Vale

The woman looked down into the water seeing the reflection of her own eyes staring directly at her. The once bright gleam that shined in the martial artist's eyes, which was ignited after long after the loss of her first love. Had once again vanished into nothingness, the prideful had become fearful of her day to day surroundings.

Fingers clenched into the same arms they were attached to. The visible shifting of skin would be evident to anyone within eyesight of her. How deep the fingers dug into the skin, it was a shock that the system wasn't registering the actions as an attack on the body. It had been a while since she had become aware, but this... Proved to be the feeling of something she hadn't felt before.

True Fear.

The thought of facing Hikoru was a mental struggle atop of the forefront mental war she battled with the legacy known as 'The Berserker'. Vale needed more answers, but she was at a large impasse. There was a shortage of leads, and not much left to go on with what she had at her disposal. Which was finally bringing an end to the reason she distanced herself from her second love.

The mental struggle of wondering if his feelings still held true for her. The idea that he may just completely look away from her and consider her a traitor to his heart, caused her hesitation to exit the supposed relaxing spring.

Taking a multitude of deep breaths, in an attempt to calm herself from the anxiety attack that was soon to regress into. Vale finally managed to still her heartbeat back to its usual pace. The well-toned woman immediately equipped her iconic armor and took to the road slow and steady. Taking every moment of her time along the road to a safe spot for Player Killers to use a Teleportation Gate.

The path had become well known, as there was a small crossroads area where both PKers and Non-Pkers crossed paths to reach their respective Teleportation Gates. Amongst most of the known PKer groups, it was agreed upon to be a neutrality zone... An area that felt somewhat safe for both factions of players.

Multiple colors illuminated the walls of the 21st floor, the mass array of flora and fauna that grew in the deep dark caverns were simply captivating to lay one's eyes upon. Certain elevated locations tended to yield small hot spring pockets, where one could escape from the trivialities of this world and seep themselves in a warm refreshing bath-like place.

Unfortunately, despite having immersed herself into one of the far off, secluded, and seldom known about hot spring spots. The delirium of the past few months was beginning to show on Vale's distraught face. The well-toned tannish brown woman left her body float in the water as she held a laying back position. With all of her equipment left in her inventory, it was one of the very few moments in her time spent in the death game, where she was truly vulnerable.

The months had been spent away from all other players in pursuit of uncovering a well-hidden mystery held by those of the Frontlines. Most importantly those, who were once apart of the frontlines though they held their spot no longer. The effort that she had so meticulously been working with was beginning to wear the woman down, so much so that the idea of someone ending her life there in the water was a thought that could bring a smile to Vale.

She slowly opened her eyes to look at the crystals that were embedded into the cavern's ceiling, an undiscernable distance away. The slight glow they emitted would bring the woman back to her senses after the idea of her permanent dematerialization. There was an extremely strong reason why she needed to keep moving forward with her conviction. Someone who was helping her in the back of her mind.

Hikoru.

The martial artist moved her hand to her lips, lightly touching them with just her index and middle finger as they gently slid from one corner of her mouth across her bottom lip to the other corner. Butterflies consistently churned through her stomach when she thought about it, so much so it caused her on a number of occasions to seek him out while keeping an immense distance between the two of them.

The feeling of dread that resided in her when she removed him and all other contacts from the game off of her friendslist. She knew that the man would be upset with her after doing such an act, it made the want to see him in person all that much more difficult. But finally, enough was enough. She couldn't hold her feelings within a metaphorical bottle any longer.

She needed to see him, face to face.

Skill(s) Being Dropped: <One Handed Curved Sword> - Rank 1
Mod(s) Being Dropped: N/A
SP Refunded: 5
Cost: 5,000 col

As Vale unlocked her heart to the young man, leaving nothing left in hidden within her closet of misfortune and trauma. This was the ultimate sign of weakness for the pride-filled woman, she was showing her sensitive and vulnerable side to the man. Even with the amount of time she had spent with Yukino, she was the one whom had to always remain strong.

But this time, it was completely different. Vale no longer had to be carrying the weight of two sets of shoulders upon her back. No, she was certain that this felt more mutual and loving than the woman whom held Vale’s heart in the past.

Her eyes became entranced deeply within Hikoru’s eyes that the man so desperately tried to keep out of sight. She could see just how emotionally painful it was for him to hear the words that she was sharing with him. The man was choked up, struggling to even formulate sentences naturally. His broken speech and his defeated persona were impossible to feign from noticing.

She walked up carefully and gently, standing squarely in front of him just inside his range of reach to hug her. She took a deep breath, slowly but softly drawing in and releasing the air, “You don’t understand Hikki-kun…” Her sentence was interrupted when she saw the sand behind Hikoru’s head begin to swirl in a pattern. It was easily detectable as they stood in the eye of a sand storm that suddenly erupted.

ID: 98685 | BD: 9+3-2 | LD: 14+3 = 17 (Detected the Dragon) | MD: 4+2-3= Irrelevant - Dead

A glint of light flickered off her peripheral to her right, she reached up and placed a kiss upon Hikoru’s lips. Locking them for only a brief moment. Before pulling away and thrusting her fist straight to the right of her.

Vale’s fist collides at the maximum point of extension her arm could reach, into the face of a yellow crystalline whelpling with the name tag above it ‘Tabaluga, the Topaz Hatchling’. The impact point was a critical one for the dragon, it instantly burst into thousands of data particles that fluttered in the direction of its flight.

As the data particles traveled past her face slightly illuminating she spoke, “Hikki… I know now… That I’m in love with you.”

Tabaluga – -20/300 HP | 55 MIT (375-55=320 Damage Taken)
Vale – 840 HP | 19(24) DMG | 67/84 Energy (-17 Energy)

@Hikoru

The low rumble of the wind, and the sound of the sand that was carried along with it. Gave the feeling that this desert was far colder than it seemed. Albeit the heat was sweltering, the vibes that surrounded the two of them felt colder than the snowy plains of the 4^th floor.

If Vale was to truly be with Hikoru, he needed to know about everything that was hidden in her metaphorical closet. All the demons on the past, and the overwhelming grief attached. This was a monumental rollercoaster of emotions for the young woman, but she was determined to make the man apart of her life in earnest.

The Shadow Stalker asked his question quietly and this was as good a chance as any to begin, “When this game first started, I had a fiancé, her name was Yukino… She was someone who I had been the closest of friends with, since we were classmates in Elementary School.” She smiled thinking about it, for but a brief moment before her smile vanished, “But when we got trapped in this game, her originally intended to be gift lead her to…” She paused as it pained her to say… “Jump off the side of Aincrad.”

She looked up at Hikoru to look at his eyes, “I experienced that Nightmare every night for the first few months… Then you helped me get through the pain and burden of it at first. Something that could distract me.” Her feet moving in a swift and consistent manner toward their target location despite being lost deep within explaining this story to the man, shifting her face from his face back to the path they traversed. She had a feeling they were getting near the whelpling.

“Ever since then I’ve had that dream less and less…” Another pause for her to catch her breath, “But last night’s Nightmare was something unique completely.” Vale stopped in her tracks, something in her gut telling her that they were close to their prey, “Instead of dreaming of that fateful day… I had a dream of every single moment the two of us has spent together…” Shifting her gaze from the ground back to Hikoru’s face one last time, “I noticed somewhere in the background of the scenes that had you in it… She was there…. Down upon her knee’s… Crying into her hands.” Finishing her story, “It was… disturbing and heart wrenching at the same time…”

@Hikoru

There was an understanding between the two of them, that transcended words. Hikoru could blatantly tell that this had been gnawing at her deeply, and why the difficulty of sharing this information was so drastic. As if torn asunder from the chinks in her armor, she wanted to explain just how vile this essence was. And if what she thought was to be right, the reality of exactly what it could do we irrelevant of whom possessed the weapon.

A lack of details caused Vale to hesitate when the Shadow Stalker asked if he should keep it in his possession. But the Martial artist shook her head, "No, I don't think the essence would like that... Not that I am sure exactly what it wants. It's not possible to discern the motives of the entity, it just has a goal in mind and it's pursuing it." Vale stood up, using the menu system to return the weapon in its bag so the feeling of being watched would be centralized on Vale. She wondered if this feeling passed for Hikoru now that the blade wasn't in open eyesight like before.

Vale began to walk instinctively toward the dragon's nesting location. The Panther Woman knew that the two of them were still embarking on a quest, and had something to accomplish, "I think it's best we drop that topic for another time. I'm at least certain you want to collect your thoughts before tackling that issue." She lifted her eyes from the ground to stare directly forward, "Next thing I guess I want to be open with you about is the dream I had last night..." She paused.

Taking a moment to bite her lip, knowing the Hikoru was behind her just slightly enough that she couldn't tell if he would notice or not.

Still shook by the unnerving and vivid images she had while sleeping, a visibly notice shiver ran it's way down her spine. "The entire night I was in a blissful place secured peacefully in your arms... But the last dream I had was a nightmare." Another slight pause as she stopped to turn around, "I dreamt of Yukino last night... My Fiancee that hurled herself over the edge of Aincrad... Except it wasn't like the usual dream I have come to terms with..." Her focus shifted from Hikoru's eyes to the ground quickly after she said the name her late betrothed. The first in a long while she had done so.

There was still pain in the very word, that was the woman's name for Vale. It was still to this point, a heartwrenching experience that she didn't know if she'll ever truly be able to recover from.

@Hikoru

Time slowly ticked it’s way forward. It was just a brief moment, but Vale could almost feel the intense change in atmosphere around Hikoru. She witnessed as a single tear began to form on the corner of Hikoru’s only visible eye to her.

The Shadow Stalker gazed upon the blade, for nearly an eternity or so it felt. The longer the silence the more pained Vale felt. Was this the wrong idea? Was it a terrible decision to show Hikoru the blade? Just who was this magnanimous person, for so many emotionally battle-tested frontliners to come to a freezing halt? This man was beyond influential at this point, if even the Master of Shadow’s, Hikoru… would sit practically stunned looking at it.

Vale slightly jumped in her seat, partially startled when Hikoru took a sudden deep breath to return himself to reality from his mindscape. And the first question was exactly as she suspected.

“I-It started as a usual training segment on the 7^th floor. I took a different route than my usual one. And I came across a home, carved out of the tree it was set in.” Vale took a slight breath, “That’s where I met Lessa… And where I obtained the blade.” After she finished with that sentence Hikoru asked about the feeling of being watched.

Despite Vale’s dark skin, it was painstakingly obvious when her face went pale at the second question. She bit her lip, noticeably trembling in her seat, “That… That is….” She took a deep breath, “The Essence… of Rage itself……. Likely the progenitor of the power that Dom was said to have. A sentient energy… That does…” She covered her mouth as tears began to form thinking of the monsters that were consumed by it, “Unspeakable things…”

@Hikoru

Hikoru took a seat upon a flat top rock, there was another one slightly shorter and next to it making it a nice seat for couples. She took the seat beside the man, he took her hand and shared sweet words that cause Vale to smile sweetly.

It was for only a brief moment, afterwards her face took a more serious approach. Pulling her hand away, she patted the Shadow Stalkers’ hand then brought her menu up. Vale took a deep breath, then selected the item that she wanted to show to Hikoru.

After pressing the button that would be the Greatsword, Gram. The weapon began materializing in front of the both of them. The Iconic massive heap of metal plunged itself into the ground to hold itself up, there a familiar essence of bloodlust was emitted. Only a mere moment had passed, and the feeling of being watched was immediately upon them. It was as if a Supernatural Being was staring on the two of them. The shiver that traced its way creepily down Vale’s spine gave her awareness of exactly the thing that had been watching her for months.

She looked over at Hikoru to discern what kind of emotions he had looking at the sword, “I’m sorry I’ve kept a huge secret from you. The only people who know about this are Jomei and Lessa.” She twiddled her thumbs together, “C-comments.” Weariness now audible in her voice.

@Hikoru

Flickers of light periodically occurred in Vale’s eyesight due to the wind carrying sand about, reflecting the light of the sun in all possible directions. Nothing too major to cause blindness, but enough to be noticed. It was difficult for the woman to keep her attention on anything physical though as her mind endlessly raced at exasperating speeds. Her breathing was slightly off than usual, though it could be attributed to the dark-skin and dark colored clothing increasing the heat on her.

As they walked through the town, Hikoru lightly pulling her along with her willingness. The stares that used to be effortless for Vale to deal felt somewhat overwhelming. Her psyche applying as much pressure on the girl, until Hikoru spoke as they exited the town.

A snapback to reality. And the timing felt right to start from the beginning.

“L-Look…” She struggled to start, “I’ve got good news, bad news, and news I am unsure about how you’ll respond.” She managed to say as she pulled her hand away from his, “I’ll leave the good news until after the Dragon… And we’ll talk about the bad news shortly…”

Vale gripped her right arm, “But first we need to start with the news I’m uncertain of how you’ll respond.” She bit her lip saying. Worried about how this is conversation’s river was to flow.

@Hikoru

Vale turned her head away when Hikoru exclaimed that he couldn’t wait to hear. There were a lot of things that fluttered through the Martial Artists’ mind. The fact that she had a secret she hadn’t yet shared with Hikoru, the plethora of memories from her dreams, and her honest feelings that she wished to share with the Shadow Stalker.

The woman knew she should get a lot of the core things off her chest first before taking to the path she wanted in her head. With a decision made in her heart, there was a lot that needed to be talked about between the two of them. And if anything, it should start long before they ever come into contact with the beast they were hunting.

After completing her meal, she followed Hikoru out the door. Holding hands with him the entire way to the Teleportation Shrine in the nearby Floor Main Town. They spoke simultaneously teleporting to the fifth floor of Aincrad.

The scene of the town came into view, one she had visited numerous amounts of times. But the first time did she step foot on this floor officially with Hikoru. Vale awaited Hikoru to take the reins and lead them to their destination while she mentally prepared herself for the conversation that was to start outside of the confines of the main settlement of the fifth floor.

@Hikoru

As the woman stepped forward, Hikoru walked into the room with a piping hot burrito wrap on a plate. The fragrance in the air, the taste of the food on her tip of her tongue without having yet taken a bite. The well fit martial artist took the plate into the claws of her gauntlets.

Vale didn’t wait much longer to get to the table. She began eating the meal that her new love had made her. She couldn’t even make a hint of the char, despite it clearly being there due to Cooking not being Hikoru’s main profession. But, instead Vale could taste the passion and heart that was behind each and every bite.

Moving a chair with her nimble paws upon her feet, shifting the inanimate object to be directly next to the Master of Shadows. Daintily placing her posterior upon the seat, “Hikki… It doesn’t matter that you didn’t make the best meal in your mind. It doesn’t matter if it is slightly burned...” Vale leaned in to give a sensual soft and slow kiss upon Hikoru’s cheek, “What matters is that you made it for me, and that is what ultimately matters for me.”

Although that wasn’t exactly where Vale wanted to end in her sentence, and it was obvious by the way she stopped her sentence. But a smile stretched across her face, her eyes closed and gave one more kiss, “I’ll tell you after the Dragon meets his end.” She finished saying.

@Hikoru

Tears began to stream down her face as Hikoru responded in kind. The Panther woman was certain that the man she slept the night through with, would pull away from her. Everything she knew about the Hikoru suggested he might turn to her. But, at the same time there was so much she didn’t quite understand about the mysterious man who had slowly been captivating her heart.

A loving embrace enveloped Vale, she brought the blanket over her head to hide the tears as best she could. There was nothing more that she wanted than a blissful comfort provided by the person she wanted in her life the most.

That person was no longer Yukino, but the man whom was now carrying the girl to the bathroom like a princess. Something only her Father had done a long time from her past. Just before Hikoru could place her down, Vale gripped onto his clenching his shirt tightly.

“Thank you Hikki…” She whispered under her breath.

Hikoru left the bathroom to get the two of them a bite to eat. During that time, Vale composed herself in the bathroom readying herself for the day. After a few deep breaths. The cat woman adorned her iconic attire and exited the bathroom. Ready to tackle the day, the target, and her mind at the same time along side him.

@Hikoru

Before nightfall’s end, Vale knew full well that she needed to return everything within the place she called home. One she would no longer be able to call such any longer. The zone that her home resided in was due for an update from the Cardinal System. Something most of the players had realized started to occur when glitches and exploits in the system arose.

She looked at the stars slowly fading from the naked eye due to the sun’s rise, “You weren’t kidding… This world is truly unique… If only you saw it instead of plummeting off its side, you would know this was where we belong.” Her head slowly dropped until her visual focus shifted from the sky to her hands, “But no longer do I feel like I belong…” She closed her eyes and opened the window of her room. A short drop, nothing she hadn’t handled in the past.

But this time was much different, there was this deep seeded feeling of running. After a few flicks of her finger to return all objects under her ownership to her inventory. She leapt out the window after the process completed.

And she began to run, as far away as her feet would take her. To where? Noone was told.

Thread Complete
Both players get 200 Col
Both players get 1 SP for the Thread

A shattered mind, unable to attain a streamlined thought process. Her mind was littered with the feeling of fear. Normally a self-disciplined and stalwart fighter, someone with pride and a well deep filled with self-confidence was diminished down to a weeping mess, despite hearing the words “Sorry” from her now trustworthy friend. She couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by a figure, created by the system that seemed to have a level of control on this world. However small it may actually be, to Vale it seemed like a gargantuan opponent without a weakness.

Vale wiped away the tears that were trickling down the side of her face. Although they resided in a building on a floor with moderate temperature, It felt frigid in the room. The eeriness of the night never settled for her, as she peeled herself from the door of her room into the bed.

Hours stretched, only a few times were Vale’s eyes able to shut as the crippling fear continued to take her hostage. It would take some time, but the panther woman would finally find some rest. Exhaustion that had accrued over the past few days. Constant combat with the Essence of Rage, or what felt like Evil itself attributed to her lack of sleep. And thus, this weight of unbearable burden would not allow the woman to keep a restful sleep for yet another night.

Night-Terrors had begun to plague the emotionally fatigued woman. A constant stream of indiscernible memories in near rapid succession.

Flinging herself up into a sitting position she would wake in the middle of the night, heart beating practically out of her chest. Unable to identify or understand any of the memories she had witnessed during her sleep.

Her eyes began to gain focus as the want, nor will to sleep existed any longer. It was still the time of morning before the Sun’s rays could break the horizon. She noticed a particular message appear before her eyes, it wasn’t just any message. But one from the Cardinal, dispatched to all players who still yet live. It was here that Vale realized, that she only had one week to remove her items from the building as the Housing Update was preparing to process.

Her eyes lost their focus once she read the time frame.

She knew, she had to keep the Forsaken Blade with her personally now, “Oh….. no….”

All of Hikoru's fingers could be traced, the feeling was a symphony of nature's beauty. She could feel passion and heat where ever his hand had chosen. The Shadowed Path's prey was all but hs, yet the man seemed so slightly unaware as to how. The woman couldn't help but bite down on her lip practically purring at this point, yet able to stifle all the sounds that she yearned to make. It was difficult to find her way back to sleep, she awoke often throughout the night. Although she normally did not like being the one that was consoled while she slept, there was something magical about the way Hikoru held her throughout the night. It was a fleeting feeling that the passionate woman did not want to stop embracing, she didn't want to lose a chance at true happiness and bliss while she rested.

These moments brought a smile upon her face, until she closed her eyes to her last Nightmare of a Dream.

During the moments of Vale's final dream of the twilight night, her mind was plagued with thoughts of the one woman that she trusted so much. The one, that had abandoned her. But they were no longer of the times when she was re-enacting that fateful day. No, they were of moments from the times that she was fighting with Hikoru. A phantom in the distance of her peripheral eyesight when she looked at her new love. The Ghost, down on her knee's crying as though she had realized what had become from her decisions. A Conflicting emotion from the wonderful night of happiness, that would ultimately cause the woman to awake when Hikoru kissed her upon the head.

A cold sweat covered her body as she awoke in a shocked manner, a shiver down her spine instantly struck her causing her to squirm obviously. Vale struggled to get her breath for a moment as she kept the blanket over her curling into the fetal position after she realized what she had witnessed. She gritted her teeth as her actions were finally processing through her brain.

A conversation, a deep one would have to happen. Before the man could speak after his sentence she spoke, "I know what you just saw, leaves questions." She paused for but a brief breath as she continued to struggle with under the blanket. 

"I will let you ask them at a later time when I can properly explain this to you. But please, don't think about it right now. Let's finish this hunt, and talk afterwards. I really need to think about this, okay... my love?" Pausing in between words to catch a quick breath, before finally revealing her face to finish with her last two spoken words. staring in the direction of his face underneath his hood. 

Will Edit when I have time.

Quest Complete:
1 SP for Thread for all 3
1 SP for Quest for all 3
200 Col to Genji and Raina (If she returns to us). Vale alloting her portion to the both of them.
275 Col amount for Roll.

ID: 89563 | LD: 11
 

14 hours ago, Aereth said:

Thanks for all of your input up until now. Since I'll be the one creating this hotfix your ideas really help me out a big time and I hope to get the fix out as soon as possible. 

From what I was able to gather the majority of players want the patch consisting of something like this:

• Back to NK per default for every thread. (@Pretty_Much_Everyone)
• Allowing players to enter threads and "scare" (needs proper definition) others ( @Kisodeth, @Itzal)
  • Also needs to be looked at from a SP gain perspective
  • RP combat only
• Orange players can ALWAYS be attacked and killed (@Lessa)

@Everyone_Who_Likes_2.5_Rules
While I also see the RP advantages of this new mechanic, we need to take care of what the majority of the players want. And if you really enjoy the thrilling feeling of getting killed all the time you can put a Killing Enabled Tag into your signature.

@Ryo 
I have to agree with Itzal and the likes on that matter. If you accept a duel and kill your opponent, there is no need to become orange, since both parties agreed on the consequences of that battle.

@Thorsten
I feel like the ruling for "little" crimes is adequate. If you are a pickpocket, that's no big deal for the first 3 times. But at some point these guys also need to be punished.

@Lessa
I totally love the idea of Orange players being open to be attacked at all times. It's like you said, their choice if they want to become orange.
Entering Cities:
Honestly, I feel like being able to enter cities is an important thing for RP. You can go for a drink, have some fun etc. Besides that, it's even canon for orange players to be able to enter safe zones. They can enter, but they get hunted by NPC guards, and thrown out of town if caught. And the implementation of using the Hiding Skill in order to enter and move inside of Save Zones is something I feel is appropriate. (Maybe the numbers need to be tweaked but that's what I'm here for right?)

Everything I have said in private conversations with others, shown above. I like you Aereth, you understand what the majority of the player base wants..

Despite the fact that She was deep within a cave, she knew running into other players in this cave was bound to happen as it was an early on quest. Because of such, the man whom had introduced himself as Genji showed that he had quite the skill with his Curved Blade, she wasn't precisely sure just how powerful he was, but it was worth taking the time to get the know the man. A potential ally in the long run if he were willing to help her instead of strike her down.

Once the quest finished updating, Genji spoke up. He was in fact here for the quest and he was able to get credit without needing to do much effort, "There is something more dangerous in this cavern? I have explored it a number of times. But it is possible we just haven't been here when that mob has spawned." She chuckled. The Cardinal system had a habit of spawning new creatures and creating new quests constantly, so it wasn't far out of the realm of possibility for there to be a much more frightening enemy hidden deeper within. Today wasn't a day to go on that hunt.

Vale really couldn't get a good impression of the man, but his comment on her dress attire did stick with her a bit, "I happen to enjoy the way I look, that and the armor allows me nimble movement for my cat-like reflexes, Nya?" She ended her statement with the catchphrase of Neko girls in Japan to add a twinge of humor to her words, but with the offer to leave the cave. Vale couldn't pass it up, "I think it's a good time we leave. Unless you're trying to pick up a chick in a dungeon." She stuck her tongue out then turned around and began to strut away, possibly taunting him with her curvy physique.

As the Neko Girl began to wake up, her internal alarm clock going off long before the sun were to even rise was enough to bother Hikoru but not enough to wake him completely. He put his arms around her waist grabbing onto her and pulling her close, his hands touching up against her body normally where fur would reside. She held the blanket up to cover herself giggling as he pulled her to him to snuggle. Hikoru didn't have her work ethic, then again there were only probably a select few people that were able to push their bodies a full twenty hours with only a need of a few hours to recover. This was a special time and the message she got from the cardinal was of major importance, but it could wait to talk about to allow the man to sleep.

She shimmied back down under the covers, trying her best to keep him snuggled up against her. After she had finally gotten to a position of comfort, she turned around so Hikoru's bicep would be under her head, and his chest against her back. Vale entwined her fingers with his other hand and took this moment as the last time she would get to sleep in this house with Hikoru, "I'll tell you later love." She whispered, closing her eyes to return to sleep.

The words that Jomei spoke teared into the psyche of Vale, she felt like she was a pawn of something else's game. There was a feeling of disgust, loathing, and noncooperation. She didn't want to be a fish dangled onto a fishing hook, but based on the things that Jomei had shared and what they had witnessed the essence do to others. She began to have a feeling deep down within her where she knew, she had absolutely no choice. Vale was the one that would need to accept the  curse that was the Berserker, it had chosen her after all. And if it didn't feel as though something was worthy of it's power it could be consumed just like all those beasts it forced itself upon. Her thoughts danced around the idea that the Berserker Essence could not envelope Player Characters, or maybe not yet. There was so much she needed to confirm first.

As Jomei finished, she bit into her lip hard enough that red data particles began to form. She hid the bottom half of her face so the Emerald Duelist was unable to perceive it, "I think we should put the weapon away. And call it a night, there was more quests that we were wanting to do tomorrow." She said with a soft and weak-willed voice. As if everything she had learned today was weighing heavily on her mind, She stood up and placed the Greatsword back in the chest and closed it. Afterwards she selected a button to lock the chest with a Pincode, afterwards she made her way for the door, "You can use the guest room for tonight if you wish to stay here." She stated as she left, not waiting for him to respond to hurry to her room with a fast paced walk. Shutting the Master Bedroom door behind her and locking it. There she collapsed to the ground, it was an overwhelming feeling of the need to cry as for the second time in her life. She felt completely powerless over what was happening around her.

As the two of them enjoyed their leisure stroll toward a place where they could dance, Hikoru admitted with a chuckle that he had an inability to dance. Vale giggled softly, "It's not a problem Ace-kun, I'll make sure to teach you well." She said sweetly, moving her free hand over to grab his bicep and bring his arm closer against her chest. She smiled happily knowing she would get to share a possible first with Hikoru, generally based on that statement meant they didn't dance with people. Vale knew a few dancing styles though she was by no means a savant at dancing, but she would be able to mirror a style that he would be most comfortable with.

"How about... What you did in the real world, what your aspirations were, and what are your likes and dislikes?"

Normally a set of questions that would cause a myriad of people to pause and have the same questions towards themselves. Vale was actually incredibly sure of what her answers were, to each of the questions that her date had provided. Vale smiled and blushed a slight amount as she was embarrassed to admit so much to him, "Well... I was a professional Martial Artist in the real world. I was a Master belt for Muay Thai and had offers to run a number of dojo's. And I was in the National's for Lightweight Women's Boxing in Japan between the ages of 16 to 22, stopped going to tournaments for Boxing for the past two years to focus on my relationship with my then Fiancee. I might have a number of trophies that decorate my parents house since i was an only child." Vale's smile was unable to fade as the memories were incredibly good to her.

"As to what my aspirations were, I honestly just wanted to master all types of Martial Arts and hopefully create a style that would continue down to become a widely recognized style of fighting like Wing Chun, Tai Kwon-do, Jiu Jitsu and the sorts." Vale seemed radiant by this point as she relished the idea of her aspirations were possible to come to fruition, "But unfortunately this world will prevent some of that. Since this game keeps us in a statis where we cannot move our limbs, I'll probably lose the muscle mass to be able to make it come to be." She looked at him still smiling despite the fact she shared some sad news, "But my aspirations now compared to then, are much different."

"What are my likes and dislikes? Well... I was originally a Lesbian before dating you, so I still am strongly aroused by attractive women. And to be completely truthful, I actually love Healthy foods, and I don't much care for unhealthy sweets. Though on occasion I will partake in it. I like to work out, practice and compete Martial Arts, and I love Neko girls. I'm incredibly happy that this world gave me the potential to be a Neko girl myself." She laughed as she talked, there wasn't too much she disliked and there wasn't anything major that she heavily despised. Vale was content with the answers she had given him, as Vale finished her sentence she looked at Hikki, "Let's have a good time Dancing, then go back home for the evening." Before the man got a chance to respond she tugged him into the Tavern made into a Club to enjoy the day until the eventful night that was to come.

[Due to Request of Hikoru. The date part of the thread ends here, continuing further from this point is the next RP day. The Release of the 2.5 Systems]

The internal clock began to scream, the Martial Artist's eyes opened to look into the sleeping face of Hikoru. An eventful night of memories being shared, hearts bonding, and love shared through the thrills that elapsed. She smiled as she slowly sat up, holding the bed's covers to keep herself covered. Too much to mention occurred and never had Vale felt closer and happier with Hikoru than she does now. A small yellow blip appeared in the Vale's eyesight, a server wide notification by Cardinal System and a personal message from the Cardinal System.

Vale selected the Server Wide notification which had a long detailed list of the changes in the system from 2.0 to 2.5, it seemed like the game's system was always crunching numbers, adapting to keep the game in an eternal state of balance. Vale read through peacefully until she read the changing to houses, the change made her wonder. Moving her finger over to the personal messages she selected the message that the system had sent her, "Oh no!" She exclaimed possibly waking the young man she had spent the night with.

Stats:

Vale readied herself to launch for another attack, but just as the martial artist prepped her to strike. Her cat-like ears twitched, foot steps coming toward her fast. The woman turned to look behind her where Raina had just ran off to to get the quest requirement out of the zone. She saw a man running toward her, he was moving quick enough to be hard to define but slow enough that Vale could track his movement.

This silver haired young man launched into the air glowing a vibrant gold-like color as the system began to register the activation of his sword art. She watched as he effortlessly struck each of the bats with his Farrant Full Moon technique he seemed to have called it. Vale loosely remembered the technique from when she was considering having a Curved Sword as her weapon. The girl did her research on all weapon types, and it helped her identify what style of fighting the man who assisted her preferred. Impressed she took this opportunity to join the conversation with the man.

"Hey," "Everything okay?"

The panther-like woman gave a low toned growl, "That was well done. Now who do I owe the pleasure of a thanks." Vale could hear Raina running off in the distance with the girl. The quest details being given to the entire group including the man who came to assist. She closed her eyes placing one paw upon her hip and the other dangling off to the side, "I will have to say Everything is quite alright. I assume you came here cause you had the quest as well?" She asked with a feline-esque smile stretched across her face, slowly opening her eyes to look at this man in his.

ID: 89414 | LD: 14+6 = 20 | CD: 7 (2 Bonus Mats)
Total Materials Gained: 3 T1 Mats.

The darkened halls of the dimly lit Mansion, due to an update by the Cardinal system everything was changing. Vale was no longer the owner of that home, but she could still access all of the stuff she owned. The Dark-skinned Neko girl walked through the corridors, each step as hollow as the next, reverberating through the confines of the massive abode. A sound that took a piece of happiness with her each time she heard the noise come from every angle. There were plenty of good memories that were made here, and it seemed as though the Cardinal wanted to take this plot away from Player use and have a grander scheme for it. Nevertheless, Vale understood what that meant.

Moving day was now.

Sifting through each individual Chest in her recently constructed shop, The Grand Arboretum. Something deep down within her knew she would come to visit this place again, for what purpose was yet to be discovered. It took time to go through all the items, albeit she didn't get to create a lot of memories here. She did at least get to create some with people who meant so much to her at this point in her life. Once she was finished with the Grand Arboretum, she made her way to the Master Bedroom. This room holding one of the two greatest weights that reside in the hollow halls of the Green River Estate. She sighed as the thoughts crept into her minds everything she had done in here. A smile stretched across her face, "At least the Cardinal system is not heartless. It gave me a voucher to get a new estate under the same circumstances." Vale said to herself as she grabbed the voucher she placed on the bed when she entered the estate for what felt as though was the last time.

The howl of the wind, and the rush of the waterfall in the distance making this ordeal all the more painful emotionally. She was beginning to fall in love with the home, and she wasn't sure whether the next place she would reside would have the same feel. Loosely the idea of living with Hikoru was beginning to string itself together inside her mind. They hadn't been together for too long, but at the same time at a moment's notice the two of them could be separated from a lack of a bar of health. The thought, of that caused her to shutter, along with that feeling that she was being watched with the completion of packing up everything excluding the final item in the room she dreaded most.

The long echoing walk toward the study, a place that caused her skin to crawl. There was nothing in there aside from an assortment of books she had read over her time in Aincrad, and a singular chest. With a single, haunting item.

The Demon Blade Gram.

Ever since the day she received the weapon from Lessa. The fact she could not use the weapon to it's fullest potential was not the cause of why she hated being in the presence of the Blade. It's the sinister presence that loomed overhead when she was near the blade, let alone in contact with it. The Essence of Rage harbored within the greatsword was malicious, spiteful, a sheer feeling of Anger and Evil itself. Jomei had recently come to the conclusion that the essence itself thought Vale was worthwhile of it's power, yet believe it was not ready. It had been following her for some time causing normal fights that would prove to be easy, a challenge and a half extra. The girl had managed to be able to best the creatures it possessed, but at the same time there was this feeling that it was only progressively getting stronger.

"I hope this is one of the last times, I ever have to touch this weapon. Just looking at it alone is enough to freak me out." The Martial Artist said as she opened the chest to look at the Blade. A bloody skull sat at where the hilt and the base of the seemingly gargantuan blade, it's eyes immediately looked at her, the mouth of it turning to a grin. The scene freaked her out and caused her to jump back, her breath quickening as she began to hyper-ventilate.

She grabbed the fur that rest just above her heart as it pounded in her chest from the fear she had of the Blade. The Essence must have known she felt extremely uncomfortable around it, even more so when Jomei had correctly figured out the reason behind the Blade's Essence motive. It took a few deep breaths before she could gain control of her heart rate again, this wasn't something that should scare the woman. But the reality behind it was just too much for her to handle at this point in her life in Aincrad. She knew deep down at some point that a resolution would have to come from it, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before the essence itself would force the answer.

Taking one last deep breath she stood and walked straight up to Gram, performing the necessary actions to put the Greatsword into her Inventory. She shivered as the feeling of being watched felt so much deeper in her gut than ever before. And as long as she held the blade in her personal inventory, it felt as though it would have a larger impression on her life in Aincrad. The need for a new storage unit for the Demon Blade would becoming increasingly more important, she only prayed that it would affect anyone other than her as it tried to affect Jomei as well.

With everything gathered and set aside in her inventory, there was nothing more keeping her within the Green River Estate. The slow walk to the front door felt as though it took an eternity to complete, the multitude of memories rushing through her head one last time of all the moments spent in this home. She knew the second she placed her foot on the threshold outside of the building, it was the pursuit for the new home for her and maybe the current love of her life.

At the end of the long walk in the house, she stood at the front door looking back into the mansion getting one last look of when it belonged to her, "This is the next chapter of my life, I thank you for giving me a place I got to fall in love with House. May the next people who reside in your home feel the same loving comfort that I once did." She spoke out as if the house was a living being that could speak back. With her heart finally accepting of the changes that are to happen she made her way out of the house. The garden out front growing a plethora of materials worth picking for Alchemist, since it was originally her garden after all. Taking a few things she needed for the road, she turned to the path that lead to the Teleportation Gate.

Vale thought for a moment and remembered with her Orange Crystal that Guards were not going to take too kindly to her making her way through, but she needed the teleportation gate to get to the fourth floor for a quest she had begun. With Eclipse waiting at the gate for his master, "Let's go Eclipse. We can't let moving day interrupt our training." Eclipse shrugged then the two of them would then make their way down to the fourth floor to take on a quest that she had been notified of a while back to face a stronger version of Avalanche. Something she was eager to do combat with, she yearned for the challenge.

@Itzal

Hikoru seemed flustered, the words that she had said managed to fester in his mind and a feline-esque smile  "You don't have to apologize Ace, as long as you're happy that is all that matters." She simply responded to the Master of Shadows. Her goal wasn't to make him feel awkward or belittle him, but she did want to tease him. Hikoru did do good work on his food managing to polish it off to stave away his flustered mind. Vale couldn't keep pace with him. managing to finish only half of her food. She closed her bento box in case Hikoru would get hungry later and placed it inside the basket.

"That's enough about me... Tell me about you... "

Vale ironically was not ready to hear him say those words, she was happy and content to hear about him. But now it was a matter of deciding to figure out what it is she should tell him, eventually everything would come up during the conversation. Since they were practically done with their food, Vale returned the items laid out on the ground to her inventory, "I'll answer whatever it is you want to know about me. But for the moment let's start making our way to a place where maybe we can dance?" She informed him and followed up with a question. Vale loved to dance, it was one of the few ways she was able to keep her body in such incredible shape. Uncertain of whether or not Hikoru wanted to dance, but the man did say that the day belonged to her. She held out her hand for him to take so they could walk side by side, "What is it you'd like to know, love?"

As she sat in the shadow's, resting against her familiar that capped the possible size for a familiar to be. She saw Hikoru start to look around as though he had the feeling of being watched, despite him being one of the greatest stealth users the game had come to see. His ability to isolate people with his eyes against other people who utilized stealth was definitely lack-luster. He hadn't a clue where she was, but his moving eyes caused the others to get the feeling of being watched too. It didn't take too long before someone would spot her location, and it happened to be exactly who she thought it may be.

The first person to gain eyesight on her was Jomei. It shocked Vale a slight bit that the man was able to connect his eyes directly to hers despite the fact she was dressed in all dark colors sitting in the shadow of darkness. Instead of pointing her out though, and letting others knows of her location. He turned his head to continue the conversation amongst the group, allowing Vale to continue to sit there and simply learn. She had no ill-intentions against the group since the person slowly becoming the love of her current life and the other who was beginning to become more than just a friend, a Confidant of sorts was among them.

The first person to out her was a blonde haired man with a snow leopard within arms reach, the orange crystal that sits above his head matched her own crystal. An explanation she would eventually have to give to Hikoru and Jomei before it turned into a bigger issue than it actually was. The man had pointed giving away her location without any effort honestly needed. He didn't hesitate to gloat about their power status and gave her a hint of a warning. The Blue armored man didn't even give the hint of a feeling that he was worried as if he was completely sure of his capabilities. A feat that honestly impressed Vale, the other three were looking about as though the danger was actually a possibility. But the man in blue, he gave this vibe that he was in a state of pure calmness.

"My my... Trying to hide in my domain? That's not normal of you... "

Hikoru displaced himself with his stealth-like capabilities that still screamed of unnatural ability, it constantly caused Vale to wonder just how he could do what he did. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek, Eclipse growling in his direction. Vale bonked the overgrown kitty cat with her Elbow and returned the kiss to his cheek, "I was in the area, and didn't want to intrude on your conversation, love. I'll be fine here, he seems like someone important to you." She reassured him that his presence near her was not necessary. He then proceeded to make a claim on her abilities that she hadn't felt like she could fully rely on yet.

Since she was discovered there was no need to hide in the shadows anymore, standing up her orange crystal was revealed to Jomei and Hikoru now, "I also have something to tell the both of you, but please don't overreact... I'll talk to you about it later. Please continue, don't let me be a distraction." She spoke loud enough for the group to hear. She scoured the ground looking for anything she could use for future creations, there still was nothing to yield for her. All the materials in the area were more catered to Blacksmiths, Tailors, and possibly even Artisans. She was flustered, but tried her best not to show it as Vale continued to listen in on the conversation.

ID: 89348 | LD: 8+6=14 (No Materials)