Elora

"It's something that became a trend after the shenanigans with the shadow.", began Mina. Of course it was., she huffed knowingly. Elora could feel her spine slide down in her seat as the pink-haired player went on to describe reports from her intel. How was it that this game always managed to invent more fucked up and even creepier things to torment them with on a day-to-day basis? What was next? A personal manifestation of her worst fears programmed to pop into her vicinity at the start of every morning? "...Some of them seem to have... glitched for a lack of a better word.", Akam

As the trio began their meal, Elora attempted to mimic Mina's "itadakimasu". "... you butchered that so badly that the auto-translator couldn't pick it up." "Donkey... what?" "Eat a donkey mass? Is that not how you say it? Eek i docki MASS --", she tried again, pronouncing each syllable as if she was chewing on glass. After several seconds of making strange faces and guttural demon noises, she eventually muttered, "How do you say your vowels so softly?" With a wave of her hand, she ushered the conversation forward. Elora was partial to their hostess's logic. As angst

"We can skip over those concerns and just assume that it's going to be just fine. I will cover the costs. Instead, we should probably start by thinking about where want this home to be, and what we want it to look like." She felt an initial relief, then a wash of uncertainty. "Oh yeah -- location...appearance...what we want to be...huh..." A gloved hand came to rest pensively beneath her chin. "Well, no offense to Mina, but I couldn't stand living on that volcano of a floor -- or Floor 5 for that matter -- that's the desert one, right?" A nod confirmed that to be correct. "And as much

Elora backpedaled away from Freyd the closer he came. "AIN'T NO WAY! Get it off!!", she shrieked, her eyes adamantly avoiding contact with the emerald-colored danger noodle. She swore she'd got a glimpse both of her friends' mischievous grins before Freyd nonchalantly tugged on the serpent and tossed it back toward the jungle. With a sigh of relief, she accepted the pole and set to assembling their vessel. First a tsunami, then the snake, how else will the universe torment me today? Elora shuddered at the thought of encountering a ravenous herd of ocean-side stallions. At least those don't act

"How did she hurt you?", he asked curiously. "Eh", she began with downplayed attachment, "We weren't exactly friends by the time that happened. Honestly, we'd grown apart over the past couple of years, if you could even say that. We went to secondary and our relationship just sort of...dissolved. She wanted to hang out with the kids who were going places. I was just sort of...baggage at that point." And no one else liked me. It was easier that way. With a heavy sigh, she added, "She would call me names, spread rumors behind my back, nasty things to distance herself from me as much as poss

"I'm glad you did it...", began Freyd. Fiery tension bled from Rose's features as her eyebrows raised in surprise. It was as if the other player had just reached out and snapped his fingers in front of her face. "...Otherwise, we would never have met. And I am terrified to think of who or what I might have become without you." Her cheeks continued burning as her eyes now stung with...What is this feeling? Frustration? Relief? Happiness? Love? Why did she feel so many conflicting emotions at once? She tried to still her racing heart as it struggled to settle on a single response. Freyd in

Elora narrowed her eyes at Freyd, before reexamining the edges of the sea. By now, the sun had leaped ahead in its setting sequence, casting a blinding glare across the surface of the water. It would be impossible to confirm what she had seen. "I guess if you insist there aren't any boats, then a raft would be the only feasible option." Elora took a moment to inspect their surroundings as Freyd focused on getting Katoka's attention. She began by sending the picnicking snacks into her own inventory. If fortune would have it, Freyd would believe that her and Katoka had finished off the delectabl

I should have dropped it., Elora thought as she witnessed him revert to something cold, whether it was shock, apathy, or simply retreating to familiarity, she couldn't discern. Most likely, it was a combination of even more emotions and experiences she didn't understand. Reaching out, she chose to fill his cup in turn. It was an unspoken prompt and indication that she wanted to listen to whatever he had to say. "I can hardly claim to have been the most conscientious on health care myself, though a certain degree of relentless parental badgering impressed some useful habits..." There'

"Has this only been since the raid, or did you have these dreams before?" "Before.", she answered succinctly, her hand finally releasing its grip under his. "I don't want to dredge up more bad memories, but that sounds a lot like what I would have imagined Shadow's flood to have felt like. We never really talked too much in detail about that." "Yeah...", she started slowly, allowing her mind to drift back to that dark day, "A lot of the sensations are similar. Except, instead of drowning, I don't know -- I feel more like I'm just...deteriorating." Is that the proper word?, sh

A call of encouragement warranted another step forward as Elora pretended to be taking her sweet time with swimming out to sea. "I'm just -- adjusting to the temperature." It was a pretty flimsy excuse, given that this world had a way of moderating one's exposure to any uncomfortable element. Luckily, you could always rely on the mind to reinforce years-long aversions to anything it deemed 'uncomfortable'. "Are you alright in the water?", Freyd seemed to be catching on, "I should have asked first." "Best to just dive in and get over it all in one go...", he offered as a suggestion.

Elora's brows rose in curiosity, then furrowed with concern. "Well...", she began with fidgeting fingers, the mug-full of tea now planted firmly beside them, "It's been all sorts of things...A lot of times, I can't see or hear, I just feel...paralyzed." Her blue eyes grew colder for a moment as they recounted something distant. "There's always a sense of dread, some sort of wrongness that I can't shake." A steady breeze caused ashy willow branches to billow and sway overhead. "Once and a while, I hear voices, or see a shadow. It's like someone is there, but I can never make out who." Fre

"Is something bothering you? Maybe keeping you from sleeping?" Elora could feel a worry swell within her chest as fingertips twitched in response to his touch. For as outwardly as she expressed her more volatile emotions, she had a surprising tendency to hold those most vulnerable close to her chest. Where she had previously struggled with admitting her weaknesses, she now needed to consider the wellbeing of those who cared for her. It's nothing different than before., she tried to rationalize, I didn't want them to know how much I sucked at things, but...they accepted me anyways. I'm su

"I used to think it might be possible to train yourself to ignore sleep in the game. To an extent, it is possible, the effects inevitably catch yup with you. Everything has a price." "Can't say I've done the same intentionally, but yeah, I've only been able to stay up a couple of days before it got to be too much." A few weary blinks welcomed memories of multi-day questlines when rest could only be achieved after hours of searching, sparring, and other at times, escaping from their exhaustive objectives. She smiled as echoes of 'FIND THEM! I WANT THEIR SPLEENS!' seemed more like cartoon

Borris briefly bulked up in pride before promptly rolling forward and plummeting into the pool below. He liked to test death like that. "Oh gosh --", Elora chimed up as feet carried her to the rim of the recess, "Did he just dive in --? I'm gonna have to collect him later..." For a moment, she'd adopted the semi-frustrated, but mostly haggard, expression of a parent with a runaway toddler. Plopping to a seat beside her partner, she belatedly recalled his greeting. "Hi", she replied succinctly. He'd only said 'hello', hadn't he? "I'm glad that I can rely on you to be up during any time of

The world was spinning. Elora's mind felt scattered, suspended in a sea of staticky sensations and nauseating frequencies. A dull hum thrummed through her ears, compressing her head like a severe congestion. She could feel her form crumble as it morphed into something piercing, a violent cacophony of needles and screeches. Why am I here?, she pleaded as her conscious tried to pry itself from the painful nightmare. Before she could escape, her chest seized with a sudden constriction. It was as if a hundred stitches had synched shut from a single tug. She gasped for air -- and clawed off th

The screeching sound of metal grating against metal comendiered Elora’s attention in an instant. Her feet fumbled in search of a foothold as she was suddenly thrust off-balance by the combined momentum of Bahr’s shove and her retreating spear. With little time to correct her course, the emerald-haired player followed the weapon’s trajectory. Its braided hilt planted into the stone below, haphazardly breaking the fall of her buckling knees. A shout of alarm was immediately overwhelmed by the Titan’s hulking swing. In a rush of gleaming titanium, Bahr was practically wiped from one end of t

"So smack it, but not too hard -- I think I can manage that", she resolved between careful steps. The intricate weapon materialized into her grasp as Elora prepared for her attack. Gone were the days where she carelessly rushed into combat without hesitation. Instead, she spared a few moments to inspect her surroundings and to still her breathing. The later proved to be a challenge. Swallowed by the shadow of such a hulking figure stirred moths in her stomach, making her second-guess whether or not she was truly capable of kicking its shiny metal ass. "Right -- I'm just gonna --", she undertoo

Elora shook her head in befuddlement, "Guess so -- he just gets that way sometimes." A smile between bites of fruit suggested that she didn't mind the sentiment, nor his discomfort with transparency. "He's a dork, but I wouldn't have it any other way. See you in the water?" "Totally", she finally added, "Just don't get a cramp --" Elora stopped herself after remembering they didn't need to worry about such things here. Who even gets cramps, anyway? I've never had one from swimming after eating. Must be some sort of parental conspiracy. By the time she'd reached the end of that thoug

"Oh yeah", she recalled with a thumb to her chin, "I always forget these things exist. I should really start packing one with me -- it's convenient you have two." Teleport crystals were something she rarely used. It seemed a lot more natural, no, more real just to walk everywhere she went. Still, it would be reckless for her not to keep some in her inventory. Just in case. "I've had my share of companions in this world,", Bahr soon began to tell her, "but sometimes it's necessary to tackle a quest like this alone. Keeps things simpler, less room for distractions. Besides, it's not often I

I liked the concept of this boss a lot but found a bit more to be desired with the narrative and combat. Tying the sister Ronbaru Roundtable event in with the boss fight was a really nice touch, I just wish it could have been a little more prevalent on our end so as to add a bit more flavor to the battle. I had a difficult time knowing how to interact with Wushen outside of repeating attacks since most of his posts were internal dialogue vs anything that our players could actually hear to react to. My only critique of the combat is that it felt like there was a lot going on, more than I w

Elora laughed nervously from their adoration, sand spilling between her toes as she awkwardly shifted her weight from side to side. Her attire was, admittedly, outside of her comfort zone, but she did her best to wear it with confidence. "Let's just enjoy it and take it easy for awhile." "Don't have to tell me twice!", she proclaimed before plopping onto the checkered picnic blanket. Quickly helping herself to the appetizing assortment of snacks, Elora spared a moment to fully inspect Freyd's features. His muscles were so much larger than before, though still flattering for his more

"Alright. I get it. But you gotta cut it out with those eyes and the self-deprecation." As if by instinct, Elora's pointed ears swung back up in concession. "Right!", she agreed with two determined fists, "I'll save those for anyone else who tries to fuck with us!" Who knew that womanly wiles actually worked! And so, the reinvigorated player diligently paced behind Bahr's heels like an imprinted duckling, making sure not to become too fixated on the way each wall seemed to ungulate around them. The place definitely had a sense of majesty that both complemented and contrasted its blea

Elora could feel her body become reinvigorated with the help of Hirru's spell. Although her exhaustion was far from cured, she felt strong enough to administer one final attack. "Thank you!", she shouted over to her green-haired companion. "I think we're gonna need to buy you a drink after this", she soon added with a weary chuckle. Elora could only hope that the battle would be over after this barrage of attacks. Otherwise, the next best thing she could contribute was a thumbs-up from the sidelines as the others carried on with the assault. Setting her sights on the belly of the beast, s

Elora was momentarily taken aback by Mina's drastic shift in demeanor, but soon appreciated the metaphorical olive-branch to opening up. Honestly, this version of her seemed a lot more palatable than the one previous. There were only so many superficial niceties Elora could handle before she'd become frustrated or bored. Another spoonful of soggy rice prefaced the following conversation. "...Its why he uses knuckle dusters and handwraps instead of bladed weapons." Huh, just like Salem, she recalled her interactions with the unusually introverted new player, Seems like knuckle users r

"Forgive me for saying so, but I'm not sure that's the best idea..." Elora's expression gradually shifted from one of excitement to dejection as the lone player began to discourage her accompaniment. With drooping ears and a deflated posture, the small elven woman started to look more like a wounded puppy than a confident combatant. He's right,, she regarded in response to his observation, Even if the Shadow increased my rank, I'm still just an inexperienced player who doesn't know how to handle a fight. Eyes drawn down to her weapon, Elora considered what the verdigris spear symbolized t