Ariel - The Crowned Lion

Ariel simply nodded as she took another sip, deciding not to pry into their personal life before SAO, even if she knew the maid would reply to almost every question she’d pose. “And how was your morning training?” asked the redhead in return. Slightly taken aback by her interest, Ariel replied with a smile: “It’s coming back bit by bit.” she put the cup down then opened and closed her right palm while looking at it, pensive: “I can’t believe I stopped doing this. I feel a little bit tired but that’s to be expected. I’m happy I’m able to meditate again like this… even if I’m doing it alone.” The last part came a little dispirited and the vigilant maid took notice. 
“I can plan things out to join you this afternoon.” she replied with a smile. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d train with Ariel even if she was a dagger user. She sparred with the blonde when she first acquired the katana skill and continued to do a few additional times, even if she wasn’t a combat centered player. 

Like a nearby white furred spoiled feline, Ariel yawned, arched her back and extended her hands above her head. As if reading her mind, Claudia drew closer to the dojo with a tray in her hands. “Good morning, Ariel-sama!” she greeted with a small bow and set the tray on the floor next to the blonde. Next she materialized a small towel and extended it towards the household master. “Domo!” replied Ariel with a small bow of her own and started whipping off the sweat. Next Claudia started pouring a cup of tea for each of them as she took a seat on the wooden floor across Ariel. “Finished up with your morning preparations?” asked the blonde as she picked up the ceramic cup with both hands and took a sip of tea afterwards. “Yes, it’s easier to clean and maintain since it’s a relatively smaller building than milord's residence.” The blonde took a look at the estate once again and wondered if Dracul and company lived in a freaking castle in the real world. She knew he was of somewhat noble birth in his home country but really nothing else. 

So in the mornings, for now, the blonde was the only one training inside the dojo; a routine she’d been diligently performing since little. It was the norm in a household that practiced martial arts. A routine she had mostly discontinued after her entrapment in this death game. Her training partner would be usually her father or one of the followers of his mixed JP-EU martial arts dojo; if any of them woke up early enough to catch her training. When she went on visits, her grandfather would test her skill and watch her train at the Tatsumi-ryu dojo. But here in Aincrad, she had none of them and there was no need to train your digital body to keep it in shape. It was only after the new update that she returned to her roots, picked up the Katana skill and started training again even if it meant that she would have to do it mostly by herself.

This resulted in a beautiful wooden building with ten rooms distributed over two storeys (ground lvl. +1F +attic) and a generous garden in the middle of the city, however Ariel more than doubled the number of rooms and significantly increased the size of the household. This increase was due to the fact that she expected most of her students to move in and live on the school grounds; as was traditionally done. Looking at it, it really felt like home and she decided to welcome and treat her future students and guests in kind. For a while now, she had three of them, Dracul and the siblings which installed with little to no effort thanks to Claudia’s excellent management skills. If Ariel were to squint her eyes towards the estate, she could see the maid keeping herself busy with various tasks around the house. Darius would most likely be either sleeping or working in the laboratory while Dracul would be joining him or in the study room.

To her right (east), the white sands of her garden were gleaming similarly to the sakura flowers. Initially designed as a zen garden, the blonde found later on that it would be too troublesome to properly maintain it. She entrusted its care to Claudia and Darius who tend to it as a hobby when they have time off from their duties. She was fortunate that Dracul and his assistants accepted her offer to join her school and move at the school grounds. The blonde youth even opened his alchemy ‘laboratory/shop’ here close to her own Tailor shop. Next to the garden lays the estate itself with its ground and first floor. She was no architect, so the blonde copied the design of her home back in the real world; which was also modeled after the Tamozawa Imperial Villa but on a much smaller scale. The D’Sole household in the real world was 1/10th of the villa’s. 

It was mostly this treeline that looked a lot like the one from her hometown, that highly influenced her decision in picking this place as the foundation for her school. That, the open space, the hidden waterfall to the west and the small Inari shrine on top of the hill in the north-west cemented her decision. The entrance to the domain, the estate itself with it’s white sand garden, the dojo and the thousand torii gates leading up the stairs up to the shrine came afterwards after she purchased the land. She also did a little ‘tera-forming’ and added a road through the middle of the land in the shape of 人 ‘hito’, the kanji for ‘person’, then placed the dojo in the center below the crossroads. A hope, that her school/dojo will be a place where people meet and connect with each other through martial arts, etched symbolically onto the land itself.

scuffed map of the domain

A new dawn shines over floor 22, NPCs and Players alike flock around the populated settlements minding their own businesses. Generally, the same could be said about the Shirajishi-ryū Valley although the first rays of sunlight have to scale up the east mountainside before welcoming the valley resident into a new day. Already awake for some time now, the sun greeted Ariel while she was finishing up her morning practice inside the dojo. She reflexively covered her eyes by raising her left hand up to her brow, as the light made its way around the training area. “Time for a break…” she muttered to herself as she placed the shinai back on its holding rack. Alone, the blonde decided to sit down on the floor edge leading to the outdoors and look over her domain. To her left (south-west) cherry blossoms started blooming, their pink flowers glittering in the morning light from the dew.

Lvl. 31 +50 PA | 513503/532750 EXP
HP: 820/820 | EN: 100/100 | DMG: 23 (+16) | MIT: 12 | AA | ACC: 3(4) | EVA: 3 | +8 LD | Fallen (1) | Keen (1)

“Oyaji...kasaan…ojiisama” she muttered while watching the sunset over the cherry blossoms, the small inari shrine, casting a long shadow over her domain. But she wasn’t scared or distressed, after all, they just finished their fight against darkness itself and won! Only a handful of players when compared with the total population. She brought up her HUD and again checked the new stats. At first glance damage output seemed to have benn increased considerably. On the other hand, Cardinal wasn't a kind enough existence to leave it only at that. She would have to go out and scout, see what has changed and test out her new weapon abilities. Today was just a warm up against Claudia. They'll be tested for sure but she was determined to rise up to any challenge and overcome it "Umu!" she mutters with a cheeky grin.

“I’ll see you on the other side. Stay safe everyone!”

Thread END

Rewards:
EXP: [(3749/50=74.98, Rounded down to 74)*12 [3*4] =888 * 1.13 (PA 3, Mega Slime Farm)= 1003 EXP  (Word Count Method)
Col: 400 +100 (1003*0.1) (Laurel Wreath)
[Katana Skill] Acquired

US Attempt: ID# 187627 results: Battle: 2, Craft: 12, Loot: 11 - 4/5/21 - GMT

She tried to appear as lax and casual as she could but not even the lioness could mask all the worries she had. "I hope you're right, for all our sakes." added Dracul, after which he stood up and took a deep breath. He slapped himself twice on the cheeks with both palms. "I'll trust the mighty Lioness safeguarding this haven." he added with his usual moxie, though he didn't turn around to face her yet. He stood there a few more second, admiring the sun set. She got up and was about to approach him, ask if he had anymore worries that he'd like to talk about but as soon as he heard shuffling from her side, he turned towards the entrance: "Diner should be ready by now, let's not be late!" then without waiting a reply he entered the estate, living the blonde with her hand halfway extended. She once more balled it into a fist then relaxed it with a snort. She turned towards the sunset once more, admiring the view.

After a minute or so, when she got her full of Claudia's giggling, Ariel decided to stop. It took another minute for the maid to stop and recollect her composure. "he'll pay for this..." she muttered under her poker face. Then after making a short bow she excused herself under the pretense of 'helping' her brother set up the table. Ariel let out a soft snort and waved while Dracul simply nodded. When the two of them were alone he raised his downcast gaze towards the blonde, looking her straight in the eyes. "Tell me, what did you fight up there?" he asked, he was a serious guy to begin with but even since they meet, Ariel hasn't seen this worried expression on him. Also it was thanks to their lasting 'friendship' that she knew he wasn't woried about himself... well not entirely. 

Letting out a large sight, she took a seat next to him and simply replied: "A monster! We took care of it, Shadow is no more!"

Her train of though was interrupted as she noticed a familiar figure. A smirk grew on the blonde's face as she saw that the person wore something unexpected. Not some high quality fabric shirt or any kind of pompous attire but the very martial arts uniform she designed herself and crafted for all the students currently living in her estate. "I was told you we're on dinner duty, not to eat but to cook it." she said knowingly, a grin forming from one ear to another. Claudia seemed troubled, almost saddened for no reason. The blonde, taking advantage that she had her back turned at her started tickling her sides "Yudanshita!" and the saddened redhead, after trying to hold it in for a few seconds, started laughing as she was very ticklish. A secret Ariel had to bribe a certain 'onii-chan' to get. The same one that was no doubtedly cooking their dinner as they spoke.

She simply stood up and patted her hakama and kendogi as if to dust them off, despite clothes remaining clean under almost every condition. “We should be going back then, I’m sure we can help set up the table or something.” ”Yes!” came the unexpectedly enthusiastic reply and for the first time in never, Ariel saw Claudia take the lead without being asked for. It seemed she was getting out of her shell, little by little. Small changes like these, gave the blonde hope and proved that her decision to open up a Martial Arts school right here in Aincrad wasn’t a bad idea. She kept her eyes fixed on her back as the sun set behind them. Her stomach was grumbling uncontrollably. She had skipped breakfast and lunch and Ariel doesn't even remember when or what she ate before the boss raid. It was probably some of the consumables she still had in her inventory. but still, those were no substitute for a proper meal.

Wait she knew the answer to that one, it’s because she didn’t eat anything since she woke up this morning. And while the onigiri were delicious, they accumulated to a paltry snack. “Neeee… how much time until dinner?” she asked over her shoulder, like a spoiled brat. That seemed to jog the pensive maid into gear as she took a moment to check her HUD clock and reply: “About 20 minutes. Lord Dracul wanted to cook something for us from our homeland.” she then looks to the side a little disheartened: ”But he most likely just ordered Darius to do it. Luckily some of your students seemed good with the household chores so they probably helped him.Like they occasionally help me...” she seemed embarrassed for some reason. She did seem more talkative than usual and Ariel held up a lot to not tease her on the subject. It was good to see a welcomed change after one such as unexpected as the update.

After a couple of hours of slowly removing each other’s hp, slither by slither, they decided to stop. While neither of them was using sword arts but the small cuts and bruises resulted from normal swings and basic attacks, from the new tier four weapons were significant enough to call for a break. “So you two got lost in a fog and darkness swallowed everyone on this floor?” her brows furrow: “Something similar happened to us after we defeated Shadow, the floor boss.” she clicks her tongue in slight frustration before sipping from the tea presented to her by Claudia. “Do you believe the two events are connected?”
“It has too, I could’ve sworn that through Shadow’s initial rambling I heard him mention people on the outside. I found it weird because his minions showed us images of our loved ones so I passed it as some generated text hinting at the real world” she took one of the rice balls that were also prepared. She eyed the maid that was digesting all the information they shared until now with a serious expression. She took the opportunity to munch it with such speed that she surprised herself. How much time did they stay unconscious? How did they even get back to their beds if they were all swallowed by darkness? Why was she so hungry?...
 

The reminiscent specs from her dream that triggered almost instantly as the wooden floor cracked, she tries to cast them away. Cool head, steady hands and peace of mind… meikyo shisui, clear your mind of all distractions. The blonde takes one breath after another and gradually calms down. Her body still remembers how to reach this peaceful mind state, good. Maybe it’s not too late to pick up the katana again. Many times after being stuck in this game, we wondered if she can go back to reality and be “normal”. If she could still work her way up through the ‘dan’ (ranks) and eventually take over her grandfather’s school. Now that she was in a dojo again on her own accord, having reached meikyo shisui, her doubts were blown away.
“Ariel-sama?” asked a slightly concerned maid as she could see dark flames emanating from her weapon’s saya. As soon as she opened her eyes, Ariel frowned at the item and it’s flames subdued. She then stood up and once more released the blade blade. Flames started manifesting alongside the edges. The blonde simply let out a sigh like, similar to a slightly upset parent and caressed the edges, extinguishing the remainder of the flames.  
“Took your sweet time” she replied with a serene smile that took even her soon to be sparing partner by surprise. “Now let’s dance!”
“Kashikomarimashita!”

But this was enough ogling, she needed to test it in combat. “Claudia!” shouted the blonde out of the blue, earning a displeased growl from her familiar that was watching her from a nearby bench. Sure enough, moments later redhead locks peaked out of one of the estate’s windows. “Yes, Ariel-sama?”
With a smile greeting the ever attentive maid, the blonde beckoned her to come down. Soon enough the two stood face to face, Onimaru or better said “Demon Sword” Shi safely tucked into its saya.

“Spar with me!” came the blunt… less friendly invitation. “Understood, please proceed to the dojo. I’ll change in the uniform and join you in an instant.” came the always neutral reply from the bespectacled maid. After a nod, Ariel turned around and made her way towards the center of the valley where the ceremonial dojo was located. They have an interior training room at the estate but the ever-so-vigilant Claudia must’ve noticed the blonde’s attire/behaviour or she possesses some prior knowledge about kenjutsu. She chalked that one out for later inquiry as she removed her shoes and stepped inside the dojo.

After she finished her preparations, came the true test, the blade’s first breath of fresh air. After properly attaching it to her side, the katana felt a little too large at the beginning but it adjusted itself to the blonde’s height. Ariel herself reveled in the nostalgic feeling of having one of her homeland's finest achievements. She traced her left hand on top of the hilt as if to make sure it was still there despite the slightly offsetting weight on her hip.
She then grabbed it properly with her right hand while her left held the saya in check. One deep breath and she released the black blade from its shackles with a wide almost 180º horizontal slash in front of her. The experience was… breathtaking. While not aiming at anything in particular, her blade sliced through some sakura petals that moments later were engulfed by black flames. The blonde simply witnessed the event and after the leaves were completely consumed, she noticed the blade itself. “I take it back, this bastard system is copying Muramasa..” she muttered as she noticed the long, shallow valleys between a cluster of gunome shapes that defined the hamon on the blade itself. She’d seen Muramasa’s works at the Tokyo museum and the other five weapons they kept as national treasures.

Shi’s Talon was a good spear, as it's original form, now it was the time to make it’s baptism as a katana. She materialized it on her hand, it felt heavy to hold it with only one hand. As expected of an odachi... It was a possessive blade, once drawn it would need to be held with both hands into a steady grip. Ariel took a moment to caress the golden etchings alongside its saya and handle and admire the craftsmanship. Say whatever you want about the Cardinal but some of the blades it made could rival even the renowned Muramasa’s in beauty.
Before anything else, the blonde went inside, took a shower, straightened her hair and changed her attire to the Shirajishi-ryū Kendogi and hakama that she designed herself. For the normal person this looked like a lot of overcomplications for something as simple as testing a new weapon. But the blonde had a strict routine during her upbringing. Even if in the past years she had been somewhat laxed, if she were to pick up the katana again she needed to once again act as she was taught by her father and grandfather; both respected kendoka.
 

It took a significant more amount of time for Ariel to make heads and tails of the new systems and changes. To the point that she was now outside her school’s estate after wandering with her HUD up her face. She had a whole valley to herself but she couldn’t spare much time for other activities. She was engrossed in organizing the information. Their levels reverted back by a lot.. Skills got reset and changed, new stuff added… but most importantly she could pick a new weapon. “No doubt what that will be!” and with a few gracious moves over her HUD she converted two of the most powerful weapons in her possession in this new tier and also a new weapon type. It wasn't a coincidence she had THAT dream... it couldn't be
She instantly materialized ≪Onimaru Shi≫ which she took the opportunity go rename it while retaining its original… ‘owner‘s name. It wasn’t like the bird was its smith but the name kept a special legacy. She slightly frowned, sad memories from when Azide left the frontlines resurfaced. She got her revenge on it afterwards and it’s offspring that gave her this item but she would give up all her items to have Azide rejoin them. Sadly that wasn’t possible anymore, his memory was another strong mental pilar that helped her push on throughout the years. 
 

“I haven’t dreamt about them in a long while…” she confessed to her gentle partner, who was happy to be freed out of her clutches and was now resting on Ariel’s lap. The blonde gently caressed her white fur as she fiddled with her HUD. “Update?” she muttered as she pressed OK, in lack of any other option.
“Nani kore?” she continued to monologue as she read through the update summary. “ Skill reset? Conversion!?” These were things that went a little over her paygrade, or so she would say before being stuck in this game. She was a part of it now and she made a conscious decision to get out the noob town. She needs to to follow it through, at any price. A smile, the first one after she woke up, takes over her expression. She was just now starting to realize how much she was her mother’s daughter. Bringing her hand in a fist, she swore herself once more to fight through and make it back to her loved ones and see their smiles. “Whatever it takes…” she added under her breath.

The whole place got swallowed in an instant by dark waves, nothing escaped, not even light. 
“Matteeeeee!!!” she screamed from the top of her lungs and she raised to a sitting position with her right hand extended forwards. Her vision still clouded, she looked around her. Her ragged breathing started calming a bit as she recognized her surroundings but not out of relief… 
She could hear a low growl in front of her… she was still here… before her mind would get the opportunity to cool down and process, her bottled up feelings exploded. Ariel was now weeping loudly, hugging Kimba to the point of it being uncomfortable. But the Lioness let her master do as she pleased… the two of them spend the entire morning in the bedroom. Kimba soothing the other lioness to the best of her abilities.

Some hours later, Ariel calmed down and let go of her faithful familiarity. Her hair disheveled, snoot still running down her nose, her eyes bloodshot but despite her messy appearance, she had recovered.

“Kayla come, we deserve some breakfast after a good sweat!” called her father.
“Don’t take too long, we need to prepare for our visit to oji-sama later!” added her mother affectionately. “Haaaaaaaaaai!” she replied a little bit spoiled, earning herself another round of giggles from the pair.

But something was amiss… She had finished storing her belongings but no matter how many steps she took she didn’t feel like she caught up with them. A sharp inhale, her steps quickened… the thumping got louder and she would see the group beneath her shrinking… no, she was getting taller.. The wooden floor under her feet creaked louder, her stride now a light jog still wasn’t enough to catch up. *thump thump thump* her breath was becoming rugged as she was now full sprinting. 
Despite her best efforts, her parents drew further away, their back at her. “Oyajiiii!!! Okasaaaa” she shouted from the top of her lungs, her voice now different. No longer was she the small child training with a wooden stick with her father but a grown woman. “Wait for meeee!!!” she pleaded, it seemed they finally noticed her absence and were starting to turn around. 

“Anata, you have important business to attend to today and I know you didn’t forget how this small one has to visit her grandfather later in the afternoon.” she spoke softly but with enough firmness that let them both know that there was no room for debate. A sigh escapes Eugenio as he becomes aware that she had seen through his ploy. “Shikatanai dayo…” he muttered, in almost perfect japanese. A foreign language he first learned as means to be able to communicate with his loved one and win her over. Afterwards putting all his efforts to perfect it in order to diminish his status as a ‘gaijin’ in this culture.
Slightly shaking his head to remove such thoughts, he gets up and extends a hand towards his wife. She takes it with a smile and the two share a short giggle as they turn their heads towards their most precious possession. Who cared little for the grown up’s romances and sneaked away to put her gear in place nearby.

He didn’t feel the need to press on the matter and turned his attention towards the dojo’s exterior “Just in time…” he muttered and Ariel could practically see the glitter in his eyes as a woman dressed in casual japanese attire approached them. Eugenio didn’t waste a second and started walking barefoot on the grass outside despite the woman’s hand gestures to remain where he was. The moment he was close to her his arm slipped behind her waist and he gave her a gentle hiss on her cheek. The woman initially protested but returned a smile and the two returned inside the dojo. “This morning papa is getting double the energy from both okaa-san and Ariel. I should stay home today and we could go to the park for some hanami!” Claims the man, taking both his wife and his daughter in a bear hug. Yukina, gently pats his back and shakes her head, her silver eyes locking onto his and Ariel’s. The girl might’ve inherited Eugenio’s blonde hair color and love for the sword but she had her mother’s eyes, resolve and determination.

"Today's my win young lady!" comes a muffled statement as he removes his helmet. A broad smile takes over him as he goes for a hug towards Ariel who still donned the full training armor. "Oyajii! You're embarrassing me." she slightly pretested but let him have his prize. "Papa's energy is now at 150%, It'll keep me going 'till our next duel!" He claims with a smile. Pouting, she continued to remove the tare around her waist: "You're going for the father of the year award? fighting full power against your cute little daughter." she teased with a sly smile.
Raising an eyebrow Eugenio, the man put on the spot, finished removing his gloves and turned towards the young blonde: "Do you want me to?" he asked with a playful grin. ' Of course not! ' we're her thoughts as she squinted her eyes at him. Trying to appear defiant but having the opposite effect on him. If he were to hold back and let her win, she'd be seriously more upset than this. If she was to become the heir to her grandfather's Tatsumi-ryū school, she at least needed to be able to defeat her father.