Symphony

Symphony laughed at Alec's remarks. "Seems like the younin' is beating you at the game!" she teased. As the ice elemental kept its attention on the bigger target, Symphony took her chance to dash behind her target. She breathed in deeply and activated her sword art, leaping up and slashing her dagger four times across the back of the beast. With her final slash, she dug into the outer icy layer of the beast and then leaped off, flipping and then landing a short distance away. Just out of reach of the beast. The ice elemental unleashed an angry trumpeting roar. It was so loud that she had to cover her ears for a second. Luckily, the beast didn't come charging right at her. She really did not want to take a direct hit from the monstrosity. 

Cloak had his fun with the ice elemental next. He dodged and weaved, pecking at the glowing red eyes of the beast. 

@Alec

[7] Alec - HP: 870/870 | EN: 69/85 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 104 | ACC: 2 | EVA: -1 | BH: 16 | THN: 36 DMG | Stonewall: -25% DoT

[1] Symphony - HP: 260/260 | EN: 18/26 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 14 | ACC: 1 | PLZ 9-10 | Regen: 5 HP

vs.

Ice Elemental 1 - 0/130 | (dead)

Ice Elemental 2 - HP: 116--24 = 92/200 | DMG: 60

Rank 1

• [x2 Stun] Side Bite (5 Energy) - Stab your opponent in both sides, pincing nerves, stunning opponent.
• [x2] Round Accel (2 Energy) - Dash around target at high speeds, delivering two slash/stabs into target.

Rank 2

• [x3] Tri Pierce (3 Energy) - Stab target three times, slashing diagonally to cause a triangle effect on each one
• [x4] Fad Edge (4 Energy) - The user swiftly strikes the opponent with four thrusts in brisk succession.

Symphony bowed and laughed. "Thank you," she said to Alec. Then she stood behind the man and let him do his thing. Watching as he brought the ice elemental to the ground. I'm glad I'm on his side, Sypmhony thought to herself. Now, it was her turn. She only needed to use a simple attack as the ice elemental was in the red health zone. 

Sprinting towards the monster with her dagger in hand, she whistled for Cloak. Leaping into the air, he grabbed her shoulders and helped project her into the chest of the ice elemental, effectively plunging her blade deep into its chest. She stared into its eyes and watched the life leave its eyes. The beast broke into the pixels, and she dropped down on one knee onto the ground. "Just one more to go." 

Restlessly, she twirled her blade in her hand, waiting for Alec's next move. Then it would be her turn to use her sword art again. 

@Alec

[4|7] Alec - HP: 870/870 | EN: 70/85 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 104 | ACC: 2 | EVA: -1 | BH: 16 | THN: 36 DMG | Stonewall: -25% DoT

[0] Symphony - HP: 260/260 | EN: 18/26 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 14 | ACC: 1 | PLZ 9-10 | Regen: 5 HP

vs.

Ice Elemental 1 - HP: 2-60= 0/130 | DMG: 40 (dead)

Ice Elemental 2 - HP: 164-48=116/200 | DMG: 60

Waiting for the right moment, Symphony crouched down, waiting for the enemy to make the first move. After a few moments, the fish monster began a charge. She charged right back and made a shrill whistle to Cloak, who plunged down and clawed at the head of the beast. Crying in pain, the beast tried to protect its face and eyes from the sharp talons. This opened it up completely. Rushing forward, Symphony plunged her blade into the thing's chest and twisted it. An explosion of pixels. The monster was finally dead. With a long, deep sigh, Symphony stretched and whistled to Cloak that it was time to go. She packed up, whistling a fun little toon, and headed back to the clearing where they had been before. An hour had passed. The boar pups would have spawned again by now. Cloak took the lead in the air, making sure that no enemies were up ahead planning to ambush the pair. 

Monster Fish: 0/130 HP | 39 DMG

vs. 

Symphony: 194/260 HP | 13/26 EN | 6 DMG | 14 MIT | +5 REGEN (3/3) | +1 ACC | 9-10 PLYZ

1/3 boar pup tusks gathered

Loot gathered: 
390 col + 260 =650 col  + 2 T1 Materials
 

Sword arts: 

Rank 1

• [x2 Stun] Side Bite (5 Energy) - Stab your opponent in both sides, pincing nerves, stunning opponent.
• [x2] Round Accel (2 Energy) - Dash around target at high speeds, delivering two slash/stabs into target.

Rank 2

• [x3] Tri Pierce (3 Energy) - Stab target three times, slashing diagonally to cause a triangle effect on each one
• [x4] Fad Edge (4 Energy) - The user swiftly strikes the opponent with four thrusts in brisk succession.

With a shrill whistle, Symphony signaled for the attack. But the monster fish had been given too much time to recover. It dodged and tried to parry, but its attack was too slow once more. Cursing under her breath, Symphony leaped back and regrouped with Cloak. She motioned for her familiar to quietly soar in the shadows of the forest and get some cover behind the enemy. Meanwhile, Symphony began to tilt her blade, catching the sun and flashing the reflection in the fish's sensitive eyes. It used its fins to try to cover its face. Now she had its attention focused on her. Cloak would be free to take position without being noticed. Hopefully he could get to his post without breaking any branches or alerting any animals in the trees. Any warning calls from other birds would give away their plan of attack. The monster fish began to charge towards Symphony. 

Monster Fish: 2/130 HP | 39 DMG

vs. 

Symphony: 189/260 HP | 13/26 EN | 6 DMG | 14 MIT | +5 REGEN (2/3) | +1 ACC | 9-10 PLYZ

1/3 boar pup tusks gathered

Sword arts: 

Rank 1

• [x2 Stun] Side Bite (5 Energy) - Stab your opponent in both sides, pincing nerves, stunning opponent.
• [x2] Round Accel (2 Energy) - Dash around target at high speeds, delivering two slash/stabs into target.

Rank 2

• [x3] Tri Pierce (3 Energy) - Stab target three times, slashing diagonally to cause a triangle effect on each one
• [x4] Fad Edge (4 Energy) - The user swiftly strikes the opponent with four thrusts in brisk succession.

The monster fish began to make more noise at the bird, obviously aggravated by its presence. Cloak took his chance and made a few diving sweeps at the beast, making it focus its attention on the pesky bird. This was her chance. Readying up her blade, Symphony sprinted towards the monster, slashing across its back in two large X's. She quickly leaped away so that the monster fish could not strike back at her. She had learned her lesson the last time. In pain and annoyed, the beast twitched and made a horrible gurgling and choking noise. Cloak shivered. The sound was eerie and haunting. It was the sound something makes when it's close to death. Symphony's eyes gleamed as she saw the low health of the beast. She was ready for the kill. She whistled to Cloak to work with her on the final assault. He cawed in affirmation. 

Monster Fish: 26-24 = 2/130 HP | 39 DMG

vs. 

Symphony: 184/260 HP | 13/26 EN | 6 DMG | 14 MIT | +5 REGEN (1/3) | +1 ACC | 9-10 PLYZ

1/3 boar pup tusks gathered

Sword arts: 

Rank 1

• [x2 Stun] Side Bite (5 Energy) - Stab your opponent in both sides, pincing nerves, stunning opponent.
• [x2] Round Accel (2 Energy) - Dash around target at high speeds, delivering two slash/stabs into target.

Rank 2

• [x3] Tri Pierce (3 Energy) - Stab target three times, slashing diagonally to cause a triangle effect on each one
• [x4] Fad Edge (4 Energy) - The user swiftly strikes the opponent with four thrusts in brisk succession.

Symphony winced as she Alec go down. Then she winced even more as the ice elemental pounded itself into his shield. She knew he didn't feel much pain, but it still looked dramatic as ever. "You uh, you okay there friend?" she called over to Alec. However, she didn't have much time to focus on him before her ice elemental started moving again. "Ah, jeez," she muttered under her breath before charging her sword art once more and charging towards the enemy. With four more swift stabs, the ice elemental went down once again, paralyzed as well. "And stay down!" 

She walked back behind Alec to check his stats and see if he was okay. And of course he was. Still at perfect health, Symphony noted. The perks of being a tank. 

Meanwhile, Cloak settled into the branches of a tree behind the two humans and two monsters. He hadn't scouted anymore enemies, and his wings needed a break. 

@Alec

[4|4] Alec - HP: 870/870 | EN: 77/85 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 104 | ACC: 2 | EVA: -1 | BH: 16 | THN: 36 DMG | Stonewall: -25% DoT

[4|0] Symphony - HP: 260/260 | EN: 18/26 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 14 | ACC: 1 | PLZ 9-10 | Regen: 5 HP

vs.

Ice Elemental 1 - HP: 30-28 = 2/130 | DMG: 40 (paralyzed again)

Ice Elemental 2 - HP: 164/200 | DMG: 60

sword arts

Rank 1

• [x2 Stun] Side Bite (5 Energy) - Stab your opponent in both sides, pincing nerves, stunning opponent.
• [x2] Round Accel (2 Energy) - Dash around target at high speeds, delivering two slash/stabs into target.

Rank 2

• [x3] Tri Pierce (3 Energy) - Stab target three times, slashing diagonally to cause a triangle effect on each one
• [x4] Fad Edge (4 Energy) - The user swiftly strikes the opponent with four thrusts in brisk succession.

Symphony nodded her head in understanding as Scarab explained himself. "Well, if you ever need someone to take hits and back you up, I can do that for you." She smiled, and Cloak cawed in agreement. "It wasn't so long ago that I was your level. I had spent most of my time just reading and studying before I decided to give this whole adventuring thing a try." 

She pulled out her dagger and dug the tip into the table, swirling it around. "Oh, and to answer your question, I've played it a few times in this world, but I have not practiced enough to give anything close to a worthy performance." She laughed. "2 years does make one rusty." 

Cloak was growing bored with all this human chatter, so he hopped on the table and then over to Scarab. He then promptly hopped onto the man's right shoulder and began nibbling on his hair (his way of grooming). "Oh, sorry about that again. We haven't been outside much today, and he hates being cooped up."

@Scarabaeus

Symphony watched the two playing up in the air together. "Huh," she said. "That's as good a reason as any." She looked back over at Hazado and smiled. Symphony hadn't explored the third floor fairly often herself. The only thing she came her for was materials. She hadn't discovered any of the secret locations or sights of the floor. 

"Well, if you need a friend or two to tag along with you guys," Symphony continued, "Cloak and I would be more than happy to accompany you." Cloak cawed above them in agreement before playfully nipping at the fox dragon's tail. 

Symphony laughed as Cloak teased the other familiar. It was one of the few times that he had met another follower. He was excited and overjoyed at having made another friend. Maybe Symphony and Hazado could become fast friends as well if fate allowed. She smiled and looked over at Haz once more. 

@Hazado

Symphony nodded her head and smiled. She did her best to relax and follow Alec's advice. Focusing on her breath, she charged her sword art once more. The blade glowed a dark purplish-blue. As she let her breath out, she charged. With four quick jabs, she managed to slice off the arm of the first ice elemental. Her blade also managed to paralyze the monster. "Thank you for the advice," she shouted to Alec once she had leaped a safe distance away from the two enemies. "The second one is all yours. Don't even worry about the first one. He can't attack." The first ice elemental had fallen to the ground and remained stiff and still. The only thing that gave away it was still alive was the groaning of its frozen joints. 

Up above the fight, Cloak gave a happy caw. He was ecstatic that his partner had finally hit her target. "Thank you, too, Cloak!" she shouted up to the bird, laughing. 

@Alec

[4|4] Alec - HP: 870/870 | EN: 77/85 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 104 | ACC: 2 | EVA: -1 | BH: 16 | THN: 36 DMG | Stonewall: -25% DoT

[2|0] Symphony - HP: 260/260 | EN: 18/26 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 14 | ACC: 1 | PLZ 9-10 | Regen: 5 HP

vs.

Ice Elemental 1 - HP: 58-28 = 30/130 | DMG: 40 (Paralyzed)

Ice Elemental 2 - HP: 200/200 | DMG: 60

sword arts

Rank 1

• [x2 Stun] Side Bite (5 Energy) - Stab your opponent in both sides, pincing nerves, stunning opponent.
• [x2] Round Accel (2 Energy) - Dash around target at high speeds, delivering two slash/stabs into target.

Rank 2

• [x3] Tri Pierce (3 Energy) - Stab target three times, slashing diagonally to cause a triangle effect on each one
• [x4] Fad Edge (4 Energy) - The user swiftly strikes the opponent with four thrusts in brisk succession.

"I own a violin," Symphony replied to the man's question. She opened her inventory and pulled out the reddish-hued instrument for a split second before putting it right back. 

As Scarab held out his tea, Symphony's eyes grew wide, and she yelled, "Don't do that-", but it was already too late. Cloak tried to hop into the cup and ended up spilling it all over the place. Symphony sighed and picked the bird up, putting it to the side so that he wouldn't try to bathe in the puddle of tea on the table. She took out a piece of cloth from her inventory and wiped up the mess. "I apologize for him. He is really a trouble maker," she said. 

Looking back at Cloak, she scolded him. "We don't do that to other people's drinks! No treats for you tonight." Cloak cawed sadly and gave her a cute tilted head look. "Hmph, fine," Symphony caved. "Just one piece of raw steak." Cloak cawed happily and hopped back up onto Symphony's shoulder, nuzzling her cheek. 

Symphony looked back at Scarab. "As I was about to say before this one interrupted," she said while motioning to Cloak. "He is my raven familiar. Very mischievous and curious. Sometimes too much so for his own good. But we keep each other safe in battle, and that's what matters." Cloak clacked his beak in agreement. "Do you plan on getting a familiar anytime soon?" she asked. 

@Scarabaeus

Symphony watched as Alec took on the elementals, equally impressed as she was amused. She had rarely worked with tanks, so she had not been used to their mechanics. It was refreshing to be able to depend on someone else though. It had been quite a while since she had been out with another companion. 

After Alec attacked and drew both of the enemies' attention, Symphony charged her blade. While the first ice elemental was still focused on Alec, she took her chance and dashed at lightening speed towards her target. What she lacked up in strength, she definitely made up for in speed and flexibility. She struck out at the torso of the ice elemental four separate times, but she left not even a scratch on the monster. Her face scrunched up in thought as she looked down at her blade and then back at the enemy. Her blade had just slid off. Instead of a slicing motion, she would need to dig in deep with the blade in order to penetrate into the slick, icy layers of the beast. 

"My apologies," Symphony yelled over to Alec from his left. "I should be able to get the darn thing next time."

@Alec

[4|4] Alec - HP: 870/870 | EN: 77/85 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 104 | ACC: 2 | EVA: -1 | BH: 16 | THN: 36 DMG | Stonewall: -25% DoT

[0|0] Symphony - HP: 260/260 | EN: 21/26 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 14 | ACC: 1 | PLZ 9-10 | Regen: 5 HP

vs. 

Ice Elemental 1 - HP: 130-36=94/130 | DMG: 40

Ice Elemental 2 - HP: 200/200 | DMG: 60

sword arts

Rank 1

• [x2 Stun] Side Bite (5 Energy) - Stab your opponent in both sides, pincing nerves, stunning opponent.
• [x2] Round Accel (2 Energy) - Dash around target at high speeds, delivering two slash/stabs into target.

Rank 2

• [x3] Tri Pierce (3 Energy) - Stab target three times, slashing diagonally to cause a triangle effect on each one
• [x4] Fad Edge (4 Energy) - The user swiftly strikes the opponent with four thrusts in brisk succession.

Symphony brought her dagger up and charged up her sword art. With a swift flick of her wrist, she launched into her sword art, slashing through the tough scales of the fish and even managing to slice some of them off. In a sudden boost of speed, the monster fish returned the assault and slashed against Symphony's chest as she was leaping back to try and dodge the attack. She covered her body with her right arm instinctively and defensively and backed away to come up with another plan of attack. She whistled to signal to Cloak that she needed his help. The black raven to the air and began to circle above the enemy, looking for an opening and a way to distract the offender. 

The monster fish looked up and made a mad glurgle. Naturally, the monster fish hated the raven just like the salmon in the river hate the eagles stalking from above. 

Monster Fish: 26 HP | 39 DMG

vs. 

Symphony: 218-39= 179/260 HP | 13/26 EN | 6 DMG | 14 MIT | +5 REGEN (1/3) | +1 ACC | 9-10 PLYZ

1/3 boar pup tusks gathered

Sword arts: 

Rank 1

• [x2 Stun] Side Bite (5 Energy) - Stab your opponent in both sides, pincing nerves, stunning opponent.
• [x2] Round Accel (2 Energy) - Dash around target at high speeds, delivering two slash/stabs into target.

Rank 2

• [x3] Tri Pierce (3 Energy) - Stab target three times, slashing diagonally to cause a triangle effect on each one
• [x4] Fad Edge (4 Energy) - The user swiftly strikes the opponent with four thrusts in brisk succession.

Symphony smiled up at Alec and laughed with him. "Well, Cloak sure helps complete my life in an odd way." Cloak cawed happily and nuzzled her cheek. She giggled and pet his head feathers. "He's my best friend pretty much." She raised her arm up, which Cloak hopped on to. Then he braced himself and took flight above the tundra in front of them. 

Symphony continued to make small talk with Alec for a few minutes until Cloak clacked his beak twice. She immediately crouched down and went behind a tree for cover. She motioned for Alec to do the same. "Two ice elementals up ahead," she whispered. Two 7 feet tall ice golems walked over a hill. They were hard to make out in the white, fresh snow. She took a moment to study the beasts. "How about you take the more powerful one on the right, and I'll take the one on the left?" she asked while readying her blade. 

@Alec

Ice Golem 1: 130 HP | 40 DMG
Ice Golem 2: 200 HP | 60 DMG

Symphony checked her inventory. 5 health potions that she had began the game with, none of them used. "I think I'll be okay for now," she replied, "but I'll let you know if I need anything once we go into battle." She took some mint gum out of her inventory and began to chew it. Most of her inventory was taken up by random food -- none that gave any bonuses. She just really liked to eat. 

She glanced down at the blade at her side as Alec mentioned it. "Oh, yeah. I'm pretty small, so a dagger lets me get in quickly between larger enemies." The woman was only 5 foot 4 and thinly built. "And uh..." she paused to look down at herself. "I don't think it would really look right with me carrying a large weapon." She laughed at the thought. 

Cloak clacked his beak impatiently as the two talked. She looked to her shoulder and said, "Alright, we'll head out now."

She walked out the door and then let Alec take the lead. "Lead the way, bud. You know where we're going."  

@Alec

Symphony watched, eyes wide as apples, as Jomei absolutely decimated the crocodile. She looked back and forth from where the crocodile used to be and back to Jomei. She was absolutely speechless. Even Cloak fluffed his feathers in surprise as he glided above the two. "Uh. You... you really uh got that one," Symphony said, still stunned. She looked over at her crocodile, which looked more timid and fearful. It still hissed at her though. 

Symphony tried to focus her energy into her sword as she prepped her sword art. At the last minute, when she began her charge, the crocodile dived back into the deep, murky water. Symphony had to stop on a dime and nearly fell into the dangerous water. "Ahh!" she yelled as fell back onto her butt and quickly scooted away from the water. "Bad oversized lizard! Bad!"

@Jomei

[ 2 | 0 ]Jomei: 1430/1430 HP | 145/153 EN | 17 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 52 MIT | 2 Savvy | 72 B. Healing

[ 0 | 1 ]Symphony: 240/240 HP | 16/24 EN | 6 DMG | 14 MIT | +1 ACC | 9-10 PLYZ | +5 REGEN

Crocodile 1: 0/160 36 DMG
Crocodile 2: 136/160 36 DMG

Rank 1

• [x2 Stun] Side Bite (5 Energy) - Stab your opponent in both sides, pincing nerves, stunning opponent.
• [x2] Round Accel (2 Energy) - Dash around target at high speeds, delivering two slash/stabs into target.

Rank 2

• [x3] Tri Pierce (3 Energy) - Stab target three times, slashing diagonally to cause a triangle effect on each one
• [x4] Fad Edge (4 Energy) - The user swiftly strikes the opponent with four thrusts in brisk succession.

Symphony looked down at her coat and then back up at Alec. "Oh, right. Well, it's more of a habit than anything. In the real world, I never had good circulation, and I very much hated the cold." Just remembering the cold winters in New York made her shiver. "More of a thing habit than out of necessity honestly." She unequipped her coat to reveal deep blue armor and a long thin dagger at her hip. 

To the mention of drinks, she shook her head. "I'm not one for drinking much. Don't like the taste, and you don't even get the fun affects in this game." She smiled and bent down to pat the little bear cub once more. "I am ready to head out now though. Would you be willing to lead the way?" she said while standing up and putting Cloak on her shoulder. Cloak groomed her hair as the party got ready to head out. 

@Alec

Symphony nodded and said, "It's alright. I understand," as he apologized. His bright personality amused her if anything. 

She looked into a corner of the room behind Scarab as she thought back to the real world. "Ah, yes. It's been about 2 years now. Well, I was a violinist in a large symphony. My mother and father taught me how to sing, play piano, and play the violin and viola." She took a sip of her tea. In all honesty, she had been downplaying her experience. She had played with the New York Philharmonic and traveled to play with the Tokyo Symphony as well. Those were just a few of her abundance of experiences. Even at 18, when she had been trapped in the game, she had traveled around the world for summer music camps and lessons with the best violinists. 

Cloak dipped his beak into her tea mischievously and took a sip as she was talking. Once she noticed, Symphony looked down and sighed, then pet him. "You naughty thing," she mumbled.

@Scarabaeus 

The monster fish was also angry at being injured, and now he was getting closer to death. He charged at Symphony, and she charged right back. They met in the middle and parried for a few blows until the monster fish decided to go in with his mouth and bite the woman. She tried to block the attack by bringing up her left arm, but the jaws just closed and latched onto her armor, the razor sharp teeth digging into her skin. Symphony screamed more in anger than in pain, ripping her arm out of the beast's mouth. Her eyes burned with a fire. She may do less damage than the monster, but she had more health and spirit. 

As the monster was pushed back by her taking her arm away, she saw her opportunity. She charged up her blade quickly and went in for 4 good strikes to the beast's stomach area. The cuts were deep, and the monster backed away as it clutched its stomach and winced. Meanwhile, Symphony backed up as well and checked her wounds. 

The armor on her left forearm had been torn away, and prevalent bite marks showed on her skin that were bleeding. However, her self-healing armor began to grow back and heal her for a few points of health. 

Monster Fish: 54 HP | 39 DMG

vs. 

Symphony: 213/260 HP | 16/26 EN | 6 DMG | 14 MIT | +5 REGEN (1/3) | +1 ACC | 9-10 PLYZ

1/3 boar pup tusks gathered

Sword arts: 

Rank 1

• [x2 Stun] Side Bite (5 Energy) - Stab your opponent in both sides, pincing nerves, stunning opponent.
• [x2] Round Accel (2 Energy) - Dash around target at high speeds, delivering two slash/stabs into target.

Rank 2

• [x3] Tri Pierce (3 Energy) - Stab target three times, slashing diagonally to cause a triangle effect on each one
• [x4] Fad Edge (4 Energy) - The user swiftly strikes the opponent with four thrusts in brisk succession.

Symphony thought she could get a good jab or two in before the effect wore off completely. However, she miscalculated. As soon as she had begun to use her sword art again, the beast got up and sprang too, invigorated with pain and anger. Right as she took her last swing, the beast lashed out at her with its razor sharp fins. Symphony tried to dodge the attack by ducking, but she ended up just lowering herself into a blow by accident. A deep gash opened up on her cheek about 3 inches long. She brought her hand up to her face and looked down to see blood on her hand. 

Now that she was hurt, her anger only grew, and she let her emotions flow into her blade. "Why you nasty stinking fish!" she cried while racing towards the beast. Cloak braced himself, staring, waiting to jump in if his partner needed him. She was mad now. 

Monster Fish: 78 HP | 39 DMG

vs. 

Symphony: 235/260 HP | 19/26 EN | 6 DMG | 14 MIT | +5 REGEN | +1 ACC | 9-10 PLYZ

1/3 boar pup tusks gathered

Sword arts: 

Rank 1

• [x2 Stun] Side Bite (5 Energy) - Stab your opponent in both sides, pincing nerves, stunning opponent.
• [x2] Round Accel (2 Energy) - Dash around target at high speeds, delivering two slash/stabs into target.

Rank 2

• [x3] Tri Pierce (3 Energy) - Stab target three times, slashing diagonally to cause a triangle effect on each one
• [x4] Fad Edge (4 Energy) - The user swiftly strikes the opponent with four thrusts in brisk succession.

Before the beast could attack her again, Symphony charged her blade. It glowed a deep, purplish-blue hue. The monster fish stared in stupidity as Symphony began to dash around it, moving at odd angles so that the beast would not be able to track her movements so well. As she dashed around, she slashed out four times, hitting the monster fish in the left body, right fin, back of its thick head, and on the back of its leg. 

When her move had finished, she stopped and braced herself against a tree a good distance away from the monster. The odd thing let out a gasping cry and fell to the ground. Paralyzed. Symphony smiled to herself, and Cloak gave a supportive caw. She looked up at her familiar. "Don't get too excited yet," she said. "This fight isn't even halfway over yet." As she spoke, the paralysis affect on her blade began to wear off ever so slowly. The beast was now able to move its toes. 

Monster Fish: 102 HP | 39 DMG

vs. 

Symphony: 260/260 HP | 22/26 EN | 6 DMG | 14 MIT | +5 REGEN | +1 ACC | 9-10 PLYZ

1/3 boar pup tusks gathered

Sword arts: 

Rank 1

• [x2 Stun] Side Bite (5 Energy) - Stab your opponent in both sides, pincing nerves, stunning opponent.
• [x2] Round Accel (2 Energy) - Dash around target at high speeds, delivering two slash/stabs into target.

Rank 2

• [x3] Tri Pierce (3 Energy) - Stab target three times, slashing diagonally to cause a triangle effect on each one
• [x4] Fad Edge (4 Energy) - The user swiftly strikes the opponent with four thrusts in brisk succession.

Symphony cast her line and chewed on a piece of gum while waiting for something to bite. Meanwhile, Cloak settled down beside her on the soft blanket, fluffing up and getting ready to nap. But his nap would soon be interrupted as a half man/half fish monster leaped out of the lake and struck out at Symphony. Luckily, she managed to dodge the slow-moving beast just in time.

Cloak took flight up into the nearest tree and watched his partner battle the beast. He was quite startled, but knew his partner could handle this fight on her own if needed. He would lend a wing or two if needed whenever she signaled for him. 

The beast had the legs of a man and the upper torso, fins, and head of a fish. It was truly an ugly creature. It stood about 6 feet tall with razor sharp scales all over its body and fins. Symphony would have to be careful while attacking in order not to cut herself against the scales. 

Monster Fish: 130 HP | 39 DMG

vs. 

Symphony: 260/260 HP | 25/26 EN | 6 DMG | 14 MIT | +5 REGEN | +1 ACC | 9-10 PLYZ

1/3 boar pup tusks gathered

Symphony made the first move this time. Bracing herself, she charged towards the boar pup. It started to run, but she quickly overtook it and sliced it in half. The pixels burst apart, and she sheathed her blade. Turning around, she was disappointed to find that, once again, there were no boar pup tusks to be found. She sighed and thought about what to do next. She had a bit of time before the next group of boar pups spawned in this area, so she decided to find a lake and do some fishing while she waited. 

She looked up and whistled at Cloak, signalling him to look for a large body of water. After a few minutes of circling out farther and farther, Cloak let out a caw about a half mile North of the clearing. 

Symphony made her way over to the shore of a rather large lake. She set up a blanket for cloak to rest on beside her as she took out her fishing pole and cast a line. 

Boar Pup 1: 0/5 HP | 3 DMG
Boar Pup 2: 0/5 HP | 3 DMG
Boar Pup 3: 0/5 HP | 3 DMG 
Boar pup 4: 0/5 HP | 3 DMG
Boar Pup 5: 0/5 HP | 3 DMG

vs. 

Symphony: 260/260 HP | 24/26 EN | 6 DMG | 14 MIT | +5 REGEN | +1 ACC | 9-10 PLYZ

1/3 boar pup tusks gathered

One of the boar pups jumped into action as soon as they saw that Symphony's attention was elsewhere for only a split second. The little beast charged and nicked her arm, knocking her slightly off balance. Symphony immediately jumped into a battle stance and was prepared when the second attack hit. She blocked the small tusks with her dagger and then stabbed into the chest of the other boar pup. Its body burst into pixels. Alas, still no more boar pup tusks. She cursed under her breath and watched as the final boar pup paced around uncertainly. Final one, she thought to herself. I hope this one at least drops something useful.

Above the woman, her companion soared, watching his partner fight. He decided to relax and just keep a watch from a distance. She seemed like she could handle herself for now. He relaxed his wings and just soared above the scuffle below. 

Boar Pup 1: 0/5 HP | 3 DMG
Boar Pup 2: 0/5 HP | 3 DMG
Boar Pup 3: 0/5 HP | 3 DMG 
Boar pup 4: 0/5 HP | 3 DMG
Boar Pup 5: 5/5 HP | 3 DMG

vs. 

Symphony: 259/260 HP | 24/26 EN | 6 DMG | 14 MIT | +5 REGEN (1/3) | +1 ACC | 9-10 PLYZ

1/3 boar pup tusks gathered

Symphony leaned back a little, a bit surprised at the spirit of the young player. "Uh, sure?" she said as her and Cloak looked at each other. In the real world, she had never considered being a model, but she supposed it couldn't hurt in this world. "What the heck," she said and shrugged. She pulled up a chair and had Cloak rest on her shoulder. "No need to apologize. Just be careful with that behavior around here. It could get you some unwanted attention." She leaned back casually in the chair and pulled the green tea out of her inventory.

Taking a sip, she tilted her head and looked at the interesting player in front of her. "Artist, huh? I used to be an artist in the real world as well. A performer." There was a small glint in her eyes and a hint of a smile on her lips as she thought back to the good ol' days before they were all trapped in this game.  

@Scarabaeus
 

Symphony smiled at the young cub resting on her boot. She stooped down to pet him, still listening to Alec while petting the dear creature. Strange that the little bear would be a healer rather than a damaged based familiar, but her own companion was odd as a damage based familiar due to his small size in comparison. 

Cloak began to peck and groom Alec's beard as the man offered to help them. Symphony stifled a giggle as she stood and spoke. "Thank you for your kind offer. I think Cloak and I will take you up on it." She held her arm out and whistled, and Cloak flew and perched on her right forearm. She looked back up at Alec. "Though you won't have to watch out for me too much. I should be able to hold my own at least a little, but if you could stand by to step in, that would be quite helpful." 

@Alec