Zajcica

"Your repayment to me is to stay alive." The paladin commented as she dislodged her weapon from the tree where the wasp had died. With another quick flash, the lance disappeared back into her inventory. "Money is a worthless substance in this game compared to a human life. I'm so loaded that I don't even care to buy the rest of the people in the game a full set of perfect non-unique armor at this point." The girl said, walking back over to the dagger user, the normal smile painted on her face.

"Now, let's go do that before you do anything else. You might not realize just how much your damage will amplify once you've gotten good gear. Like I said about the dagger, it can be lack luster compared to my lance, but it has advantages that my lance doesn't." Yuki motioned Starla to follow her as she started to make her way back to town.

Yuki stood from her seat, barely intimidated by Starla's intensified gaze. "Very well, I was brought up as a tank, but I've spent enough time around other damage players to know how you should build. Dagger is a tough choice for weapon based on it's stats, but I've seen players who can make it work. We're going to build up your evasion, maximize your damage and get you some utility damage." The paladin as she faced the opponent at hand. "Now, if we're going to get to real training, then we should end this things life and get you some actual gear. Whatever it costs, I'll pay for it."

With the snap of the finger, Yuki's lance materialized from it's hammer space into her hand. A quick swing to warm up her arm and grin on her face, she charged forward with blinding speed. Her over sized clothing flailing in the wind, the spear launched ahead of her flaying the bee onto the end and into a tree. It exploded into nothing. "Once you have gear, you'll be able to kill something like that in just a few attacks. Aincrad is all numbers."

Dimension Stampede deals 15x19 damage to the Wind Wasp.

"That's the kind of thinking that keeps you well and breathing." Yuki said as Sketch summed up his short little speech. The paladin would continue her way to the outcrop of forest not too far from the safe zone of the Town of Beginnings, a place where she found herself spending hours collecting materials for quests in the early stages of her leveling. "I'm glad that you don't see front liners as heartless monsters. There are some lower level players that thing we keep to ourselves because we think they're ants under our boots. It's not true. Front liners are people who started out the same way that you're doing right now. Everyone went through hell to get to where they are now while those people complaining sit in wallow down here that nothing is happening. If everyone in this game was working together, perhaps we wouldn't be only 1/4th of the way from clearing the game after 8 years in here. Or maybe we'd all just be dead together." Yuki admitted bluntly.

Very casually, almost without looking, the paladin would reach up to the low hanging branch above her without even looking and grasp an apple in her hand, moving it into her inventory. She then returns to eating her ice cream.

Material: 1

Yuki, began to walk towards the safe zone barrier, passing through it as she walked through. "I don't know you nor do I owe you anything, you're right. But, should I be a dick and let you suffer? Possibly walk out there to be attacked by a group of mobs so that you can mercilessly be torn to shreds?" Yuki continued to slip bits of ice cream and batter into her mouth. "This game isn't fair for anyone involved. I've established myself to be a calling for those that want to become stronger. A rally to the hearts of those who would stop letting this game step on them and do something about it, or are you one of those who simply sees every front liner as a douchebag who doesn't care about those below him? I'm doing what I'm doing because I want to."

The paladin stepped through the lush fields and activated her searching skill, but it seemed nothing spawned this close to the barrier. "Hurry up, night will fall if you take too long out here."

Materials: 0

failure

The skeptical look that Sketch gave Yuki was pretty common. She had been walking around with only clothes on since Night forced her to take a break. Seeing every inch of floors that she could just walk around on without fear. Since her encounter with Endilix, she wasn't going to keep her level a secret. "I'm not offering, I'm saying that you need a tank. You're a noob, it's clear." She says clearing her throat. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to start leveling though, but you should do so as safely as possible."

Yuki would open her menu, and just for a quick glimpse, Sketch can see the reverse wording on her screen. 'Level: 68' Soon, a request would hit his own terminal to join her party. Name: Zajcica. After the request was accepted or denied, she would hand him an extra bowl of ice cream and a red charm. "You're looking for materials for one of the stupid quests where it's hard to find them, right? Here, these will make it insanely easier. Just equip the charm and eat the ice cream. If you think it's poisoned or something, go ahead and eat it before we leave. You can't gain status effects in the safe zone."

After so long, Yuki was starting to wonder if her near 50% bonus to her luck skill was even working. NIGHT was over there catching fish a plentiful and she had been lucky to snag two so far. A sigh escaped from her lips. Even if her dad enjoyed fishing, I guess that didn't really make her an authority on it no matter how many trips she went on with him.

Night would start to go more in depth with why she was bringing up Hidden. Her eyes widened in surprise when her sword said that Hidden held her in high regards. Sure, they were friends enough that Yuki wanted to invite her to go on some quests, but she never thought that Hidden really looked up to her. She had always assumed the girl was annoyed any time words came out of her mouth. "Interesting. Maybe I should invite her to come on more quests-- Ah, when I'm done on break. I didn't actually think that she looked up to me or anything. She always seems so dismissive when I speak." Yuki was quiet for a moment. "Don't tell me about her personal life. I'd rather hear it from her first hand if she want's to tell me. Not that I don't trust you to give it to me straight from the horses mouth or anything. Just for her sake, y'know? I think she can be a better person if we give her a chance. Everyone is redeemable."

Failure

Materials: 2

"You come in here and pick a fight with me and then turn away when I seem upset? What kind of convincing is that? How are you ever going to achieve your goal if you give up when the going gets tough? Hmph. I bet the people who keep you around are sad that you give up on them so quickly."

The paladin had no words. She had over stepped her boundaries and offended the woman. Mari and Shield we're much better teachers than her. Yuki had a skull thicker than titanium and an attitude to match in battle. It was hard to teach someone the necessity of safety when you were a walking contradiction to it.  "I'm sorry, that was too much." The girl quickly apologized.

"If I was giving up, I would have walked away already." The paladin claimed, continuing to sit in her quiet seat of contemplation. "I clearly have over asserted myself to you as someone who understands the struggle and hardship of feeling like you're stagnating away, but if that's all you put ahead of yourself, you're going trip and fall. When I was leveling up, I nearly died more times than I can count on my fingers." The paladin paused, thinking of those times. The two headed snake had brought her to 1% HP, the serpent of the swamps swallowed her whole, event bosses had strained her tanking abilities to their maximum. A quick shake of her head brought her mind back on the topic at hand. Her eyes glowed as bright as the aura around her, almost as if her hate generation was seething through to Starla. Just like Shield had done to get her to listen. "If you consume yourself with the destination, the journey will destroy you one way or another."

No better place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the front lines than putting yourself as fast away from it as possible. As Yuki was making her way to the safe zone barrier, she caught the sounds of another repeating a single word over and over. Materials. They were looking for the materials in the beginning quest? Thinking about it, Yuki never even finished those starter quests. They would probably deny her for any rewards by now, but with her time off she was looking for people to potentially help as they leveled up. If they were going outside the safe zone, she could even look for materials to make more food for the front lines anyways.

"Combat doesn't seem like a smart idea either..." Yuki over heard as she walked to the man from behind and gave him a light tap on his shoulder, needing to reach up high just to do so. "Then you should bring someone who can ensure your safety, like one of the top five toughest tanks?" She said with a smile, munching on her ice cream covered in fried pancake batter.

Yuki Activates Vengeful Riposte

Skill(s) Being Dropped: --
Mod(s) Being Dropped: Mark(8SP); Focused Howl(10SP)
SP Refunded: 18 SP
Cost: 18,000 col

21 hours ago, Weed said:

Familiar Evaluation:

Familiar Name: Lily

Description: An emerald green Dryad Mouse. That looks more like this. She can often be seen riding on top of Weed's head. If she is not along with him she is at the base or just chilling in his clothes. She is a good judge of character and will squeak in communication of people that earn her approval.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Familiar Mastery Skill: N/A

Thread Link: 

 

9 hours ago, Lethia said:

Familiar Name: Noxyl
Description: A black and red snake that resembles the king cobra in looks, only it has pitch black eyes.
Familiar Mastery Skill: Fighter
Attained Thread Link: 

Trained Thread Link: 

 

T1 LD III Dessert

Day 53

EXP:  Total: 2,876+132= 3,008

Result: +132XP (67, +13+26+26), -12 Tier 1 Materials, Uncommon Meal (4), Rare Meal (5), Perfect Meal (11)

With the battle starting to come a head, Yuki assumed that things were about to start getting really hectic. She would need to manage her energy well here and still continuously help deal damage against the shadow. With the coming of new enemies, it forced her hand to activate her hate generation. There's no way that these mooks could dent her anyway. Once she had their attention, she could just continue to focus the main boss while they pricked themselves to death on her flaming armor.

"Forget about the mob, it's not going to do anything to me. Focus all your energy into the remaining boss" Yuki tells her team, making sure the attention was all on her. Between her exceptional tanking and high mitigation, just one of these crawling enemies posed no threat to the paladin. That is until started spitting some disgusting fluid that broke her armor or something stupid like that.

Zajcica activates Howl!

Yuki smiled as he complimented her on her name. She'd chosen the name Yuki herself so it only made sense that it would be beautiful. It meant Happiness in English. Soon, Endilix would offer to make the grandmaster cook food himself. As a chef, it could be come very unpleasing to eat only your food all the time. If you didn't sample food made by others, you wouldn't be able to find distinct flavors that maybe you would have missed in your own similar dish.

"I would love some food. Sure I might be the better cook, but I wouldn't be as good as am at it if I didn't try others' dishes. You might make soup differently than I do because of the way you cook it or the things you add to it. Your soup could be better than mine even though I have vast knowledge of culinary arts." Yuki tried to explain, following him to this part of the neighborhood that he was describing. "I would have been an even bigger monster if I did nothing about it. I think we're fair, sir." Her soft smile shined.

Yuki stood with her arms crossed as Starla bit back at her. It was clear that the girl didn't respond very well to this, but that didn't mean it might not be insightful the truth hurts more than anything and she was putting up a barrier to protect that ideal she has in her mind.

"I assumed you would look at it when I sent the friend request, please forgive my terrible rudeness. I am Yuki Mikoto, 24, Japanese born. I guess now I would be 32. I'm losing count of the years. I never said that you should give it up and go wait to be saved. I just want you to be cautious as you're getting stronger. There are people working hard like you to reach the front lines. I'm apart of it and I don't even feel like a peer amongst the people there. I have to continue my time here and become stronger so I can see the other side again. But I promise you that you would do better to open your outlook and be more open with your feelings." A short pause interspersed her words. "After this, I will leave you be and you can train in peace. I'm deeply apologize for ruining your day and doubting your resolve."

Yuki would then return to her job as tank. The more Starla struck the hornet, the duller her shine became, only until she reactivated that glow. Once she was done, she would turn away from Starla sure that she had struck feelings that she shouldn't have. Her back faced the boss and the other person in the fight. This weakness, if you could call it that, left her open to being pierced by the wasps stinger.

Yuki activates Focused Howl.

Thankfully, NIGHT was willing to move on without pressuring her. The rogue always seemed to avoid social encounters, but Yuki had noticed how good she was with gauging another person's emotions. It seemed like she always knew what was best for the paladin. Not to mention that even after all this time, she couldn't get her talk to her about her personal life. She'd be ready one day, hopefully. Then the conversation shifted to Hidden. Why would NIGHT want to know about that girl? Regardless, the paladin shook her head.

"Hidden is a girl whom I'm sure has a bad situation on her hands. I seem to just annoy her, but it seems like she's warming up to me. I can't say that I know much about her personally, but she definitely needed a friend when I first met her. I wish I could tell you more about her, but I just don't know. I'm sorry. I think I've seen her recently with a young girl. I wonder if they're sisters or something. Maybe they're just good friends? I couldn't tell you."

Failure

Materials: 2

Yuki's brow furrowed as the girl did her best to share Yuki's resolve of a three month younger her. A naivete that anyone can fall into. She simply wanted to protect this girl from dangerous thoughts like she went through. Was this what Mari went through with her recklessness and flaws? How would Mari handle this situation? She would bash Yuki over the head and demand that she start thinking like a normal person without suicidal tendencies hidden under bravado. Should she try it to get through to this girl or would softer touch be more applicable.

"Oi. I never once said you aren't good enough. The game is playing you because you're allowing to and it still is even to this moment. You know why? You're playing it like a game." Yuki's face was stern now, as rock hard as her armor. "'You're underestimating me.'" The paladin implicated. "Jeez you really are thinking like the old me. Having resolve is one thing, but think before you say stupid shit that gets you killed. Are you saying you want me to let the boss start attacking you? Could you handle that? No. You can't. I've been in your shoes before and you're not thinking like a front liner. Get off the mind set before it kills you."

His smile only added to her own. The fact that he took of his mask and armor helped her keep a serene mind. He offered to relax with her, talking about how Night, the friend in question, was very much right about how people needed to relax. Who knows what kind of worn out mess she'd be without her best friend. "This game is too much for even the most prepared to weather. I think we should take it one day at a time, relax and keep our desires in mind along the journey. Trouble is my middle name at this point, so I don't mind it. I don't think NIGHT could be upset with me if it was to protect someone. It's not just selfish grinding."

He introduced himself to the front liner as Dael Endilix. Yuki's pearly white smile gleamed against the snow. "I'm Yuki Mikoto. People who don't really know me by name call me the 'Pink Paladin', a little embarrassing all things considered."

Yuki's smile fell more and more somber, remembering something that Crow had mention to her about himself in real life. She wondered how her body was doing, unable to even fathom what his body looked like at this point. Though she felt like she couldn't speak about those things without his approval, so she wouldn't tell even Night.

"As long as I get to live my life knowing that I didn't let this game destroy me, I'll die happy." The tank said tugging on the line a little to get the attention of the dwelling fish of the waters. Yuki would stuff more of her own food into her mouth, looking over to Night casually. "What about you? You haven't told me much about your life outside the game. I'd like to hear about it."

As she asked, she felt the slight tug of her fishing pole and yanked it free of the water, adding the materials to her inventory.

Success +1 mat

Materials: 2

"Arrogance breed ignorance, Starla. In the end, your life is yours and I cannot tell you what to but, I am telling you from experience: This game is not a game. You may as well see every pixel as nothing more than the real world. It's deceiving you to think you're safe and you are at your most vulnerable. Anything could give you a mean look and end your life. Please be cautious on your way to meet my peers. Not everyone is perfect and there are arguements but we're the only hope for the game. We have to be brave and strong." That was enough lecturing from the 24 year old crone. She would stand and smile brightly again, as if their conversation never happened. "I'm on leave right now, so as long as I help you fight things where I can just stand around, I don't mind helping you with anything! Please don't be afraid to message me any time after this. Front liners are still people too."

As she stood, the wasp had an easier time aiming an attack. It's stinger pierced her breast, sticking all the way through to her back. if she was wearing her armor it would have imploded into fire and ice and thorns. Yet, it was a critical so it wouldn't have mattered. Yuki simply grabbed it by it's stinger and dislodged it from her model, tossing the buzzing boss aside. "So you aren't blind. Glad to see it." She taunted further.

Yuki smiled as he seemed to come back around. His firm grip taking her own delicate hand before allowing it drift from his grasp. He spoke, reaching to offer her up from the snow when he did. He may have seemed like a big ladies man, but there was gentleman under that mask for sure. She accepted his hand pulled herself to her feet, quickly brushing the loose snow off her sweater and skirt while listening to his explanation. "I admit, I am of the lower bracket of the front lines and I'm only a recent addition. I apologize sincerely if my act seemed malicious or pretentious." She said with a slight bow.

Soon after he would turn and begin to make his way to the safe zone, offering the paladin to join him. The soft smile continued as she caught up to walk beside him. "I would be happy to. My duo partner refuses to go on quests with me until I've taken a good break, so I simply have been spending all my time on the lower floors to stay away from all that."

Yuki's comfortable spot on the ground was enough to keep her relaxed. Surely Night wouldn't be able to complain about this since she was helping a low level player but doing nothing other than relaxing. Starla took a swing and missed, but Yuki simply smiled her on in encouragement. "Don't let failure be a wall. Improvement is a long staircase, every step etched into you as you look on it as nothing but muscle memory."

The moment the girl mentioned frontlining, Yuki's expression fell. She didn't want to scare this girl, but she too had the appeal and it would be unfair for her to not make clear what she was doing. "Starla, you are commendable. However, I need to bring your head down from the clouds. Being a front liner, is not bubblegum and roses." Yuki said, making it clear that she knew the experience first hand. The wrinkle of her expression sending the welcoming smile packing. "You will train, grind, level and cry on your way to reach the level front liners are capable of. It's a crawl through broken glass, barbed wire and sandpaper with the reward of possible death. I don't mean to dampen your spirits, but your feet must be on the ground, not in the clouds. If you truly have the drive to be a frontliner, dedicate yourself to becoming stronger, cause nothing short of devotion will get you there. Please don't stress yourself and rush to join a suicide squad. I may be one of the toughest tanks Aincrad has seen to this point, but I'm not invincible." She hoped that her words wouldn't cause dismay.

"But!" Yuki's smile returned as the Wasp narrowly missed her again. "We can get as close as perfect as possible so that we all might see the real world again one day. Look for those who be friends with similar ambitions. Make friends and become stronger together for the sake of everyone in this prison." Yuki would then open her menu and send the noob player a friend request, hoping that that would make up for the dreary exchange that she just had. 

"As for me, us front liners have a difficult time that's tireless grinding some times. I'm currently taking a break and just going on strolls these days until the team is ready to rush the boss room."

The paladin returned her weapon to her hammerspace. It seemed that her actions had really hurt his pride, but without a doubt, if she didn't kill this boss, he would have surely sacrificed himself for her. She knew it because she would have done the same thing in her shoes. He knelt to the ground, talking about how he had wasted his time. That made the girl frown. She walked over to him and knelt down on her knees.

"Hey, I wasn't going to reveal it, but the situation was dire and I didn't want you do something reckless." She said trying to comfort him. "I think your more brave than many other players I've met leveling. There are some greedy and vindictive people that would have laughed as a low level player was smashed into nothing but dust." She rested her hand softly on his, her betrothed ring made apparent now. "You were quiet impressive based simply on how you reacted to the situation. You're a truly wonderful tank that women would swoon for, in my opinion."

His motives were clear to the pinkette. Many might find that scummy, but she herself fell into that trap of loving your fame.

Yuki's smile soon faded down to complacent. Night's question was warming considering they had spoken on this topic before. Her and Crow had a few plans, but it wasn't all perfect. "My close family are extremely important to me since they understand my situation." Yuki paused for a moment, keeping track of the bobber as to not lose a fish. Quickly, she reeled in the catch and returned the bait. "My more distant family doesn't know what I'm like. I would feel a little embarrassed to reveal it to them, but now they probably know after they hear about it from my parents. I bet me and Crow will find it difficult to fit in with my family and his. Plus I have to go back to culinary skill when we get out."

Another short pause went by as Yuki thought about it. "There's no doubt that this love isn't mutual to SAO. We love each other and will likely get married outside of the game too. I'll live like a feeble old woman who doesn't do much beyond cooking supper for her husband when he gets home from work or something." She laughed quietly, obviously joking at the stereotypical housewife setting. Something that really didn't sit with her. She wasn't sure how she'd readjust to normal life when she made it out. "I'm probably a shriveled prune in the real world right now thanks to my hormone replacement. I wonder how my body is still working out there without proper hormone intake."

Success +1 mat

Materials: 1