Andromeda

"..."

One of the noobs nearly wept alright. Partly in despair because their masterful flexing strategy only served to amuse the Herculean figures who then simultaneously flaunted the most exemplar of poses that An had to drop hers in shame. And also partly in joy because the Rain Minion 12 devotees’ impromptu worship service had reached a nigh unbearable level before they were effectively yeeted into the void – and any more “nyek, nyek, nyek”s and her dreams would be forever haunted by those cursed sounds or worse… she’d have turned brainwashed! 

Look, she had her reasons; bear with her a little here. They didn’t suffer any of the area effects the resistant players did, and after all, weren’t deities icons one submitted themself to…?

In retrospect, a very bad line of thought.

–Oh no, wait, did they also die?

An could only hope they just got teleported to someplace where they could reflect on their actions. For now, HP was a problem. “Hah!” A thrust made in complete frustration caught only thin air as the gigantic boarman ballerina thing’d away without even looking. “If beating them at their own game doesn’t work, then what does?” she yelled out to her only companion in this crisis. How he hadn’t thought to turn tail and run away yet, she didn’t know – but they were still in this together and she felt like their bond had deepened through trial somehow!

(Basuke is now set to appear in An’s relationship tracker. It's a special case this time, okay--)

"B-but I kind of like your visits--"

Trading to Arabelle:

500 T1 materials

General stock:

• [x500] Tier 1 Materials

300 * 500 = 150,000 col -- sent to Banker.

Five… hundred…

An was so gobsmacked that half an hour later, she didn’t even notice the extra amount of col that had slipped into her inventory. Or the new customer’s gruff attitude. Good for both of them. She simply nodded and withdrew a batch of teleport crystals to trade back to the equally pale-haired man. A pleasant ding! finished the transaction, and she gave a polite bow as soon as both windows were minimized.

“Thanks for the purchase, please come by again!”

It was a slow night, but upon viewing her transaction log just before turning in, An nearly choked on her tea. 

“Th…that’s more than half the EXP I had yesterday!”

Basically, An had sort of froze.

Mouth agape in awe, she stared up at the mighty towering beings, none of whom had even laid a hand on any of the players – though their casual display of strength was just enough to halve their HP bars, anyway. What if they started to take this fight seriously? Would their HP reach a point where even the smallest sneeze in their direction was enough to kill them? (Not that An was particularly strong from the start, anyway). As Rain Minion 12 revealed its ability to take zero damage from all attacks at 1 HP, her gaze traveled down to the multiple icons decorating the bottom of the Kings’ health bars. 

“Nyek, nyek, nyek,” went the cult who likely just wanted mercy. 

Why couldn’t they just run away? An couldn’t. Charging straight into a fight that confounded even the frontliners, she kind of led her friend to certain death; a fear that would turn into reality if she didn’t get the both of them out soon. “Basuke!” Distinct in the midst of heavily-armored players, the spiky hair and cap was an assuring sight. An blinked twice, trying to form the right words. “I think–”

Aaand there went their escape route.

Not even she would want to step anywhere near that. An whirled back around to face her friend, pursing her lips in grim determination. “I have absolutely no idea what’s going on, but as long as we have teleport and healing crystals, we should be fine!” Were healing crystals even any use? She’d tried to shout at Basuke to use his as soon as their HP was halved, but the pig’s squealing fixed their maximum health too fast. If only she could catch that annoying thing with her rapier–! “So any ideas?”

The strong-looking players’ movements answered her. Flexing? Why would they– oh. Gob-Gob had flexed, so they were asserting dominance by trying to do it better than him. An’s eyes glimmered in admiration. Utterly. Brilliant!

“Basuke, I think we should flex on them!”

And, sheathing her rapier, she retreated with her companion a few steps back and did just that.

Also, she apparently flexed so hard that Rain Minion took (zero) damage. I don’t know, deal with it.

Identification:

General stock:

• [x100] T1 materials

300 * 100 = 30,000 col -- sent to Banker.

Junk sale:

[x16] T1 Rare Equipment

• [142493] | [142498] | [142516] | [142530] | [142599] | [142605] | [142617] | [142636] | [142760] | [142775] 
  [142781] | [142784] | [142799] | [142802] | [142807] | [142811]

[x8] T1 Perfect Equipment

• [142485] | [142492] | [142515] | [142544] | [142597] | [142604] | [142627] | [142639] 

[x7] T2 Rare Equipment

• [143003] | [143013] | [143021] | [143030] | [143047] | [143048] | [143062]

[x1] T2 Perfect Equipment

• [143061]

(200 * 16) + (400 * 8) + (500 * 7) + 750 = 10,650 col

[06/13/2020]

[Rank Up!]

The sound of victory trumpets(?) followed by a burst of intangible confetti(??) sent An jolting back from her latest identification with a surprised squeak. She knocked aside a small pile of trinkets and they all came tumbling down the workstation like dominoes. "Wait, wait, wait, eeeee--" Crash! Aaaand, they were gone. An sat on the floor of her shop, precious jewels scattered all about her, and her cheeks slightly puffed out in frustration. At least those were just the ones marked out for junk sale.

Had she given the notification another glance, the fanfare in her ears would have lasted a little while longer.

Arabelle arrived not long after to check on the Dragon's Breath potions -- both used up, but thankfully, the player wasn't subject to the sight of another mess. She was, however, curious at the marbles An had placed in a wooden bowl on her counter. After so many failures with larger equipment pieces, the merchant wasn't sure if she liked how her luck seemed to exclusively lie with trinkets. "Pretty things. You're good at finding these, An," remarked the girl she admired more than anything. As a blushing An fumbled for her response, the other's ashen eyes lifted from the pale round glasses to peer thoughtfully into hers. "See if you can buy one of these from her? I doubt she needs more than one... and there's someone I know who might like this as a gift."

Senpai wanted it? Say no more.

"O-of course!"

Across her, Arabelle delightedly clapped her hands together and smiled. "By the way, congratulations on rank five."

The (no longer amateur) merchant sort of stared at her blankly.

"Rank... rank-- what?"

-----

How could her customer have noticed her rank up before her...? 

An was still red-faced when NIGHT came by. Thanks to the convenience of the friendship system, all it took to summon her was a PM. Leagues better than giving her a specific date to visit and then worrying over whether she could meet her own deadline. "Hello!" she chirped. She was obviously very proud about the results of this batch; her smile alone could rival the sun. "As I said in my PM, I found a [Life Mending] on two trinkets. A tier one perfect, and a tier two rare. There is something-- oh wait, junk sale first!"

Right. Now the situation finally took ahold of her. How on earth could she ask NIGHT to let go of a unique? Would her customer want both, after all? How many [Life Mending]s were in circulation anyway? 

Oh, the transaction for the junk sale was done now. And now that she'd hinted at it earlier, there was no running away from it! Eep-- "U-um," the merchant began. "Do you... need both of them? I'd be interested in buying the one you want less from you. Offer's 5,000 col!" 

It took a single moment for her remaining confidence to melt away. An's smile turned hesitant.

"It's fine if you keep them both, of course."

[06/12/2020]

“–Of course, you know, if you didn’t you wouldn’t be standing here in front of me–”

Eep. This was the worst transaction ever. “Hold on a sec!! I–” Perhaps not realizing it was just a good-natured tease, the merchant girl waved her hands so frantically you would’ve thought she was physically trying to dispel all the misunderstandings in the air. “M-my shop, Pandora’s! My shop’s on Floor 1, so I couldn’t have guessed, right? Right?”

Wait, why was she phrasing that as a question in the first place–

“–It is a pleasure to meet someone as cute as you."

An sputtered, all attempts to retreat forgotten. “C-c-c-cute? I… pardon, I must have–” Face flaming red, she cupped her cheeks in both hands, unable to stop the stupid smile spreading on her face (if only running away wasn’t considered so rude). This appearance was ‘cute’? Well, now that she thought about it, that same hair color didn’t look so bad on him. “–I mean, thanksandyou’rewelcome,you’rekindadishy,too!” 

Harriette!

Before she could bemoan her response or wonder how their conversation went straight from ‘An-is-totally-not-a-stalker’ to awkwardly complimenting each other’s good looks, a friend request window appeared in front of her. The merchant girl blinked, trying to unscramble her mind for a response. Did this guy genuinely believe her explanation or was he just fine befriending silver-haired weirdos? “If I have the time,” An began. “Then what?”

Whack.

An spun around so fast the friend request disappeared. “Hey, what gives?!” she yelled up at the gigantic wasp that had followed her. It hovered menacingly before the pair, a debilitating chill from her cursed shield’s enhancement surrounding it. Maybe she’d picked up its aggro from somewhere? An was more concerned with unruffling her hair than the damage it dealt to her HP, but as soon as it started buzzing angrily in response, she unsheathed her weaker rapier. “Ohhh, you attacked first! Quad. Pain!”

[06/11/2020]

Yuki's reassurance put her at ease, but--

H-half? Just for a single unique?!

An waved her hands sheepishly. "No, i-it's alright! I profit enough from regular identifications as is." She had no idea just how much col the girl had, but if she was buddies with NIGHT... who regularly brought in unholy amounts of trinkets and potions... 

A bead of sweat rolled down her face. She wouldn't even know what to do with that much col.

Speaking of. NIGHT walked up with a small box of trinkets this time. "Whoa..." An picked one up, examining the way light glinted off its surface. Better they be identified with a minuscule amount of keeping one than have all of those precious jewels thrown into a junk sale. "Right! Should be done in a couple of days." Attaching five teleport crystals as the player requested, she smiled and gave a small bow to the pair. "Thanks for using my services!"

1 minute ago, Arabelle said:

Trading to Andromeda:

[x2] Dragon's Breath
T1 Perfect Potion -- Crafter's Respite
A signature concoction of the Cintamani. There are no signs of liquid in this vial, only a swirl of periwinkle smoke seems to sit at the flask's center. When taken, however, it tastes of cool air, revitalizing the drinker's wakefulness and urges them to continue crafting; an alluring call from a foreign muse.
| [#151490] [#151491]

"Th...thanks. I'll still try my best!"

Received.

From the heavens descended their final adversaries—!

Three trash mobs turned gym bros who'd gotten jacked on protein. With heads horribly disproportionate to their bodies, bulging muscles everywhere, and — and l... loincloths, it was a sight that was now burned into the poor merchant girl's mind. The green ogre man flexed. The boarman squealed. The lizardman wore its crown and seated itself smugly on its throne. And in response, a great majority of players screamed in terror and ran for their lives.

"I..., uh, what?"

Wait, why is everyone running; was there something she was missing--?

Standing slack-jawed amid the shifting masses, the girl was nearly bowled over by a player running for his life. (Oh, that also meant she'd stepped out of the safezone at some point. Oops.) An... just couldn't find the words. Thankfully, some faceless nobody expressed it so eloquently for her.

"That's it; this event's hopeless," dryly remarked the absolutely unimportant person before they disappeared. "Aincrad's gods can't look this f-cking ridiculous."

Now that that was out of the way, An could barely contain her giggles. It was in her brief moment of immaturity when a player emerged from the alley she had come from earlier, and it took only his speech habits to remember his name. "H-heya!" N-no, I'm totally not laughing at an event boss that can kill people— "I remember you," she quickly continued. Truthfully, the girl hadn't been planning on it until he offered a party request, but if she could do something to help... and if this event did give them what it promised, then it would be wonderful to have an ally by her side! Coming to terms with her decision, An clapped her hands together with a bright smile. "'Basket', right?"

A glance at the name beneath hers.

OOPS—

Red-faced, the girl made a show of clearing her throat. "Sorry! Came out wrong. Basuke." Oh my god Harriette, it's literally the end of the world and you can't recall someone's name— She took a quick glance around their cramped surroundings, then found a path where the herd was a little thinner. "If you've got healing crystals, we need to get you to a place where you can see only the players participating in the battle!" An suddenly said, a shimmer of determination in her eyes. She braced herself, then gestured for the crystal supplier to follow as she turned and went against the crowd's flow. "Come on, let's find people of the same level!"

(Also, at some point, she gingerly poked the boarman with her rapier.)

Of all things, An couldn’t believe she was running late!

“’Scuse me, ‘scuse me…” chanted the merchant under her breath as she shouldered her way through the Starting City’s cramped main streets. A pair of trinkets which she’d snatched from NIGHT’s conveniently open but deserted shop was clutched tightly in her hands, and by her ruffled hair, it was evident the girl had somehow fallen asleep amid the excitement. Who knew she would also fail at getting her front row tickets to the end of the world? Without really looking where she was going, An drank down the only pair of buffs she had in her inventory (just in case), and stumbled over a low stack of crates – sending their contents scattering across the concrete.

“Aaah!! Pardon!” 

An apologized. To the crates.

(ꏿ﹏ꏿ;)

Dirty looks everywhere. Oops. Feeling her face turn red, she ducked into an alley – where she thought she glimpsed a familiar figure and a taller one hunched over it. “Hey! Mish!!” They weren’t close, but An still ran a little faster to catch up to the Starbucks girl. “Hey, wait up!”

They’d disappeared into another crowd by the time she reached the end of the narrow street.

An’s shoulders slumped. “Aww…”

Alone, in a crowd full of strangers. She thought of Leah, Arabelle, NIGHT, the Starbucks girl – and she couldn’t really bring herself to message any of them. This wasn’t how she’d expected to see the end of Aincrad. Maybe, she’d thought, there would be a little more fanfare for her, or she’d be a member of the clearing group herself. Maybe, it wouldn’t have ended so suddenly that she was left with the aching sense that she’d wasted her entire time.

I-it’s good that everyone might be escaping the castle today though–! 

By that point, the flamboyant player had already reached the edge of the safe zone where she would remain until the action started. She slipped the precious trinkets into her pocket, slapping her cheeks softly, and psyched herself up. If this was really the end of everyone’s pain and suffering, An would meet it with nothing less than a hopeful heart. 

Andromeda (LEVEL 14: 34 SP)   | 330/330 HP | 28/28 EN | 7 DMG   | 5 ACC | 2 EVA | 2 Blight | Burn   | Keen | 2 Recovery | Antioxidants

Spoiler Jack's Corrupted Legacy T1 Demonic Rapier -- Cursed | [x2] Blight | 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. | [✦] Eye of Horus Enamel Pin T1 Perfect Trinket -- [x3] Accuracy While most enamel pins are golden, this one's has been painted in black. A circular and triangular base have been overlaid on each other, encapsulating the Eye of Horus within. The markings where the Egyptian pattern stands out are laced with gold. | [✦] White Silk Wrist Cuff T1 Perfect Trinket -- [x2] Recovery | Keen A simple band of white silk that goes across one's wrist. Unobtrusive and comfortable. |  [✦] [battle-ready inventory:] Spoiler [x3] Starter Healing Potions  Heals 50 HP. Teleportation Crystal  Use a post action to activate a teleport crystal. Teleports the player to the town or designated teleportation area they specify. | [✦] [buffs:] Spoiler Tier One Damage Potion of Uncommon quality +1 DMG. | [✦] Tier One Over-Health Potion of Special quality +50 to maximum HP for remainder of thread. | [✦] Blue Cow T1 Rare Feast --[x2] Accuracy A Bottle of Cooking Oil T1 Rare Feast -- [x2] Evade Tom T1 Rare Feast -- [x2] Protein Egg Plant w/ Pancetta Set T1 Perfect Feast -- Antioxidants [skills:] Spoiler [used sp: 23 | unused sp: 11] 01. Rapier -- Rank 3 [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.

<- Totally almost running late to the event.

500 * 2 = 1,000 col -- sent to NIGHT.

Received:

White Silk Wrist Cuff, Eye of Horus Enamel Pin

Junk sale:

[x8] T2 Perfect Equipment

• Shield (1)
  [152286-a]
   
• One-Handed Assault Spear (7)
  [152286-b] | [152284-a] | [152284-b] | [152284-c] | [152283-a] | [152283-b] | [152283-c]

[x1] T2 Rare Equipment

• Trinket (1)
  [152291-b]

(8 * 750) + 500 = 6,500 col

[06/06/2020]

Spoiler: she didn’t.

“Whaaaaa–” A very agitated merchant facetabled the surface of her counter/workstation, turning her head to the side after a moment to stare at the pretty pearl bracelet cupped in her palm. She really had the feeling there was something there – just beneath its glimmering surface – yet her identification only yielded regulars, and she didn’t like the thought of having to throw jewelry away all because of her incompetence. The rest of that cute girl’s unidentified equipment had also met the same result, meaning Yuki would be walking away from her transaction with basically nothing but col. Turning her head again so that she was facedown, An murmured wistfully, “I wanted to give her something nice, too…”

When would she ever get any better at this?

By the time Yuki returned to claim her goods though, An had mostly pulled herself together. “W-welcome back,” she greeted. Her lips pulled up into an uneasy smile as the counter remained empty and she presented an open transaction window instead. “You told me to junk sell the regulars, and... they all turned out to be regulars. I’m so sorry, but um.” Finally, she made eye contact, and she continued with a hint of vigor, “Thanks for using my services though. I promise I’ll try better next time!”

[quest: Long Live the Queen]

An had no idea how she did it, but she found the needle in the haystack.

Him.

It was in some nondescript grove, with the warm afternoon sun peeking through the trees above that she'd spotted a familiar figure dressed in white and ventured a little closer to investigate. She was still a little miffed with their previous interaction; that customer really couldn't wait an extra five minutes for his identification order of a single rare trinket? "Oh, it's you--!" Stepping out of the forest's shade, the silver-haired merchant approached, a rapier dangling from her hip and an auburn shield at her arm. As soon as she made eye contact though, her confidence melted away -- in typical An fashion.

There were a couple of implications he could draw from this, and none of them were any good.

She'd swear on her entire dignity as a merchant that she was not actually out looking for him!!

"H-hey~," An greeted, her lips pulling up to a nervous half-smile as she gave a tiny wave of her hand. "Fancy meeting you here~. Um, an hour after you gave that trinket." How was that for something totally non-suspicious and causal? That sounded horrible. Horrible, horrible, horrible. She could already imagine someone adding 'Certified Stalker' to her list of embarrassing titles. Heat began to rise up her face and she found sudden interest in looking everywhere but him. "I-I couldn't contact you when I finished so I got frustrated and went up here for a walk instead. Isn't it cool how it just led me to finding you out of nowhere? Ahahaha..."

He had to be an idiot if he didn't have any suspicions at this point.

What are you even saying?

"Uh, right." The trinket. That was all he needed. She'd hand it to him, then run back to the safety of Pandora's Wares at light speed. And she wouldn't ever handle customers in the morning ever again. A flick of her hand, and a summoned inventory window hovering between her red face and the man's visage felt like a safety barrier. In a very similar fashion to her distracted nature from earlier, she searched the inventory unaware that the soft buzzing both would have previously dismissed as an ambient sound effect from the forest was slowly drawing closer. "I, don't... do deliveries like this. At all. But since I already ran into you, here -- have this!"

An placed the ring on his palm. Stepping back just as quick, she dipped into a bow and blurted out the rest of the usual spiel -- because hey, it would be even weirder if she just ran, right?

"Th-that would be all! Thanks-for-availing-of-my-services-I'll-be-leaving-now!"

[traded to Kuruyama:]

Nimrod's Band
T1 Rare Trinket -- Recovery | Keen
A slightly rusted metallic ring, painted black. Mounted on its bezel is a fragment of a [Frenzy Boar]'s tusk. | [✦]

Andromeda (LEVEL 14: 34 SP)   | 280/280 HP | 28/28 EN | 7 DMG   | 33 MIT | 1 LM   | Frost Thorns | Frost Aura

Spoiler [equipped:] Spoiler Dawn T1 Perfect Rapier -- [x3] Damage Marking the first steps of a young adventurer's new journey. A rapier that is rather plain in every aspect except for its elegant swept hilt made of brass. | [✦] 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. | [✦] Rugged Leather Jerkin  T1 Perfect Light Armor -- [x2] Mitigation | Light Momentum Contrary to the amateur merchant's belief, this light armor was crafted by the goblins themselves. It is made of fibre leather and a few frayed edges imply a rather clumsy craftsmanship. But it's light and covers the important places, and the merchant insists it's completely fine to wear! | [✦] [battle-ready inventory:] Spoiler Dice of Blessing  T1 Perfect Trinket -- [x3] LD [reference] The modern adventurer's mark of providence or misfortune - depending on how much Lady Luck likes you. The trinket itself is an acrylic D20 painted brown with gold numbers and an attached chain that allows it to be clipped onto the user's clothing. When thrown, it often lands on '20'. | [✦] [x5] Golden Key A single-use item that grants +2 LD when opening a Treasure Chest. | [5] [x1] Teleportation Crystal  Use a post action to activate a teleport crystal. Teleports the player to the town or designated teleportation area they specify. | [✦] [skills:] Spoiler [used sp: 23 | unused sp: 11] 01. Rapier -- Rank 3 [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.

[06/05/2020]

Only a day after, NIGHT was back and she wasn’t alone. A recommendation? For her little shop? The fledgling merchant was beyond flattered, and she could barely keep herself from breaking into a dumb grin. Face warm, she shot the regular a quick grateful nod before she attended to the cheery pink paladin.

“Call me An. It’s nice to meet you, Yuki!” – Phew, she wouldn’t make that mistake today. – “Weapons, a shield, and a trinket… Cool! They exceed my identification limit though, so can I ask you to come back tomorrow? They should be ready by then.”

She was in an uplifted mood even as the two turned out to be the only visitors for the night. Progress bars were one thing, but a gradually expanding customer base was another. With her excitement to handle Yuki’s order, An felt like she could reveal a unique enhancement by sheer willpower alone!

Today would be different though.

A sharp chime — oh bloody hell, Harriette, since when did you have it turned up that high? — pierced through her consciousness like a jolt of electricity. She jumped in her seat, eyes wide open, and internally spewing strings of choice words you wouldn't expect from your local silver-haired ditz. Whatever feeling she'd been trying to pin down was a secondary concern now that An resolutely scrambled to open her message window, fully prepared to unleash her frustration on the poor bloke—

Leah:
Rise and shine!
And get a move on already

Laugh. That was a joke. She was seriously not serious about being anything less than polite—

Andromeda:
Hi?

—Around the scariest redhead she knew. What was it about redheads and being scary? They were everywhere. Maybe she should re-dye her own hair for a burst of confidence, too?

Leah:
Wdym 'hi?'
You told me yesterday to give you a push

She did.

The only reason why An hadn't lightly banged her head against a table yet was because... there was no table... Harriette, what ran through your head to make you decide it was a brilliant idea? She typed some characters in -- no, no, it all sounded wrong! -- then she frantically backspaced as the wave of messages from the person she least wanted to hear from in this state continued.

Leah:
And right now, I spy your marker still hovering outside that quest area. What are you even doing?
So here it is. Your push

[06/04/2020]

An stared at the offered ticket in disbelief.

"I... th-thanks very much, but um—!" She'd seen the tier of that weapon, how could she? For players at frontline level, didn't these prized vouchers hold more worth than anything they could get from a dungeon? NIGHT appeared firm in her stance, however, and it would take An only a few more hours to realize the reason behind her gratefulness — but if she had to point out one thing that made her shy away from giving a polite rejection, it was the memory of that night with Arabelle and Mishiro. In very much the same situation. It's best to just take NIGHT's word for it, right?

"I mean, well, if that's what you want..." Despite her apprehension, a sincere smile pulled at her lips as she handled the reroll ticket like it was a precious treasure. A flutter of polygon fragments, and the gift was now safely in her inventory. An turned to NIGHT, entwining her fingers in front of her. "Thanks so much! I promise I'll make good use of it."

A visit to Leah for some advice with stats was in order.

"—Hm?"

She set her sights on a movement at the corner of her vision, only to give a small surprised jump when she realized it was a customer walking up to her counter. No wonder NIGHT had been in a rush. "Oh, hello, welcome!" An bowed deeply, if only to conceal the color of embarrassment rising up her cheeks. All that time spent fussing over the dark blade, and she hadn't even known. Did he notice—? Well, she would get to his order so fast he would forget he ever did. She took the trinket, already opening up the option to identify it as she nodded distractedly. "I see. Shouldn't take too long, then."

Except her heightened focus on her quick identification meant that the man's movement to leave would go completely unnoticed. She looked up to an empty shop a minute later with a completed identification and vague recollection of the customer's parting words. 

Something something out in the fields, send a PM?

Uh-oh.

An hadn't even caught his name.

Re-identification: [link to shop post.]

Jack's Executioner | BURN | BLIGHT II | BLEED

• Obtained during the Halloween Event, Oct 2019. | >>
  [T3E4-2HSS]: A black greatsword with a rusty texture. The rain guard appears to be larger and has more spikes along its side than necessary. Along its bevels at the center are streaks of orange, befitting of Halloween.

[used]:

Halloween Sticker (1) | >>
| ID: 152158 | LD: 2 [blight]

Reroll Ticket (2) | >>
| [1] Rerolling Cursed. -- ID: 152160 | LD: 4 [taunt] [note: stated Favor when it was supposed to be a reroll ticket
                                                           whoopsie~]
| [2] Rerolling Taunt.  -- ID: 152161 | LD: 1 [taunt]
      Reroll Taunt.     -- ID: 152162 | LD: 9 [bleed]

Junk sale:

Tier 1 Consumables | Uncommon (93) / Rare (102)

• Uncommon Salve (1)
  [151931]
• Uncommon Crystals (6)
  [151475] | [151480] | [151483] | [151485]
  [151480-1] | [151485-1]
• Uncommon Potions (86)
  [150657] | [150658] | [150667] | [150852] | [150853] | [150854] | [150859] | [150862] | [151023] | [151024]
  [151026] | [151029] | [151032] | [151033] | [151036] | [151038] | [151039] | [151040] | [151041] | [151042]
  [151189] | [151193] | [151208] | [151209] | [151211] | [151326] | [151329] | [151340] | [151349] | [151486]
  [151842] | [151844] | [151849] | [151941] | [151947] | [151954] | [152067] | [152068] | [152072] | [152074]
  [152076] | [152078] | [152079] | [152080] | [152085] | [152113] | [152120] | [152133] | [152134]
  [150657-1] | [150667-1] | [150852-1] | [150853-1] | [150859-1] | [151036-1] | [151038-1] | [151038-2] | [151039-1] | [151039-2]
  [151040-1] | [151040-2] | [151042-1] | [151042-2] | [151193-1] | [151193-2] | [151209-1] | [151211-1] | [151326-1] | [151349-1]
  [151349-2] | [151849-1] | [151941-1] | [151954-1] | [152067-1] | [152067-2] | [152068-1] | [152074-1] | [152079-1] | [152079-2]
  [152080-1] | [152080-2] | [152085-1] | [152120-1] | [152120-2] | [152133-1] | [152134-1]
• Rare Crystals (10)
  [151474] | [151476] | [151479] | [151484]
  [151474-1] | [151474-2] | [151476-1] | [151479-1] | [151479-2] | [151484-1]
• Rare Potions (92)
  [150664] | [150665] | [150858] | [151022] | [151027] | [151190] | [151200] | [151201] | [151204] | [151206]
  [151212] | [151213] | [151327] | [151328] | [151330] | [151332] | [151333] | [151336] | [151337] | [151338]
  [151339] | [151341] | [151342] | [151343] | [151344] | [151346] | [151489] | [151493] | [151494] | [151843]
  [151847] | [151851] | [151852] | [151934] | [151939] | [151940] | [151944] | [151945] | [151948] | [151950]
  [151952] | [152065] | [152077] | [152081] | [152084] | [152114] | [152116] | [152119] | [152121] | [152122]
  [152124] | [152128] | [152132]
  [150664-1] | [150664-2] | [150665-1] | [150665-2] | [151027-1] | [151190-1] | [151200-1] | [151204-1] | [151212-1] | [151213-1]
  [151327-1] | [151327-2] | [151332-1] | [151332-2] | [151333-1] | [151339-1] | [151341-1] | [151346-1] | [151346-2] | [151489-1]
  [151494-1] | [151843-1] | [151851-1] | [151852-1] | [151939-1] | [151940-1] | [151945-1] | [151948-1] | [152077-1] | [152081-1]
  [152084-1] | [152114-1] | [152119-1] | [152121-1] | [152122-1] | [152122-2] | [152128-1] | [152128-2] | [152132-1]

Tier 3 Consumables | Uncommon (29) / Rare (20)

• Uncommon Salves (29)
  [151630] | [151631] | [151632] | [151636] | [151638] | [151640] | [151644] | [151673] | [151679] | [151681]
  [151682] | [151685] | [151688] | [151831] | [151833] | [151838] | [151839]
  [151631-1] | [151636-1] | [151673-1] | [151679-1] | [151679-2] | [151681-1] | [151681-2] | [151682-1] | [151685-1] | [151688-1]
  [151833-1] | [151833-2]
• Rare Salves (20)
  [151629] | [151634] | [151649] | [151665] | [151666] | [151667] | [151669] | [151671] | [151676] | [151684]
  [151840]
  [151634-1] | [151649-1] | [151665-1] | [151665-2] | [151667-1] | [151667-2] | [151671-1] | [151671-2] | [151676-1]

Tier 1 Equipment | Uncommon (9) / Rare (9) / Perfect (1)

• Uncommon Jewelry (3)
  [151727] | [151729] | [151730]
• Uncommon Trinkets (6)
  [151361] | [151734] | [151738] | [151741] | [151744] | [151828]
• Rare Sculpture (1)
  [151566]
• Rare Trinkets (8)
  [151362] | [151363] | [151364] | [151733] | [151739] | [151742] | [151745] | [151746]
• Perfect Jewelry (1)
  [151731]

(93 * 50) + (102 * 100) + (29 * 300) + (20 * 450) + (9 * 100) + (9 * 200) + 400 = 35,650 col

An wasn’t used to seeing NIGHT in– in the morning…

:person_running:

“Good day!” she greeted, appearing a little taken aback at first. How could she have noticed so fast? Call it boredom, call it a small experiment; An had decided to flip her sign to ‘OPEN’ out of nowhere. "Oh, um, I'm definitely available. This doesn't happen every day though, so I'll try to inform you when I open in the morning next time!" She smiled; and from there, it was back to the usual swing of things. There was the junk sale, to which the merchant was already used to handling… and a blighted greatsword. Her eyes shone with interest as soon as the player brought it out. “Is that–?” 

No way a weapon this marvelous would be marked for junk selling?

NIGHT was still busy with her inventory. An carefully took the weapon and tapped a button, revealing its attributes.

[Jack’s Executioner].

A Halloween Sticker and three reroll tickets entered her vision.

Oh.

For real…?

An flustered. “I see!” It was a responsibility both exciting and terrifying. The tickets were plain, very far in appearance and grandeur from the Favors, but they very well reminded her of the entire mess that night with Arabelle and Mishiro had been – and she wondered if saying ‘okay, but maybe prepare to be disappointed’ would be good for business. Or NIGHT’s trust in her.

“Y-yeah, we’ll be fine!” Channeling her most confident air, she took the sticker and grinned. “I’ve used this myself, and a customer of mine once came in with three of those… Bunny Favors? They should work the same way.” 

Say what she might, but that didn’t stop her heart from pounding hard against her chest as the first item was consumed in a flash.

RNGesus, this doesn’t look like a weapon that could use Freeze, please don’t be another Freeze–

After the most agonizing of delays, their result appeared in an identification window:

[Blight]

“Were you looking for DoTs…?” Though there was a hint of apprehension in her tone, her eyes glittered at the Halloween weapon’s resulting enhancements. Both her sword and NIGHT’s held identical enhancements now, and she was tempted to bring out her Corrupted Legacy to compare. “Double Blight is my favorite! Now, onto the reroll tickets.”

An had more confidence now that the first identification showed a desirable outcome. She even hummed a little tune to herself as she consumed the first, then the second reroll ticket, and gave the weapon back to NIGHT with one unique slip to spare. 

“Hope you like it.”

For the past couple of days, An had been in limbo.

Her current haunt? The street in front of a smithy ran by a certain Lyle Tealeaf. She’d received some helpful info on the second lesson quest as soon as she told Leah she’d completed the first, and all things considered, she should be over-leveled for it – and also with no hope of receiving EXP rewards from the rest of the tutorial line, thought the amateur swordswoman with a hint of guilt. Should’ve taken it first instead of going to break some rock. Silly Harriette. That's a minus two to progressing efficiently now...! 

It was under this vein of thought that the girl internally psyched herself up and took in a deep breath. A set of stone steps, and then a door. The establishment wasn’t large, but from her observations, it held great rapport with the NPC citizens of the Town of Beginnings, and it was always busy with orders for equipment, tools, and repairs. On pretty sunny days like these, the pounding of a hammer against anvil could always be heard echoing from within. She marched up the steps – one, two, three – then she raised a hand to knock.

Then ‘something’ tugged at her.

She felt rooted to the place, mouth dry, unable to move or twist her hand forward to rap against the wood. 

“—”

An descended back down the steps, walked down the street until she turned a corner and found a certain wooden bench by the sidewalk. She plopped down, cupping her cheeks with her palms, and a small pout formed on her lips. 

Rinse and repeat.

Andromeda (LEVEL 14: 34 SP)   | 280/280 HP | 28/28 EN | 7 DMG   | 9 MIT | Frost Thorns | Frost Aura     | 3 LD

Spoiler [equipped:] Spoiler Dawn T1 Perfect Rapier -- [x3] Damage Marking the first steps of a young adventurer's new journey. A rapier that is rather plain in every aspect except for its elegant swept hilt made of brass. | [✦] 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. | [✦] Dice of Blessing  T1 Perfect Trinket -- [x3] LD [reference] The modern adventurer's mark of providence or misfortune - depending on how much Lady Luck likes you. The trinket itself is an acrylic D20 painted brown with gold numbers and an attached chain that allows it to be clipped onto the user's clothing. When thrown, it often lands on '20'. | [✦] [battle-ready inventory:] Spoiler [x5] Tier One Health Potions of Rare quality Heals 40 HP. | [✦] [x5] Golden Key A single-use item that grants +2 LD when opening a Treasure Chest. | [5] [x1] Teleportation Crystal  Use a post action to activate a teleport crystal. Teleports the player to the town or designated teleportation area they specify. | [✦] [skills:] Spoiler [used sp: 23 | unused sp: 11] 01. Rapier -- Rank 3 [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.