Nari-Lanreth

The creature had begun to falter with each step, seemingly losing energy and the will to fight as Nari slowly tore away at its outer core. It continued to roll towards her, every few seconds. Continued to try to assault her, to take her down with it. Were this anything but Aincrad, Nari almost would've felt a moment of empathy with the creature. Even in its dying moments, it wasn't willing to give up, to give in to the fate that it must know it now faced. Instead, it chose to fight on. To continue forwards. Just like you did. She shook the thought from her mind, twisting around and peeli

Nari could feel the desperation in the drake's actions as it became more erratic. It soared through the air, leaping and using its newly unfurled wings to glide on the air towards her again and again, regardless of what Nari did in response. The first couple she dodged around, taking care not to get within the range of its claws or teeth. As the seconds passed, however, Nari found the creature lagging ever so slightly. She began to parry it with her weapon's haft, turning away strikes that barely had any power behind them. Curiously, she took a step towards it, slowly forcing it back on t

The creature slowly came out of its stunned stance, growling as it did so. Nari was careful to keep her distance, knowing that it would be most dangerous as it flapped around after being locked in place. She eyed the creature, watching as it watched her in turn - the two refusing to break eye contact as they waited for the other to rush forward. Her patience paid off, as the creature seemed to lose what little patience it had, soaring through the air towards her in a straight arc. Nari side stepped, bringing her scythe up and around and slamming the haft against the creatures side. With

Nari found herself walking the length of the ship as she waited for the celebration to start in earnest. A few players that she had recognised - through small interactions, well beyond her normal group of socialisation - had boarded. They returned the small waves and smiles that she had passed their way, seemingly content just to acknowledge one another, before moving on. Something Nari was thankful for, at least. Her eyes passed over the new arrivals as she made her way back towards the main entryway to the ship, scanning for anyone more familiar than those she had already seen. Faces pa

Her feint worked, as the creatures rushed forwards together. Nari waited, her scythe spinning before her in a defensive manner. The first creature to reach her deflected off the weapon, an otherwise dangerous blow glancing slightly to the side and downwards - Mio's form lashing out and further deflecting it. Nari didn't pay attention as her own health bar dropped slightly in response, her attention on the weaker of the two. It took only a split second longer to reach her, but it was enough. Nari forced her entire body into a spin, bringing the scythe around in a sharp arc and slamming th

A brief pause as she considered rushing the near-dead creature, the low sitting health bar more than tempting her. Her mind raced as it considered the possibility all within a single breath, before deciding that it wasn't worth the danger. She wasn't sure entirely what these things could do - and considering the beating they had already given her, Nari didn't feel like testing fate, just to find out that they had some sort of regenerative ability. Careful. Calm. Remember, it's not about rushing in...sometimes being careful is more than appropriate. She nodded at the voice in her head, b

Nari gave a quick glance at the individual approaching her, realising quickly that it was someone she didn't recognise, but was in fact another player. She placed a small smile on her face, hoping to appear welcoming - at least as welcoming as she could appear, all things considered. The question about the sailor caused her right eyebrow to raise ever so slightly in response, but before she could answer another voice had called out. "Hey Jomei! Uh...no, no we're just meeting for the first time...you two know each other?" Her gaze passed back and forth between the ginger and the newcomer,

The giant dragon disappeared in a flash of sparks and rainbow coloured shards, leaving the group of two and extras standing in the cold. Nari let her scythe fall to her side, throwing a side glance at NIGHT before shaking her head. "I barely even got to scratch it..." Her complaint came with no tone of actual concern. She was more relieved just to be done with the quest, and moving on and away. They spent a few moments listening as Mekem gave his final speech, thanking them for their hard work before leaving the two behind. Leaning close to NIGHT, Nari whispered at the other girl her thou

The drake had recoiled at Nari's movements, keeping itself out of her reach. Nari decided to test the creature, taking another step towards it and watching as it backed off, ever so slightly. Something about the way it moved worried her - she'd yet to come across creatures that retreated from a fight, even momentarily, in Aincrad. The fact that this one had begun to do so, was extremely out of place. Something that she wasn't about to just trust blindly. A quick look to her left confirmed her worries - the other creature had begun to slide towards her, clearly hoping to catch her unaware

The scythe slammed into the side of the drake, not harming it but forcing the creature back and away from her - giving her the space she needed to right herself. She could hear the sounds of the other creature's claws on the tunnel floor as it charged her, letting her duck beneath the creature's attempt to launch itself into Nari's space. She let herself fall forward, rolling as her shoulder hit the floor and popping up a few steps away - placing her back against the wall in order to stop any chance of the creatures getting behind her, at least for the moment. A quick exhale of breath, a

The drakes recovered far more quickly than Nari could have expected, giving how hard she had been striking the creatures. Almost as quickly as they had gone down, they were back on their feet - the two of them rushing towards her almost simultaneously in an attempt to overwhelm her defences and force her to back down. She kept her footing as they came at her - each one from another side, trying desperately to push them back even as they tore through the meagre blockage that the weapon created. "Holy shit!" Nari cursed as the creatures slammed into her, their claws and teeth tearing into

The two creatures had frozen up the instance that Nari's scythe had sailed into their bodies, the stun effect coursing through them and giving the purple-haired girl the chance to step back and space herself. She could see that within the small space, and outnumbered, she was definitely in a more dire position than she'd like to be. Still, her skills alone should more than compensate for the difference in quantity, which left her feel assured. Considering her options, Nari glanced between the two creatures, seeing the sharp teeth and claws that were present on their forms, and deciding t

Nari watched as NIGHT rushed forwards to confront the dragon that had landed before them, rising from the shadows of the mountain as if some cliché in a bad video game. She couldn't help but smile at the other girl's daring movements, determined to end this as quickly as possible. Before either one of them could confront the larger dragon, however, the beast struck out - catching Nari off guard and slamming into her with force enough to cause her to stumble. She was saved the full brunt of the attack thanks to Mio's quick movements, the kitsune rushing forward to trip Nari ever so slightly, st

Nari froze in place as the sound reverberated through the tunnel around her, reminding her of a large dog. She felt her hand shift ever so slightly on her scythe, her feet naturally sliding into a ready stance. Her eyes shifted around her, looking for any indication as to where the noise was coming from. She found her answer as two creatures, four legged and built solidly, stepped from the shadows of the distant path. Nari could see the danger in their presence, the way their eyes seemed to fixate on her. She could almost feel agitation and aggression in their stance as the two creatures

"Got you! Now just to...tear you apart. Like the last one." Nari glanced at Mio before looking around once more, making sure that she was truly alone in the area. The last thing she wanted was to begin tearing apart some creature's nest, only to have it show up beside her with a mind full of anger. Turning back to the nest, Nari began jamming the haft of her scythe into the rocks, once more attempting to force the circle apart like she had done earlier. She grit her teeth as she worked, forcing the rocks apart slowly. Each one seemed to resist her will at first, as if staying stubbornly s

Nari pressed all the way back to the divide that they had previously stopped at, Mio following quietly at her feet. She considered engaging the kitsune in further discussion, before deciding that she had had enough of her own voice for the time being. Content to wander in silence for the time, she had paused as they reached the split, staring at the two other directions they could take, before shrugging and heading for the far side - the one left of their origins. They travelled further along the tunnel for what felt like another hour, before Nari saw a small shine in the distance. The gl

The sound of dripping water caught Nari's attention, seemingly echoing from the expanse ahead. Mio seemed to hesitate, looking back at Nari as if in confusion or for support. She nodded at the kitsune, urging him on ahead. She had a feeling she knew what they'd find, but wanted to confirm it for herself before turning around and giving up just yet. She wasn't surprised, to find their current path a dead end. It led directly to a large pool of water - the walls on the opposite sides signifying that there was nowhere further to go here, and that they'd made the walk all for nothing. Or, at

She followed the small kitsune through the tunnels for another fifteen minutes before they came across another section, the path heading in three separate directions. Nari glanced down at the kitsune, noticing the creature's hesitation suddenly - as if it was unsure which path to follow, now that there were choices to be made. "Well, you got us into this mess...now it's time for you to get us out. Right?" She asked aloud, her words echoing slightly against the walls, before rebounding back towards them. An odd effect that seemed uncomfortable to her own ears. The kitsune, however, seeme

Nari squinted against the few rays of sunlight that seemed to filter down through the otherwise cloudy overhead that covered the skies. The day seemed to hint towards the possibility of rain, and yet not a drop had fallen since her arrival on the floor. Not that she was complaining, by any means. "Alright...sad look sailor, where are you...?" Nari muttered to herself as Mio followed her along the dirt path leading through the village. Thatched homes, small businesses and an overall 'fantastical' feel to the village had greeted Nari upon her arrival. Not that it was depressing by any mean

Nari gave another soft twirl, looking into the mirror while biting her lip. She'd rarely dressed up in this game - if it wasn't her armour, it was a piece of casual clothing, designed not for appearance but for general comfort. Wearing something lavish was, well, normally something she wouldn't even consider doing. This event, however, had called for a black tie event - which Nari knew meant she would have to skip the fox-tail vest and wear something more...well, luxurious. A quick visit to the local tailor had, thankfully, proven rather useful in this instance. That had been followed up

Nari gave a single final glance towards where the King had fallen. Perhaps they hadn't changed anything in the end, perhaps the village folk and the entire world would never know of what the two of them did here today. But they would know. They would be aware, for the remainder of their days, of what they had managed. "So long as we live..." Nari smiled at the thought, before following Jomei out of the hall and back towards the entrance. The mention of finding somewhere warmer reminded her that not everyone in the game was used to, or enjoyed the cold weather. She glanced around once mor

Nari had a brief feeling of movement to her side. She turned her head, trying not to take her eyes off the King before her while also trying to spot what was occurring behind her. Her eyes moved, just in time to catch the glint of Jomei's rapier passing her, slamming itself into the King and causing the man to struggle backwards, his health bar depleting rapidly under the assault of the ginger. Nari let herself relax slightly, watching as the King slowly died, before bursting into shards and disappearing from existence before them. She felt a single second of cold, calmness as she conside

Nari watched as the player struggled with the realisation, with the fact that they were torn between two decisions. She didn't provide any input, at first. She let the girl continue talking - trying to convince herself that there was a choice, a simple choice. Or perhaps that someone would come and make that choice for her. Nari knew better, however. "No one is going to tell you what to do...all that we can do is give you opinions, and perhaps guide you. But you need to make the actual choice in the end. Do you give up here, join the names of those etched into the Monument? Or do you cont

Nari gave a beaming smile to Hirru as the man addressed her, just happy to see a familiar face for once. She turned and headed towards the forest that the man had motioned at, more than willing to get their journey started even as they spoke and caught up. She shook her head as Hirru asked about any other familiar faces, her smile dropping ever so slightly. "Just Jomei...otherwise it's been...well, quiet. I have come across some new faces, but...some of the older ones seem to have disappeared. Either taking time for themselves, or..." She didn't finish her thought, preferring not to speak