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[SP-F10] The One Who Tweets <<Feeding The Enemy>>


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Birdie had entered <<Lone Man's Gravesite>> in search of man's best friend. Back in town, an information broker had spoken of the rare <<Undead Hound>>, a mob whose only known spawn trigger was to disturb the graves of fallen men. Once you had set foot in a graveyard, these peculiar pooches would rise from the ground and vehemently protect their masters' graves, going so far as to chase you to the very edge of the nearest town before the AI would kick in and reset.

Though she couldn't confirm the validity of such a claim, she didn't wish to put it to the test and was intent on slaying as many as necessary. She was there for one simple fact; When an <<Undead Hound>> perished, there was a 5% chance of an <<Ethereal Canine>> rising in its place, who would stick around anywhere from thirty to sixty seconds before joining its original master. Having recently said goodbye to Glacia, the Frostbitten Phoenix, she was in need of a brand new familiar, and there was no way she could resist seeking such a rare, mystical animal.

She downed one of the mitigation potions she'd bought from Zandra and readied herself, resting a hand on Winterthorn. An <<Undead Hound>> arose from the ground nearby, and she inhaled calmly.

Spoiler

Stats:

  • 660 HP
  • 66 Energy
  • +57 Mitigation
  • +3 Accuracy
  • +3 Evasion
  • 12 Base Damage (1[base] +5[weapon skill] +6[enhancement])
  • +3 LD

Items:

  • <<Winterthorn>> [T2:Rapier]: +6 Damage
  • <<Swiftness Stone>> [T2:Trinket]: +3 Evasion
  • <<Precision Stone>> [T2:Trinket]: +3 Accuracy

Buffs:

  • <<Potion of Armoured Dragon Scale>> [T2:Potion]: +54 Mitigation

Battle Ready:

  • 3x <<Diamondskin Potion>> [T2:Potion]: Safeguard
  • <<Finding Stone>> [T2:Trinket]: +3 LD
  • <<Awareness Stone>> [T2:Trinket]: +1 Search and Detect
  • <<Scouting Garbs>> [T2:Light Armour]: +36 Mitigation, +1 Evasion

Skills:

  • Rank 5 | Rapier: +5 Damage w/ Rapier
  • Rank 3 | Search and Detect: +3 LD
  • Rank 1 | Light Armour: +3 Mitigation
  • Rank 1 | T.H.S.S: +1 Damage w/ T.H.S.S
  • Gatherer: +3 Materials per successful gather
  • Concentration: +1 BD upon activation, requires 5 post cooldown
 
 
 

 

 

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She was the one to make the first move. With careful positioning, minding not to trigger a Sword Art too early, she pulled Winterthorn from its sheath and held it in a lazy position, carefully approaching her target from the side. The Hound paid no mind to her as it sniffed at the grave, and she stopped shy of a dozen feet from her target. Okay, carefully- remember, attack once and back away. Attack once, back away...

The words repeated in her head, and she exhaled slowly. Eyes pinching together, she held Winterthorn at hip-height and a little to the left, her other hand pulling backwards in the air to form a fencing position. Just then, the system registered her Sword Art usage and she lunged forwards, rapidly jamming the tip of her blade into the poor pooch's side. Finishing with a clean swipe across her target's body, Birdie finished with her rapier pointed forwards and one hand behind her back, though an immediate reaction from the hound caught her off guard and she shielded the rest of her body with her right arm, sustaining deep bite marks. Ah, that hurt!

-----

ID: 86896 - BD: 5+3=8 - MD: 9-3=6 (Crit)

[H:1] Birdie - HP: 617/660 - EN: 53/66 - MIT: 57

  • Sword Art Used: Over Radiation [Damage = 12*14=168]

Undead Hound - HP: 162/330 - DMG: 99

  • Damage = 99+1=100
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Birdie enacted the very same position, her weapon held at a normal height with the tip veered slightly to the left. A blue light swallowed her sword as she dashed forwards toward the pooch and a flourish of thirteen thrusts followed, and with one final devastating jab at her target's abdomen, the pooch released its final howl and burst into thousands of tiny fragments. A loot window popped up in front of her and she inspected it only briefly, seeing nothing worthy of note straight away.

Many things had changed since she was last actively engaged in levelling. For one, loot appeared to be drastically different, as evidenced by her recent victory and the four spiders she'd faced off against with Beatbox not so long ago. Col seemed to always drop as did materials, though the latter was simply confirmation bias for recent encounters, and she'd realise as much upon slaying more canines in the not-too-distant minutes ahead.

-----

ID# 86897 | BD: 5+3=8 - LD: 11+3 - CD: 10

[H:2] Birdie - HP: 617/660 - EN: 41/66 - MIT: 57

  • Sword Art Used: Over Radiation [Damage = 12*14=168]

Undead Hound - HP: -6/330 - DEAD

  • Dropped 990 Col
  • Dropped 2 Rotten Hide [T1 Mats]

-----

Loot:

  • 990 Col
  • 2 Rotten Hide [T1 Mats]
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The air stood silent, and she searched around for yet another hound. A 5% spawn chance upon defeating an enemy was painfully low, she knew, and if push came to shove then the taming of an <<Ethereal Canine>> would have to happen another time. For now, another target rose from its master's disturbed grave and stood idly, awaiting an enemy to come attack.

Birdie inhaled another deep breath and moved to the very same position, weapon forwards and free arm back, though as she attempted to initiate the Sword Art, the system recognised it half a second later than she was expecting and the bluenette stumbled forwards, leaving her wide open for an easy attack by the hound. Sharpened claws sliced through her arm and side, and though she was quick to bounce back up and dash away from the enemy, the damage had already been done. She silently cursed at herself, knowing how disappointed her former would be if he were there to witness such sloppiness.

-----

ID# 86898 | BD: 1+3 (Crit fail) - MD: 10-3 (Crit)

[H:0] Birdie - HP: 573/660 - EN: 39/66 - MIT: 57

  • Sword Art Used: Over Radiation - MISS

Undead Hound - HP: 330/330 - DMG: 99

  • Damage: 99+2=101
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She needed to revise her strategy. The health bar in the top right corner of her display read in at just over 85% remaining, and although this wasn't any cause for alarm, consecutive misses and slip-ups would chip away her life force to the dangerous red zone if she weren't careful.

The first fight had been so clean largely in part due to clever positioning, attacking from the side rather than face on. This afforded the target little time to react and thus gave her the chance to deliver full damage, and she hadn't tried to rush into an attack and sloppily mess up the Sword Art initiation.

Bearing this in mind, she sought to attain a vantage point; Elevated ground or a beneficial positioning that would allow her Sword Art to connect with ease. Fences littered the border of the graveyard so she could likely put a physical barrier between the target and herself, but that was simply delaying the inevitable. A low hum escaped the bluenette.

-----

ID# 86899 | BD: 1+3 (Crit fail) - MD: 8-3

[H:0] Birdie - HP: 573/660 - EN: 37/66 - MIT: 57

  • Sword Art Used: Over Radiation - MISS

Undead Hound - HP: 330/330 - DMG: 99

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Not a second later, the hound charge. With only a short distance between them, Birdie glanced frantically around for the nearest fence post and gazed upon one Southeast from where she stood, no more than ten yards away. She turned tail and rushed towards it, pushing both feet against the ground to rise high into the air. Though she nearly stumbled the landing, she managed to right herself just in time to watch her target rush in her direction. The entire fence rattled as the hound charged head-first into it and the scout sprang into action, leaping far behind the beast.

She twisted on the balls of her feet and took hold of Winterthorn's hilt, raising the weapon sharply. Its tip pointed forwards and one hand back, the entire weapon beamed a great blue light as she pounced at her target, and a dozen plus two holes littered the beast's back side. 

-----

ID# 86900 | BD: 8+3 - MD: 2-3

[H:1] Birdie - HP: 573/660 - EN: 24/66 - MIT: 57

  • Sword Art Used: Over Radiation - [Damage =  12*14=168]

Undead Hound - HP: 162/330 - DMG: 99

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Having freed up a few precious seconds to reassess the situation, she glanced at the top right corner of her display to make note of her health. She'd only been hit twice by the hounds and had 15% of her HP drained, but complacency even at such low damage numbers was going to get her killed. Playing it safe was the name of the game, in her eyes at least, so rather than risk rushing in for yet another <<Over Radiation>>, she patiently waited for the hound to break out of its daze, knowing full well when she'd move in for the kill.

Four seconds later, the second <<Undead Hound>> burst into a stream of physical data, tiny glass-like fragments disappearing into the air. The loot window appeared once again, this time with several thousand Col to reward her efforts. She accepted the lump sum graciously and looked back to the spot where the hound had died, releasing when an <<Ethereal Canine>> made no appearance. 

-----

ID# 86901 | BD: 10+3 (Crit) - LD: 16+3 - CD: 3

[H:2] Birdie - HP: 573/660 - EN: 12/66 - MIT: 57

  • Sword Art Used: Over Radiation - [Damage =  12*14=168]

Undead Hound - HP: -6/330 - DEAD

  • Dropped 3,330 Col

-----

Loot:

  • 4320 Col
  • 2 Rotten Hide [T1 Mats]
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Though it was counter productive to seek another graveyard, she felt as if her chances of encountering the <<Ethereal Canine>> would improve by moving from site to site. Plenty of individual graves adorned the surrounding fields and clusters more lied within the fenced burial grounds, so there was no shortage of potential spawns. Given she allowed herself enough time, it was almost impossible to not encounter the mob she sought after.

Allowing her energy bar to fully replenish, she took some time from slaying <<Undead Hounds>> and took to searching for materials, the one skill she considered to be rather good at. Her eyes lit up red as the skill activated itself, revealing any source of materials within a certain range. Nothing appeared before her eyes in the immediate vicinity, though the harder she concentrated on a single spot, the more that would hopefully be revealed. In order to reap the maximum benefits of gathering, she equipped both the Finding and Awareness stones in place of her combat trinkets and took to surveying the area once more.

-----

ID# 86903 | LD: 3+3

Out of Combat: [EN replenishment 1/3]

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A few dozen yards from where she stood, a small white light flashed by a pile of bones. Biding her time, she made it somewhat of a game to guess the type of materials she'd find prior to picking them up. The undead setting coupled with the bones was a dead giveaway, in this case, as she predicted something along the lines of <<Bone Shards>> or <<Bone Fragments>>. She retrieved all four <<Undead Bone Fragments>> and stowed them away, continuing on with her search for materials shortly afterwards.

The Ethereal Canine...  The information broker had described it as 'an undying being not bound by the rules of reality'. Whatever that meant and whatever the beast actually looked like, her curiosity was captured instantly and she knew she'd be taking a few hours out of her day to make an attempt at spawning one, even if it meant taking down dozens of <<Undead Hounds>>.

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ID# 86904 | LD: 12+7 | Found 4 <<Undead Bone Fragments>> [T1 Mats]

Out of Combat: [EN replenishment 2/3]

-----

Loot:

  • 4320 Col
  • 2 Rotten Hide [T1 Mats]
  • 4 Undead Bone Fragments [T1 Mats]
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Only a short period of time would pass before she located yet another source of materials; Four more bone fragments. She wouldn't argue with her findings and simply slipped them into her inventory, making sure the flash of white disappeared fully before continuing on.

As she glanced upwards, she could see the energy bar ticking over to 100%, and a smile tugged at her lips as she prepared for battle once more. Her search-enhancing trinkets were swapped out for the Accuracy and Evasion stones, and her inventory window disappeared with a single swipe. A sigh of content pushed her mouth, and she moved her eyes across the battlefield, attempting to scope out her next target.

A lone grave caught her eye, out of the way of other undead mobs and free from any obvious environmental obstructions. Though the latter would usually be a benefit to her, she didn't intend to allow it to become a factor in the fight.

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ID# 86905 | LD: 19+3 | Found 4 <<Undead Bone Fragments>> [T1 Mats]

Out of Combat: [EN replenishment 3/3]

-----

Loot:

  • 4320 Col
  • 2 Rotten Hide [T1 Mats]
  • 8 Undead Bone Fragments [T1 Mats]
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As the others had done before, the <<Undead Hound>> rose from its grave and released a sad howl, likely to represent grieving for its fallen master. Birdie would pay little mind to the story aspect of these creatures, however; She only sought after a rare potential after-spawn, an ethereal creature she'd learned about from an information broker.

She moved her weapon into the appropriate position for Over Radiation, held flat the hip and angled to the left, and drew her free hand backwards. The system recognised it as an initiation of a Sword Art and she lunged towards the foe with devastating power, attacking with pinpoint accuracy as fourteen consecutive thrusts pierced the small creature. Though there was a cooldown duration on her abilities, she managed to recover from the fatigue before the hound could lash out and move out of the way, creating a small amount of distance between the two.

-----

ID# 86906 | BD: 10+3 (Crit) - MD: 6-3

[H:2] Birdie - HP: 573/660 - EN: 53/66 - MIT: 57

  • Sword Art Used: Over Radiation - [Damage =  14*14=196]

Undead Hound - HP: 134/330 - DMG: 99

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Birdie readied herself for yet another attack, waiting just a few seconds more for the Sword Art cooldown to expire. Her target was still recovering from the first attack, barely standing up on its own two feet by the time she'd initiated the very same attack as before, piercing the <<Undead Hound>> with ten additional holes before it burst into shards. The loot window appeared once more to reveal two thousand more Col rewards, and she'd begun to wonder just how different the loot system was. Col spawns appeared to be random, with her first kill wielding just a few hundred and the others reaching well into the thousands. Whatever the case, she recovered from the post-attack fatigue in record time and turned to face the fallen beast. Her eyes squeezed hard in search of any signs or tell that the <<Ethereal Canine>> would spawn, though nothing appeared to happen. She sighed, turning in the opposite direction to prepare for another battle.

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ID# 86909 | BD: 5+3 - LD: 13+3 - CD: 3

[H:3] Birdie - HP: 573/660 - EN: 41/66 - MIT: 57

  • Sword Art Used: Over Radiation - [Damage =  12*14=168]

Undead Hound - HP: -34/330 - DEAD

  • Dropped 2,640 Col

-----

Loot:

  • 6,960 Col
  • 2 Rotten Hide [T1 Mats]
  • 8 Undead Bone Fragments [T1 Mats]
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For a second, nothing happened.

Birdie had turned around, intent on seeking out another fight, yet something peculiar occurred to her. Every time she'd slain an <<Undead Hound>> in the past, its grave had crumpled and collapsed inwards, no doubt activating a timer before she could attempt to fight the same mob. This time, however, the grave had stayed put.  ... That's... strange... could it be?

She froze, silently slipping her rapier into its sheath. If it was like she thought and the <<Ethereal Canine>> was finally going to make its debut, she desperately wanted to be ready with her searching gear to maximise her chances of taming the beast, though she hesitated to move a single inch. A small flash of weight appeared a few yards beside her, next to the base of a barren tree. Carefully keeping a watchful eye on the spot, she hastily retrieved the materials, her lips parted in anticipation. Come on... come on!

-----

ID# 86916 | LD: 12+3 | Found 4 <<Undead Bone Fragments>> [T1 Mats]

Out of Combat: [EN replenishment 1/3]

-----

Loot:

  • 6,960 Col
  • 2 Rotten Hide [T1 Mats]
  • 12 Undead Bone Fragments [T1 Mats]
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In the same spot where <<Undead Hound>> had perished, a tiny spec of blue light emerged in its stead. The intensity gradually rose, becoming brighter with each second until a blinding flash of blueish white encapsulated the area.

As the flash of light died down, a new beast appeared before Birdie's very eyes. Its shape imitated that of an Undead Hound but its body was much different; Trails of light flowed from its snow white fur. It was slightly opaque, allowing the eye to see the ground beneath it, yet with much difficulty given the ethereal wisps leaving its body. The <<Ethereal Canine>> was there, right in front of her, and her mouth was left agape in awe.

She only had seconds to act. The act of taming wasn't certain but the beast only had twenty to fifty seconds of life before it would disappear into its grave. The scout moved within 'aggro range' of the ethereal being, drawing its attention with a swift head motion. Its eyes lingered on her as if deciding whether or not she was worthy of its trust.

-----

ID# 86917 | LD: 6+3

Out of Combat: [EN replenishment 2/3]

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...

They locked eyes.

But the beast didn't disappear.

A minute passed, and then two. She feared that even the slightest movement would deter the creature, causing it to flee in a frenzied panic. And yet, as seconds continued to pass with no apparent sign of the canine's desire to leave, a realisation had slowly begun to set in. Did I... did I do it?

Gently, she lifted a hand up from her side and held it towards the creature. Her former familiar, Glacia, had always taken it as an offer to be petted. If this creature followed that trail of logic, then...

"O-oh my God... Yes!" Birdie erupted into joyous laughter as the <<Ethereal Canine>> calmly placed its head beneath her hand, and she gently stroked the back of its head down to its neck. She'd doubted the validity of the information broker's claims and yet, right before her very eyes, the beast she sought after was hers.

-----

ID# 86918 | LD: 16+3 | Familiar w/ Mastery found!

Out of Combat: [EN replenishment 3/3]

-----

Loot:

  • 6,960 Col
  • 2 Rotten Hide [T1 Mats]
  • 12 Undead Bone Fragments [T1 Mats]
  • Familiar w/ Mastery
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In light of the successful taming, she knew there was no reason to worry about spawning another <<Ethereal Canine>>. Given she was already out in the fields and had recovered a full bar of energy, however, she decided to spend her time wisely and continue slaying <<Undead Hounds>> for a little while longer. As she pulled away from the familiar and opened her menu screen, a single button press would cause the canine to disappear, and she breathed a hefty sigh of relief.

Not too far away, she stepped within aggro range of another target. She knew there was no need to rush in and attack this time, so rather than making the first move, she sat back and awaited an attack from the beast. Sure enough, it snapped at the air with its jaws and charged towards the girl, and she swiftly stepped to the side to dodge. Winterthorn was pulled from its sheath as she thrust it outwards, the scout carefully planning her next move.

-----

ID# 86919 | BD: 1+3 (Crit fail) - MD: 6-3

[H:0] Birdie - HP: 573/660 - EN: 64/66 - MIT: 57

  • Sword Art Used: Over Radiation - MISS

Undead Hound - HP: 330/330 - DMG:  99

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With the beast's back turned, Birdie sprung into action. As she had done so many times before, her left arm rose to hip height and the blade was angled slightly to the left, one arm hanging outwards behind her back. The tip of her weapon became encapsulated light as she sprung forwards, initiating her Over Radiation Sword Art. Winterthorn pierced the enemy's hide a total of fourteen times, and she quickly leapt aside to avoid any form of retaliation.

As the cooldown time for a Sword Art usage began to tick away, she couldn't resist smiling like a kid in a candy shop. The release of her first familiar hadn't been an easy decision to make, though it was obvious how strikingly powerful Fighter-type familiars were when compared to the rest. Protector had paid off on many occasions; Her first ever boss battle with Arc, for example, where <<Avalanche>>'s devastating attacks were at least partly mitigated by Glacia's protection. An upgrade had been long due, however.

-----

ID# 86920 | BD: 3+3 - MD: 1-3

[H:1] Birdie - HP: 573/660 - EN: 52/66 - MIT: 57

  • Sword Art Used: Over Radiation - [Damage: 12*14=168]

Undead Hound - HP: 162/330 - DMG:  99

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This fight had drawn on for long enough, or so she thought.

As the Grandmaster Rapier-wielder prepared to unlease another Over Radiation, readying her blade at hip-level and to the left a little, she'd mistimed the hand placement and initiated an attack half a second too early, causing her to shoot forwards unprepared. The Sword Art went wide and the light which enveloped her blade faded immediately, leaving her wipe open for a charge from the <<Undead Hound>>. She could hear its paws approaching rapidly whilst she was under the effect of the tumble status- if she'd have time to dodge, it would only be a narrow miss.

Thankfully, she slid away just in time for the undead canine to shoot straight past her, and it slowed to an eventual halt a dozen feet away. A sigh of relief escaped her lungs, and she rose from the floor to her feet once more, intent on finishing the beast off right then and there.

-----

ID# 86921 | BD: 1+3 (Crit fail) - MD: 7-3

[H:1] Birdie - HP: 573/660 - EN: 50/66 - MIT: 57

  • Sword Art Used: Over Radiation - MISS

Undead Hound - HP: 162/330 - DMG:  99

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She readied her blade, growing tireless from how long the fight had drawn on. Just one Over Radiation stood between her and certain victory, and yet, victory would still be one Sword Art away after her next attack.

She hadn't fought a lengthy battle for a long, long time. The last boss she'd been a part of was Nerius, the Evil Treant, and even that hadn't taken too long given the dozens upon dozens of willing participants. It's this lack of practice that led to her neglecting the enemy's approach, and the undead hound slashed its claws on her leg before she could initiate Over Radiation - she stumbled backwards from the pain, knocking her out of the correct stance.

Maybe releasing Glacia was a bad idea! she thought, a groan passing her lips as she recomposed herself. Of course, she didn't follow that trail of thought for long, but with how much damage each <<Undead Hound>> seemed to inflict on her, the Protector Familiar's mitigation would have certainly been useful.

-----

ID# 86926 | BD: 1+3 (Crit fail) - MD: 9-3 (Crit)

[H:1] Birdie - HP: 530/660 - EN: 48/66 - MIT: 57

  • Sword Art Used: Over Radiation - MISS

Undead Hound - HP: 162/330 - DMG:  99

  • Damage: 99+1=100
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At long last, Birdie's Over Radiation Sword Art connected with the <<Undead Canine>>, and its body blew up into copious amounts of digital shards. An exhausted sigh escaped her this time around, and as she sheathed her blade, the loot window popped up in all of its glory. Another two thousand Col... not bad. She estimated her gains to be aware from nine to ten thousand, though the real price of the evening was her freshly tamed familiar. Without that out of the way, she'd finally be able to make a start on upping her skills once again, beginning with Search and Detect and the Reveal skill mod.

After that, she had no idea. The Frontline was still a light year away but given her recent rate of progression, she'd hoped to reach that level in less than three or four months.

For now, however, she would return home. The familiar would still need a name; She was torn between two astrological names, Sirius and Orion. Only time would tell which one she'd stick with.

-----

ID# 86927 | BD: 9+3 (Crit) - LD: 14+3 - CD: 1

[H:2] Birdie - HP: 530/660 - EN: 36/66 - MIT: 57

  • Sword Art Used: Over Radiation - [Damage: 12*14=168]

Undead Hound - HP: -6/330 - DEAD

  • Dropped 2,640 Col

-----

Loot:

  • 9,600 Col
  • 2 Rotten Hide [T1 Mats]
  • 12 Undead Bone Fragments [T1 Mats]
  • Familiar w/ Mastery
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