Snow

Snow slowed her breathing until she felt comfortable to try standing. Her body still felt as though something was crawling on it despite knowing she was perfectly fine. For good measure, she dusted the remaining dirt and grim off herself and checked for more lecherous lumps of liquid. Feeling satisfied to the best of her ability, she mounted her spear to her back. In the center of the room where the Slime Queen emerged, a crater remained. Previously filled with glowing goo, Snow walked over for a closer look. In the pit of the crater, a small glow hovered.

With a raised brow, the girl carefully moved closer. The damp earth beneath her feet gave way like walking on sponges. Finally, she was close enough to inspect the orb. A window manifested with a list of rewards. The queen, it seemed, had amassed some loot. Now defeated, it was Snow's to take. On the list, besides col and monster materials, a grayed out trinket was listed. 

"Hmm?" When she tried to inspect it, the tooltip only read <<Unidentified>>.

"I guess I need to find someone who can appraise this?" Snow shrugged and accepted all the loot into her inventory.

"It's okay." She spoke the words softly with humility. It wasn't okay.

She hugged her knees tighter. His words helped to calm her self punishment, but she knew apologies would never suffice. She had to be better. Actions always spoke louder than words which she still struggled to find. Her limited experiences afforded her a small pool to draw from in conversation. A year's worth in game versus the nineteen prior. Would she regale him of her cowardice in the room she once shared with three others? Talk to him about comforting children half her age that didn't understand why they couldn't see their parents?

She buried her face in her knees.

I have to be better. There's no point beating yourself up over it, Alyssa. Just don't do it again.

"Hey Shield?" she asked after what seemed an eternal pause. "Could we just talk more about the guild?"

Her voice came out muffled as she spoke into her lap. She still needed a moment to forgive herself. He came here with her to talk about his guild. Snow figured that would stay a safe topic of conversation.

"Tell me more about the others. How you met."

In the time between her reckless actions and the current moment, Snow came to terms that he simply didn't remember her. Like he said, those early fights were chaotic. Even Daire's PMs talked about the mess of players trying to combat one or a few enemies. She'd hate vent on terrible rotations, people getting in the way, and no one truly holding command. All in all, Daire knew Calrex, but he had other priorities to focus on.

Snow nodded. She quietly took another draw from her cup. 

"Yeah..." Her voice listed off. "That makes sense..."

She shook her head and somberly giggled a little. Forehead met hand and she propped herself up as she pondered her naivety.

"I'm so horribly embarrassed." Snow looked over to Calrex. "It was... I don't know what it was, but I'm sorry. I don't know what I expected. I just..."

Snow let out a defeated sigh.

"There's a lot to process with all this and I don't quite think I'm fully prepared mentally for any of it. I took out some of my frustrations on you. It's not your fault. Never was. I should be thanking you."

That last statement didn't sit well in her gut, but the truth of it kept it palpable. He didn't cause Daire's death. Snow fabricated that assumption based on a letter where he saved her once. She didn't even know what raid she died in.

@Calrex

Snow darted in the room the moment Assassin worked the key into the lock. She heard her mention the one bed and sleeping on the floor, but let it in one ear and out the other. The more important task at hand was putting on some clothes. She worked her menus as though she had miraculously become a hacker. Screens opened and closed in fractions of a second until just a dark hoodie and pair of leggings covered her body. Snow let out a held breath and doubled over with her hands on her knees.

"Free or not, oh my god." The realization tickled her mind and she shot a glance to assassin. "Wait a second, were you fake crying?!"

The child placed weapons on the table. Young or not, Assassin seems much better suited for the field than Snow. She righted herself and lifted her foot to approach her companion before she nearly leapt out of her skin. A knock at the door interrupted her oncoming interrogation.

"Oh for the love of-- Who is it?!" Snow exclaimed at the door. She heard staggered shuffling and the rattle of objects on metal.

"Y-your meal! I just brought your meal!" The voice stammered, muffled by the three inches of wood between them.

Snow stormed up to the door and threw it wide. One of the two men from the front stood in the middle of the hall with a large metal platter. Atop it, two mugs filled to the point of spilling stood beside two plates. Each plate was generously mounded with what looked like stewed meats and veggies in a savory, dark gravy. And in the center, a small basket with half a dozen baked rolls.

"Hand it here." Snow put out her hands. The demanding tone betrayed the fluttering heart in her chest and building anxiety in her thoughts.

The man nodded and placed the feast in her arms. He stood back. "Anything else I can get for you?"

"Some peace and quiet. Thanks for the food and have a good night." The words and her attempt to state them aggressively failed to convey the correct tone. The man turned a crooked look before the door slammed in his face.

The blonde carefully carried their meal to the table where Assassin waited. She set it down, careful not to spill any more of their drinks than he did. Again she emptied her lungs with a breath of relief. Snow slumped into a chair near a window that oversaw the busy streets below. She ran her hand through the damp strands of blonde above her forehead.

"Okay, so... like was that fake crying? Because it looked like real crying. And to be honest, I wouldn't have gone that fare if I knew it was real crying." There was a slight pause and another revelation. "Did you say you were going to sleep on the floor? Are you insane? No! You get the bed. God."

@Assassin

Denial. That word came to the forefront of Snow's mind. When Shield turned the conversation on its back, Snow knew she made an error. Life inside the halfway houses differed from the front lines. In the Town of Beginnings, the children and people like her simply could not embrace the facade of this new world. For Snow, this was her first foray into an online game. Net etiquette eluded her. In a way, she was both herself and some fantasy warrior. Hearing Shield, it sounded as though others buried the real world in the back of their minds. Denial.

However, in that denial, they found solace. Those players coped with the loss, the anxiety, and the fear by burying it all into a new world. Smell, sight, touch, taste, sound... although digital, is it any more fake or real than the surface world?

Snow fell dreadfully silent and still. Another word crossed her mind.

Respect.

Her stomach soured. She felt nauseous. What if her carelessness in talking about the real world caused those people to relapse? Like hearing or seeing things that reminded her of Daire, what if her forwardness spun others into panic and pain. The thought of her causing harm with something so trivial as small talk weighed heavily on her. And now, she struggled for a reply.

"Oh..." What else would she say? The boundary had been crossed already. What now? 

"I never thought of that..." She truly had not. To her, the only driving force was getting out and reclaiming some semblance of the life she felt lost. Even if they did succeed, nothing would be the same. The thought of going back to exactly before was an unobtainable dream. An ever driving goal with no finish line.

"How awful..." The words lipped out from her internal monologue. Directed at her own actions, Snow balled up and hugged her knees. She hurt for everyone. She hurt for the people she may have already offended. She hurt for the people she would offend one day. Most of all, she hurt for the people who suffered in silence. How could she every help them? How could those wounds ever heal?

Only destroying Aincrad could free everyone from that internal purgatory. Free them from a life of denial and twisted acceptance. Free them from complete isolation of existing under the facade of being a character in a game.

What if some of them never wanted to leave?

Snow stayed silent as Shield fished. Despite his statement of not being bothered, she felt her actions already transgressed acceptance. They had only met today after all. 

@Shield

New Evals [MADE HERE]:

New Items:

His voice wrested her from the spiraling chaos that began to build inside her. For a moment, her leg stopped bouncing. Her focus gathered and settled on the cup in front of her folded hands. She loosened her grip on herself and air hit the dampness that formed between them. A slight shake affected her hand before it lifted the tea to her lips for a small sip. The aroma and flavors helped ground her back to reality. Part of her wanted to reach for her head to remove the Nerve Gear, but she tried that so very many times in the first few weeks. Despite the desire, she remembered it would always bare failure.

"Right." Snow net down her mug and took a deep breath. She held it and let the stress melt away a little. 

"Sorry," she apologized. "Some of us, I think, distract ourselves in the reality of this place and we forget the gravity of the situation. Coping, I guess? It's just..."

She emptied her lungs in defeat.

"Anyway. Yes. My room mate." Snow brought the mug to her lips again. This time she took a longer draw and a gulp. "Her name here was Last_Chance. We live in a small studio togeth-- I mean, 'lived' in a small studio together at a college dormitory. She tried to get me more into games and majored in 3D design. She worked on a few concepts in an intern program that look like some of the things I've seen in here. She came home one day with the Nerve Gears and two copies so I could try it with her."

Snow took a breath.

"Well, you know how that went. After we got the news, I didn't take it well. First time playing a game like this, hardly played games before, and now I'd be learning how to play where death is permanant and real. I freaked out. Daire felt like she could help. She wanted to. We fought about it, but she ended up going anyway. She wrote me daily. Taught me a few things, and told me stories about the dungeons and boss raids. The last few messages I got from her, she mentioned you by name."

Snow laughed.

"You supposedly saved her life. After that, I think she developed a crush on you. Wanted to get you to ask her out. I'm surprised you don't remember her -- fiery red-head, freckles, green eyes... She had a pretty strong personality. I think she used a spear and shield? Said she ran DPS on one of the assault teams." 

@Calrex

As Assassin ran off with the key and the col, Snow silently eyed the two. She purposely let the air stagnate.

"God forbid you let people steal food that doesn't actually keep you alive. What's a little comfort for a kid versus some Col for you?" Snow flared her lips and looked the two of them over with disgust.  

"I pray you remember today when that little kid is part of the final clearing party." Snow turned without a word and followed in the direction Assassin ran off. The moment she broke eye contact, her stern expression shattered. Her heart beat feverishly in her chest and her forehead dampened with sweat.

OH MY GOD... she screamed in her head. I am half-naked, everyone is looking at me, and I'm 100% certain I'm going to hear rumors about this on the streets...

When Snow got into the hallway, she walked up to Assassin and slumped against the wall next to the door. She leaned her head back against the wall and looked up to the empty rafters above.

"Never let me do something like that again." Snow's face looked beet red. Embarrassment coursed through every vein and bone. "Let's hurry up and get inside."

@Assassin

"Hmm..." The sound was meant more for his reply than pondering her own. At least she knew what kind of sushi he liked and how he liked it. 

"Well, I really grew accustomed to Eastern foods. I love savory and umami flavors. I love the taste of seaweed and I really miss those little rice crackers wrapped in nori with a soy glaze. So good." Snow's mouth began to water at the thought of it. She missed all the snacks they used to buy at the convenience stores near the college. Shopping the daily discounts and clearance items were her favorite because she could try new things on the cheap.

"On a quiet day off, my honest favorite is a bowl of steamed rice with either miso soup over the top of just some hot tea and soy. Garnished with arame seaweed, toasted sesame, and nori sprinkles. If it was early enough, I'd add an egg."

Snow squirmed in her spot as she thought about it. She really missed the casual mornings and lazy days. It was nice when she could just start the rice cooker in the morning and chop away at it throughout the day.

@Shield

Two left. Snow's chest rose and fell. The entire ordeal had worn her down. Tired, sore, violated, and just done with it all, Snow squared off against two gallon sized blobs of anger. She lacked the energy to scale out another offensive like she dealt to the queen. Instead, she stood back against the wall and waited. If anything, the two blobs would come to her. If she played her cards right, her armor alone would finish them off now that she could focus on the two. 

Both offspring slunk toward her. Snow gripped her spear and swung for them. One succumbed to its edge and the other leapt for another attack. It sloshed against her thigh and no sooner she could feel uncomfortable, the two of them shattered into digital dust. Snow let out a long exhale and collapsed to the floor. She took long, deep breaths to try and regain her composure. 

"Disgusting," she commented, glad the ordeal came to an end.

The queen slime shuddered. Its body rippled and if Snow had to guess, the display was one of anger. Before she could truly discern the behavior, a long tentacle of green shot out. Snow braced her spear across her body, but the slime enveloped and splattered all over her. It seeped between the plates, poured into the opening of her neck, and filled her greaves. The feeling, suffice to say, revolted Snow. It was a feeling of utter violation. Yet, thanks to the armor itself, the queen's health trickled down and emptied. The goo within her armor froze and shattered into glass like fragments. The effect carried down the tendril to the main body and exploded into a shower of light around the room.

Snow held back a gag, unable to truly savor the victory. Instead, she noticed one of the smaller globs still latched to her chest and frantically chucked it across the room.

"Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross!" She repeated. 

From her knelt position, Snow chained together her sword arts. She rose to her feet with a heft of her spear and tore a massive gash through the body of the queen. The health bar above its head chunked down bit by bit until all the enemies in the room ran red with a fraction of life remaining. Snow reeled back from the trio to afford distance for another thrust. To her dismay, she counted two out of three in her view. She shot a glance down to her hip where she felt a slight numbing sensation and found the third latched onto her. 

"GET OFF ME!" Snow shouted. She plunged her hands into its body and hurdled it across the room again with little to no reaction from the thing. The markings that it left behind and the red up her leg from the slide maneuver slowly faded back to normal as her armor kept her topped off.

Snow staggered backwards. The weight of the two slimes on her legs forced her to struggle for balance. If any onlooker were present, the sight would be akin to a cat with wet paws. She shook both legs in sequence, trying to rid herself of them. Little fractions of their health bars taunted her. They needed to be poked. One false breath and they'd turn to shards. Snow's back pressed against a wall, she could go no further.

"Get! OFF!" Her voice echoed in the chamber.

The blonde raised her spear and made a jab for one of the two slimes. As if it could see, the thing lept off her the moment the tip fell and buried into the damp, dark earth at her feet. They were smarter than she gave them credit. She lifted her weapon and transitioned to the other slime. It too lept from her leg.

"Damn it!" Snow swore. The red markers from their acidic bodies quickly faded and Snow refocused her ire on the queen in the center of the room. She made a quick charge, this time without the aide of the system. Right before colliding with the slime, she bit into the damp earth with the side of her foot and slid through the green puddle it grew from. Then, her spear took on a blue hue and pierced the slime from the side.

The slime queen remained central to the room. Her pool of sludge seemed to keep her stationary. The two offspring slowly undulated toward Snow in the most stomach churning manner. The thick trail of steaming acid they left in their wake was enough to make her hate jello from this day forward. Snow frowned. She shook off her discomfort and focused on the queen at the center of the room. If she were to get out of this, that had to go first.

Snow dropped her stance and charged forward. She pulled her spear close to her body to maximize the force of her thrust. She rooted her feet, slide, and extended her spear for another fatal thrust. This time, the queen grew wise to her attacks. The massive slime's body opened like a doughnut and Snow's spear stabbed nothing but air. Slightly off balance and shocked at the goo's sentience, both smaller blobs latched themselves to her legs yet again.

Snow embarked toward the church and back to the path. The dense trees shaded her from the sun, occasionally breaking through the canopy to cast miniature spotlights on the floor below. Small animals scampered out of sight in the brush and fallen debris. Snow vaulted a tree that crossed over the path. That marker put her within eye-shot of the church. The path terminated at the end of the dense trees. Light filled the entrance to what would be a moderately open plain. There, the church would stand, engulfed by nature's creeping persistence and guarded by a religious icon.

Snow emerged into the light. Her hand covered her eyes as they painfully adjusted to the contrast. It looked perfectly as she remembered except for one thing out of place. Her eyes still adjusting, the blonde narrowed her vision into slits.

Purple hair... 

"Galilea?" Snow called out. "Is that you?"

She quickened her pace to the figure near the Buddha statue.

Snow nodded to Assassin and watched her run off to the front counter. The blonde began pulling up her menu to switch into more comfortable attire. Through the semi-transparent screens, she noticed her companion reach up for attention and get dismissed. Snow raised a brow and watched it happen a second time. With a wave of her hand, Snow backed out of her HUD. Her face scrunched together in disapproval. The blonde took one step toward the counter only to watch Assassin break down and hide behind her.

That's it.

"Hey!" Snow shouted. Other patrons halted their conversations. A silence washed over the inn and only the sound of a crackling hearth interrupted. The two gents behind the counter looked to her with apathy.

"What in hell do you think you're doing?! Huh?!" Snow stormed to the counter. She slammed her open palms on the surface. 

"Are you just refusing to serve a paying patron because of what they wear? Are you dense?!"

The two men opened their mouths to speak. Both looking for a fight.

"You're telling me that if I walked up here in torn rags, you'd deny me service?!" Snow pulled up her equipment and began disabling gear.

"How about this huh?" Her greaves disappeared. "Or this?" Her gauntlets vanished "Maybe this and this?!" Her plate mail and faulds vanished. Only a ragged and well worn tunic and lightly cinched together shorts remained.

The two men dissolved from an angry expression to one of confusion and panic. Some patrons' eyes grew wide while their female counterparts slugged them or gave them dirty looks.

"Now what? I'm wearing rags. You going to deny me a room? You're both disgusting." Snow summoned a fair amount of Col and slammed it down on the counter.

"Now first, you're going to apologize to her, got it? Then, you're going to give us a room to stay in for the night like any other paying customer or so help me, I'll really make a scene."

@Assassin

Snow made a brief pout before she submitted her catch to her inventory. She nested her spear to her back and this time, decided to plop right next to the water's edge. Her fingers summoned the menus and thumbed over to her equipment. Her greaves disappeared with the press of a button and her bare feet slid into the water. Surprisingly for a cave, the water warmed her to the touch instead of chilling her to the core. Given the warm atmosphere of the cavern, it made sense. No wonder the fish got so big here. 

"I like soy sauce a lot," she added. "Honestly, I would offend many chefs. I'll always eat a few pieces without soy to get the genuine flavor, but I'm dunking after that. If it's nigiri, however, I do try to be nice and dip fish side only."

Snow wriggled her toes while she spoke and noticed some more bubbles near the water's edge. She dug down, careful not to get snapped at, and pulled out another mussel looking shellfish. 

"What food do you miss most from the top-side?"

@Shield

"Yeah... I'm still fairly new..." She repeated again.

If it hadn't been for those constraints on the duel, I would have been culled in a single swing. 

Calrex continued to speak about his memory of losing friends in the field. The sheer horror of his description tightened Snow's throat as if death itself wrapped its bony fingers around her neck. Her small hands rubbed at her collar bone as she thought about his words.

Not even saying goodbye... dreadful... 

He mentioned losing powerful players on the front lines. The thought of even people with all that armor and skill dying unsettled her. She promised her lost friends she would carry on for them, but would it also cost her life? Numbers were everything in this game. If players with all the numbers on their side got killed, how would she stand a chance? Snow got nervous. Her leg started to bounce under the table and she folded her fingers into each other to prevent herself from strumming her nails against the wood. 

"That's... That's just horrifying..."

For the moment, Snow forgot she even had tea in front of her. She was too absorbed in her thoughts of doubt.

I mean, at least it was painless for Daire right? She thought as she searched for some silver lining.

@Calrex

“That’s not barbaric,” Snow laughed. “I’m not a fan of cream cheese in general, or on my rolls honestly. But  a lot of people love cream cheese.”

She watched him shore another fish. Of their time on the 21st floor, Snow learned Shield’s prowess with a fishing rod. If he cast his hook, chances were something would bite. Compared to the measly pickings she found, his fish were three to four times the useful material than her haul.

”I do love salmon. You really can’t go wrong with a perfectly marbled cut. Are you a wasabi or no wasabi man?”

Snow personally preferred a light bite of wasabi. It was traditional recipe to include wasabi between the fish and the rice when making nigiri. If you could afford it, real wasabi was best, but because finding it was so rare, Snow stuck to the colored horseradish imitation. While she let her mind drift, Snow’s attention fell on a small trout-looking fish near the shore line. 

She looked up to Shield as he peacefully waited for something to bite his line. Then she looked back to the fish. She loosed Sif’s Needle from her back and slid carefully off her seat. She snuck up the the shore line spear high. The fish luckily didn’t notice and gave Snow time to quickly thrust through it. She pulled it from the water and turned to Shield proudly.

@Shield

Snow was too focused on cleaning off the sludge to do anything else. Thankfully, the other monsters still reeled from her attack. One of the baby slimes took advantage of the window. It lunged for Snow and latched to her leg. The red markers that peppered her body already sealed up and disappeared. Despite her initial panic, her equipment soothed her state of mind. These monsters, although tough to kill, posed little risk to her life.

With a swift kick, Snow sent the slime on her leg flying. It tumbled on the damp, jagged floor and came to rest with a jiggle. It gave no pause or reaction other than to begin its slow crawl back to its mother and the threat that attacked them. Snow readied herself. All she needed to do was attack. Her armor would handle the defense.

As she waited for the next of the monsters to attack, another shrill scream echoed in the chamber. This time, louder than before. Snow was close, but until these creatures were dealt with, she wouldn't be able to venture further.

Her spear buried into the center of the slime. The mound of goop seemed unphased. The green slime slowly crept up her spear and the girl tried to pry it from its body. The weapon froze and her attempts yielded little give. While she struggled to get her lance free, the blob split into three. Two smaller mounds of viscous slime leapt at her simultaneously. Snow ducked and one passed over. The other slammed into her shoulder and bounced off. The pauldron of her armor hissed from the slime's acidic touch, but her armor also scorned its attacker.

Damn it. She knew the odds looked poor. If I don't end this quick, it might keep splitting.

The girl firmed her stance and slid her hand up on the shaft of Sif's Needle. She pushed her weight into length of her weapon with all her might. The system read her intent and her spear began to glow. Snow let the assist catch and <<Hellish Twice>> tore through the mother of the slimes. Two cerulian crescents spread throughout the room from the tip of Snow's spear. Red gouges tore through all three of her foes. 

Globs of slime splattered off them all. A large globule hit Snow directly in the face. With the space she purchased from her last attack, Snow hurriedly tried to rid herself of the burning goo.

New Items:

A Continuation of: A Friend of Nature

In the forests between Flora and The Defiled Church, a lone girl stood with her spear in hand. Several trees around her displayed the markers of <<Immortal Object>> which soon faded. The grass at her feet still laid bent by the wolf which recently perished by her blade. The young player hoisted the length of Sif's Needle, her spear, to her back. It came to rest as if holstered by some manner of magic as she rose from a knelt position. 

"Kill or be killed," Snow stated for no one to hear. 

The tone of her voice dripped with sadness and remorse for the wolf she had put out of its misery. It attacked her first and left her no choice, but the game's cruel mimicry of the real world caused Snow distress.

Would another player have just let it bleed out? Am I getting worked up for nothing?

The girl let out a sigh. Her journey to find a companion to tame had been fruitless so far. Yet, The Defiled Church, was only a few more minutes away. There, Snow wanted to try and see if she could find a friend to take home. Sometimes, she liked to just sit in the shade of the church's walls and watch the swallows fly overhead. The deer and boars would keep to the treeline while she would doze off in the warm afternoon weather. Despite the building barring entry to all adventurers, she enjoyed its aesthetic and the consuming nature all around.

"I had no idea." Snow tilted her head and looked out toward the deep blue glow of the lake.

"Hard to imagine a fishing line able to handle pulling out an old, sunken chest." She giggled a bit. "Well, it is a game after all."

Snow resumed kicking her feet. She let her eyes drift around the cavern while Shield fished. She only knew how to spear fish because the game permitted it as a primitive gathering function. In the future, she would like to learn a more relaxing version like Shield's. The prospect of good equipment hung in the back of her mind. At her current state, she couldn't use the really good gear, but maybe when she joined the others on the front lines, fishing would come in handy.

She let out a breath through pursed lips, unable to find anything to catch her attention. Her mind shifted to Shield's earlier words: meeting everyone. 

Packing a day bag? Like... a sleep over? 

She began imagining a massive guild hall. Tapestries and fine furniture. A massive dining hall lined with plates and delicious foo--

"Hey, Shield. Do you have a favorite kind of sushi roll or fish? Did you eat sushi often outside of here?"

@Shield