Nari-Lanreth

Nari couldn't help but be impressed by his flowing dodge. There was no hesitation, no shock in her feint, he simply rolled out of the way, swinging one leg behind the other in a fluid movement. 'Good. Don't make it easy.’ She watched as his body rolled away, predicting that he would follow through with a strike as he came out of the roll. Determined not to let him get away with it, Nari swung around the opposite side, bringing her blade in a tight sweep, the blade held vertical, so as to protect against any sort of wild strike her might attempt. She could see the faces of the crowd watchi

The slap of her hand against the boulder shook through her arm, and Nari felt her muscles begin to faulter. Shaking her left arm, the numbness running through it, she realised that repeating the same maneuver would get her no where. She needed to change her method, otherwise she would simply be following a line of madness. The line of thought brought a smile to her face, the humour behind it not passing over her head. Stifling a giggle, she side stepped around the boulder, bouncing on her heels so as to let her body relax a little bit – forcing the tension that had built up out. Onc

Amazed that she had managed so well already, the faulter of her following strike didn’t surprise Nari. She realised that she had pushed herself to a limit with her rapid strikes, something that she should be proud of having kept up for so long. Stepping back and letting her arms fall for a moment, she took a deep breath, closing her eyes and letting her mind review the previous attempts. She watched in her mind’s eye as her arms had shot forward and connected with the boulder – the precision in her movements with her success, and the faulters in them that had caused her to miss, or failed to b

Another cracking sound ruptured the air as her hand bounced off the boulder. This time the crack seemed to split sideways, not just through the centre, a spiderweb of cracks appearing across the entire surface. Nari’s eyes followed the multiple cracks, disappearing around the side and behind it. Walking around the boulder, Nari could see where they had spiralled all around the outside, a small cluster appearing to have pushed towards the centre of the boulder itself. It was a sure sign of the progress she was making, and it drove her onwards – realising that this damned quest was nearing compl

Nari watched as the blade spun up and over her opponent’s head, her eyes remaining trained on his, and the slight smile on his lips. She felt herself tense slightly as the blade began to fall. Her heart had slowed completely, her focus entirely on the fight. As she watched, everything seemed to slow down, the blade coming closer and closer to her. “Impressive.” Bringing her blade down towards his feet, Nari will duck to her left, moving down and under the blade swing, feeling the very wind of it sail over her body. Unable to get a proper swing off from the awkward position, Nari will roll

It took Nari a moment to register the soft sound she was hearing, her eyes shut to the world around her. Snapping them open, she spots the figure of the woman from the doorway heading towards the outer wall, the others seemingly preparing to follow. Straightening, Nari hoists the shield on her arm, stepping after NIGHT with limited hesitation. She looks at the other two, smiling shyly. "So, I guess we follow her?" Nari will point a finger at NIGHT as she continues on her way, letting the question hang in the air for a moment before continuing. "I...want to thank you. For. Well, you know.

The resounding crack that echoed through the dojo cause Nari to jump. She had put a lot of force behind her strike, but even she was surprised by the effect it had on the boulder – which now sat with a large crack down the centre of it. It wasn’t quite through to the bottom, but it definitely showed a modicum of progress, bringing another burst of enthusiasm and excitement to the small, purple haired woman. ‘Ha! This is it! The final stretch, I can feel it. I just need to stay focused and everything will fall into place. I can do this!’ The smile, wide on her face, showed more than anythi

Nari felt a smile break across her face as the ginger haired man spoke to her – the words echoing in her ears, yet not fully registering in her mind. Focused on the fight, she watched as his arm and eyes twitched, the tip of his wooden training sword suddenly lashing out towards her. Ducking and rolling upwards and to her right, she bent over backwards, taking a risk and slashing out towards his lower torso, slashing one handed with her wooden sword to strike against his side. Hearing the resounding smack, Nari returned to a standing position, backing off slightly and taking her sw

The sound of palm slapping boulder reached Nari’s ears, and she felt the familiar sting in her hand as she pulled back her arm. The strike itself had been mediocre at best, but Nari could see a small hairline crack where she had managed to split another piece of the boulder. It wasn’t much progress, but it brought another smile to Nari’s face. ‘One must learn to crawl, before they can fly. And this seems to show me that I’m really starting to crawl.’ Shaking her hand, she walked around the boulder, eyeing it up and trying to determine where next to lay her strike. Spotting a shiny

Nari felt the elation surge through her as another crack appeared in the face of the boulder. Her left palm was starting to sting a bit from the constant use, and she considered for a moment whether it would be worth switching up her stance. In the real world, she had never been strong with her right strikes – using them instead as quick jabs to disorient – but perhaps it was different here. Shrugging her shoulders, she shifted her stance around, pulling her left foot backwards and turning herself so her right shoulder and right arm were forward. It felt odd, as if everything was o

Nari’s third strike was far too wild, sliding up and over the top of the boulder as she put far too much swing into the strike. She felt her balance tip beneath her, and threw her right hand out to stop her from collapsing into the boulder entirely. ‘Focus. Don’t let your progress slip now. You’ve done so well up to this point. You can finish this. Just… focus. Don’t let the excitement, or the fear, or anything distract you from your goal.’ Nari cocked her head to the right, eyeing up the boulder. Stepping twice to the right, she focused on a new spot – deciding that perhaps this wo

A soft cracking sound erupted from beneath Nari’s hand, and she pulled it back in surprise. Where her palm had struck, a hair thin split now appeared in the boulder. Elated at the success, she felt herself do a small victory dance, before she remembered this was far from over. ‘Don’t get overconfident now. You’re not done yet. Not until this thing is entirely rubble on the ground.’ Her face split into a smile – unable to subside the happiness she felt at her first success, she rocked back into her fighting stance, bringing her hands up before her once more. ‘I can do this. I’ll not

Not surprisingly, her hand failed to do any real damage to the boulder itself. Nari pulled her hand back, looking at the red mark she had made on her palm by striking the boulder’s hard surface. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. ‘I guess this won’t be as easy as I expected.’ She thought to herself. Shaking her hand, she raised her guard again, thinking back to everything she had learnt about fighting in the real world. Most of it she tossed out – the boulder likely wouldn’t be throwing shots back at her, or at least she hoped. But one thing did stick in her mind – an old say

Nari turned and headed back to the dojo, passing through and looking for the rock in the garden. It didn’t take Nari long to find the large boulder – the big round, grey piece was an eyesore compared to the more traditional tones of the dojo. Pacing around the boulder, she took some time to study it from all angles, looking for any signs of cracks, blemishes or other points of weakness that she could take advantage of. Seeing no major weaknesses in the boulder – which, if Nari was being honest, she hadn’t expected to find – Nari took a step towards the boulder, bringing her hands up

Uncertain exactly whom her opponent would be, Nari picked up one of the wooden swords, testing it in her hand. Finding the sparring area, she wandered of, positioning herself on the far side, facing the centre and waited for her opponent to appear. She held the blade slightly off to her left, her right hand pulled open towards the ground, with her left foot forward. 'Centre of balance, remember.' Nari took a deep breath, watching for who would step up to challenge her. She recognised few of the faces here, so the names wouldn't help much. It didn't take long for an orange haired individu

Even with her head bowed and her focus on the floor, she could still see the smile of the girl – who upon a slightly closer inspection was clearly Nari’s junior – at her fumbling words. Closing her eyes for the briefest of moments, Nari heard the door crack open behind her, and her eyes snapped open again as the girl began speaking. "Hirru! Like, totally nice to see you again!" Nari turned her head slightly, seeing the body of the newcomer blocking her escape. Heart thudding in her chest she shot a gaze between the girl who had just been leading her back outside, and this newcomer.

Time seemed to come to a slow crawl as the water flowed over Nari. The mantra matched the dance of the flowers in the soft breeze, bringing Nari to a moment of relaxation that she hadn’t felt since the start of this game. The water – both the cold feel of it, and the sound of it around her seemed to subside into the distance, no longer pulling her attention. Some time later, Nari felt herself shake to consciousness – not quite having fallen asleep, yet still not entirely focused on the world around her. She had felt a while ago as Master Yunxiang had come to check on her, but the elderly

Nari could feel the pressure of the water on her shoulders, the cold and weight of it all pushing against her already exhausted body. ‘I will not let this simple test be the end of my resolve. I will overcome…I will… so cold… I will overcome… the cold, the frigid…’ She felt the words slip from her mind as she fought against the sudden shiver that ran down her spine. ‘I will… so cold… so… strong…’ Nari shook herself against the cold. She could feel the exhaustion taking over her body, the tiredness dragging against her consciousness. It would be so easy, so simple, just to lay down a

Nari heard the slight hum of the teleporter in her ears dissapate, signalling to her that the shift between floors had finally come to an end. No matter how often she used this system, she still had yet to get used to the blinding light that met her eyes as her form was transferred. Opening her eyes, she was greeted with a beautiful oceanside view. Her breath escaped between her lips as she felt them part. Lost in the view, it took Nari a moment before realising she needed to vacate the pad, lest someone else appear on top of her. Slow moving, she walked down through the settlement to th

Nari stopped as Koga’s commentary reached her ears. She felt her face go beat red as the words registered in her mind. “Uh, Nari, was it? I don't think the mayor's a loanshark...and I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to break his kneecaps or something if he doesn't pay.” She ducked her head, trying to hide her face behind her bangs as the embarrassment surged through her. She hadn’t realised how loud she had been, figuring the door parameters would muffle most of the interaction. “Oh – oh no. I… I didn’t think. I thought… I didn’t think you’d hear that...” The words slipped fro

Nari felt the mantra calming her, bringing her core back to a balance – a centre of focus. Nari felt the words repeat again and again in her mind, as she breathed slowly and deeply, inhaling and exhaling with every second word. ‘I will not let this simple test be the end of my resolve. I will overcome it, no matter what is thrown at me.’ Slowly, Nari felt herself return to the control she had been at before her mind had brought forth the memories of the field. Slowly, Nari forced her eyes open once more, focusing again on the flowers across from her. ‘I will not let this simple tes

Something about the flow of the flowers cause Nari’s mind to wander, the mantra slipping away as she focused on their dance in the wind. Nari’s mind began to wander, thinking back to a time she had visited a lake back in an area mere hours away from where she had lived. She remembered, one summer, when she had visited the lake itself. A field nearby filled with flowers – a collection of local wildflowers whose names had long ago slipped her mind – had drawn her attention. She had wandered into the field, looking for a place for picnic. It was within this field that Nari had met her first

As Nari turned her thoughts inwards, she could feel the pressure of the water, and the pain from the cold beginning to recede. Not letting the surprise cause her mind to slip and wander, Nari instead refocused herself, breathing deeply and slowly, forcing her heart to calm and her mind to empty. ‘I will not let this simple test be the end of my resolve. I will overcome it, no matter what is thrown at me.’ The words repeated as a mantra in her mind, and slowly, she forced her eyes open, making sure to keep her mind empty of anything but the repetition. In the back of her mind she cou

Nari stood watching the water for some time before she remembered why she had come here. Shaking herself from her delirium, Nari stepped towards the waterfall. A small path led beneath the falling water, to a small outcrop that one could sit upon should they so choose. Nari looked around, making sure that no one else was nearby before bringing up her inventory menu once more. Nari scrolled through her menu, coming to rest where her clothing was listed. Her finger hovered over the remove button. She felt herself turn red in the face once more, and she glanced around to make sure that no o

Letting the log drop from her grip, Nari stumbled backwards. She felt herself fall to the floor as her arms and legs finally gave out beneath her. Leaning her head back against the wall, she knew that she had done as much as she could. ‘I can only hope that it’s enough for the task ahead.’ Her mind’s voice whispered. Nari shrugged mentally, knowing that it didn’t much matter. She had nothing further that she could give physically. ‘I should…rest here a bit…before the next part.’ She thought over what Master Yunxiang had said, about needing to sit under the waterfall until her conce