Nari-Lanreth

Nari was tempted to pick up the hammer and begin on the next piece, but just staring at it made her arm hurt. Deciding not to over do anything, she headed across to the small workshop table that had become her workplace, eatery, and everything else zone. She let herself lean against it for a while, her mind returning to the day they had had together. Her thoughts slowly turning back to the houses they had passed during their walk throughout the city. She had the money – thanks to an anonymous donor – to purchase one of them, and maybe enough to upgrade it and make it her own special place

She continued working, the slight fox content to sit on her shoulder and just watch as the hammer rose and fell, ringing out against the silence of the forge around them. Nari felt herself getting lost in her work, her singular focus driving away everything around her as she was pulled into the action of bringing the hammer up – then down. Time seemed to pass both slowly and quickly, and it wasn’t long before Nari put aside the piece she had been working on, realising suddenly just how much her arm was hurting from all the exertion. She smiled at Yuki, even though it was painful, she was

She was amazed at the success she was having – did this little fox really make that much of a difference? It was hard to believe, and yet…Nari could see the results right before her eyes. Nari felt the smile return to her face as her strike rung true. She hard a squeak of agreement from Yuki on her shoulder, and turned to grin at the little fox. Raising her arm again, the fox gave a slight nudge against her arm, and Nari repositioned, adjusting her aim under the little creature’s direction. ‘This is…amazing. The way that we can work together like this. I’m amazed that this is a th

Nari couldn’t get past the point that this girl – whom had just obliterated a minotaur with one swing, was asking her for help with…learning? She shook her head as she tried to imagine being able to teach her anything at all. It was clear the girl possessed a strength in her capabilities – and likely didn’t need her to actually teach anything. ‘Maybe she’s just being nice? Trying to boost my confidence? I…I shouldn’t turn her down, what if she’s being serious?’ Nari was silent for a few moments while she tried to figure out what to say. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times befor

Returning to the shop, Nari immediately pulled out a treat for the patient fox. Tossing it, she waited to see if the fox would accept her apology and thanks for taking time to help her with her search. Her curiosity got the better of her as she decided to test something. Curious as to whether the fox’s luck would continue to pay off, Nari headed over to the anvil, waiting as the little creature finished its food and noticed her movements. Pausing only for the briefest of moments, the fox scuttered up her arm and settled into the same place it had originally sat when she first attempted th

Her attention as she walked back towards the city were caught by a sudden collection of shinning, and she couldn’t help but sidetrack momentarily to collect the materials that had been so kind as to draw her away from her path for their very collection. Not one to look a gift horse in the eyes – she was fairly sure that was the saying – Nari took one final glance around before deciding to call it quits. Happy with everything she had managed to find, she made her way back to the city, ready to make good on that promise to Yuki about finding the snacks that she clearly deserved for all her

She wasn’t surprised at all that her quick glances around as she forced her way through thick brush brought up nothing – she would have been far more surprised if she had found something. Between the darkness, and then the coverage of the foliage itself, it was nearly impossible to see anything beyond the tips of her fingers, and for a few moments Nari thought that perhaps she had accidentally fallen into a whole or some other abyss. Just as she was beginning to question her whereabouts, she suddenly popped out from the foliage, finding herself beneath the trees once more, clear of the un

Nari’s quick search of the area turned up nothing further. Giving one final glance around the area, she decided that perhaps it was time to start heading back. She peered through the darkness, for a moment worried she had lost her way – before noticing the damage she had caused to the underbrush that hadn’t quite returned to its original form yet. Following the path that she had created, she tracked through the brush and foliage, taking time to watch out for anything that may have reset as she went. She wasn’t expecting to find much of anything, but she also knew that an attempt not take

‘See? Sometimes you win some, sometimes you don’t. But just keep trying, and…it’ll eventually work out! That’s all you need to focus on, so long as you can, keep going.’ The thought pushed through her mind as she reached up to give Yuki a few quick scratches. She wondered just how much longer the little fox would be patient with their outing, before she would be forced to return back to the shop. She glanced around herself, not quite sure how much time had passed – the eternal darkness definitely made it harder to track the passing of time due to the lack of transitioning light. But Nari

‘Figures. Just when everything was going so well…’ The voice sent a burst of sadness through her mind and heart, as her search turned up nothing in the immediate vicinity. For a brief moment Nari felt herself ready to give up – a stupid, childish feeling. She pushed it aside, forcing her enthusiasm to return and bringing her focus back to the task at hand. ‘I need to understand that I won’t always have success, but that doesn’t mean that I immediately give up – I need to retain that drive, that focus to succeed. It’s the only way I’ll make it…make it out…’ The voice cut off as her thought

“Aha! See! What did I tell you! This place – this place is the gold mine!” Nari dropped her two newest materials into her inventory, glancing around the field again. There was more to be found here, Nari knew it – she just had to go find it all, and she would. She definitely would find everything there was to find here. “Come on Yuki, we can’t just stand around here talking all day, we’ve got some major foraging to do here. Before this area like…resets or something. We need to collect everything we possibly can – think about all the materials I’m going to find here!” She realised her voic

The underbrush constantly pulling at her armour and clothing – as well as slashing across her face – Nari was surprised that she was able to even put any focus into searching for the shiny materials. She was also surprised that Yuki had remained silent for the drag through what had turned out to be a bad idea – not a squeak of complaint coming from the tiny fox. She stepped out of the underbrush on the opposite side, making a promise to herself that she wouldn’t repeat that venture. She could still feel something sticky in her hair, and she figured she need a bath – or several – before s

As she continued to find more and more materials, Nari wondered if this would somehow come back to bite her – perhaps she would run into a nest of something, or maybe another player who knew this was a good foraging zone. Still…she knew that she was currently hitting the jackpot, and because of her success – she wasn’t willing to give up quite yet. Pushing on, she realised that this must be what it felt like to win in a casino, or a lottery. ‘It’s no wonder people get hooked on these games of chance…it’s…it’s so overpowering. I feel like I can’t stop – like I don’t want to stop. Ever.’

She felt the excitement building in her again as she found another two of the shiny metallic looking bars, and had to resist her urge to dance around once more – forcing herself to restraint, if only for Yuki’s benefit. Dropping the bars into the inventory, she reached up and scratched Yuki beneath the jaw, getting a slight moment of what almost sounded like purring from the little fox. Nari glanced about, making sure that nothing – or rather, no one – had approached her little area of luck and glee. Seeing nothing of interest, she put the worry out of her mind, turning her attention back

Knowing how lucky she had been to find the four materials in a row, Nari let the lack of success pass for a little while. She remembered how hard this had been in the beginning – and now here she was already finding what had originally taken hours in just moments. Poking around at the underbrush as she went, Nari wondered what she was going to make with all the materials she had found. Her recent attempts had been…well, mediocre at best. She needed something big – a piece worthy of her store’s forefront display. Something that would draw in the frontliners, and all the others of Aincrad.

Nari let herself be pulled by the wrist, trailing behind trying to figure out exactly what had just happened – and how she would ever be able to catch up to someone like Astreya. She couldn’t imagine it – not like what she had just seen. She knew that she was a capable fighter herself, her time in Aikido had assured that, but she had never truly understood the power that could be found within Aincrad until this exact moment. She knew that sword arts made a huge difference in combat – but she herself had always focused on the more defensive options. Her idea had been the focus on being ab

Her gleeful laugh echoed around her as Nari pulled another two bars from the underbrush. She couldn’t believe her success – it had taken so long before to find anything, and now here she was bare minutes into her searching finding not one, not two, but four bars of the precious materials. She danced around the forest area gleefully, careful not to shake Yuki loose, but allowing her enthusiasm and excitement free in the movement. The fox eventually dislodged itself from Nari’s shoulders, clearly preferring the less shaky ground over her shoulders – at least for the moment. Nari came to a

Nari, her mind lost to the words “It looks good on you”, feels her entire face lighting up. Her sword and shield dip as her mouth opens, as if to speak – but the words seem lost to the air. As she stares, she suddenly realising that Astreya had continued talking, the words entirely lost to the sudden pounding in her ears. Just as Nari was about to ask Astreya what the girl had said – Astreya lunged forward, her blade driving through the minotaur in one, fell swoop and striking the monster from existence. "So like, let me defend you, until you're strong enough to defend me, okay?" N

She felt herself jump with glee as she found not one – but two of the shiny bars laying in the grass, hidden just at the bottom of a smaller tree. She knew that the foraging skills she had learnt would come in hand, but she hadn’t expected it to be this helpful. Holding the bars up so the fox on her shoulder could view them, Nari felt her face break into a large smile, the happiness almost radiating off her. She stared at the bars for a few moments, her tongue continuing to work even as her mind paused to take in the success she had. “See? Not one, but two! This is so worth it, righ

Although there was no immediate success in her search, Nari was content just to walk through the brush with Yuki on her shoulder, the small winter fox’s presence somehow calming and comforting her. She chatted with the fox as she went – an entirely one-sided conversation about her work, explaining about how she had begun her craft as a blacksmith and was continuing it in the hopes of one day opening a successful business to provide to the frontliners. Although it provided no response in a verbal manner, Nari felt as though the fox somehow understood her, and that the faces it was giving

Nari glanced in the direction that Astreya had pointed, a sudden serious look coming over her face. She drew the sword that had been sheathed on her hip, letting it swing in her left hand, testing its balance. Her right arm pulled up her shield, and she felt herself naturally take her combative stance – the shield before her with the blade levelled horizontally across its top. Suddenly remembering she wasn’t alone, she felt her eyes redden slightly, the embarrassment thankfully not reaching her face – likely due to the focus on it. Her heart had already calmed itself, settling into a slo

Spending a little while longer working through the forge with Yuki, Nari eventually felt the work beginning to get to her. Determined not to waste more materials than absolutely necessary, she put away her tools and collected the small winter fox. Donning a light cape for warm, as well as her arms and armour, she strode out into the darkness with the fox clutching onto her shoulders, determining that she should head into the areas outside of the city in search of something to continue her craft – for what better activity was there for a blacksmith than finding the materials required to continu

Nari watched as NIGHT strode off into the distance, the ping at the friend request hovering in the air beside her, unnoticed as she tried to figure out exactly what had just occurred. Bismuth’s sudden voice in the air caught her attention, jarring her back to awareness. Seeing the friend request, Nari jabbed the accept button, her finger carrying through beyond it and causing her to lose balance for a split second. Righting herself and glancing around to see who all had noticed, she scurred back to her searching, desperate to be done with this quest – and to put aside everything that had

Nari watched the girl spinning along the path ahead of her, a slight smile coming to her lips – one that seemed to be simple…joy? Her eyes followed the graceful movements of her guide, listening as the girl continued to prattle on – something that would normally cause Nari a headache, but now seemed…enjoyable. She was wondering about the oddness of it all, how this single person was having such a positive effect on her when normally she would be driven away by something like this. It truly made Nari wonder if there was something more to it all… "So like, did you still wanna hang out after

Nari gave Koga a sidelong glance as he turned his attention back to her. She wasn’t sure what to make of all this – first he had explained how this Alkor was nearly impossible to face…then focus on the fight and not whom you were fighting? Then there was Astreya – Iris – whom she had…well, the girl had said that Nari was taking it too seriously, and that she needed to relax a bit. ‘Am I taking it too serious? It is just a fun fight after all…but what’s the point of engaging if you don’t give it everything you’ve got?’ Nari pondered their advice as the two turned to speak with others. It w