Nari-Lanreth

Jomei had reacted right after Nari had struck, either her reacting to her call or simply realising that danger that had presented itself. Either way, the two of them had moved in a way that Nari hadn't felt in a long, long time. Too long, if she was being honest. It felt good to return to the motions of conflict and combat, to test her speed, her skill, her capabilities against another. Careful...keep your mind focused on the fight before you, lest you get pulled away and make a mistake. She spun her scythe around, bringing it behind her own body and allowing it to rest for a brief moment

Nari nodded in response to the man's suggestion. Reaching out to her own people...she wasn't even sure who that would be, at this point. So many had disappeared - would they even respond to her? Well, there's only one way to find out... Shrugging off the concern, she simply agreed to the concept. "Alright, I'll reach out and see who I can get a hold of...hopefully someone answers. Her eyes were drawn away from the man as he seemed to peer into the darkness. She could see, hovering in the distance, the ghostly figures that always seemed drawn to anyone who remained around for too long. The

Nari had just begun to pass through the main courtyard, when she heard a familiar voice. Not one of a player, but rather a voice that she had heard many weeks ago, when she had finally broken out of her own restrictive nature. A voice that brought up memories that were embarrassing, sweet, and a little bit...well, more than embarrassing. A face flashed before her eyes as she considered the awkward encounter, and the outcome of the whole thing - a face that had been etched into her memory. For a brief moment, Nari found herself unconsciously striding across the walkway, half expecting to

Skill(s) Being Dropped: Block, Howl Mod(s)/Addon(s)/Shift(s) Being Dropped: Focused Howl SP Refunded: 45 SP Cost: 45,000 col

Jomei's words about the performer profession - or his view on how it wasn't a profession, had certainly caught Nari off guard. She found herself glancing off to the side, trying to find a response to the words, as they approached the small encampment. It wasn't that she viewed it as a job - no more than anything else that they did in Aincrad. Blacksmithing, her first profession, had been something that she had picked up due to her love of the art, as was her stint in performing musical expressions. Still, in her mind it was a profession - something that was done with a purpose, but bearable du

Nari had come to a stop, Yuki at her feet staring into the darkness at the edge of the corner that seemed to dance and waver. They had come up to the corner with the intent of carrying onwards without issue, but the sound of voices had brought them to a stop. Slowly, Nari had begun to notice the way the darkness seemed to dance - indicating that light ahead was breaking the otherwise normal coverings around her. She had been unable to determine how many voices were up ahead, and had paused as she considered her options. She could always rush in, force them to bunch up and attempt to take

The tunnels provided relief from the heats above. Something that Yuki was clearly more than happy about, and which Nari found herself enjoying, in a way as well. Her forgoing of heavier armour had definitely made the heat more bearable, but she still found the warmer temperatures less than appealing. Yuki, more so, seemed to dread wandering the ninth floor's heat. Something that Nari felt bad for forcing the small fox through to begin with. The tunnels, however, carried a cooler degree with them, allowing the two to find a minor amount of reprieve from the blistering heats that covered the mai

She didn't want to call it easy, but as the last of them burst into pieces, Nari couldn't help but wonder if it was easy. Too easy, in some ways. There had been four of them - enough that she would've been overwhelmed in days past, when she was having just started out. Now, though, it was like walking through a park that had obstacles. Tedious, repetitive, but not overly dangerous by any means. Which wasn't to say that it was any less or more enjoyable, but it certainly brought about a certain perspective for her, when she considered it... "As if making it more or less difficult makes thi

"Plenty of scenes...far too many, if you ask me." There was no bitterness to the words, but Nari's face had darkened ever so slightly in response to the thought. She had spent far too long on this floor, considering the implications of...well, everything. "You're right though. We're here now, even if others are...being lazy. Let's make the most of it." She tried to force the smile, hoping it didn't come out looking like some sort of horror genre grimace, but figuring it likely did. The joke was barely something that she could consider a joke, after all. Poor attempts at humour for those w

Another of the group dispersed into a flash of shards, seemingly drifting off into the air without a single beat of hesitation. Nari wondered, even as she moved around the strike of another bandit, if she should feel any pity for these individuals. They weren't human, and yet they still showed humanistic traits. An intelligence, to a degree. Capability. Given any other situation, she might have considered them humanlike. But in this instance, there was no pity. Whether they were human or not, they were trying to end Nari. Something that she wasn't entirely on board with, all things con

Eager. That was the word that best described the way that the bandits threw themselves towards Nari. Eager to die, to end their perpetually repeating life. There was nothing to it, aside from that. She could feel bad for them, feel as if she was doing something wrong - was it wrong to end that which has no purpose, nothing in life beyond throwing themselves at players with the intent of dying? - but in the end, it only mattered that they were eager. At least put up a bit of a fight, if you're going to throw yourselves so carelessly at me. Her voice sounded hollow, empty of the emotional

The group before her seemed to pause at her words, as if unsure what to do when someone didn't immediately run in fear from them. As she shifted the scythe behind herself, she could see a few take a half-step back, as if reacting in concern for their own well-being. Nari was once again surprised at how sometimes the NPCs in this game could sometimes act almost humanlike, if only for a split second. The expression disappeared almost instantly as the group suddenly surged forward, trying to surround her. A quick slash of the scythe ensured that they wouldn't be able to, pushing them back down th

No sooner had she spoken, than Nari noticed the sounds of voices ahead. She couldn't quite tell what was being said, but the general tones bespoke of individuals in a good mood. She lowered her lantern's hood, covering the majority of the limited light it had provided, while keeping her eyes focused ahead. What little she could see before was suddenly lost in the darkness of the tunnels as her only source of light was significantly restricted, and she found herself staring into a void for a few seconds. When her eyes had adjusted ever so slightly, she noticed minimal details, the bare edges of

The darkness didn't bother Nari anywhere near as much as it did many other players. She'd known a few whom had gone so far as to ensure they captured the night vision skill, just so that they'd never have to enter somewhere they couldn't see. For her, however, she'd grown accustomed to the cold and dark that came with many areas of the world. This, while not quite homely by any means, was no more undesirable than the colds of the fourth floor. At her feet, Yuki seemed content as well. While the tunnels couldn't be called open and free by any means, they weren't anywhere near as constrict

Vengeance. That's what some would call it. Nari considered it something a bit more unique. None of these miners had asked for this to occur, the bandits which had been plaguing them over the last...well, who really knows how long. It could've been months, years, days...none of it really mattered. In fact, even the aspect of what she was doing really mattered - well, at least to anyone beyond herself. She was here, because she needed to be here. Not for some higher purpose, just...to be alive. To be out, and doing something, beyond what she had done for the past...well, that didn't matter.

Nari smiled at the commentary about being cooped up, and the need for freedom. She'd certainly felt that as well, although her own situation had been more of a mental restriction, than a physical one. Wandering the empty tenth for answers that cannot be found, does no good for the mind and soul. She refrained from mentioning that bit aloud, deciding that it wasn't impertinent to their current situation. Instead, she listened as Jomei explained his own viewpoint on the Night King's quest. She was happy to hear that he had gone through it previously, albeit a bit surprised that he had been

Nari found herself almost laughing at the man's accidental admission. Truthfully, she'd never known who had flooded the kitchen - it had all happened so fast, out of nowhere. She'd never considered the possibility that she would ever find out who had done it, let alone have them admit to it. That laugh slowly died away, however, as the man seemed to become more on edge. His eyes cast around, as if looking for something, and Nari found herself pulling her spear ever so slightly closer to herself. Something got you on edge? It was less of a question, and more of a confirmation. Waiting to

The wince in the man's face answered Nari's question more than anything else the man had said. She found herself sympathising with the man, knowing the feeling of the sudden realisation of the quiet that had overcome Aincrad as of late. It seemed to be everywhere that she went. Sure, the NPCs were still around, still going about their usual business. The players, however, those had been dwindling. Nari knew that many had taken to the safety of simply staying living; which meant remaining within their comfort zones, not making their way beyond safe zones and towns...staying alive, in the end. T

To think this place used to bring peace and solitude...a feeling of home. Her eyes glanced down at the small fox beside her that she'd been speaking to, the winter white coat blending in rather well with the snow that surrounded them. Snow, which Nari had once enjoyed. Now, it just reminded her of the coldness that was her life; the loneliness that came with it. She shook herself, straightening as she heard the soft hum of the teleporter kicking to life behind her. At least you still enjoy it here. She moved from her position, seated along the outside of the main courtyard that housed the