Starla

     Starla kept her point of view focused on the eyes that were watching over them. It seemed that maybe it was a creature that was wanting to be a familiar. She had never seen an enemy who had kept such a watchful eye on her before, so she had a feeling that this enemy was hoping it would find them. "I think this creature wants to be found, to an extent. On the lower floors, I haven't heard of an enemy who would stalk you in hopes of attacking you. I wonder if the quest triggers such a creature to spawn." I'd be interested to know how the coding for that kind of thing might work. And... I wonder if the game might know what your preference for a familiar is. The game does tap into your brain, so it wouldn't be shocking if they could read a small portion of your thoughts. Starla moved forward, trying to get a lock on where this creature might have been. It was clear that they were nearby, but they seemed to be darting around behind a group of trees.

     Starla saw that the last boar was alive and figured she would take a crack at killing it since Recon seemed to be resting. Was there such a thing as exhaustion in this game? If so, she worried how much longer she could last. Then again, she was only hitting with her single attack and not a sweeping AoE like Recon had. Maybe the amount of energy it used up differed? Starla had no clue, but that must've been the case. However, as she ran up to her prey, she slipped. She faceplanted onto the ground and sighed. "Ugh. Well that was disappointing." She looked to Lishuu, hoping she would be able to finish it off as she had the other boar pup. Starla looked to Koga who had made a snotty remark. "We'll get the loot eventually. Just I wonder if the drop rate is low or something..." Yeah, that must've been it. These things were way too weak. Maybe the system expects us to kill a bunch of them?

ID - 186304
BD: 1 = (Critical Miss!)

     Starla felt the slight push of a boar bumping into her and she looked down at it. "Pathetic." Her gaze bore down on the boar as she brandished her dagger in her right hand, bringing it down quickly on the boar before it could run away. She stuck it straight in the eye. A critical notification came across her screen as a 5! floated above the boar. Starla looked to Lishuu and the others. Recon was having a hard time recovering himself after doing his big sweeping attack and Lishuu seemed to be having a tough time even hitting a target. She decided she would focus on Lishuu. She was losing steam and she couldn't have her giving up just yet. "C'mon Lishuu, it's okay! The first combat is always the hardest. The mechanics are a bit wonky, so take your time. I'll take care of the immediate threats. We just need to collect as many tusks as we can!" Starla noticed her boar once again didn't drop a tusk. "Tsk." The drop rate on these damn things must be super low. Hope it doesn't take all day.

ID - 186165
BD: 9 + 1 [Keen] = 10 (Critical +1)

ID - 186166
LD: 8 = No Tusk Found [Must get 11+ for Tusk drop]

     Starla continued to keep an eye on the tracks as Dynasty spoke. Starla thanked herself for being perceptive enough to see them in the first place. She could be a bit of a "rich girl" sometimes, so she worried she might not be able to pick up on survival skills for that reason. She guessed that maybe her behavior had changed due to the time she spent inside the game. As she made her way forward, she decided to answer Dynasty's question. "I think it would match the kind of theme I have going on right now. A wolf companion seems suitable for someone like me as well. They are fiercely loyal and bare their fangs at anyone who stands in their way. On the other side of the coin, foxes are mischievous beings. Back at my winter home, I would see pairs of foxes running around chittering. I think it would be nice to have such a companion. Something tells me that a wolf will be the companion that chooses me. And I don't ignore my intuition." Starla smiled. "My Father always taught me that a businessman's instinct was the thing that kept a man's business from collapsing." Starla turned her eye toward Dynasty. "Although I've always wondered if intuition was just based on our unknown powers of observation, but... I'm rambling. I'm glad you made the trek to come speak with me." How could I let myself talk this long? This girl makes me uncomfortably comfortable.

     Starla looked off in the distance and she could've sworn she saw movement. Was something keeping an eye on them? As Starla moved forward, her gaze was piercing. She did not blink and her breathing became rhythmic as her vision honed in on the movement. "Seems we've got eyes on us."

     Starla watched as the cute interactions of Asimi and Dynasty didn't stop. It made her envious of her close familiar. She hoped that her familiar might be like that in the future, but there was only one way to find out. Starla ventured forward, noting that this quest probably would've been boring just like it was with Dynasty. It made her grateful that the girl had sought her out to accompany her. "Thank you for accompanying me, I'm sure I would've gone through the same thing you had if I took this on alone." Starla laughed nervously. "I do tend to get a bit frustrated if I don't accomplish things quickly. Having you around should help to cool my head."

     Starla thought for a moment. She hadn't even thought to think of a name. "I can't say I have thought of a name for them. I think I'm more inclined to name them once I actually capture them. Temperament, color, and some other things will likely play into my naming. Did you come up with your name beforehand?" Starla looked down near the ground she was at and smiled. Seems I found a bit of a trail. Looks like the paws might belong to a wolf. I wonder if this might be my fated partner. Starla began to move along the trail in hopes that she would get some sort of clue as to where the wolf was. It seemed it might be a little ways away though. She was never much of a tracker, but her gut was telling her this catching a familiar thing might be a whole day ordeal. She had wasted so much time laying around, so she would work the whole day if she had to. A determination burned within her that would not be quenched.

     Starla made her way forward, seeing that Dynasty was letting her take the lead. It wasn't as though she could make Dynasty find her pet for her. As she made her way forward, she looked to Asimi and smiled at the little squeak he had let out. "It seems Asimi has already more than warmed up to you, even though you've spent such little time together. I hope my familiar and I might share a similar bond when I find them." Starla thought about a wolf companion whom was almost as large as she was. A protector might be suitable, but she would have to give it some thought. A wolf seemed to fit her style a bit more since it was a bit more on the rural side. She wanted something that would blend well with the image in her head. Wolves were certainly a super common familiar, but they were a classic. A staple of any kind of roleplaying game with a companion. Starla smiled as she made her way through the woods, keeping an eye out for any kind of wolf howl or wolf track. For now, there wasn't anything and that was fine. Starla hoped this wouldn't take too long. She would probably get impatient if she didn't do it on her first try after all. "Did you find your familiar pretty quickly?"

     Starla listened intently to the speech coming from the elven woman. She stood tall above Starla, but her stature was not in the slightest bit domineering. It was soft, gentle, and filled Starla with a warm feeling. Starla was excited that she had reached the ranking of Squire. Although it was not what she was potentially hoping for, a special title was also acceptable. It didn't seem to do anything other than identify her as such. A shame, but not everything was done just for her own benefit. She had been raised in such a way, but never felt comfortable with such a thing. She looked over to the person with the A name, whose name she still could not remember, who had a new hair color. Did he get a cosmetic item as part of his contract with the Queen?! Starla felt a bit jealous, but she did love her white hair anyway. There was nothing she would change.

"Seems I've got some work to do before I come back here. Everyone doing okay? No monsters so far. Seems like we might be in the clear." Starla felt an ominous feeling as she said that. Uh oh. Did I just jinx us?

     Starla was glad to have some help on the quest. There didn't seem to be very many monsters out and about, so maybe it was a good thing that she had offered to help. Since she said it had taken her so long to get her own familiar, there must've been some kind of perk to having another person along with you. The quest did say that there was a limit of 2 in a party, so maybe there was something else you could get by having another person there? She wondered if there was a secret reward for helping out someone on the familiar quest. If so, she hoped that this girl wasn't going to keep it for herself. At this thought, she wondered if the girl was someone who would do that. Listening to her introduction and her level, Starla was almost certain this girl wasn't capable of such treachery. Starla smiled at her. "Well perfect! You look well equipped for a level 4! I'm level 8, so admittedly I'm not much further along than you. Seems you're more oriented for being a tank. I'm more oriented for being a DPS, so we will match well in that regard. It's good to meet someone around my level. Most people I've met are far ahead of me in level. Gives me comfort to see someone here that I can help instead of being helped."

     Starla surveyed her surroundings, seeing some movement off in the right corner of her vision. Her head darted to the area she had seen movement. "Shall we get going?" Starla sent a party invitation. "Ah, and what is the name of your little one there? I'm also looking for an animal that resides in the forest. I'm unsure whether it should be a wolf or something like a fox. I think a wolf would suit me well. What do you think?"

     Starla saw the window hovering before her and was tempted to push the "O". Before she was able, Alkor did first. He moved to the Elven Queen. Her voice was still silent for her and the rest of the others. She spoke to Alkor and knighted him in the same way which she had done the spirit before. The light pulsed for a moment as a slew of faefolk suddenly entered the room. Starla looked around, seeing that the faefolk were interacting with everyone but her and Alkor. Starla took this as a sign that it was her turn to make her way to the Elven Queen. Starla worried that maybe it was not the wisest choice, but the system would've likely told her that danger was imminent.

She pressed the accept button.

     Starla felt compelled to make her way to the Queen and she did so quickly. As she approached, she would go about the same ritual that Alkor had. She wanted to hear this woman's voice. She wanted to know what secrets she held. Who was she? Why was she someone capable of knighting others? Was she some sort of grand figure in the whole of Aincrad? Maybe she held some sort of special item which would be given, but whether that would be true was yet to be seen. Even with all the questions flooding her head, Starla focused on the interaction before her. Her presence was like that of Jupiter, pulling Starla into her massive orbit. This place was her domain, Starla could tell. She was excited to be someone who was invited to share in its possibly momentary glory.

     While Starla was looking around, she was suddenly taken by surprise. A woman approached her and asked if she wanted help with her quest. It didn't seem like it was that hard. Was she under the wrong impression? Starla looked at the silver fox next to the woman who addressed her. Couldn't hurt to have another person accompany me. Might as well have them help me look. Starla looked over the girl, up and down. She wielded a shield, so it seemed she was going to be the front liner in this situation. Although Starla was confident that with her light armor skill, most monsters wouldn't be able to do anything to her on this floor. Starla gave a small smile to the woman. "If you'd like, you can accompany me." If she was someone who had already taken this quest, Starla wouldn't be surprised if she was her level or higher. It made her curious why she was on this floor. "My name is Starla, and yours?" Starla wasn't extremely interested in her personal details, but she was glad to meet another person who was beginning their journey late like her. She had met a lot of high level people and so she worried she was going to get a big head. She stuck to lower floors for this reason. "And might I ask why you're on this floor?"

     Starla was minding her own business on the second floor. It had been a long day of trekking around trying to find enemies. She had found a few, but maybe it was just a bad day. She wasn't finding many around, so she was wondering if there were a lot of parties hunting today. She didn't see many people around, so maybe she was just barely missing them. Starla was running around the side of a high rocky cliff face and wondered if she could make it up to the top. She was hoping she might be able to get a good view of the floor from there and see if she could spot any monsters around. It didn't take her long to find a bit of a winding path up to the top, so she made her way up. Once she was there, she was looking around and seeing almost no monsters. Dang. What is up with today? I guess I might just be missing out or something. As she turned around, an older woman was standing in front of her. "Ah!" Starla exclaimed, taken by surprise at the old woman's stealth.

"Hello dearie. Would you like to hear a story?"

     Starla looked at the old woman who was clearly suspicious. She didn't have a marker over her head, so Starla assumed she was an NPC of some sort. She wondered what kind of quest she might offer. If she was approaching Starla, it must've been something that she just met the requirements for. It's not like she had leveled up or anything. Maybe it was the cliff face and had something to do with the missing monsters? Starla looked at the old woman with a smile. "If it pleases you, I will listen."

     "Excellent." The old woman sat down on one of the nearby rocks. "You see.." She went on to describe a story about how she was able to tame monsters when she was younger. She was a legendary tamer whom was able to conquer whatever she wanted. Nary a monster was too hard for her to tame and she wished to pass on her legacy. "Young lady, I think you have the talent to tame a monster." What bull. How much do I have to pay you for this? "Go tame a monster with this." The old woman handed her a handful of some kind of dry food. It looked like a dog treat. How... Fitting. The old woman relaxed. "Will you do this for me?"

     The quest window popped up and Starla felt she had no reason to decline it. She could benefit from a familiar. She accepted the quest. The old woman smiled at her. Starla was taken aback. It reminded her of the grandmother she once had who became estranged from her due to family greed. The feeling made Starla disgusting. Not at the woman, but at the situation. It made her feel a bit empty for a moment. "T-Then I'll be on my way. Will you be here?" The old woman shook her head. Starla looked at her, a bit confused. "You'll know where to find me, if the time ever comes." Well that's ominous.

Starla made her way back down the cliff face, wondering where she was going to find a potential familiar. Where to start...? Starla just began looking around, not too hard. Might as well take my time looking for a suitable one for me.

     Starla watched what seemed to be a knighting ceremony. It was beautiful and picturesque. Whoever had designed this event took a great amount of care to really capture a certain feeling. Maybe it was the fact that she was trapped inside this game, but the light that seemed to be emanating from the woman at the back of the room was like pure hope. Starla realized that this game was one in which kind of functioned like a knighthood. All the people inside this game worked together to accomplish a single goal. Conquering. It made Starla only reaffirm her belief the person who trapped everyone inside of this game was pure evil. However, that malevolent intention melted away at the sight of this incarnation of pure light. Starla couldn't let herself get up.

     And then there was something that came into the center of her vision. A window. Starla blinked for a moment, being brought back into reality. "Huh?" Starla looked at the window as it asked if she wanted to become a knight. The A person then asked if anyone else was seeing this. The question was ambiguous, but it was clear as day as to what he was talking about. Starla turned her gaze to the man who asked and she said, "You mean this window? I'm surprised we happened upon an event. I'm tempted to accept."

     A woman with shining hair then entered the chamber, which took Starla a bit by surprise. She addressed her and Starla stood up immediately. She brushed off some of the dust that might've been on her clothing and she looked at the woman. "Hmm." She looked the woman up and down, sizing her up. Starla was completely certain that this woman wouldn't be here unless she was close to someone on the front lines or the front lines themselves, so she smiled. "Starla. Charmed."

     Starla made her way up to the second floor, hearing that there was a quest to be taken here that would probably pose a threat to her if she took it on herself. Now that she had all of her new equipment, she knew just who to call up to help out with it. Starla sent Yuki a message asking if she would help her with a quest on the second floor, which she hoped she would. Starla accepted the quest anyway, listening to the sob story of a mother who lost her child playing inside of a cave. What kind of child wants to play inside of a cave? Starla looked at her map as she hit the button to accept the quest. Seemed the cave wasn't too far from where she was now. She waited near the floor entrance for Yuki. It would be nice to catch up a little bit as they made their way to the cave. Starla wasn't just all about business after all. Yuki was someone who was going to make her stronger and their last interaction was... A bit awkward. She hoped they would become closer after taking on this quest.

     Starla looked around the 23rd floor, taking in the floor for all of its gloomy glory. It had an air which made Starla want to leave, but she knew that NIGHT was somewhere here on this floor. As she made her way around the floor, she saw all kinds of monsters which she knew she had to avoid like the plague. If she was caught, she was surely going to be killed. It was risky, but she felt that this floor was calling to her. Something about this floor, she knew in her heart would remind her of her home. The feeling that welled up inside of her was burning a hole in her soul. Maybe it was fear, but she felt it inside of her being that this was intuition screaming that she needed to be here.

     Starla looked at her friend's list and selected NIGHT, trying to find exactly where she was. As her dot showed up on her map, she headed in her direction without missing a beat. She made her way through many muddy puddles and avoided the gaze on monsters that made her soul quake, but she was determined. She felt she was lucky to avoid many of the monsters in the area, but this was something Starla had confidence in. She hadn't built into the stealthier part of her build yet, but if she hoped to survive as a stealthy character, she also needed immense luck. It invigorated her and in the distance, she saw a dilapidated building. It seemed that that was where NIGHT was. As she approached, she suddenly found herself freezing.

     She thought she heard a melody playing inside her ear as she approached the building and a golden glow shone faintly from the entrance, enticing her to enter. Starla stared at the entrance for a moment before the music dissipated. Was it just her imagination? The glow, however, did not fade. Starla crept forward, wary that some sort of monster might be beckoning her into her demise. But as she got closer, she heard a familiar voice. It wasn't long since the last time she had heard it. The one who had saved Koga before... Who was it again? Starla wracked her brain for the answer and the letter A popped into her mind. She knew his name started with an A.

     Starla peeked around the corner of the entrance. She saw the A person and NIGHT inside the room with a blue-haired person she hadn't seen before behind them. But that was all irrelevant before the woman who stood at the back of the room. She was adorned with an outfit so pure white, it was almost blinding. Starla felt herself become entranced at the sight of the woman, her silent beauty beckoning her forward. Starla felt herself relax as she entered the room, a small smile adorning her lips. She stood up straight, wanting to blend in with the rest of the people at this event. Even though it was an illusion of sorts, Starla could feel herself melding into the atmosphere. This. This was what had her soul burning. Starla thought back to the grand galas, parties, and award ceremonies she had attended. Although this one was probably more akin to the Renaissance or even before that than she was accustomed to, the air still tasted the same. A crisp, exciting air filled with a slightly sweet aroma to it. Although there was no noise, she almost instinctively heard the buzzing of people gossiping about the woman in the back of the room. Starla was sure if this gathering was real, it would've been quite the spectacle. Her eyes practically sparkled as she fell to her knees, an audible thump resounding. "Wow."

     Starla could feel the sincerity behind the action of Koga saying that he should be the one apologizing. Yes, it was his fault that she had fallen. However, she was the one to even decide to get on the boat in the first place. Even if he allowed her to do it, it was her responsibility to keep herself safe when going with Koga. And... Now she knew that she really needed to keep a keen eye out to keep herself from falling into trouble. As she saw that Koga extended a hand to her, she smiled. But on the inside, she was frowning. Who shakes hands with this kind of thing? Are people so out of touch here that they don't hug or anything? She sighed a little bit as she took the hand and shook it. "Let's laugh about it tomorrow. And a hug is preferred, but it seems everyone here doesn't like them." As she realized what she had said out loud, she quickly let go of Koga's hand and turned away. How could you say that out loud?!

     Starla felt the creature that she had reached out to crawl up on her shoulders and sit there. Starla felt comfortable with this animal, it was cute. Its name was Persi. Hopefully I can see them again soon. It'd be a shame to let this animal go without a lot of affection. I have a feeling the owner is one that doesn't show a lot of love. But... She thought back to NIGHT. She was a woman who was pretty cold, but she comforted her as much as she could. It was delightful to see that side of her and she had a feeling that this side of NIGHT was not one many saw. She hoped she could get closer to NIGHT with this.

     Starla got up and started following the group. Although, she had a confused look about her as Freyd addressed her as contrast. She wondered what he meant by that. Starla kept petting the infinitely smooth and warm Persi. She didn't want to embarrass herself calling out to it with her high-pitched 'pet voice', so she settled for just silently smiling at it and continuing to pet it. As she moved forward, she looked for Koga. She had to apologize to him. It wasn't all his fault... Even if he had accidentally knocked her over the edge while rocking the boat.

     As they approached, Alkor left. She hadn't sent him a friend request, but now wasn't the time to ask something like that. If she hung around NIGHT, it seemed that they were in the same guild, so she'd ask NIGHT for her to be her friend later. Koga seemed... Embarrassed. Or maybe shamed was a better way to put it? Starla felt a bit awkward as she moved forward with Persi on her shoulders. Now wasn't the time to be a coward though. Koga should be able to be comforted like she was comforted. It would be selfish to keep all of the positive feelings to herself. Starla approached Koga and stood in front of him for a second. "Yes, I'm ready to leave, but I have something to say."

     Starla took a deep breath before she bowed forward. "Please excuse my behavior for before. I didn't mean to put you in a situation where I might be in danger and I don't blame you for what happened, even if I might have said otherwise. I was naive and dumb, to... Not mince words. I hope you can forgive me for my stupidity." Starla hated prostrating herself like this, but she worried Koga might not recover if she didn't do this. "Let's chalk it up to an accident." Starla stood back up and looked Koga in the eye, a determined look in her eye. She felt as though a fire was burning inside her. She was going to make Koga feel better. "Okay?" Starla wanted to hug Koga, but she felt like they weren't close enough yet, so she... Resisted the urge. She was someone who was okay with touching and being touched, but she learned early that there are those who do not take well to that kind of affection (namely NIGHT from what she had seen).

     Starla looked as Koga had made a comment about how Lishuu should get her head into the fight. As he said that, Starla had failed to notice a boar heading straight toward her. It slammed into her chest which almost made her lose her footing for a moment. When she looked at her health on the left, there was barely any damage taken. She saw the red number float above her as it said "1". Starla was thankful that she had taken the light armor skill first. If this battle ever got out of hand, she would always be able to manage with a fair bit of mitigation on her end, even if she wasn't a tank per se. As the boar turned around to ready for another head butt, she decided this was a prime time to strike.

     Starla felt her blade dig into the boar, a clean hit. However, it wasn't as effective as the last one she had made somehow. She had gotten lucky with a critical strike with the first strike she landed, so it was only natural to expect her regular hits not to feel as satisfying. She hoped she might be able to rectify that in the future. The boar didn't go down instantly with the hit she made, just injure it a little bit. It looked angry as it had been hit and began to focus on her. She hoped the other boars would begin attacking her too. She could at least negate their damage if it came down to it. Starla looked over to Lishuu who had missed every time she tried to attack. "Don't worry about how accurate you are Lishuu. Just keep attacking until you get tired! I'll take care of the rest."

ID - 185322
BD: 7

     As Starla kept her hand clasped, she was a bit confused as to what was going on. NIGHT also seemed very confused why this person was here. At the very least, he seemed like he was not an enemy. NIGHT might have tensed up a little bit at the sight of them, but she didn't immediately go to shield her. That was enough to make Starla feel a bit more comfortable with the situation. As she let her guard down, her grip on NIGHT relaxed a bit as this stranger explained why they were there. It was a bit odd. Yes, he was after some monsters that had escaped, but... Starla felt her brain twist trying to understand why he approached the two of them. Was he trying to be polite and greet a friend? But... His greeting and tone certainly did not match up as someone who was just trying to be friendly. As she though about this for a moment, she felt slightly wet sandpaper brush across her skin.

     "AH!" Starla pulled her hand back in surprise, seeing the panther now standing next to her and NIGHT. As she did so, she fell onto the ground. She was afraid at first, but realized if it wanted to attack her, it probably would've done so at first. Starla looked over the panther taking in all of its sleek beauty. After a moment, she felt herself smile a little bit and go a bit closer to it. Since it didn't attack her, was it friendly? Starla turned to the general direction of NIGHT and Freyd, unsure of which one to address. "May I pet them?"

     Starla saw the blurry visage of NIGHT come into her teary view. She closed her eyes tightly to try and stop the tears, but the situation was a bit overwhelming. What she was saying was getting drowned out by the voice in her head, but there weren't very many words being exchanged. She told her to cry as much as she needed to, but she wished she hadn't said that. Crying was something that she shouldn't do in front of others. Being scared wasn't something she should do in front of others. She should be strong just like NIGHT was being now. As NIGHT's hand touched hers, she felt the stream of tears slow. She took a deep breath as she blinked a few times. She had managed to stay the tears for now. But the one thing NIGHT misunderstood was that she leapt in after Koga.

     Before she could get a word in, a new person appeared before her and NIGHT. Starla immediately wiped the tears from her face. If this person knew NIGHT and was on this floor, they were likely another strong person. She couldn't go giving the impression that she was as weak as she was. Unconsciously, she was still holding onto NIGHT's hand, but she didn't let go. This was the one thing holding her together. It was grounding her, even if it was just a hand. Her hand felt a little cold to the touch, but it was better than curling her hands together by herself. She didn't move, expecting NIGHT to help mend this situation. She wasn't really in a position to talk with this person. She hoped that he wouldn't get the wrong kind of idea, although... She didn't hate the idea of that.

Starla was dearly trying to put herself together, but it was not working out. Starla looked at NIGHT with a look that said it all, tears still wanting to press through.

I don't want you to go. Please.

     Starla entered the shop, looking around for the owner. She had done her best to make it to the shop unscathed. She had gotten ahold of all the gear that she needed, but there was one vital piece that she was missing. Her armor. She heard a rumor that this shop was regarded as one of the best tailors on the early floors. They said it was run by a bit of a standoffish girl, but Starla never minded that kind of thing. If anything, it made it all the easier to do business. Nothing lost, nothing gained.

     Starla walked up to the counter, looking over the custom order form before she started filling one out. There didn't seem to be any product on the floor currently, but the sign on the door which said to stay away made her think that someone was probably here often enough to check and see if anything was missing. As she filled out the form, she hummed a little tune to herself. She left the form on the counter and looked around for the girl who was said to run the shop. As she exited, she said without turning around, "I've got an order if you can fill it. I'll leave the Col on the counter. I expect a message within a few days if you're as good as people seem to think."

     Starla looked at the man watching over her, as well as NIGHT who was supporting her. She took a few deep breaths as she felt herself break into a bit of a cold sweat. "It's alright. I just..." She took a deep breath. "I just need to calm myself down. That fall was a lot." Starla looked at the three who were basically panicking at her dropping to the ground. Starla stood up and swiped the dirt off of her clothes. "I won't be taking a tumble like that for quite a while, I hope."

     Starla bowed to all three of them. "I'm sorry. That was a poor decision on my part. I got a bit too brave and ended up endangering myself." Starla felt her eyes lay on Koga for a moment before she turned around and stood back up. "I get the blame isn't entirely mine though. I'll make sure to keep an eye on the situation in the future so I don't end up making that kind of mistake again. And Koga..." Starla stiffened for a moment, wanting to lash out. She gripped her fists as tightly as she felt she could. She swore that she would've inflicted damage to herself if she was wanting to take the risk of potentially scarring her hands, but she wasn't. "Please don't let me join you on ventures like these until I'm a much higher level. If I had really fell..." Starla shook her head and tried to fight back tears. "I'd be dead." Starla frowned as she resisted the urge to cover her face as tears started to flow. She couldn't let them see her like this. She wasn't this weak. She couldn't lose it over one risk. The front liners risked their lives all the time, that's what Yuki taught her. She needed to toughen up. But...

     Starla let out a sniffle as the tears poured. I'm scared. Why did I do this? I could've died. What was I thinking? How could I be so careless? That was so stupid. She wanted to punch herself. Something to help her wake up. Stop it. You're being pathetic. You can't let NIGHT see you like this. What would she think of you after this? She seems to care about you, but she'll stop caring if she sees you being like this. Like a baby. Starla tried to steel herself, but the tears had already started and they would not be stopped so easily. Starla gripped her fists and stiffened, really hoping someone would come and give her a hug. She wanted to see her mom. She wanted to be home.

     Starla could feel the air rushing all over her body as she descended rapidly toward the floor below. She spread herself out and closed her eyes tightly. If she was going to hit the ground, she did not want to know when she was going to die. She held her breath as the air rushed and rushed, drowning out her hearing. Her mind went blank as it focused on the rushing. I don't want to die. Starla opened her eyes to see the ground not much further from her. "I DON'T WANT TO D-OOGH!" Starla felt her breath leave her as she was essentially plucked out of the air by NIGHT.

     Starla felt herself cough a bit as NIGHT held her close. Starla looked up at the girl who had eyes that bore down on her. As she was about to call back out to her about being careful, NIGHT's breathing wavered. As much as Starla wanted to be angry at NIGHT for blaming her for this incident, Starla kept her mouth shut and looked away from NIGHT. Her face felt a little hot thinking about how much the cold girl had worried about her. She wondered what NIGHT might look like when her cold eyes turned warmer. As a scowl came across NIGHT's face, Starla felt her face turn tomato red and she stood on her own. "Sorry. I'll make sure not to do that again." Starla's expression turned cold as she looked to Koga. "And by that, I mean trusting Koga." Starla crossed her arms and looked away from him, pouting. "Hmph." Starla looked at NIGHT. "Doesn't even have the decency to ask me how I am after the fall he caused." She paused. "Thanks for catching me. I was... Really worried there for a minute." Starla felt her legs shake so much that she fell to the ground. Maybe this was affecting her more than she thought. She felt that if her senses weren't so dulled by the game, she probably would have passed out from adrenaline.

     Starla managed to kill her boar and sadly she didn't get a material. As she looked at Lishuu to try and see if she was going to kill her boar, another two boar pups flung themselves out of the bushes. Maybe the game was going to keep spawning them for the group until they got all their materials? She was certainly hoping that was the case. It would make things easier for them to not have to hunt down their targets. Starla saw Lishuu miss and before the new boars could get a move in on her, she decided to act first.

     Starla swung and missed horrendously. She thought maybe she had gotten the hang of combat, but maybe she was just lucky with her hit from last time? Starla shook her head, wondering why the blade wasn't going where she thought it was. Maybe she was just unlucky this time. Starla grimaced at the boar, hoping she would get her revenge in the next few seconds. She readied herself to dodge in hopes that the attack from one (or both) boars missed. Starla looked at Recon. "Incoming."

ID - 184902
BD: 1 [Critical Miss!]

     Starla looked over the edge as she saw the shield fall out of her view. She hoped it would be safe, but the shield was falling very fast. She doubted that the shield would make it and she remained convinced that the featherfall effect was probably only for people and not objects. Little did she know... Her hypothesis was about to be tested. Koga got a message and she assumed they had said that the shield broke, but before Koga could tell her anything, he started losing his balance.

     Starla clutched the side of the boat as if her life depended on it. The boat shook and shook and shook and she closed her eyes so tight. Are you serious?! I'm going to die on a f****** boat?! NOT EVEN TO A BOSS?! Starla felt the rocking sensation lull after a moment and she opened her eyes and looked up, expecting to see Koga. However... He was nowhere to be seen. She leaned over the edge of the boat and saw him falling!! Starla started losing it. She screamed out for him. "KOGAAAAAA!" She hoped maybe NIGHT and Alkor might hear her as he leapt over the edge. It would be... Highly unfortunate for her to lose a comrade after this short time. She felt as though she might've been a bad luck charm in these kinds of situations, but she hoped that her feeling was wrong.

     And... Before Starla knew it, the edge which she was leaning over was gone. A single rock of the boat and she was free flying. Starla screamed as she fell down, dearly hoping that featherfalling would affect her. "KOGA I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!!" Starla focused on the fact that Alkor and NIGHT would save her. Surely, they would. They wouldn't let her die, right? RIGHT?!