[PP-F4] In Search of the Frostbitten Phoenix <<Feeding the Enemy>> (Completed)

[Birdie 0]

Birdie listened to Arc as he responded, talking about the snowstorm and the fourth floor's infamously unforeseeable weather patterns. If there was any one thing to dislike about the winter wonderland, that would surely take the cake. His words were filled with wisdom; almost as if the man spoke out of experience if she had to wager a guess. She gave him a nod as he reassured the uselessness of regretting the decision, snapping her eyes back to the path shortly after.

Though the man assured Birdie he was fine, she couldn't shake the feeling that the words were hiding the truth. She was wrapped up in warm clothes, a fur jacket keeping her body protected from the rough conditions, and the cold was still nipping at her skin through all of that. As she glanced to the man, she once again noted his seemingly normal attire with a cloak draped around his neck and shoulders, offering little if any protection against the cold. She let out a sigh under her breath, tracing her eyes back to the path ahead. 'Come on, bird..'

They approached a clearing that lead out to the bank of a frozen stream, the only indication of the river's existence being small holes in the ice where fisherman would have once been. Moving upstream would grant the player a breathtaking sight; a waterfall with an archway of frozen water, suspended in the air from a time when it had once been flowing. Walking behind it would lead a player to the other side of the bank, though the river was easily traversed considering in its current condition.

Birdie took it all in, a smile spreading across her face as she marvelled at the landmark's beauty. She considered how wondrous it would look if the fourth floor was experiencing usual weather, and the smile soon dampened as she remembered how poorly timed this venture had been. "This place is amazing.. " she spoke, treading closer to the riverside. She put a foot on the ice, pushing down a little to gauge how strong it was. "Hm.. do you see anything?" The woman turned to Arc, and then to their surroundings. The Phoenix had definitely come this way, though beyond the waterfall and river was yet more trees and untold dangers lurking in the snow. If it weren't for the quietest of nesting coos sounding from somewhere nearby, one might assume the bird had continued onward into the forest.

[Ashrah 0]

Renegade sunlight filtered through the haze and illuminated the frozen paradise in a brilliant array of color. Reflected off the ice, blues and purples, yellows and oranges contrasted the dreary white that had been their entire world since Snowfrost Town. The blustery snowstorm did continue, but it did so with a surreal beauty.

Tobias caught himself looking at the girl for a long moment, taken as she was with the scene. It occurred to him that she found a certain amazement in her surroundings that he forgot to look for himself. There was a sadness in that realization, but it was subdued by something else. He felt warm, warmer than he should in the midst of a blizzard. His eyes blinked rapidly as she spoke and their eyes met.

"N-no," he answered as she looked away. "I don't see anything." 

If the Frostbitten Phoenix had traversed this path, it was colder than death by now. The telltale sounds of a roosting avian did come from nearby, but the direction was indeterminate at best. He took a brief look around for the sake of making an attempt, then folded his arms across his chest.

"You really like this place," he observed. "You should definitely come back, when the weather isn't so awful and you're not so busy." He didn't want to come off as rude, but when he heard her reaction and saw how she took the scene in, the man knew instantly that it was a worthwhile suggestion.

He didn't have the audacity to suggest they return together, of course.

"Little bit longer, yet," he considered. "There's a chance we might find what we're looking for, still."

[Birdie 0]

Birdie looked to Arc as the man made his initial observation, the woman returning him a curious gaze. The suggestion caused an eyebrow to rise for a moment, Birdie unsure of what to make of it. It hadn't taken long for her expression to shift into a joyous one though, nodding in agreement. "I would love to! It seems like there's so much to see on this floor, yet most people are driven away by weather like this." She gave a gentle sigh, her eyes slowly drawn to the waterfall instead. "It's a shame, really...it makes you wonder how much more is out there."

Birdie pushed her foot against the ice one final time, deciding it was strong enough to fully support her weight. She breathed slowly, taking her careful first step out onto the winding sheet of frozen water. Though her foot skidded briefly upon first contact, she quickly balanced herself out and smiled, bringing her other foot onto the ice with little issue. "If we don't find the Phoenix, at least we found a private ice skating area?" The consolation was underwhelming, the look on Birdie's face screamed that it probably wasn't worth it in the long run. She looked into the river's ice, carefully taking one step forwards as she headed further out. 

Through the harsh wind, the cooing sound began to steadily amplify. Her entire body froze in her attempt to determine the noise's source, the search causing her head to angle downwards slightly. ".. hey, Arc?" she called out, looking confusedly into the ice below. An obscure blue glow lied deep beneath the ice, barely noticeable by even those with the sharpest of eyes. The woman gently crouched, placing the palm of a gloved hand to the ice as she went to get a closer look. "It.. it almost looks like.." Her words barely formulated, enticed by the sapphire illumination shining beneath the frozen river.

Just then, a crack in the ice formed just below the woman, her eyes shooting wide open as fear struck. "A.. Arc..!" As she went to stand from her crouch, the crack began to wail and creek, spreading further until she stopped moving completely. Standing up, she twisted the top half of her body to face Arc, staring at him with a mix of regret and alarm in her eyes. "I made a mistake.." As her weight shifted to one foot, the crack creaked once again, prompting her to stop immediately. Stranded two metres away from the river's bank, the girl was a sitting duck. A high-pitched squeal escaped her lips as the crack widened, nearing a foot in diameter. "H-help!"

[Ashrah 0]

Thump. Thump thump. Thu-thu-thump. Arc felt his heart rate escalate as the ice creaked ahead of him. He watched in slow motion as the girl turned to look back at him, and her lips formed words. His name. A distressed call for aid. He needed nothing else.

Without a thought for his own safety, the mercenary broke into an unstable run. His feet slid and he teetered at the edges of an ever growing crack, but he pushed forward. She was far enough out that the concept of getting back to shore was little more than abstract. Still, he moved through the blasting snow and across the shivering ice.

The weight and pressure of his footfalls only exacerbated the problem. Massive hunks of ice split away from the fault line as his beeline toward the girl tore the surface asunder. As he reached her, Arc threw his arms around her protectively and pulled her to his chest. "Hold on tight!" he called out as he continued on a straight path. 

His best chance to get out of this without taking a dip in subzero temperatures was the other side of the river, and the shortest distance between two points was a straight line. He never slowed, his movements betraying the fiendish determination of the player as well as the hellish training he had forced upon himself. The ice only cracked worse beneath him.

"Keep moving, Tobias," he told himself aloud as the cold wind threatened to freeze the blood in his veins, and the water invited him to a painless death. "Don't you dare slow down."

The pair shook and shivered as the ice tore apart at its seams. Arc threw himself into a jump in an attempt to span the gap between them and the shore, less than a meter. Failure meant freezing to death, and that was unacceptable.

Failure is not an option.

His feet wobbled as they planted on the very edge of the shoreline. Arc was breathing heavily like a madman, and his body trembled now from the extreme duress. He clung tightly to Birdie until he realized they were safe, then he let go.

"Beg pardon, Miss Birdie," he gasped, "I didn't mean to grab you like that." Arc had hands on both knees now as his chest rose and fell, and both green eyes were fixated on the snowbound riverbank. I just... did I just... 

What just happened?

[Birdie 0]

The next few moments rushed by in a blur, Arc's words nothing but muffled shouting to the panic-stricken woman. Despite this, she clung tightly to shoulders of his clothes, feeling the fabric of his cloak wrap up in her fingers. Her eyes squeezed shut, not wanting to look down to the splitting ice nor upwards to the stormy skies. Danger taunted her in every direction she looked, and the girl held helplessly onto the mercenary as he attempted to save them both from a perilous situation, one that she had put them in. Again.

She noticed a change in the floor beneath her feet, the icy surface replaced with fluffy snow and solid dirt. She fell to the ground as the man released her, sitting on the bank as tireless breaths escaped her lungs. Birdie's cyan eyes slowly peeped open, blinking as the world around her began to shift into focus. Looking to the river, chunks of ice had split from where she once stood, creating an opening in the water as a result.

Birdie's vision shifted wearily toward Arc, all energy drained from her expression. "N-no, it's.. it's fine.." The woman settled into a state of shock, subdued by the thoughts of what could've happened to them had Arc not acted as he did. ".. sorry..." Was all she could muster, her eyes slowly shifting to the ice once more. Within the water, the glow rose steadily.

The woman shielded her eyes as a blinding light emerged from the river, illuminating the environment around it. Nearby trees cast shadows as the whole world lit up, the depressing shade cast by the stormy clouds fazing out momentarily before the light came to dim. A familiar caw resonated through the air, reaching Birdie's ears with a slight cringe from the woman. "That's.."

The Frostbite Phoenix emerged from the light, perching itself on a patch of ice as its gaze met the two players. The yellow cursor above its head indicated it wasn't hostile, or wouldn't be for the duration of this encounter. Birdie stared at the creature, eyes scanning the bird's lustrous blue feathers that contrasted from a dark to lighter colour moving across its body.

Birdie's hand rose shakily, brushing through the air to open up her inventory. Her eyes shifted to the menu, watching her items scroll past as she sought after one in particular. 'Familiar Feed' popped up, prompting Birdie to select it and hit the 'Use' option. A small bag plopped into her hands, boasting a generic bag of animal food with the words 'Feed' printed across it. "H-hey, big bird.." she called out, the Phoenix's head tilting to the side as its attention shifted to her. Birdie held the bag out toward the creature, prompting the bag to disappear as the bird consumed it.

She froze, what now? Waiting for what must've been seconds yet felt like minutes, a notification soon popped up in front of the players. 'Congratulations!' it read, Birdie overcoming the shock from before as joy filled her system. "No way!" she called out, her eyes moving excitedly toward Arc, "It worked! We did it!" The Phoenix squawked as it flapped its wings, ascending away from the ice sheet as it came to land beside the players. Another window showed up in front of her, prompting the woman to enter a name for the new familiar. "O-oh.. a name.." She bit her lip, avoiding it for a moment. She looked to the bird, a smile spreading across her lips before her eyes met with Arc. "Listen, I know it's not much, but.. t-thank you for coming here with me. I'd.. I'd probably be freezing in that water right now, if not for you." The expression she wore was one of genuine gratefulness, the amount of suffering the man had endured adding to the guilt she already felt.

ID# 67870
LD: 20 (Familiar tamed w/ enhancement!)

Edited September 15, 2016 by Birdie

[Ashrah 0]

Arc gasped and panted for a bit longer as she recuperated from her brush with death. Real death, not the quick and painless rendition that ended in an anticlimactic respawn, the likes of which most video games for the past forty years had accustomed players to. SAO was a new exercise entirely, and it was a rush of adrenaline, both vicious and vivifying. As his lungs granted him renewed normalcy, Birdie uttered the word sorry. His green gaze lifted to match her own, and he reached up to place a hand atop her head. "Hey now," he replied in a gentle voice. "No need for all that. I'm just glad you're safe." He pulled back after a moment of that.

Together they looked back at the environmental trap that they had almost fallen prey to. Arc appraised the scene with an intrigued expression. "So beautiful, yet so deadly," he muttered. "Ain't much difference between this and real life, if'n you think about it." He looked over to her and gave a half smile. "You only get one shot in either one. I think that Kayaba sort of wanted to make it a real experience that way, even if he was a bit sociopathic in methodology."

No sooner had he spoken than did the Phoenix rise from the ice floes. Scintillating shimmers of color emanated from the bird's body as it maintained its distance from the ground with slow, sweeping strokes of its wings. It was quite a sight, especially since he had never done a familiar quest himself. His gaze shifted from the Phoenix to Birdie, transfixed by the sheer gravity of her situation. Not only had she encountered the familiar she wanted, it was all that and more.

This creature was a marvel. If he were a betting man, Arc would have put money that this was far different from the rudimentary familiars that most players stumbled across. Their hard work had paid off in a way neither of them could have imagined that it would. He smiled at her stunned reaction, and watched as she palmed the familiar feed and offered it to her prize.

When she proclaimed her joy and it filled her expression, the mercenary sighed gently in relief and his shoulders sagged, a languid smile on his features. When the creature descended from its lofty position to join them, Birdie turned to him with gratitude. "Hey now, no use thinking about that now," he said with a quick thumb's up, his general way of dismissing negativity in favor of a more enthusiastic approach. "I never back down from my word, and I gave it to you."

Arc turned toward the direction they had come from, and he thought about the best, safest path back. "If I can protect even one person in this gods forsaken world," he spoke quietly, "that's enough for me."

[Birdie 0]

Birdie's eyes gravitated around Arc for a moment, his wonderfully crafted sentences and the genuine intentions from which he spoke them gaining a smile from the woman. "I couldn't be more happier to be that one person, then." It appeared that she had no reason to maintain the guilt that she felt, Arc having confirmed that he was happy to protect somebody no matter what, yet she couldn't shake the feeling away - not until she'd repaid the favour.

Her attention shifted toward her new pet, glancing to the naming window that hovered in front of the creature. After a moment of thought, her fingers tapped away at the virtual keyboard, spelling out the name 'Glacia' before hitting the enter key twice. The word <<Glacia>> appeared above the Phoenix's head, set to be visible only by party members. She breathed a sigh of relief, bringing a hand her familiar's back as she stroked its frosted feathers. "It's finally over, the search for the Frostbite Phoenix.." She looked up ahead, "The storm seems to be slowing down a little too, we should still be careful on our way back."

Birdie stretched her arms outwards, groaning quietly before she stood up on her two feet. Glacia flapped its wings, rising just above head height as it hovered next to the woman. She stared out to the other side of the river bank and then to the trees behind it, a thought striking her in a moment of realisation. ".. uh.. which way did we.. come from?" Birdie's voice portrayed genuine confusion, her sense of direction lacking as a result of the storm covering their tracks.

[Ashrah 0]

He continued to survey their surroundings and judge them against the minimap. When she named her Phoenix familiar proper, the mercenary took time to glance at it and nodded his approval. "That's a good name," he commented. "Think it likes you a lot, too." The bird appeared docile when Birdie touched it, going so far as to close its eyes and lean into her touch. Were all familiars this affectionate?

Arc double checked his equipment- thankfully, even if he had dropped the blade by accident across the river, since it was not unequipped and disposed of with the proper command, he could summon it back to his inventory and replace it on his back any time. That was not the case in this instance. Levantine still hung idly behind him.

"Well, thankfully there's another path that goes the long way around on this side of the river," he noted. "It's a roundabout way to go, and it'll take us through the Starglade, but it'll get us back to Snowfrost in relative safety." 

The fourth floor was renown for its beauty, whenever the weather permitted. The Starglade was such a place- so illuminated by starlight after dark that there was no call for manmade glows. It was also rarely populated, if ever, by mobs. This path was their best course of action. "I can pick up the trail from over there," he pointed.

"When you're ready to move out, of course."

[Birdie 0]

Birdie and Glacia exchanged glances, both gaining a smile from the non-verbal interaction. She'd already begun to feel an attachment to the creature, no doubt an intended effect of SAO's pet system. As Arc answered her query about the path back to the town, she nodded with intrigue at his reasoning for taking the longer way around. Looking to the river, she realised his route was definitely the one with the least cons, and would almost certainly reduce the risk of plunging into icy waters. Birdie glanced at her minimap to follow along with the man's explanation, forgetting that it offered such a detailed map of the terrain. "Oh, the uhm.. the Starglade," she repeated, turning her head elsewhere to hide the faintest red glow that warmed her cheeks. "S-sure, let's.. let's head back, then!"

And so, along with her newest ally and freshly-tamed familiar, Birdie set off. She followed closely behind Arc as he led them on the path, a smile spreading across her lips as she anticipated the famed Starglade. The evening hadn't gone according to plan; having first braved the storm in stride, it proved to be a worthy advisory that needlessly strained their search for the Phoenix. The battle with the Yeti - a lesser one at that - had been hard fought and ended with only the man sustaining bruises. Birdie would still feel the need to make it up to him though no opportunities had presented itself to do so - perhaps in their next meeting, she begrudgingly concluded. After finding the creature they'd set out to find, the elusive Frostbite Phoenix, a day full of stress could finally conclude.

She slowed as they reached the town's roads, stopping at a path that split two ways. Looking to her right, the familiar glow of the inn's lights shined through the darkness, welcoming any travellers who wished to relax and retire for the day. To her left sat the town centre and subsequently the teleportation pad, which she intended to use to get back to Starting City. "Hey, uhm.. Arc," she spoke, looking toward the man as Glacia perched on her shoulder. "Thank you for today, I wasn't sure whether it was a great idea to accept a stranger's help earlier - n-no offence! It's just.. it's harder to trust people in this world." She sighed, "It was worth the risk, is what I mean. I hope our paths cross again soon." The woman reviewed her words to ensure nothing had sounded terribly wrong, smiling afterwards. She gave the man a small wave, turning toward the teleportation pad a second later. "See you around!" With that, the girl was off. She approached the teleport stone, spoke a few words, and was gone in a flash. 'Quest..' she released her heaviest sigh yet, '..completed.'

[Ashrah 0]

Arc watched the woman disappear into the night before he raised his hand, then sneezed loudly. "Atch-oo!" He sniffled several times as the shivers rippled through his body, and headed for the city center. "Warmer... floor," he chattered to himself. Thankfully, colds in SAO were easily remedied and did not leave players with the same crippling side effects as in reality. If that weren't the case, he'd have been in deep water.

The light trembled around him, then engulfed his form entirely. Arc dissipated in an instant, his mind reflecting silently on the day's exploits.

"See you again," he whispered quietly. It was probable that they'd run into each other- Aincrad wasn't all that massive. He hoped they would.

[Birdie 0]

Thread completed:

Birdie: +3 SP, +400 Col, +1 'Glacia, the Frostfire Phoenix' Familiar

Arc: +2 SP, +400 Col

Edited September 16, 2016 by Birdie