Kooh

ID#: 86734 | BD: 5 + (2 ACC) - Success!
(3 Base) + (2 Skill) + (2 Equipment) + (1 Sharpness) = 8 DMG
<<Boulder>>: 34/50 HP

"Well, then I do feel a bit special." She mentioned at the comment of Ruby finding her cute. The girl chuckled a bit, seemingly not surprised when she made mention of her preferences. "And you're certainly not the shy type." She remarked, watching as Ruby approached the boulder and make solid contact with her fist. The health bar ticked down just slightly, and Kooh's arms unfolded as she gave a small clap. Taking her own turn, she gave nearly identical motions as her first attack, swinging her leg up to strike the rock. Her metal greaves held a faint red glow, indicating the damage boost that Ruby had provided. Another solid attack, and the boulder's health bar dropped again.

"Welp, that's as exciting as it gets, I suppose." She gave another tiny sigh and a shrug of her shoulders while her hands found their way back to her pockets. "Rinse and repeat 'til it breaks."

@Ruby

ID#: 86732 | BD: 3 + (2 ACC) - Fail!
<<Boulder>>: 43/50 HP

At least, she had thought that the onslaught had ended. Kooh had only planted her foot back to the ground for a few moments when she heard Ruby approach from behind her. The blonde gave a start as she felt the smack, whipping around to see Ruby laughing at her own action and beginning to reassure her that she was finished teasing. Kooh let out a tiny sigh, the edges of her mouth pulling upwards slightly as she gave a shake of her head. "Jeez, are you always this straightforward, or should I just feel really special?" She joked back. She gave the woman a small shrug. "But hey, if that's how you 'heal' people, I think I could get on board." Flirting back seemed to be the only thing that allowed Kooh to keep her composure. Without waiting for Ruby to take what she very well might think of as bait, Kooh gave a lazy wave of her hand. "Alright, thanks for the buff, but why don't you try hitting it?" She folded her arms over her chest expectantly.

ID#: 86731 | BD: 7 + (2 ACC) - Success!
(3 Base) + (2 Skill) + (2 Equipment) = 7 DMG
<<Boulder>>: 43/50 HP

Kooh's lips were still curled upwards when Ruby extended her hand. A felt a a strange combination of surprise and gratefulness that the woman hadn't come back with yet another flirty remark. She probably got away with quite a bit from her looks and attitude, but at least she had some sense not to push herself onto others. "Kooh." She responded simply, offering her name in return as she accepted a quick handshake.

The pair arrived at the location for the Martial Arts quest after a short hike. The blonde mentally groaned when she caught sight of the NPC quest-giver. 'Now I remember not liking this quest.' She kept her complaints to herself. Still, she had some points into her own unarmed skill, so maybe this wouldn't turn out to be such a weird, drawn-out event.

Kooh resisted a laugh when she spotted Ruby's decorated face. The whiskers were a nice touch, but she thought the woman looked better without the cat-girl appeal. Not wanting to bring about any more of her own teasing, she kept the thoughts to herself, simply stretching her arms over her head while she walked over to their target. "Well, let's hope this doesn't take all day." She said simply. The girl walked up to the huge object, lowering her stance before lifting her back leg up to deliver a roundhouse kick against the rock's surface. The metal of the greaves covering her black combat boots made contact, and the boulder's health dropped in response.

Another quick one-liner. 'Oh man, this girl's got some guts, that's for sure.' Kooh's smirk grew wider as the other blonde turned away. Kooh leaned forward, walking after the mysterious woman. She was beyond cute, there was no denying. But Kooh had half a mind to wonder what a girl like this one was doing playing an online death game. She was only here herself out of bad luck--normally she kept any kind of games worthy of the 'nerdy' genre at arm's length. With a shrug, she picked up the pace to walk beside the woman. "So, are you going to give me your name, or do I just call you Miss Healer all day?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow with a smirk still resting on her lips. She didn't mind giving in to the woman's flirtatious behavior. In fact, it was the most interesting experience she'd had all week. Guys trying to pick her up on occasion was nothing new, but this smoking hot blonde seemed to know her way around.

Kooh would have continued walking, no destination in mind, had it not been for the clear voice that cut through her idle thoughts. 'Mm?' Her eyes fell upon the figure that had approached.her. A woman with hair longer and more vibrant than her own. Eyes that were as odd a hue as hers, both striking and sweet. A figure to not only rival Kooh's vanity, but the confidence in the way that she dressed and carried herself to surpass her. Kooh blinked, stopped in her tracks as she took in the scene in front of her. Finally, the stranger's words registered in her mind and her silence was replaced with a chuckle. "Pfft!" As her hand fell back to her side, the menus that were hovering in front of her vanished. "My my, you might just make me blush." The blonde managed to keep her cool, still a bit surprised at the player's boldness. She was intrigued again when the woman explained her request, the name of the quest sounding familiar. "Ahh, yeah I know that one. The stupid rock-breaking thing, right?" A half-smirk took over her expression. "Sure, I'm not busy tonight so I guess I could lend a hand."

Kooh had taken an odd liking to the forests outside of Urbus as of late. Perhaps it was a more 'normal' environment than the blistering cold of the fourth floor or the scorching heat from the fifth. Hands tucked into the pockets of her shorts, her long legs carried her through the scenery while the trees grew more sparse around her. An uninterested expression rested in her garnet eyes as they lazily scanned the area in front of her. 'Another day in paradise, right? She thought with a hint of sarcasm. She was bored, a feeling that had grown more and more prevalent as the days past. She hadn't been to Halcyon's Keep in several days now, enjoying the freedom she had in between her white-haired roommate's nagging to get this quest done or do that objective.

The blonde multi-tasked while she walked, opening her menus with a flick of her wrist. "Man, I could go for a snack or something." She mumbled under her breath, panning first to her inventory and then to her list of skills. The single skill that was highlighted as learned--Martial Arts--left the rest of her skill list looking bare. A number at the top of her display showed an impressive number of unspent skill points, but the girl simply frowned at the sight of it. "Tch, whatever." She grumbled dismissively.

'How noble.' Kooh's thoughts were coated with sarcasm while she continued wearing a small smirk. She expected that many people would disagree or scorn her for her opinion on the world they were stuck in. The blonde merely accepted her circumstances, making the best of life in a virtual world and taking advantage of her freedom here. If other players wanted to fight and die for a chance to get back to reality, let them. With opinions like Kooh's, however, it was easy to get yourself branded as an 'enemy of humanity' if you weren't careful. And so, the blonde offered nothing else to the subject of clearing the game, instead letting her smirk grow slightly when Hikoru said he would take up her offer to stop by the shop.

"Great~" She grinned enthusiastically. "This game is cool and all, but I gotta say I'm curious to see what it's like with someone who actually knows what they're doing." She said, referring to how Cardinal allowed her to play music despite her lack of real-world knowledge or experience.

@Hikoru

Kreeyin glared right back at the brunette, clearly not interested in Aereth's demands. "That girl of yours is the stupidest hostage I've ever seen." He spat. "But you're really going to tell me she hasn't said a word to you? I made sure to keep her pretty arms and legs attached that whole time." The corners of his mouth curled up as the words left him. "Still, this is embarrassing," He said sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest while shifting his weight to the side. He closed his eyes with a smirk. "Here you've done a good little job for me, and--" Aereth hadn't waited for him to finish his sentence. The man let out a grunt when his sword sliced through his body. Jay, who had looked dead on his feet until now, jumped at the sudden attack before he felt a weight yanking his arm backwards. His head turned to see his younger brother pulling him away from the fight, taking a moment to register the action before he began to resist.

"What're you doing?!" The dagger-wielder hissed. Avi simply latched onto the man's arm, refusing to loosen his grip. "Brother, this is our chance!" Avi urged, using all of his strength to drag him back. "He can win! We can go to the city, we'll be safe!" The brothers continued to argue in hushed voices, the battle raging beside them all the while. "Av, you know what will happen if we run!" Jay seemed more insistent on talking his brother out of any plans he deemed too risky rather than joining the fray between Aereth and Kreeyin. "I don't care! I don't care if I have to run for a thousand years, anything is better than what we're doing here!" The blonde boy exclaimed. Jay froze, staring back at Avi's desperate eyes.

The pair had hidden themselves until the battle was finally over. Aereth, victorious after Kreeyin's form had shattered and disappeared completely, addressed them only briefly with a set of instructions. The brothers stared back at him, Avi shocked by the realization that Kreeyin truly was dead, and Jay stunned that the man's blade wasn't coming for him next. "I--" By the time he had regained his composure and opened his mouth to speak, Aereth was already disappearing through the foliage. Gritting his teeth, Jay simply let out a scoff as his gaze drifted to the ground and his fists clenched at his sides. 'I...can't thank you enough. And I'm so sorry.' Jay filled his lungs with air, fighting back the emotions clumping up in his chest while he tugged at Avi's sleeve to pull the boy along in the direction of the city.

"You called him a what?!" Kooh practically snorted with laughter. "I need you to teach me some of that." Leyna simply let out a small chuckle in response. The two seemed to be on friendly-enough terms, given the circumstances. After a few moments, Kooh let out a tiny sigh. "But...please don't be too hard on him. I know he seemed like a huge *sshole, but..." Kooh averted her gaze, feeling uncomfortable while she struggled for words. It was so natural for her to know what to say, that she frowned when she had trailed off. "That idiot keeps risking his life for me, so y'know... He's really not so bad." She mumbled out, earning a long stare from Leyna's emerald green eyes.

Just then, the brunette's voice reached her ears, causing Kooh to snap to attention as she looked over to him. He looked as messy as the rest of them, littered in red gashes, but his smile caused an impish grin to take over Kooh features. "Nahh, that's no fun." She joked back. The blonde followed him as he opened the door that gave them both access to the small hut, stepping inside behind him while he moved ahead to free the woman from her restraints. Leyna stood once she was free, not offering a word as she rubbed at her wrists, looking back at Aereth while he offered to trade their items back. With a quick motion, the woman brought up her arm and the clear sound of a slap rang out. Although the strike wasn't nearly as hard as Leyna was capable of, Aereth would be left with a solid red handprint across his cheek. The woman wore a frown, wordlessly moving past the brunette and coming to a stop in front of Kooh. She held out her hand impatiently, the blonde taking half a second before realizing what it was that she wanted. She handed over the pendant without a fuss, and Leyna quickly fastened the item around her neck, removing the necklace that had temporarily taken its place. She turned, extending her arm as she held the charm out for Aereth to take back. "I don't like you. You stole my Valeria away from me." She started angrily, shooting the man a short glare. Her gaze quickly softened, however, as she added, "But I forgive you."

Avi nodded, feeling a lump in his throat that he tried to swallow as they continued through the loose forest. The boy tried to go through the scenario in his head, over and over again: when he could get close to Jay without the threat of Kreeyin suspecting his betrayal, he would hold on to his brother and keep him from fighting while trying to tell him of their plan. Jay was stronger than him, he knew... But Avi decided it was his turn to try and protect both of them now, no matter what it took.

They hadn't walked far when another set of footsteps could be heard in the distance. The boy tensed, but held his ground as he followed Aereth's lead. Kreeyin and Jay soon appeared before them, neither looking in any better spirits than their last meeting. Avi's eyes darted between the two men--Kreeyin looked even more irritated than his regular expression would display, while Jay simply looked defeated. His dark eyes were pointed towards the ground, even when they came to a stop in front of Aereth and Avi.

Meanwhile, Kooh had taken her time in resting a bit longer after Aereth disappeared. She felt gross, and by extension, annoyed. The blonde couldn't wait until she could get back to a comfortable place to change clothes and return her health to full in order to remove the unsightly damage scars that littered her body. With a small sigh, Kooh picked herself up off the cave floor and willed herself back to the narrow tunnel which served as the entrance and exit. Once she had reached the surface, the girl let out a small groan and looked up to the sky. It was still overcast, but the rain had died down significantly. "How long has it been?" She mumbled, giving a shake of her head shortly after and stretching her arms over her head.

It had taken a bit of time to reach the coordinates that Aereth had sent her. She had to take a couple of detours to avoid monsters in her path, but eventually she spotted the small forest hut. She cocked an eyebrow, but moved herself forward, paying little heed to Aereth's instruction to keep herself hidden. The blonde approached the tiny building, giving a look around. She had considered just trying the door, but before she did so a small window at the side of the hut caught her attention. "Hm?" She looked inside, getting a clear view of a dark-haired woman sitting limp in a chair. Her limbs were tied down, causing Kooh to blink in surprise. 'Damn Aereth, was this you?' She thought. The girl placed her elbows at the bottom of the window, resting her chin in her hands. "Hey, did a guy with brown hair come by here and take a necklace from you recently?" She called out. At the sound of her voice, Leyna's head perked up and turned to face the blonde. Beaded tears lingered at the corners of her eyes while she stared back at the girl without offering a word in reply. Kooh frowned, using a hand to open up her menus. "Jeez... Here, this look familiar?" She materialized the pendant from her inventory and held the item up beside her. Leyna was quick to react, struggling against her bindings as the life came back to her eyes. "Give it back! Give her back to me right now!" The woman growled.

Kooh's frown simply deepened. "Hey, calm down. Sorry, but uhh... I kind of can't." She said flatly, curling her other fist and lightly banging the side of it into the window. Though there wasn't any indication of glass or a solid object in between them, the game registered the space as impassable, simply displaying a purple "Immortal Object" notification after her strikes. "That uhh...guy said I couldn't get in, but he wanted me to hang around here until he could come back and let you go." She summed up the details, her words only seeming to frustrate Leyna.

Kooh flinched when the brunette's fist tapped against her head, about to let out a small chuckle in response when his next actions caught her off guard. Although the physical contact was brief, it was foreign. A most unexpected feeling of relief washed over her, as if Kooh suddenly realized that they had been in real danger and that now both of them were safe all at once. Aereth had pulled away, letting her know that he was worried. The man's words caused a knot to form in her chest, though she did her best to brush off the feeling. Before she could formulate a response, Aereth held out an item to her. Letting the gemstone land in her palm, Kooh tilted her head at the emerald necklace and listened to Aereth's explanation. The blonde flashed the brunette a grin after she finally understood what had happened. "Aww, look at you, finding loopholes." She teased slightly. Behind her smirk, another feeling of relief eased her conscious. One of the main reasons she had wanted to get away was because she was sure that whatever job they were making him do wasn't going to be on the 'right' side of any moral compass. Although she still didn't know much about the guy, she felt like Aereth deserved a break from all this.

"Mm," She nodded an understanding at his instruction, and quick correction to their plan. The girl opened her inventory, deciding to keep the necklace safer there than resting in her palm the whole way there. Aereth had turned his back to head back to the surface, and Kooh pushed herself up to her feet as he did so. Before he was out of earshot, the girl spoke up one last time. "Hey Aereth? Be careful." She said with a small smile.

When the brunette had climbed back out from the cave's entrance--although a more appropriate term would have been a pit fall--Avi shook his head to indicate that he hadn't heard from the other two players. His worried expression didn't falter, but the blonde boy followed wordlessly after Aereth as he led the way through the forest.

Kooh blinked, unaware that her offer could be misunderstood the way he had suggested. Well, now that she thought about it, the shop was technically her home... The blonde let out a small laugh in reaction to his question, waving a hand in front of her torso. "Ahh, not quite. I don't even own the place." She started to explain, getting the last chuckle out of her system. "Someone named Sey owns Halcyon's Keep. It's a restaurant in the middle of Taft. He lets me crash at a room there when I want, and I have a piano set up, so it's kind of like a joint shop, I guess. Everything still has his name on it, though." She shrugged.

Seeing that the man had finished the last round of his coffee, her arms folded back over her chest. It was odd, having a normal conversation. Getting to know someone, however little. Kooh had been too busy staying reclusive, holing herself up in the room that didn't even belong to her, not interested in dealing with other people anymore. It used to be fun, lazying around town or talking players into this or that to get what she wanted. She kept up that lifestyle for so long, though, it began to feel pointless. She could surely lie to Hikoru if she wanted to, or see if he would do something else to get her some free experience. With what she knew about him so far, she wouldn't expect him to decline. She just couldn't find a reason to do so. "So, what's it like being up at the top?" She asked, referring to his level and what she assumed was his position at the frontlines. The blonde didn't mean to sound patronizing, though after the words left her she felt as though it might be interpreted as a back-handed question. She had scrambled to come up with another topic of conversation, the apathy from her thoughts having threatened to gnaw at her moments ago. Deciding she should tack on something else so as not to let anything blow up in her face, she added, "At least I assume you're...what's it called, front-leader? The ones that take on the floor bosses and stuff." She casually summed up her thoughts.

"Mm?" Kooh mumbled to herself after her interface indicated that she'd received a new message. Before she had the chance to pull up her menus and inspect its contents, however, a familiar voice echoed along the walls. The blonde willed herself to sit up, propping her body up as she leaned back on her arms. Looking towards the sound of the voice calling out her name, she easily spotted the fiery glow of Aereth's armor. His other features became visible under the glow of the cave walls as he hurried over. Kooh simply grinned and raised a hand to give the man a small salute with two of her fingers. "Yo." She greeted him casually. The girl pulled her feet in towards her to sit cross-legged, leaning forward now and resting her arms against her knees. "Sorry, I misbehaved." She teased slightly before taking on a small, defeated expression. "I was hoping to let you know I was alright before you did...whatever it was," She had paused to find the right words, averting her gaze when she did so. "but I guess I was late. My bad." The girl's hand absently ran across her other arm, gliding over the red gashes that decorated her skin. Kooh shifted uncomfortably while she waited for Aereth's direction, lecture, or whatever it was he had in mind. She looked like a mess--wet from the rain, and scarred from the fall and the scuffle during her escape. For someone normally so meticulous about her appearance, the past hour had proved particularly hellish.

Meanwhile, at the cave's entrance--if it could be called that--Avi stood, spear in hand, with nerves at an all-time high. He scanned the area around him, feeling the now light rain overhead splashing on his head and shoulders when the droplets found their way in between the trees. The boy had of course denied knowledge of Kreeyin's plan or the place he and Jay had taken Kooh when Aereth had asked him about it. Something about all this really had the blonde on edge, though. Why had Aereth received a set of coordinates when the original plan was for him to get them? A knot had formed in the pit of his stomach that told him things were about to get far uglier than they already were.

Kooh mentally chuckled in amusement when the man froze up for a brief moment after her teasing. He quickly composed himself and answered her as if he had forgotten his profession entirely. "Piano, hm?" A smile crawled across her lips as she noted the coincidence.

"Out there?" She asked to clarify Hikoru's next question, referring to the real world outside of the game. "Absolutely none." She answered plainly. While she loved music--classical being her favorite, to explain her choice of performer's "tool"--Kooh had never tried to play or create any of her own. "As for here? Must be a small world, 'cause there's a piano set up in Halcyon's Keep with my name on it." She gave a small smirk as she revealed her place of 'business'. It was a shot in the dark whether or not the raven-haired player would recognize the name; she was relying on Sey's reputation for that, not her own.

Avi felt himself swallow again when Aereth explained that he thought Jay didn't really have as good intentions as they hoped. "Just...let me try to handle him. He uhh... I think I can stop him if Kreeyin tells him to do something bad." He mumbled, unsure of how to envision what might happen or mentally prepare himself for it. He really felt like he was going in blind, putting his trust in a near-stranger. It was crazy, but maybe this time he could be the one to help his brother stand up for himself. The boy gave a nod, pushing himself up to his feet as he looked to Aereth with resolve in his eyes. "But yeah. I'll do it."

Kooh fell backwards, arms spread out to her sides as she flopped onto the sand. It felt as though she had lost consciousness, but for how long she couldn't tell. Either way, she couldn't hear anything that indicated she was being followed, which meant that she could take some time to just breathe. Her chest bobbed up and down, realizing that she was still breathing a bit heavy, unable to let herself fully relax just yet. There was a slight tingling feeling all over her body from the various small cuts, the sensation more concentrated along her arm and on her back where the two players had struck her directly. Her shoulders shifted uncomfortably; she hated this game's weird substitute for feeling pain. 'Should I send another message? Explain everything?' She thought, unsure of what to do. The bluish glow in the cave poured over her cheeks and reflected against her garnet eyes while her gaze wandered from one small light source to another.

When Aereth's footsteps were audible and growing closer, Avi gave a small start as he was roused from his thoughts. He turned to face the brunette, still holding his two-handed spear close to his chest. The boy flinched when his eyes met Aereth's, taking in his deathly expression. Shifting his gaze when he held up the emerald pendant, the boy's blue eyes went wide while he stared at the item. Of course, should he really be so surprised? The man was told to kill Leyna in order to save his friend, so there weren't exactly many alternatives. Knowing the Brazilian woman, she must have put up quite a fight to defend that item...

Shaking his head before he lost track of himself, Avi hesitantly held out a hand towards the item, nervously looking over to Aereth as he did so. "M-may I?" He asked. If the brunette would allow him, Avi would pull up the item's stat box and inspect it for a moment. His face would go a shade paler as he spotted the name of the player who had crafted the item, his head forcing a small nod as he would quickly give it back to Aereth. He didn't say a word, but he would have confirmed that the item was the real deal. The blonde swallowed hard when Aereth asked him for his decision, taking a seat back on the island floor. His weapon lay across his lap while he waited for a message to appear in front of him that would guide them through the rest of the plan.

"I get it if you pity me, but uhh... You would really help Jay, too? He was mean to your uhh...friend." His nervous speech pattern quickly surfaced. The boy's gaze had drifted down to his hands as they rested over the handle of his weapon. "I uhh...don't know if I can trust you. N-no offense." He added on the last bit quickly. "I don't think you're a bad person. Your friend is probably good, too... My bro uhh, I think he deserved that punch." He said in reference to their first meeting with Kooh. If Aereth was asking Avi to trust him, wasn't it only right to tell him everything? Maybe if he knew about what happened to them, he could forgive them, most importantly forgive Jay. Heaving a small sigh at the absence of a reply from one of his guildmates, he continued to speak. "The truth is... That guild 'saved' us." The word left him with disdain. "Jay and I have stuck together since we got here. About six months ago, we were on the ninth floor trying to do some quests, and we uhh...got in trouble. We would have both died to all those monsters, but Tallas and some of his lackeys showed up and killed 'em all. He said that we owed him our lives, and uhh... Well, you can guess the rest." He seemed understandably uncomfortable with the subject, taking another deep breath while he paused to gather his thoughts. "I think my bro is just trying to protect me. Nobody else in the guild wants to keep me in, but he forced himself to make up for it. He's...he's keeping me safe by being a bad guy." The thought of how his brother had changed in the time since they had been forced to join this murderous guild caused a knot to form in Avi's stomach. He thought--no, he prayed--that deep down, Jay was still a good person. That despite the terrible things he's had to do to ensure their survival, there was still hope for him as well.

If her lungs hadn't been comprised of data and pixels, they would likely feel as though they were on fire. Small droplets of water had begun to fall from the virtual sky as rain threatened to pick up with each passing minute. Kooh had managed to put a small distance between herself and the man that continued to chase after her. 'Okay, part one down, I didn't have a part two.' She tried to keep her thoughts together while also coming up with a way to either stop her pursuer or lose him completely. Fighting was out of the question. She didn't have any skills that affected her movement, so outrunning him wasn't an option either. What else could she do?

She almost didn't hear the sound of a notification ringing in her ears. Her first instinct was to ignore the message that she had just received, until she realized who it would be from. 'Sorry Aer, don't scold me too bad.' The thought managed to bring a small smile to her face. By the time she reached the edge of the forest, the rain had grown heavy, and her boots left imprints in the dirt that was slowly turning to mud. Suddenly, it felt as though the earth had been pulled out from under her. Kooh let out a scream as the feeling of falling washed over her, and everything went dark.

"Ugh..." The blonde groaned as her eyes flickered open. The area around her was dimly lit by a turquoise glow. She traced the source back to nearby walls, squinting slightly to determine that there must be some sort of fluorescent rock scattered about. The palms of her hands could feel a soft sand beneath them while she pushed herself up. After getting a good look at her surroundings, she seemed to be in some kind of underground cave. A pool of clear water stretched out nearby, the wall above it revealed an opening that led only to darkness. As she sat up in the sand, a quick survey of herself revealed a variety of red gashes and marks decorating her skin and clothes. A glance up to her stats showed she was well under half her total health, though not quite left in the red zone. "Did I fall down here?" She mumbled, grimacing at what she could see of her own unpleasant appearance. Memories came back to her, and she motioned in front of her to open her menus. She replied to Aereth's message, simply sending him the coordinates that the game indicated to be her current location.

Despite Leyna's pride in her speed, even she couldn't react to Aereth's movements. The wind was suddenly knocked out of her as his fist collided with her abdomen. Her spine slammed against the wall, and the woman grit her teeth while the brunette spoke. Their battle was heated and desperate, both players fighting to protect something precious to them. As the fight dragged on, however, the difference in their level and stats became incredibly clear. Leyna was barely ever able to go on the offensive, and her defense had enough holes to allow Aereth to chip away at her health bar.

The tingling sensation almost felt as though it was spreading through her entire body. Why couldn't she move? Why was it so hard to tilt her chin down look at the blade that Aereth quickly removed from her torso? He grabbed her. She felt her body being forced to the ground, her jaw clenching while she fell even further into her rage. When Aereth's hands moved to undo the clasp at the nape of her neck, and when she felt the familiar weight of the gemstone disappear, the tears began to form at the corners of Leyna's eyes. "Give her back!!" She screamed. The woman struggled the moment her limbs listened to her again, only to find that her restraints kept her firmly in place. She only barely listened to the words coming from the brunette now, feelings of despair threatening to wash over her. "Não posso perder ela..." The words left her lips in a whisper. She flinched when she felt another item take its place around her neck, as if she was caught unaware by Aereth's continued movements. She clenched her jaw tightly after his sentiment and vow had been spoken, pain and lingering rage equally visible in her own expression. She didn't say another word, simply letting her head hang with the weight of her emotions once the door had closed behind him.

When Aereth's equipment materialized and the sheathe of his sword appeared behind him, Leyna's dagger raised up in between them once again. She still couldn't be sure of his intentions, and depending on how desperate the man was, she had no idea of how strong he was. For all she knew, that blade on his back could turn her into pixels with a single slice. Her expression shifted with almost every new piece of information he gave her, and she seemed to have a habit of muttering her thoughts aloud under her breath. "They brought Avi along?" She had an almost pained expression when she mumbled the name. When he tried convincing her to help him in some way, she looked troubled, but deep in thought while the gears of her mind continued working.

It was the last thing he said. An in-game item. The woman's shoulders raised a few centimeters as her lungs filled with air, a look of outrage on her face. "Vai tomar no cu--" She growled under her breath before stopping herself. She glared daggers at the man for a few good moments until she finally broke her gaze and went back to pacing across the small room. And once again, she went back to mumbling to herself. "If it's Kreeyin, Jay, and Avi... and you're someone who could beat Tallas... You said what, that you think you can talk him into turning against them?" She looked over and spoke up with her last sentence, referring to him with skepticism as a scoff escaped her. Without waiting for a reply, she went back to pacing. "No, if Avi just stays out of it, and there's only two to worry about... No..." She stopped moving and was silent for a bit before she let out a sigh. "I'm sorry." She faced him again, another pained look on her face. "I know you want to take them down, but... I can't help you do it."

Kreeyin's fist flew through the air, delivering a controlled strike to Jay's abdomen. The boy had the wind knocked out of him, not expecting the blow himself. Kooh blinked in surprise as she felt her back bump against the cave wall, the impact nudging her slightly backwards. 'Ah.' The familiar sound of an item shattering reached her ears, and the cardigan that she had gripped so tightly turned to pixels through her fingers. The girl held her breath, realizing in a fraction of a second that now was when she needed to move. Before Kreeyin had the time to move Jay out from in between them, Kooh raised her right leg, planting her boot firmly in the middle of the boy's back. She pushed up against the cave wall, putting out all the force she could muster as she shoved the player forward, causing him to collide roughly with his leader.

A stumble was all she needed. Kooh bolted towards the cave entrance as quickly as her avatar would move. Kreeyin was caught off balance as the weight of the stunned boy was thrust upon him, quickly grabbing Jay by the shoulders and shoving him aside. As if his expression wasn't already permanently sour, a particularly annoyed scowl was set across his sharp features. The man moved quickly to try and cut her off, running towards the mouth of the cave and pulling back his arm, swinging recklessly at the girl the moment he was within range. If Kooh had been just a little bit faster, she might have been able to avoid his attack. Instead, his knuckles connected with the small of her back, the spikes protruding from his gauntlets sinking into her avatar. Even if the girl hadn't faltered from the shock, the blow was strong enough to knock her forward. Kooh just barely managed to pull her arms up to brace herself, but still collided with the ground at her side, the momentum causing her body to briefly roll along the island floor before coming to a stop.

'Ugh...' To say Kooh felt disoriented was an understatement, but the sound of heavy boots against the ground growing closer caused the panic to set in. The girl blinked a few times, spotting Kreeyin closing in from behind her. She grit her teeth, clenching her fist and hurling a handful of dirt and sand towards the man's face before pushing herself to her feet. Buying herself a couple of precious seconds, Kooh's heart pounded in her chest, running as fast and as far away as her legs would carry her.

Kooh's head tilted to the side, wondering if the man was simply exaggerating with his comment. He didn't seem to be, which led the girl to hold back another frown from appearing. 'God, what is it, like a full-time job?' She thought with distaste. He took a turn in thinking of another topic to bring the conversation to, a tad surprised when he had asked about her profession. "Oh, uhh..." She moved her arm to rest her elbow against the back of her hand. She idly picked up a lock of hair from the side of her face and pulled it away, letting it fall back and repeating the process a couple of times while she continued to speak. "Performer. I haven't really done much of anything with it, though." She admitted casually. "But hey, stop by sometime and I might play something for you." She teased with a small, sly grin. "Aaand, what about you?" She asked back to move the conversation along. She couldn't pin Hikoru as having one trade over another, and only assumed he even had one. Professions seemed like a part of the game that nearly every player was attracted to, whether it was a phase that they got bored with and moved on, or something that became an integral part of their daily lives.

Leyna's brows narrowed further, confusion and suspicion raised further by Aereth's sudden change in demeanor. She stayed silent for a few moments without the intention to answer his question until it was clear he wasn't going to continue speaking without one. "Yees..." She dragged out the word hesitantly, waiting again for him to continue. When he spoke her name, her emerald eyes scanned him and his mussed appearance. Prompting her to allow him to explain himself, the woman wordlessly lowered her weapon ever so slightly.

Leyna's eyes widened a bit when Aereth revealed that he had killed the guild's leader. As the brunette's story went on, the hand clutching her dagger lowered further, until the raven-haired woman no longer seemed to consider Aereth an immediate threat. In fact, Leyna began pacing the length of the small room as he was talking, muttering to herself even while he continued to speak. "You took out Tallas?" She spoke in a mumble. "If he was on this floor himself, he must have that brute Kreeyin with him. If he's the one that's going to take over for him, and if he's the one you're dealing with now... Filho de puta..." As soon as Aereth said they wanted her pendant, Leyna froze in her tracks. Her hand instinctively moved to the trinket around her neck when she looked back over to him. Her eyes narrowed again as she seemed to have made a decision to his request.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know if I can help you." She said plainly, still clearly on her guard. "I can't give this to you." She didn't expect the man to take her refusal well. If he had come all this way, it wasn't likely that he would just walk away empty-handed. Leyna wished that she could have offered him something--any advice that would have helped him and his friend without her own real or faked death, but none came to her.

Kooh frowned as the gears of her mind continued to work. 'Come on, Luna, think...' She had a dozen ways to get past the dagger-wielder, but the other player's presence kept causing her plans to hit a brick wall. If she could just keep moving, if she just managed not to get caught...

Kooh took in a sharp breath, picking herself up on her feet. The movement gained her a sideways glance from the male players, but when she lifted her arms over her head in a stretch, she lost their interest. 'Alright, let's hope I don't die, I guess.' She slipped off the cardigan she'd worn for so long, draping the item across her shoulder while she slowly paced back and forth in the small cave. Left in just a white, sleeveless dress paired with her black leggings and knee-high boots, the girl let out a huffy sigh as if her impatience was continuing to grow. "Why did you send that kid with him, anyway?" She complained. "He looks like he would just slow them down."

"Hey, watch your mouth, b*tch!" Jay immediately snapped, turning to glare at the blonde. Kooh simply glared right back at him. "What, you're sticking up for him? I don't know why you guys even let him in your guild, unless you wanted to go for the innocent little kid angle in your baits or whatever. He looks like he's more trouble than he's--" The blonde didn't even get to finish her last sentence when Jay yelled back at her. "Shut up!" He gave a quick glance towards Kreeyin, who didn't seem to pay the exchange any mind. Turning his attention back to Kooh, Jay took a few threatening steps towards her. "You're not in any position to talk, girly. Keep it up and we'll have to break our 'promise' to that other brat." In response, Kooh simply scoffed, placing a hand on her hip. "Yeah right, and ruin your little agreement? He'll make you guys pay if you even touch me." Her voice was dripping with over-confidence as she taunted him. Her words easily did the trick, causing the boy to grit his teeth and march over towards her. She quickly wiped the smirk from her face, taking a step back as he approached, acting as though she didn't expect to call his bluff. The boy twisted the dagger in his hand, and when he had closed the gap between them he reached out his other arm to grip her wrist. He lifted her arm and with a single movement he slashed the blade diagonally across her forearm, causing the girl to wince from the tingling sensation that followed. An impressive red gash was left in the knife's wake, and Jay threw her arm back down. "I don't give a sh*t about his stupid threats." He said defiantly, turning away from her.

Once his back was facing her, Kooh pulled down at the cardigan over her shoulder, taking each end of the clothing and quickly looping it over Jay's head. The girl moved swiftly, her heart racing as she pulled against his torso and held on tightly to force his arms to stay at his sides. Jerking the boy back and holding him against her, she had finally caught Kreeyin's attention. He glared at the pair as would an irritated babysitter, unfolding his arms and calmly walking over to them. "S-stay back!" She didn't have to force the fear into her voice as much as she thought she would. Her words didn't even cause the man to hesitate, and he continued walking towards them at a steady pace. His fingers curled into fists, and Kooh's heartbeat quickened with the realization that she was now playing with an unpredictable threat.

Kooh resisted the urge to let a grimace take over her expression at the man's suggestion. Questing was such a chore, and because she valued experience so little, they rarely offered her anything of interest. Everything that was considered 'progress' in this world required so much work. 'I'm so tired of this crappy game...' She mentally complained. 'If I ever leave this place, remind me not to touch another video game for as long as I live.'

The girl gave a small shrug in response. "Yeah, sure." She lied, "There's probably some stuff I haven't done yet." While the blonde had no intention of actually taking on any other quests, the rest of her statement was true. She had done so few of them, there were surely many quests on the lower floors that she had skipped over. She was willing to bet that several of them could even be completed on her own. Regardless, her lack of interest let her mind wander to other things. Maybe after this should would go back to the eleventh floor. If Sey wasn't around, she could always give the piano that she had set up some days ago a try.

 Kooh watched as the man took yet another cup, curious as to whether he really just enjoyed the taste of coffee, or if he simply drank it out of habit. When the girl had realized it was impossible for the game to replicate the feeling of caffeine, she quickly gave up on the stuff, unwilling to continue her normal rituals. To her question, Hikoru gave her a very normal answer--training, getting stronger, and the like. Was that what so many others did? Dedicate their time to repeating the same tasks, risking their lives over and over again so they could end up in the 'dream' of the frontlines. At least it seemed that was what many players strived for.

Again, the question came back to her. She thought for a moment, not caring for either of the tasks he had guessed at. "Hm, I dunno..." She forwent the easier option of simply agreeing with something he suggested, whether or not she would actually do it. "I'm basically garbage at this game, so I usually don't get out much." She shrugged, a casual, joking tone to her words. "After this... I might go back 'home', or look for something else to keep me busy." She added on, using the term 'home' rather loosely. 

Thankful that she seemed to be able to smooth things over, her garnet eyes flickered over to Hikoru when he turned the question back to her. The blonde wore another smirk, also letting out a small chuckle before she answered. "Can't say that I 'have' anyone, no. But you're right, now that I think about it--there's plenty more guys running around." Not surprisingly, Kooh never had to go far to find someone willing to do this or that for her. It was convenient, and even though she wasn't interested in fighting or leveling up, she almost always had an opportunity for easy experience. In fact, her snowy-haired roommate was the first person she had encountered who pushed her or expected anything out of her.

Judging by Hikoru's combat ability, he had likely put in a lot of work to reach a high level. While she had some curiosity about the man's motivations, she decided not to delve into the topic. Instead, she finished off her drink, leaning forward to place the empty cup on the wooden table between them and folding her arms over her chest while she settled back in her chair. It was difficult to come up with something else to say, which was unusual for her. She began to wonder if she would ever even see the raven-haired player again after today. With his strength, he would certainly be a good ally to have--but what did she need allies for? As pessimism began to wash over her, Kooh put on another smile and filled the silence with more idle chatter. "So, any other exciting plans to round out your day?"

Kooh blinked in surprise when Hikoru was taken so off-guard by her question. The playful smirk was about to crawl across her face as she could detect a hint of embarrassment from him. Instead, the words that followed caused her to frown, and she wore an expression that she hoped would make it clear that she hadn't meant any harm. His mood seemed to quickly darken, and the girl mentally sighed as her teasing had clearly backfired on her. "Ah, sorry," She spoke up just as he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. "Didn't mean to stir up any trouble."

She frowned again, this time thoughtfully, as she considered his words. "Well yeah, but isn't that all the same as in real life, too? At least, that's what I think." After another sip of her drink, the blonde tilted her chin back up to stare at the ceiling again while thinking over her next words. "Anyway, I really didn't mean anything by it. My bad, guess that was a really bad icebreaker." She offered a small smile.

Kooh held another smirk at Hikoru's comment about her lack of some skill. If she recognized it correctly, she recalled Sey going on about how they needed to get her it one of these days. "Dang, it was that obvious?" She asked with a small chuckle. True, her choice of clothing for the floor was irresponsible to say the least, but she hadn't thought her feeling cold would be too noticeable.

Picking up the mug that was placed in front of her, Kooh held the drink close to her as she leaned back in her seat again, giving a small sip before determining she liked the taste. "Hmm~" She hummed again, tilting her chin up and looking towards the ceiling while she thought of ways to fill the silence that was beginning to settle between them. She had already gotten quest experience and a free drink today, two things she didn't even know she had wanted, without even having to do anything. Normally she would have been the one finding higher-level players to 'help her out' while she feigned ignorance and gratitude. Her current situation was certainly an oddity, and she found herself unsure of what to say. "You have a girlfriend or anything?" She asked, tilting her head back down with the same half-smirk on her face as she waited to gauge the man's reaction.

Kooh stared at his cloak while Hikoru held a section of it up for her to inspect. It looked like it was made out of some fantasy-material, and his explanation of how it functions practically confirmed it. "Hmm..." She mused, intrigued by the mechanic he continued on about. She hadn't seen any instances of stealth up until now, at least none that she recalled.

The pair soon found themselves back at Snowfrost, idly headed for the local tavern. Kooh was a bit surprised they weren't just parting ways here, but since the man had bothered to give her nearly free experience, it would look bad if she were to just try and ditch him. The girl pushed open the door to the tavern, looking around for half a second before moving to a table to take a seat. The girl leaned back casually in her chair, crossing her legs and enjoying the warmth that the building provided. She waited for the raven-haired player to get comfortable before she spoke up again. "So, this something you do often? Carry low levels through quests and then hang out?" She smirked with a joking tone, although she was a bit curious to hear his answer, if he took her question seriously enough to provide one.