[SP-F7] Wiggle and Wriggle <<Case of Wurms>>

[Birdie 0]

"And that is how I single-handedly took out Avalanche, the Absolute Zero!" A man adorned in a set of heavy silver armour pumped his fist into the air, the other hand resting boastfully around his hip.

"Yeah right!"

"Of course you did."

"That does sound far fetched."

Receiving a variety of flavourful responses, he cracked a wicked smirk before masking it with a playful frown, looking towards his party members. "Well, if anybody has a better story to tell then by all means, please step onto the podium."

Birdie hung a little further back from the group, wandering mindlessly as she kept to herself. It was rare that strangers would form a party, especially given the stigma around player killers and those affiliated with them. However, one quest in particular eluded the blue-haired woman for so long without reason. With the offer to join a highly regarded set of players on their way to the quest area, it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

"You okay back there, blue?"

A female voice called to Birdie, and her eyes rose from the ground to meet an amber gaze.

"I'm fine, thanks."

Edited January 22, 2017 by Birdie
Meant to label it as SP.

[Birdie 0]

With the group now approaching a ruined temple, one of the supposed landmarks that would guide them to the quest area, Birdie could breath a little easier. Lingering thoughts of being lured far from civilisation only to be taken out silently had remained in the back of her mind, but this meant that other players would likely be joining them on the trail. If they did try anything, which she would like to see them try, then she would at least be able to slip away with another group.

The clock on her display ticked over to 5 o'clock, officially marking the evening. Different enemy spawns, new material deposits and slightly buffed enemy stats were just a few of the effects that would now be in effect, and Birdie would happily take advantage of the second. Her wary eyes scanning the shrubbery and trees high above, the scout was intent on finding a deposit or two.

Edited January 20, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Since they'd started walking, the group up front seemed to quieten as they strayed further from the settlement. Despite their manpower - 5 heads including Birdie herself - it was still a necessity to keep an eye out for danger, though the scout didn't pay much mind to such things. If mobs approached then she would notice them from a mile off, and as much as the idea of exotic threats terrified her, nobody short of Itzal could possibly keep up with her, hence running away was always an option.

Fortunately, a pile of gems hidden beneath a suspcious patch of leaves caught her eye, and she knelt down to gather them up. Seconds later however, her thoughts were led astray as two of feet entered her peripheral vision, sporting a pair of white ankle-high boots.

"You're awfully quiet, you know." A questioning voice sounded from the left, and Birdie recognised it to be the same woman from earlier.

"Why don't you join us up front?"

This earned a glance from the bluenette, albeit a passing one as she continued to look ahead. "It sounds like you guys are all friends, and your leader's... a bit louder than I'm normally comfortable with."

ID# 74807 | LD: 14+5=19 <<Gained 4 T1 Materials>>

Edited January 20, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

The mystery woman's lips twitched into a smirk. "That's Raymond for you, he puts a lot of public speakers to shame." Birdie didn't react much to this, other than a twitch of her lips as she smiled.

"Listen, the offer's there. Catch up when you're feeling up to it, okay?"

It wouldn't take long for the amber eyed woman to return to the group, giving one final look to the scout before immersing herself into the conversation once again. Something about bosses, she thought.

As much as she wanted to match their pace and walk alongside them, there was little need for it. As always, Birdie felt like having some time to herself; to collect her thoughts and senselessly ponder the future, or how much of it was left at least. One terrifying aspect of the world of Aincrad was that at any waking moment, on any day of the year, there was a very real chance it could be her last.

[Birdie 0]

The landscape shifted, what was once a rich and dense forest now led out into a desolate, sandy terrain, with little in the way of flora to brighten up the surrounding area.

A while ago, the group of players whom she travelled with had split off from the main path, leaving with little more than a word of thanks and good fortune for the road ahead. Despite her obvious discomfort, she wished them well and went on her way, closing the gap between herself and the boss monster. Another heap of materials lied directly in her path, and despite her initial belief that it might be a trap, she picked the metal ores up and happily stored them for use later on.

In the distance, she could see any opening that would lead out into a vast, open desert, completely disregarding the dead forest vibe she'd been getting thus far. "Talk about reusing floor landscapes, ugh.."

ID# 75270 | LD: 20+5 <<Gained 4 T1 Materials>>

Total: 8 T1 Materials

Edited January 24, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Stopping for a moment to ensure her gear was in check, Birdie's eyes quivered from the blinding glare of light reflecting from metal. Upon further inspection, and after the brief task of weaving through dead bushes, she noticed a small pile of ingots waiting patiently to be claimed by a player. And so, like any good scout would, she picked them all up and quickly returned to the path, keeping her eyes peeled for any further materials as she ventured onwards.

Only a few meters stood between Birdie, a tree, and the endless desert beyond. She stood still, unsure whether it would be wise to continue without a party, or even the presence of another player to keep her company. Looking over her shoulder, she half-hoped that the group who'd split off earlier would return, though the possibility didn't seem all too likely. A frown hit her lips as she wondered where they were heading. 'Hopefully there wasn't a lone player in front of them, or something..'

ID# 75273 | LD: 15+4 <<Gained 4 T1 Materials>>

Total: 12 T1 Materials

Edited January 24, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"Hm?" Off in the distance, the sands shifted caused the ground she stood on to rumble. What looked like two small flags rose from beneath the surface, skating along the sands as they approached slowly.

Instinctively, she wrapped her fingers around Winterthorn's hilt and ripped the blade from its sheath, pointing it towards the potential threat.

Or.. whatever it actually was.

The flags seemed to increase in size, approaching faster and faster before she finally managed to get a good idea of their size. Curiously, her arm fell and she brought a hand above her eyes, trying to block out the sun as she squinted intently. "What is that?.. oh.. that's not good."

Before she could react, <<Amphis Serpens>> rose from the sands and swung its beastly tail around for her. She brought her knees up to her chest in order to dodge the attack, and landed with a stumble. "Rude!"

Edited January 25, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Instinctively she ripped Winterthorn from its scabbard, holding her blade ready to parry the boss' next attack. Predicting the swing with psychic-like reflexes, she used the force of the lizard's powerful tail swing against it, chopping off clean two inches of its scaly appendage. The snake-like sand worm hissed in pain, its claws extended as it entered a rage-fuelled state. Birdie knew to dodge quickly lest she want to spare her armour a trip to the repair shop.

Flipping onto her hands, she retreated a safe distance from the boss and reassessed the situation - it seemed her level was far higher than what was normally recommended for this quest. Not that it bothered her; if the rewards were the same regardless, it would be a nice boost in skill points.

Amphis trimmed tail slammed into the ground, burrowing deep below the sand. The girl's eyebrow rose, was it struggling to retain balance? All questions would soon be answered as she swished her blade elegantly through the air, landing in the serpent's direction. "Hold still, this might sting a pinch."

ID# 75376 | BD: 7+3 (Hit) | MD: 2-1 (Miss)

Birdie: 580/580 HP (45/58 EN) - (1+5+6)*14=168 damage

Amphis Serpens: 52/175 HP (45 MIT)

Edited January 25, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

'Squelch!'

Winterthorn's finest end penetrated the lizard's plated stomach, plunging deep into its body. The woman was suspended in the air, held in place by nothing more than the grip she maintained on her weapon. She started intently at the boss' HP bar, and as it carefully started to trickle into the red, and into nothingness, she cracked a smile.

"Well, that was ea-"

What she hadn't anticipated was the serpent's body exploding into a million particles, leaving her to flail helplessly towards the ground due to the effects of simulated gravity. With a thud, she landed first, forcing her eyes closed as the blade's point came plummeting towards her face.

Well, nearly.

Opening her eyes, she breathed heavily as Winterthorn's razor sharp edge protruded from the ground, not two inches shy of grazing her cheek. "Phew.. huh?" She glanced to the congratulatory window that appeared, and pushed her arms into the air - or along the ground - in victory. "Alright!"

ID# 75377 | BD: 6+3 (Hit)

Birdie: 580/580 HP (32/58 EN) - (1+5+6)*14=168 damage

Amphis Serpens: 0/175 HP <<Dead>>

Edited January 25, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"Congratulations! Please return to <<Theodore>> to claim your rewards: four skill points, blah blah blah..." Birdie's eyes navigated the admittedly short list of rewards for turning this quest in. Despite the exorbitant it took to reach the sandy plains, she felt it worth the long walk, and certainly worth the skill points. Birdie lifted her torso up and sat with her legs lying straight, dismissing the menu seconds after it appeared. "Well, that was... fun." The woman brought a hand to Winterthorn's hilt and used it to hoist herself up, carefully sheeting the fragile blade away once she stood on her own two feet. Nearby materials caught her attention as she prepared to head back into the forest, and after quickly hushing them away into her inventory, she slowly snailed along the muddy path. The desert would soon disappear behind her, leaving nothing but a scrap of her armour behind in the sand.

She tsked. "Crap. Maybe I'll see if Arc can fix that up."

ID# 75378 | LD: 11+5 <<Gained 4 T1 Materials

Total: 16 T1 Materials

Edited January 25, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

After travelling who knows how many miles, to reach god knows where, a certain blue haired woman had figured the journey back to be a simple venture. Retrace your own steps, right?

Yet, as she approached another junction on her return - the second one that she knew she hadn't previously crossed - dread started to settle in her stomach. "How? How am I lost?"

The woman's eyes carefully scanned the environment for familiar landmarks. Deformed trees, oddly coloured bushes, even ruined piles of materials that had been recently searched through, yet nothing that she could immediately recognise came to fruition. Giving a long, discontented sigh, Birdie realised she may need to pay more attention in Itzal's training sessions. "I wonder if Aereth would be having this problem..."

Landing on a branch nearby, a small bird's tweet reached the bigger bird's ears. Curious, she glanced in the creature's direction and gave it an innocent smile, before gasping as it took off down one of the four paths. Hesitating, Birdie took a single step forwards, assessing all the other possible directions. "Hm... Well, it's not like standing here will do me any good." Taking off after the flying creature, she hoped that this was Kayaba's way of pointing her in the right direction.

Or perhaps it was just a rather playful bird.

Edited January 25, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Conserving her energy, Birdie respirated in a calm, controlled manner, her arms and legs moving as efficiently as possible in chase of the fleeting creature. Truth be told, she couldn't be sure where the bird was going or where it might be leading her, yet she felt a strange urge to follow it through the lively woods. Colour had slowly seeped back into the world, and before she knew, the sandy terrain that once covered the ground shifted into the familiar soggy dirt she had grown so accustomed to. 'It's better than sand, anyway.'

Turning a corner sharply, she held into a tree branch and swung her body 90 degrees to the right, somehow managing to keep up with the bird. If she didn't know any better, the animal was likely just fleeing from a potential predator - her - but it compelled her nonetheless. Thanks to her practised running technique, one she'd proudly developed outside of training, Birdie wasn't having any problems with keeping up, though she somehow felt as if the bird itself had grown sluggish.

It had.

Its wings had started to grow tired, and was visibly slowing down. 'Is it really just flying away from me?'

Then, rather unexpectedly, it disappeared.

"What?!"

Edited January 25, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Birdie dug her wedged heels deep into the ground, shifting her body weight backwards to aid the sudden halt. As her arms flailed helplessly for a single moment, the woman caught her balance and inspected the air keenly, looking out for any sign of her small bird friend.

"I didn't make you disappear too, did I?" The question was directed towards an animal that couldn't speak - or, heck, perhaps it wasn't, as her search revealed little more than a couple of squirrels wandering innocently along the tree branches. Forcing her arms to her sides, Birdie huffed and gave another long, discontented sigh. "Great. First that group splits away from, then this bird disappears. What next, these squirrels hide away too?"

Their noses twitched, curiously analysing the scent coming from Birdie's direction. As if on cue, they quickly scurried into a hidey-hole in the tree, awaiting what repulsed them to vanish before coming out.

"Of course..."

Knowing when she wasn't wanted, she trudged through the forest, not noticing that the trees had grown a few shades darker. As the midday sun began to lower, it would only be a few hours before night fell.

'Night.'

"I should hurry up."

Edited January 25, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"Oh, piece of candy!" Birdie knelt down as she stumbled across a petite red gem, barely bigger than the size of one of those lollipops back home. Grinning at her own joke, the woman's mood had lifted greatly in the span of a few short minutes. As it turned out, blocking out the world to focus on the good times tended to bring one's mood up. It was a coping mechanism she'd used to great effect in the past. Thoughts of her father usually filled the void, though there were the few occurrences in which her mother had shown maternal affection that brought a smile to the woman's lips.

Of course, in Aincrad, she had made a brand new set of memories, some as recent as a few days before the present.

It felt more fulfilling the recall the older times. Or perhaps she was just weird that way.

Whatever the case, she pressed on. Up ahead, another path came into view, causing Birdie to sigh in relief. "About time, game."

ID# 75387 | LD: 12+5 <<Gained 4 T1 Materials>>

Total: 20 T1 Materials

Edited January 25, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"Alright, I feel like we're getting somewhere now!" Birdie had only been following the newly discovered path for three minutes before discovering a landmark she recognised - a tree with an oddly formed brand, resembling a small cage hanging from a short, stubby branch.

Whatever Gods were out there must have been smiling down on her. Night had fallen faster than she anticipated, and though the monsters on the 7th floor would be little to no trouble for the skilled rapier user, she feared a different type of threat. Player killers.

Ever since discovering how players turned orange, Birdie had made it her mission to steer clear of the people-harmers (as she liked to call them). Cases that would prove impossible to avoid killers were bound to spring up every now and then; during a recent boss fight, and a mission only weeks before came to mind immediately. Though the former was a far less enticing experience.

Looking low, Birdie's eyes happened upon another gem, larger than the red one found minutes before. Its blue surfaced reflected whatever light was left in the sky, and she happily claimed the material as her own.

ID# 75391 | LD: 14+5 <<Gained 4 T1 Materials>>

Total: 24 T1 Materials

Edited January 25, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

12 minutes passed since Birdie found her last pool of materials - she knew well that the closer to the city she got, the less materials there'd be up for grabs. Deposits generally didn't respawn until the late hours of the night, and seeing as the darkness was still in its infancy, the wait would definitely not outweigh the hours she'd need to kill.

Instead, she was well intent on making her way home, her pace quickening just a little faster than usual to shorten the journey. Though there was little in the way of memorable landmarks along the dark, desolate path, the woman was sure the path she followed would lead her to the city, or connect onto another one that would do so.

Sure enough, not 10 seconds later, a sign post up ahead instructed her to make a left to reach the settlement of 'Rig'. A pleased sigh escaped her lips as she made the turn, walking along the path that would eventually lead her home.

Well, to a place with a teleporter that would then take her home.

Edited January 25, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Upon seeing fire in the distance, Birdie's eyes lit up with excitement. 'I didn't think the city was this close!' Quickening her pace once more, she was almost jogging as the light approached faster than anticipated.

Too fast.

Her eyebrows sinking, Birdie gave a discontented sigh as what she thought to be the guard's fireplace ended up nothing more than a campfire, and an abandoned one at that. 'What good does this do me! Ugh...'

Birdie wouldn't fret over it - she wouldn't even inspect the area. For all she knew, it belonged to a group of players who sought to ambush her later on down the road, demanding all of her belongings for a chance to see the morning sun.

'Or they could eat my dust', she retorted internally to herself, eyes rolling as she pressed on. The town would only be a short distance away, and with any luck, Birdie would run into an open food vendor to pick up something for herself and Glacia. Her eyes fell to the floor as she considered buying one for a third person, but the woman thought it a useless venture. "I should send him a message sometime.."

Navigating her menu, she went and equipped the Awareness Stone over the accuracy-enhancing gear. At least she'd maximise her chances of finding materials this way - God knows she disliked gathering trips.

Switched <<Precision Stone>> for <<Awareness Stone>>

Edited January 25, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"No..."

Birdie's eyes watched the sky, her face wearing a pleading look.

"Anything but this..."

The weather had been gradually ramped up, what started as a slight breeze now turned into winds that were a little too strong for her tastes. Clouds formed high above, and although she could've sworn the weather was predicted to stay clear that night, the Cardinal apparently had other plans for the inhabitants of the 7th floor.

"Kayaba, you s-"

Before she could finish her sentence, lightning flash in the sky, causing rain to fall almost immediately afterwards. Birdie stared on in disbelief, though found herself drawing by something that reflected the lightning's sudden jolts of light.

Following the reflection, she soon wandered across a small pile of metal ingots, sitting inconspicuously by the side of the road. The scout had seen weirder sights - collecting the items, she pressed on, and eventually came up to another sign.

"Rig.. 4 miles?!"

ID# 75396 | LD: 9+6 <<Gained 4 T1 Materials>>

Total: 28 T1 Materials

Edited January 25, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"4 miles..." Birdie's brain had barely started to process the information, and she was almost a quarter of the way there already. "How could it be 4 miles away... heck, the journey there was less than 6, and that took about an hour an half! I've been walking for two hours now!"

Birdie restrained her arms as she felt the urge to swing them around senselessly, like a child having a petty temper tantrum. In truth, her tired eyes had barely managed to stay awake in the past half an hour, and she felt like flopping over onto the side of the ride to catch a few minute's shut eye before finishing the journey. That was hardly an option of course, unless she wanted to be located and dragged away by a group of player killers, hence she pressed on forwards despite her disposition. "At least the bed at home is nice and comfy, and- the sheets are still hanging out to dry."

She glanced to the sky.

"For the love of God, don't be raining on the first floor..."

 

Edited January 25, 2017 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Birdie gave a sigh of relief.

At long last, she stood before the pearly gates - grimy iron bars crudely welded together, but the imagery was there. Two guards stood posted outside, though one had lazily slumped against the concrete wall and another had barely been paying attention to Birdie as she wandered in. 'It's easy to forget that these people are programs.. eerily so.'

Her final find for the night had occurred not 30 seconds before, when she nearly tripped over a pile of ingots laid out carefully in the middle of the path. Sometimes she doubted the game's algorithms for material spawns - or perhaps her loot chance stat was hilariously bugged. Either way, Birdie enjoyed the extra materials and was ready to return home, hoping for a good night's rest if nothing else. Picking up a small woven bag of shopping on her way to the town's teleporter, she spoke her intended destination clearly and smiled. "Home... at last."

Quote

[///Error!///]

Teleporter down for schedule maintenance. Regular operations resume in 30 minutes!

"Screw you."

ID# 75399 | LD: 10+6 <<Gained 4 T1 Materials>>

Total: 32 T1 Materials

Edited January 25, 2017 by Birdie