Nari-Lanreth

Shop Post: Fill-iù Oro Hù Ò Cost of Transaction: 1 material Crafter's Profession: Performer Crafter's Rank: 2 Item Name: Fill-iù Oro Hù Ò Item Tier: 1 Item Type: Support Song Item Rarity: Rare Item Enhancements: HP Reovery II Craft/Appraisal/Obtainment IDs & Rolls: ID208290 Item Description: A small emerald octahredon that seems to glimmer with the reflected sunlight. When played, the celtic tones of Fill-iù Oro

Her first session in the recording studio had been…well, horrible. Horrible was the only way to describe it. She had to admit, this was nothing like her blacksmithing trade – there she had been able to at least craft something. But here…well, vocals were always a difficult skill to possess, let alone master. Sighing to herself as she entered the small auditorium she was using to record herself, she glanced around – immediately spotting NIGHT hanging out in a corner, clearly waiting to watch her work. Flushing in embarrassment, Nari tried to ignore the girl as she went about her practice r

She tilted her head to the left at the joke, debating on whether she should respond to it or not. It was somewhat out of character for NIGHT – or perhaps she was just starting to get more comfortable. Either way, Nari wasn’t about to complain about it – it had been amusing. Stifling a giggle in response, she instead decided to comment on the second question, her ears reddening slightly on the tips. “Yeah, Cerbi. Short for…well, you know what it’s short for. And it’s not closeness. It’s just…a cuter name.” She glanced up at NIGHT from below, sticking the tip of her tongue out in response.

“Yeah, that’s about all I’ve got as well. Seems like there’s very little known about it, beyond the fact that she recently started appearing…guess we’ll find out once we arrive-“ Her words were cut short as the teleporter activated, a white haired girl appearing on it, and freezing in place the moment she spotted Koga and Nari. A ding from Koga drew Nari’s eyes away from the scene, the flashing icon clearly showing that he had a message. Returning her gaze to the girl on the platform, it took her a second before she managed to word her question aloud. “Uh…someone you know? A fan, or

“I’m bored. We should go do something.” Nari rolled over on the couch, nearly tipping off the edge as she turned to face NIGHT, staring at the other with what she hoped was a pleading, demanding looking. They’d spent the morning relaxing, enjoying the company of one another. But Nari had begun to grow restless, wanting to get up and move, not simply lay about the couch. “Hey…want to help me get some more tech skills? I know there’s two I’m missing.” She quickly brought up her menu, swiping through the options until her eyes fell upon the two outstanding quests. She read over both of them

She had quickly left the glade behind after her last look, making her way back along the path towards the settlement she had left – this time intending to make her way back to the teleporter pad, and home, without any distractions. The walk itself had proven quick, the jungle presenting little in the way of actual obstacles to her, as if the system knew she was in no mood for grinding any mobs at the current time. The settlement itself had seemed unaware of her departure, and her eventual return. Nari had breathed a sigh of relief to find the normalcy of it all, finding comfort in the fac

She wasn’t quite sure how much time had passed when she finally realised that she was still sitting next to the pond. She had let loose all of her grief, her anger, her despair. She had screamed until her throat felt raw, releasing everything into the air and not caring who heard. Yuki had slipped from her shoulders and into her lap as she had collapsed to the ground. Out of habit, she had begun to stroke the fox’s fur, taking comfort in the feel of her companion, and the support that it provided by just being there. “We should head back soon, Yuki. Before everyone starts to worry. W

Left alone with her thoughts, she found herself drawn to the small pond that took up the majority of the area out of the trees. She had barely noticed it when she had first arrived, noting only that it would make for a hazard if things had turned sour during the encounter with the Gemini. Now, as she glanced over it, she realised that it was completely imperceptible – the surface too dark to see beyond, but a perfect mirror. In that mirror, she saw her own face. Filled with the same fear it had held nearly a year and a half ago. She could see the emotions roiling behind it; the frustratio

“I thank you for sparing my life, then. I will admit to surprise. I had not expected such actions from you. I have been watching you for some time now.” The figure bowed, before making its way towards the path that they had followed to enter the small pond area. Stopping before the treeline, it turned back to Nari, something in its posture seeming to hint that it had more to say. “You have defeated me, this time. But I shall continue to train, just as you will. And perhaps the next that we meet, there may be a different outcome to this conflict.” She could only stare in response as the fi

“Is that so? Then you spare me my life?” She could’ve sworn there was doubt in the tone of voice, as if it didn’t believe this was truly occurring. She considered her response, before speaking up. Trying to determine if she was truly going to let this thing live, if she was truly changing her ways. “Yes…and I hope that I won’t regret the decision.” The words were forced through closed teeth. She felt herself shiver at the decision, knowing it was a change she would have to continue to drive towards. It was also one that she knew was right. She couldn’t deny the anger she felt, towards Car

“No.” The single word was a whisper, and at first she was uncertain she had even spoken it. Her eyes remained locked on the being before her, the mirror image of herself. Something about it stayed her hand, forcing her to halt her bloodlust. Something about it reminded her of the humanity she was slowly losing in this insane assault against a system that was doing nothing more than what it was designed to do. “No? But you have fought to hurt Cardinal for so long. To retaliate against it for what it has done to you. Isn’t that right? Isn’t that why you fight, why you continue to destroy as

Her most recent strike had devastated her opponent, and she watched as it fell to its knees, losing the strength to fight. Feeling an air of caution, Nari waited, watching it from a distance as she tried to determine if the action was meant as a trick or feint to draw her in. She wasn’t willing to let her guard down until she was sure it was defeated, until she was sure the fight was over. “Well, what are you waiting for? Don’t you want to finish me off? To end me? To end a part of Cardinal?” The words echoed something within her. So similar to something she had said, not long ago to anot

“Not what you were expecting?” She growled as the Gemini figure slid around to her side, showing a reluctance to get close to her if only for the moment. She pondered her situation, knowing that only her only advantage here was keeping the Gemini unaware of what she was going to do. ‘Which means I need to focus on not doing what I would normally do. Changing up my habits, taking risks…everything that is not the focus of a tank.’ She scoffed in her mind, knowing it was far easier in theory than in actual practice. She had taken to staying safe for so long, that now that she was forced out

The up and down movement of her health was starting to worry her. Even though it was still well into the green, she had rarely had this much loss in the very beginning of a fight – and it seemed like they were only just getting started. Her continuous failures to connect with the other self, was starting to cause her concern, and she wondered if she was truly in a dangerous position now. As the Gemini moved forwards again, Nari decided to try something outside of her usual styling. Letting her shield drop, she winced as the spear of her opponent struck into her right shoulder, forcing her

Her twin slowly traced a path around Nari, eyeing her as it moved towards her right, trying to draw her towards an opening. She recognised the movement, something she had done many times against the creatures she had faced during her time in Aincrad. She followed the movement, making sure to keep her shield between herself and the Gemini. “It won’t work. I know what you’re trying to do. Using my own moves against me won’t get us anywhere.” She knew that trying to rattle the artificial intelligence was likely to have no effect, but the words were given all the same. In truth, she was watch

Almost as quickly as she had recovered from the assault of her twin, the Gemini figure gained momentum against her. The spear, so similar to her own, lashed out towards her again, catching her in the left shoulder and forcing her backwards as it once again drained her health bar. She tried to pull the spear out, finding the action harder than she had expected as the other figure fought to drive it in further. For a few seconds, the two seemed to be at a stalemate, the weapon not moving at all as Nari fought against her twin. Then, almost as suddenly the NPC gave up, letting the weapon sli

The sudden movement and strike had caught Nari by surprise. She hadn’t expected the figure to move anywhere near as quickly as it had, covering the limited amount of distance between them and slamming the spear into her shoulder and forcing her torso to spin slightly with the strike. Retaliating to the strike, she forced her shield up, driving the spear skywards and attempting a return attack of her own. Pulling back the spear, she let herself anchor into the ground, before twisting and driving the weapon forwards. Whatever this NPC was, Nari had seen her health bar drop significantl

“I wish to test you.” The words echoed from her mouth. The voice so similar to her own, it was eerie to hear. Her spine tingled in response, forcing her to shiver. This was nothing like what she had expected to occur, but her mind suddenly remembered something that NIGHT had explained about the Gemini. How it was expected to take the form of the one facing it. ‘So, I’ve found you after all. Alright, then let’s do this.’ “How do I know this will be a fair fight, considering you’re connected with the system that controls this entire world?” She was stalling for time, preparing herself for t

“I wish to test you.” The words forced Nari’s attention back to the figure, the hood still covering anything that would be a face, hiding it away from sight. She glared at the figure as she tried to figure out what exactly it wanted, knowing that it was after something. “Test me…how?” Her voice was filled with pause, her apprehension at the situation coming out in her tone. She felt herself shifting ever so slightly, raising the shield in preparation for…whatever was about to happen. Somehow, she was sure this was about to get violent. “A trial, of combat. A truly fair, equal fight.

She wasn’t quite sure how long had passed, when the figure suddenly stopped. Glancing around herself she saw only trees, and a larger pond – the area entirely foreign to her somehow. It was reminiscent of the floor itself, the general environment not having changed or shifted dramatically, but something about it all seemed…different somehow, in a way that Nari couldn’t put into words. “We’ve reached our destination, then?” A hypothetical question, but words nonetheless that she hoped would get the figure speaking. During her walk she had pulled the armour and spear from her inventory, the

The figure passed through the settlement back towards the outer walls, walking through the gate to the wilds beyond without any hesitation. Nari paused for the briefest of breaths before following, unsure how wise her decision was, but promising herself that she could find a way to escape if it became too dangerous. The figure continued through the few open areas towards a pathway that led through the jungle – one that Nari didn’t remember seeing previously in the few times she had passed through the area. The figure paused long enough to ensure that she was following, before continuing a

‘Alright, that’s a bit creepy.’ She eyed the NPC for a moment, wondering if they would announce themselves or their purpose. She was relatively confident that it was the same cloth she had spotted earlier, and had an inkling of a feeling that this NPC may have been who was watching her. ‘Which only makes this whole encounter…weirder.’ “Can I help you with something?” She forced the words out, trying to keep her voice emotionless even as she fought the urge to strike the NPC and run as fast away as she could. Something about this entire encounter felt uncomfortable to her, and Nari’s inner

“Well, that’s unusual and highly concerning. I should definitely not look into this further…” She whispered to herself, even as her body turned her back towards the alley that the figure had disappeared down. She knew that it was likely dangerous, and pondered if she was doing the right thing as she crossed the distance. Turning the corner, she found nothing more than an empty alleyway awaiting her. ‘No way it would’ve been that easy. If someone was really following me, they’d not let themselves get caught that easily…probably won’t be seeing them again, now.’ She turned back towards

Nari’s head snapped back slightly at Jomei’s commentary, and it took her a few breaths before she was able to provide a response to his commentary. Blinking heavily, she ducked her head slightly, before whispering out her words, a minute amount of nervousness in them. “I’m…not a native speaker. It’s the second tongue in my family. I guess I just…picked it up, with a lot of study.” It was a horrible excuse, but it was the best she had. “Are you fluent? You must be, if you understood the prayer… Is cúis áthais dom bualadh leat.” She turned at Koga’s question, bringing up her own loot m

Unable to stand the heat any longer, and clearly making no headway with her search for the illusive figure, Nari decided to call her exploration early and return to the settlement. She hated giving up, but it was clear that Cardinal was refraining from sending the quest her way at the current time, and although she hated to admit it, she knew she may need to ask NIGHT for help. ‘Or one of your info brokers, maybe?’ Sighing to herself, she turned and made her way back, crossing through the forest path that she had shorn on her way through earlier in the morning. Taking her time, she avoide