Ghostie

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The sun reminds her

Of hopes beyond just her own,

And clouds, of her fears.

 

Ghost rested on the hills of Floor 1, hands bracing her as she sat in the grass. The temperature was perfect. The rays and solar glow that illuminated the fields around her was soothing, as if it were blessing her lightly paled skin with a warmth that she hadn’t taken the time to properly appreciate in a very long time. 

 

The tree nearby had given just the optimal amount of shade, relieving her from having to squint from the light as its leaves projected an opacity that dimmed the sun from her face. Her fingers running through the thin blades of grass was therapeutic, encouraging her to gently kick off her sandals and feel them between her toes as well. Comfortably reclining, she rested onto her back, reaching a hand up to the small glimmers of light that hit her face through the trees, and sighed. 

 

This… is real.

 

~Flashback, beginning thirteen years ago~

 

“What do you mean, ‘there’s nothing you can do’?? There’s always something!!”

 

“I’m sorry, Professor Sato, but there’s still only so much that even our BEST medical facilities can accomplish. There are currently only a very limited number of experimental methods, which you have mentioned, and those methods as of last month have been reported to have an outrageously abysmal success rate.”

 

“Abysmal?? …Doctor Lin, I don’t believe you truly understand the meaning of the word. For the past five years, I’ve had to bring Ko to you. I’ve watched as my little girl couldn’t breathe. I’ve watched as her screams and cries produced mere fractions of frequencies. I’ve watched while her throat has swelled, and while her mother was in tears in fear of losing her, and I have watched while our girl, sitting in YOUR OFFICE right now, damn near lost her life because of an abnormality sixteen god forsaken times. And you’re sitting here, in front of me now, telling me that the few options that she has in this world to be able to live a life where she can live without constant pain, and can TALK, is abysmal??”

 

“…I’m… I’m sorry professor, I—“

 

“You have NO concept of what it means to be comparable to an abyss, Doctor Lin. Not even an inkling. Abysmal is how my wife and I feel every morning getting out of bed, wondering if she’s alive and just sleeping. Abysmal is comparable to any sense of ease that we’ve been able to have, to clear our fears and doubts about her future. IF she even has one. ABYSMAL, Doctor, is how it feels to not be able to trust even medical god damned professionals to be capable enough to perform their duties. And abysmal… Well, abysmal is comparable to the chances of you having your license after today. Thank you for your time. We’re leaving.”

 

Ko jumped as the side door to the office was slung open, her father walking in and slamming it behind him. Despite his actions, he looked completely calm, a caring warm smile on his face. Despite hearing everything he and Doctor Lin had said, she almost instantly pushed that aside, just beaming up at her dad. At the time, the little girl only saw his smile, and had no way to understand the look in his eyes. The look of worry, of anger, of pain.

 

“Come, Ko. It’s time to go home.”

 

On the way home, Ko kept looking over at her father as he drove. His favorite song was playing; Island in the Sun, by Weezer. He tapped his finger to the beat, his eyes steeled and more relaxed. He looked over at Ko, noticing that she was watching him with her usual smile, and he smiled back before looking back at the road. “Would you like to go get something to eat?” he asked her. Ko nodded her head and rapped on the dashboard with her knuckles with the familiar double tap that she used for ‘Yes’.

 

Her dad chuckled, keeping his focus on the road. “Do you remember the sign for yes, Ko?” the girl pondered for a while, and then remembered, taking her right hand and making a double pawing motion. Her dad glanced over to see if she did it right, and smiled again, nodding in approval. “Very good, Ko! So, where would you like to eat? There are a few places we could stop on the way home. There is a ramen walk-in up ahead for one, two for an ice cream parlor, and three for the fruit smoothies.”

 

Ko shook her head no, tapping her middle and index against her thumb for ‘no’. Even though the girl didn’t specify, her dad knew what her reason was for signing no. His brows creased, and he sighed. “Ko, I’m sorry but I can’t get you any hard or scratchy foods. We’ve been over this; it’ll hurt you, okay? I promise, once your neck starts feeling a bit better, I’ll buy you all the food you could ever want. But for right now, we have to stick to softer things, okay?”

 

Ko didn’t respond for a bit, but after a little while, she raised her hand and held up two fingers. Her dad looked over, giving a sad smile and nodding. “Ice cream it is, then! Excellent choice.”

 

~a few hours later~

 

Ko happily patted her dad’s head like a fuzzy drum with her hands as he gave her a ride on his shoulders, ice cream all over her face. Walking up to the front door of their home, he unlocked and opened the door. “Kei, we’re home dear,” he announced while kicking off his shoes and slipping Ko’s off her feet, placing both pairs by the door.

 

Not hearing an answer immediately, he set Ko down and walked toward the kitchen, the little girl following after him with a bounce in her step. They found Ko’s mother in the kitchen, grinding up up leeks and asparagus into a paste, and she glanced over at them with a beaming smile that explained where Ko had gotten hers from. “Welcome home, you two!! I’m just prepping things for dinner tonight! Judging by your faces, I hope you left room for it,” she teased before skipping over to Ko’s father and giving him a light peck on the lips. “How did things go at Doctor Lin’s, Toshiro?”

 

Ko’s father looked down, his smile slightly fading at the mention of Ko’s appointment. “Ehhh… it could’ve been better,” he replied. “We probably won’t be seeing him again.” her mother’s bubbly attitude was replaced with an odd tension in the air, her face retaining its usual smile but her eyes narrowing. She looked down at Ko, and gently ruffled her hair. “Ko, dear, please go wash your face and go to your room for a bit to play, okay? Daddy and I just need to talk about some grown up stuff; I’ll call for you when food is ready!” She told her in her singsong voice.

 

Ko nodded, oblivious to the tension, and skipped out of the kitchen to the bathroom upstairs, cleaning her face off. Then, she made it to her room, laying down on the bed and looking through some old CDs that dad had let her listen to. In the meantime, she heard the faint echo of her parents’ voices downstairs. 

 

“Again?? Are you KIDDING me right now?! Toshi, you can’t keep doing this!!”

 

“Well what do you expect me to do, Kei?! Keep taking her to the same damn doctors that keep giving us all of the issues but none of the answers? They’re not even attempting to make any progress! She needs to be able to breathe!! What happens if, or WHEN, her respirator fails one night?? All it would take is ten minutes, TEN, and she’d be gone! We need solutions, Kei, and they’re not giving—“

 

“—There ARE solutions!! You just don’t wanna take them because it could lead to her not being able to talk!! Look, she’s doing very well at learning basic signs already. Mom and Dad have both been doing really well at teaching her!! You’re right Toshi, she does need to be able to breathe, and play, and EAT, like any other child her age. But right now, her larynx is the only thing in the way of them being able to remove the problem. You and I both know, whether she can speak or not, she will still always be our daughter and our only child. She’s all we have!! And I REFUSE to let either of us screw that up, so I need you to get your head out of your ass, and think about HER. Not what YOU think she needs, but what she actually needs. I need you to do that for me, and for her…”

 

At this moment, Ko put her headphones on and laid down onto her bed, the CD player turning to Track 1.

 

| Well, I built me a raft and she's ready for floatin'

Ol' Mississippi, she's callin' my name

Catfish are jumpin', that paddle wheel thumpin'

Black water keeps rollin' on past just the same |

 

Smiling at the familiar tune, Ko then reached over and grabbed the tube to her respirator laying on her nightstand, connecting it into the port on her neck like she remembered Daddy and Mommy doing countless times. Feeling the cool air push into her lungs, Ko relaxed more and closed her eyes, slowly relaxing into the music.

 

| Old black water, keep on rollin’, Mississippi moon won’t you keep on shining on me…|

 

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Word Count: 1,610

How should I handle this?

Ghost paced back and forth, contemplating the decisions that led her to this moment. She’d been through a lot of things in her so-far short life, but nothing quite as intense and albeit simplistic as this. It shouldn’t be this difficult just to act like an ordinary human being, and yet she finds herself in a situation that she’d frankly never been in before. To her, the idea was even more terrifying than any kind of professional processes that she had dealt with in the real world. Taking a deep breath, she gradually calmed herself down.

I can do this, she thought to herself, bringing a hand to the button in her private menu. After all, it’s just a message.

But before she could press the button, she had heard that familiar voice. ("Uh...Ghost? W-what are you doing here?") Ghost spun her head toward the sound as quickly as she heard it, fast enough that it would usually give anyone a case of whiplash. There was Koga, coming out of his forge. The girl had considered knocking, but was thinking that it’d be rude to bother him over something informal if he was busy. The past thirty minutes consisted of nothing but her thinking of a way to get in contact, and thank him, and try to set up a day for them to do the Breaking the Unbreakable quest together. But now, they were face to face, and several moments of silence passed as Ghost’s entire casual resolve backfired on itself.

Keeping a blank look and not showing it, however, she quickly bowed apologetically before turning away, speed walking in the opposite direction. She could always try tomorrow, right?? Maybe Koga was busy? Thoughts battered her brain, talking her down as she walked.

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Ghost took her hands and clapped them against her cheeks gently, closing her eyes and waiting for a few moments until the redness went away. Then, she opened her eyes, and reverted back to her expressionless self. Hearing what Koga had mentioned about the quest, she gave a simple nod and went to stand up.

However, before she did, she got back fully into her booth and grabbed another napkin. Opening her menu, she looked through it until she found a basic writing inked quill, materializing it and then began writing on the clothed parchment. Your servicing was greatly appreciated. Our waitress Riley was very kind. 10/10 Will certainly eat here again. Please make Mapo Tofu a regular menu item. Thank you.

She then set a corner of the napkin under her empty glass next to some col for a tip, gathered the dishes up to make the waitresses’ jobs easier, and then stood up and bowed at the table in a professional manner. Noticing that Koga had already gotten up and started for the front counter, Ghost quickly caught up with him and happily followed.

It was an interesting feeling, enjoying another’s company. And at the end of the day, Ghost found it all the more refreshing.

~FIN~
 

Ghost, still refraining from making eye contact, simply nodded in response to the question about her weapon. She knew that what she did with her food was impulsive, odd and probably even disgusting; she could feel the awkward tension pulsate between the three of them, waitress included, the moment that she had started. Did Koga think that she was estranged? Is the waitress saying something right now?? Steeling herself, the paper haired girl quietly opened her player menu and went through it at a rapid pace, before opening the tab and setting it to Public View, so that Koga could see it.

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Floor 2
<<Breaking the Unbreakable>>
Party Limit: 4 
Repeatable for standard rewards.

Quest Rewards:

• 300 Experience Points
• Unlock access to <<Martial Arts>> skill 
• Unlock access to <<TECH-F>> collected sword art

 I would like to gain access to Martial Arts Weapons, she signed. Her hands were still a bit shaky, but she continued as efficiently as she could, her STS luckily making up for any signing errors that she was making. I would appreciate any help. I’ll understand if you don’t want to, or can’t. I apologize for my actions; I’m not typically very good at social interactions. You’re my first. After a moment, she realized what she had said, and blushed deeply before correcting herself as quickly as possible.

I mean that you’re THE first person in a long time that I’ve had a stable conversation with. I’m actually very surprised at how easy it’s been to be comfortable conversing with you.
 

That's incredible! Ghost signed, becoming more and more interested in this 'build' concept than she thought she'd be. The idea that such a singular change in one's choices in this world can alter their output to such a minute detail is mind blowing. I would have to agree with you however, on the preference of 'Raw' damage. Even though this is a game, I'd feel uncomfortable, unless at least my fighting has some sort of realism. Perhaps that might change later down the road, but if I punch or kick something, electrocuting my target or 'nuking' them even would take away from the feeling of combat.

Ghost pondered over it more while Koga appeared to be in thought and reading her STS; She knew that there was a Martial Arts Weapon Class, where she could use bare handed fighting in a sense. But from what she's read on bulletins, it's time consuming and stressful on players attempting to complete its unlock quest alone... Maybe Koga would be willing to help? Ghost shook her head lightly. He's already helped me tremendously so far, I couldn't ask him for more than what he's done... It wouldn't hurt to ask?

As Ghost went to sign, however, the waitress startled her, making her hands stop and tremble like they were earlier. Hearing the mention of Riley grabbing their used plates, Ghost looked over at her only partly eaten Tofu. She's gotten so distracted with the conversation, she had all but forgotten about her meal.. Not knowing how to respond, Ghost quickly grabbed her bowl, turning away from Koga and the waitress for just a moment before practically inhaling the mapo tofu, eating it at an insanely fast pace. Within virtually seconds, the plate was spotless, and she shakily offered the plate to the waitress as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. Ghost's face was flustered, avoiding eye contact with either of them before giving Riley a small bow of thanks.

Happy that she managed to catch Koga off guard with the joke, Ghost rested her head on her hands with her blank expression and lightly kicked her feet while listening intently on everything Koga said, making notes of the terms that he used that she assumed were game related. From the way he made it sound, a support role would be useful in the field for a lot of people, including Koga. She remembered seeing a few various crafting ‘skill trees’ that would be helpful with that, specifically cook, alchemist and performer.

She thought about it for a moment while Koga continued; Ghost didn’t really feel the need to get into science for support, if she didn’t need to. And cooking is a skill that she would definitely enjoy, since she enjoys cooking in the real world, but not enough that she’d invest countless hours cooking for support alone. Performer sounds interesting, she thought to herself. From what she’d read, it had to do with using items called ‘recording crystals’ to store songs, which could be used later to give advantage to the player or players that use them…. She did enjoy playing acoustic instruments when she was younger. Maybe it’d be worth looking into?

Sitting back up straight, Ghost took another bite of her mapo tofu, enjoying and savoring the flavor for a moment before signing to Koga again. So in other words, Raw damage is more like generally realistic damage, meanwhile these ‘crit’ and ‘elemental’ builds add unique damage aspects to your attacks that are more game like that can strengthen you or weaken the enemy? So far, raw damage sounds more appealing by the second. Are there any major downsides to the raw damage… subclass, you called it?

Listening carefully, Ghost nodded while taking everything Koga was saying into account, surprisingly not having any issues with putting two and two together. So in other words, a class is like your deliberate martial art, versus the subclass which is the variant school of the style. Like the difference between Judo and Jiu Jitsu. That makes more sense than I was expecting it to, she signed. When Koga caught the waitress’ attention, Ghost instantly froze up, waiting until Riley had walked away before calming back down.

I’m… guessing that support roles are in demand currently, she continued. Crossing her legs, Ghost seemed to be in thought. What class and role would be more effective for her? Thinking about the potentially various options, she seemed to come to a conclusion before replying again. What is an MIT? She asked. After a a few moments, she kept going. I’m joking; If I had to choose what I would want for a ‘build’, primarily, I would want to focus on DPS.

When I was learning Kyusho Jitsu, I relied on strategic direct combat with consistent deliberately placed strikes, so it would probably be what I would be the most comfortable with. And your ‘Raw’ damage subclass I think sounds like that, too! If I had to guess, it relies on average numbers instead of spontaneous outside ‘buff’ help, right?

Ghost stopped, lightly blushing. I’m sorry if I’m talking too much. I’m having a lot of fun learning, so I’m getting a bit carried away.

Of course I know about classes, Ghost replied with her own look of confusion. I used to play chess against my father’s employees, and one of them referred to the pieces based on Tank, Damage and Support roles to spice up the theme, which was ridiculously time consuming to learn. Also, I was taught about different weapon classes in real life due to curiosity, and recognized the term when I was horribly attempting to teach myself.

Ghost went to take another drink of her orange juice, until she noticed the glass was empty, her eyes widening. She nervously looked over at Riley who was passing by, shakily raising a hand but not catching the waitress’ attention in time. Slowly dropping her hand, Ghost faces back forward and picks up her glass of water, sipping on it with noticeably less enthusiasm.

Putting the glass down, she took a breath and relaxed again. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she started resumed signing. I suppose this is wasting my first question, but I’m guessing that a build means something different here by how you responded. What is a build? 

Hearing the bit about everyone having a story, she glanced up, and noted the look that Koga was showing. Judging by his skillset, he might be a part of the frontlines, and most likely has had to deal with a lot more than she could even imagine at the current moment. Meanwhile, here she was, complaining about not having friends… Feeling like an inconsiderate jerk, Ghost focused on her meal to distract herself. 

Then, as she continued to eat, it dawned on her… She could join the frontlines. Obviously not now, but perhaps after she got plenty of levels under her belt and had a firm grasp on everything that she could possibly need to know about Aincrad, video games, the different floor environments, and successful combat, she could help Koga and others make a difference, one way or another. How difficult could it be?

She was more confident about her chances by the second. Ghost took another bite and then listened to Koga’s first of the twenty questions, and the question wasn’t one she was exactly prepared for. Ghost thought for a moment before replying, her brow faintly cocked.

Build? I wasn’t aware that Aincrad had a Construction class?

Taking a long sip of her orange juice, Ghost smiled just barely when she heard Koga mention the annoyance thing. You don’t need to worry about that, she slang signed with one hand before setting her drink down and getting back to it. It would probably take an apocalyptic level threat before I’d finally got annoyed. 

As for people being.. sketch? I’ve not heard that phrasing before, but I usually try to put my best foot forward and give them the benefit of doubt. I’m just also very.. anxious. I don’t have friends here, let alone in the real world. If something did happen to me in here… Ghost paused for a moment, her eyes staring blankly before she snapped back out of it and continued. Forget that last part. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to unload onto you.

Sighing with a shudder, she took another sip of her drink, and continued thinking about her situation since she had brought it up. If something did happen to her.. She shook her head, and perked her head up, regaining her positivity.

Anyways, I think we were going to play Twenty Questions, correct?  I’m still unfamiliar with the game, but it sounds like a fun way to learn more about each other. I’d still like to participate, if you do?

Ghost listened to what Koga said, not finding any false undertones. It was… strange, but she liked it. She took the time to hold up her menu as the waitress Riley took Koga’s order. Glancing over it, Ghost  showed the menu to her and pointed to an item.

“…Oh!! Orange juice! Yes ma’am, right away,” Riley said with a nod and a polite smile before jotting the drinks down quickly. “Have you decided on your meals for this evening?” Ghost looked back at the menu, and studied it again at a surprising speed. Hearing Koga mention his indecisiveness on what he wanted to eat, she nodded and showed the menu to him.

Spicy Mapo tofu Ragout with buttered dressing.

Then she showed the menu to Riley, who nodded and quickly took down the order before looking over at Koga. After getting his order, she would bow and head back toward the kitchen. Ghost set her menu down, before looking back at Koga with a slightly softer gaze, and signed.

I’m sorry if I seem unresponsive to your encouragement. I’m… I’m not used to constructive criticism, or positive input. It makes me wary, which is unfair to you. You’ve been nothing but kind, and are still helping me, and I really enjoy your company.

Ghost perked up from her thoughts, freezing up when she heard what Koga said. Taking a moment to breathe from the anxiety spike, she did her best to explain without telling him everything. I’m dealing with a lot of thoughts at the moment, like how stupid I looked earlier. Especially my triple backflip. I feel useless, and it, along with some other topics, are distracting me.

Sighing, Ghost dropped her hands and rested her head on one of them, looking over at Koga across the table. Having finally calmed down about the handsome thing, she was back to her guarded relaxed expression, and she took this moment to really think about her current situation from her trained objective standpoint.

All things considered, she really didn’t see herself making it past anything in Aincrad without Koga’s guidance at this moment, especially with his capabilities and knowledge. She hadn’t seen him do too much currently, but based on how he carried himself, he was clearly resourceful, quick witted, a great fighter, and has a fair amount of knowledge about video games which she clearly lacked.

But outside of objectivity… 

Ghost’s slightly reddening face and wandering thoughts were interrupted, as a waitress came by and dropped off some menus for them. “Hello, and thank you for choosing the Silver Eagle! One of our staff has recently maxed out their cooking skill, so to celebrate, we have higher class meals unique from our regular selection for fifty percent off! My name is Riley, and I’ll be your waitress for this evening! Would either of you like anything to drink?” Riley asked, looking over to Koga first with her menu open to type his answer.

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Quest: None Active

Thread Prequel: I Swear I Saw A Ghost

Participants: Ghost, Koga

Back in the Town of Beginnings, Ghost walked down the streets of player made shops. At first glance, she seemed to be perfectly unaffected by the day’s failures. Her face was stoic as usual, her greyed violet eyes relaxed and her steps evenly paced. Almost regally displayed… at first glance. But from the perspective of anyone who knew her, they’d know that she was a bit of a wreck at the moment.

Her cheeks tinted, her hands shaking slightly, her steps measured perfectly from her overthinking and trying too hard to appear fine. She kept thinking of how badly she had failed to execute even a single point of damage onto the Boar that was otherwise killed in one hit. She kept thinking of the fact that she couldn’t even tell the difference between her character skills screen and the tutorial explanation of skills. She kept thinking about the fact that she had somersaulted six times and crashed into 4 boars, all over one attack.

And… She kept thinking about the man walking next to her.

Koga was seeming to keep an even pace next to her, his familiar wolf Okami right beside him. She glanced at him for a moment, keeping her head forward to be discreet.

…Just what exactly is the goal here??

Ghost knew that she was possibly being overly suspicious, and unwarranted considering how much the man had helped her so far, but she couldn’t help it. It didn’t seem reasonable that someone at his level and stats would go out of their way this much, just to help a level one that didn’t even know the elementary basics of leveling up, without having a motive…

Once again, Ghost shook the thought away as they walked. She was being callous, and she knew it. Koga has been nothing but kind, and understanding. She had no right to make speculations, just because of handsome appearances and high levels of experience.

..Wait.. Handsome??

Ghost’s face became as red as it was earlier, her eyes darting back forward before Koga would notice. Then, she saw their destination, and exhaled with relief. The Silver Eagle. Nodding and hoping to not make things more awkward on herself, she just faintly sped up her pace, knowing that Koga wouldn’t have any issues keeping up. 

Ghost was prepared for getting scolded. She was used to it most of her life; by her peers, her mentors, her family… Her entire life was always failures, followed by insults and repercussions. She had resigned to accepting that she could only be adequate, mediocre on most days. When she came into SAO, and had gotten locked into this world of beauty tinged with madness, she knew it was going to be the same.

She knew without a doubt that she’d fail, and when she did… the repercussions might be her last.

But when Koga spoke, there was a different tone in his voice than she ever could have anticipated. There were still hints of annoyance, certainly, but his voice seemed… soothing, and understanding.

Ghost’s eyes faltered into their fragile reality, and she tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear timidly before looking up at Koga, who was looking down at her. His piercing red eyes, the nappiness of his darkened hair, the relaxed soft and mild expression of concern vaguely etched into his brow and lips.

He really wants to help me…

Ghost then realized that she was staring for too long, and blushed even redder before averting her eyes, activating her STS for Koga and then only signing one word:

Yes.

Watching Koga suddenly get serious, Ghost was confused and also ninety nine percent certain that she did something wrong. And watching him seemingly shirk off the Boar’s advances was disheartening in a way, and also slightly intimidating. However, given the fact that he’s a considerably higher level, it made sense for a boar like this to be comparable to a fly. Looking down at her dagger, she noticed it wasn’t flickering anymore either. Maybe she read the ability wrong??

Then she heard Koga talk, and she perked back up, slightly faster than she normally would. Walking over, she cautiously stepped around the boar, before stepping up to Koga. Opening up her menu, she quickly had gotten back to the page that she was at before; now that she looked at it, she noticed it wasn’t her actual skills, but a list of example skills listed in the tutorial directory. Her cheeks tinted from embarrassment at that, and she quickly backed out to the player stat portion before scanning the options quickly.

Finally, she found the Player Available Skills tab which was hidden in plain sight, and opened it up for Koga to see. And then, she realized the problem just as quickly as she assumed he did… she had no skills, sword arts or anything unlocked in the slightest.

Hanging her head from anxiety and embarrassment, she waited for Koga to finish reading and burst out laughing.

Ghost heard Koga’s words, which snapped her out of her trance, but then heard his laughter which quickly made her emanate embarrassment. Under impression that she didn’t aggro the other boars, she quickly stepped away from them and closed in on the boar attacking Koga.

A Sword Art? She thought to herself. I haven’t really operated much with those yet. 

Opening up her menu, she quickly scrolled down to the SA section of her character info. Although not finding a tab for unlocked arts, she did find some material on various rank one skills that seemed to correlate with daggers. One being…
Round Accel. She quickly speed-read through the activation sequence, effect and concept of the move, before closing her menu and readying her dagger again.

Alright, so two basic slashes at a high speed on various points of the target… Sounds manageable. But then again, I’ve also not used any abilities like this yet.. Let’s just hope I don’t do a dozen flips again.

Ghost prepared herself into the stance she felt the skill was asking for, before dashing forward. She looked at her dagger, and was slightly distracted at how it was now flickering.. Was this a common feature when a skill is activated?? Even so, it didn’t feel much different, like if a light bulb wasn’t getting the right amount of electricity. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she went in for the strike.

Coming up on the boar, she dropped down and made a slash at the creature’s right foreleg, before changing her momentum last step and flipping over it, striking at its neck again.

Backing away after her attack and quickly looking to the boar’s health bar, she noticed that it hadn’t went down even a single point. Sighing, she got back into position, her eyes as stoic and unwavering as they were before her failure earlier, looking toward Koga to see if he might have any more suggestions.

Ghost took a breath of relief and used everything in her power not to blush profusely from almost dying… by a pebble. Recomposing herself, the girl looked between Koga and the boars, before disabling her STS for a moment and crossing her arms. She should probably examine and plan her attack accordingly; From what she heard of many combat deliberate games, the ‘crit points’ were averagely similar to pressure points in the real world.

All in all, the weak points for a boat should be fairly simple; sides of the neck, rear base of the skull and leg joints would probably be the easiest to target. Nodding anxiously, Ghost drew her dagger, crouching into a peculiar stance. She wasn’t used to using weapons in general, but a dagger shouldn’t be too hard to compensate into her own style.

Kicking off, she moved forward quickly without making too much noise, attempting to close the gap between herself and the animal as quickly as possible. Once she was within the 15 foot marker, she quickly kicked upward, somersaulting over the boar and aiming her blade straight for the neck as she passed over it.

Ghost nodded, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. She wasn’t used to people learning more about her, let alone people wanting to know more about her, so this was an awkward yet welcome surprise. Shouldn’t be too difficult, as long as she doesn’t overly embarrass herself…. Which was probably going to be very difficult for her NOT to do, to be completely honest.

Still, it shouldn’t be that bad. Koga seems like a fairly understanding relatable person. Twenty Questions? Sounds entertaining! she signed, mentally preparing herself for hopefully whatever questions she might be asked. 

While distracted, her foot catches a rock and she trips, falling forward but luckily with enough reaction time to catch herself with her other foot. Her arms apparently didn’t realize that however, instinctually flailing from the sudden loss of balance which made the STS system go a bit wild. Raspberry bubble chick chick fire gold bubble bubble music!

The girl’s eyes warmed as she listened to Lessa’s greeting. It was definitely a relief to know that some players could understand sign, albeit she’d have to gradually get comfortable with… well, socializing, for a start. Nodding in response to Lessa’s explanation, the girl then opened the player status menu and opened a show-other view of her basic info to show Lessa, figuring that this would be easier to give her name.

After putting her name and info on display, she began to sign, doing what she could to simplify it and make things easier for Lessa if necessary. I’m happy to meet you. I have something that might make talking easier. It’s taking some time to fully work. I’m new to games in general but want to learn. Could you and your friends help me?

She then gestures to her dagger on her hip and attire before signing again. I have basic items. I want to be of use if I can. I need to… get experience, she finished, not knowing how to properly say ‘level up’.

Ghost nodded, recalling the movie before replying. It was a movie adaptation by Stephen King, correct? I remember reading the book, it was good. I’ve heard that the movie had three endings that were all different from the book’s ending. I’d love to watch them all eventually.

Ghost then continued to walk, occasionally giving Okami a subtle head scratch as they went along. She was…. really bad at small talk. Still, at least it seemed like she was making progress at being normal. Without her STS, trying to talk with players that didn’t know sign even through the message system would be uncomfortably time consuming.
 

After a few more moments, she tried to ask some more questions. Regarding the Breaking the Unbreakable quest; Is it something I should probably level up for? I’m guessing that you probably did the quest yourself. Ghost then paused for a moment, before continuing. I’m also really bad at carrying any form of conversation, so we could always talk about whatever you’d like to.

That sounds manageable, she responded. Although, it will be weird trying to fight a tusked pig with a knife. Ghost dropped her hands for a bit as they walked, listening to the sounds of the fabricated world around them. The rustling of trees, the very faint distant voices, the crackling of wings from a dragonfly passing by them… It was genuinely crazy, just imagining how far humanity has come with technology. 

Then she looked back at Koga, a slight anxiety building up in her chest. She’s usually used to long silences, given her condition, but at the same time she felt like she needed to keep the conversation going. It was strange, feeling compelled to carry on a casual topic like she felt now.

What’s your favorite horror movie? she asked finally, throwing a random question into the mix. My personal favorites are the Babysitter series. The first one was better, in my opinion. 
…Maybe this question was too random, she thought to herself. 

Ghost’s eyes widened, listening to what Koga said with excitement. Most of her life outside of school and home, she was around people who were extremely well reserved and acted overly professional, so this was definitely a nice change of pace. Koga seems fairly laid back and open, unlike what she was used to.

She shook her head and began signing again. You’re fine! It just surprised me how openly you talk about your interests and ideas. I wish there were more people like that where I’m from. Because of my work outside of the game, I rarely can act as casual with people outside of my family.
 

That’s really cool about the pain thing with the game though; does the pain feel real in this world? I’ve been avoiding any kind of combat since I’ve gotten here, because I didn’t know how to do so without dying.

Ghost then stopped and thought to herself for a moment. Maybe the dying thing was too casual?

Ghost looked down at Okami, and gave a very faint smile, humored by his actions toward Koga. They must have been partnered together for a while, if they could get along so well. ‘I wonder what familiar I would have,’ she thought to herself, more encouraged to find one than ever before.

’Yes, I would like to learn the Martial Arts skill in-game,’ she signed. ‘It’s not that I wouldn’t like to learn other fighting skills as well. Martial Arts is just what I know. Plus, I want to see how realistic Martial Arts in the game is, compared to in real life. I always wondered if virtual reality could be used to train in fighting realistically without unnecessary casualties; This would be the best way to do so, I believe.’

Ghost nodded in her typical blank stoic expression, then thought of various things she could possibly use knowledge wise for the Martial Arts skill. There would probably be dozens of skills associated with it, which would be useful against fighting enemies but would possibly make it unrealistic to fighting in real life. ‘Then again, my goal should be to survive above all else. It may be a game, but it’s still life or death…’

It was a large open balcony of sorts, some lanterns and bamboo wind chimes decorating the sides. The balcony overlooked the steeper side of the mountain, providing a grand view of the peaks of other mountaintops poking through the cloud line. As far as her training equipment went, there was a wooden Wing Chun dummy built into the flooring, an air filled dummy next to it, a large ball held in place by guard rails with a water kanji printed onto it, and a shrine off to the side.

‘What is the shrine for?’ Ghost signed to the master. Master YunXiang chuckled quietly before responding. “The shrine is for praying, my pupil. After each challenge has been completed within this room, you will pray at the shrine. Should nothing happen, then you will have not improved enough. However, should the shrine illuminate itself, that will mean that you have successfully improved yourself from the individual challenge. After the third challenge, I will return.”

On that notion, Ghost and the master bowed to each other respectfully, and master YunXiang walked back inside, closing the shoji door behind himself. Ghost took the moment of solitude to examine and study the exercises in front of her, trying to get a feel of what exactly each exercise was for. The Wing Chun dummy was probably intended for reflexive reaction time, modeled spin when stuck and to strike back when spinning back around. The air filled dummy was possibly for both testing impact and endurance. But the last one, the large ball that was probably filled with water or something similar, was confusing.

Nodding and bowing once again, Ghost took a moment to get her herself mentally before signing to  the Master again. ‘I am ready to continue.’ Master YunXiang nodded, his face more relaxed and unreadable than even Ghost’s usual persona. He beckoned for her to follow him, and they made their way into the Minka home.

“Your first task shall be to train yourself physically,” master YunXiang explained. “For one’s body to become a weapon, their body must become attuned to such actions of a weapon. It is one thing to strike someone from anger with your hands; it is another entirely to focus your hands into the very instrument of damage, that would truly harm an enemy when needed.”

Ghost nodded, understanding everything that the master explained. This was the same general lecture that her dad had given her when she trained with him, so it wasn’t too difficult to follow. The master then brought her to a particular door in the back of his home, opening the shoji door to reveal her training area.