hardly worth the effort..." She pressed her bottom lip. "But that still doesn't explain why would someone go through so much trouble to play a prank? And a pretty menacing one at that. Like you said, weak and strong players will both flock to this area. If a group's only tank is too weak and chickens out, the low-levels will be left defenceless..." Her words trailed off as she stared at the grass, contemplating. "... and completely vulnerable... sh*t, you don't think... you don't think that's what they were going for?"

Out of Combat NRG recovery: 3/3 posts

@Macradon

A message buzzed in her inbox - Macradon, she was surprised to see, who said he'd be making his way over. See you soon, she wrote back, only for her attention to be stolen upon closing the menu. "Hm?" Not long after Birdie sat down, another player arrived on the scene. Having spotted the cloaked figure approach from afar, her <<Search>> skill actively scanning the environment, Birdie inspected the newcomer as best she could; However, there wasn't much else to see than the crimson lining of their cloak and strands of dark, hidden hair. Smiling, her eyes moved down to the little black fox leaving a trail of darkness in its wake, whom Sirius stopped panting for and gazed towards warily. "Hidden? It's a pleasure to meet you." The blue-haired fencer hopped off the fallen tree stump and leisurely sauntered towards the woman, her actions reserved so as to not provoke the newcomer. "Thank you for making it here, I was losing hope that anyone would come. How was the road?"

'Another message?' She did the motions to call up her inbox and scanned the words, her eyes rising in greater surprise than before. Take your time, we'll wait for you. "It seems we'll be a party of four, two more friends are on their way." Soon after, a second figure would approach from the same road Hidden travelled from, and the armour on their back was a lot more familiar this time around. 'Macradon,' she thought before he'd spoken a word, greeting him with a tender wave. "Hey Mac, glad you could make it." As the Knight engaged in conversation with Hidden, Birdie diverted her gaze towards the road from <<Kachirho>> and through squinting, just about made out Kasier's silhouette in the distance.

The fencer greeted her ex-guildmate with a wave, blue bangs jiggling over her eyes. "It's great to see you again, Kasier; You're no trouble at all. Actually, that makes us a full party- right on time, too." Any second from that point on, the parchments hung up in each town would fizzle into thin air, removing the possibility of a surprise fifth player. "The NPC spawns just a little further up North- oh, wait." Sparing time for introductions, she would navigate to the party menu and type out each name individually, sending invites to everybody present. "Okay, I've sent out invites. Did you all get one?"

@Hidden

"Mhm..." She gave an audible sigh as he spoke the words 'just a rumor'. He was right, of course; they'd taken a risk to venture out into the wilderness on nothing more than a whim and had come out of it empty handed. It might not have been a fault on the broker's part - perhaps his most trusted source had lied to him, or maybe something else had made him certain the info was real - either way, no amount of thinking was going to get them the answers they wanted.

Her eyes widened just a little as the man mentioned 'again', he recognised her? All would be revealed as the Knight removed his helmet to reveal a familiar head of snow white hair, and the fencer's expression only grew more surprised until a friendly smile took over. She nodded, "Mac! You're the one who forged my first two rapiers, how could I forget?" She tenderly shook the Blacksmith's hand, switching her focus to the little hybrid animal by his leg. She jumped a little as the creature gave its cry, though a smile quickly followed. "Well, hello there! That's quite the familiar Mac, where'd you get him?" She pulled her hand away and looked to the canine by her side. "This little cutie is Sirius, he's a lot friendly than he looks- and yes, he's tangible." Birdie was referring to the Ethereal Canine's ghostly, wispy appearance and the ghoulish howl he gave upon being called his name.

Familiar introductions out of the way, she looked back up at the Knight. "So, I guess I don't need to ask why you're out here. Hoping to snag a few of those unique materials?" Hands on her waist, the fencer closed her eyes and sighed. "Gotta admit, it's weird they'd go through so much trouble if the news is false. I mean, the party that reported it mentioned they'd collected 23 already... you think they were lying?" She opened her eyes, an eyebrow raised.

Out of Combat NRG recovery: 2/3

@Macradon

"W-well done,"  the fencer admitted, guiding her Fleuret to the entrance of its sheath. Both health bars ticked below zero and the mobs ceased to be, dropping their valuable currency and 'rare drops'. Since the Knight didn't hold back, she immediately called upon the menu to search for any recent loot drops, going so far as to sort by item type and recently added; nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

The blue-clad woman grimaced silently, her fingers holding loosely in the air until a muffled voice belonging to the Knight grabbed her attention. Despite being unable to read his facial expression, it was obvious from his emphasis on ‘special’ that he harboured similar discontent. She nodded, her eyes riddled with indecision. "No dice, either. Just some crappy armour and Col." To think that a credible broker would lie about his intel... she found it hard to accept; harder than the man beside her, certainly. "Hey," she laid a hand on her waist. "Don't go shooting the messenger, you don't know enough to assume it's bad information. Maybe the items have a lower chance than one-in-four?" In truth, the woman didn't know what to believe, but she didn't want to jump to a confrontational conclusion. A sudden thought occurred to the fencer in that she still didn't know the Knight's identity; Operating under the assumption that the prestigious guild wouldn't house a PK'er, she inhaled sharply and held out her hand. "B-by the way, I wanted to say thanks for showing up when you did. One, I can handle, but two of them..." The girl shook her head. "M-my name's Birdie." Accompanying the handshake, she gave a polite bow and looked at him. "And you?"

Out of Combat NRG recovery: 1/3 posts

@Macradon

Hollow footsteps accompanied an exasperated sigh as Birdie marched through the doors of Odds and Ends, the familiar flickering of candlelight acting as a pleasant sight after a day of madness. Spiders dotted around the rocky plains outside the city had proven greater tougher than anticipated, though the Artisan's material gains were much to her liking.

Materialising the sack of arachnid-related crafting materials, she sorted through each of them and categorised them accordingly - not that it mattered at all when it came to actually using them, but she having them in piles to pick and choose from as she saw fit.

The last day of crafting had gone well. Two perfects, she reminded herself, having revelled in joy at achieving two maximum quality crafts. The days hadn't been kind to her in that regard - twenty-six consecutive attempts without so much as a single perfect - but the brief shower of bad luck appeared to come to an end. Or so she hoped.