Astra

Astra dug his heels into the ground as he faced the last boar standing amidst the group. Siren had recently struck her target with poise and rationality, and now only one boarlet stood amidst the gang. The novice swordsman had missed a lot of these nimble boarlets recently, and it definitely started to give him some stress; but he wouldn't let that take away his focus and resolve. Siren's nudge gave Astra the push he needed, and he was ready to strike once more. A solid "Thanks!" left his mouth, and he made his moves. With his left hand gripped tight around the handle of the sword, Astra

"Thanks, I'm pretty eager to learn," Astra said as Wulfrin began to prepare for the training at hand. Astra couldn't help but dwell for a moment on Wulfrin's comment about learning quickly when your life is on the line. It brought Astra back to the first day in Aincrad, when every player soon learned how high the stakes were. The visage of a fallen friend had appeared in his head, and the youth couldn't help but think about how he wasn't able to save his friend. He tried to learn quickly, with someone's life on the line, but he just wasn't good enough. Astra shook his head in an attempt to rem

With how quickly Nymoria and Wulfrin dispatched all three of Cerberus' heads, Astra was in awe. Nymoria took the first head down with incredible poise and skill, and Wulfrin finished the rest off with no hesitation. There was a part of Astra that wished he could've helped take down even just one of the heads, but he knew that would be a waste of energy and effort. His damage output wouldn't be nearly strong enough, he could potentially catch the ire of the beast, and today he was seemingly off of his game - missing attacks left and right. There was a sense of relief, however, when the mo

Astra couldn't tell if he was losing his mind due to being in the sun too long, or if he actually heard the water monster laugh at everyone who missed their attacks. Is it...Is this thing mocking us? The last thing Astra needed right now was to be chided by an oversized wave that interrupted the supposedly relaxing day at the beach. He felt his ears start to get a bit hot, and frustration set in. "Alright, let's try this again," he said readying his spear. The now-frustrated Astra rushed back towards the Summer Wave, splashing through the water as he made his way closer. Trying to run th

Astra found himself sifting through the crowd gathered at the coliseum (pit?) a little before 4pm, hoping to find a good spot to observe before the next match started. It had been a little bit of time since he'd been back in the Town of Beginnings, but knowing the tournament "Clash of Blades" was about to start? He certainly couldn't miss an event like this. Seeing some of the frontliners and other top combatants of Aincrad go against each other would be an incredible rush, and a chance for him to notate some of the strategies that they use in battle. I mean, after all, if Astra's going to get

"Bliss!" Astra called out while they hurtled through the air, landing roughly into the sand below. Astra skidded along for a bit before rolling to a halt in the sand. Oof. Getting thrown in the air and into the sand was not on my Bingo card for the beach party. He stood up and looked around at his beach companions, Bliss and Cobean. It seemed as though they were up and wielding weapons, ready to confront the new mobs that had spawned into this beach party. This day just started to get stranger by the second. So much for relaxation. Astra made his way over to the weapons rack and assessed

Astra watched as Wulfrin's shadow returned to its owners feet, bringing about a quiet calm. His stance was weak? Not the worst criticism for his early foray into swordplay. He'd certainly made some strides since his first day in Aincrad, and that memory would still linger at the back of his mind. One thing that certainly helped Astra as he tried to improve his sword skills was watching other players, such as Wulfrin, and their myriad of tactics. From stance, to form, to the way they flourish the blade. These were all things that needed to be considered when wielding a sword, and performing suc

"Great, if this isn't hell then I can only imagine what it'll actually look like," Astra said as he donned his new temporary equipment. "Sure thing, thanks for letting me use it for now." When the new armor was equipped there was almost an instant relief from the heat. Astra couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh as his body temperature cooled down. If he was looking to proceed through higher floors he would need to be more aware of potential environmental dangers. This world wasn't so simple that each floor was just a change of scenery, and he almost learned that lesson the hard way.

In the heat of the battle, Astra had hardly noticed that he was taking damage from the environment. It wasn't until he had missed his attack on the Hell Hound, and Nymoria had finished them off, that the pain started to set in. It felt like a weighted blanket of fire was being placed onto his skin directly, wearing him down and nearly bringing him to his knees. Astra stumbled slightly, and planted the blade of his sword in the ground to hold himself up. The burning sensation wasn't subsiding, but the most worrying thing he noticed was his HP being brought down to a mere 5. If he didn't act qui

"I've done a few quests, but essentially just basic ones so far. I'm looking to take on more and improve my skills, hence why I'm here" Astra replied to Nymoria as she asked if he had done many quests. It's true that he's seen some action before, but not nearly as much as Nymoria and the other skilled players that occupied Aincrad. The quests he'd done so far were pretty much just the basics, with a few others thrown in for good measure. Essentially Astra was still in his "training arc", but was hoping he'd be moving on from that soon. The two walked through the underground caverns in a

Astra felt content that Nymoria was a bit more at ease with his outfit after he took the coat off. Anything to ease the mind of his companion would be helpful, as he didn't want to distract her while they were focusing on the task at hand. After all, there would be some battling coming up for them, and it would already be hard enough for Astra to stay safe at his current low level. When Nymoria was laying out the outline for the quest, Astra nodded along as he listened. Three hellhounds on the way to Cerberus, got it. Astra wondered if even those hellhounds could do significant damage to

As Nymoria bowed during her introduction, Astra followed in suit by offering a small shallow bow in return. He wasn't entirely sure if it was proper etiquette, as most of the time he would wave at someone when greeting them, but figured that it wouldn't hurt to try. The last thing he wanted was to potentially offend his new companion. "Nymoria, that's a really nice name. It suits you well!" The snow haired young man couldn't help but compliment her chosen name, and wondered if it had any relation to their name on the outside world as well. Astra often found himself pondering people's chosen us

Astra watched as the player he was speaking with communicated back with him via sign language. Even with her signing her words, Astra could still hear a voice in his head, thanks to Cardinal's translation system. He was thankful for this, as he really only knew how to sign a few words, even though it was something he had always wanted to learn. He couldn't help but marvel at the capabilities of the Cardinal's translation system. This world could be full of hardship and strife, but new experiences were always aplenty, and for that Astra was grateful. When the player had expressed their co

This very well might be Hell. Astra wiped beads of sweat from his brow as he traversed the craggy pathways of Floor 9, heading towards the settlement on top of the cliffs in front of him. This was his first time on the volcanic floor, and he certainly felt like the setting was anything but welcoming. Molten lava sifted through cracks in the rocks, below him were pools of magma bubbling and seemingly ready to burst. The sky was seemingly stuck in a perpetual state of red and black, and it was hot. Far too hot. If the freezing cold could chill your bones, then the heat of this floor would

"Of course you can," Astra replied to Bliss' lemonade request, as he sifted through the full picnic basket to find her drink. As he passed the lemonade over to her, he couldn't help but think about how it was such a heartwarming sight to see her enjoying the food and the picnic. A person like Bliss deserves moments like these, an escape from the fear and the stress that can come with daily life in Aincrad. The image of her just simply enjoying a sandwich while they talked was enough to let Astra know that this picnic was a great idea. Astra could tell that Bliss was still slightly concern

Astra sifted through the picnic basket and fished out two sandwiches, one for Bliss, and one for himself. He passed Bliss her sandwich before taking a small bite of his own. He couldn't help but remark on how delicious it was, but that was expected, because it was made by Ciela. "Oh wow, this is great! Ciela really outdid herself with this," he said with a smile. If there was one thing that could enhance a moment like this, it was good food. Delicious food and lovely company, what more could you really want? Initially he was a tad embarrassed when Bliss seemed concerned when he put his h

Before he knew it, Astra found himself in a party of four. This was going to be the crew that took on Wulfrin's Sharkbait training program, so it was probably best that introductions were made between the people who didn't know one another. Astra offered a wave and a smile to the woman whom he didn't recognize, with a "Hi, I'm Astra. Nice to meet you." When Siren had entered the hovel they found themselves in, Astra found himself a little more at ease. Siren had a hospitable warmth about her that was infectious. "Hey Siren! Ready for some shark fighting?" He asked, while wiping the small bits

The Forgotten Time King had already done some damage. Astra watched as Mina unleashed a combo on the foe, but still took some damage from a following attack. It took everything in him not to call out to the veteran player, and ask if they were okay. He knew from there reaction and their tenacity that they would still end up just fine, especially with what ensued. Mina and Morningstar performed a <<switch>>, something Astra hadn't yet done during his time in Aincrad. The attacks that Morningstar performed seemingly did a great amount of damage against the undead king. He continued t

Feeling recharged after the food, Astra decided to immediately jump back into action. His stomach was full and his desire to kill these boarlets was keeping him going for just that much longer. With this new boost from the food, and this re-ignited determination, Astra was ready to finish the job. His seemingly-longtime enemy, the boarlet he'd been focusing on, was still around and rearing on its haunches. It was as if it was taunting the newer player, as if to say: "you couldn't kill me if you tried". Astra had a rebuttal to that, because he knew he was able to kill a simple mob such as

Astra walked alongside Wulfrin and soon found himself at a familiar spot on Floor 1. This was where Wulfrin had taken him and Siren for the "The First Few Lessons" quest, where they had gathered materials and eventually fought some boars. The white haired boy could see why Wulfrin favored this location, as it was scenic and generally a calm spot. Astra didn't mind being back here one bit. As Wulfrin explained the basics of sword art motions and swordplay, Astra nodded along. The movements used to initiate sword arts were just as important as the attack itself, as they were the way to ini

When those words had left Bliss' lips, Astra immediately stopped his searching and looked towards her. His mouth was slightly agape, almost in a comical "O" shape, because he was truly taken aback. Favorite person? M-me? Really? If someone else had said that to him he would find it hard to believe, but every word Bliss had spoken towards him was bathed in sincerity. Astra felt his face getting a bit warmer, as his cheeks became tinted with a rosy-pink hue. He probably stared at her with that shocked face for what felt like an eternity, but eventually he pulled himself together and changed his

Nothing seemed more appealing in the current moment than having a mid-battle snack. Whether that be to satiate the hunger that built up from the expenditure of energy, or to boost some stats to help out in the battle. The latter seemed more important in the moment, because these boarlets were slippery little things. When Wulfrin produced his feast, Astra couldn't turn it down. He'd also probably be foolish to turn down any sort of boost. With his sword still drawn he made his way over to Wulfrin and Siren to get a portion of the Creme Brûlée. "Thanks Wulfrin! I've been working up an appe

"Cobean," Astra repeated when the blue-haired boy pronounced his name. "Nice, I like that." When Cobean extended his hand, Astra offered his in return to complete the handshake. Generally speaking Astra was more used to waving at people as opposed to giving handshakes, and that was due to his ability to overthink the smallest of actions. Was it a good handshake? Was it secure? Firm enough? Too limp? Oh well, in the end it didn't matter, it was just a cordial gesture between the two. When Bliss had handed Astra's shirt back to him, it had taken a moment for him to register that he'd even

Astra nodded along as Wulfrin ruminated on the state of the VRMMO genre post-incident. It was definitely a matter of when, as there was seemingly no ending in sight at the moment, but Astra did often find himself pondering what the world will look like if the game is cleared. He felt like VRMMO's were too groundbreaking and immersive to just throw away entirely. Even being trapped in one, it was still a technological marvel. Maybe there would be less dangerous clones, or new developments in the technology. Hopefully this will be the last incident where someone traps thousands of players in the

Astra continued to munch on the snacks Wulfrin supplied and nodded along to his companions words, before turning his attention to the newly arrived veteran player before them. He had yet to meet her, but he could tell from her gear and the way she held herself that she was another strong player, someone who has been risking their lives on the frontline. Astra offered another smile and introduced himself as she approached, because that was the polite thing to do. Plus, if they're going to be working as a team to battle this boss, they'd need to be acquainted. This was Astra's first foray into t