Nian

well, as their “leader” was monologuing, nian was able to read the room. the guy with the purple hair turned sour at the woman’s latest comment. and it seemed, as though, that the boy behind them was the most clueless of them all. that, and the woman wasn’t apparently threatening, at all. nian had seen worse. nian had been worse. “all i’m asking from you is the consumable you just got, and we’ll even escort you back to the main settlement, just in case you need a safe way back.” so she snarled, even as her captor reluctantly backed his companion up. but the monarch – their monar

they couldn’t even handle a stupid bird alone?! there was no telling if she’d get the loot if she went out of range! damn these commoners, they should all go to hell if they were going to be so slow about it! (and the only sane voice at the back of her mind went even if they were already there?) to hell with sanity and the appropriate idea. better to teach these wimps a lesson in being efficient, with nian leaping out from the mountainside to tackle the bird’s back, grabbing onto its feathers and hounding it to agitation. with a claw sunk into its neck, she was wondering how close it

good. it appeared that she was unseen. and based off the conversation, nian considered their plan fast. the hag in full tracksuit must’ve been their tank, or a last attacker. because she had her weapon ready – and it seemed like she should’ve started striking first, but her stare up towards the phoenix allowed the two boys that followed after her to catch up and get a hit in before she did. so, eager, nian darted after the brat boy in supreme, on his heels for a strike at the bird right after he’d landed a hit in with his stick of a weapon. and behind her, she could hear the other di

huh? what the heck was going on over there? look. whoever those nobodies above me are, their stories are unimportant. disgusting for you to even think about considering their words. look to nian instead, who was but traveling the wastes in search of something a little more interesting to hunt for. and upon hearing about some degenerates about to head out to confront some boss or another – it didn’t matter to her, nor their party size! it was easy to gank them, not pvp wise, but on items. and given that all she had to do was ambush the field boss, that was exactly what she was intending to

oh, where would the galteans be, if their rightful ruler hadn't been there to take care of them? the question was rhetorical. for nian had no intention to leave her subjects in the dust. her arrival on the scene was quiet, cautious, unprecedented. it hadn't been voluntary in the slightest. no, her presence was only necessary. there'd been some requests about everything and anything. sneaking supplies in, errand work of documents and deeds, scouring some refugee's homes for one piece of paperwork or another. they would've been ideal for stealing. the monster took a different

before the king got to move for a dive towards what remained of cerberus, the false king shifted from her position, taking flight to bury her blade down onto the canine. and instantly it shattered, health bar draining empty. only an explosion would mark its death, the players preoccupied with matters elsewhere. for example, nian. and the fact that the kill got stolen from the beast was more than insulting to his majesty. "tch." an audible retort. the emperor wasn't obligated to shoot back niceties at the commoner, much less grace them with anything further than a look. still fou

nian hadn't seen anything from the sneaking hound, two heads announcing its roar. had the emperor noticed its third, it was when it struck the floor, disintegrating into pieces with only a stub left upon where the head once was. and the king moved fast; enough to trace across the arena in one running start, leap high enough at the end of her dash to strike at cerberus -- but a miscalculation, damn cardinal, had sent her trajectory awry. she slid through air. claw gash skating across the dogs' neck, though only the stroke across the last had connected. and in her tumble-landing, nian rolle

perhaps, if nian the social aptitude of a human being, she might've thought twice about if chi's words had been directed towards her, that bastard of a tyrant. instead, her attention focused on the writhing hound in her metal jaws, she reached out to give the dog another smash to the ground. cheekbone met heated rock, the opponent's tongue lolling out as it whimpered despite its ferocious appearance. what was left of its form fell apart as quickly as the emperor had dispatched of it. to ready herself, she drew her fist back upwards, tight. nothing else came to pass the two in the ne

awful. the moment he took the brunt of the damage, it became more than just profits. somehow, it pivoted to the life-and-death spiel that had plagued the land since forever. pig headed fools just love the ilk of their kin, she supposed. no rest for the wicked. the point of an emperor was to lead his subjects to victory and -- no love for the land she was sent to save, but -- there would be no subjects left entitled to her respect had they been wiped out before she could grace their presence. as stupid as they were to have gone out in a manner of different ways, like boars. level nin

pretty? the word near made her skin crawl. where the stranger couldn't see, nian practically balked at that response. just the same with the comment afterwards -- but it was better that than pretty. elegant would've been the better choice there. "But, ah, we're gonna have a problem if you don't wanna work with me on this," "the same could be said for you," the royal touted back, glare shot from over her shoulder. "See, you're pretty and all," (purposeful?) "but pretty don't pay my damn bills or put food in my belly. So, why don't the two of us cooperate and kill a

"Oooooh noyadon't," oh great. who in the world was this extra? it hadn't even registered to nian that the labyrinth would want to keep itself shut, the moment she heard that creaking of the doors. and the king whirled around, ears prickled, tuned to the sound of a human voice. a commoner. "Hey, I don't know if you noticed, but I was here first." lanky. devious. cutting edge. had the weapon not been strapped to the random nuisance that had appeared, the emperor might've let the oddity slip. because then there would be something to marvel at, upon her notice. but no --

ah. even less impressive was how the undaunted liar had managed to work her way inside, only to have failed her enemies' decimation upon the first hit. and that terrible noise of a commoner not knowing what she was getting into -- the sight was almost enough to move the emperor to empty his stomach. but a king must do what needed to be done. if not on his subject's behalf, then for himself and the future he would build. so nian lumbered through the entryway, claws tightened into a fist. and those giant metal obelisks charged into the fray with nothing but recklessness behind them, th

ah? and after all of that, to deny the majesty of the emperor herself -- the king would growl, barely giving the other a look over. chi was too good of a title for the mongrel -- chibai was more like it, nian decided. and the added commentary -- "an attitude like that will get you nowhere," was what she snarled under her breath. there was no saving those who didn't want to be saved, the king decided. her steps only hastened in turn. for what good was there walking with one who did not revere her presence? his majesty did not need to have pitied the forsaken, after all. her hand ext

so a damage dealer, almost akin to herself. nian snorted, the king's own way of addressing the lowlifes, by now. at the mention of the other's title, however-- "You may call me Ruler, by the way." -- she whipped her head around, stopping, eyes widened in a harsh ruby glare. "Uh, if it pleases you." it did not please heaven's chosen in the slightest. "falsehood," the monarch shot back, diving back into long, unbroken strides. "the ruler you must be speaking of a curse otherwise. there is only room for one divinity --" the little emperor raised a clawed finger, to prove her p

simple and straightforward. obedience was a thing that nobles paid for, rulers subjugated with. upon that simple response, nian strung her grievances off the thread, just a little. it was by a wondering informant that they'd receive the intel. a meeting that nian expected, but not to little fanfare -- an injured man wouldn't be able to afford luxury nor rewards. only the glory of the hunt would be satiable this day -- "We'll send it back to Hades with it's tail between it's legs." -- and even that was being threatened from her, by now. the king turned none by way of conver

and that anger festered even more. the environment was already terrible to look at -- and the gall of keeping the company of lowlifes around, while she was at it? but for their sake, the emperor's brain worked quickly; if that meant the ruler would be safe in the face of wandering monsters, then so be it that the accompaniment be bait. on a stoic, stone cold face that the king returned to her subjects, nian blinked, slow. sharpness gave way to an agitated frown; still perturbed, but nonetheless accepting. "it does you well," she said, "that at least you know your place, commoner." and the

ah. it was warm. the heat was almost sobering for the young ruler. and unlike the misseus who'd just so happened to block her path once she spawned into the area, nian was solely garbed in dark hoping to chase away the onlookers that might catch her in their eye -- enemies, that dotted along the path towards the hound of hell's lair. she growled, almost instinctively at the sight of the other player, black metal claws pushing past the plebian. "make way." like an order. and as nian rounded the obstacle, she noticed the menus pulled up in front of them. another look of disdain crosse

so here was the situation. "ever since the boss of the labyrinth has been defeated, there's been a bunch of boar noises from the tower that's keeping us awake! please clear out the labyrinth so that--" blah blah blah. nian didn't need to know their reasons. the once deadly labyrinth of aincrad's past was coated black, stuck on the furthest edge of the castle, away from the town of beginnings. almost a waypoint against a blue sky; on a clear day, and only if one was in the outskirts far enough to have spotted it. the quest npc that had wanted the massacre of pigs was housed somew

She waited. When the upgraded weapons were presented to her, Nian was quick to recover them to her inventory. They were gone in a flash, then reappeared on her arm -- the weight of them felt about right, the sheen on their nails spoke as though the gauntlets were brand new. Not so much for the fists' outer shells. But that was a flaw she was forced to live with. A frustrated growl, the player looking about the room. If she tested it here, she wouldn't be able to pay for repairs. Likewise, they were in a safe zone... Nian decided to play nice today. "Whatever. By

There were just some delicacies that met her expectation. Those were few and far between, what with the amount of trial and error the commoners had to go through to rework the height of human luxury back into the game. Yet somehow there had been this dingy store off rumors she'd heard from some place or another. Upon a stroke of luck, she'd found gold. And everything on display was exquisite. Nian tabulated the cost in her head. Relatively cheap, given the quality at first glance. But even in her sour mood, inspecting blemishes in the chef's handiwork, she couldn't find any. Th

2400col | teleport crystal (x3) 1000col | field rations (x1) 400col | water canister x3 (x1) 3000col | keys (x3) sum: 6800col

Narrowed eyes and a tell-tale frown. The short cape that followed behind her was complemented by the brush of long, thick hair almost threatening to sweep the floor. Behind Nian, the door clicked shut, but what bothered the woman was how claustrophobic the walk towards the shop's counter seemed to be. Only at the desk did the player summon forth her beloved modelled weapons. The shadow her cap cast over her eyes only seemed to make those crimson orbs glow. "These need repairs and an improvement." Unequipping weapons was supposed to be a task simple for most players, and yet the

A list of ways Nian probably found the exit: Spider-crawling. Through stabbing holes into the side of the airship with her claws, the fiend was likely to cause leaks into the cargo hold. However, given Cardinal's fortune, the vessel was going to maintain capability. By scaling the exterior of the room, as large was it was, unabated by foreign sources, the stalker was likely capable of punting herself beyond reach of danger before the chaos started. By magnitude of the room. Almost like a warehouse, the bundle of crates that separated her presence from the rest of the

Oh. Sure it was. Nian's sharp eyes bore into the outline of the other player's figure, once the vagrant stopped to turn around, form taut but unflinching. The gauntlets on her arm posed an imposing threat. Because they were. And because the royal had just stopped in front of a pillar. In the dim light that poured through from their crack into the cargo, their ruler was not to be outdone. Hence the raise of her oblivion, and a lowered tilt of her head. "No," the king demanded. "You're going that way." The slam of the back of her index against a glass panel covering an alarm set the wo

Direction -- they needed it. And Nian would provide it to them, with or without a map of the ship that they found themselves on. And yet, the reckless imbeciles were the ones to move first. Just as the king released herself from her turtle-shell grip, claws none the worse for wear from her protection, did they fling themselves off into the murky abyss of stacked cubes. The monarch was not one to take risks like that just yet. She stretched, knowing the physical effort, the toll that would be on her figure in the future. Rolled her shoulders. Ensured her equipment was in gear. Then, a