HikariZX

Picking herself up and dusting off her pants, Hikari turns to see that the boar was defeated by Seldentar in one hit. "N-nice..." Still a bit embarrassed from her failure, Hikari turned to another boar and aimed at it, this time getting into position and charging the basic "Linear" Sword Skill

Battle Dice - 4 - Fail! - no damage

Having watched its brother be defeated so easily, the second boar was quite a bit more cautious, noticing Hikari's attack and dodging the simple thrust thrown at it. Quickly re-orienting herself, Hikari shouted: "Switch!" For Seldentar to attack the boar quickly. (OOC: Let's do an enemy combat roll before this.)

Salvage Attempt - 7 + 1 - Success! - no mats lost

Happy that she could at least keep an extra material, Hikari put it back with its brother, now the only ones left in the shop. Re-equipping her coat, Hikari headed out the door and into the streets of the city of beginnings, posting another new item in her "for sale" list.

Crafting Dice - 3 + 1 - Bad Item! - chance to salvage mats; +1EXP

Looking at the item she just made, Hikari couldn't help but feel disappointed that her first crafting attempt was purely luck. Grabbing a tighter hold of Helel, Hikari once again tried to salvage the material by shaping it back to its original form.

(OOC: Sorry for short post, don't know what else to write, I just woke up :P)

Crafting Dice - 6 + 1 - Good Item! - -1 mat; +2EXP

Not really satisfied with the item she made, Hikari thought she could at least put it on sale, though it really wasn't very good.

Name: Light Armor Chest Guard Mk. 2

Type: Light Iron Armor

Quality: Good

Description: Basic Iron Armor that mimics someone else's style (trench-coat not included with the purchase)

Abilities: none

Not letting herself get taken down, Hikari once again repeated the process, shaping the armor again into a chest-plate and an arm guard (OOC: how many of you are tired of seeing me write arm guard?).

Crafting Dice - 10 + 1 - Rare Item! - -1 mat; +5EXP

"Hell yeah!" Having created a fantastic piece, Hikari looked at its stats first and foremost.

Wolf King's Aegis

Type: Light Metal Shield

Quality: Rare

Description: A legendary shield forged in the deepest region of the mountains of Terca Lumireis, said to have been crafted by the greatest blacksmith guild of all.

Ability: Deals an extra point of damage on a BD9/10(no critical necessary); +1 to DST (Damage Soak Threshold)

It wasn't the best shield ever created but it suited her perfectly, it was a shield made just for her yet not quite perfect yet. Two spiked protrusions on its back end, pointing out, with an edge near the hand guard for punching the enemy, this shield was great for a damage dealer, yet it also provided quite a bit of defense. Hikari was happy with this piece, deciding to store it in her inventory for now. Hoping to be as successful as with the shield, Hikari once again tried for an armor, heating the iron bar and shaping it into a chest-plate and an arm guard.

Hikari, having woken up just an hour beforehand, immediately rushed to her shop, something she was getting used to as a routine. "Another day, three more attempts. Let's do this, Helel." Removing her armor and staying just in a tank-top and shorts, like she preferred to be in her shop, Hikari equipped just her hammer, hoping to use its power to make something great. Differing from what she was trying to do yesterday, Hikari grabbed an Iron Bar in hopes of making a new shield. She still had the same idea from before, attempting to shape it like some kind of claw in the back to be able to just elbow-drop enemies into oblivion, with a singular spike on the front. Heating the metal, Hikari began to flatten it, creating the shape she was envisioning just before.

Seeing Elyth shake her head, Hikari now knew she would need to occupy an extra inventory slot with her materials. "*sigh* The two Atlantis Irons are useful, but I can't make anything from just ore..." Sighing at the same time as Elyth, Hikari let her head drop. "Miaki, is there really nothing that can cure her? Maybe we should check farther ahead in the dungeon." Holding her head back up, Hikari now waited for Miaki's response.

Drawing her sword "Rage" from its sheath, Hikari points to the first ox she sees. "So these are passive too, huh? Stay back for a bit, I'll show you something I came up with..." Getting her blade into position, Hikari made sure it wouldn't glow, she'd show Kira the fruits of her training in real life, her Original Skills, beginning with the first one, her favourite, "Brilliant Storm". Sprinting towards the ox, Hikari attempted to begin her attack with a diagonal slash into its snout.

Combat Dice - 6 - Success! - 1 + 2 damage from weapon + 2 damage from weapon mastery

Delivering ten quick slashes in succession, each one from a different and random direction, Hikari was able to lower the ox's health down to only half. "Switch!" All the surrounding enemies would now be attacking them. "I'll aggro these two on me, you take care of that one!" Knowing her armor would absorb most if not all the damage from their attack, she let Kira deal the final blow on the already weakened ox.

Trembling Ox - 10/10 - 5HP = 5/10

Trembling Cow - 20/20

Trembling Cow 2 - 20/20

"W-whaaaa...?" Feeling a poke on her cheek, Hikari slowly wakes up, stretching her back and neck, causing them to crack. "Hmmm... huh? Wait... Damn it! I fell asleep! Kira, are you there?!" Turning around, Hikari saw Kira kneeling behind her, smiling. Giving a sigh of relief before realizing what she said, Hikari's cheeks flushed a pure crimson color. "Ahh! A-ahmm... G-good morning, Kira!" Still a bit awkward, Hikari got up and helped Kira gather the blanket and pack the meal from yesterday. "Phew... that's done. Alright, now, we'll be training today, right? Where to?" A smile on her face while equipping her coat, sword and shield, Hikari turned to Kira and waited for her answer.

Dazed by the kiss, Hikari immediately broke her pose. "W-wha..?!" Blushing profusely, Hikari still agreed to her request. Showing a bit of a smile, she said before laying down: "Yeah, I'll help you train, there's no way you're dying with me around." The sunset was nearly over and in the sky you could already see the stars, well, as much as the next floor allowed, at least. Laying down with her arms holding up her head, Hikari stared up at the stars before closing her eyes in satisfaction. In a low voice so no-one could hear her. "I may have made a fool of myself, shouting like that, but it was worth it..." Sensing Kira beside her, Hikari said: "This may be a safe zone, but we should still be careful, alright?" Though she couldn't quite put her finger on it, Hikari just knew there was some way that safe zones could not be safe... "I'll stay awake a bit more, you go to sleep, alright?" Still with her eyes closed, Hikari tried to keep herself awake, hoping to protect Kira at all costs if something did happen. Slightly opening one of her eyes, Hikari glanced over at Kira. Damn, she really is cute..."

(OOC: If you watched the Murder case episode of SAO, you know why I'm worried, though it's just for RP's sake)

Feeling a little bit better from Kira's words, she opens up her eye again and returns to her normal position, looking at the sunset. "Thank you, Kira, I promise I'll clear this game so you can go home safe... hopefully you'll be treated when we're done..." Though still with a bit of sadness remaining, Hikari dragged herself a bit closer to Kira. "I promise you, everyone in this world will be saved... No matter what..." Her red eyes burning now with determination, Hikari stands up in front of Kira. "I promise you this sunset will not be the last one you see! Live, Kira, I know you can!" Pointing her index finger towards the sky and placing a hand on her hip, Hikari declares proudly: "Remember, don't believe in the you that believes in me! Or the me that believes in you! Believe in the you that believes in yourself! I promise you, your sword will be the one to pierce the heavens!" (OOC: If anyone gets where that's from, you're awesome.) Silver hair swaying in the wind, a winning grin on her face, Hikari stares into Kira's eyes, waiting for her reply.

Sitting down on the grass, Hikari was surprised by Kira's question. "W-wait, really?" She giggles a bit but responds anyway. "Well, I guess this game ended up making me flat... I'm a girl, Kira, I thought the waist-length hair would be a dead giveaway, though. I'm Hikari, it's very nice to meet you." After responding, Hikari simply stared out into the sunset, finally letting a tear roll down her cheek. She stood quiet there, her smile now gone, she was extremely saddened by what Kira told her. Though there was still a possibility, Hikari didn't know whether it would be true or not. Hoping that somehow she'd survive, Hikari wiped away her tears, turning to Kira. "I... really hope you survive, Kira... I don't want to see anyone else die... especially not you..." Giving a slight smirk, Hikari tried to lighten up the mood. "You know, it'd be a waste for such a cute girl like you to just simply vanish." Waiting for Kira's reaction, Hikari closed one of her eyes, continuing staring at her.

Still feeling a bit sad, Hikari at least managed to work up a smile, nodding to the girl. "Sure, if that would make you happy right now, I'll go." Though doing her best to appear calm, Hikari was feeling miserable, she had no guarantee that what she said was true, she didn't even know the girl in real life. Looking at where Kira was pointing, Hikari got up and said: "Well, then, shall we go?" Still forcing a bit of a smile.

After being brought to her inn room and listening to her story, Hikari felt pretty sad, but immediately thought of something: "Well, I wouldn't be so sure you'd die... think about it, you're basically in a coma now, they can keep you alive a lot easier, even make you breath artificially." This possibility came up in Hikari's mind, she knew nothing about how the outside world was doing, but she still knew enough about how it was to know that that would be possible. "It's very possible they can even find some kind of solution to what's going on with your lungs... Look... I really don't want anyone to die... I'm saying there's a chance you can survive... and I seriously hope I'm right..." Biting her lip, Hikari's face dropped and a very noticeable frown was on her. "Why..." Waiting for the girl to reply to her, Hikari unequipped her sword, shield and coat, sitting now in just a pair of black pants and a black shirt.

Recognizing the person, Hikari relaxed and dropped her grip on her sword. Having the red-haired girl tell her she was gonna die in a day made her extremely uncomfortable and sad. "W-wait... let's back up a bit... You're Kira Hall, aren't you, the one who commissioned me just a few days ago? What are you talking about, dying, what happened?" Trying to be as friendly as possible, Hikari pat the girl on the head lightly and crouched down a bit to speak with her. "Do you want to go to an inn? We could talk better there." Waiting for the girl's reply. Hikari felt her heart sink a bit, this was the second time it had happened to her since starting this game, though there never was something like dying involved...

The breeze flowing on the second floor felt fantastic, a mountain air filled the city as Hikari stood near its exit and took in the sights. Hikari once came here but simply rushed past it to get to the third floor, so this was her first time actually experiencing this floor. The air was nice, the atmosphere was quiet, it was perfect for someone like her. Getting up and exiting the town, Hikari scanned the monsters quickly to get as much information as possible. "Around here... Oxen and Cows? I should get a bit closer" The names became clearer as she approached them, her above-average eyesight playing a part in it, of course. "Trembling Ox, Trembling Cow... I see." The mountain breeze made Hikari's silver hair flow gently and slowly, her black coat's tail accompanying it. Setting her deep red eyes on one of the lone oxen, Hikari sensed a figure near her, perhaps a player. "Who's there?!" She shouted into the air, nearing her hand to her sword in caution.

Her sword already held high, Hikari was prepared once the minotaur suddenly rushed Nikki. Grin on her face due to the sudden action, she held her sword beside her, making it glow a deep purple, the signal of the most basic Sword Skill, "Linear". Approaching the beast after Eléssar landed his hit, Hikari took the chance now that it was paralyzed, releasing the skill immediately in its direction.

Combat Dice - PARALYZED - Success! - 1 + 2 damage from weapon + 2 damage from weapon skill (mastery)

The move, as expected, hit the beast cleanly and left a clear gash in it, dealing five points of damage. Quickly retreating just in case something happened, Hikari readied another Sword Skill, "Circle" this time.

Hikari - 15/15

Minotaur - 36/40 -5HP = 31/40

Satisfied with his answer, Hikari turned around to the boars and drew her sword, "Rage". "Thanks, you go for one and I'll go for another, alright?" Before waiting for his response, Hikari quickly dashed towards a lone boar, quickly slashing it three times in a triangle pattern, one of her original skills, "Triangle Slash". (OOC: You may also notice my weapon didn't glow, go to my journal for more info [advert over])

Combat Dice - 3 - Fail! - no damage

As soon as the attack started to connect, the boar dashed to the left as if its AI warned it beforehand. "Seriously, I didn't even attack it..." Falling on her knees due to lack of balance after the attack, Hikari turned to Seldentar, blushing realizing he just saw the whole thing. "Y-you saw nothing!" Furious, Hikari got back up, waiting for him to try an attack himself.

Surprised such a thing could even happen in Aincrad, Hikari's eyes couldn't help but be widened. "Wait, seriously, that sounds awesome!" Her method was much different, but still, she hadn't ever noticed any friendly monsters on this floor, especially ones that ran away. "Alright, I'm planning on getting a wolf from here by feeding it meat from those boars over there, will you help me out?" Hikari gave a slight smile while crouching down to attempt to pet Shadow.

After the introductions, Hikari looked down on the fox standing next to Seldentar, hearing him calling him "Shadow", his familiar. "Wait, familiar, then what the woman said was true?" Now more intrigued than ever, Hikari knew she wanted to test it out. "Hey, Seldentar, could you show me how you tamed Shadow?" Hopeful the man wouldn't deny, Hikari asked the question suddenly and hurriedly, before explaining what happened: "You see, just a few days ago, I saw this travelling NPC woman who claimed there was a way to tame monsters and I accepted her quest, was that how you got Shadow, by any chance?"

Seeing a black fox running and defeating boars in front of her, Hikari prepared to draw her sword until she saw it run back to a player. A man stood back in the shadows, watching as the fox defeated the boars happily, though he seemed just as satisfied as it was. Hikari, still wary, approached the man, taking note of the name floating above him. "Seldentar?" Relieved to see that name, one she knew from her guild, the Azure Brigade, Hikari relaxed herself before speaking in a friendly tone. "Hey, you're a brigadier too, aren't you?" Approaching the man a bit more, careful to give him some space, Hikari stretched her hand out to him. "Pleased to meet you, I'm Hikari, the newest member."

It was a warm but nice day on the first floor, a perfect day to go hunting, if not for Hikari's mood today, which was nervous, irritated and confused. "What the hell did she mean by that...?" Just a few days ago, she'd met an NPC that claimed to be a travelling gypsy, saying that there was a secret to taming a monster and make it fight for you, you only needed feed it and not attack it, with a chance of failure. The warm day made Hikari sleepy, she really was confused by what she told her, whether it was true or not, Hikari could only see for herself. Getting up, Hikari decided that the easiest way to confirm was trying to tame one of the weak monsters on the first floor, since they were docile and didn't run away when approached. Her plan was simple, gather a few pieces of boar meat and feed it to a wolf, her favorite animal, and see if she succeeded. Starting to set her plan in motion, Hikari headed out to the field to hunt the boars, though she was unaware of someone else there...

Hearing Miaki's words, Hikari felt a little discouraged, though she regained her composure once she saw what Miaki found in the chest. "It might not be much, but it's still good material. Elyth, can you access your inventory right now?" Hikari noticed the kind of materials they were and she knew they wouldn't be useful at all to Miaki's profession, yet the Silver Ore wasn't to hers either so she was thinking if it was for Elyth, instead. If Elyth couldn't open her inventory and receive the items, then Hikari'd hold on to them until she could.

Salvage Attempt (Crafting Dice) - 5 - Fail! - no salvage, -1 mat

The process was harder than she thought, and the iron eventually gave and exploded itself into light blue polygons. "Bah, oh well, XP is XP" Hikari wasn't discouraged, much the contrary, she had ranked up today and made herself a fantastic new tool. Leaving the shop, Hikari headed for the inn like usual, secretly hoping for something exciting to happen today.

Crafting Dice - 6 - Bad Item! - chance to salvage (next post); +1EXP

Seeing the armor turn out a lot worse than she was expecting, Hikari decided to at least try to salvage the material, since she now knew how. Grabbing hold of her hammer, Hikari heated up the forged metal in the forge once again, before attempting to revert everything to its original shape.