Astreya

Post Action - AoE-I vs Moss Wolves (11+8-2 = 17 Energy)

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Astreya mostly figured the money would come from the government, as opposed to the company itself, but splitting hairs over it wasn't really the best use of time- and beyond that, there was still a great deal of fun for the two to have here.  This was meant to be a relaxing day to just sort of explore the gardens themselves.  The problem was, of course, that it seemed the two had fundamentally differing opinions on the very end of the game.  Not that it was a bad thing, and Astreya didn't really mind discussing it further, but without any knowledge on what was happening in the real world, all they had to issue was conjecture.  There was no way to know, and that led to a rather ouroboros conversation.

At the girl's words, Astreya glanced over then at her, arching a brow in amusement.  "Sure!" she agreed as she hopped up to her feet, and similarly, accessed her inventory to pull on her armor and weapon once more, the two-handed blade in her hand once more as the familiar weight of the armor settled onto her shoulders.  "When I was like, a kid, playing in the dirt was the best.  But now I get to play with dogs, too!" she cheered as she whirled the blade in a single motion.

Nari went in first, the woman rushing through to smash through their ranks, and Astreya wasn't far behind, the pall from the blade radiating outward as the girl shifted forward, making a single, threatening swing at the lot before striking the nearest one, glancing to Nari.  "So like, does Nemo not care if you kill his like, pets or whatever?" she asked, mostly just amused at the change of pace.

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Battle Info-

Thread Closure!

 

All 3200 Col goes to Koga for throwing this superfun party \o/
@NIGHT@Koga@Gaius@Jomei@Hirru@Astralin@Kasumi@Lessa@Blueberry@Jevi@Nari-Lanreth@Oji@Yona@Melodie le Breton@kali@Mina@Lishuu

The conversation with Astralin and Morningstar had been nice and relaxing, and Astreya had been enjoying herself, but amidst the chatting (and admittedly it was certainly nearing its end) Baldur suddenly called out, the host of this whole get together, tournament and all, and had began to announce his own words to everyone present, showing a genuine appreciation for their attendance, and their willingness to join him in this series of firsts. First Valentine's Day Tournament, first sleepover, and so forth, and Astreya couldn't help but to smile up at the fellow amused at his words and excited despite herself, before the man began to reach the end of his little spiel, beginning to set up the more 'evening' mood.

"Oh wow!  How cool!" the girl cheered, clapping her hands in excitement, before she glanced to Morningstar, who had indicated that he had found the end to their conversation, and Astreya couldn't help but to give him a teasing little shove as he moved to head out past them.  "Enjoy the onsen!" she called after him, waving slightly.  She wasn't so sure that she wanted to go in there, at least not yet.  Maybe later on into the evening, but at least for the moment, she didn't... really think that she should jump right in.

All the same, she wasn't quite sure what to do now, and glanced to her friend.  "I'm gonna go like, wander a bit.  You can come with if you wanna," she offered, giving her a grin before she turned, beginning to head out toward the main area, where most of the eating had been done.  They'd wandered around inside for a bit during their conversation... but she kind of wanted to check out the outside with the evening lights that Baldur had provided.

"Wow..." she spoke, mostly to herself as she looked around, before noting a blonde-haired woman beginning to work through the act of cleaning up.  Astreya watched her take one trip before returning and ever the busybody, she couldn't help but to step in as well.  "Hey!  You need any help like, getting all this stuff all like, picked up and junk?" she offered, even as she began to gather a few of the plates up as well, beaming a sunny smile onto the woman.

@Astralin@Snow

Astreya Info-
 

Post Action: Foraging
ID: 206925
LD: 14 (Critical Success! +9 EXP | +2 Materials | 1 Material from NT Bonus!)
CD: 5 
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Astreya could feel the same familiar words coming to her lips, but she... didn't really want to speak them.  There was so much that she had boiling up inside of her regarding their current predicament and Nari had scratched the surface before- despite the girl's persistence (intentional or not) Astreya had no interest in speaking her thoughts on the matter.  "C'mon, we totally already like, put this talk to rest," the girl spoke, giving a small grin over toward her friend.  "I was just meaning like, in the little day-to-day things.  Like I don't need to use the bathroom.  Or like if I drop food it, like, totally can't get dirty.  Y'know, that sorta stuff," she spoke, giving her friend one of her practically trademarked sunny smiles.

"There's like, all sorts of people in here, right?  Everyone totally wants their own things.  So some people wanna get out more than anything, and then like, some people wanna stay.  But I figure like..." she spoke, gesturing with her hands.  "With the scandal this caused, I figure everyone here is gonna get a bunch of money, right?  So like, when we get out, if you wanted to stay in here, you probably, like, totally could."

Astreya pulled up another dandelion-like flower before realizing there was something amidst the weeds and pulled it out, smiling a little at the added Materials.  "So like...everyone'll be happy in the end."

Post Action: Foraging Roll
ID: 206923
LD: 6 (Fail! +3 Foraging EXP)
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"Really?  You totally get to meet so many more people!  It's like, super awesome!  I mean there are like cliques and that sorta thing and that like, I guess that part's not as fun, but usually most people are pretty open to having some fun and making friends," the girl beamed.  "I didn't really do a lot with people, like, growing up.  Was kind of a homebody so it was nice to get to like, totally spread my wings a bit, y'know?" she spoke.  

Despite the fact that she seemed the social butterfly now and that felt like her natural element, the girl didn't have any animosity or discontent in her voice when she spoke of her younger years.  She had just been a little more sequestered at the time, and it had given her the basis of who she was when she'd grown up into the woman she'd become.

As Nari continued, the girl fumbling over her words as she occasionally did, the young woman snickered, growing into a full laugh for a moment as she shifted to look over at her friend.  "Like, you don't have to have everything so literal.  Like, I know what the expression means," she continued, giving her friend a smile.  "But yeah.  Like if you can fix the whole bathroom thing, even if like... I mean really I guess it probably doesn't matter," she spoke, beginning to absently pick at some of the dandelion-like weeds that were growing.  "I can just like...fix up everything from the interface menu," she mused.

"It is hard to remember that like, this is a game, sometimes."

As the pink-haired woman began to speak, Astreya blinked, giving a small nod.  The confidence of the team was led by the tank, or at the very least, by the weakest link.  It was hard to say really which one the woman had meant by that.  As Yuki continued, comparing it to the blade of a sword, she blinked, tilting her head a little bit to the side.  That...made a weird amount of sense.  She had been considering her own thought to the response, in likening it to her volleyball or cheer leading teams she often spoke of, but before she could, Nari spoke up then, adding to the metaphor about the sword by adding in the shield, and then Rebekah onto that, and Astreya couldn't help but to give a little smile toward the group as they walked.

"Okay, like, you guys are like talking way outside of this metaphor," the girl spoke, laughing.  "Like, I know it's a like, game, or whatever, and that things are dangerous here but like... not everything is like swords and shields and all that.  You guys sound like my friends that played like D&D or whatever back in college," the girl continued, still laughing a little bit despite herself.  She didn't really mean to offend anyone with that, and she really hoped she hadn't, but it felt like Yuki's metaphor had been missed entirely and taken a bit too literally.

"Like," she began as they approached the ruined courtyard where the fancy sword supposedly was, "I think that like, Yuki mostly just meant that like... if the team doesn't have any confidence in like, the tank, or in each other, that it's as useful as like, eating soup with a fork.  Not that the tank actually is like, a sword, or whatever," the girl continued, humor still in her tone before she paused, coming to a stop just outside of the courtyard... and seeing the pristine sword within.

"Okay, that looks like the biggest trap I have totally ever seen."

At Star's response of putting on his big girl pants, Astreya couldn't help but to snort with laughter in response, the idea, but as he brought up Jomei, Astreya's eyes widened slightly in response, quite literally about to ask why before he'd cut off that avenue.  "Okay, but, you can't pick Jomei.  He's like, a totally a really nice guy, but I'm pretty sure that like..." she began, when flashes of the Christmas Party where Nari had all-but shouted (okay, she had shouted it) that Koga and Kasumi had some mutual attraction, and while she liked Morningstar so far, she didn't know how much she could trust him to keep a secret.  Beyond that, Astralin had just done a bit of a shout of her own.  "...that there's a good reason you can't.  You can't ask why either," she immediately added, thankful for Astralin coming into the conversation at that point for Astreya to have an out and something else to discuss.

"Well like it's not saying that you're in like, a total, full relationship if you win.  It's just like, one date, y'know?  Just to get to know someone.  You're not like, dating or anything," the girl spoke, giving her friend a slight grin.  But as Astralin went into the more realistic parts of dating a celebrity, she nodded.  "Oh well, yeah, like, totally.  I super agree with you," she agreed, nodding along with the girl.  "But like, I could still say I went on a date with one," she spoke, before sticking her tongue out at Star.  "Whether they believe me or not."

Astralin went onto then discuss a very real part of her own love life and Astreya couldn't help but to give a sympathetic smile toward having someone stolen from her, patting Astralin on the shoulder in gentle comfort, before conversation turned back around to the upcoming fight between them.  "Well as much as, like, I wanna see if Star picks me, Astralin's totally got my cheer squad," she spoke, beaming at the blonde girl.

Post Action: Foraging Roll
ID: 206920
LD: 4 (Fail! +3 Foraging EXP)
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The words from her friend caused the young woman to smile.  It had almost seemed like it'd meant to be a secret for just the two of them (or maybe just for Nari herself) but the gentle quietness of the garden they were in had given far more volume to the words than Nari had intended.  But she hadn't really pushed it- figuring that if Nari wanted to give more life to that conversation that would be on her- Astreya wouldn't force that at all.

But then came the unexpected- an offer to stay at the house itself that Nari owned.  Astreya gave a small sound of thought to that.  "It'd like, totally be like the Sorority back at college then," she commented, beaming toward the other woman with a small grin.  "A while bunch under one roof, right?  That could totally be like, a whole ton of fun," she agreed, giving a small nod, even as she considered that.  She was someone that, despite outward appearances, did value her privacy, and the thought of being at someone else's home, all of the time, made her a little uncertain.

She opened her mouth to continue when Nari cut in, and Astreya's words turned into a laugh.  "I so totally wasn't going to say that!" she responded as she turned, glancing a little over at her friend.  "I was going to like, say that when you fix your like, whole bathroom situation... I'll think about it," she spoke, giving her friend a sly wink.

Post Action: ST-I vs Terra Firma | ST Shift Active | 12-2+2 = 12 Energy Cost

Astreya had been wandering about with the others in the deep sands, her hand up over her shoulder to hold onto the heavy blade that rested upon her back.  But she hadn't really planned on anything happening, at least not at first.  t hadn't been until the ground itself began to shift slightly that she had even really paid attention- she hadn't realized just how close they were to the beast's lair.  But the creature hauled up out of the ground, looking more than a little angry at the intruders to its home, and immediately, the three combatants were readied.

Astreya let Nari go in first, allowing her to take point and all of the... aggro?  Hate?  She had forgotten the name of the mechanic- she'd heard it a few times from Zack but wasn't really sure which one it was.  All the same, the strike from the violet-haired woman struck true, and the creature seemed to give a very annoyed sound in response to the woman's actions, before Jomei leapt in as well, his familiar following suit.  Astreya couldn't help but to give a small snort.  Frosty would never join her in combat like that- what a bad bird.

She shifted as she darted forward to follow after the openings made by her friends as she cleared the distance, seeking out the soft skin of the creature's body as her weapon thrust upward and forward, slicing through the creature's softer hide with her oversized weapon, and as she did so, she let the weight of her weapon carry her, landing near Oji, her weapon held at the ready to keep the fellow safe.  "Like, let's keep it up!" she cheered.  "We'll take it down!"

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[3]Nari-Lanreth | Lv. 32 | P. 9 | HP: 720/720 | EN: 71/84 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 1 | REC: 8 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG] | FROSTBITE [30 DMG] | Battle Healing [+15]
[3]Jomei | 880/880 HP | 110/126 EN | DMG 23 | MIT 44 | EVA 3 | ACC 4 | BH 48 | HLY BLS 19 | BLD 48 | FLN 8 | AA | LD 1 | F.Sprt. [Charge 0/3, Rend 0/5]
[0]Oji, The Uncle of Aincrad | Level: 15| Paragon Level: 0 | HP: 300/300 | EN: 48/48 | Damage: 1 | Evasion: 3 | Loot Dice: 3
[3]Astreya | Level 32 / 11 | HP 740/740 | EN 94/106 | DMG: 19 | MIT: 122 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | LD: 1 | BH: 37 | Taunt: 1 | Prosperity: 1

Terra Firma | HP: 277/950 | DMG: 300 | MIT: 150 | ACC: 0 (1-1) | EVA: 4 | Stunned | Frostbite [30 DMG, -1 ACC; 1/2] | Bleed [48 DMG, 1/2] | Rend [ 28 DMG 1/2]

The words that followed her question from Nari felt fake.  They were enough to look fake, despite the fact that there was no physical manifestation of them, but the hesitation between "it's" and "nothing" was more information than she likely had meant to reveal with that.  The following sentence wasn't much better.  Clarifying, but also in a way that simply just completely invalidated what it was that she was saying.  Seven words that carried an incredible amount of weight, and the dark-haired woman could feel the energy from them, like a volatile grenade that would explode at the slightest provocation.

Koga's sentiments were followed directly after.  The same words but spoken with an entirely different inflection.  The vastness of this 'nothing' was enough to create a massive gulf between her two friends.  She had sensed something, prior to, but not until this moment did she really understand just what sort of problem had occurred.  Of course, she didn't know the specifics- there was no way to without someone telling her, and she couldn't help but to wonder what had caused this seemingly strange divide.

Sensing perhaps an incoming silence, Nari continued, talking about the fight and Astreya, not wanting to leave the quiet hanging in the air, nodded. "Right?  That was like, so cool!" Astreya responded mechanically, beaming a sunny, happy-seeming smile onto Nari.

But Astreya's mind was whirring, and she didn't realize how much time had even passed with that silence until Nari spoke again, in broken, stilted words.  The young woman was reminded of how Nari had been at Koga's party in this way.  Unsure of herself and yet entirely too sure at the same time.  Rambling and unfocused.  Uncertain.  Speaking everything that came to mind without a filter and without a refined sense of what was meant by the words.

Iris was about to respond, when Koga spoke up, ready to return.  "Sure, yeah.  I might like, hang out a bit though.  I like, totally dig the cold, y'know?  And Frosty likes it too," she beamed, before glancing back to her violet-haired friend.  "But like, I'm totally down to hang and do something else!  I think I need like, a little break after all that like excitement with the big ice guy though," she continued, transitioning her grin to a sheepish smile.  "But any time!  Just like, let me know, or I'll let you know!" she cheered.

The group began to walk back, Astreya humming to herself as she did to keep up the illusion that nothing was wrong, or that she'd not noticed just how incredibly uncomfortable both of them were following her question.  She'd stepped on a landmine and hadn't realized it, and she was worried that both of them were now upset at her for that reason.  Nari...didn't seem to be.  She mostly just seemed more sad than anything.  But Koga proved harder to read.  He kept quiet, spoke in short sentences and generally just... felt annoyed and angry.

From how they'd talked, and the words used, she surmised that Nari had done something to offend Koga in a way that had caused this deep rift.  Something that Nari had either seemed to feel had been 'fixed' or that she'd been working toward.  She hadn't thought it was the party (even if Nari had caused undue troubles for Koga then with Kasumi) but it had to be something else.  She'd have to ask them later.  Separately.

But for now she merely moved with a light skip, humming the song of ignorance as she went.

Astreya had been waving at the retreating figure, content to just let them fade away back into the distance.  Whoever they might've been, Astreya had absolutely no reason to doubt their intentions after the figure had come to their aid with absolutely no reason to do so... aside from the fact that the monster had interrupted their ice skating.  However, a shout from Nari caused the young woman to blink, and she turned, glancing toward her friend with a look of slight confusion on her face.  NIGHT?  That was... familliar.

It wasn't until she glanced at Koga too that it clicked- he'd been the one to bring her up back at the Christmas party.  He'd indicated that Astreya should check in with NIGHT to see if the armored maiden was ready for the Front Lines or not.  She frowned slightly, reaching a hand back to scratch at her hair in her own slight confusion, before the glare that Koga was giving to Nari was fairly evident upon his face.

Man, what the hell had happened?

"Hey like...are you two okay?  Things are like, super tense.  I was totally having a lot of fun with the like, whole fight and the teamwork but..." she continued, glancing between the two, sheathing her weapon before it seemingly vanished as the combat fully ended.  "Is this about-" she began, looking back up to the distance, but the figure was gone.  Not just too far away to see. Gone.  "NIGHT or whoever?" she finished, frowning.

The strike from Astreya had been enough to send it reeling a little bit, and the girl had been panting, despite the cold atmosphere around her she could feel herself as being very warm at the moment.  Either the adrenaline of toppling such a big foe as a team, or maybe it was simply the fact that she'd been able to ask for help and receive it in this light- that people were willing to help her?  She didn't know, but she could feel her own excitement hammering in her heart at the moment.

Nari shot forward, the spear striking their foe and calling for Koga to finish it- and finish it the man did.  He shot forward like a rocket, slamming into the center mass of the beast with enough raw force to topple it...but somehow it held on, and for a moment, Astreya feared they might need to keep fighting.  But then it began to topple, the last of its health bar draining as Koga leapt backward and the beast collided with the broken, frozen lake.  It shattered through the upper layer, but being ice itself, the creature merely floated in the icy waters.

The dark-haired woman grinned back at Koga.  "Awesome!" she cheered, before she blinked, turning her gaze to look at where the beast had been standing.  It began to fade away, much as the blizzard did, clearing up the air around them.  The figure slowly faded into view with the ice and snow fading, and whoever they were, they'd taken a look at the players before turning and beginning to walk away.  "Heyyyyy!  Thank youuuu!" Astreya called, waving her arms wildly overhead.  She was tempted to go after the person... but she had the feeling they were kind of a loner, like Freyd was.  "I like, totally owe you one!"

Astreya looked on at Yuki as the woman spoke up regarding her own thoughts on the matter.  It was...a weird viewpoint, to Astreya.  Of course, the girl wasn't a gamer- she didn't really have that same background when it came to others in the same boat.  To her, it was a much more physical, and real activity, so the idea of having confidence in the 'numbers' she had was a hard pill for her to swallow.  Even against lower level enemies, she still sometimes flinched when an attack came her way, even if it wouldn't do more than one or two damage to her, just because she could see it coming.  "Okay...got it," she spoke with a small nod. 

She didn't really, and that might be clear to everyone else that was present but she didn't really mind.  She'd have to learn more as time went on- and to do as the woman said... and start to look at the world as more of a game where everything was ruled by the numbers rather than anything else.  If she had more attack power and defenses than an opponent, she should be able to still just win, right?  That was how it went?  

All the same, she moved along with everyone else, the girl unnaturally quiet.  Perhaps she was considering Yuki's words or perhaps it was just the atmosphere?

However, as soon as she realized that the air was full of silence, that seemed to grate on her enough to break through her thoughts.  "Okay so like, we'll let Yuki and Nari take point.  Becky here and I can like, smash stuff and then we'll call it a day," the girl spoke, nodding to herself, even as they approached the outskirts... only to find a battle happening.  

A dark-haired woman fought alone against several NPCs, killing several and seeming draining their life force before a lucky strike from the leader sends the woman away.  "Heyyyy!  Are you guys like, okay?" she called out to the NPC.  

Quote

"Lilith tested us again. She's retreated for now, but will return. She does a damn good job keeping us on the ropes." The captain returns his weapon to his sheath before casting an eye to his men. "She managed to get a couple of my men and a few of the local guards. I managed to chase her off, but she is near-immortal without a holy weapon." He points towards the distant South. "The only one I know of is within the Ashen Keep. However, I don't have men to spare to retrieve it. Stonewall won't lend me any assistance either." Once the party offers assistance, Harkens will raise an eyebrow. "You'd be willing to delve into an old keep, battle whatever may be inside and claim the weapon? If you are capable of that, you might as well try your luck at killing Lilith then. Careful though, she is a tricky one."

Astreya blinked, before glancing at the rest of her party.  "Uh.. To the South?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Astreya had been considering the question a bit.  Who would she date if she was given the opportunity to?  Despite her time here, she hadn't made a really strong connection with a lot of people.  Astralin was someone she'd met several times and each time she found herself liking the girl more and more, and Nari was another, although Nari had something going on under the hood that Astreya hadn't quite yet figured out.  She needed more time to talk with her to figure out just what that was.

The question about movies, and then Astreya's off-handed commentary afterward seemed to strike a little more into Astralin's core, the woman beginning to think a little bit about where she came from.  She had offered up some thoughts and insights on where she'd come from and what she'd done in her early life, and from there it seemed like she was kind of a 'no one' when it came to it, back in the real world, and that was something that made Astreya's heart hurt, and a sympathetic smile was shared to the blonde.

"I'm like, so totally offended that you don't trust me," the girl spoke in response to Morningstar's joke, and she beamed a smile toward him, just to show that she was, in fact, kidding.

That was mostly just stalling for time to think of an appropriate answer that wouldn't be too off-putting, and thankfully, Astralin came in after that to offer up her own thoughts on the matter.  Of course, during it she'd revealed she hadn't actually realized what the endgame prize was and Astreya couldn't help but to give a small laugh of bemusement at her friend's aloofness in that manner, which started to turn into a little bit of a ramble, and Astreya just watched with that same little bit of amusement at the answer, before shaking her head, laughing a bit more to herself.

She turned the question back around to Morningstar and he gave a similar non-answer.  She couldn't help but to find amusement in that.  Everyone was trying to avoid answering the question.  Like they might be found out in some sort of trap if they did so.  "So like," she began, as the ball was returned back to her, "I like meeting new people, y'know?  So like, it'd be someone I haven't met before.  Or like at least not very well.  There's a few people here, but I'll like, wear the big girl pants and actually like, commit to a choice, unlike you two," she spoke with a teasing little grin.  "There's a guy here named Alkor and he seems like he's totally rough around the edges.  I don't like, have any romantic interest or like, whatever, but...I'm just kinda like, curious about who he is, y'know?" she murmured.

"But then like, dating a movie star, former or not, would like, be totally cool.  I could totally brag about it when we get out of here," she grinned, winking at Star.

Post Action: AoE-I vs Lapis Assassins | 11+(2*4)-2 = 17 EN Cost

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The young woman held her blade at the ready as she looked on against the others, having not fought alongside Freyd in this... new guise of his before, and beyond that, she had never done so with Dustin, either.  There was a lot of uncertainty here- how would they be best to fight and to ally one another to cover one another's weaknesses?  That was the big worry- although she wasn't overly concerned about Freyd's survival- she'd seen the man fight before and (the minotaur aside) he had been incredibly potent in every aspect that she'd seen him fight in.  Similarly, she knew that Nari was even more defensibly built than she was... which just left Dustin as the sole figure she might be concerned for.

The man seemed to be rather... unfettered.  That was perhaps the best word that Astreya had to describe him.  He didn't seem to hold onto anything for very long and danced like a feather upon the winds.  Even still, he had an eerie undertone to him that Astreya still wasn't sure on.  Perhaps the rather flippant and devil-may-care attitude was due to the response he'd given to Nari earlier- if he was already at peace with his own death, then there was nothing to fear.  There was nothing greater than that, so all else simply paled in comparison.

Once more, Nari's words chilled her.  There was more to her friend than she knew and that fact ate away at her, but she didn't comment, merely moving up near the violet-clad woman as the rimefrost sword began to exude its usual chill, and Astreya was about to move in when the cloak suddenly shot skyward and her gaze instinctively, as many others did, moved upward, before a flicker of movement below caught her attention as well, and she turned back in time to see Freyd having put three of the men into the hurt before Dustin had charged forward as well toward the fourth.

She frowned, the hands around her blade tightening.  The cool wind of winter moved with her as the heavy-armored woman shot forward, moving quickly despite her armaments and shifted, the frigid air around the blade seeming to harden, giving it an almost oversized, crystalline appearance as she moved past the manicure-examining Freyd, before bringing her weapon down overhead to the three that her shadowed ally had taken down, leaving the fourth to Dustin as he floored the figure... but it seemed that she had let her guard down a little early.The fourth had managed to scramble to his feet and- with Astreya being the closest target- the man brought the blade to bear against her, causing the girl to flinch in instinctive fear- even as the attack did relatively little in the grand scheme of things.  "Hey!" she shouted, shifted back to face the lone survivor, the oversized blade in her hands still.

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Battle Summary-

Post Action: Foraging Roll
ID: 206419
LD: 9 (Fail! +3 Foraging EXP)

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The young woman gave a small nod toward Nari, even as she stretched her arms up overhead.  "Well, like sure.  But we're also been trapped in her for like ever, right?  I think that like... in a game, you'd normally like, not quite make the same connections, like you were saying, y'know?  Cause like, normally, the game could end at any point or like, whatever.  Or you or they could like, lose interest in the game itself.  But like, when it comes down to it here, we're like totally stuck here for who another like... what, seventy floors or whatever?"

The thought nearly caused her to lose her pace for a moment as the crushing weight of despair started to press down on her shoulders for a moment, but the young woman shrugged it off, ignoring it to the best of her ability.  "So like, I think in the situation we're in that like... stronger connections is totally normal and junk, y'know?" she continued, looking to the woman with a small smile.

"Ahhhh omigosh I'm still so jealous you have a house!  I just kinda like... sleep on a little cot in the shop I've got," the girl spoke with a small embarrassed smile.  "I keep meaning to actually get like, a whole house setup but..." she spoke, gesturing with her hand.  "I dunno, maybe I should like, do that soon.  But yeah girl, you totally need another bathroom if you've got like, two people under the same roof, y'know?" she added, grinning.  

Astreya couldn't help but to give a genuine giggle of glee as the little creature wormed its way forward so she could pick it up, and the dark-haired young woman cradled it almost like a baby, cooing at it and petting the little creature as she moved, staying well within sight of Oji.  She knew at least that the creature was his- she didn't want it thinking that she was taking it away, or honestly, for Oji to feel the same.  

But Nari then called her out and the woman blinked, turning to look at her friend, sticking out her tongue.  "C'mon!  Like, Frosty would get so totally jealous if I did.  I wouldn't, like, keep the little guy.  Even if he's like, too frickin' cute!" she cooed back down to the creature, happily messing around with it, before beaming a smile at Jomei. "Like, I did all right- but that movie star dude like totally kicked my butt," she spoke, shaking her head.

The tone switched to a more serious one then as Nari noted they were getting close and Jomei added in their need to be prepared.  Soup hopped from Astreya's arms over to Oji and the girl gave the little sable a small wave and smile as she reached her hand back to the handle of her two-handed blade on her back.  The blade was pulled free in an instant, and the chilled blade began to condensate almost immediately in the heat.  "Well like, bring it on!  Nari and I got point!" she cheered.

Note: ST-Shift Active
Post Action: ST-II vs Absolute Zero | 15 EN - 2 (Stamina) + 2 (Shift) = 15 EN Cost
Roll ID: 206240
BD: 5(+3) (Hit!) | 18(ST-II) x (19) = 342 - 230 = 112 Damage | 50 Frost Thorns Taken
-----------------

Astreya frowned as she stumbled back away from the lumbering beast, feeling the pain of the Frost Thorns from her opponent steadily fading away from her as the battle healing began to take effect, soothing the wounds and removing that icy cold agony from her body.  She exhaled slowly as she shook out her arm, pausing to hold her weapon with the opposing hand before gripping it once more, her eyes narrowed slowly as she looked at the foe.  Nari had gone in as well and then too so had Koga- with Nari able to Stun the monster which would keep it off their backs a moment, and then Koga unleashing a fiery attack that caused far more damage than Astreya had done.

She gave a small smile- this might take awhile, but they could do this!  This thing was big, but if they could keep it from hitting too hard, and just steadily gain the momentum to bring it down... this was possible.  A genuine smile moved over her face for a moment, and if either of the other two noticed it, it would simply feel different than the usual sunshine she cast out with her smiling features.

But then music came to hear ears and she paused, the smile faltering and giving way to genuine confusion at the moment as she glanced around, not...sure where it was coming from.  She was directly in front of the beast, and had no way to see the figure behind it.  But she did see the sudden blackness suddenly spreading through its form, and then the slightest bit of movement from behind it and she blinked- was that the person she'd seen?  Was the figure...helping them?

"Let's gooooo!" she called out to her allies, all two (three?) of them as she shot forward again, seeing the creature's healthbar beginning to shrink rapidly- the flames from Koga and the darkness spreading within it from their mystery helper piercing through its armored hide as Astreya hefted her blade, moving with the grace of a dancer despite the heavy armor and weapon she wore, turning to gain more momentum as the heavy weapon, wreathed in frost, slammed into the creature's body, carving out another sizeable piece, wincing even as the backbite of cold shot through her.  "Almost...there..!" she called, struggling to keep her fingers from loosing the grip on her weapon.

-----------------

[5] Astreya | HP: 769/828 | EN: 83/106 | DMG: 19 | MIT: 167 | EVA: -2 | ACC: 4 | BH: 41 | LD: 1 | Taunt: 1 | Thorns: 40
[2] Nari-Lanreth | HP: 670/720 | EN: 71/84 | DMG: 9 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 | EVA: -2 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]
[2] Koga | HP: 810/860 | EN: 100/120 | DMG: 23 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 3 | BRN: 56 | BLT: 32/20 | FALN: 8 | REC: 4 | B.HEALING: 46/92 | [REND-CD: 1/5] | [CHARGE-CD: 1/3]
[1] NIGHT | HP: 910/960 | EN: 119/134 | DMG: 22 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 44 | BLI: 32/-20MIT | BLD: 48 | FRB: 40/-1ACC | STC: 40+24 | LD: 5 | BH: 48 | ST-B

Absolute Zero | HP: 134/1000 | DMG: 200 | MIT: 230* | ACC: 2 | EVA: -2 | F.THORNS: 50* | BD8+: FREEZE | BD9/10: +50DMG/ +100DMG | CD12: 200 AoE + FREEZE | [REND/BRN: 168DMG (1/2)] | [BLI/BLD/FRB/STC: 320DMG (1/2)] | STUNNED

Post Action: Foraging
ID: 205514
LD: 14 (Critical Success! +9 EXP | +2 Materials | 1 Material from NT Bonus!)
CD: 7

---

 

Enjoyable, huh?  Astreya gave a small breath of a laugh at that, even if she didn't vocalize the thought.  She still wasn't really sure about that.  She didn't really enjoy 'gaming' and while this would be something she'd maybe log in and play for an hour, maybe two... it wasn't really her bag.  Sure, it was pretty and the action was okay, but she enjoyed the team sports aspect of what she'd done in her real life- although she supposed maybe she might feel differently after time on the Front Lines.  For good or for ill.

She'd actually been a little lost in her own thoughts before Nari had switched her topic back to Onóra, Astreya glanced over toward her violet-clad friend, unable to help a slight grin on her features as she watched.  The flush returned to her features and it was clear from the way that she was talking that there was likely more than just friendship forming.  Or perhaps had already formed.  She recalled their meeting and now in hindsight, she could start to see bits of that preference that she hadn't picked up on before.  She'd have to think about that again in full, later.  "Well that's like, totally awesome!" Astreya cheered.  "Probably be better if she didn't like, get her own place though, right?" she asked, teasing.

But then the question was turned back onto herself and she gave a small breath of a laugh, shaking her head.  "No...not really," the girl admitted, giving her friend an almost embarrassed smile.  "Like, obviously I like to totally hang out with you and Koga, but like... not really anyone special," the girl spoke, moving to stretch her arms up overhead.  "I just like... I dunno," she spoke, finishing the words a bit lamely.  "There's like, kind of a sad story that goes along with it, but I totally don't wanna bring down the mood," she admitted, giving her friend a smile.  

Astreya gave a small smile toward Jomei, pleased that he had accepted it.  She did recall that he'd said she didn't need to repay him in any way, and their somewhat emotional ending of letting him actually get to play some music again with someone, even if it wasn't necessarily the most treasured song to him... was still a gift on its own.  But when she'd been possessed with the inspiration to do it, and so when she'd completed it, the very first thought she'd had was that she had to give it to Jomei as thanks.  Even if he never got the chance to really listen to it or use it... she still wanted him to have it, to be able to rely on if it was ever needed.

As he pat her head, the girl grinned up at him, rolling her eyes at the taller fellow.  "C'mon now, I'm like, not a kid," she spoke, still showing a bit  of a flush on her features for the genuine appreciation for the gift.

Conversation then turned to the idea of the events and such that had happened.  "Yeah!  Koga's party was like, totally awesome!  Even with all the flooding, and the like, giant slime," the girl spoke, pausing for a moment before shaking her head.  "And then that tournament was so cool!  I wish I woulda won though," she mused, glancing up to the sky, before looking to Oji...and seeming to finally notice the little pet he had.

"Omigosh!  That is like, so totally cute!" she squealed a bit, hopping over toward him.  Her own bird loathed the heat and wasn't even present, but she found the little critter to be.  "Can I pet him, or hold him?  What's his name?" the girl chattered, clearly excited by the little creature.

Note: ST-Shift Active
Post Action: ST-I vs Absolute Zero | 12 EN - 2 (Stamina) + 2 (Shift) = 12 EN Cost
Roll ID: 205513
BD: 10 (Major Crit!) | 15(ST-I) x (19+2) = 315 - 250 = 65 Damage | 50 Frost Thorns Taken

---

"Don't worry!  Nari and I like, totally will keep all the single-target junk on us!" the girl cheered, glancing back at Koga with a small nod and a grin before they'd taken off and she'd called to the figure skater.

--

Astreya had frowned as she'd gotten closer to the player on the ice, having tried to get them to scurry away, to find somewhere to go to abate the storm of a monster that was coming.  She thought about what they might be doing out here, alone, in a place like this, with that storm on the run... but there was no time for that.  The howling of the wind, and the distance between, blocked any sort of eavesdropping on the conversation behind her.  She was at least aware that they were lagging behind, and given the heavy armor she herself wore, she knew it wasn't due to the fact they couldn't keep up.

"We'll stick to the plan!" she called over her shoulder as the storm continued to mount, making it more and more difficult for her to communicate properly with those around her, when suddenly from within that ice storm, a solid figure formed of winter itself began to reveal itself.  A monstrous, frozen hand began to emerge, and the young woman swallowed, feeling the distinct pang of fear in her throat as she held onto the hilt of her weapon.  The icy ground shattered beneath its footsteps, and she readied herself, casting a glance toward the person on the-

Where did they go?  Astreya had only taken her eyes off of the figure for a second...well whatever.  Good.  At least she needn't worry about them anymore.  The beast was emerging from its cocoon of hailstorm, and as it emerged in full...the storm seemed to quiet, as if it had spent its energy trying to contain the monster.  Before she could ready herself, it unleashed a roar, louder than the storm of winter that had been around them, as a harsher, more violent storm erupted, freezing her to the bone.  Despite herself, she was already moving.  Her body was carrying her forward even before she realized it as she readied her weapon.

It was slow- sturdy but slow- and unless she completely screwed up, she likely wouldn't fail to hit it.  Shifting inward, she exhaled softly, the sapphire eyes seeming to take on a slightly icy hue as the rimefrost weapon danced upward in her hands as she connected with the brute, sending a shard of its body pinwheeling through the air before shattering upon the rocks nearby.  

Cold.  Icy, numbing cold like she'd never felt before raced down her blade, down into her hands and arms and she could feel her heart freeze in her chest as she took a half-step backward.  "F...Frost Thorns!" she managed out, her breath stolen from her body.

-----

Astreya | HP: 778/828 | EN: 94/106 | DMG: 19 | MIT: 167 | EVA: -2 | ACC: 4 | BH: 41 | LD: 1 | Taunt: 1 | Thorns: 40
Nari-Lanreth | HP: 720/720 | EN: 84/84 | DMG: 9 | MIT: 147 | ACC: 3 | REC: 8 | EVA: -2 | LD: 0 | STH: -5 | THORNS [72 DMG]
Koga | Got some stuff prolly
NIGHT | Got some stuff prolly
Absolute Zero | HP: 935/1000 | DMG: 200* | MIT: 200 | ACC: 3 | EVA: -2 | Freeze (8-10) | Uses its own BD when attacking | A3 Na0 K0 NI0
*250 on BD9, 300 on BD10
 

Post Action: Foraging Roll
ID: 205499
LD: 11 (NT success! +1 Material! | Foraging Fail! +4 Exp!)
CD: N/A

---

"Good, it's like, totally a promise," the woman spoke, beaming a sunny smile toward her friend.  At her words however, Astreya couldn't help but to give a small grin toward the woman, arching a brow.  "So uh... who's Onóra?" she asked, raising her eyebrows in a teasing manner, excited to see what the violet woman had to say on the subject.  This was almost certainly one of the people that she'd been talking about.  Those that she didn't want to have left behind if she were to perish on those front lines.

"You mind if I like, keep one?" she asked, reaching toward the same set of tulips that Nari had pulled one out from and carefully removed it, noting with amusement that it did count as a Material.  She wasn't entirely sure how she could turn this into a song... but if she did, she'd make sure to give it to her friend here.

There was a sudden addition of mischief to her friend and the cough drew Astreya's attention upward to her, and she blinked slightly at the sudden suggestion.  A grin of her own matched Nari's, and a gale of laughter followed, the raven-haired young woman standing back up to her full height.  "Like, sure, why not?" the girl responded, seeing not reason not to.  It was good to rest and relax once in a while anyway.  It couldn't be all work all the time.

As she moved, she made a movement toward her inventory, removing the blade and the armored cape, followed by the actual heavy plate itself, leaving herself in a knee-length black sundress, the young woman beaming a smile toward Nari.  "Man...I always forget how much, like, lighter it is not wandering around in all that armor," she spoke as she came a little more into the clearing, setting a hand over her eyes as she looked up toward the sun.  "It's like, so wild to think this is all virtual, y'know?"

The girl looked from Nari to Freyd and then back to Nari again, blinking as if she were steadily and slowly processing the information.  "Wait, really?" she asked after a few seconds of thought.  Sometimes Astreya played up the fool for ease of conversation, but this was one of the times where her lack of knowledge when it came to games and other fantasy things was certainly causing her issue, right now.  As someone who liked people, studied people and enjoyed picking them apart, the further detached something got from the reality that she was used to, the harder time she had actually understanding it.  She frowned a little as she looked back toward Freyd who was moving toward a fellow who seemed not at all willing to meet him...her...whatever Freyd was doing right now.

"I'm not like, good with mythological stuff or like... games," she spoke, the last word coming out a little flat, even as she couldn't help an embarrassed smile.  "So like, I'll just totally follow everyone else's lead, here," the girl admitted, frowning slightly as she began to move forward, curious about what she might end up finding.

But soon, the panicked fellow that Freyd was talking to departed, and from there, the man began to provide the thoughts to the situation on what had happened.  Astreya's gaze was on him, and as she listened, the young woman seemed to be committing this information to memory, absorbing and contemplating it.  She took what Nari had told her, and meshed it with this information, seeing the Ronbaruans as an entity as a whole, as their people are, rather than individuals.  Normally that wouldn't be something that would fly but given this was a game... it was likely that it would be easier to give them sweeping, consistent traits.

Dustin was clearly not interested in the humdrum or why of it all, which Astreya didn't besmirch- she didn't really care about all the 'video game' reasons for what was going on...but she was interested in the social aspects of it all.  Different people had their own different priorities and that was no problem by her.  Although as he mentioned his own annoyances with people not being able to kill something they already had, she turned a look back over to him.  Hadn't he talked just a few minutes ago about the soul still being alive and killable?  Was he making some...odd reference back toward himself or did he not realize he was contradicting himself??

She didn't get a chance to ask, as suddenly the sound of weapons and blades being drawn echoed around them.  Astreya's features darkened at the view of the bandits as she reached back over her shoulder, and in a single movement, pulled forth the heavy frost-covered blade.  "Okay, like, you guys are gonna need those protopack thingies from Ghostmasters if you wanna fight the ghost," she called to the bandits, before glancing to Dustin, suddenly looking a little less certain.  "It was Ghostmasters, right?" she whispered loudly.

Astreya couldn't help but to smile at the girl's defiance in the face of the scolding.  "Okay, but like, after we do this, can you like totally do me a favor and get some rest?  It'll like, totally be good for you," she continued, giving the girl a small smile, taking a small step back so as to not crowd her.  She still felt that the girl should probably get some more rest and just to take some time for herself...but Astreya didn't want to keep nannying her- she was pretty sure Nari was older than she was anyway.

The young woman glanced from Nari's instructions to the other two, curious if they planned to balk at all.  But neither Jomei nor Oji seemed to mind at all, perfectly content to let Nari (and if needed, Astreya) take the brunt of the monster's aggression.  "Okay, cool!  Then we got our battle plan!" she cheered, giving a small grin to everyone as she followed along with Nari to pick up the quest.  

As she did so, she paused, however, glancing back and then falling into step with Jomei.  "Hey!  Check this out," she spoke, beaming a grin at him as she reached into her inventory, pulling out a small little sound crystal.  "I kinda like... got inspired.  Here, check it out," she spoke, handing the crystal over to him, beaming a smile.  "Wanted you to like, have it too.  As thanks for all the help, y'know?" she added.
 

"I should be able to like... make more.  Theoretically.  Totally hasn't gone well since like, that one though," she admitted with an embarrassed grin.  

Craft Roll [1/4] - 205450
CD: 7 (Salvage?) | +3 EXP
LD: 2 (Naw)

Craft Roll [2/4] - 205451
CD: 2 (Failure!) | +2 EXP
LD: N/A

Craft Roll [3/4] - 205452
CD: 3 (Failure!) | +2 EXP
LD: N/A

Craft Roll [4/4] - 205453
CD: 2 (Failure!) | +2 EXP
LD: N/A