[SP-F1] Transcendence

[Birdie 0]

The woman's hand hovered over the button that would advance her weapon skill to its highest possible rank, Grandmaster. The moment felt unreal to her; from the very beginning when she struggled to take out even a single Level 1 Boar, to the boss fight with Arc where the Avalanche very nearly landed a jarring blow, and even recent memories like fighting odd herds of chickens with her favourite rival Aereth - all of these memories shared one thing in common, in that they'd all been done to hone her skills with the rapier.

Now sitting on a Tier 2 piece of equipment, her damage was far more impressive than it had ever been, and it was about to get a whole lot better. With this advancement, she'd gain access to the one sword art that'd been on her mind since the very beginning - <<Over Radiation>>. Truly a masterful series of strikes and stabs, every time she had been able to witness it left her gaping in awe, leaving the want to cast it herself. And on that day, in only a few of the longest moments she'll have ever lived, her wish was going to be granted.

[Birdie 0]

~3 months ago, in the training fields surrounding Starting City~

"Oof.." Birdie groaned as she fell to the floor, landing face first in the dirt. Her very first battle with one of the game's weakest mobs and her first time leaving the town happened to occur at the same time, and both were proving far more difficult that she could've anticipated.

She wielded the Starter's Iron Rapier, a meagre weapon that did little more than let her access the basic first rank sword arts. The beginner player favoured Rip Ravine over the linear attack, dealing two damage mightn't be a lot but in that scenario, it was the very thing that kept her alive. She pushed a hand against the ground and got to her knees, but by the time her breath had returned, the boar was in full haste. It sped towards her like a speeding bullet, unrelenting in force as its previous attacks had been. She barely managed to dodge out of its warpath, and could all but stumble when coming to a stand still.

Birdie clenched the hilt of her weapon, peering at her enemy through squinted eyes. "I'll.. I'll get stronger.."

Edited December 13, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

~2 months ago, in the snowy plains on the 4th floor~

Adrenaline coursed through her veins as the battle began - right in front of the duo's eyes, a colossal ice elemental rose from beneath the snow, sending a shock-wave through the air that near knocked the scout clean off her feet. Birdie recalled looking to Arc for guidance and seeing the determination, strength, and will in his eyes. Any doubt in her mind vanished; she knew exactly what they needed to do and how they were going to do it.

Flourishes and dashes, slashes and brutal strikes; the best efforts of both players combined were put to the test against Avalanche, and sooner rather than later, it stood on its last legs. She almost fell to her knees prematurely and praised Aincrad for their victory, yet a sight soon made her freeze on the spot; the one she then knew only as a friend, dangling helplessly from within the monster's reach.

Ava switched off, dulling the emotional torture she'd feel for what might happen next. However, Birdie ran on full steam, and in the moment that she went from standing on the ground to penetrating the ice elemental's frozen core, there'd barely been any time to blink. On that day, she learned that her skill with the blade alone wouldn't be enough to save others from harm. In both body and mind, she needed to become sharper.

Edited December 13, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

~1 month ago, deep in 1st floor forests~

Birdie recalled treading lightly through the dense forest, a trek she'd undertaken with the company of her newly established rival. It was around that time that she'd really opened up to a whole new group of people, the Ascendants, and those who would she'd eventually befriend and train alongside.

On that particular day, as they crossed a bridge into another sector of the forest, a barn building was seen just a small way from the path. What happened after that was comical at best; a small 'farming' session which entailed the slaughter of many chickens and cows, and all sorts of generic livestock animals. However, it wasn't carried out with ill intent - they were obviously corrupted or twisted in some way, and the free targets provided a safe environment to practice.

Honing her technique, posture, and ability to dodge slow attacks, that day was one she wouldn't forget.

[Birdie 0]

~Hours ago~

The rapier slipped from her grip as the boar's tusks pushed her aside, knocking the woman down.

What was supposed to be a routine training exercise ended up with Birdie stranded in a tree, surrounded by a herd of disgruntled high level monsters; high level for the floor, anyway. With little room to move and the nearest tree too far away, she'd tried to run and jump far enough away from the boars to make a break for it, though she inadvertently screwed up the landing and found herself in the war path of five bloodthirsty wild pigs. "This isn't good.."

As she turned and rose to her feet, one of the mobs grazed her arm and removed a few pixels of HP - not enough to warrant worry, but concerning nonetheless. 'I can tank these guys but I'll never be able to hit them like this..' Deciding she needed to divide them, she scanned the area in the midst of running and noticed a fence in the distance, small enough to allow only the smallest of mobs to pass. 'Gotcha!'

ID# 72389
BD: 2+3 Miss
MB: 9 Hit

Birdie: 499/500 HP (49/50 EN)

Boar 1: 250/250 HP (10 damage - 57 mitigation = 1 damage)

Edited December 18, 2016 by Birdie
Fixed energy

[Birdie 0]

Birdie broke into a run, grabbing the weapon that fell from her hands. She diverted her path towards the fence, glancing behind every few seconds to make sure the mobs were still interested. From what she learned here and there, 'hate' doesn't dissipate by simply running away from a mob, and she'd have to perform an escape manoeuvre to lose their interests. That wasn't her goal however, she wanted to test herself, even if that meant trying to split the group up.

She used both arms to hoist herself over the wooden fence and ran a few feet past it, grinding to a halt as she grasped her rapier. The smallest boar came passing through whilst the others weren't able to squeeze through. "Perfect!"

Activating her highest damage sword art, she used the boar's isolation to her advantage and managed to get an unhindered attack on it, dashing backwards before any the mob could retaliate.

ID# 72457
BD: 10 (+2 dmg)
MB: 3

Birdie: 499/500 HP (41/50 EN)  ~ <<Penetrate>> activated ~ (11+2) * 8 = 104 damage

Boar 1: 146/250 HP

Edited December 18, 2016 by Birdie
Fixed energy

[Birdie 0]

The boar squealed and reared itself for an attack, kicking a cloud of dust behind its feet before sprinting straight for the bluenette. She barely had any time to recover before the boar punted her in the chest, causing her to gasp and fall backwards onto the ground. The boar charged for a small distance before stopping and circling, and Birdie huffed and grabbed her weapon once again. "That kinda hurt!"

Pressing one foot forward, she allowed the game's aim assist system to take over as her most powerful sword art illuminated the edges of her blade. Her blade of ice, powered by a neon blue glow, pierced through the air and into the boar's side, giving it zero time to react from the moment she recovered herself. She gave it an extra strike for good measure, seeing as the boar was dazed and unable to attack, "Aha!" To her surprise, the game had automatically consumed her concentration skill. ".. ugh.."

ID# 72458
BD: 2+3+1 (Hit) (Concentration used, 5 post cooldown)
MB: 9 (Hit)

Birdie; 498:500 HP ~ <<Penetrate>> activated ~ 11 * 8 = 88 damage

Boar 1: 58/250 HP ~ 10 - 57 = 1 damage

Edited December 18, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Acting quickly to avoid the mob's tusks, Birdie dashed backwards and saved herself from suffering an extra point of damage. Not that she feared falling to the boar's meagre swing- suffering the attack would've let her defeat the boar in another simple flourish of attacks- but the itch of pain wasn't worth saving a couple of seconds of her time.

An opening presented herself, in which she activated <<Penetrate>> one final time and made motions towards the boar. It wouldn't take long to have her blade pierce through the side of its body, letting it fall lifelessly towards the ground. Exploding in a beautiful display of pixels and shards, no loot other than a standard material fell from its carcass. She huffed, "Serves me right for trying to fight 1st floor mobs.. huh?"

Just to the side, another boar managed to sneak under the fence. This one was a little bigger than the other- not by much, though, and she figured it would fall in only a couple of attacks.

ID# 72459
BD: 7+3 (Hit)
MB: 5-1 (Miss)

Birdie: 498/500 HP (25/50 EN) ~ <<Penetrate>> activated ~ 11 * 8 = 88 damage

Boar 1: 0/250 HP ~ <<Gained 1 T1 Material>>
Boar 2: 264/264 HP

Loot:
1 T1 Material

Edited December 18, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Birdie prepared herself for another bout, this time with the boar that managed to fit snug through a gap in the fence. Two more waited outside for her, huffing and puffing and clearly ready to fight, yet unable to pass the wooden obstacle in their way. She had a plan for those two; first off, however, she had other things to worry about.

'Alright, how do we play this..' She spun the hilt of her weapon in her hands, observing the wild creature from afar. 'It's fast but sluggish, so hitting it from the side would be my safest option. I just need to anticipate its attacks.. gotcha.' The woman's rapier lay horizontally in the air as she dashed towards her target, activating her sword art just in time to deliver a devastating blow to the mob. She stopped metres behind the creature, flinching as she felt a small pain in her right thigh. 'Damn, must've walked straight into it..' The bluenette shook her head, the damage was minor. Spinning on the spot, she sized up her opponent once more.

ID# 72509
BD: 7+3 (Hit)
MB: 8-1 (Hit)

Birdie: 497/500 HP (17/50 EN) ~ <<Penetrate>> activated ~ 11 * 8 = 88 damage

Boar 2: 176/264 HP

 

Edited December 19, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

The boar, critically wounded and unable to muster the strength it once had, hobbled across the grass in a weak charge towards Birdie. She easily managed to sidestep the attack and slash it across the back in passing, her sword art coming alive just in time to add to the extra damage.

Glancing away from the battle temporarily, the boars that once aggressively attempted to reach her had since subsided and now paced back, observing her from afar. She furrowed a brow, were they learning? 'It wouldn't be totally alien behaviour, but.. these guys are boars, aren't they super dumb in the real world?'

Her trail of thought was brought back to the fight at hand as she heard the boar charge in once more, partially revitalised yet clearly still wounded. An opportunity presented itself, and as she got into a defensive position, she knew the end of the fight drew near.

ID# 72510
BD: 5+3 (Hit)
MB: 1 (Miss)

Birdie: 497/500 HP (9/50 EN) ~ <<Penetrate>> activated ~ 11 * 8 = 88 damage

Boar 2: 88/264 HP

Edited December 19, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Tusks pointed high, the boar charged madly at the last second, using every ounce of strength it possessed to deal a smidgen of damage to the bluenette. Wise to its antics, she trivially dodged to the left and brought her weapon upwards, activating the strongest sword art she possessed before thrusting the blade into her enemy's body.

Its lifeless form fell to the floor, releasing a stream of data into the air before any trace of the monster disappeared quickly. Birdie gave a disappointed groan, nothing but measly XP and a basic first tier material were all of her winnings for the second battle. 'Come on!' she thought, 'At least humour me a little, Kayaba..'

With one set of battles done and dusted, she turned to face the fence once more. Sure enough, two larger boars stood deftly on the other side, awaiting the player that they couldn't quite reach.

ID# 72511
BD: 8+3 (Hit)
MB: 5-1 (Miss)

Birdie: 497/500 HP (1/50 EN) ~ <<Penetrate>> activated ~ 11 * 8 = 88 damage

Boar 2: 0/264 HP ~ <<Gained 1 T1 Material>>

Loot:
2 T1 Materials

Edited December 19, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

'Crap, I need to be more conservative with my energy..' She glanced to the energy meter in the top corner of her HUD - a whole 1 point left after only 2 bouts. Itzal had tried his hardest to show her the most efficient techniques in battle, yet she embarrassed him and herself by dismissing her training. 'I bet Aereth isn't as wasteful either.. what is it with these boars?' WIth most other monsters, she was usually able to converse her energy efficiently, though the boars tended to wear her out quickly.

She dismissed the stray thought - for now, resting and regaining energy was all that mattered. As she leant against a tree, a strange hollow noise sounded as if it came from inside. "Huh?" Birdie turned and inspected it, only to find a small stockpile of chestnuts inside a squirrel hole. "Talk about convenient," she said, packing the items away inside her inventory. 'Hm..' While she was there, the woman switched out her Scouting Garbs for the Finding Stone, equipping the armour as a vanity item instead.

ID# 72513
LD: 17+1 <<Gained 4 T1 Materials>>

Out-of-combat:
+20 HP ~ 500/500 HP
1 of 3 turns to recovery Energy

Loot:
6 T1 Materials

Edited December 21, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Resting against a tree, she knew her usual fighting style wouldn't suffice against multiple opponents. Very few scenarios had left her battling two combatants at once - in fact, other than incredibly weak chickens and dark elves, every single one of her battles had been either one or two versus one, in her favour.

'They'll cover each other's mistakes completely by accident, unless I get them to attack at the same time. But they'll desync eventually, and then the fight becomes twice as hard..' She sat and thought of a potential strategy to tackle the fight ahead of her; all she knew was that the mobs would have about the same health as the last one she'd thought, and would be equally tough to slay.

'Running circles and going in for a hit when it's safe.. it's the only way.' The scout held her sword's hilt and pulled herself up from the ground, locking eyes with the boars that still lingered near. "Alright.. huh?" As she lowered her eyes, she spotted another bunch of chestnuts packed together by the fence. 'Oddly.. convenient..' Making haste to retrieve them, she began to focus on the fight ahead.

ID# 72514
LD: 13+4 <<Gained 4 T1 Materials>>

Out-of-combat:
2 of 3 turns to recovery Energy

Loot:
10 T1 Materials

Edited December 21, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Birdie unhitched the fence gates, paving the way for the boars to approach her. She waited calmly as they sniffed around, figuring out how to get closer, until one of them finally budged the gate open.

The blue-nette took a breath, revising the strategy she'd planned moments before. 'Wait until they both attack at the same time, and then take a chunk out of the closest one.. got it.'

Immediately, both boars charged towards the woman, running on nothing but instincts as they leapt simultaneously for her. She was quick on her feet and sidestepped the attack with ease, delivering a slash along the length of the third boar's body as it flew past her. It landed on the ground with a squeal, whilst the other was quick to recover. 'Crap..' she thought, nervously gripping her sword's hilt. 'One will attack later than the other, I have to sync their attacks up again.'

ID# 72579 | BD: 3+3 (Hit) | LD: 10+4 | MD: 3

Birdie: 500/500 hp (42/50 en) ~ <<Penetrate>> sword art used ~ 11 * 8 = 88 damage

Boar 3: 176/264 HP
Boar 4: 264/264 HP

Edited December 21, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

The fourth boar she counted immediately spun around and dived in for a surprise recovery attack, which Birdie barely managed to avoid. The boar's tusks grazed her cloth and created a tear, though she didn't notice just yet. Instead, her attention was on the boar that remained incapacitated; she jumped at the opportunity and activated her hardest hitting attack, causing the entire length of her blade to be swallowed in a blue glow.

She realised she had time to properly adjust her posture and aim the attack. Her arm straightened, back stiffened and legs spaced the proper distance apart that they needed to be for a maximum strength attack, and once the sword art was fully cooked, she dashed straight for her foe.

Ending up a few feet past her foe, the third boar squealed behind her once again, signalling the attack had contacted properly. Its health bar ticked down to dangerously low levels, and she knew the fight wouldn't last much longer. 'Keep this up, Ava!'

ID# 72581 | BD: 10+3 (Crit) | LD: 17+4 | MD: 3

Birdie: 500/500 hp (34/50 en) ~ <<Penetrate>> sword art used ~ 13 * 8 = 104 damage

Boar 3: 72/264 HP
Boar 4: 264/264 HP

Edited December 21, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Birdie readjusted her stance and awaited the fourth boar's attack, realising the mob had taken plenty of time to recover. Sure enough, the creature had been mid-air already, and before she managed to react, one of its tusks had plunged deep into her left shoulder.

"Ahh!" she cried, dropping her blade from the shock of the attack. She held onto the boar's thick fur and smacked it upside the head twice, trying to knock it away, though before she managed to achieve anything the other boar had jumped and charged into her leg.

The woman fell, though managed to dislodge the boar in the process. Pain was quick to subside and she pushed herself up from the ground and retrieved her blade, circling on the spot to strike back. Dashing quickly, her blade penetrated the fourth boar's body and took 1/3 of its health away. As fast as she'd dove in, the woman swiftly retreated from the mob's attack range and took a breather, locking eyes with the weaker enemy. 

ID# 72582 | BD: 5+3 (Hit) | LD: 5+4 | MD: 9 (Crit)

Birdie: 498/500 hp (26/50 en) ~ <<Penetrate>> sword art used ~ 11 * 8 = 88 damage

Boar 3: 72/264 HP ~ 10 damage - 21 mitigation = 1 damage
Boar 4: 176/264 HP ~ 10 damage - 21 mitigation = 1 damage

Edited December 21, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

As if by magic, both of the boar's attack cycles synced back up, and she'd have a far easier time of choosing when to attack them herself. The third and fourth boar had both chosen to go for a linear attack, which was easily dodged by a basic sidestep. As the weakest boar passed her, she prepared a sword art and propelled her blade into the mob's body, penetrating through to the other side. Its lifeless form fell through the air and landed on the floor, dissipating into a stream of data soon after. The loot menu popped up be she was quick to dismiss it, seeing as she still had one final enemy to fight.

The fourth boar landed on all fours, turning slowly to face the player. Birdie was unwavering, her confidence far greater than it had been at the start of the battle. Two successful attacks were all that remained, and she knew the fight was hers.

ID# 72584 | BD: 7+3 (Hit) | LD: 19+4 | MD: 9 (Crit)

Birdie: 497/500 hp (18/50 en) ~ <<Penetrate>> sword art used ~ 11 * 8 = 88 damage

Boar 3: 0/264 HP ~ Gained 2,640 Col and 2 <<T1 Mats>>
Boar 4: 176/264 HP ~ 10 damage - 21 mitigation = 1 damage

Loot:
12 T1 Mats
2,640 Col

Edited December 21, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Time repeated itself as the boar dove straight for her, an attack that was met with another step to the side. She started to wonder if the creatures really had learned anything, they seemed so observant waiting outside the gates yet now that she'd finally started to fight them, their attack patterns repeated over and over.

She shook her head, focusing the fight instead. Her sword lit up and became consumed in blue, signalling the <<Penetrate>> sword art had been activated. The game's auto-assist system took over as she charged for her enemy, sneaking in attack whilst it back was still turned.

As quickly as she'd charged in, Birdie backed away from any immediate retaliation and smiled to herself; finally, she was able to outlast two opponents in battle! Though it was only a small victory, it would lay the foundation for an even higher degree of learning that she could build upon over time.

For now, one thing still stood in her way, and it was dangerously close to perishing.

ID# 72586 | BD: 4+3 (Hit) | LD: 1+4 | MD: 4

Birdie: 497/500 hp (10/50 en) ~ <<Penetrate>> sword art used ~ 11 * 8 = 88 damage

Boar 4: 88/264 HP

Edited December 21, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"Huh?" As if by some stroke of miracle, the attack that was meant to finish the boar off went wide, despite her immediate insistence that she'd aimed correctly. "What?!" There was little time to react as the boar recovered, and immediately seized the opportunity to strike back.

An almost comical mistake led to her getting headbutted in the stomach by the oversized wild pig, and she fell to the floor with a groan. "Ow.." The boar retreated to a safer distance and spun around on the spot, snorting as if to taunt the woman.

She rolled her eyes. 'Real mature, Kayaba.. he's probably behind that missed attack I bet.' Birdie picked herself up off the floor and knelt for a second, taking the time to recover her strength. The fight was so close to being over, just one attack would finish the fourth boar off. 'No more shenanigans, time to finish this!'

ID# 72587 | BD: 2+3 (Hit) | LD: 7+4 | MD: 6

Birdie: 496/500 hp (9/50 en)

Boar 4: 88/264 HP ~ 10 damage - 21 mitigation = 1 damage

Edited December 21, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Her sword lit up one final time, the blue glow extending out from the hilt until it covered the blade's entire surface. Nothing other than air stood in her way now, and as the fight's foreseeable end came near, she cracked a smile.

She ran straight for her foe, the sword held firmly and aimed towards the target. Her eyes widened as she felt her foot slip a little, though the game automatically activated an extra skill, allowing her to stay on track.

Closing the gap between herself and the enemy, she thrust her blade into the boar's body, not minding to strike in a critical location. The boar struggled for a moment until its health barf finally hit zero, at which point it fell lifelessly and exploded into a stream of data.

The loot menu popped up once again, and she smiled with glee at the results. "5,000 Col for 4 boars?" It was almost hard for her to believe, but the money was hardly the biggest takeaway from the fight. She'd learned how to handle herself in a tricky situation, and how to adapt her fighting style to one that better suits a difficult scenario.

She sighed, returning her sword to its scabbard. Looking to the sun, she noticed it was getting late. As the woman prepared to leave, a small notification popped up in the top right corner of her HUD - "You have earned enough SP to rank up your weapon skill?... w-wait.. that means.."

ID# 72589 | BD: 2+4 (Hit, Concentration skill used - 5 post cooldown) | LD: 18+4 | MD: 10

Birdie: 496/500 hp (1/50 en)

Boar 4: 0/264 HP ~ Gained 2,640 Col and 2 <<2 T1 Mats>>

Loot:
14 T1 Mats
5,280 Col

Edited December 21, 2016 by Birdie