Nari-Lanreth

Onora seemed to nod in response, likely uncertain of how to respond to the claim. It was an odd topic, Nari knew, and not one that anyone outside of the frontliners could really comment upon. Finding it somewhat depressing, she decided to change the topic as quickly as she could, hoping that they could leave the depressive aura behind entirely. ’I wonder what sort of interesting concepts I’ll get to cook up…once I find this final material.’ She frowned slightly as another push through the nearby brush brought up nothing of use. Her foraging skills were failing her, in the moment, and she

’That sounds…almost intimate, in a way.’ Onora shifted down onto the ground beside Nari, her eyes locking into the distance. Silence sat between them for a few seconds as Nari considered what to say in response. There was, in a poetic sense, a plausibly intimate connection between frontliners – those that got along, anyways. She couldn’t say that it was a connection everyone had, though. There were some that Nari had come across that she couldn’t stand, and would argue any sort of intimate connection with vehemently, even if she was able to work alongside them temporarily. ’I guess it’s w

The final boar exploded, and Nari noticed with annoyance that she was a single material short of the required collection amount. Sighing to herself, she turned to glance at Onora, the woman grinning at her in some measure of excitement and happiness. Whatever she had been about to say, Nari found herself held up as she took in the woman’s excitement. ’We’ve never really fought before, have we? That was…wow. Is this what the frontliners are like?’ Onora seemed to bounce between her two feet, and as Nari settled onto the grass – in a measure of exhaustion and a desire to do nothing more tha

The third boar exploded as Nari shifted herself once more, allowing the creatures to collide off the shield. She brought her spear up, stabbing forward and catching the pair as they raced passed and into the distance, the attack enough to end the one that was already barely maintaining its gait. The final creature turned back around slowly, a sign that it was weakening quickly as it attempted to prepare itself for another charge. Nari knew that the fight was just about finished, so long as she could land a single, final attack. She didn’t say anything as she stood up, letting the shield a

Nari gave a half shrug, not turning around as the boars slammed into her again. She didn’t have a chance to stab either of the creatures, her focus on communicating with Onora limiting her ability to hit them back as they retreated from reach. ’I don’t know…it was scary the first couple of times, I think…but now it’s just…second nature, I guess? Honestly it’s comforting knowing how well protected I am. Creatures like these can’t really possess any danger to me, so I’m okay with it…bigger creatures, like the floor bosses…well that’s a slightly different story, but even there I’m somewhat safe.’

Two of the boars exploded into nothingness as Nari reset herself, Onora slipping in behind her and placing a hand upon her shoulder that caused a small chill to run up her spine. It was a comforting feeling, but one that she hadn’t expected, and Nari found herself fighting the urge to turn around as the pair of remaining boars rose to their feet once more. Stabilising themselves, the pair slowly turned towards Nari, suddenly wary of the shield wielding danger that had prevented their concurrent attacks thus far. Nari knew that her phalanx movement was limited in dealing damage, but also k

They acted almost exactly as Nari expected – shaking themselves to their feet before launching into another charge. Nari’s shield bore the majority of the impact, shaking slightly as the boars were shoved off to the side and out of any chance of impacting her or Onora at all. She waited for them to pass by, before lashing out with her spear in another wide arc, the weapon’s blade slashing across three of the creatures and allowing Onora the safety and security she needed to rush forward and stab into their flanks again. ’Almost done here, and then maybe we can head back and get a cookin’.

Nari rushed slightly forwards, settling herself into a controlled, ready position with her shield out before her, and the spear levelled on its edge. She waited as the boars turned to face her, their hooves pawing at the ground as they prepared themselves to charge. They came as a singular group, the ground rumbling as their bodies surged across the small distance towards her – only to find her form moving in a dance, the spear swinging outwards and slamming into the sides of their forms. The boars were thrown into confusion as the blade of the spear slashed along their sides, causing the

’I…wasn’t expecting a tavern.’ Nari heard Onora giggle in response to her clear confusion. She’d expected to attend a bakery, or a gourmet cooking establishment – the fact that the training occurred within a tavern seemed almost foreign in concept to Nari. Her eyes shifted to the blonde at her side, the small weasel upon her shoulder chattering away in what was clearly meant to be a humorous sound, and she found herself blushing heavily. ’Well I mean, come on. I know this is a fantasy world, but a tavern?’ Nari shook her head, before stepping inside. The tavern itself was cleanly enough,

Earning a Living: Cook Nari’s shop had already taken a transition from its regular design, the inclusion of her smithy and storefront recreating the once musically focused work area into something else entirely. She’d begun her battle in creating weaponry, armour and tools once more – but she’d gained inspiration from the sudden ability to expand her skillsets. So much so, that she found herself considering it one morning, and wondering if there wasn’t more she could do. ’All I’m saying, is you don’t want to over work yourself.’ Onora sighed as she glanced again at the newly purchas

Shop Post: Sharpened Sword Cost of Transaction: 8 materials Crafter's Profession: Blacksmith Crafter's Rank: 1 Item Name: Sharpened Sword Item Tier: Tier 1 Item Type: Weapon [Straight Sword] Item Rarity: Uncommon Item Enhancements: Damage [1 Slot] Craft/Appraisal/Obtainment IDs & Rolls: ID255127 Item Description: A shortsword with honed edge designed to slice through strengthened carapace, armours

15/10/2025 [∞/2560+ EXP] Rank 5 - La Quinta Orchestra: Able to craft Tier 5 equipment. 10 crafts per day. Crafting Buffs Extended Workshop [Active: Passive. Effect: +1 Daily Crafting Attempts; +2 EXP per crafting attempt.] Apollo's Metronome [Active: Passive. Effect: +1 CD when crafting in one’s workshop.] ------- [0/19 EXP] Rank 1 - Beginner Blacksmith: Able to craft Tier 1 equipment. 10 crafts per day. Crafting Buffs N/A [Active: N/A. Effect: N/A.] ID CD LD Result EXP

Nari rechecked the map, wondering where she’d taken a wrong turn. Her finger traced along the translucent material before her, following the gaiting line that designated the directions she’d been following. Her eyes shifted away for a single second as Mio seemed to twist at her side, the small kitsune spotting something in the distance. Nari found herself glancing up in the direction he was looking, her eyes squinting a bit against the light as she tried to find what had caught the kitsune’s attention. Seconds passed, before she spotted the player in the field, reading over what appeared to be

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