Shira

@Tristan Delaney - Love your friend there! I have the same breed vv, they're the best! xD You're looking good too, I see the beard has been trimmed :)

@Macradon - Well done! Must feel great! :D

She seemed to have interrupted Takao in the middle of something. Irrespective he was nice enough to offer not one but two of his old gear. One doesn't look at a gift horse in the mouth, so Shira didn't bother inspecting it what was offered, she just smiled graciously and accepted the gear. "Thanks a lot, Takao." she said smiling wider. "I'll be off now, I'm sure you're a busy man." She added in a friendly manner before turning to leave.

________________

Traded accepted.
+ 1 Wolf's Fur Cloak | Light Armour | +2 Evasion / +1 Light Momentum
+ 1 Rookie Huntsman's Set | Light Armour | +1 Evasion / +2(+18) Mitigation

Another player, who hadn't even bothered to introduce himself, had given Shira a decent idea. She no longer needed to badger Hataki about stitching up something new for her, especially since hide and cotton were materials that weren't easy to come by. Now, instead, she went around attempting to take armor from those who had no use of it anymore. Her first try had to be one of the Frontliners she had heard of in the past. She was sure, some of his lower level gear would be superfluous now. She knocked at the door to his quaint cafe and got straight to the point. "Hey! Takao are you in there? Would you by any chance have some light armor you don't need anymore?" she asked a little hesitantly.

The girl could sense she hadn't truly gotten through to Hataki, but for now she had secured her way of doing things and with that she was satisfied. Shira nodded, hoping they could truly focus on getting things done faster and taking more risks now. While she looked around she spoke in an absent minded manner, not quite argumentatively, as though she was just stating facts. "Right in the first week, two thousand odd people died... The longer we stay here, the worse the odds of survival." She said, sealing the deal, hopefully hitting home with her morbid point in an attempt at convincing him entirely of her point of view. She scanned the forest for signs of any bees that she could attack.

Instead, her eyes fell on a shiny mass on the floor a tree, entangled between a thick mass of mossy roots. Shira walked over to the tree, still keeping an eye out for any adversaries. The dark haired girl doubled over and touched the gleaming object in order to harvest her ore. "Don't see anything any bees or hives so far, but I've realized these are always good to have, right?" she said with a soft laugh, eager to lighten the mood now that the two had buried the hatchet. It was her way of saying, 'we're cool now.' "You see anything?" She inquired.

Shira did prefer fire over icy. Having broken through the cold manner, which he'd worn so briefly and shed with such ease, Shira felt a little better. Now they could get through to each other. Having had guys as friends all through her childhood, she was no stranger to loud heart to hearts. Though Hataki seemed gentler, the girl could only push him so far. The unfortunate thing was, Akira was also oversensitive. Back in the real world, sometimes such arguments would be settled with a Kenjutsu match, in this game, as much as Shira had hoped for otherwise, such a thing maybe dangerous and life threatening. Way to go! Games are supposed to make all this easier, it was supposed to allow me to use fighting techniques I can't in real life... She thought a little woefully as Hataki went on dramatically about the perils in the game.

If there was one thing the girl had considered, it was that this game was dangerous. She had already had a mini break down and gotten over it. Akira had probably missed a dozen important real life events by now, all she wanted was to get out of this place as fast as possible. Some of her motives were selfish, others, not so much. She let him rant on, till she couldn't hear his pathetic reasoning anymore. "Oh I can kill that bee all right... And we're getting it done, together! But first, we have things to sort." She said crossly. Hataki's allegations were so grossly misfounded, she rolled her eyes. Shira was feeling better, not calmer. "God! How can you be so dense?" She asked, the impolite words slipping out of her mouth before she had a chance to stop them, not that she would have even if she had had that chance.

 "If this wasn't a death game, it would have been about competition and, for your information it would've been beneath me to extort things, I would have fought my way up, more... carelessly I guess, I would have been obsessed with it and then let it go for real life matters, I can't at the moment..." She walked up to him, without any regard for his personal space. She tried to hold onto his shoulders and shake some sense into him. "You're missing the point entirely. You do know I was studying to be a doctor right? I'm a savior!" she said, in hopes of making him understand what she meant by significant. "I'm putting those who are not brave enough to fight their way through this game, above my own safety! You on the other hand, are sounding like a selfish coward! Which I know you're not!" she finished, slightly exasperated. 

Her eyes widened in shock. This was clearly not going well. "Fine maybe I will..." she said mumbling as he completed to deliver a stoic apology. She held her tongue and watched as his stance mimicked cold professionalism. "You don't have to help me if you don't want to, I don't need a..." She eyed him up and down trying to find the most fitting and yet slightly demeaning and derogatory designation. "A bodyguard." He seemed to ignore her and went on about a giant wasp, most of which Shira missed because she had already turned away from him. Akira sighed angrily as she stalked off. In all honesty, she didn't quite know where she would go... However, it wasn't selfishness that made her turn back. It just felt unfinished, this fight, and maybe something else. For some reason, Hataki's smiled was burned in her memory and the more she thought of just walking away and carving her own path, the more it pulled her back. The fiery girl wasn't done with him yet. She walked closer to him. But not apologetically, not by a long stretch.

"Besides, all that is convenient for you to say anyways... you know I have no clue about how to make my way in this game... and yet you deluded me, and now there are people a million levels higher... And we're sitting here being..." In her flustered state she struggled to think of a word. "Insignificant." She said with a huff, having never felt so cast aside, this was not easy. She felt like an insect on the windscreen of life... Or SAO rather. "I hate feeling so insignificant." She concluded, in a softer tone this time, looking away and towards the ground. The dark haired girl let out a long sigh. "I'll help kill this queen bee or whatever." She added still not meeting his eyes, either. 

Shira wondered if she had crossed a line. Her new acquaintance made a fair point against her sharp, verbal and thinly veiled jab at Hataki. The steely anger sitting in her, ebbed, softened and diminished just a little, but under no circumstance had it vanished. It didn't make sense that Hataki would want to protect her like family, the two barely knew each other. The girl could tell her frustration was probably a little misplaced, but never had she been in such a bad position. It was true that they ought to remain safe, but Hataki's definition of safe was almost sedentary, as bad as the people hiding out in the town. Maybe she was judging him too harshly, maybe the circumstances were against them... The girl would have to meet these frontliners, to see just how they pulled off leveling up so fast. She would have to understand what her duo with Hataki was lacking. So far she and he had had an easy run... At this point the girl just needed some time to think about everything. Almost entirely lost in her thoughts, she hadn't realized that Nik had received a message prompting his abrupt departure from the conversation. The girl assumed it was her doing and used it as a cue to make her own exit. "I- I'm tired, I'll catch you later." She announced feigning a yawn. While leaving she noticed the friend request from Nik and lazily hit accept and made her way to the room.

~~~ Completed ~~~

+ 1 SP to all participants

Dark hair framed Shira's face. It'd been let loose from the usual pigtails, most of the tresses flew behind her in a plume of black. She had let them loose for the day, hoping they'd relieve the tension in her scalp and would, help decrease throb of the headache. It didn't, curing the symptoms rarely helped battling the disease. Following the interaction with a player in the hotel she had parked herself in, it had become apparent how far behind she and Hataki had fallen. Now, Shira was no gamer, but the girl had never been comfortable being a loser. Winning is what drove her and sitting around trying to kill the easiest things one could find, was certainly not the way to go about it in this world. Despite all this, she wasn't sure what was the way to win at this cruel game. With her lack of experience being a severe handicap. She had no choice and so found herself grudgingly trudging to the south gate of a place called Urbus, according to what Hataki had indicated in the message. Upon reaching her destination and laying her eyes on him, she wordlessly went and stood by his side, the frame of her body depicting a rude now what? Her fingers gently traced the hilt of her new Katana, Akachan, in hopes that the shiny blade will see some good action....

Name: Icy fang

Your Profession: Blacksmith

Your Rank: 4

ID: #54302

Roll: 12

Item Type: Dagger
Tier: 1

Quality: Perfect

Enhancements: Damage for all three slots

Description: Small dagger with a black hilt and an Icy blue crystalline blade.

After having a relatively quiet day, Shira had retired to her forgery, in attempts to try and relax. On the occasion she found the inn's to expensive to keep up with, she would use her shop as a place to rest and think. It felt safe here in the archaic stone walls and the fire from the blacksmithing station, kept her warm. Noticing a friendly player had donated some materials, she decided it'd be a good time to try and make something again. Maybe a weapon, or a shield... Some armor?

Shira was rarely in her shop. But now that she had had sometime to craft, she lurked around the rather empty place looking for ways to set it up to be more appealing. She was hiding out in the tiny forging room rather than outside recieving customers who rarely showed up. Serves me right, where are my crafts even comparable to the kind of things available in the market, I should just settle for making equipment for Hataki and myself, and not expect any business. She thought with a sigh. That's when she heard her door creak open and a soft voice ask for Gauntlets. Shira picked up the simple gauntlets she had crafted just yesterday and rushed out to greet her customer. "Oh! Here you go! I have just what you need, take it... Tell me how it works out with them and then later maybe we can strike a deal." She said literally pushing the gautlets towards the girl till she took them.
 

Name: Steel gauntlets of Doom

Your Profession: Blacksmith

Your Rank: 4

ID: # 52852

Roll: 12

Item Type: Heavy Armour (Gauntlets)
Tier: 1

Quality: Perfect

Enhancements: Slot 1: Dmg Mitigation, Slot 2: Dmg Mitigation, Slot 3: Thorns

Description: A pair of simple smooth steel bracers that sprout spiky mechanical metal thorns upon being touched and ensure it very difficult to disarm and weaken the owner.

Having become decently skilled at crafting, Shira looked forward to her night crafting hour. It meant she would make an account of all the materials she had left and then work on making something grand. Usually she was partial to weapons, but now she had learned to invest her skills in making armors and shields. She wiped her brow, there was no sweat, but it just felt like the right thing to do, while she waited for her iron to melt enough, so she could mold it to her will. This was so much easier than the game, it gave her time to think and just... be.
 

Grudgingly, Shira admired Hataki's cool headedness. He sipped his tea with that characteristic smile of his, her words washed over him like water off a duck's back. Shira could see judgement in Nik's eyes. I must be coming across as a real witch. She thought. Hataki was cornering her, giving her no choice but to back off, at least for the time being. Look at him, playing the victim card so well. The girl was used to coming across as a villain, the reasons for her actions were always hidden and so the actions themselves were always harsh. The girl too concentrated on her drink with a heavy sigh. That guy, he could make her like him and hate him all at the same time. Could it be? Shira had never really had any real feelings for anyone, except fleeting crushes, but Hataki brought out a concern in her, that was unfounded and unprecedented. She shook the thought out of her head, sticking to her slightly icy demeanor.

Nik had gone onto explain that he was here to help his sister. Rather brave, and a little foolish. Shira thought, but had she had a sibling she would have probably done the same thing."That is very nice of you Nik, and brave too..." she said simply, while considering the whole story at hand. Hataki went onto give some suggestions, he also spoke of a customer that he had recieved, who had been in a similar circumstance. "You never told me about this guy..." she said mildly surprised and trying to keep the accusatory tone out of her voice. Hataki wasn't obliged to tell her anything, but they usually shared small details about their days with each other and from the sounds of this, it could be important. Shira had been growing a little annoyed at everyone putting themselves into danger for someone else. She addressed Nik again "But have you ever thought, what your sister would feel when she realizes you have deliberately put yourself into this death game, into harms way for her, especially if things get unfortunate? What if she doesn't need help, what if she's fine?" Shira said, this time genuinely worried about people who did this so easily, people like Hataki who she knew would put himself in danger for her.

Shira was crafting furiously today. There was a fervor in the air and clang of metal on metal. The heat from the furnace plumed into the dark room. Only the glow of the hot material lit up the room. The red gleam glinted in Shira's eyes, giving her iris a tinge of menacing red. This was going to be a good day for crafting, she could feel it in the atmosphere.

Day 11 Rolls

1. ID# 52674 results: Battle: 1 | Craft: 7 | Loot: 16 | MOB: 10
Good Item crafted
2 exp
- 1 Mat

2. ID# 52675 results: Battle: 3 | Craft: 9 | Loot: 14 | MOB: 9
Uncommon Item crafted
3 exp
- 1 Mat

3. ID# 52676 results: Battle: 1 | Craft: 6 | Loot: 2 | MOB: 4
Good Item crafted
2 exp
- 1 Mat

4. ID# 52677 results: Battle: 5 | Craft: 5 | Loot: 11 | MOB: 5
Bad Item Crafted
+ 1 exp
- 1 Mat

Day 10 Rolls

1. ID# 52454 results: Battle: 8 | Craft: 6 | Loot: 16 | MOB: 8
Good Item crafted
+ 2 Exp
-1 Mat

2. ID# 52455 results: Battle: 8 | Craft: 7 | Loot: 13 | MOB: 5
Good Item crafted
+ 2 Exp
-1 Mat

3. ID# 52456 results: Battle: 10 | Craft: 8 | Loot: 20 | MOB: 7
Good Item crafted
+ 2 Exp
-1 Mat

4. ID# 52457 results: Battle: 1 | Craft: 2 | Loot: 6 | MOB: 4
Fail
+ 1 Exp
-1 Mat

Name: Event Horizon

Your Profession: Blacksmith

Your Rank: 3

ID: #52145

Roll: 12

Item Type: Heavy Armour
Tier: 1

Quality: Perfect

Enhancements: Slot 1: Thorns. Slot 2: Dmg Mitigation Slot 3: Regen

Description: A sturdy pair of greaves made of high quality iron chainmail. It is known to increase the user's mitigation to damage, help them regain health, and inflict damage to those who wish to harm.

Name: Akachan

Your Profession: Blacksmith

Your Rank: 3

ID: #52294

Roll: 12

Item Type: Katana

Skill line acquired in: <<Worn out welcome>> Done holding back
Tier: 1

Quality: Perfect

Enhancements: Slot 1: Dmg, Slot 2: Bleed, Slot 3: Paralyze

Description: An elegant sword with a small hilt and a long blade for quick far reaching attacks. Its built with the right weight balance for the sprightly girl to whom it belongs. It is also as temperamental as the girl, which makes it a little less reliable, but when timed right, it can wreck some devastating havoc.

"Pssht... I don't believe in gods and I don't believe in Kayaba..." she said as Hataki kicked the wolf off of her. The wolf had rolled off and Shira got to her feet as the grey wolf regained its balance on it's four feet too. This was another thing Shira didn't like to do... Though the girl loved a good fight she also loved animals, fighting them, even the feral looking kinds wasn't easy. Especially these wolfs which had a face so similar to the German Shepard that lived above her apartment... Of course, this was a game and she couldn't get distracted by such sympathetic notions.

This time Shira was a little more prepared, but it was tougher to predict the animal's instincts in comparison to a human's motions. Instead of jumping for her again, this time he charged, opened it maw and tried to bury its teeth into Shira's torso. Thankfully the armour as tougher than it looked and the girl only noticed one red puncture through it... No pain, so it didn't hinder her in anyway. With a quick slash of her sword... The wolf was gone, like it had never been there. "I believe in me... and sometimes in you." She said with a wink as she sheathed her sword. The moment she had, she noticed an option pop in front of her screen.
 

Quote

Congratulations, owing to your proficiency with the one handed curved sword, you have now unlocked a new skill...

Katana

Would you like to acquire the Katana skill?

|YES|                  |NO|

"Hey look, I've been rewarded!" Shira said smirking up from behind her player interface window. She hastily tapped the 'yes' option, new skill line unlocked... She read off the interface in her mind. The Katana was her baby, it is what she practiced with all her life. If she had been good with the curved sword, she expected to be great with Katana. "I'll tell you what it is when we get back! It's amazing! For now we better get out of here fast, I think there are more wolves around." With that she turned and started jogging towards the Town of Beginnings.

"Should be glad he isn't some sadist making us feel the pain of our wounds then, actually..."  She responded when Hataki referred to Kayaba as a psychopath. "And Shh..." She mocked "He can hear us..." she said grinning. But soon a thought spawned from her own joke. "What if he actually can? Do you think he keeps tabs on us?" she said looking at Hataki seriously. "I mean I don't think we are important enough for him to waste his time on... But then, he has a lot of time to waste right?" She asked, genuinely intrigued about the pass times of the guy who'd got them all stuck here. "I mean he obviously isn't out and about, the whole world is looking for him... What do you think he does in his spare time?" She didn't know if he truly was tuned in and something offended him or the two just had very rotten luck, because in her reverie she absent-mindedly kicked a stone and it landed on some wolf's head. Shira hadn't even noticed till the large wolf had leaped from his resting place and was headed towads Shira. The girl didn't have a chance to really swing her sword, she barely managed to unsheathe it. The animal slammed into her body and by extension into the blade of the saber that she had held up in protection.

"Yeah... I think we pissed Kayaba off..." She said pinned under the wolf.

"Your armor did wonders Haru and it doesn't even slow me down." Shira stated, still beaming about her little victory.  He had thanked her for helping him out but she knew that the last blow from the hammer that she had endured, would have probably killer her had it not been for the armor. "Did you see how I slashed?" she said, jubilant. The victory danced on her face and she found her lips stretched further into a broader grin. In that moment, she felt like she was thirteen again, describing to her mother every parry and ever hack in her first championship match for Kenjutsu.

"Seriously though, I don't know about dying, but the fighting itself is so painless... Its almost dangerous." She added, in extension to the stupid pun she'd spoken after finishing the mob. "If we feel no pain, our bodies will stop fearing it... Just watching health points drop is not nearly as scary..." She said. "I mean, don't get me wrong, the pain form the last hit I took would have probably crippled me for at least a couple of weeks, so I am glad... but in a fight that is the only way to know when to back off." She added wondering if Hataki would understand, having no real experience with any real life combat "I can't be staring at my HP all the time, I need to focus on the fight... right?"

The girl's eyes were now acclimatized to the darker environment, but the elf definitely seemed to be more aware of his surroundings than the two players were. Naturally, this was his home. This fact was proven when by the time Shira noticed Hataki's attack, the elf had already dodged the brown haired boy. Shira shot Hataki a nasty look. Since initially he was caught off guard, he had only attempted a pathetic swing at the girl with his off hand. Now that Hataki had jumped into battle too, the elf decided it was time to bring out its own weapon. It was a large war hammer.

Since the dark creature was rather nifty looking, Shira had not expected him to be carrying a such a grand war hammer for a weapon. Shira had imagined daggers, which could do devastating damage, but require more precision, something that anyone would lack in such darkness. In contrast, even wild swings with such a large hammer were likely to hit. Now I'm going to be pummeled she thought. "Now he's really angry." Shira spoke through gritted teeth, she didn't have much time to say anything else. It was time for her to attack again. Now that the elf was facing her ready with his seemingly over powered weapon, nothing held Shira back from giving it her all.

The girl had no experience with how to dodge such a large thing, so she didn't even try. She hoped she'd take a little damage, but her attack would either decimate the elf or leave it with barely any health as an easy harmless target for Hataki. Shira charged at the elf with another battle cry, to which he gave no reaction, but his dark beady eyes traced her every move like a hawk. The girl slashed with her sabre, making a larger deeper gash across his front, similar to the one she had left in his back. After her slash she tried to duck out of his swing, but instead of swinging his hammer vertically, the elf bought it down horizontally across Shira's tiny back, before falling and turning into pixel dust. 

The hit Shira took bought her to her knees too and she had expected a much larger drop in her health points. His armor had done wonders. Their victory over the elf made her forget all her anger towards Hataki. Her eyes searched for him in the darkness and she said "That would have been so much worse in real life, now I know one thing for sure, at least dying in the game will be virtually painless." She said grinning at her silly pun. 

The tiny girl didn't believe in crouching, mostly because she was as short as Hataki was, after he crouched. Unwilling to crumple into a shorter stature, she swaggered into the cave, over taking him as he chose a more stealthy approach. We are getting into his home, trust me, surprise element is not with us. She thought to herself in response to Hataki's actions. The only thing she did imitate was the removal of her sword from its sheath. Now Shira was battle ready. The cave was almost black, especially in comparison the bright exteriors. With an exaggerated battle cry, she charged into the cave, letting the darkness swallow her whole. It was now or never, her first real mission, she wasn't going to walk into the field like a coward, champions don't do that.

From the little light that reflected off her blade, she found her target. Despite her yell, the monster had not paid any attention to her. Much to her annoyance, the dark elf had his back turned to the duo entering his cave. Now Shira didn't like her first attack to be on an unaware enemy, but she didn't have a choice, her Star Slayer Sabre was already swung. She bought it down against the creature's back, opening a wide red gash, with her half-hearted slash. The elf turned around and attempted a dismal swing at her, which she side-stepped easily. Shira noticed, she hadn't taken away a decent proportion of his health yet. Definitely not enough for Hataki to attack.

"Hataki, stay back!" She yelled. "I got him, but now he's mad and he's dangerous." She added. Gearing up for her next move.

Day 9 rolls

1.  ID# 52291 results: | Battle: 9 | Craft: 5 | Loot: 10 | MOB: 6
Bad item crafted
- 1 Mat
+ 1 Exp

2.  ID# 52292 results: | Battle: 2 | Craft: 7 | Loot: 10 | MOB: 9
Good item crafted
- 1 Mat
+ 2 Exp

3.  ID# 52293 results: | Battle: 10 | Craft: 1 | Loot: 16 | MOB: 5
Critical Fail
- 1 Mat
+ 1 Exp

4.  ID# 52294 results: | Battle: 5 | Craft: 12 | Loot: 13 | MOB: 6
Perfect item crafted
- Mat
+ 8 Exp