Koga

Koga wasn't really afforded the comfort of hearing Ghost begin to answer him. Not her usual signs again, but with her voice. Unfortunately for her, nearly getting his gonads crushed had taken just a slightly higher priority over her story for the moment. Still wide-eyed, Koga blinked several times, staring at the object between his legs. "That's...a treasure chest?" the man stated with a hint of uncertainty. Koga couldn't decide if he was really luck, or really unlucky at the moment. Looking over at Ghost, then back at the treasure chest, he grasped the handle and pulled it a little close

Braso? Hadn't that been where he and NIGHT had run across that one cave...had they even bother to go into it? Koga couldn't remember, the whole affair being slightly foggy. But that couldn't possibly be related to this, that was clear on the other side of the floor. It didn't make sense for a ghost to wander all the way out here. At least, if anything Koga knew about ghosts (or people for that matter) held true. Some vague reference to ghosts preferring to stick close to whatever was binding them to the land of the living or something like that. "Ghost mentioned music earlier," Koga said

The man felt her approach and sit down beside him, causing him to look over to her. Though his face didn't show it, he was a little bit surprised. He hadn't meant for her to come and join him, not that it was unappreciated. Koga turned his focus back to the bob before asking his question. "So, if you can talk and stuff, why do you still use sign?" he asked curiously, almost innocent like a child. It was a question that had been on his mind since she'd first spoken to him in that cave, looking up at him with those violet eyes. Koga's heart skipped a beat as he thought back to that mom

Ghost beamed back at him as he held up the fish with what felt like a cheesy grin on his face, her cute little claps sending a sensation of warmth spreading through his chest as he knelt down and unhooked the fish, forcing himself to keep his gaze sheepishly focused on his task. What was it about her that sent those pleasant little sensations shooting through his brain, he wondered. Her pure unbridled joy was infectious. So much so that even the typically serious and somewhat dour Koga couldn't help but enjoy life a little when with her. But, that was a good thing. Probably. Who really kn

A single word popped up between the players as Ghost signed at them. 'Music?' Would music draw out their mysterious phantom? Like in one of those video games he'd watched a playthrough of years ago. Unsure, the man gave the girl a silent shrug and look of profound uncertainty, before Nari gave her explanation of what 'the Cave' was. Seriously though. The player's of Aincrad couldn't have come up with a more creative name than just 'The Cave'? On a floor that was literally all caves? What, were Mumford and Sons playing in there perpetually or something, and someone thought it'd be a funny

The man helped Ghost up to her feet, hardly catching what she signed to him before she sped past him, bending over to grab something. Koga watched as she grabbed whatever it was that she had seen, and span around grinning with pride. "Oh damn!" the man exclaimed, "well, that was pretty easy," he agreed, before looking over in the direction of the creek. "Yeah, that works for me. I need to get some fishing in anyways," he replied, drifting over to the creek and pulling out his fishing rod, casting the line into the gently flowing water. It wasn't more than a moment or two before the m

Unlike when Astreya had accompanied Koga on his gathering quest, where they'd filled their short journey with idle chatter, this time it was filled with a comfortable silence. Not that he hadn't enjoyed his time with Astreya, the girl was easy to talk to. Rather, with Ghost, he simply didn't feel the need to say anything. A sensation that was...unfamiliar. Despite his occasional sarcastic quips, Koga wasn't much for talking. Nor was he someone who had much to say either. With most people, it silence felt uncomfortable, or that something just needed to be said for some other vacuous, unknown re

"Nada," Koga shook his head at the first question. Nothing but a couple of consumables and a crafting material. Nothing even worth mentioning. A little disappointing, if Koga was being honest, but RNGesus was a fickle god after all. One day you're getting uniques, the next you're just looting rocks. At the second remark, Koga also shrugged alongside Jomei. "I got nothing either. Like I said. I need to level up my Fishing skill." 'And to think.' That was probably one of the few things Koga actually liked about fishing. It was calm, gave the man room to breathe and work through his tho

The sound of a voice suddenly coming up from behind him had Koga quickly grasping his weapon. He was already halfway through drawing it and whirling around to slash whoever had crept up on him when he finally recognized the mask. "Jesus Christ!" Koga explained, slamming his sword back into it's scabbard. "Fuck, dude, don't sneak up on people like that!" Just one more reason for Koga to dislike stealth players. They sneak up on you, and then you accidently kill them, and who's to blame? No, not the idiot who did the sneaking but the idiot who reacted. The man then began to show the pa

The man's voice warbled, modified via his mask, the sci-fi-esque sound foreign, despite Koga's familiarity with the genre. It had been too long since he'd seen Star Wars. The modulator might as well have been witchcraft here. But what the voice sounded like on the surface was of little consequence. No, it was the tone, the words. The even tone more dangerous than anyone's shouting or screaming or threats. And yet, Koga's frown turned into a small smile. "'Friendly' doesn't mean a half-assed effort," Koga replied, a hint of mirth and excitement in his voice. "But, since we're on the s

For what felt like an eternity, nothing happened. The opening moments of their battle were not filled frenetic clashes of steel as Koga had initially expected. Instead, it was held breath. Careful listening for the slightest sound that would give away his opponent. But all Koga was met with was the low rumble of the Floor's atmosphere, droning into his ear, the embers at his feet snapping and popping just within his range of hearing. And then there was the quiet, almost imperceptible sound of blades of grass rubbing against each other. A shift of weight as a boot touched the ground.

Koga couldn't help but roll his eyes at NIGHT's chiding. Wasn't like he was trying to kick the bones themselves. But he didn't exactly know if tetanus was an illness in game, and he wasn't exactly eager to find out. All the same, he abided by her wishes, and simply knelt down to examine the weapons as he went along. Rusted, rusted, rusted, oh is that a mace? "anything biblical in nature," Biblical? Koga questioned for a moment what exactly qualified as biblical in a gothic setting, where creepy stained glass windows were everywhere, and crosses were used on just about everything. Als

"I don't know what bad blood you have but try not to let it cloud your judgment. This might be bigger than us three." The words were stern. But a glance at the woman's face, the words didn't seem to be as brave as they sounded. Worry, fear clouded Cleo's features. Was she afraid for herself, or for others? "Don't worry about me," Koga replied, his hand moving towards his katana's saya and gripping it. "The job comes first." The man turned to follow after Nari, a slightly more leisurely pace than before. "C'mon. The sooner we figure out what's going on, the sooner we can start working

'These two idiots again?' Koga thought to himself as he and Okami crept around the kitchen island, staying on the other side of the men's footsteps. "Hell if I know, Glebu," Bohzo replied as he marched forward, running a lazy hand across the countertop, then placing his weapon a top it and hoisting himself up on it and seating his fat rump upon it. "Maybe they have some some fruit in one of them cabinets." "Why the hell would they be keeping fruit in a cabinet?" "I dunno. These gover'ment types are all weird. Just go look, wouldya?" "Do it yourself fattie." "Fattie!?"

Koga's eyes monitored his opponent's every movements. The bend of the knees, the forward posture. Energy gathering in his legs, a sharp movement to initiate. As soon as the timer disappeared, the fighter shot forward, nearly a blur as his weapon drew upwards to strike. Koga held his ground though, his wrists twisting, preparing to deflect the attack, just enough to leave an opening for a quick strike. The attack came and- The man bounced backwards, a feint, disengaging and disappearing, as if being swallowed into another dimension entirely as polygons wrapped around his body until nothing

A flash of steel as Koga dashed forward, drawing his weapon and slicing through the air in a single motion. The razor edge sang through the air, never once tasting flesh. "Woah! Mas, put that away, you're could've hurt us!" The shade of Tsukiko said, reappearing out of thin some meters away, as if she stepped through a curtain. "Shut up," Koga said, straightening his stand and lifting his weapon. "You're not them. You're not her. And I won't let you use them just to get to me." "We're not trying to do anything here, Masato. We're just showing you what you need to see." Koga leap

Jomei and Nari focused in on one of the last two remaining Knights. Movements occured so quickly, their figures were almost blurs. The swing of a bladed arm, the thrust of a sturdy lance followed by the fast moving tip of a rapier. Smooth, flowing, like a dance. But, even the best dancers made mistakes some times. The best simply knew how to cover their mistakes. The party's mistake in this performance was taking their eyes off the last Knight. Not even Koga, who rightly should have been responsible for keeping track of it, noticed when it slipped away for a moment, only reappearing to sw

The man opposite Koga tapped his prompt without a word, the translucent panels before them disappearing in an instant, and immediately a periodic beeping began, numbers floating high in the air between them. It seemed that this Kingslayer wasn't much for talking. That suited Koga just fine. The appearance of the countdown timer was talk enough for him. Drawing his sword, the quiet rasp of wood and steel Koga took up a mid-guard. Their eyes locked onto each others for a moment, before the Kingslayer's disappeared behind a mask, unfolding to cover his face. Koga breathed in deeply, relaxed

Nothing that Nari said reassured Koga in the slightest. Probably because the man was a cynic at heart. And frankly, he was currently accompanying one of the reasons he was a cynic in the first place on a skeptical at best quest from some mysterious, anonymous 'benefactor'. Call him jaded. "Stupid? Possibly. Regardless, you still followed her. Doesn't that mean you trust her?" Cleo said as she caught up to them, to which Koga scowled. "No, I don't," he said tersely, a hint of anger hiding beneath the surface of his words. "But someone I care about cares about her. So I gotta look out for h

It seemed that Nari was hardly paying any attention to what Koga had said to her, the woman muttering about this and that. "I mean, I didn't even see anything," Koga answered Ghost's question, before looking at the other two in their part for their response. No verbal reaction. Just NIGHT pointing nervously, eyes shifting back and forth between Nari and...more empty space? Well, that made two who had seen this ghost... The man cast an inquisitive look towards NIGHT, before turning his attention to Nari as she decided that licking the mystery powder off her finger was a good idea. Ya

Koga glanced down at his outfit as NIGHT corrected him before looking back up at her. "Ya know what, I can't even argue with you on that one, valid point." Black, drab, kind of looked like he was a vampire hunter. Yeah, Koga fit right in with this floor, he supposed. The the question of old age, Koga shrugged. "I mean, I guess we could, eventually," he admitted. "Not like our real bodies are gonna stop aging." That grim reality again. Fact was that one day, life support would run dry. They'd be unplugged if they didn't get out quickly enough. It would be sudden, and come without warning t

In the dim light shining through the windows, Koga searched through the kitchen, cabinet by cabinet, shelf by shelf. But just what was it that made the man think that there was a lockbox full of evidently important documents hidden in the kitchen of all places? Well, truthfully, he did not. But he was hungry. How long had it been since they'd had breakfast? The moon was already out, for god's sake and all Koga had had today was a cup of coffee. The man needed fuel. And so, the man rummaged through the cupboards looking for something edible and a bit more appetizing than watercress cracker

"Koga, good to meet you," the swordsman said with a nod as an unfamiliar girl approached them, before turning his attention back to Nari...an action he immediately regretted. The man's facial expression shifted concerned, to confused, to 'what-in the fuck???', each state lasting all of about three seconds, before finally settling on the latter. The man groaned as he closed his eyes pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to make sense of what he understood only as complete and utter stupidity, recklessness, and a general lack of regard for ones own well-being. "Hold on, let me get this str

The man slowly turned and look at Koga, eyes peering at him with coldness, an unfamiliar chill that Koga put his finger on. Both unexpected, and yet, perhaps it should have been, given what great lengths that the man must've resorted to in his crusades. "I'm waiting." "A friendly challenge," Koga stated, his tone lacking any cheer, despite his words. "I'd like to see where my strength lies at present. What better way to test that than to challenge the man who took on Aincrad itself?" Between his first floor boss fight, taking on Calming the Soul, and pushing himself to solidify his b

Despite one of theirs taking only the most minor of blows, the group of players did not break their battle cadence. Pressing on as if she couldn't even feel the blow (underneath all that plate, Koga would have been surprised if she could feel it) Nari raised her shield, her spear and thrust the sharp point into one of their prey, her form almost reminiscent of a Spartan's. What exactly was it that made NIGHT choose her? "Alright! Hit 'em!" Jomei's call interrupted Koga's stray thought, and the man turned back towards the mobs. "On it!" he called back, leaping straight into the air, w