Snow

Snow sifted through the bush and hoped for her final ingredient. Alas, she came up empty and stood. She planted her fists on her hips and sighed.

"Yeah, Zachariah I think it was? Had to make the NPC names fancy for story purposes I guess?" Snow laughed. She turned to Galilea with a nod.

"Thank you. I'd appreciate the company back to town."

Galilea's next comment set her off balance.

A guild...

Snow broke eye contact. Her thoughts drifted to the KoB social she partook with Opal, Mack, and the others. She remembered the funeral they had for Azide where Snow placed a memorial marker for Last_Chance, Daire's user name. She let her status bar magnify from her peripheral vision and examined the lack of symbol next to her name. Once upon a time, a little white and red shield stood there. Her lonely name and health bar returned to the edges of her view.

"I... haven't." There was a brief pause. "A while ago, I used to be a part of one. They... they fell apart after they lost a few people. I've been solo since." 

@Galilea

New Evals:

New Items:

Wait... He's never attacked a boss? Wha-- How?

She looked at him completely confused. Was that possible? She looked at her own armor. Plates covered hips, shoulders, chest, arms, and lower legs. Cloth and ornate filigree covered the rest. She looked to his, but nothing particularly stood out. By all means, Shield just looked like an adult who simply picked whatever armor was available. Which, by what she could tell by now, matched his easygoing personality.

"I didn't know you could do that..." Snow remarked. She felt so incredibly naive. Then the realization hit her.

"Hold on, you mean to tell me that you just let floor bosses hit you the whole fight?" Her imagination ran rampant with all manners of towering beasts and horrors beating and bludgeoning this man. Blow after blow that could dash her to the winds but he could stand in defiance. Her imagination swapped her in his place, standing defiant. It filled her with a sense of hope muddled by her fear and anxiety.

"H-how? Aren't you scared?"

Tank lady... As much as Snow wanted to support others and make them feel safe, that phrase failed to flatter.

"Eager to kill huh?" The question held even more suspicion than prior. What child flees a monster and then is eager to kill more? Snow feared leaving the safety of the Town of Beginnings for almost a whole year. Even now, she held anxiety outside of the safe zones, clad in armor and armed to the teeth.

"Alright, why don't we stick to something easy then? I'm Snow by the way. Here." Snow opened her menus and navigated to the party request page, she targeted the strange little girl and sent over a prompt to join forces.

"Accept that and we'll go hunt." Snow turned to the path which lead back to town. In between here and High Fields of Crossing was another famously known field. It didn't hold any special name, but the boars and players who died there made it known by all. 

@Assassin

Is this thing what's making all the screaming? She thought with her spear at the ready.

Then, as though on cue. Another shrill scream sounded behind her. She glanced back and only saw the pitch darkness of the tunnel. She snapped her attentions back to the Minotaur and snarled. 

What are they doing down there? Is that a player? Oh god...

Her mind raced with the thought of someone trapped and being tortured. She though of the horrors that person would be feeling. What if they were constantly put in fear of losing their life only to be healed and put within an inch over and over and over. Snow felt sick.

The minotaur managed to get itself to a knee and glared at snow with black, beady eyes. It huffed as though ready to charge.

"No you don't," Snow spat. Her stance changed and she shifted forward for a charge. Cardinal gripped her and she took flight. Sif's Needle slammed into the beast's chest and her momentum pushed it back along the ground until she could move it no further. Then, with a heft and grunt, Snow lifted it over her head and slammed it into the ground. The monster bounced up once, froze, and shattered like digital glass. 

The sword that came her way struck panic in her eyes. Sitting down, all she could do was lean away and hold a hand to cover her face. Yet, it landed unceremoniously beside her and more than safely away from her. Snow scrunched her brows and pursed her lips at a man all too relaxed and nonchalant to mind her. She sharply pushed out her breath through her nose and turned her eyes to the blade. Battered, beaten, worn, and weathered, the blade barely resembled a warrior's weapon. She picked it up in her hands. She looked up and down, but all she could think was...

This is nothing special...

Despite its lack of luster, it surely had more than a history. 

"I don't see anything." Snow said. She realized that not everything in this game was as it seemed. A pebble could increase a player's parameters. But for someone on the front lines, this weapon looked used. It looked like something a player carried from day one.

"What's special about it? Is it a rare item?"

She saw his last catch and felt a small bit of envy. The urge to take up fishing pushed itself up a few notches on the priority list. With catches like that, Snow's shop would have tons of customers. His catch momentarily brought her eyes to an oddly pristine and interestingly shaped crystal by her thigh. It wasn't something she could use to cook with but the deep purple hue and geometric facets were eye-catching. Perhaps someone could fashion it into some jewelry or facet it into some equipment. Snow shrugged and placed it in her inventory for safe keeping.

"Wait," she paused. "What's your point?"

The insect still squirmed after the blow from the child. She watched its abdomen rear up with this harpoon tip aimed for the girl's back. Her body took action and Cardinal heeded her call for a single fatal blow. Her spear impaled the Queen through and through. With a small notification window, the boss monster was no more.

Snow spun her spear onto her back where it stuck by whatever form of witchcraft made sense in this game. The task had been completed, but something felt off. She narrowed her eyes on the kid for a moment, but then broke into a smile.

"You most definitely could have," she nodded. Snow walked up to the small framed player and bent down to eye level. Her soft, blue eyes met with green.

"You're fairly good with that dagger. And keeping it concealed is a good idea. A little misleading, but smart." Snow traced her own chin with her thumb and index. She looked over the girl carefully. The vibe she got from the attire was that of a thief. When she was younger, she knew the type. Smart when they need to be, dumb when they need to be.

Snow stood upright. Who was she to pass judgement.

"Well then, what now?" she asked. "This is practically a safe zone again. So, you won't have to worry about monsters for some time. Did you need help back to town? There's some good gathering spots up ahead... or we could go beat up some more 'meanies' if you like?"

Snow made air quotes with her fingers and smiled.

@Assassin

Fishing is effective for tanking... Snow committed that tidbit to memory. She had already planned on learning how to fish at one point. She ran a sushi shop after all and had a nice little pond at home.

Snow was quiet about the front lines. She didn't know how to feel. To her, the front lines was a place of turmoil, conflict, and death. Daire always wrote about how exciting it was, how he met so many people and made so many friends. She often spoke of the front lines like they were a family. All families have their ugly ducklings and golden children. Yet, it all seemed foreign to Snow until she left the halfway homes in the Town of Beginnings.

"I'm not sure what to feel, Shield." Snow's ankles and knees began to tire in her squatted stance. She braced and lowered herself onto her rear to get more comfortable on the underground lake's shore. Once settled, she looked over its expanse.

"It took my best friend and another of my friends..." Her words weighed heavily for her, but Snow remembered the horrible things she said to Calrex and his reply. "When I say that, it hurts, but I know that people like you and the others have lost more than just a few people..."

While Snow looked out over the lake, a small, albino crab scampered from behind a rock. She met it with a raised brow and it put up its dukes. Snow cocked her head to the side. It charged and with a finger, Snow booped it from above so it couldn't move. It's claws snipped but couldn't reach her finger. Giving up, it fell slack and a prompt to accept it as cooking materials appeared. Snow tapped accept and the little, feisty crab was no more.

"It's just..." Snow took a breath and leaned back, bracing her weight with both arms. "I'm trying to be brave. To be strong. But I don't know how. I want to be a pillar of support for other players. I want to protect them -- to help make their lives better in here."

She tilted her head back with eyes closed. Why was she just spilling all of this to him? She didn't know the man and he lead her to one of the more dangerous floors to a secret cavern just to fish. Yet, she didn't feel like her life was in danger, nor that she made a bad decision. Her eyes opened and focused on the hundreds of pointy rocks above which took years and years to form.

"I feel like I can't do any of that if I don't even know how to protect myself. I have armor and a weapon I barely know how to fight with, but I still don't feel like I know what I'm doing."

Her head fell toward where the slow click of Shield's reel sounded. Blonde hair spilled over her shoulder as she looked at him.

"The front lines is like a goal that feels just out of reach, but I still want to grab it." Snow reached out an open palm toward him and as her hand covered him, she closed her grasp.

@Shield

As she thought of losing an arm and having it grow back stirred around in her mind, Snow tilted her head at some movement in the sand. She dipped her hands in the water and began gently moving the sand away. As she did, two brightly crustaceans emerged. No bigger than her thumb, they held their tiny claws out in protest to her probing. They prepared for battle; a battle which quickly ended when Snow struck with pinched fingers right behind their snippers. Several little legs kicked out in the exposed air.

These will work great for ebi dishes. Snow thought.

Their lives ended while Shield spoke, and Snow added them to her inventory for later.

"I guess," Snow replied. She never really considered this kind of archaic survival. Once her parents afforded her trip to Japan, most of her expenses were covered. Snow had everything she needed except for a decent air conditioner in the hot and humid summers. In the republic, her family struggled to meet bills and they often had to stick to the same meals, but even that seemed like a luxury by comparison.

"Nice catch! You look like a natural. Did you ever fish before SAO?"

Snow silently pondered Shield's guild while she waited for his reply. Between Mari and Calrex, she knew three of the guild's members. It reminded her of when she first met Jomei, Mac, and Opal. Maybe Jacob's Ladder was similar to her old guild.

@Shield

As Snow tried to stand guard for the child, the girl dashed past her. From the rags she wore, the girl pulled a dagger and activated a sword skill with a menacing red aura. Confusion struck Snow. She thought this girl to be a non-combatant. Even with a blade, the other player seemed oddly acquainted with fighting. Snow learned what she knew today from other players that chose to help her. She suspected something didn't add up.

"Be careful!" The valkyrie exclaimed as she witness the giant wasp take a few retaliatory stabs.

Snow leapt into action this time. Cardinal felt her intent and a faint blue aura enveloped Sif's Needle. The spear surged quickly into two quick thrusts. The blade sunk into the massive wasp's back, just beneath the wings. The precision of the blows interrupted the rhythmic hum of the Queen's wings and she fell from the air. Legs wounded and wings disabled, it struggled to gain any foothold.

"There." Snow slammed the but of her weapon beside her feet. She saw the sliver of HP remaining. "The rest is all you."

@Assassin

Calrex guided them out of sight from stray onlookers. For a moment, she expected him to berate her. Instead, he continued to illicit a response from the girl. Snow, at this point felt collected a portion of her wits. She nodded quietly, still embarrassed.

"A drink..." Her voice broke into a short, sharp inhale; a small residual effect of her crying. "A drink would be nice..."

The blonde spoke quietly and timidly. She had so many questions. She had so much to apologize for and frankly, she would love the comfort of a warm mug of tea or cocoa right about now. 

"Thank you for not..." she struggled for the right words to say. "For not flipping out on me."

She hoped they would actually be able to talk more at the cafe, but she needed to at least clear the air. Her embarrassment and his presence both made her incredibly uncomfortable. She felt the same way when Shield first spoke to her. So, maybe she would get over it. She just felt more uneasy considering her actions. Outside of the duel parameters and catching him off guard, Snow imagined Calrex could swat her life away with the back of his hand. Whether or not that was something he was capable of doing, she wasn't sure 

@Calrex

What he said wasn't wrong. Snow felt glad he didn't judge her. She feared many of the players that risked their lives hated lower level players for their inactivity. That guilt weighed on her every day she lived in the Town of Beginnings. That acceptance from high level players made her feel better about her choices.

"I didn't even do that..." she mumbled as Shield started speaking again. She turned her glance to the water's edge.

Shield's comment about his snapping turtle familiar made her crack a smile but also raise a brow. She turned back to him, head tilted.

"Bit your fingers... off?" She looked at her own hand. She couldn't comprehend losing a finger.

Does that mean I can lost an arm or leg too?!

She pondered the words he spoke. "Forced" stood out to her. Snow didn't really feel forced but technically, Daire's words when she first started her journey sometimes felt like an obligation. Yet, she still resolved to do something about it. In a way, Snow decided to join the fight of her own free will. Her friend only nudged her into action. It only took her life though...

"Yeah, I guess I wasn't forced. Really. I'm just... It's just scary. To go from college classes, homework, affording rent and food to having to fight for your life... I don't know how you all do it but..."

Snow nodded. Her determination showed present on her face.

"I want to figure that out. I think I want to hep others too. I want people like me, who are still scared, to feel safer."

From the rustling bush emerged a short, small looking child. Snow reared her spear to prevent accidentally impaling the player. They quickly ducked behind Snow, crying out about being attacked. The spearwoman turned her attention forward barely found the time to brace herself against the impact of the massive insect. It was several times larger than expected. No wonder low level players ran from it.

Pressed against the length of her weapon, Snow tensed and pushed back, bringing the edge of her blade across the legs of the monster. Red gashes marred its yellow body, but the insect still looked to attack a more... bite-sized target.

"Stay behind me," Snow barked. She placed an arm out to intercept anything that might go for the player behind her.

Snow watched as the reactive properties of her equipment knocked the Queen's health down beneath half. The green bar immediately turned yellow meanwhile a small pixel remained absent from her own health bar. She felt thankful for her choices of gear this morning.

@Assassin

Snow scrunched her face to the side, teased at a lock of blonde near her cheek, and sighed. Quietly, she walked up to the lake's rippling edge. The placid waters danced faintly, enough to reflect the various colors of light from around the cavern into a lovely spectacle. She got low and hugged her knees.

"Yeah..." Snow looked at the thin, clear waters of the tapered shore. Fine, crystal sand and smoothed stones looked as though trapped under glass. Not a sign of algae or debris marred her view.

"Maybe I'm just one of those players who isn't willing." Snow reached down into the water and ran her fingers through the silky sand. They caught on something sharp and she pulled back quickly. She stuck her fingers in her mouth out of instinct.

"Ow..." Her brows scrunched and after she realized the damage was merely cosmetic, she went in for the attack. From the shore, she pulled out a rather sizable mollusk in a tightly closed shell. To her, it looked like an oyster or mussel. She gave it a disapproving stare until the marker for an ingredient appeared and she added it to her haul for the day.

Meanwhile, Snow milled over Shield's comments. 

"Were you always willing to fight, Shield?" Snow asked, turning her head to him while remaining perched. 

@Shield

Snow learned from the locals of a nearby threat to the low-level gathering area. Every few days, a large hornet would appear and force non-combative players to flee a rich gathering area outside the second floor. She overheard the information from several panicked players at the entrance of town. After breakfast, the blonde picked out a different set of armor for the fight and made way in the direction of the High Fields of Crossing on the map. 

The second floor largely consisted of mountains, plains, and rivers. The journey was scenic, beautiful and peaceful. A small path, worn down from all the players that utilized this gathering area, helped to keep Snow on course. The weight of Sif's Needle lightly tapped her back with each step. Despite the rumored safety of the path, this was a field boss. She couldn't tell if this meant it would have minions or not, but hornets usually swarmed a nest. Nests meant many.

After about a half hour and a tiring hike uphill, Snow could see the large expanse of the famous High Fields of Crossing in the distance. From what she heard, this was where the players were getting attacked. It would bar them entrance to the otherwise safe-zone of the Fields. Snow fetched her spear from her back and advanced cautiously. Every rustle or hum caught her attention. One such noise seemed close and the blonde whipped her spear around, ready to attack.

@Assassin

The vines took considerable time to saw through. At this point in time, Snow wished she had a basic serrated knife or told the blacksmith to serrate the tip of Sif's Needle. Each vine was at least the thickness of her thumb with some larger than her wrist. The time it took her to cut also may have considered her low attack values versus its own durability values.

That all became moot when thunder seemed to erupt in the darkness. A guttural roar caused Snow to stop and take several steps back from the ruin's entrance. It sounded like the beating of drums at first, but as time progressed, the clatter of stone on stone seemed more appropriate. From the vines burst a massive beast with the body of a human but shape of a bull: A Minotaur.

Snow's stance immediately became rigid and her spear's tip hung low, ready for attack.

The monster roared. Snow winced. Then, it charged at her with horns pointed at her. The blonde's arms tightened and the pull of Cardinal shot her forward. Twin jabs from the length of her weapon pierced the minotaur's knees. As the blue light of her sword art shattered and came to a close, Snow tucked and rolled out of the way of her enemy before it toppled upon her. The creature screamed and fell head over feet. Dirt kicked up and chunks of moss scattered until it finally came to rest.

Mari...

The name set off a memory on the fourth floor. It just snowed and she loved the sight of fresh powder on the trees. She noticed a lake just outside of town and when she went to explore it, she met a redhead with an orange marker. Snow played over the conversation they had and how she embarrassed herself. Snow offered to be Mari's pillar since the redhead felt as though all she was good for was supporting others. Mari laughed and Snow felt humiliated. Thinking back, however, she did mention being a part of a guild.

I shouldn't bring that up, Snow thought. So stupid, Alyssa...

"I see," she opted for instead. His question about her current experience was quite loaded. Snow knew she wore her emotions on her sleeve. This new to adventuring, she had yet to learn to steel herself and hide her thoughts.

"It uh... It hasn't been the best? If I'm being honest?" she admitted, trying to keep the more painful details to herself. "There's a lot to learn, and the gap to be useful looks hard to close. Sometimes..."

Snow sighed.

"Sometimes I ask myself, 'Is this really worth it?' There are plenty of people who decided to stay in the starting city and plenty that are up here on floors like this. There's not many--"

Snow held out her arms and did a small spin.

"Not many like this..."

Her hands fell to her sides.

"Well, at least there are nice and helpful people still. If it weren't for them and for you, who knows where I'd be?"

@Shield

"Hmm..." Snow tried to wrap her head around what Galilea told her. She clearly played more games than her, but that was true about most of the players here. Snow's family rarely could not afford many luxuries and much entertainment media was censored back home. Her first few weeks in Japan were entirely eye opening. At present, Snow knew that having high attack and defense meant fighting monsters was easier and she would be safer. The more complex mechanics eluded her.

"I'll have to be honest," she nervously said with a smile, "that sounds too complicated for me."

Snow laughed at her own ignorance and in doing so, noticed another plant just behind Galilea. She walked past her and knelt down beside her to collect another needed ingredient. 

"Four out of five!" Once they had the materials, they still had to return to Zacharia and help him craft the needed potion. However, the quest was almost complete. That also meant Galilea wouldn't feel obligated to grace Snow with her company.

All things come to an end I guess... She thought.

@Galilea

Initial Application: (HERE)
Room(s) Being Added: 
Room(s) Being Upgraded: (Workshop Assigned to Snow) to (Extended Workshop)
Room(s) Being Re-Assigned:
Total Cost: 15,000 Col

Snow accepts: 

"Oh..." Snow replied. "I didn't know cooks were so valuable. I always thought it was a petty profession. It's all temporary and even then, you can't go over certain limits. It would be nice if more buffs stacked but I can see how that would be broken."

Snow sifted through the branches as she spoke. Finally, she found another highlighted item she needed for the quest. Only a few more and they would be done. 

"Three out of five," the blonde replied with a sigh. "I don't mind nature, but sometimes these quests can be grindy."

As she continued to look for the last of the needed items, the title Galilea gave to herself made Snow tilt her head. 

"What exactly does a Berserk Healer entail?" Snow still lacked a lot of the common knowledge of the game. Especially high tier terminology. At her point of the game, a DPS and Tank role varied by a point or two.

Snow felt Mari's grip on her hand and felt a brief moment of panic. It was firm, but not aggressively so. It was, however, enough to prevent the blonde from standing and that unsettled her. The look she gave Mari mirrored that of a frightened animal backed in a corner. Even if the words she spoke were kind and honest, Snow felt a little scared.

"No, don't worry about it. No big deal. And thanks but..." Mari let go of Snow's hand. The blonde immediately slid out and stood. She straightened her clothes. "I overstepped. I've worn out my welcome."

Tch, you more than wore it out. You stuck your foot clean in your mouth. God, Alyssa. Just go bury your face in a pillow.

Snow bowed as a sign of respect.

"Thank you again for inviting me and for the tea. It was a nice distraction from..." She paused, and shook her head. "Well, anyway. Enjoy your evening. Thanks again for your kindness."

The blonde turned around and made for the door. She opened it gently, exited, and just as quietly closed it as not to cause alarm. The sky rained large tufts of snow in a soft hissing whisper. Arms crossed to preserve what little warmth followed her, Snow stepped out and made way back to town.

God... I'm such an idiot...

@Mari

The sound of disappointed comments and whispers of the remaining onlookers faded as they dispersed. The overly sized notification window of the duel's end disappeared and Snow stood with her head in a stranger's chest. The soft pressure of his hand on her shoulder jarred her. Snow looked up, eyes red, vulnerable, and feeling lost.

Despite the scene she made, despite her attacking him, and not knowing her at all, Calrex acted as though they were friends. He acted like this had just been a light argument between friends and it was time to hug it out. He asked if she'd join him for a drink and if she'd like to talk. It almost made Snow completely lose it. She bit her lip to stop it from quivering and took a sharp breath. After a pause, she nodded, struggling to find her words at the moment.

What would I say? Would I apologize? No... Not after something like that. Why didn't he just shrug her off or ignore me in the first place? Would he even care about my problems? Maybe... maybe he knew where I was coming from. Maybe he understood. I don't even know...

@Calrex

Snow caught the pendant and held it in her hands as Galilea spoke. Small, deep green stones accented several points. They seemed like jade to her, but had a grain and pattern to it. She looked up and watched Galilea's gesture and mimicked it. The trinket halted just above her helmet as though she held a plate of steel. A small X appeared in front of the girl and she rolled her eyes with a sigh. Some menus later, Snow's helmet vanished and her locks of blonde cascaded over her shoulder. Rid of the obstacle, Snow slid the pendant on and let it come to rest just beneath the collar bone and high enough not to get lost in her chest.

"Thank you." She looked back to Galilea. "This should help. I'm hoping once I get stronger, I can actually help in the upper level fights. I don't think I'll ever be good enough to deal damage, but maybe I can help distract a boss and chip away at it a bit while the really talented players do more damage."

"What about you? Are you planning on doing a lot of fighting?"

@Galilea