Nari-Lanreth

Nari edged closer and closer, the beast making no move to retreat or attack her. The closer she came to the oxen, the more she realised that it was absolutely exhausted – the fight had taken whatever energy it may have once had, and now it remained stationary, waiting for her to finish what had been started. A wave of pity, sympathy and despair washed over Nari as she realised what she was about to do. It took a few seconds longer before the disgust and fury at Cardinal came, realising the oxen was locked in place and unable to run away due to its nature, but also unable to fight back due to t

Each of them stood alone in the field now, the oxen’s herd members destroyed and little more than a memory on the wind. Nari’s spear was still levelled, pointed towards the oxen and prepared to meet it should it charge forward. Not that it had made any indication of doing so, thus far. In fact, it appeared more than content simply standing and watching her, waiting to see what she would do in the coming moments. Not that Nari was entirely sure herself; she was used to playing the defensive build, waiting for her targets to come to her and dealing with the brunt of their assaults through pure d

The single remaining oxen seemed to stare at Nari for a few seconds, as if trying to figure out what witch born creature it was facing down in its final moments of life. She would’ve, in another situation perhaps, have felt a small measure of sympathy for the creature. As it was, however, she’d grown tired and incapable of her usual measure of sympathy and empathy for the creations of Cardinal. Bringing her shield and spear up, she repositioned herself to a point where she could easily stab out at the thing once it charged – an action she knew it was going to take, if not for the sudden d

The first one to explode into a collection of shards left the oxen nervous, their herd mate simply disappearing into the air and nothingness. Nari took advantage of the confusion, leaping in and cutting at two others before being pressed backwards, the horns of the wild cattle stopping her from pressing too much of an attack in the quick moment. Still, it was enough to bring shock and confusion among the creatures, and she was determined to use it to her own success and their finality. Shield raised, she stepped back only slightly, deflecting horns and stabbing out with her own spear as things

Slowly the herd came back around, clearly hoping to flank Nari and catch her from behind while she was still repositioning and preparing. Instead, they turned to find her shielded and in place, awaiting their forward charge. Her readiness seemed to give them pause, if only for a few seconds. Unusual, they don’t normally plan this well. I wonder if being in a larger herd allows them to be more confident, more considerate of their situation…or maybe I’ve just finally scared them and Cardinal enough to give them actual fear. She grinned a bit at the thought of scaring the artificial intelligence

They moved as a herd was want to do, a tactic that would normally benefit them against an unknowing, or lesser predator. Nari, however, had come to learn the various movements and behaviours of the oxen. At least, to a degree. She claimed no mastery over the knowledge, but she could at least see the telltale signs that a charge held, and the behaviours that were incorporated in such actions and movements. She used that knowledge to plant herself into a perfect position, knowing she could deflect and redirect most of their momentum off towards her waiting spear, the blade held strong and steady

The trio of oxen were gone, and Nari found herself sighing in relief as the dust settled once more. She glanced at the materials and col gained from the encounter, only to scowl in response. The haul was far less than she had hoped to achieve, and she knew that would mean she would be here much longer than she originally intended. Not that there was much to do about that – she wasn’t designed to haul in large quantities, like some individuals had built themselves towards. Instead, she’d been focused on simply keeping herself alive, so that she could ensure others remained alive. ’Well, I

The two oxen exploded into shards, and Nari turned her full attention to the final one standing before her. It seemed to sway on the spot, as if uncertain if it should remain in place, or look for a hasty retreat. If she didn’t know better, she might have rushed in – might have given chase after a thing that wouldn’t run even if given the chance. Instead, Nari waited, shield held in place and legs spread against any incoming force that might try and push her off balance. She knew that it was only a matter of time before they connected once more, the pair locked into conflict until only one rem

Stomping hooves, slamming horns and grating metal echoed into the air as the trio of oxen attempted to encircle and overpower Nari. She pulled the shield from the ground, moving with the creatures and allowing her spear to strike and lash out, catching two of the oxen once more and knocking them hard enough to pause their engagement in the fight. She turned her attention to the final one as she followed through with the wide swing of the spear, bringing it back before thrusting it fully forward just as it threw its head to the side and slammed into the side of her plating. A movement that Nari

They did exactly as Nari expected, rushing towards her with wild abandon and no consideration of the danger they faced. She shifted the shield ever so slightly, sending the first of the oxen careening off to the side with little effort or impact upon herself. The sudden shift appeared to through off the charge as a whole, the other two pulling up short and snorting as they stomped in place, trying to figure out what had happened. Nari didn’t give them a chance, erupting from behind shield and spinning her spear in a wide arc, letting blade and shaft slam across each of the oxen in a succe

The oxen didn’t notice her approach at first. She was far too distant to be an immediate threat, and the various creatures of Aincrad never took notice until you began to step within their aura of awareness – a term Nari herself had coined, though she didn’t think it had taken root in anyone else’s vocabulary. It was one of the few eerie things, how some creatures simply ignored an individual until they were a specific distance away, suddenly becoming aggressive and combative the moment you stepping into the aura. These oxen seemed to be among those types of creatures, turning the moment

She wasn’t entirely sure how long she’d settled into the calmness of the valley, but when Nari shifted suddenly and reawakened herself to the world – she hadn’t quite fallen asleep, but her mind had certainly drifted to a point where it wasn’t actively thinking and considering – she noticed the shift in sunlight signifying that time had passed. A quick glance around confirmed that the oxen had moved throughout the valley, but none had approached her small outcropping of peace that sat to the side. ’Come on Mio, let’s get to this. There’s more fights to be had, and hopefully more material

A shiver spread across her at the words, remembering just how deadly the world around her was – permanently so. ’Maybe…it’s not so different from the real world, in a way. You can die at any time there, and from any number of things…and you’re dead, then. No respawning, no returning to life – usually. I mean there’s the odd case, but usually…usually you’re just dead. And I guess you could say most people are trapped, in a way…unless you’re super rich, maybe…’ Her brow furrowed slightly as she considered aloud her train of thoughts. She’d always seen Cardinal as evil for locking them away

She gave a soft sigh as the oxen disappeared from sight, knowing that she’d bought herself a small reprieve from the dangers – for the moment. There was still more to do, but Nari knew better than to press herself in the moment. Instead, she found a nearby tree, settling against it and glancing out into the distance, taking in the environment around her and the creatures that walked through it. The river flowed through the centre of it all, a band of winding waters that flowed peacefully and with little disruption; a calming sound barely audible above the winds and quiet calls of the oxen. The

They collided into one another in a slamming of forces, Nari feeling the pressure in her joints as the full force of the oxen’s body attempted to overwhelm her. She pushed back against it, using the tip of the shield, grinding it into the ground below, as she attempted to stop it from doing anything more than impaling itself upon her spear. Seconds passed, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she tried to hold herself upright, before the oxen gave up and retreated once more. Nari could see a fresh scarring on its side where her spear as caught it, and the way it limped backwards signified just

Two of the oxen exploded, leaving the third staring at Nari with what she could only describe as a measure of fear, and a desire to be anywhere but facing her. The expression almost brought her pause, reminding her of the fact that these things were little more than construct placed before Nari with no choice beyond facing her. The evils of the Cardinal system, given flesh in a digital form and placed before players to remind them of the sins of this world. As much as she wanted to lay down her weapon right then and there, though, she knew that it would benefit no one. I’m sorry, innocent

The brutal assault brought little in the way of success for Nari. She was able to score another hit, her armour retaliating against one of the oxen – but the third and final remained out of reach, clearly determined to avoid harm and conflict as long as it possibly could. Nari knew there was little she could do about that; it would either join the fight, or remain out of reach so long as the other two presented obstacles for the purple haired knightess. Not that Nari overly cared in the moment. She was far more focused on the creatures before her, the ones that were almost completed finished –

Her strikes slammed into the beasts as they turned to face her. The sudden ferocity of her onslaught caught them off guard, and Nari found her spear’s tip slipping through hide and skin with ease, the creatures frozen in place as the paralysis from her weapon and the general fear from her sudden attack held them from moving. The charge carried her through their ranks and out to the other side of their small huddle of bodies, spinning a few steps away and slamming the shield into the ground in preparation for the counter charge she knew would be coming as soon as they regained themselves.

A part of her wanted nothing more than to stop and take a break – but she knew she was only just getting started. She’d fallen into a rhythm, one which hadn’t been in her daily motions for many weeks now. As reluctant as she was to continue onwards, she was just as reluctant to stop and allow her momentum to fall away. There’s only one thing for it, then. Keep going until I’m too tired to continue. She knew it would take time – her own energy stores for skills and arts was high, higher than it had ever been. That didn’t lull her into a false sense of security, however. She knew all too well ho

They collided once more, Nari’s spear shifting into an upwards motion that shoved the oxen from its hooves and left it pinned to the ground. The shaft of the spear burned with a coldness beneath Nari’s hands, and she found herself gripping it without the ability to pull it from the creature’s side – simply able to hold on as the other oxen slammed into her from the opposite side. She gritted her teeth, given no choice but to hold her ground against the charge as she desperately maintained a hold on her weapon. Seconds passed before the creature under her hold exploded into shards – the combine

The movement was perfectly executed. Nari shifted to the side, opening up a space for the two oxen to rush passed her – only to meet the sweeping blade of her spear as it lashed out and caught them each in the side of the head, stunning them and causing them to fall to the ground in a heap. Nari shifted backwards slightly as her momentum carried her through the attack. She was more than happy to put a bit of distance between herself and the oxen, and yet she had the odd feeling that it would do no good for her to take her usual defensive posture. They seem almost too aggressive. The one is alm

The oxen continued to push against her, likely hoping to topple her over and continue through her form to the safety of the distance. Nari, however, pushed back with her own equal force, using small movements in her form and stance to throw the oxen off balance and mitigate any strength benefits they might have over herself. The trio remained locked in a hold that gave neither side any headway, and Nari found herself focusing on keeping them back so fully that she was unable to lash out with the spear. Need to drive them off balance fully, and follow it up with a sweeping strike. See if I

Bigger, faster and more aggressive was the only way Nari could describe the pair that she forced her attention upon now. They were clearly a half hand larger than the previous two, and carried a strong attitude in their gait. She’d levelled her shield in time – deflecting what would have been an otherwise deadly pair of charges towards her, though she’d not had the chance to bring her spear into position as well as she’d have liked. The blade – wreathed in flame once more – had flicked across the side of the first oxen, leaving a small gash and a spattering of flames that rushed across the for

’It would be nice to sit back and relax now, eh Mio? Too bad there’s still work to do, though.’ She shifted on the spot, glancing out into the distance and looking for the next targets for what would become a repetitive task today. Groups of oxen moved throughout the valley, many of them huddled together for the protection that numbers give. Nari let her gaze pass over the larger groups, instead focusing on the lesser numbered outliers that would be easy to tackle by herself. She knew better than to rush into anything overtly dangerous; actions that she had once taken well beaten out of her be

The first of the oxen exploded into pieces, leaving Nari alone to face the final one. They’d come in a rushed movement again, slamming into the shield and being impaled by the thorny metallic forms that exploded outwards in response. She’d waited until they began to recoil, before launching her own weapon forward once more – the flame upon its tip engulfing the side of the second oxen in a shower of brutality. The blade tore along the flank, leaving a large gash like the first oxen had suffered, the flames licking up the side of the creature and throwing it into a panic as it reared backwards