Nari-Lanreth

Nari let her eyes shift towards NIGHT as the girl spoke, her face void of any emotion while she held her combative stance – the shield raise, with the spear levelled across the top left corner, settled into the dip in the shield’s otherwise rectangular design. For a single heartbeat she seemed not to notice the worlds, her eyes empty of any recognition, before a sudden light filled them. “Howl…? Oh…uhm, yeah.” Her eyes shifted back to the two golems, considering her options. She hadn’t had much luck with striking both at once, and she decided that it was time to simply do what she did bes

The flash of NIGHT slipped by Nari’s guard, slashing out at the two rock golems before Nari could even react. A single trace of orange hung on the air as the girl’s attack lashed out against their enemies, tearing into them. Nari could see their health bars drain as NIGHT’s attack did more damage than Nari could ever dream of doing, and she felt herself grumble as she realised she needed to do something to get back into this fight. ‘I’m not going down as useless. No way, not if I want to make my way to the frontlines – I need to prove myself. Here. Now. No more games.’ Steadying herself,

Nari smiled slightly as NIGHT took the bait, falling into a modicum of humorous banter as she made her way towards the centre tunnel. Nari, falling in behind the girl, cocked her head before responding to the commentary, her voice dripping with a tone that spoke of the joke behind the words. “With a back like that, why wouldn’t I watch it?” She was just about to add to her commentary when something clattered behind her. Turning, she found herself face to face with what appeared to be large, stone golems – two of them standing side by side, having awoken from the boulders that had lined th

Silence hung between the two for about three seconds before Nari burst out laughing. She had to hold herself upright with the spear as the laughter took over her, tears forming in her eyes. A few seconds later, she had her giggles under control enough to be able to speak, the words coming out haltingly between further bursts of giggles. “I’m…sorry. I’m not…not laughing at you. It’s just…It’s just that you’re right. You’re completely right.” Another string of giggles and a few incoherent words, before she managed to get herself under control again. “Alright, point one to NIGHT. You win tha

The shriek echoed around the cavern as Nari jumped a good half metre into the air, her weapon whipping around and bouncing off a nearby stone as she fell forward, her leap of fear throwing off her balance and taking her to the ground. Her heart was beating faster than she thought it had any right to, and as she looked up, she NIGHT standing above her. She could’ve sworn there was a mischievous twinkle in the girl’s eyes, and Nari felt herself flush – both at realising what had been said, and her own reaction to the whole situation. “Not funny. So not funny…okay, maybe a little funny.” She

Nari tucked her spear in against herself, the shield dropping as her arm fell from its battle ready position. A sheepish look on her face, she mumbled her apology. “Sorry…I should’ve been…more useful there…I don’t know what happened I don’t usually have these sorts of issues…” She took a few steps before stopping, turning back to face NIGHT she let her smile split her face as her eyes filled with a wicked sparkle. “So…you don’t like getting wet, then?” She giggled to herself before continuing down the tunnel, seeing a light blue shine in the distance – a large opening that seemed to

Nari felt herself grinning as the other player countered her joke, the humour clearly not lost on NIGHT as Nari had thought it might be. She watched as the other player brushed past, obliterating the first two creatures with a show of flash, and leaving the two remaining with heavily depleted health bars. Nari twirled her spear, determined to at least do something useful this fight. Bringing the weapon in a rounded spin, she twisted herself in a circle, letting the weapon pick up her momentum and hopefully add to the strike – with any luck, at least. She watched as both creatures leapt ba

“Yeah let’s just…take caution. Especially if neither of us is entirely sure what lays within.” She’ll pause as she suddenly pulls up her inventory, retrieving one of the blank map data pieces she’d purchased, setting it up to trace their route as they went – knowing that it would be useful later. “I knew buying these would be worth the col…” With the map set up and running, she’ll pull her spear out from where it was tucked into her left shoulder, giving it a confident twirl before glancing around the darker area. She could see movement in the distance, as something clinging to the shadow

“I…think we should be okay – but I’ll be honest, Cardinal is not doing what it normally would here, so I’m skeptical of…well, everything. Let’s proceed with caution.” She’ll cast a quick glance over the room they were in, her gaze trying to decipher something about the entire area, before returning her attention to their new destination. She could see the main raised area in the centre, the pillars around it containing the switches that would – theoretically, based off what she had seen, cause some sort of reaction within the room itself. Throwing a glance towards Cleo, she’ll slide into

Nari let her hand fall away from NIGHT’s face, the smile still shimmering, if dulled slightly at the reminder. She nodded slowly, her eyes still locked on NIGHT’s own. “Yeah…yeah you did…” Her eyes lingered on the other girl for a few seconds, before she turned her attention back to their surroundings. Her gaze roamed over the area – realising suddenly just how far they had come from Ronbaru. As much as she didn’t want to break the moment, she knew that they still had some grinding to do – but perhaps later they could pick up where she had left off. She felt there was still more to say, o

The sudden grasp on her wrist, the tone of the other girl, the scowl and look in her eyes. Everything caused Nari to pause, to wonder…She cocked her head again, trying to get a new angle on the situation, trying to understand what had shifted – what had changed. She couldn’t quite figure out the sudden emotion, the aggression coming from the other. “Name…on your head? What’s that about?” She stared at the other girl for a moment, trying to figure out just what she was saying. “NIGHT…I don’t planning on falling. I can’t just give up anymore. I have…people waiting for me. To return. I…”

“What’s gotten into me? I’ve…found purpose. In life, I guess.” Her head tilted backwards as she stared up into the ever dark sky, contemplating the changes in herself. She’d been…different, since she attended the waterfall. Even Onóra had commented on it. Shrugging it off and smiling at NIGHT, she’ll add, “I guess it’s just…for once, in a very long time, I have something to look forward to. It…makes a huge difference.” Walking in silence again for a few moments, she’ll ponder the little bit of information that NIGHT had given. She didn’t enjoy the thought of not being able to teleport out

“It was…revealing. About who I’ve been, and what I’ve done…and who I should be.” Her voice took on a hushed tone, the smile dropping away. “My Sempai used to teach me that to look into oneself was to find the true enemy. I always thought it meant that we found that which we hated in ourselves. But after the whole waterfall thing, I think it was more about we see the faults in ourselves, and learn how to truly face them…” A few steps of silence, before she glances over at NIGHT. The girl didn’t talk much – Nari could understand, and even empathise with that. Some people just…preferred sile

“I’ve been…keeping busy. Between attending to a few quests – do you know Oji? We recently trained…well, I retrained, but he trained…our familiars. Yuki’s learning to be more protective.” Her left hand rose to scratch the little fox on the head. She’d dropped back beside NIGHT, facing the direction they were facing as they exited the city. The moment they had passed through the gates, she’d brought up her menu, donning her armour, shield and spear. A quick smile tossed towards NIGHT, before she continued her words. “And…well, I spent some time with Ir-Astreya, in Nemo’s garden. Did some fo

Nari listened as Oji talked, relishing in just the words. She found herself smiling – even as he spoke of the horrors of the world around them, and beyond. The ideas were something similar to her own, words that she herself had thought, if not spoken, before. Hearing them from another was comforting, even if she had reservations. “I look forward to the day when we’re both on the frontlines together, Oji. I made a promise to another once – one whom I need to make amends with, to show that the promise I made still stands.” Her eyes close again for a moment as her head rolls backwards, the

A quick nod, and then Nari will turn and begin leading the way out of Ronbaru proper, waving at an NPC as they passed – a elegant looking woman in a longer dress, with a consistent scowl on her face. The NPC seemed to pay Nari no mind, but the entire encounter seemed to bring a smile to her face. Spinning as she walked, she turned to look at NIGHT, the smile still on her face as she wandered backwards towards the gate, her head cocked slightly. “Hey, so uhm…I know it’s been a while since we last talked…how have you been?” The words are calmer now, the hysteria upon her appearance se

Letting her head fall backwards, she’ll close her eyes. Considering the words that Oji had said, she’ll toss a few responses around in her head – none of them quite capturing what she wanted to say. Eventually, settling on a single phrase, she’ll speak the words aloud – a tone as of one reciting something heard long ago on her tongue. “Fear not that which stands in your way, but rather than which drives you backwards.” Her eyes still closed; she’ll sigh a bit before continuing. “My Sempai taught us that phrase many years ago – that we shouldn’t allow fear of the thing before us to hinder

The messages came in, dinging in succession. She read them quickly – the words condescend in what Nari could only assume was a means of saving time. She rolled over and immediately fell off the counter – forgetting that she hadn’t been laying on her bed at all. “Ow! Shit! Ugh. Fifteen minutes?! I…need a shower…” Rushing up the stairs to her bathroom, she made sure that her shower wasn’t already in use before quickly running through her cleansing cycle. Twenty minutes later she was out the door and rushing down towards the teleporter, her armour currently stored in favour of the black legg

She’d spent the last few days… or had it been weeks?...scrounging around Aincrad, looking for better gear, for better drops, for better… well, everything. She felt tired, mostly. But she knew there was still more grinding to be done – that’s how it always went with these games, didn’t it? ‘Just when you think you’re ready… another surprise and you need to restart everything.’ She smiled at the thought, realising that once she had relished that exact play style. Now though… well, she still enjoyed it, but a break once in a while would be nice. Shifting herself more comfortably on the

Nari nodded from her spot on the ground, rolling over onto her stomach and placing her hands beneath her chin. Staring at Astreya, she’ll smile for a moment, before speaking again. “Completely understandable – honestly, I would say it’s fairly rare to make those sorts of connections with someone in a game. It’s…well, most people are well reserved in games. Either placing a façade around their identities by playing their character, or simply refusing to speak about themselves.” Her eyes will glance upwards towards the sky for a moment, before looking back down, her left hand snaking out an

Nari glanced backwards at the squeal from Astreya, spotting the moment that she rushed forward to bother Oji about the sable hidden away in his shirt. She had caught the tail end of the conversation about the fight – reminding her of the events that had occurred there, and bringing a slight reddening to her ears in turn. Deciding that she couldn’t hide away, she turned back around – continuing her walk, unaided by her vision – smiling, and waving a hand towards Astreya. “Careful Oji, if she’s of the right mind she may decide she likes Soup so much she’ll want to keep him.” A slight

Nari watched as the giant slowly formed from the very snow in the air, shifting into place even as the winds slowly died away – as if they were only there for the drama of the entrance. The creature towered over them, large enough that Nari had to crane her head back slightly to see the face atop the body. Her eyes gazed up, then down – noticing as Astreya rushed forward to greet the thing, not hesitating in her assault against it. She saw the strike against the creature hit true, something slamming outwards and impaling the girl for a moment. “Astreya!” The word escaped her lips before s

It was her very first time entering the bar, let alone this floor. She had only come here on the request of another – a broker, who had called in a favour that she owed him. She’d never heard of the player making the request, a man named Morningstar, apparently. All she knew was that Jakail had requested she help out this player whom had put up a request – a notice stating they needed help clearing the caves on the seventh floor. She’d tried to argue at first – she had far more important things to do, but Jakail hadn’t given any ground. And so, Nari found herself wandering into a bar with

Nari settled down next to Oji, leaning back to enjoy the warmth of the day’s sunlight – something she didn’t normally get to do on her own home floor. She wondered if she missed it, enough to move somewhere with a nicer climate. But the thought didn’t last long, she knew the twenty-seventh was her home, at least for now. “The front lines are indeed my goal. And you’re right – we are definitely one step closer, to helping those already there. I…well, I’m both excited, and afeard to make my way there. I know that it’s my goal, and I want to be up front, protecting those beside and behind m

Nari’s face turned a light red colour at the mention of Onóra, however Asterya quickly fell into her ploy, calling her bluff regarding the sunbathing. She watched as the girl stood, removing the heavy armour and weapon, leaving only the black sundress. Nari quickly followed suit, pulling her menu open and letting everything but her violet long sleeve and black shorts disappear, before throwing herself to the ground. Sighing contently, she’ll nod as Astreya mentions the weight of the armour. “It’s spectacular in a way, isn’t it? I would almost hazard to say that if it weren’t for the risk