Shiro

Shiro nodded and smiled. She was getting hungry, and this had been yet another fulfilling experience with the man she was learning to trust. She got the feeling there would be many more days such as this one in their future. It was nice to know, or at least believe, that the road ahead wasn't just destined for more of the same day in and day out. Now she had someone to mix things up.

She sheathed her sword and turned to face Seldentar. A faint smile crossed her features as he spoke.

"It's all the same to me."

She meant what she said. She could go on fighting these creatures or make the trek back to Urbus and get something to eat. She would be every bit as happy either way so long as Seldentar was there. The two weren't exactly "inseparable" or anything, but she certainly enjoyed spending time with him and preferred it to doing things alone.

She smiled. Even after that choppy start, they maintained their momentum and made very short work of the drake. Finding another nearby enemy, Shiro tucked her rapier into her chest and dashed forward, lunging the gleaming《Myrtenaster》towards the unsuspecting drake. Her rapier buried nearly to the hilt and it took her a bit of effort to pull it free as she hopped back to make room for Seldentar's inevitable follow-up.

Shiro 17/17

Seld 40/41

Drake 2/8

Seldentar had taken a hit from the drake. It wasn't life-threatening by any stretch of the imagination, but it made Shiro angry just the same. She stepped between the drake and Seldentar and quickly made several slashes with her rapier. Glowing orange lines appeared in many places along the beast's arm and side from the impact and it jumped back in rage.

Seld: 40/41

Shiro: 17/17

Drake: 2/8

She didn't waste any time celebrate the creature's defeat. Seldentar had already initiated combat with another nearby drake, so she began activating《Linear》in order to close the gap quickly. Her sword began to glow and the system launched her at the dragonling at blinding speed. Her blade ever-so-slightly missed the claw that had made an attempt on Seldentar, and she went flying between the two of them. She did a little spin to face the drake, and hopped back to get clear for her next attack.

Drawing her rapier, Shiro rushes in behind Seldentar, a hail of thrust aimed at the enemy unleashed from her blade. The two didn't seem to need words in a fight. They simply acted, as though they were one being. The drake shattered and vanishhed from existence, and she swung her rapier out of habit.

Seldentar: 41/41

Shiro: 17/17

Drake: ownt

Shiro's footsteps echoed off the walls of the massive chamber as she quickly followed along beside Seldentar. They had been making quick work of the enemies they'd fought so far, but she figured it best to not get complacent. Death in Aincrad legitimately meant death. There was no way to be "too careful" here. She stayed close to Seld, opposite his sword arm. If anything sudden and hectic happened, it would be much better to stay away from his slashes. Her handed-ness didn't matter so much as she fought mostly in thrusting movements. The two had done a good job of staying out of each other's way so far, but it couldn't hurt to consider these things.

She nodded. It was good reasoning. The better the gear she had now, the longer she could keep on fighting without having to worry about upgrading. She doubted she'd want to upgrade any time soon. Shiro was practically in love with this rapier.

"So what's the plan? Are we gonna keep on fighting these black drakes, or did you have something else in mind?"

Shiro smiled at Seldentar before standing up straight and sheathing《Myrtenaster》at her hip. The two had been making excellent progress and had collected a great deal of loot. She was exceptionally pleased with the quality of her new rapier. She was able to move quickly, unleash flurries of incredibly fast attacks, and dealt a great deal of damage. She could feel how much more powerful she had become since her last excursion.

"This sword you've made for me is amazing."

There was no sense in wasting time. Shiro rushed a black drake that had just landed on the ground, activating《Linear》, the lunging single-strike rapier skill once again. As she flew towards her target, her mind was completely clear. She was in that special place when she fought, devoid of all thought. There was nothing but the moment. She slammed into the beast and bounced back as it let out a roar and attempted to counter. Shiro was too fast for it, however.

Shiro 15/15

Seld 40/41

Drake: 3/8

"Amateur!" she called out to him in jest.

Shiro rocketed forwards once again in a lightning-fast lunge that caused her blade to sing. She pierced the creature causing it to wail in pain. Hopping back, she glanced at Seldentaar, a smug look on her face.

Shiro 15/15

Seld 40/41

Drake: 3/8

Ruri x Snow Beast

"You should give me more credit. I'm not some helpless damsel in distress, you know. I'm and excellent fencer, even in the real world."

She wagged her finger at him as she said this, matter-of-factly. It was the truth. She had been the captain of her high school fencing club for two years and even continued her interest in the sport after she graduated. She really was very good with fencing weapons. It was the reason she had selected One-Handed Rapier as her primary weapon skill.

Kicking off the ground hard, Shiro rocketed forward taking several swipes at the large dragon before ducking under a swipe of its thick tail. It was clearly angry, its health having been so quickly dropped into the red.

"Don't get so worked up, I'm a big girl."

Shiro 15/15

Seld 41/41

Giga Drake 1/15

Shiro takes a look around the chamber. The drakes here didn't seem to aggro players automatically. That was good. Thinks could get out of control very quickly given the number of them in here. Still, Shiro yearned for a greater challenge. Soon enough, she found it in the form of a mean-looking drake that was much larger than the others. She took off in a dash launching another flurry of blows at the large drake, bounding back quickly. She had underestimated the beast at first. It had seen the attack coming, and with a great gust of its leathery wing, kept Shiro from making contact with her thrusts. She muttered a bit as she landed, but promised herself she wouldn't underestimate it again.

Shiro 15/15

Seld 41/41

Giga Drake 15/15

She giggled a bit.

"It's a hard title not to earn when you have no competition."

She was excited. The rush of the fight had lifted her spirits and temperature significantly. It was like a drug to her and she wanted more. She winked at Seldentar and turned around, dashing as quickly as her Sprint skill would allow, leaping into the air and unleashing a flurry of thrusts upon an unsuspecting drake faster than the human eye could track. The poor creature reeled with the weight and speed of the blows as its health dipped into the red. Shiro bounded back making room for Seld's follow-up.

Shiro 15/15

Seldentar 41/41

Drake 3/8

Reaching for her rapier at her hip, she draws the pristine blade. It sings as it leaves its sheathe. Truly, this blade is a masterpiece of blacksmithing. She nodded at Seldentar, ready to get the show on the road. Suddenly, Shiro dropped back into her stance, the full form of《Myrtenaster》glowing brightly as she activated《Linear》. Her lunge carried her forward at blinding speed towards a nearby drake, the sword singing a high note the whole way. The creature let out a squeal as the blade tore into its flesh. Shiro hopped back preparing to evade any counters.

Shiro - 15/15

Seldentar - 41/41

Drake - 3/8

She nodded and returned his smile. She was just happy to be out and about. She couldn't wait to test out the beautiful rapier that Seldentar had forged for her. It was light and she was able to move with it quickly. It begged to be unsheathed and plunged into an enemy. They couldn't get to the main chamber fast enough. She started walked down the path slow enough for Seldentar to take the lead.

The cold hadn't really been bothering her as much as she had thought it would since they had started walking, but she still hurried herself inside the cave at his behest. She took a look around as she waited on Seld. It wasn't anything like the caves she'd seen back in the real world. of course, this was only the entrance, but there was no dripping water or running streams. She wondered how big the dragons would be.

Following along closely, she walked mostly in silence. After some time, she began to consider what Seldentar had said about various colours of armour. She figured she'd rather like to keep any outfit she wore somewhat subdued. Greys and whites, maybe a bit more colour in the area of pinks or blues. Regardless, she didn't want anything too flashy. She preferred her clothes be rather desaturated. It seemed to make more sense for someone who's life would soon center on combat.

She shook her head and held out her hand to dismiss the coat he offered.

"I'm fine, thank you. We should get this over with quickly, though. Once we start moving we'll both warm up."

She waited for Seldentar to lead them off. She felt confident that with her new gear and slightly higher level that she'd be able to hold her own against anything she'd come across in the field here, but it was her first time on the floor. It would be better if her partner took the lead.

As the light faded from her vision, Shiro's teleportation into the winter village of Snowfrost was complete. She shuddered a bit and hugged herself for warmth. The name was apt. The whole floor appeared to be somewhat of a winter wonderland and she was very much under-dressed for the occasion. It didn't bother her too much, though. She'd always been able to adjust to the cold, and it wouldn't have so adverse an effect on her here in Sword Art Online.

"Wow. It's pretty here."

She rubbed her arms vigorously for a moment and then stood up straight as though she were completely comfortable. She wasn't, of course, but she was a big girl. She'd live.

She put away the tools and ingredients as she listened to Seldentar talk. Offering her a hunting trip just now was rather fortuitous. Not only was she running low on ingredients for the shop, but she had yet to even test the beautiful Myrtenaster rapier that Seldentar had forged for her. She was caught a bit off guard when he asked about the cost, however.

"Oh, um... it's 300 col. And sure, I'd love to go hunting with you."

She smiled cheerfully as he chewed away at his sandwich.

Starting again as discretely as was possible, she cut the appropriate ingredients and added them to the bread sitting on a new piece of wax paper. Fortunately, she managed not to goof things up this time and set the neatly wrapped package on top of the counter for Seldentar.

"There you go."

Daily Craft: 2/2

Crystal Cutlery: +1 CD

Craft Roll: 5 (Yatta!)

Rank 1: 4/20 XP

She laughed a bit and, reaching for the crystal cutlery set Seldentar had crafted for her, began preparing the ingredients to add to the bread she had laid out for his sandwich. She desperately hoped she wouldn't flub this sandwich as she had done for Ruri, but didn't show her nervousness on her face. She sighed as she added too much of an ingredient, but quickly set it aside hoping Seld wouldn't see.

Daily Craft: 1/2

Crystal Cutlery: +1 CD

Craft Roll: 2 (Oh no!)

Rank 1: 3/20 XP