Nari-Lanreth

More nothing. She sighed as she closed the most recent door, wondering again if they had simply left the one guard as a warning system. It didn’t make sense to her, but so far there was nothing to be found in this place, which was becoming a bit discouraging. Trying to hold back the growing emotions – it was getting easier each day, but sometimes she still felt it rising within her – she moved to the next door, pulling it open and finding what appeared to be a…lunch room? A single table, surrounded by four chairs stood in the centre of the room, a small kitchenette against the far wall.

The first few doors she checked led to nowhere special. A few storage closets, some small rooms that may have once been living quarters. Certainly, nowhere that was holding a collection of bandits who tried to hold a child hostage. None of them carried anything of value either – which Nari found to be almost as disappointing as the lack of people. She had been hoping to at the very least come across a small stash of money – or materials, either would really be excellent right now. Her eyes roamed the fort around her, noting the doors she hadn’t yet tried – one of them would likely lead to some

The guard burst into thousands of shards, dispersing on the slight breeze as Nari slammed her shield into their body, the thorns hidden within it suddenly springing forth as it connected, piercing in a hundred different places. The fight over, Nari took a deep breath, letting her body’s tension release and relax. It hadn’t lasted very long, and yet she felt like she had just spent a day doing hard labour. Rolling her shoulders, she headed into the fort, glancing around for anything of interest. She was sure they had some sort of room here that would be full of valuable pieces – be it col, or m

Her strike connected with the guard – barely, the body suddenly shifting at the last second as the stun seemed to wear off. Surprise taking over her, she wasn’t prepared for the shortsword that slammed into her own side, cutting a line across her torso – right where the armour didn’t protect her. Jumping backwards, Nari let a slight growl of frustration out. She was clearly winning the conflict, but taking risks like that wasn’t something she should get comfortable doing – not if she wanted to maintain her promise. ‘Don’t fight recklessly. It becomes habit. Fight as though every fight is

Her first strike glanced off the target’s torso, slicing along the side of the individual and cutting down a small portion of their health bar. Nari stepped sideways, watching as they seemed almost frozen in place – the strike having caused their entire body to seize up. She was truly impressed with these tech skills; they were less powerful than the standard strikes but…so effective in the abilities and reactions they caused. Twirling the glaive in her hand, she came around the right side of the individual, lashing out with the blade in an attempt to strike the target against their righ

As Nari made her way out of the cell, she caught sight of something moving a little ways down the hall. Glaive readied in her hand, she crossed the area – finding not a threat, but a teenage boy cowering in a cell. Nari relaxed slightly, letting the glaive drop back into the crook of her elbow. “Uhm…hello. Any idea where we are…?” Her voice echoed around the area more than she liked, and she felt her eyes dart around, looking for any sign of someone reacting to it. No one other than the boy seemed to be here though, and Nari felt safe continuing her conversation. “We’re…we’re in the

The path seemed to wind and twist as she followed it – the darkness enveloping her and causing her to lose track of time. There didn’t seem to be any immediate dangers – aside from the obvious danger of being beneath the ground itself. She began to wonder if the pitfall she had ended up was truly incidental – had someone created a hunting trap and she had managed to get herself caught in it somehow? Knowing she would likely never get the answer to it, she decided to simply focus on the present. Pushing further along, she saw a light opening up ahead. Although the space had become rather c

She felt herself falling, and then just as quickly she hit the ground. Glancing upwards, she saw that the trap was well over her head – she guessed close to three meters in height, which meant she wasn’t just pulling herself out. The walls were a good two meters across as well, which meant she also wouldn’t be easily climbing out of the pit either. Frowning slightly, she wondered what she was going to do. She could waste a teleport crystal to get back to the main settlement, but that seemed like a waste – or a last resort at the very least. “Right, let’s uh…just get out of the big hole in

Something rustling in the bushes caught her attention, and she nimbly dropped the glaive out of the crook of her elbow and into a readied position – the hilt resting on the ground for support, the blade angled outward from herself. Her right arm had swung upwards, bringing the shield to bear with her body, tightening as she did so in order to redirect anything that might strike against it. A few moments of silence passed, and Nari realized there was likely nothing coming to attack her – at least not yet. Pulling the glaive backwards, she let it drop into the crook of her elbow before cont

She wasn’t sure what had caused the reaction – the NPC clearly wasn’t in danger, was he? She wasn’t sure if Cardinal would actually kill off an NPC if no one went to rescue it, but…in her time here, she’d begun to see the NPCs as something more than just coding written and unwritten by Cardinal. Some of them even had personalities. Maybe not quite like the true players of the games, but enough that one could sometimes forget what they were. At least for a time. She pondered the whole situation as she made her way along the path towards the encampment that had been tagged for her. She knew

Nari slid forward, her feet barely lifting off the ground as she moved. The sword lay flat across the stop of her shield, point aimed directly at the wolf – her eyes focused down along the length of the blade, and her breathing calm and steady. She stepped carefully to the right side, trying to force it to open itself to her attack. The calmness taking over her, she considered her options – knowing she could prepare for a return strike, or disable the creature…although likely Koga would finish it with his next strike. Her skills suddenly diminished beside his, she wondered if it was even

Nari stared out over the water’s waves, listening to the story. At first, she could only wonder what the point was – of the story, of life, of everything. She had made so many mistakes, caused so much harm and loss. First Evelyn, then the group. Now, NIGHT – whom she had hoped…it didn’t matter anymore what she had hoped. She had done something that was unforgiveable, no matter what she may doing going forward. NIGHT would never forgive her for… ‘Never good to judge a person, without knowing their story.’ NIGHT knew part of her story, but not all of it. Koga another slip. None of them knew

Nari smiled as Bismuth asked the question – did she like fish? She was aware of cooking enough to know that by that point; it was far too late. Even if she had said no, he had already begun the processing of preparing everything. Watching as he moved across the kitchen, dancing around in a way that bespoke of someone who took to their craft without hesitation. “I grew up on the coast of my home country, fish was a major part of our diets – and I loved it. Especially fresh. We had a little sushi…” The words stopped as she remembered the shop. Pain shot through her heart and she quickly cha

Shop Post: Dark Fox's Reckoning Transaction Date: 2022.02.19 Cost of Transaction: 1 material Crafter's Profession: Blacksmith Crafter's Rank: 6 Item Name: Dark Fox's Reckoning Item Tier: T4 Item Type: Heavy Armour [Plate] Item Rarity: Perfect Item Enhancements: Recovery [1 Slot], Heavy Momentum [1 Slot], Taunt [1 Slot] Craft/Appraisal/Obtainment IDs & Rolls: ID203835 Item Description: Forged to

Glancing around the kitchen, Nari will shrug at the question – not really sure what possibilities there were in this world. She had noticed his attempt to deflect her question, and although he clearly hadn’t lied – he was holding something back. She could feel it, even though she may not know him all that well yet. Walking to the counter, leaning against it, she’ll cross her arms, giving him a stare that she hoped was serious looking. “I…will leave the decision to the cook. I’m not really sure what’s good and what’s…not. And even if you’re busy, you really should get some sleep – this may

Nari cocked her head slightly at Astreya’s words. She wasn’t quite sure she understood them – he was into her? Did she mean…? She must’ve meant that. Deciding she’d go and confirm the situation, Nari slid away from the table, crossing over to where Koga stood. Face slightly red as she bowed her head, looking at the ground, she forced the words out – ‘Remember, this is a battle field. You need to spar with your opponent. Just…only with words.’ “Uhm…Koga…Astreya said you’re…into the girl at the door? Is…is that true?” Nari felt herself redden more – unsure if she’d spoken quietly enough tha

As the man leads her away from the noise, the reminder of it all, down to a beach and surfs. The void compresses slightly, drawing her in – and then, voices. The girl and the man speaking, as if holding some sort of conversation with – her? Nari wasn’t sure. Everything was…confusion. Had she not done what she needed to? "Some sake to calm the nerves?" ‘What is…sake?’ Reaching out, grabbing the bottle, swigging back a large mouthful. Coughing a little, she hands the bottle back, her eyes still deadpan on the horizon. ‘Ah, alcohol. The answer to all sorrows.’ Somewhere on the ed

A voice. A girl…cat ears. Claws. A tail. A Minotaur, so long ago. Had it really been so long? A voice, trying to…what, cheer her? Make the horrors go away? She wasn’t sure. It pierced into the silence, drawing towards her – as if trying to call her away from the void she had entered. She…a slight shiver ran down the physical form, causing Nari to shake slightly. The eyes still locked onto the horizon, but the voice speaking once more. “My life ended years ago. Back…” When had it been? Two years? More? How could she live, now that the memories were fading among others, newer ones. ‘We’ll g

Everything was…empty. Not the emptiness of meditation, nor the emptiness found in the strides of combat. This was…something else. No feelings, no thoughts at all, no sounds. The scene before Nari wasn’t viewed, the sun on the horizon, the ocean below. There was simply, nothing. In the void, she found…release? Solace? Certainly not peace, not the grandeur of simplicity and happiness that so many promised. ‘Is this what the end is like, then?’ A thought pierced the void, echoing quietly around. She didn’t recognize the voice; so calm, not afeared. Is that what she sounded like? No. Her voi

Nari glanced around, assuming the girl had been speaking to another – someone around her, perhaps. Her eyes scanned the crowd, but no other seemed to pay attention, and after a quick glance, she realized – this girl had meant to speak to her. Sighing softly to herself, Nari shook her head. ‘Fortune…really? In this…must be a money grab.’ “And how much is this going to cost me, exactly?” The words carried no tone of frustration – no tone of anger, or happiness of any kind. Instead they carried…nothing. A hollow sound rung behind them, as if the woman was…emotionless. The eyes carried a hint

‘You are not alone…’ ‘I’m always alone…always…’ ‘You are not alone…’ ‘I’m...always…alone…’ ‘You are not alone…’ ‘I’m...always…alone…aren’t I…?’ She had always been alone, hadn’t she? When was the last time… she thought back to those times – they had been… wonderful, hadn’t they? But those days were gone. She was gone. Only darkness remained. But… did that have to be to the case? Something changed. Something within her. Gently pushing herself from Koga’s grasp, she spoke words for the first time in a while. Words that seemed… different. “Koga… thank you

Nari’s eyes glanced towards the sword on the man’s hip – the sword she had crafted for him – and she felt a small smile spread across her face. With everything that had happened over the past few days, seeing this was a nice welcome. It filled her heart with a moment of pride and joy, and she couldn’t stop the emotions from playing across her face. “Breakfast would be lovely. I would offer to help, but… truth be told I’m awful in a kitchen…at least, in the game, that is.” She cast her eyes around the room as she spoke, taking in the scene before it. It had an almost… medieval appeal to i

The words were there. Nari could hear them. But for a while, they didn’t register. The floated in her head, drowned out by sorrow, pain once thought to be long buried and lost. Yet, now it showed its fangs, latching on and driving its venom into her mind and body. ‘Stand beside them. Not behind, not in front. Beside. Can… can I?’ She wondered for a time. It sounded so easy… so right. Yet… what had the Gardener said? ‘Find the path that I could not. The divulgence.’ Was this what he meant? That he could not stand beside those he fought to protect? Was this… the path? ‘The warri

The words echoed through her mind, and for a long time, Nari found herself speechless. She hadn’t considered the history, the losses. She hadn’t considered those left behind – as she had been. She only thought of those she could save, those she could ensure a future for – even at the cost of her own. Her purpose… “I…I lost someone. Someone dear to me. We…” The world was turning blurry. Or… were the tears back? She wasn’t quite sure, but it was hard to see. She could feel her fingers digging – almost as if on their own. But her mind was blank, her emotions… “I dived into this game wi

Stamping into the forge, Nari realised that for the very first time, she had made a mistake. The armour had been pristine, beautiful even. But the enhancement - useless. She hadn't paid attention, and now she had to redo it all. Glaring at Yuki for a brief moment, she picked up her hammer before going to work, knowing that she had to fix her mistake.