Complete Eastern Brisshal Art of Fighting

[Crimson Ruby]

"Are you sure you want to try some fighting?" Ruby asked, swaying her tail and sword while walking next to Bluebird, casting a glance to her friend with curiosity. It was their second time playing together, and after a small reunion on Honeyhome, they parted toward the forest, though they were still by its outskirts, so nothing had happened... Yet.

To her surprise, of all things Bluebird wanted to do, one involved going for a small hunt. Well, not that it was spoken in these exact words, but their conclusion was that today was time for some action.

"You know that we don't need to fight, we can, but we aren't obligated to or anything." She said, smiling faintly. The way Bluebird referred to music before made it sound like her deal was more to do domestic things in the game. This was very fair, considering all the death stories involving it and the supposed 'third death' that was meant to be taken severely seriously.

@Bluebird

 

[Bluebird]

"I know we don't need to fight, but..." Bluebird did seem a little hesitant despite this being her own idea. Her spawn point had put her close enough to Honeyhome that she'd avoided the usual introduction by wolves. "I should be prepared if I do, right? This is a world like any other, and that means unexpected things could happen."

It's a lesson she was taught as a child, and later as a young adult. Just because this was a fantastical world didn't mean it wasn't dangerous. And even if it were just virtual, it still felt very real.

"Besides, I would like to practice these abilities I have, and doing so here in the wilds is safer than in the town." With a wave of her hand, she summoned a light gust of wind - it wasn't strong enough to do more than ruffle her feathers, but it was there. "From what I understand of what the menus have told me... I should even be able to fly!" Her wings fluttered happily. "I would love to try and do that! It sounds far more interesting than riding a plane."

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby nodded and smiled at Bluebird's logic. It made perfect sense, and even if she was hesitating about it, she still had the courage to try and learn more. Ruby could appreciate and admire that. "You are right, this world is as wonderful as it is dangerous. After all, fantastical landscapes and cities come with fantastical beasts and dangers." Ruby said, swaying the sword on her tail again before tossing it up so she could grab it mid-air. "And of course, you won't be alone to face those." She smiled reassuringly.

"The fact you can fly is really amazing. I wish I had the same power. Well, at least I can run extremely fast and teleport. It is easy to get people out of danger too, so it is flexible." Ruby explained. "You need to use this flying of yours at maximum potential. You should be able to avoid most of the attacks just by staying off the ground." She finally paused, turning to face her friend.

"In this case-" She tapped her chin, glancing Bluebird up and down, analyzing every inch and visible capability she had. Wind magic, music magic- Ruby wasn't sure if she had anything else hidden in her sleeve but-

"Since you don't use weapons, and only use spells, I think learning how to fly or at least get up to high unreachable places is your best bet. This way you can safely attack enemies with ranged spells while more close combatants like me taunt the danger." She rose a finger.

@Bluebird

 

[Bluebird]

"The way you leap, I feel like you could almost fly yourself," Bluebird replied. Despite her wording, she seemed bolstered by the compliment. "Though I imagine having wings will make it easier for me."

In response, she fluttered the little wings on her head. They didn't look like they could really support her, but this was a fantasy game...

"I don't know how to use my 'spells' to attack, at least not yet. Perhaps there is a song for it that we can try after flying?" She opened her palm menu, and after a moment of getting lost she opened up the skill menu. She at least knew how to navigate virtual menus - she'd done plenty during virtual seminars, but it was always a learning curve to learn a new one. She let the skill list linger at the edge of her vision, showing the motions and words needed to channel stronger aeromantic spells.

"Though if we encountered a beast out here, I suppose I would need to learn very quickly, no?" She smiled, hoping the fact that she was joking came across. "But I guess you'll help me with that!"

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby chuckled with rosy cheeks. "Thanks, I do leap very high." She nodded. "But there is a limit of how high I can fall from to keep the expectations of 'cat landing on their feet' a reality," Ruby admitted, clearing her throat and then looking up at the wings Bluebird fluttered. She couldn't help but smile at them, they were so adorable.

The smile then slowly turned into a smirk, especially at the mention of her learning very quickly. "Of course, I will help you. And protect you too, you have my sword." She said, tapping her sheath and then podering.

"You see, everything has a 'basic attack'. Like, I have all the sword maneuvers that I can do to fight, but I also have simple slashes." Ruby rose a finger, looking at Bluebird.

"Spells are no different. There are probably complex things like tornadoes that you can make, but you can probably just... Use basic winds to attack. Push enemies off cliffs and against hard surfaces, for example. Or even shooting projectiles with your wind?" One of the many guesses she had.

@Bluebird

 

[Bluebird]

There's something strange about hearing Ruby describe so many ways of using Aeromancy violently. She knew wind could be violent - there had been storms that toppled trees and buildings alike, back in the compound. But the idea of having it at her beck and call brings up strange emotions she can't put a name to.

"An aggressive wind..." Her eyes dart sideways to her list of spells. A few are marked as "Offensive". "Let me try... this one, then?"

Bluebird taps a spell labelled "Slicer", and a brief instructional guide opens - the starting motions and tones to trigger the auto-assist. She chooses a small sapling as her target, and begins the motions, whistling a few sharp notes. Wind swirls around her hands, which form a cutting gale as she flicks them towards the sapling.

Snick!

The wind doesn't hit exactly - Bluebird aims too high and too far to the left for that. But its enough to clip branches off, leaving the sapling looking very unbalanced.

"A-ah! I did it!" She sounds shocked. Being able to defend herself like this is oddly exciting, and she turns to Ruby with wide eyes. "How was that, Ruby?"

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby waited patiently for Bluebird to explore her options, swaying her tail while taking the moment to open her own UI and check her own assist-mode skill selection. There were plenty of them that Ruby could do with ease in the free mode, something that she particularly preferred after spending the last four years playing other VRMMOs that worked vaguely in the same way, albeit completely missing the same realism and complexity.

When Bluebird mentioned trying something, Ruby's ears perked up and she looked at her with a nod. "Try anything you want!" She said, waiting for her to do it and blinking surprised when the spell actually happened.

The aim wasn't good, but that would surely hurt an enemy if it got right.

Clasping her hands, she beamed. "That was great, you will just need to learn how to control it. But it was very powerful, or at least looked like it-" She nodded, turning to face her. "Maybe I can make some targets to you?" She offered.

@Bluebird

 

[Bluebird]

"It wasn't much," Bluebird says in an attempt to minimize her own accomplishment. "I wouldn't have thought of it if you hadn't suggested it!"

What she can't minimize is her own excitement. Her life has always been one lived by the whims of others - be it her childhood among her family, or the present with the guidance of the people who help her through the world of presentations and speeches. She's been a leaf, beholden to where the wind carries it.

Here in Terrasphere, she can be the wind.

"I would not mind targets, if you do not mind making them." Bluebird looks through her menu more closely at the various offensive spells. There is more than wind here, though she hasn't given Ruby the details of her masteries, and she's excited to try them all out. "I do not wish to destroy trees without good reason, especially if there are other options."

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"Stop being humble, that was pretty nice." Ruby said, resting her hands on her hips and looking at her friend's excitement. It was clear she wanted to do even more than what she had just done, and Ruby was ready to give her the toola for her to practice.

"Targets that aren't tree then, let's see-" Ruby took a deep breath, and after closing her eyes for a moment, a few red illusory silhouettes appeared before them.

Turning to Bluebird, she hummed. "These are all fake images. You should be able to use them to practice your attacks." The silhouettes followed Ruby's movements.

"Let's try with still targets for now." She glanced at one of the clones, nodding with her head for the clone to move.

It moved, standing completely still and waiting.

@Bluebird

 

[Bluebird]

Bluebird's eyes widen as Ruby summons the silhouettes. "Oh, I see! I thought we would perhaps be finding something physical. I know you could do such a thing with magic."

She gives the humanoid shapes a wary look. They aren't real, she knows, but the fact they look like people is a little disconcerting. It's been many years since she's had to aim at a human target like this.

"Okay! Let me try this 'Slicer' spell again." She skips to a good distance, glancing towards her UI once before before taking aim. With the humanoid targets, her body language seems to shift - her eyes narrow as she takes aim, and her mouth sets into a frown.

Center of mass. There is no good in aiming to disable. If you must shoot, it must be to kill.

Bluebird whistles sharply, flicking her hands at the silhouettes with careful precision. This time, it's multiple blades, and while they aren't perfect, one does slice neatly through the middle of the nearest target.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"I can get you something physical if you want. Maybe a rock?" She said, not worrying about what the target would be used for the training, as long as it helped her friend to use her skills correctly. It was a matter of pure practice.

When Bluebird announced she would be using the 'slicer' again, Ruby was wise enough to take a step back to watch attentively (and safe).

Ruby's ears peerked up at the stance and fierce stare of her friend. She seemed to have a target locked on, something that was unexpected in the girl's eyes. She took another step back, and when the wind blades exploded in speed toward the targets, Ruby gasped instinctively, staggering and seeing the illusory form being destroyed in half, parted neatly by the offensive spell.

"Wow, okay, that would be a dead goblin or bandit!" Ruby cheered, clasping her hands more joyfully than she should, considering her words.

"You are better a that than I thought." She said, impressed.

@Bluebird

 

[Bluebird]

There's a moment after the attack where Bluebird's serious expression lingers, as if her mind is elsewhere...

Then she snaps back to herself, and the serious look is replaced by mild fear. Her wings fold tightly as she looks away from the remaining illusions, memories of something from long ago hovering at the back of her mind. That a spell and a firearm could feel so similar is... unnerving, to say the least.

"I... I think we have practiced enough of that spell," Bluebird says, voice shaking a little. She takes a deep breath to calm her nerves. In through the nose, out through the mouth...

She manages a smile at last. "I think it would be a good time to practice my flying, now. That sounds far more interesting than fighting." It's all too obvious that she's trying to move on from the subject, but she hopes Ruby doesn't mind that. "I suppose that is something I must do on my own, however - unless you are in fact able to fly yourself!"

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

It didn't take a genius to notice the way Bluebird acted right away after things calmed down. There was less of a moment of judging, and more of a concern from Ruby. The girl looked so sharp attacking that it almost felt like she knew what she was doing, to a point Ruby could swear she knew how to play VR fighting games.

But now, it felt a bit distant, hesitating.

Ruby's hand reached for her friend's shoulder, squeezing softly. "Yeah, I think we are good." She nodded. "We can continue some other time if you want." Ruby said, glancing up at the sky and pondering.

"I mean, I could help with that. Not that I can fly, mind you-" She giggled, looking at Bluebird's eyes.

"But flying, like a lot of things, means that you will fall a lot while trying to learn it. And I'm quite fast, I can teleport and catch you if you start falling. What do you think?" Ruby suggested.

@Bluebird

 

[Bluebird]

Bluebird jolts at the contact, but relaxes shortly after. Ruby is a friend, after all, and she means her no harm. The desire to flee or freeze fades quickly, and she smiles. "Thank you, Ruby."

She steps back a little as Ruby looks up. The idea of falling is a little unnerving, especially from particularly high up. But Ruby is right - she's going to have to fall a lot to get good at this, just like everything else. Bluebird nods, looking at her menu and abilities.

Bluebird isn't a gamer - a lot of the language and conventions of the genre are mysterious to her. But she's also keen, and she understands what some of the abilities are meant to represent. Wind and song are easy. Astramancy is... a little more complex.

"Wind, to carry me upwards," Bluebird starts, more to herself than Ruby. "Song, to call that wind. Stars, to..." She stops, tiling her head, then nods. "...stars, to provide lift."

The menu responds, prompting some sort of combination. She nods, then closes her eyes. Auto-assist brings the song to her lips and the motions to her hands, and a sparkling sort of wind begins to rise around her. Slowly, it lifts her upwards.

The moment she no longer feels the ground, a sense of both excitement and fear overwhelms her. Her eyes snap open as the magic fades, and she drops to the ground with a thump. She sways a little as she regains her balance. "A-ah! Ruby, did I do it?"

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

At the grateful words, Ruby simply smiled warmly at her, taking a step away and allowing her friend to have time to search through her UI to know what she had to do. Her tail swayed as Bluebird began speaking something, it was almost like some sort of enchantment, one that she carefully listened to while the magical aura started flourishing around her friend.

Her eyes grew wide when Bluebird started floating, even if for a moment before she fell back to the ground, abruptly compared to how gently she was raising.

Ruby was a bit too far, but that didn't stop her from approaching quickly to try to help her friend to regain balance if she needed- Though it was something that Bluebird seemed to have control of.

"It was cool, you almost started flying for real!" She said, waving her tail. "But you suddenly fell back to the ground after floating a bit, did something happen? Low mana?" She wondered, tilting her head.

@Bluebird

 

[Bluebird]

"Oh, good!" Bluebird nods, looking a little exhausted despite herself. "I was just a little startled, is all. Not feeling the ground beneath my feet like that was a strange feeling. It was not at all like jumping."

She toes the ground with her talons, taking comfort in the solidness of the soil, then looks over to her stat display. "I think... I was given the option of 'aerialist' when I made this character, and I think it reduces the amount of magic I use when trying to fly. So I do not think I have to worry about that." She takes a deep breath, stretching her wings as she does. "Let me try again..."

She closes her eyes, and the song starts again. She rises faster this time, up and up until she levels out a few feet above the ground. She slowly opens one eye, then both of them, and looks down at Ruby with a smile. "Ah, I did it-!"

And the moment she stops singing, Bluebird starts to drop like a stone.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"Flying is much more different, yeah. I still remember when you got me floating a little." Ruby hugged herself, twirling and stretching her leg in a pose. "It is much more different than jumping. Jumping you... kinda feel your weight dragging you down." She said, based on her small, seconds-long experience.

At the mention of the aeralist skill, Ruby perked her ears up, surprised at the reveal.

"Ooh, I didn't have this option. Well, for obvious reasons." She shrugged, brushing the tip of her tail on the grass and nodding when Bluebird decided to give another try. Ruby watched, once again mesmerized by the song and the artistic way Bluebird's spell came to life. Her head and tail swayed along with the music, and her eyes slowly traced Bluebird lifting off the ground again, holding her breath in excitement until she spoke- and fell.

Quickly, Ruby turned into a blurr, darting off at high speed to jump and hold her in her arms gently before landing on the ground.

"That was really good, Birdie!" Ruby said, looking at Bluebird. "You got so high! But as soon as you stop, you fall. We will need to figure this out." She said, calmly putting her back to her feet.

@Bluebird

 

[Bluebird]

Bluebird barely has a chance to register what happened before Ruby catches her and sets her on the ground. She takes a moment to catch her breath, then nods. "T-thank you, Ruby. You really are as swift as you said you are!"

Is she blushing? There's no trace of it on her face, but her face feels warm. She pushes the feeling aside.

"All of my magic is tied into song. It seems that to continue flying, I must continue to sing or whistle." She taps her chin, wings folded. "I suppose that means I cannot speak while flying... and what of if I run out of breath? This is more difficult than I expected..."

She doesn't seem put out, however. In fact, she seems as excited by the prospect of flight as ever. "I suppose that just means I'll need to work on my breath control! Even a short flight is far more than I could do outside of this game, after all."

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"Anytime." Ruby said, swaying her tail and casting a quick glance at Bluebird, trying to see if she got hurt in the process but it seemed like she was just fine. "I said I am quick. My mastery selection was great for it." She hummed, waving her tail proudly while raising her nose, then pausing to pay attention at what Bluebird had to say. With a small nod, she agreed with the considerations.

"I think it is more of a matter to get used to it. Maybe it will be hard now, but soon you will be flying like the Birdie you are." Ruby opened her arms for emphasis as if Bluebird was going to fly so far in the sky that Ruby would need to stretch herself to hold her.

"Yeah, that's true. You can't fly out of the game." She muttered, tilting her head.

"You will want to try more times then? I think you should at least get the hang of it before you actually start practicing by yourself. Especially if you get to fly very high, it could get dangerous." Ruby said, with a hint of concern in her voice.

@Bluebird

 

[Bluebird]

"Perhaps once more! I've some time before I have to depart, and next time I can play, you may not be around to catch me." It's almost a joke, but the reminder that she can't play forever takes some of the levity from her voice. Bluebird wishes she could ignore those real life obligations. She hates the crush of the crowd and the tight, artificial spaces of the airport and its aircraft. If only she could stay here, able to fly on her own wings to wherever she would like...

Yet the world is hungry for money, and it always wants more.

"I think this time I will try to aim for the trees," she says, pointing towards a sturdy looking one. "With my talons, I should be able to perch easily upon them. If I cannot fly forever yet, then I should become used to jumping from point to point." She looks down at her feet and flexes one. The talons still feel strange compared to normal feet - it feels like having a second pair of hands on the ends of her legs.

"Okay... here I go!" She inhales, stretches her wings, and takes off with a whistle - it's not as direct a path as she wobbles through the air and into the tree's branches. Leaves and branches drop to the ground as she crashes through, followed by a yelp. She tries to lock her talons around a branch, and for a moment it seems successful, but she's losing her balance.

Eventually, Bluebird reappears... dangling from the tree like a concussed bat. Her arms dangle below(above?) her head, and her wings have entered a whole new phase of fluffed. "A-ah...!"

@Crimson Ruby