Lessa

Her entire body jolted as she once more plowed Scarecrow's Sickle into Fenrir's leg. Despite the fact that her energy pool was being slowly depleted, this attack felt more powerful than the others. Her muscles rippled, then sang as she slashed wildly. Yanking the sword back, she could have sworn that she was glowing. Was it because she knew the end was near? Fenrir's health bar had plunged into the red, and she just knew it was going to continue to fall away. Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, Lessa nearly bounced in place as she waited for her teammates to deal their damage

"We're soooo close," Lessa growled through gritted teeth, plowing her sword's massive blade into Fenrir yet again. She felt a tad bit of pity for the puppy. She really loved dogs, and it felt a little wrong stabbing one. At the same time, the murderous gleam in the creature's eyes reminded her exactly why she was doing what she was doing. The boss would not hesitate to end her life if given the chance, so she should extend him the same curtesy. Expelling her pent up breath in a loud whoosh, Lessa danced backward out of the creature's reach. At least, she hoped she was. While she was techn

Oddly enough, this actually felt good. Lessa had never been a big fan of combat, and had shied away from it for so many years. When she had been required to don her armor and wield her blade, she had felt obligated to hack and slash without feeling. What did it actually matter, in the long run? As long as she lived, of course. She was grinding, killing mobs for the experience and nothing else. It was a task, a chore even, and one that she dreaded. But this? She thrilled as she slammed her enormous blade into the boss with a spark of crimson light. She gave a small war whoop as she s

Energy coursed through her veins, the eagerness to prove herself completely renewing Lessa. The first two bosses had seemed to drag. Perhaps it was the emotional toll the crying soldier had taken on her, or just the typical wearing down of a long dungeon. Whatever the case, she had found herself struggling to keep the pace, even with the threat of failure that she eventually succumbed to. That failure was what had her fighting harder now. She had given in, but run back to join the fray, and didn't that count for something? Now she had to prove herself to them, to make sure that she earned

Thread Summary Lessa receives: 3,872 Experience Points 400 Col Unlock <<Meditation>> Extra Skill Word Count Document

Your party depends on you. "You're a piece of shit," she muttered to herself, the sound lost to the slapping of her boots on the hard floor. The moment she reappeared in the nearest town, she began running for the dungeon she had just evacuated. "You abandoned them because you were scared, and you're a total piece of shit." Muttering the words like her new mantra, Lessa careened down the corridors, hauled ass down the hallways, and exploded back onto the scene as the reinforcements slaughtered Hel. "Oh," she managed dumbly over her gasping breath. "There are more of you." She b

This wasn't working. Lessa heaved out a breath, moving to wipe sweat from her forehead before she remembered the gauntlets she wore. Though her energy bar remained nearly full, she was worn down mentally. Not that the dungeon was going to be easy, but she hadn't expected it to be quite this taxing. Fight a boss, free some soldiers, fight another... how many more were left? How much longer could they keep this up? When Haine announced her departure, practically reading Lessa's mind, the Guardian raised her hand. "I'm in," she called back, then turned to face the rest of the party. "I'm rea

Thread Summary Lessa receives 1600 EXP, 3 mats, 400 col, and <<Snake Venom>> Alkor receives 1400 EXP, and <<Snake Venom>> Snow receives 1200 EXP, and <<Snake Venom>>

I have to move forward. The thought came like a beacon of light against the closing darkness, a lighthouse in the coming storm. I have to keep moving. I don't have time to let myself fall apart again. With every day that passed, her students moved on. Her precious pets got older. Her horse went without her favorite rider. I need to do this, for them. Abandoning her material gathering, Lessa decided to throw herself into something a little more challenging. While materials and crafting were important, grinding for experience was even more so. How else would she get strong enough to clear t

"God, I hope so," Lessa muttered, though there was no one around to hear her. She hoped her favorite horse was getting all the love she deserved. All the love Lessa would be giving her, if she could. The blonde sent another hunk of iron ore into her inventory, then straightened. She shoved her fists into the small of her back, leaning to stretch the muscles there. Then she heaved an explosive sigh, the movement of air sending her shaggy bangs flying. Why was it that solitude often chased her back to these thoughts? What was it about downtime that made her miss home so much? I just c

Scooping the mats into her inventory, Lessa found her thoughts venturing into a territory she did her best to avoid. So much time has passed. Assuming the real world worked the same way Aincrad did - and why wouldn't it? - over half a decade had come and gone. Those students she had just started getting to know? They had likely graduated from High School. The mere thought caused her stomach to drop, as if she crested a hill on a rollercoaster. They probably don't even remember me. I was just a blip in their lives. Then I disappeared. Who else might have forgotten her? Surely not her fami

And how badly she wished to be out. Of course, things were far better now than they had been even a year ago. She had Alkor back, which was something Lessa had never dreamed was possible. She had a beautiful house, and a familiar she adored. She had a fantastic friend in Baldur, who always welcomed her with open arms, even after months of inactivity. And she had Bahr, a partner she appreciated more than he would ever know. Things were pretty good. But pretty good just wasn't enough for her, not when her life still waited outside of Aincrad. Her real life. She still found herself thinking

Then, of course, there was the twenty second floor. She considered it as she continued her search for mats. There were a million reasons why she had chosen that particular location for her permanent home, but perhaps the most glaring was how it reminded her of Michigan. Shifting seasons were a rare thing in Aincrad, so the stark changes between Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter appealed to her in a way that she found difficult to explain. But it kept things fresh, kept them interesting, and reminded her of home. In fact, when she sat on her porch and closed her eyes, she could almost imagi

Did she have a favorite floor? The thought came to her suddenly, and caused her to take pause. Well, for as long as she could remembered, the fourth had been a favorite of hers. She had lived there for the majority of her time in Aincrad, renting out a room in Alexander's White Rabbit tavern. A couple of her guild halls had also been located there, nestled among snowy mountains. Then, of course, her meetings with Alkor, Baldur, and Bahr. Was it a coincidence that so many of her most important memories were tied to that floor? Or was it simply the fact it made her happy? The near constant

Thread Summary Lessa and Pinball both receive: 2600 EXP 3200 Col Moretsuna Key