Andromeda

[11/07/2020]

Alone in her closed shop, An's hand hovered frozen over an event notification screen.

She...

She didn't get Senpai!

"Pfffaaaa-- so much for signing her up!" An sank in her seat, head slamming against the surface of her workstation as the heart-sprinkled manifestation of her failure vanished at the player's sudden movement. Look. She'd thought her plan was brilliant. She'd managed to convince Arabelle to put her name in the dating sweepstakes. The pretty purple-haired girl had even left An in charge of her entry. But where she'd faltered was convincing Arabelle to put An as one of her preferences.

So, Plan B. She'd put Arabelle in as one of her preferences, and An had thought, if she as a merchant could roll three amazing uniques on three amazing weapons and then some, she would definitely hit the fifty-percent chance of securing her date!

We wouldn't be here if her utterly foolproof plan hadn't fallen through.

But the next morning, she woke up on her workstation feeling leagues better. The merchant reopened the notification. O-ni-hi-me. A girl...? Though the idea of going out with someone totally unfamiliar set her in a somewhat jittery mood, An hadn't been on a proper date for a long time and she was sure her assigned partner was looking for the same thing too. She tapped absently on the floating screen. Mercifully, the game had provided them an appropriate venue. She loaded the event data into her map of Floor 1, and her scarlet eyes fixated on a new highlighted area not too far into the combat zone.

...? Why outside?

Anyways. 

An breathed in deeply and lightly slapped her cheeks. Before she locked up her shop for the day, she grabbed her usual red cloak and beret from the coat rack by the door and pretended she didn't see the goodies one of her regular clients had sent in for junk selling.

Regardless of them being not-Senpai, today was going to be fun for the both of them!

Andromeda (LEVEL 20: 53 SP)   | HP: 400 | EN: 40 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 39   | Frost Aura: 2 | Frost Thorns: 1

Spoiler Carol of the Bells T1 Demonic Light Armor.  -- CURSED | FROST AURA | MITIGATION II Red velvet, fluffy white trim, drops all the way down to the user's knees -- it's very obviously a Santa cloak. Andromeda will never leave vanity details to NPCs ever again. | [✦] Svalinn T1 Demonic Shield. -- CURSED | FROST AURA | FROST THORNS | MITIGATION  "The shield which once stood before the sun and kept the Earth from being set aflame." A small round shield perpetually encased in a thick layer of unyielding ice. Its surface is uneven, with sharp ice crystals jutting out and rising up, and any attack aimed at it would sure result in a nasty counter-effect. Attacks made from afar or otherwise aren't left without retribution either, as the opponent would feel themselves surrounded by an intense chill. When equipped alongside any item with a flame enhancement, the ice becomes dyed with an auburn hue but does not lose any of its intensity. | [✦] -- | reference. [Frost Aura:] Successful non-critical attacks deal 10 unmitigated Frost damage to the attacking enemy. [Frost Thorns:] Successful attacks deal 7 unmitigated damage to the attacking enemy. Successful critical attacks deal an additional 2 unmitigated Frost damage each enemy turn for 2 turns. [battle-ready inventory:] Spoiler -- [skills:] Spoiler [used sp: 53 | unused sp: 0] 01. Rapier -- Rank 4 02. Howl      | Focused Howl [sword arts:] Spoiler [r1:] [x2] Rip Ravine (2 Energy) - Two quick slashes into a target. [r2:] [x3] Accel Stab - (3 Energy) - A chain of three nimble thrusts aimed at the target's torso. [x4] Quadruple Pain - (4 Energy) - Four thrusts are made, each aimed at the limbs of the opponent. [r3:] [x5] Neutron - (5 Energy) - A single high-powered thrust, that pierces the opponents body. [x6] Crucifixion - (6 Energy) - A six-hit thrusting sword art that traces the pattern of a cross into the target. [x5 MA Stun] Twilight Resurrection - (8 Energy) - Four high-speed thrusts, followed by striking the opponent in the head with the back of the fist. [r4:] [x7] Shooting Star - (7 Energy) - The user springs at the target at high speeds before making several quick thrusts into the opponent. [x8] Penetrate - (8 Energy) - Four high-speed thrusts that penetrate the opponents body and deal considerable damage.

the merchant hummed a happy little tune as she arranged NIGHT's shiny new equipment on the counter. except she couldn't possibly fit half a dozen greatswords and katanas on the narrow top, so she summoned the strength she'd possessed when she and a squad of noobs beat a trebuchet to death and shoved a couple of closed crates together to form a makeshift extension. all in all, Pandora's Wares was somehow even more cramped than before, but she was happy with the results of her appraisal and she was sure NIGHT would be too.

she sent off a PM following up on the status of the frontliner's request and settled down on a chair with a cup of tea.

[10/28/2020]

;A;

Identifications:

Junk sale:

T3 Equipment

• 28,750 | (23) PERFECT
  [166097] [166102] [166104] [172527] [172531b] 
  [172531c] [163436] [163438] [164172a] [164172b] 
  [166083] [166087b] [166091a] [166091b] [166094a] 
  [166094b] [166099] [166100] [166105] [166110]
  [166111a] [166111b] [172527]
   
• 21,600 | (24) RARE
  [162180] [162427] [162434] [162436] [162437] 
  [163232] [163233] [163234] [163444] [166098] 
  [172532] [172533] [172535] [154990] [163017]
  [163020] [163439] [163442] [163446] [164173]
  [164523] [164525] [166109] [172534]

50,350 col

[10/24/2020]

Placeholder.

When Mishiro extracted herself from the circle, her gaze lingered briefly on An. 

—Whenever she was ready.

Because in what world did a tank ever bring up the rear?

E e p.

Their ride drew close, the thick curtain of fog parting to reveal its torn sails, and like what you would expect from a boat that looked like it was one heavy stomp from breaking in half, it was slow. Watching it kind of felt like being strapped onto a carriage midway through its steady ascent up a drop tower. And she didn't like most amusement park rides after she'd tried them out the first time. An was just about ready to hurl herself into the water if it meant she'd be free from the claws of dread that tightened around her mind with every passing second.

If she talked to Mishiro, she'd freak out even more because the girl's composure hadn't wavered in the slightest since they met an hour ago and she knew a huge part of any DPS's confidence came from having a tank that was... not freaking out. So instead, she whirled on the group's confused newbie. "Don't worry, you're completely on time!" —To miss being intimidated by her. Smiling, An handed off the last bag of treats and delivered a friendlier version of Mishiro's earlier instruction. When she finished, she wrung her hands anxiously beneath the cover of her velvety red cloak and her sights curiously strayed to the unusual name that had been the last to join the line of their party's status bars. "'Grimm Reaper,' huh? So... do you use a scythe?"

A foghorn blew, and the prow fell open, forming a bridge between the docks and the ghost ship's hold. An pushed to the front of her party, peering in. Blessedly, the spirits they'd heard from a distance had quieted when the ship opened, but who was to say it would stay the same once the ramp pulled up behind them? Maybe they were just enticing them with the false promise of things being not as bad as it seemed.

She remembered the hedge maze. And she traced a hand along the ice cold edge of her auburn shield.

"I'm heading in~."

Up the ramp the merry band of noobs went. When the last person had stepped into the ship, An turned around to check on them and thought she felt something brush against the nape of her neck. No one should be behind her. 

And did any of her teammates whisper like that?

Eeeeeee--

Nope, nope, nope. If all of them were holding back their compulsion to visibly freak out, maybe she could do it in their stead. A little. "I have no idea where we're supposed to go—" she pointedly avoided looking at Mishiro "—but abovedeck shouldn't feel so cold!" An hadn't realized the hold had been so chilly until she'd said it out loud, and she suspected it had more to do with the ship's make and its... other passengers than the actual environment. Barely a few minutes had passed since they stepped off from the docks and it had been a perfectly normal evening then. "And maybe we could get our bearings too. Come on."

—And she really didn't want to fight down here. 

Tugging down at the edges of her red woolcap, she set a hurried pace towards where she knew the stairs leading to the deck should be. This shouldn't be different from any modern cruiser, right? An wasn't so sure. She felt the movement of the ship beneath her feet — they were probably leaving the docks, then entering an instance at some point — and she tried to concentrate on the sound of her and her party's steps, and it worked, until she started to think there were more than five pairs of feet traipsing along behind her.

She dropped back, nearly toppling Mishiro over. "Have you ever been on a ship before?"

"No." 

And she thought the girl would stop there like she always did until she felt the slightest nudge to her side. Mishiro had matched her pace, the sharp clicks of her heels spaced only a few precise moments after An's steps. 

"I suppose I was never in a position where I could understand the appeal to it."

An was only half-aware she'd lowered her voice to a near-whisper. "Y-you don't have to be in any position to understand ferries are sometimes better than airplanes! You know, for travelling shorter distances?"

"You'd have to actually consider travelling first." Mishiro paused thoughtfully, and in the span of that brief moment, An was once again consciously shutting her thoughts from the ghosts that lingered at the edges of their group. "Summers were only a little less busy on the other side, and there were more than enough things to do in the city. At least, that's how I saw it."

"Sucks that this is your first then, huh...?" 

An flashed her company a sympathetic smile, but whether she saw it or planned to return the gesture, she gave no indication. They'd reached the base of the stairs, and when the girl at her side abruptly ended their conversation to fall back and wait for An to advance, the first of the three's location was a dead giveaway. 

She nearly frowned.

At least the walking spoiler meant they couldn't possibly be doomed to wandering these haunted halls forever—?

An pumped a fist. "Prep your crystals, everyone!" 

"We will be alright."

Her second's assurance followed her all the way to the surface. The skies were pitch black, and it was only then, as she hastily stashed away her woolcap before the winds could blow it away, that she realized the purple glow they'd sighted from the shore was coming right from the cold wood material that made up the entire ship. She took another step out into the open and lightning split the veil of night in two. 

We will be alright.

Because stomping down the deck was not the horribly misshapen wraith she'd feared, but rather Generic Big Oaf #10371. He wielded a pillar(???) in one hand and boomed out an Introductory Monologue.

[Whatever, it's been a week and the party needs to move forward.]

"I hope bringing this shoddy boat down with us isn't in the mechanics, Mish!" An yelled over her shoulder. 

She took a deep breath, broke the first crystal, and the brilliant red of her cloak fanned out behind her as she charged into the open deck.

"Say cheese, Mish!"

"'Cheese'?"

A flash went off from the small prism held between her fingers. An wouldn't see the resulting picture until she had it developed, but she knew the only thing she could have captured was either her teammate's blank stare or the exact moment she raised a hand up to shield her eyes. She instantly pouted; her friends in the real world could have picked up on it so easily. "You were supposed to smile!"

"Then you should have told me..."

She was hopelessly stuck between wanting to facepalm and wanting to give the precious innocent angel a hug. So instead, An stuck Arabelle's record crystal into an inventory window and stomped off. Ninety-nine left to not screw up. Maybe she could sneak in a couple in between their combat encounters. Maybe none of them would have Mishiro unless it was a candid shot.

Oh, right, the dungeon! The girl picked up her pace, and by that time her DPS has caught up too, both walking side by side, fully geared and buffed to the teeth. They had been running down the paved path for almost half an hour now, and from the vantage point they had stopped at, it was only a few more minutes before they reached their destination. An picked out their team from the misty riverbanks easily because they were... the only people there.

Were they in the instance already?

An rushed over. 

"Helloooo!" She stopped, hands on her knees, still breathing heavily from their long walk, and she managed a relieved grin. "Made it in time~. Nice to meet you everyone! I'm An, and I can tank! ( ╹▽╹ )" 

Four small pouches, all packed to full with a certain purple-haired performer's crystals, appeared in the midst of the loose circle they'd unintentionally formed. "Take one each, please. They're all instant use. And um, a few lucky bags also have debuffs!" She neglected to mention that it was blindingly obvious which of those were; two were larger than the others. She pumped her fists. "Let's all do our best, okay?"

She tossed a larger pack to Mishiro, and as the packs were taken one by one, the tank tilted her head in confusion.

Eh? Were they missing someone?

TRADING; TAKE EVERYTHING BULLETED UNDER YOUR NAME.

Andromeda (LEVEL 20: 53 SP)   | HP: 445 | EN: 40 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 93 | ACC: 2   | Blight: 24 | Burn: 12 | Toxic Venom: 8   | Frost Aura: 2 | Frost Thorns | Immolation: 10   | LD: 3

Spoiler Jack's Corrupted Legacy T1 Demonic Rapier -- Cursed | Blight II | Burn [reference] "...and they shall cast them into the furnace of fire, where there was weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth." A malicious, unstable weapon hidden beneath a plain semblance. Patterns of vines and fleur-de-lis are etched onto its black swept hilt and its blade is 38 in. long. It takes on a crimson red aura when a Sword Art is activated. At random, unpredictable occurrences, the weapon will burst into flames - sometimes red, sometimes a darker hue, and sometimes a pitch black in color - and inflict a strong damage-over-time effect on its enemy. | [✦] Svalinn T1 Demonic Shield -- Cursed | Frost Thorns | Frost Aura | Mitigation "The shield which once stood before the sun and kept the Earth from being set aflame." A small round shield perpetually encased in a thick layer of unyielding ice. Its surface is uneven, with sharp ice crystals jutting out and rising up, and any attack aimed at it would sure result in a nasty counter-effect. Attacks made from afar or otherwise aren't left without retribution either, as the opponent would feel themselves surrounded by an intense chill. When equipped alongside any item with a flame enhancement, the ice becomes dyed with an auburn hue but does not lose any of its intensity. | [✦] Carol of the Bells T1 Demonic Light Armor -- Cursed | Frost Aura | Mitigation II Red velvet, fluffy white trim, drops all the way down to the user's knees -- it's very obviously a Santa cloak. Andromeda will never leave vanity details to NPCs ever again. | [✦] -- | reference. [Frost Aura:] Successful non-critical attacks deal 15 unmitigated Frost damage to the attacking enemy. [Frost Thorns:] Successful attacks deal 7 unmitigated damage to the attacking enemy. Successful critical attacks deal an additional 2 unmitigated Frost damage each enemy turn for 2 turns. [battle-ready inventory:] Spoiler [x1] Eggnog T1 Demonic Consumable -- Safeguard | Mitigation A hearty drink that warms even the coldest soul, and seems to give a blanket of warmth to those who drink it. | [1] [x5] Lacrimosa T1 Perfect Support Song -- [x3] HP Recovery (Instant Effect) [reference] "Qua resurget ex favilla / Judicandus homo reus / Huic ergo parce, Deus." Hymn from Mozart's Requiem. The day of judgment is inevitable, yet mercy is all that shall descend for this hour. | [152478] [169952] [170252] [170255] [170261] [x5] Lacrimosa T1 Perfect Support Song -- [x3] HP Recovery (Instant Effect) [reference] "Qua resurget ex favilla / Judicandus homo reus / Huic ergo parce, Deus." Hymn from Mozart's Requiem. The day of judgment is inevitable, yet mercy is all that shall descend for this hour. | [170266] [170552] [172695] [172701] [172705] [x3] Le Gibet Rare Debuff Song -- [x2] Lullaby (Instant Effect) [reference] The sun sets on a dead man hanging from the gallows. Hearer, the bell tolls for thee. | [153244] [154814] [155206] [buffs:] Spoiler Liquor of Light TX Perfect Potion -- [x3] Damage A signature concoction of the Cintamani. The vial seems to glow a warm yellow, filled to the brim with translucent liquid sunshine. It tastes sweet when downed, reminiscent of maple syrup, though its flavour is diluted. Flows as easily as water. | [156875] Divinity's Wait T1 Perfect Potion -- Mitigation III "You see right through me." A bottle of white translucent liquid. It tastes like milk, though it flows like water. Its effects are unnoticable until pain kicks in, numbing the sensation even further than the system had originally intended. | [156936] Divinity's Protection T1 Perfect Potion -- Overhealth III "... And I won't be the victim..." A bottle of translucent liquid. When it catches the light, it shimmers of gold. The concoction has a sweet and refreshing taste, flowing easily like water. Its effects can be seen kicking in on ones interface immediately after taking it in. | [157249] Viperion T1 Perfect Salve -- Toxic Venom A bundle of toxin shaped into a block, wrapped around in a white paper. Instructions are paired with each purchase of this item: "After unveiling the purple paste, immediately apply it to the tip of a weapon, using its packaging to maneuver where best to apply the poison to its best point of contact against foes. Do not be surprised when the substance fades away in colour after a time. Handle with great care." | [154595] Precision+ TX Rare Snack -- [x2] ACC Lemon-flavored candy. | [133622] Crazy Lucky Hot Dog T1 Perfect Consumable -- [x3] Loot Die | [1] Field Rations Grants +30 to max HP. Cannot be used in combat. Effect lasts for one thread. A player cannot benefit from more than one Field Rations at a time. | [✦] Immolation Potion When used, successful non-critical attacks against you deal 10 unmitigated dam age to the attacking ene m y. Effect lasts for  one thread. | [✦] Memory of Champions Lost -- applied to Carol of the Bells. Lasts 1 thread. Treat all scaling enhancement slots on a single piece of equipment as Tier 2 for the duration of the thread. Item has no effect beyond Tier 1. | [✦] Gold Star Stickers -- [(1) charge used.] +1 DMG, +1 LD or +15MIT for one thread. Stacks on top of other food/alchemical consumable buffs, but does not stack with Scent of the Wild totems. | [✦] [skills:] Spoiler [used sp: 53 | unused sp: 0] 01. Rapier -- Rank 4 02. Howl      | Focused Howl [sword arts:] Spoiler [r1:] [x2] Rip Ravine (2 Energy) - Two quick slashes into a target. [r2:] [x3] Accel Stab - (3 Energy) - A chain of three nimble thrusts aimed at the target's torso. [x4] Quadruple Pain - (4 Energy) - Four thrusts are made, each aimed at the limbs of the opponent. [r3:] [x5] Neutron - (5 Energy) - A single high-powered thrust, that pierces the opponents body. [x6] Crucifixion - (6 Energy) - A six-hit thrusting sword art that traces the pattern of a cross into the target. [x5 MA Stun] Twilight Resurrection - (8 Energy) - Four high-speed thrusts, followed by striking the opponent in the head with the back of the fist. [r4:] [x7] Shooting Star - (7 Energy) - The user springs at the target at high speeds before making several quick thrusts into the opponent. [x8] Penetrate - (8 Energy) - Four high-speed thrusts that penetrate the opponents body and deal considerable damage.

General stock:

(8) Tier 1 Materials -- col sent.

Eh? Has she seen this person before? Behind the trade window, An frowned slightly, attempting to put a name to his face but coming up blank. It was a quick transaction though; only eight materials, and the merchant had to wonder if he was just that broke or insanely confident with his own crafting rates. She hoped it was the latter. Being broke was not-nice. 

“Eight tier one materials!” the merchant hummed as she traded the amount to him. “Thanks, and please come by again!”

Now how much did that shop from the other day charge for a bowl of ramen…?

Identification:

General stock:

(300) Tier 1 Materials -- col sent.

Junk sale:

T3 Consumables

• PERFECT (5)
  [171024] [171026] [171348] [173113] [173116]
   
• RARE (3)
  [171030] [171040] [171041]
   
• UNCOMMON (6)
  [171025] [171027] [171028] [171033] [171038] [173112] 

T2 Consumables

• PERFECT (3)
  [171234] [171236] [171239]
   
• RARE (6)
  [171237] [171244] [171245] [171338] [171339] [171343]
   
• UNCOMMON (10)
  [171227] [171229] [171231] [171232] [171233] [171241] [171243] [171341] [171346] [171347]

(625 * 5) + (450 * 3) + (300 * 6) + (375 * 3) + (250 * 6) + (150 * 10) = 10,400 col

I swear, this was not a mistake. 

1. @Arabelle

2. Female.

3. Prefer male. Either.

[note attached by Andromeda: "Please pair Senpai up with me!"]

1. Andromeda

2. Female.

3. Sexuality is bi. Prefer girls rn though.

She’d snoozed her alarm clock for five minutes… then ten minutes… then fifteen… and now she was late!

Tying her hair back into the usual ponytail, the not-quite-awake player scrambled past afternoon crowds en route to Floor 1’s most prominent forge. She was too fixated on the clock in her HUD – half an hour past her supposed meeting with Mishiro, then a minute past half an hour… – to fret over the blacksmith’s status; the words came spilling out of her mouth as soon as she saw the frontline. “Hi, ‘afternoon! My order!”

He was a grandmaster at his craft. An didn’t bother to check her new shield’s attributes. She nearly slammed a pouch of col down on his counter. “Running late to a dungeon,” she finally had the presence of mind to explain as she wrapped an arm around the new item, “Thanks so much!”

And the girl dressed in the Santa cloak was gone as quickly as she came.

An rolled onto her side, peering up at Arabelle as she moved to stand.

“So… why me?”

She was all fluid and grace with her movements, and the metaphor An would’ve used to describe it completely escaped her when Arabelle’s lips curled into an amused smirk. “I’d only be repeating what I said the other night. But I’d tell you again, if you want it.”

“I don’t know,” An huffed. Sweeping the piles aside, she pulled herself up and thumbed the surface of Arabelle’s empty record crystal. Her reflection frowned thoughtfully back at her. “I took photos maybe just a little more than any regular person did on the other side, so say I assume this crystal can hold up to fifty–”

“–A hundred.” 

An blinked.

For a brief moment, the other's expression was unreadable. “I told you yesterday.”

“S-Still, even with a hundred..!” she quickly amended, a soft red flush rising up her face, “Is it worth as much as all of your support crystals?”

"I know what a fair trade is, An." Wandering a little further down rows of disorderly shelves, Arabelle found an empty space and set down a smaller pouch. “Junk sale. Do this later, please. I’ve kept you up too late.” And she turned to face An, hands tucked behind her back, her smile unwavering. “It’s a bit of a gamble, I’ll admit. But trust in your beloved Senpai’s judgment, alright? If it works the way we wanted it to, I’ll give you the full story… perhaps.”

How could a hundred pictures of Aincrad be a part of a gamble?

“If you’re looking for inspiration,” the girl said with a note of finality as she turned away. “The event might be the best place to start.” 

She nearly dropped Arabelle’s crystals.

“P-pardon?!”

"It's not just that you try your hardest every time I send an order in, but you're like a lucky charm too. Hardly an acquired skill, you know? I wish I could keep you all to myself." 

Andromeda was actually internally combusting. Right then and there, with a trade halfway done.

"Anyways, that was a fancier manner of saying I'll count on only you for identifications."

Her rational thought processes were crashing. Error. Error. Error. “Do you need some now?” she blurted.

"Something else." Another screen appeared beside their open trade window on the counter as Arabelle lightly pushed off the support and made her way over. "We have quite a lot to talk about tonight."

Then her brain stopped short-circuiting at the seriousness of the other's tone, only to spontaneously shove the memory of that night in Coral to the forefront of her mind.

--I have something I've been losing my bloody mind over for the past few months.

Pouches rained down from somewhere above her head, landing on her counter with heavy thunks. She immediately identified their contents as Arabelle's song crystals. One bag of violet debuffs, another of blue supports. Her confusion was enough to yank her out of the clouded ball of unwrapped emotions that had completely killed her earlier mood.

"Consider them yours," Arabelle said, that same silky voice An could listen to over and over again. "Now, have you heard about Aincrad's newest spectacle?"

Staring at the shopping list, then the contents of the shelves, An was starting to sweat.

…Was it okay to buy more than half of a shopkeeper’s stock in a single visit?

Arabelle had handed over the request with a nonchalance that implied it was simple routine for her, but even with the comfort of that thought, An felt progressively more nervous with every potion she plucked off the shelf. She was visibly starting to dissociate when she walked herself over to the counter and wordlessly traded over a chunk of her col, and as soon as the chime of a finished transaction sounded, she spun around with a quick polite farewell and fled the shop, face turning red.

People who could do this without even batting an eye were so cool…!

[used:]

Voucher for Demonic Light Armor
Cursed / MIT / MIT / Random Unique Enhancement
This item is bound to Andromeda, and cannot be traded for any reason. This voucher is to be used in an evaluation thread. Roll LD based on the Merchant Unique Enhancement identification table in order to determine the final slot. | [✦]
-- ID: 169934 | LD: 18 -- [Flame Aura or Frost Aura]

The girl anxiously circled around their mark as the others attacked. For one agonizing moment, An thought the weapon of war was going to break free of logic’s constraints and leap off the ground and quash them all while everyone was still within range and focused entirely on offense. Or it was going to explode. Or regenerate. Anything was possible when some bloke’s poisonous goop was somehow dealing damage to the wooden structure.

She wasn’t complaining. She was just kind of really amazed. DoTs really are strong…!

There was an opening in the line of attacking players and she quickly moved to fill it in. An wouldn’t realize her weapon had activated differently this time until she stepped back to assess the damage. Deep red flames, from the tip of her blade down to its hilt. They appeared to engulf her sword hand, but they were harmless to the player wielding it. When she swung, the effects detached from her weapon in uneven shadowy blobs and shot forward to taint the trebuchet.

"Thanks — for sticking around," she said. The girl had seated herself on the ground somewhere behind him, her work set in a neat little line in front of her. Two large spheres for the eyes, a set of extra small ones to form the line that would be its mouth, and the remaining divided into equally-sized lumps. "N-not that I thought you wouldn't, it was just," she paused, tried to find a way to voice her thoughts on their earlier conversation, but words seemed to elude her for a moment and Alkor had already finished putting on the snowman's scarf. "Nice? Really nice and fun." 

She stood, walked over to switch with Alkor with the molded coal piled in her arms. First, she slightly flattened one of the larger spheres between her hands and patted it in place. She worked downwards, from the eyes, to the slightly crooked smile, to the buttons on the center of its chest. An finished it off with a slight touch-up to the other player's contribution and stepped back.

The snowman didn't show any signs of wanting to fall over.

"Look here!" Andromeda immediately called out to Alkor. "It's done. I guess you know how to build one of your own now?"

Their finished craft stood happily in the middle of the plaza's winter wonderland, one of its stick arms tilted slightly upwards so that it looked as if it were waving at the players still coming through the teleport gate. Maybe it wouldn't last long. Snowmen hardly ever did. And the game could reset the area as soon as the event ended and the entire square would be wiped clean come the next day, bearing no indication that there had been anything there at all, or perhaps someone else could just bowl it over before that happened. But she'd already preserved her  picture of the scenery in a perfect frost-tinted memory -- of admiring her yearly tradition beside the calming presence of another player, her expression lit with a hopeful smile.

@Alkor

2   | SP
200 | col

@Andromeda

2   | SP
200 | col
Voucher for Demonic Light Armor
Cursed / MIT / MIT / Random Unique Enhancement
This item is bound to Andromeda, and cannot be traded for any reason. This voucher is to be used in an evaluation thread. Roll LD based on the Merchant Unique Enhancement identification table in order to determine the final slot.

“Good work–!”

She didn't know what compelled her to say that rather than a simple 'thanks,' but before she could fret overthink internally die contemplate how uppity that sounded, her sights had snapped from the cute martial artist to their evident lack of moving targets. An nearly gasped – maybe everyone here was actually competent? The last bits of digital dust faded, showing the T1 players the path they carved open with their combined efforts.

And the woman in red was already charging.

...Wait, what's a rapier supposed to do against a war machine? Poke holes into it? Won't Legacy's thin blade just snap in half?

"Please don't snap in half," she murmured earnestly. The silver-haired player doubted she could ask Arabelle to slay another hundred zombies again. She adjusted her grip, ran a few paces forward, and soon her rapier was coated with a dark flame-like aura as she rained her strongest [Sword Art]'s thrust against the trebuchet's wooden frame. An stepped back as soon as her attack finished, sliding one foot behind the other, and she'd slowly circle the contraption with her weapon and shield at the ready.

A small player darted past her guard.

“H-hey!”

An angry furry followed right after, spinning the blade of her giant shuriken.

“Wait, guys--”

The realization that the first was a kid only occurred to her when the girl’s curved sword bounced against the metal of her enemy’s shield -- barely enough to do damage, but more than sufficient to pull the mob’s attention towards the smaller player -- and the sight of it nearly sent palpitations through An’s heart. What was she doing here?! She was half-glad the furry managed to draw its Hate away from the other, but as far as HP went, the phalanx was still standing proud.

Suddenly clueless, An stood with her shield still half-raised as the warrior reached forward… and missed.

Then the players were swarming the defense again and she forcibly shook herself out of it.

“I’ll leave that one up to you!”

Her attention shifted to the spear-user who instantly cleared a large chunk of the shielding troops, and An hesitantly jogged forward, speeding up to a run as soon as she spotted the last full HP Phalanx left standing.

She had absolutely no idea what went through her head earlier, but let’s just poke this one and hope for the best!

---

[ooc: I reiterate what I said on Discord and my previous post. Please do not attack Phalanx17 unless your DMG output is enough to kill it. Andromeda has a 50% chance of proccing 9 Thorns on the enemy's round.]

She was close. So close. This was something An absolutely could not leave unfinished.

And though they'd gotten pretty far, a snowman was just a... random stack of snowballs unless it had a face. But if she and Alkor ran off to poke around the nearby shops for the materials she'd left behind, their unfinished snowman would be left completely alone and she wasn't sure if--

Wait.

"Oh, um, I think it's better if you stay!" She always felt a little nervous about turning down offers; An made a completely unrelated gesture of clapping her fist to her other hand as she spun around to face he other player, already bouncing on her heels. "So you can guard it. You know, save someone from an accident that might end up with them knocking it down?" Like her on any bad day. A sheepish smile formed on her face at that, and she would speed off as soon as he began to respond, assuming the tone of his question earlier implied he was at least up to sticking around to complete it. An waved her hand and called out over her shoulder, "Thanks, and sorry for the trouble!"

Disaster averted. As she walked up and down a street, she idly thought she couldn't have done this had someone not been present to stay with their work.

An found the nearest general stall and slammed her hands down on the counter's surface, doing her best impression of an important person who was running on a short schedule... instead of being an absolute nobody... who also happened to be running on a short schedule.

"I need a whole bunch of stuff!" Her gaze roamed over the displayed wares. "...um. Do stores even sell these?"

Look, she wasn't very good at it--

Minutes later, she ran up to Alkor with her purchases bundled in her hands. "S-sorry to keep you waiting. You probably know what snowmen look like when they're done, right? And which ones go where?" Grinning, she unloaded a top hat, a scarf, and a carrot and two sticks onto him, leaving her with a small bag of coal. "You can do those. Don't worry, it's easy!"
 

Dried up lake (?). Blood red crystals (??). A giant trebuchet with a flaming payload that could probably melt them in an instant (???). And lines of enemies huddled in a close formation, determined to throw off the clueless noobs from the objective long enough to melt them with said mechanism (??!!).

Words.

An – and her single-target rapier – was starting to sweat.

Nope. Nope, nope, nope, nope–

As the bravest of their inexperienced lot charged forward, the absolute joke of a half-tank was rooted to the spot, sinking slowly into the thoughts flying through her head. The trebuchet was the biggest threat. Or perhaps the troops also? Was it too early to make assumptions about how the forces’ strengths were balanced? Yes. She was overthinking. She was overthinking. Her instincts were screaming at her to run away from the literal fantasy army that was strong enough to taint Floor 21's Lake of Reflection in less than a day, but she couldn't because she knew it was cowardly, so she anxiously ran through all that she should already knew for a way out that didn't involve running.

Even though An internally bonked herself on the head for never buying any of Arabelle’s debuff crystals which she could have used to check the trebuchet’s target circle if she got close enough, she knew the phalanx absolutely needed to go down first. If they had the ability, she wouldn’t have thought of attempting to bypass it. Because not everyone could. Because it was essentially going to Divide the Team.

So it was a matter of offense over defense. This was like a time challenge in a regular video game! Except the worse case assumption was that they were all going to die if they failed. An… felt a little more at ease with her earlier understanding, but she didn’t want to think any more about the latter. And when she finally drew her blighted rapier, she wondered if the others did. A scythe-wielder (!) halved the shielders’ HP with an AoE. Basuke (!!) and two other single-target damage dealers instantly decimated their targets’ health bars. Basuke, Katana, Rapier, and Scythe were obviously DPS-focused – with Scythe, assuming she fully understood the implications of holding back, likely being a bit lower level-wise than the rest. So where did An stand in comparison to the rest of them? Where did the enemy troops?

Her feet carried her forward. 

The damage their pointy sticks dealt in a regular attack? Unknown, but was she going to run away when everyone else was fighting?

“Leave this one to me!” she declared, preparing her shield. “I can wear it down!!”

Tempered malevolence trailed purple after her rapier’s visage as she stabbed straight through a shielder’s defense.