Kirbs

The double closed her eyes as she braced for impact, but nothing ever came. The clang of metal made her eyes snap open and it widened when she saw the sight in front of her.

Kirbs was crouching on the ground with her head in her hands, tears pouring down from her cheeks. "I don't want to be like him!" She sobbed, the hold on her hair tightening. She didn't want to be a murderer. She wanted justice. How could she thinks such awful things? Murdering someone? Who has she become? "I don't want to be like him," she repeated, sobbing harder. What would Bell think if he saw her like this? Would he be mad? Or even worse, scared? Tears poured down her cheeks even harder as she let out an agonizing scream. She didn't want to be feared! Being feared was the last thing she wanted to be!

The clone stood up and dusted her lap off as she smiled sadly at the player in front of her. "I can't say if you made the right choice or not, but down beat yourself up about it," she said vaguely, putting on her hood once again, walking away without looking back.

"It means whatever you want it to mean," she replied, leaning her head back on to the ground again. "I'm just you, remember? I think what you think," she sighed, the effects of Kirbs' paralysis finally wearing off. Kirbs watched as her double sat up slowly and smile. "Something tells me than you think that you're responsible still," she commented, staring at the sky with a blank look. "I can't say much about that, really..." She trailed off, her head turning to look over at the motionless Kirbs. "So what are you going to do now? Are you going to kill me?"

"I-I..."

"Like Pinball did to Bellamy?"

The redhead flinched as her eyes grew angry again. Kirbs tightened her fist around the spear as she raised it above her head. "Shut up," she whispered, heavy breaths emitting from her as she stared down at the double with furious eyes. She wanted her dead. 

Kirbs yelled a painful scream and lunged at her with crazed eyes. "Shut up!" She screamed, tears welling in her eyes once more. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" She slashed away bits and pieces of... well, herself. Her eyes traced over the depleting HP of the double and it made her smile. 

Sparks went flying from her own Aftershock as she launched the clone back with her spear. Marching over to the limp body, she stood over it with a crazed look. "I told you to shut up, didn't I?" She asked, tilting her head. "You just had to say all of those things, right?" 

The double, still limp from her stun, slowly lifted her head up and grinned at her... although this one was much more genuine than the last looks she gave her. "You still believe it's your fault, huh?" She laughed hoarsely.

"What does that mean?" She replied back with a scowl.

"You pack quite a punch, girl!" The double grinned, raising her spear to attack Kirbs again. "Too bad you couldn't use that to save your best friend! Bellamy was his name, right?" She taunted, swinging her spear at her. 

Kirbs hissed as she dashed away just in time, the spear just barely missing her. "You... you bastard!" She screamed, lunging forth with her sword art again. She slashed at the double, her blind rage fueling her with every move. "Don't you dare speak about him like that, you witch!" 

The double leaped back with a large red gash over their chest, but that didn't cease the evil grin that it still held. "Hm, a witch? I thought was you?" She tilted her head, smiling. "Face it, you pathetic waste. You could've saved him. You're the reason he's dead." The venom in her words was almost sickening to listen to. The original felt tears pouring down her cheeks as she stared deadly daggers at the double. "Oh, did I hurt your feelings?"

Kirbs let out an audible gulp as the person took off their hood. It was... her?

"W-what?" She stuttered, taking a step back. What in the bloody hell was going on? Her was me... and me was her?

"Oh, are you surprised?" The double taunted, taking out an exact replica of Aftershock out. Her voice had venom lacing ever corner of it. It sounded just like her, but not at all. 

"Who the hell are you?!" She screamed, getting her own Aftershock ready for the battle that was inevitable. 

"I'm you... but better!" The clone cackled, lunging at the player with a sinister smile. Her spear dug a large gash at Kirbs' arm, to which she snarled at. 

Kirbs darted forward, using her most powerful sword art on the impostor-- which thankfully hit, draining their health to a little over half. She shouldn't be too hard to kill. Kirbs may not out damage her, but she certainly payed for it with the amount of health she had compared to the fake.

"Alright," the girl said cautiously, narrowing her eyes to whoever was under that damn hood. "Lead the way."

The shadow didn't waste any time walking away from her. She mentally sighed and followed after the person. It couldn't be that hard to beat her, right? They were only on floor six, so it couldn't be that hard. 

The two walked in silence for a while. Kirbs wondered what was really going through the other person's head. She certainly seemed... off. Kirbs shook her head and blinked. No, it was just a simple NPC she had to defeat. Nothing more, nothing less. This'll be over in a few hours, no worries!

The stranger abruptly stopped, turning their head to face her. "Here is good," she said. The redhead turned to look around. It was certainly barren around here. But she was fine with that.

"Alright," Kirbs mumbled, already gripping her spear tighter. "Why don't you remove that hood of yours? I'd like to see my opponent's face."

Kirbs chugged down a few potions as she stood in the town. The redhead was planning to go hunting today, but an eerie chill up her spine was telling her something was going to happen. Something. She sighed and got her spear ready. It was only floor six. It couldn't be too hard for her out there. Just as she was about to start leaving, a hooded familiar who stood about the same height as her walked up to her. She squinted, unable to see their face. Fishy.

"You look pretty strong," the figure commented. Its voice sounded feminine, so she could only assume it was a girl.

Kirbs didn't comment and only further raised a brow at the suspicious NPC.

"I'm looking to test my skills. If you beat me, I'll teach you a hidden skill. What do you say?" That caught her attention. A hidden school? She could certainly go for one of those at the moment.

Consumed:

-Antivenom Balm (Antidote (2)

-Greater Burning Edge Potions (+3 DMG)

-Yui's Grace

Kirbs raised a suspicious eyebrow as she stared at the girl. It was strange that wasn't talking at all. Could she possibly be mute? The only person she had met before that was mute was Neopolitan-- Haz's wife. She looked at the teleport gate and something in her head clicked. "Oh," she drawled, looking over back at the young girl. Odd. She never really thought about how mute people would get around with teleport gates. She would have to ask Haz how Neo did it sometime later. The redhead sighed and stood up straighter. "Alright, I'll help. I'm assuming you want to get to floor one, right?" She asked, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her jacket with a small smile as she gave the girl a once-over again. Yep, she definitely did not belong on such a high floor like floor twenty. Heck, Kirbs doesn't even belong on floor twenty!

Kirbs shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Okay. I've met her before. She seems pretty nice," the girl commented, looking around for the distinct purple hair as well. 

It wasn't long before she would find it, too. Waving back at the girl, she smiled softly back and nodded her head. "Of course. I think we were  bullying Dustin with snowballs at the time?" She remarked, shooting a sly smirk at Dustin before laughing it off. Her eyes drifted over to the bright head of Dustin again and she nearly started cackling with laughter. Her shoulders were shaking as she slapped a hand over her mouth. "K-pop star," she exclaimed, wheezing. Her free hand clutched her stomach as she bent over and cackled. "I-I have never heard a statement so true in my life!" She wheezed, coughing only a few seconds later. 

After a few more long seconds of just wheezing, giggling, and coughing, she finally sobered up and clapped her hands together. "Alright! So we're here today to kill some big ol' snake worm things!"

Kirbs walked up to the cart with a blank look. It's been a while since she's been shopping for consumables. She never really used consumables in battle, and she figured that she would need to use them eventually. "Hello," she mumbled, scanning the items on the car. This guy honestly had a nice arrangement of potions. "I'll just really take these two," she pointed to the damage and antidote potion. She handed him the Col and grinned. "Thanks for your services, see you later!" She piped, walking away from the cart. Well, it was time to use these consumables for good purpose!

-825 Col

-Antivenom Balm (Antidote (2)

-Greater Burning Edge Potions (+3 DMG)

Day 40:

Kirbs groaned as she had finally finished the order. God damn, that order took longer than she was hoping for. A few days is too long! She typed up a quick message to Kityuisa and then face planted into her counter. She's been working too hard lately. Maybe she should get a vacation. She really needed one! It was hard being the only artisan around, okay?! Monopoly in the artisan economy wasn't always such a good thing when you were running our of things to craft with, so that was bloody fantastic. Ah, she could see it now. Her chilling out on the beaches of floor sixteen. Seemed like a bloody dream to her.

Kirbs' right eye snapped open as she watched what little light drizzle into the air. Yeah, screw sleep. She didn't need more of it! She jumped up and yawned. "Good morning," she mumbled, wrinkling her nose. Boy, wasn't it fun to just sleep on rocks? Yes, yes it was. She yawned again and stretched her back. 

She pulled out a cookie she had bought a few days ago and started nibbling on it. What? Her stomach was going to feed itself! She was totally pulling a Dustin move. Like, where the hell does that guy even get his food from? Is he secretly rich? Like, let her get in on that money! "We should get moving," she paused, looking over at the other player among her. It was still dark... which really kind of sucked. She felt a shiver go down her spine as she started walking off into the unknown.

"Well, now you are," she pointed out, raising a brow at him. It was amusing to see him all riled up about this. She couldn't really imagine herself being her mid twenties, really! She was barely fifteen when the game was first launched! God, she felt so young.

She actually started crying. Like, actually. "I hate you," she sobbed, tears pouring from her eyes. What? The girl didn't like bugs, okay?! She sniffed, shuffling after him with a defeated look. Must the Gods hate her?

She let out a cackle as she watched Bahr fall on to his face but then immediately gagged when the bugs came in. Gross. She frowned and started one of her more fun sword arts. The redhead let out a laugh of joy as she gradually started to spin around in full circles. The Link spin attack! God, she missed using this sword art. Sadly, the attack only hit one of the mantises but it was better than nothing!

Oh glob, is this really happening again. >•<

She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head disapprovingly. "This is the last time I ever count on you to lead," she sighed. 

She let out a chortle as he pointed in what she knew was definitely a random direction. But she couldn't help but think that and feel like a hypocrite. She had been just like that with Alec not too long ago. "You sadden me, old man," she chuckled, following after him. She was going to go off on his arse if they did get lost, though, because no way in hell was she staying her after dark.

The girl gave him a disgusted face as she felt a shudder go through her virtual spine. "Dis-cos-tan!" She exclaimed, wrinkling her nose at him. "If I wasn't traumatized from our last experience with a giant bloody bug!" She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I think I'm literally going to cry if we encounter another one, like. Literally." 

She hugged her knees and placed her chin on the right knee as she stared at the moving magma. "I suppose it would rain more in England than in the United States or Japan, but it's nice there overall. I never really payed any attention to the weather there. London was just London to me. I never really thought it was a different place from any other city or town," she let out a small huff through her nose and gave him a closed lid smile. "It's not you, really. I'm just a bit homesick," she lied, turning her head back to the lava. "You must have a nice family," the redhead smiled softly. Hearing him talk about his own family kind of reminded her of her own. Her stupid brothers and her whacky parents.

"Alrighty," she mumbled. "I think I can sleep while sitting up. It's better if I need to be woken up or something," she yawned, stretching her arms one last time before nuzzling her head in the crook of her arms. "Well, good night to you, mister Alec," she mumbled before passing out cold.

Kirbs shrugged nonchalantly, "Sure?" As much as she didn't want another person she would have to protect, Ike was good company, and it made her feel just a tiny bit better. 

The redhead yawned and fell back onto the grass with a small 'umph'. "Honestly? I'm tired," she sighed, realizing that this was all due to her staying up too late. "My smile is gross," she mumbled, blinking rapidly. Damn you, lack of sleep. Sleep is for the weak! That's her damn motto, right there!

She let out a small chuckle as she watched both of them fail miserably. Feeling something poking at her back, she let out a small irritated groan and fished whatever was bothering her from the grass below her. Her hand reappeared with two shiny gemstones to which she gave a triumphic smile to. "And that," she pasued, smirking up at the other players, "is how it's done, lady and gentleman."

ID: 120129

LD: 12+3= 15, +2

Total Materials: 14+2= 16 [From Chest]

Kirbs' ears perked as she heard distant crying. Odd. Floor twenty was usually inhabited by tough front-liners, who would be crying? Unless-- was this some sort of quest? She turned the corner and her eyes widened when she saw a young girl crying on the curb... which definitely was not a NPC due to the crystal above her head. Kirbs panicked. Oh God. Kids. She was never good with kids! I mean, she liked kids, but they never liked her! The redhead sweat dropped as she shuffled closer to the crying player.

"Hello?" She asked cautiously. This girl definitely was not a proper level for this floor. Heck, she couldn't be much higher than level five! She crouched down just a tad bit and tilted her head. "Are you okay?" She asked, feeling more awkward than she has ever felt in her damn life. What if she bites her?! She wouldn't be the first kid that bit her! Bloody hell, she didn't want to be bitten again!

Kirbs yawned as she opened up the message. Did Bahr finally find a pot of pot or something? She swore... if she found him high off his arse, she was going to whack his head upside down. She sighed and typed up quick reply back;

"Well, I guess I should actually go check if he is high off of his arse or something," she mumbled to herself as she held out her for Scarfy-- to which he willingly slid up to. 

The redhead yawned as she appeared at the teleport gate. Now where was that bloody idiot? A mop of white hair caught her eye as she glanced around the two subtly. She darted over to him and grabbed the lobe of his ear with a frown. "Are you on crack, mate?! What was up with that quest, huh? Did you somehow find crack in here?! Because if so... so help me..!"

Kirbs darted over to him and smiled thankfully. "Seems like a nice place," she mumbled, motioning over to the large pool of frekin' lava. She sat down and sighed thankfully. It was bright enough to keep her distracted. She just didn't have to look in a random direction! Kirbs tapped on her chin thoughtfully before shrugging. "It was supposed to be a few days, and I think it was about two days, though? I'm not really sure," she sighed, refusing to make eye contact with him. Because if she looked at him-- she would see what was behind him. And what was behind him, you asked? The bloody dark, that's what!

"I kind of lived in the big city, so not really. But I did go to the countryside of the U.K. a few times, and I think I went camping maybe once or twice," she explained, already feeling bummed about talking about home. It sucked to be so close yet so far away from her family, because she was sure that her brothers wouldn't leave her side! Scarfy slithered off of her shoulders she sat down on the bear skin, which she was thankful for. He was heavier than he bloody looked!

Day 39:

Kirbs mumbled a few curses as one minion narrowly missed her. Ain't no fish looking thing is going to hit her today! She extended her spear outward and slashed at the minion. Although, it's healthbar didn't drain much, she was still able to do a tiny bit of damage to it, hip hip hooray! She backed up just a tad bit and sighed. Her energy wasn't getting any higher, really. Her armor enhancements were proving themselves not too useful right now. Did she invest more than a thousand Col for this?! She pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned. What a waste. She mumbled a few more curses and lowered her spear. I mean, they were doing just fine. But it made her irritated that she couldn't be doing as much as she could. Like, she could do a lot of damage... if she had the right energy! God, this was taking too long for her liking.

"Oh, I don't think you're too forward at all," she waved him off with smile. He seemed perfectly fine to her! Kirbs face grew as red as her hair as she giggled nervously. "Ah... not really. I was... awkward back in the real world. I'm not too good with crowds and stuff," she mumbled, trailing off. "But I'm great with one on one conversations!" She piped up suddenly, grinning. So now she knew that he did have a kid! She must've guessed that he was her age because of... that comment. Maybe he was too forward? She doesn't even know, anymore. Old people, right?

Kirbs watched from the corner of her eyes at the setting sun. Sugar honey iced tea-- she forgot how long it actually took to get there. Oh glob, it was going to get dark soon. She really, really, really did not want to get stuck in such a dark place at night. It was already dark enough! The only thing keeping her sane was her conversations with Alec and the bright magma rivers and pools.

The redhead almost snorted when she watched the guy fall on to his face. It felt like he did that every time she was around him. Strange. Strange, indeed. "Alright," she mused, smirking goofily at him.

Kirbs followed him around mindlessly. She didn't think they would particularly lost. She trusted him enough to lead the way-

"I, uh, think I may have gotten us lost..." 

Or not.

The redhead gave him an unimpressed look. "Seriously?" She sighed, face palming herself. Well, there went her trust in him. Damn, she should've been paying attention to their surroundings earlier! "How did we even got lost? You literally have a bloody map!" She exclaimed, her forehead crinkling in confusion. Some things just don't add up these days anymore. Like, that's what maps were for? To make sure you don't get lost? She looked up at the sky and sighed again. They still had plenty of time left, so there wasn't much to worry about for now.