[PP Fl3] Into the wilderness [ Lessa][completed]

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

The sun had reached directly above him as he stood at the portal gate of the third floor. Run of the mill monsters and what not but it was simply to look for materials for her to get better armor. Whether he had to mine or fight for it didn't bother him. Gaze was given to the surroundings as the light azure eyes today scaled and searched.

He was going to put time into helping this young woman and see if he could teach her some basics or just simply get her armor and lend a hand. He was rather rusty at doing this again and wondered to himself if he actually could do this again. His thoughts drifted to Natalia who quite simply vanished. He sighed at the mere thought. Breeze blew in multiple directions and converged near him allowing his hair to be blown in several different ways.

[Lessa 1]

Wasting no time, the woman hurried up to the man's side. Yes, she did not know him well, but having him close to her comforted her. She certainly needed that comfort, what with the fact she was now venturing into new floors. She had never done anything quite like this, and even though she had had a bit of brief training, she felt entirely unprepared.

A breeze kicked up out of nowhere, blowing strands of her long, blonde hair into her face. With an absentminded toss of her head, the hair fell aside, and out of her light blue eyes. As she came to a stop beside Kiluia, her heart was still racing, out of both fear and physical exertion.

"Alright," she told him, breathlessly. "I am ready."

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

He looked and perked a brow behind his glasses. She seemed out of breath and a bit overwhelmed but it might of been anxiety, he thought. Despite that, he offered a smile to her and nodded. " Good. How about we start off with what skills you have and learned before we go killing ?" He posed the question simply and realistically. There was no need to rush into combat right away if she wasn't ready.

During the evaluation, he would gather as much information on regards to where she would of fit. He had done it before and he would do it again. He looked at her weaponry and armor to examine if she had anything special but determined that there wasn't at the moment." And of you have any equipment, it'd be wise to place them on now." He often reminded those before him out of habit, which became a rule of thumb to him.

This moment brought back memories.. unwanted ones that happened. He seemed to space out a bit once things started to get rolling. It was simply him being unable to grip the past few weeks. Perhaps be a mentor and a friend to this woman would help break the shell.

[Lessa 1]

"Skill I have," she echoed. "Right, sure." With a flick of her wrist, her menu appeared before her. A few seconds later, her claymore materialized, strapped in its sheath on her back. She drew it, and while she was by no means an expert, she handled it better than she had days before. "I've been working on using this," she told him proudly. "I still have a ways to go, but I'm becoming more confident with it." To demonstrate, she moved the two-handed sword through the air a bit.

When it came to her equipment, she hesitated. She gave him a sheepish look, and replied "I am lacking in the armor department." She stood beside the experienced player, her faded pink cloth clothing making her look quite pitiful. Lessa ran a hand through her blonde hair anxiously, and dropped her gaze. "I'm not really sure where to start when it comes to that, honestly."

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

A slight smile formed on his face and he nodded a bit." Seems like a start though. We all had to begin somewhere." He started walking with her down the edge of town and passed the safe zone. " Then we will get the required materials for you to get better weapons and armor. "He simply stared to her. He wasn't much of a talker anymore. Not after what had happened but nonetheless he was going to try again for this person.

" They know me as Kiluia. I was the former second in command of Firm Anima.." He formerly introduced himself to her. " I used to do alot of things but we'll get into more detail later. How are you adjusting with life here ? " He glanced over her with his azure eyes seen behind his silver hair. He was trying to reopen doors that he had previously closed with others.

[Lessa 1]

Lessa found herself comforted by his positivity, and his words did work to reassure her. She gave him a grateful smile. "A start, yeah," she agreed softly. As the small party passed the edge of the safe zone, she tightened her hold on the hilt of her sword. Having such an experienced player beside her helped immensely, but there were still dangers out there that she was unprepared for. The thought of them made her uneasy, and she tossed a side-ways glance at Kiluia for support.

She watched him as he spoke, and she noticed that his features were a bit pained. Something about his past haunted him, that was clear from the way he spoke about it. Despite her own nerves, she replied to him in as reassuring a voice as she could muster. "Its a pleasure, Kiluia. I'm Lessa. No one knows me as anything else because, well, not many people know me at all." Her words were light hearted, but not so much as to make a joke out of the situation. The young woman was well aware that she was treading into tender territory, both literally and figuratively.

"For the most part, I'm doing okay," she answered him. "I think it will take me a long time to be totally comfortable. There are a lot of people here who only look out for themselves, and well..." her voice trailed "... I'm not really like that. That is not how I was brought up, and I have a hard time dealing with it sometimes." She gave a humorless laugh. "Sometimes, I worry that I will never fit in, and that I will not survive long due to my compassionate nature."

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

He listened to her words as they traversed the terrain. A slight smile formed on his face followed by a chuckle when he heard about compassion." There a lot more people that show the compassion you speak of." He glanced at her. " I ran a church on the first floor for a while helping out children who got stuck in the game. Eventually, it turned to a haven for all sorts of people. " He sighed a bit as he hadn't been there lately." It soon after became an infirmary of sorts for players who got disconnected with the game in hopes that they would show up back into consciousness. Some returned...Some disappeared entirely. " He let out a pained voice as he had been one of the few himself. His first love had helped him out before she vanished. Not due to the comas but she left without a word.

He glanced back at her as they continued down the beaten path and spoke a bit to her." Take your time when you wanna feel that comfort. It always comes and goes when it feels like it. Only because you'll see things that remind you of home. My personal favorite is the fourth floor that is completely ridden with snow . Reminds me of my childhood and home. " He gave a grin to her. He eventually came to a halt when he noticed a few silhouettes in the distance. " Wanna talk more or engage?"

[Lessa 1]

"That sounds really nice," she replied to his comment about the church. But then, her smile faltered. "There are really that many kids trapped here?" The idea had never really occurred to her, and now that it did, she found herself saddened by it. "It is hard enough doing this in my twenties. I can't imagine trying to survive if I were much younger." She shook her head, a stray lock of hair falling into her eyes. She let it hang there, as she spoke again. "I used to be a teacher, you know. In the real world. I loved it. Maybe I could find out some way to do that again."

When Kiluia spoke of the infirmary, her frown deepened. The pain in his voice revealed that he had lost someone, and the raw emotion of it made her shiver. It sounds like everyone has lost someone, she thought to herself. She had not many any true friends since entering the game, but she could think of a couple of people she would hate to lose. The thought made her stomach turn. She considered comforting him, but the way he changed the subject made her believe he did not wish to dwell on it anymore.

"Completely covered in snow?" She echoed. This brought her usual smile back. "I love the snow! We had a lot of it where I come from. For about five months of the year, there was snow on the ground. I always enjoyed it." The idea of visiting whatever season she wanted whenever she desired was sort of exciting. I will have to visit that forth floor sometime soon.

She reached behind her, and unsheathed her claymore. "Let's do this," she replied simply, throwing him a grin.

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

He gazed at her and nodded. "Great. Lets get started shall we? " He smiled as he twirled his dagger out. His shield was pulled close as he took of running. " I'll take you there sometime! " He shouted back at her. Blade was revealed as he jumped into the air. He realized that this was going to be a tougher battle. He closed his eyes while soaring mid air. Upon notice, his spiritual aura gathered and unleashed. There was no time for theatrics this time as he let the burst of energy travel.[spiritual Light Activated.]

When it was over, he had came forth in front of the presence of his love of dragons.. His dagger aimed at its face as he came crashing down. It was probably a bad move to unleash spiritual light prior to engaging the actual dragon. Dragons were a bit out of the way.. and this was the first time he had actually seen one this close to the town. Body was knocked back after he had been noticed and landed where he originally started by Lessa." Well.. I have their attention.."

Kiluia 26/27

Lessa 11/11

Dragon 14/14

[Lessa 1]

Lessa watched in awe as Kiluia engaged. The skill and confidence he demonstrated while he fought was just fantastic, and she wondered if she would ever tire of watching expert players. Again, she found herself looking forward to the day when she could perform just as well.

Just as he had when the pair fought the wolves with Alkor, Kiluia unleashed his Spiritual Light. For a moment, Lessa was disappointed by his choice. She felt bad letting the damage from her mistakes fall upon him. But it had been his choice, and she would just work twice as hard to ensure the damage finds the dragon, not her companion.

Knowing that she did not have the speed or skill necessary for the acrobatics Kiluia performed, Lessa instead moved up along-side the dragon. As it was now focused on Kiluia, it paid her no mind. She lifted her heavy claymore up, and with a soft grunt of exertion, brought it down on the dragon's side.

Much to her surprise, the strike found its mark. Her blade swept down over the dragon's tough scales, and left a large gash. She let out a victorious whoop before looking to Kiluia for his next move.

{Lessa deals 2 damage to dragon - +1 from two-handed skill.}

Kiluia 26/27

Lessa 11/11

Dragon 12/14

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

A light smile crossed his face as she struck the Dragon with her claymore. With a little bit more work, she would be able to handle her own. He had to do something as he took a deep breath. He held his dagger in one hand and the shield in the other. He pulled his dagger back into a strike stance and lowered his body focusing his energy into the dagger. With that moment, the dagger glowed a yellow and he dashed forward with remarkable speed. His body blurred for a moment as the dagger seemed to sear into the dragons scaly form. His hand dug deep and far running it through vital muscles of the beast.

He ripped his blade out violently and made sure the blade was clean of the Dragons blood. Body flipped off of the dragon and he landed beside Lessa." Keep it up." He gave her encouraging words." You are doing very well out there.. Keep an eye on your surroundings and adapt quickly!" He spoke a bit more and tucked the shield up again awaiting for another blow of the Dragon.

Kiluia 26/27

Lessa 11/11

Dragon 6/14 Health Remaining

[Lessa 1]

The young woman beamed. "Thank you!" She replied proudly. It meant a lot for such an experienced, talented player to compliment her that way. She could feel her confidence in her own abilities growing. I'm glad we did this, she thought to herself. I'm learning so much.

It was amazing how effortlessly the man attacked the dragon. Surely, this beast was no threat at all to him. If he had seen the front lines, nothing that they would encounter on floor three would give him any trouble. But his technique was incredible. An excited shiver ran up Lessa's spine. If she trained under him, she would be ready for the front line for sure.

Inspired by his technique, she held her heavy blade behind her as she approached. At the last moment, she brought arched it up over her head, and down onto the dragon's scales with as much force as she could muster.

Unfortunately, she had not been paying attention to the dragon's tail. It came out of nowhere, but it caught her eye at the last second. She tried to jump it just as it swept her off her feet, knocking her to the ground. Luckily, as she had attempted to leap over it, her health did not take a hit. Kiluia, on the other hand, was not so lucky. The tail struck him sharply.

"Sorry!" She cried out, wincing. I'll do better next time.

{Dragon deals one damage. Kiluia takes the damage.}

Kiluia 25/27

Lessa 11/11

Dragon 6/14

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

He was struck by the razor like tail but the shield absorbed most of the damage. He gave a light smile to her and shook his head." Don't apologize. It's my duty for wanting to tank it out!" He shouted as he prepared to attack the dragon. He tried to refocus himself into that deadly strike position again but he took too long.

The dragon had become accustomed to his stance and didn't wait for him to go strike him. The dragon lunged and a claw struck him in the chest while he was concentrating. Kiluia winced at the strike and stumbled back slightly at the impact. His hand went over his chest as instinct would do and stared at the dragon." Guess you're becoming wise to my moves." He smirked slightly as he stood straight as if nothing had happened.

Kiluia 24/27

Lessa 11/11

Dragon 6/14

[Lessa 1]

"You can really take a hit," Lessa called out, her admiration plain in her voice. But seeing his own attack miss made her feel slightly better. Even the experts missed occasionally. It was just a part of the game. She did not have to be perfect. And the only way that she would get better would be through taking chances. Might as well take one now.

The dragon was focused on her companion, so again, she took the opportunity to move up close to it. With a high-pitched cry, she brought the claymore across her body, raking the blade across the scales. "Aiiii!"

Much to her surprise, and delight, the strike fell just as she had hoped. The dragon emitted a pained roar, its body flinching beneath her sword. Though it did not leave her tank, it was clear that she had dealt serious damage.

"Yes!" She screamed out, her grin spreading from ear to ear.

{Lessa deals 4 damage - +1 two-handed sword skill, +2 critical.}

Kiluia 24/27

Lessa 11/11

Dragon 2/14

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

Her great enthusiasm was welcomed by him and he just laughed listening to her cheer. A tilt of his head was given as he looked at her. " Now.. what did you want to become? A tank? A DPS? or support?" He stared at the dragon. He soon found himself running at it with his dagger to the side. Shield was tucked on the other side to deflect as much damage as he could. Azure eyes bored into the dragon and he was yelling at the top of his lungs. It was soon going to be over he had hoped.

He was dreadfully wrong as the dragon swiped its tail across and smacked him in the shield. He hated those tails.. Lizard tails, Dragon tails.. anything with a tail was simply annoying to him. He held the shield and slid backwards and looked at Lessa." Looks like its up to you now" He smiled a bit. She deserved to kill this thing and it'd be amazing.

Kiluia 23/27

Lessa 11/11

Dragon 2/14

[Lessa 1]

"What did I want to become?" She called back, eyeing the dragon, and planning her next move. The girl laughed. "I was asking myself the same question." And she had been. Soon, she would have to declare her position, and begin planning accordingly. Her focus would determine her gear, her armor, and even her training. "I was thinking tank," she admitted, "but watching you makes me think maybe I'm not quite cut out for it." She readied her claymore, laughed, and cried, "you got it!"

With another excited cry, she lunged. Lessa had left quite a bit of distance between herself and the dragon, so she was able to pick up ample speed. When she was a few paces away, she pushed off with one foot, and launched herself into the air. Once she was in the air, she shifted her blade downward, and put her full weight behind her strike.

It was a direct hit. Lessa landed on bent knee, her claymore thrust into the ground, octagonal pieces raining down around her.

{Lessa deals 2 damage - + two handed sword skill.}

Kiluia 23/27

Lessa 11/11

Dragon 0/14 - DEAD

{One material, 70 col acquired.}

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

He clapped as he looked at her and nodded. He slowly began to walk to her and threw the material that was acquired." Your reward miss. "He smiled as he sat down on the ground. He tilted his head and spoke a bit" You can be. I'm not designed as a Tank. I'm a DPS/Tank. I can switch my equipment when I decide to do.. but I wanted to tank so you could get more experience out of it. " He smiled. He looked into the distance and he spoke once more." I can teach you to do a lot of things if you'd like. " He looked back at her behind his silver frames. " Or any questions whatever you'd like. " He gave a light nod to her.

Soon he was traversing over the hill and stared at the mountainside. A light frown formed on his face as he remembered someone.. Someone who he lost here. He simply shook the thought from his head. He simply crossed his arms as his shield and dagger disappeared back into his inventory.

[Lessa 1]

Listening to him speak, Lessa nodded along. "At least there is hope for me then," she said with a smile. "I'm pretty indecisive that way." She stood, brushing a bit of dirt off of her knee, and slipped her sword back into its sheath. "I think DPS would be a good start." Her hand remained on the hilt of her sword, and she sighed. "I know the first thing that I need to do is find a better weapon. Old faithful here has been great, but I need something with more kick to it." Looking back at her companion, she gave a small smile. "I'm trying to do it myself though. Set up my own shop, and forge it on my own."

She was about to go on talking about herself, when she realized that Kiluia had a faraway look on his face. Her smile faltered, and she took a step closer. "Hey," she asked softly, "is everything alright?"

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

He had often found himself spacing out often and realized he was caught in the act. A blink was given as he looked over to her. " She was right over there.. When she disappeared. "He pointed in the direction of the mountain side that he remembered. " I turned for a second.. and turned back.. she was gone." He placed both hands into his pockets and looked back at her. " I was simply trying to figure out how it happened.. to this day I still don't know how I didn't notice.. We fought dragons just like now.. but .. yeah. " He hesitated a bit looking at her." You don't need to hear any of this. "He looked away and took a jog towards down the hill. Run. Run fast. Find her.. He remembered those thoughts and spoke to her." I know a man who can make you a claymore." He shouted back." So you can fight better. " He looked back at her and offered a weary smile." But we'll need more materials."

You meet someone new and you spill your guts out. Brilliant. He shook his head and placed a hand on his chest. He was young and stupid.. and he knew it. He would simply look back and stopped at the bottom." Shall we go? Or do you wanna learn something else?"

[Lessa 1]

Lessa regarded Kiluia with soft, sad eyes. He was a man trapped in the past, haunted by the things he had seen, and forced to see them wherever he went. She had met people who were just like him. And in a game like this, surely he was not the only one who suffered from this sort of post-traumatic stress. She certainly felt for the man, and she wondered if there was anything that she could do to help.

"I don't need to hear any of it, no," she replied, gently. "But I certainly don't mind." Giving him a small smile, she continued. "I'm an excellent listener. Always have been. Please, never hesitate to talk to me, alright? About anything." Now that her offer was out in the open, she would not press the matter. As long as he knew she was there for him, she would not dig any deeper. Clearly, he had lost someone very precious to him. Her prying may only make things worse.

"It's up to you, really," she told him. "You're my mentor, after all." With a reassuring nod of her head, she added, "you're in charge, good sir."