Rencesvals

Blinking, somewhat confused by the sudden and generous nature of the woman's gift, Ren called out his thanks as she wandered into the town. Jingling hoops and bracelets danced around her warm as she waved it in response, until the ping of a systems notice distracted him. "A new quest? How did-" Looking up for the woman proved pointless. She was already gone. Pursing his lips for failing to notice any quest icons in the area, Ren summoned his UI to clarify what he'd just stumbled headlong into this time. "A familiar? Isn't that just for wizards? Maybe it's more like a pet or anim

"There are, yes. And I have some of them, but they don't work very quickly and put a lot of stress on the body. Gaspard, a friend of mine from Tolbana, reminded me of the toll it takes. Sadly, he's already paid it in part." He found himself stretching his arms wide at the mere memory of their meeting and time spent in the coal pits. Following that up with a long stint at the forge left him exhausted to the point of collapse. Thank goodness that the game's pain suppression had carried him. "And what would you do with such knowledge, should you find it?" The girl's eyes smiled pleasa

Purchasing: Custom Ambition Tool | Blackmithing [800 col) Gain +1 bonus crafting EXP for each crafting attempt.

"Hmm? Oh. Uh, hello?" Standing on one of the upper walkways of the ringed terraces of Nimbus, Ren was so lost in schemes that he'd completely lost track of his surroundings. Before him stood a young woman with autumn-like features and garb that made him wonder whether she might be some sort of fey. There was a presence about her that carried a sense of earthy serenity. Maybe it was the silky quality of her short-cut hair, or the baggy peasant cap she wore to contain it? Her dress was simple and durable, but decorated by elegant patterns one might expect among the wears of a master seams

When he'd unexpectedly blurted out his intentions to serve as a tank, if @Enyaand @Illisandraever required one, Ren hadn't really thought things though. Tall and lanky, by some standards scrawny, he really didn't fit the bill. Beyond that, it was never a role he'd ever even considered for himself. He had no fighting skills, other than button mashing his way through a few hack and slash or shooter games with his friends. Those wolves they had encountered by Tolbana had nearly scared his wits loose. Except they hadn't. And, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he had act

"Thank goodness you're still here!" Winded by apparent haste, Ren had made his way back to the isolated encampment hoping to restock his already depleted inventory of good. "It, uh... seems that I like eating," he chuckled, gasping slightly in the aftermath of the run it took to get here. "Turns out that digging is equally exhausting. Since you're keen on barter, it seems, perhaps we can negotiate a suitable trade? Gelato for ore seems odd, I know, but it seems that's how things work around here." Ren didn't look like a miner. His build was long and tall, but lanky and decidedly l

Purchasing: 1*Spyglass | [800col]

"Planning, planning, forever planning." A youthful figure with a mop of white hair entered the shop muttering to himself as he went. Golden eyes locked on some sort of hastily scrawled list, he nearly walked into one of the shop's support columns before realizing that he needed to pay better attention. "What would mother think after all those years of her nattering that I should get my life in order? Here I am trying to map out my life and I'm not even sure that any of it is real." He'd already forgotten what he was supposedly seeking and had to glance back at his list. "Ah, yes.

A humble shop tucked away in the side streets of the lower levels of Tomoika, The Knight Shift caters to those in need. At first glance, it might be mistaken for some sort of industrial soup kitchen, but the constantly belching smoke, hiss of steam and and ringing of steel upon steel reveals its true purpose. Whether feeding his furnace's endless hunger, manning the bellows for hours on end, or working molten metal, Ren tirelessly improves his craft. His instruments are all second or third hand, at least, but lovingly maintained. Goods, still small in number and rough in quality, li

Ren watched Illi attempt to berate Enya, going to far to reclaim the dirt-laden bagel, laughing as he watched their exchange. "Just like Valmy and Magenta, you two are. It's nice to see them both reincarnated." A genuine flash of joy crossed golden eyes as if recapturing nostalgia. Could those memories be reborn or made anew? Perhaps. "A shop is a great start. A way to make food is an even better one. We'll all be grateful for your effort. Thanks Enya." Ren mussed her hair out of habit. He'd always done the same to his old companion. Realization dawned about halfway through and he

Name: Durendal ID: 212793 Roll: CD10 Item Type: 1H Straight Sword Tier: 1 Quality: Uncommon Enhancements: Taunt Description: "The binding blade that endures all pain and cuts through stone like water, whether by time or pure force. Its will cannot be denied." Post Link: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/39171-f01-sp-eal-digging-up-dirt-to-forge-anew/?do=findComment&comment=673001 (EAL: Blacksmithing item craft)

Vindalia. She was a classic, or classics major at least. Smart as a whip too. He'd always had a crush on her, but never managed to build up the courage to share his feelings. More regrets. More pain. More loss. Always more, ending in less. Closing his eyes, Ren recalled her short wild hair and spirited laughter, the way she always rebuffed convention and expectations. She was her own person, despite every effort to cram her into the mold forged by her parents strict and conservative traditions. "I should etch their names on the blade." It was decided, and far more suitable a m

Harfleur, named after the French town besieged by Henry V in Shakespeare's telling, and source of the 'once more onto the breach' speech. Yamasaki never lacked for bravado. That much was certain and ultimately fatal. He'd tried to rescue Magenta during the ambush - not surprising, given their relationship. Their burgeoning love ended that day. Everyone had such expectations for them and their future. Instead, they became just another pair of scripts on the wall. Here were all the tags claimed by Kayaba, flaunted as memoriam. Could there be a better way to drive the players to despair t

It would have taken a stranger ages to find each one, but Ren knew precisely where to look. They were lost among so many now. Valmy, the rebellious teen genius from Osaka. He'd made it to college a year early by virtue of sheer overflowing talents. The boy could never sit still, follow orders or stay with the team. He was always the wildcard, driving Austerlitz crazy with his half-assed lone wolf schemes. You couldn't really call them plans, given how haphazardly they unfolded. More than a few objects had been tossed at the back of Kobayashi's head when he went rogue in a shooter g

A cry in the sky broke his attention. Some bird of prey had likely found its prey, reasserting the world's forward motion in the process. It carried the call of fate or destiny. A determined smirk and infectious drive instilled, Ren strode path the monument with his decision made: taking the right path. It was nearing end of day by the time he reached the Town of Beginnings, his destination rising prominently in the distance. No mysterious stranger tripped him this time, as he passed the gate. He carried no apples to give away of be plundered. The orphans would be settling for a mea

Still holding the sword aloft, Ren's vision moved past it to focus on a simple stone shrine several dozen yards directly behind it where the road forked. Most of the detail had long since been worn away by wind and rain, but the basic form could still be deduced. A figure arched over the small central sanctum, wreathed protectively around it like a parent cradling and protecting a child. Gashes suggesting a wound were obvious on the exposed side. "A parent's ultimate sacrifice." Things suddenly became real. Drifting his gaze to the shrine itself, Ren saw the tiny, faded swaddling cloths

It was a far cry from what he'd envisioned, but the blade mirrored his own circumstances perfectly: it had raw, untapped potential. With time, seasoning and continued refinement he and the weapon could both improve into something that could make a meaningful difference; something worthy in a world that grew dimmer by the day. He'd witnessed it first hand. Hope faded just a little more with every sunset and name that etched itself upon the stone face of the Monument of Life. It had to end. "What should I call you, I wonder?" A twist of his arms caught a flash of sunlight. "Every sword

That was the moment his knees decided that screaming was getting them nowhere and just chose to collapse. Suddenly supported by Jell-O, Ren wobbled his way to an adjacent bench and lay himself down on his side. Callum just laughed, in a loud and heartfelt manner unlike anything Ren had ever heard from him before. Grabbing a jug from the far side of the smithy, the master drank deep and kissed his teeth sharply as steam literally rose from his skin. "I thought you said you hardly knew what you were doing," Ren laughed back, feebly. "Of course I did. Do you have any idea how many p

Ren's first strike could have gone a lot better. Even Callum cringed watching the molten metal give awkwardly. "Err... gimme a minute to deal with that." Wandering back to the furnace and bellows, a little master-level crafting magic salvaged their efforts from the brink of total failure. The white-haired player signaled sheepish thanks. This was officially way outside of his wheelhouse, but it still felt exhilarating to be trying his hand at a craft so far beyond his past experiences. "Thanks Callum." A nearby rag mopped his face, smearing the grit around more than wiping any

The answer felt like forever, especially after a day's backbreaking labour collecting coal. Charcoal would have been better, but they didn't have time to process that from scratch on top of everything else. The sun crested into darkness and made its full journey back to the far side of the floor before it was done. Both men took turns working the bellows to keep the furnace at temperature. Like the steady pitch and shift of shovels with Gaspard, Ren found a similar rhythm when working with Callum. More akin to a pulse than a musical beat, it still provided cadence and timing. Ren found i

"Are you sure that you're ready for this?" Callum watched as Ren summoned a variety of ore from his recent trove of samples collected at Terenzio's mine. Examining each in turn, he sorted them by obvious criteria first, then took out his trusty claw hammer to chip away at those with less obvious natures. Peering down the length of his hawkish nose, Ren looked more like a lab tech than a traditional craftsman. All he was missing was a pair of slender spectacles hanging off the tip of his nose with a holder strap around his neck. "I think I have enough iron ore to give this a shot, but

The return trip to Callum's shop was unexpectedly introspective. Digging wasn't usually quite so philosophical. Ren stopped dead in his tracks at that thought. "Who am I trying to kid? This is me I'm thinking about. When is anything NOT philosophical?" The weight of Ren's load increased by the imagined additional burdens, causing his shoulder to slump slightly. Groaning at his own habit of overthinking everything, he settled on making the rest of his way back in silence. The sun had made good time as it traveled its daily sojourn, settling into the late afternoon by the time Ren he

Solace could be found in the crucible of labour. Though he doubted this body could ever develop callouses to warrant earned experience, Ren could at least acknowledge his own effort. How he treated people mattered, be they players or NPCs. It said something about you. In a world gone mad, what else did they really have to define themselves with but their own principles? Charlemagne's peers might well approve. "I'll do what I can, my friend. Maybe it will even amount to something." Planting his shovel in the softened black chalk-like surface of the pit, Ren wrapped and tied the sack

A simple grunted understanding and acceptance was all Gaspard would have wanted and expected. It's what he got. "Is there anything I can do to help?" It was doubtful, but Ren felt an obligation to make the offer. Politics weren't really his arena, and Dorian would surely have covered all the angles. But if it made his newfound friend feel better, it was worthwhile. Wiping the sweat from his brow, the last of the sacks he'd absconded with from Callum's shop was unfurled and made ready. "Nah, Ren. I appreciate the thought, but this is just the way things are. Always has been.

“What’s your story then? How did humble Gaspard come to this glorious state of affairs?” A shovel’s dose of powdered blackness rained down over his “Oh dear,” came a predictable not-even-a-little-bit sorry chuckle from over Ren’s shoulder. “Didn’t see you there, m’lord. Shame about that.” “Don’t get your nose out of joint, Gas-” Another wave of sooty soil came flying at him, forcing Ren to turn away, laughing and coughing all at the same time. “Okay! Okay!!! I get it," came hacking laughter from within the resulting cloud. "Just tell me the story already, before I return