[PP-F1] A Chance Encounter [Lessa] {Complete}

[Kazuya 0]

Ryuu was strolling down the streets of the starting city, just thinking about different battle strategies. He wasn't really looking where he was going though, and... "Ummph! What is a pole doing here?" He fell backwards right on his butt. "I sure am glad that Kayaba at least put a buffer on the sensation of pain. That would have seriously hurt." He got up and started staring at the nearest structure, the Monster Arena. He was kind of off in his own little world of thought. 'Wow, this world looks and almost exactly feels like the real one. If I ever meet Kayaba, I might just ask him how he did it, instead of why.' Still lost in thought he was rather oblivious to the things around, since he was in a safe zone.

[Lessa 1]

The young woman stepped out of one of the city's many inns, letting the door close with a thud behind her. She had just stopped in for something to drink, and now that she was feeling refreshed, she would continue visiting some of the shops. As she turned to continue down the sidewalk, she watched another player plow directly into a pole. "Ouch," she winced, shaking her head. Being distracted, even in a safe zone, can get a player in trouble. He seemed to recover quickly, but out of habit, she jogged up to him.

"Hey, are you alright?" Lessa knew that his health could not take a hit in the safe zone, and that running into the pole had not hurt in terms of actual HP. But it did not feel right to watch someone run into something, and not stop to check on them.

[Kazuya 0]

It took a second to realize that those words were directed at him, since he was stuck inside his head. He turned to look at this kind young lady. "Huh? Wha- Oh! Yeah, I'm fine, just you know, lost in thought and didn't realize the pole. It was kind of you to ask though. So many people here would just walk by and not care, because no one can lose health here anyways. Thank you for your concern.' He looked back over his shoulder at the Arena. "It seems kind of weird, you know, having the ability to fight and get stronger without having to worry about death. When I entered here, I knew what it meant. I knew I-" He realized that he was about to spill his reason of why he joined to this woman and stopped. 'Don't give information unless they ask for it you dolt!' he told himself.

[Lessa 1]

Listening to the man ramble, Lessa could not help but smile. "It is a pretty interesting concept," she agreed, looking up toward the arena herself. "But I'm finding that the best training comes from the real thing." Turning back toward the newcomer, she explained. "Its that fear of death that really drives all of your decisions. It nags at the back of your mind constantly, and you adjust your fighting style accordingly." She laughed. "Not to say that I don't need the training, of course. I do. I really would like to be able to hit harder, and have better defense. But when it comes down to those split-second decisions, it is all about the time you atually spend in the field."

Hands on her hips, Lessa tilted her head slightly. "Have you fought any mobs yet?"

[Kazuya 0]

'Good... She didn't pressed for more info,' he thought. He turned to her. "Oh, yes. Of course I have fought some. Sadly, due to my weapon's lack of power, I have decided it would be unwise to take on anything higher than a pack of six wolves at one time. And even then, it can get a little sketchy, but I still do it to better reaction time and get materials." He started to think, 'Maybe, I could tell her a bit more. She seems like a nice person, and unlikely to die any time soon, but I still shouldn't get too attached. I did just meet her.' He decided to divulge a bit about himself. "Before I came here, I had a friend that entered this game. When she died, I made a promise that I would become the strongest player... Someone who could protect and give them a shred of hope." He turned back toward the arena. "I'm sorry. We have only just met, and I'm telling you all this.

[Lessa 1]

A smile smile crept to her lips. "Please don't apologize," she told him softly. "I have that effect on people." Lessa laughed softly, shaking her head. "You certainly aren't the first, and I imagine that you won't be the last."

Then, she slowly reached out and lightly put her hand on his shoulder. The comforting gesture was meant to reassure him. "That is very noble of you," she applauded him, her voice steady and genuine. Best that I not dwell on the matter though, she thought to herself. He may not want to think about it any more than he already has.

Instead, she chose to change the subject. "If you'd like, I'd be more than happy to go out and train with you. Maybe pick up some col, and buy you some better equipment."

[Kazuya 0]

He turned towards her, again. "Thanks for listening. I also think getting some materials would be good. I'm trying to get myself some decent armor. Also I have a reputation I need to up hold. I can't do that if I'm still in starter gear, now can I?" He laughed after saying that. He then noticed the slightly worried expression on her face that she seemed to be trying to hide. He smiled, a real genuine smile. "Don't worry about me or my past. I've came to terms with that a long time ago. I'm not the kind of person to dwell too much in the past. I learn and move on, letting my experiences shape my into a stronger person. Well, do you have any idea as to where we should go to train and get some good materials?"

[Lessa 1]

"Materials, I can help you with!" Motioning for him to follow her, she began to move away from the heart of the city. She spoke to the young man as she walked. "It was not long ago that I was in your position," she admitted with a small smile. "But I've found some people who have helped me find my footing." Reflecting on those individuals, her smile grew. "Maybe I can help you out the way that they helped me."

It was not long before the pair had reached the edge of the safe zone. With a flick of her wrist, she brought up her menu and equipped her new gauntlets and sword. They both glowed with a soft pink light, and the sight made her giddy. Having equipment like this was still very exciting, and she was eager to give it a try.

A handful of wolves milled about in the distance. She nodded in their direction, and said, "after you!"

[Kazuya 0]

Ryuu saw the pack of wolves in the field, and drew his sword. "This will be fun. Hope you can keep up." Ryuu laughed a little then charged the pack of wolves, yelling as to draw their attention. Now Lessa! Fall in directly behind my and be ready to strike!" Ryuu was already playing through the battle in his head. He lept into the air and appeared as though he was going to bring his sword down on the wolf, but instead he shoved his sword into the ground and kicked off it to the right and pulling back out. "Strike it now Lessa! You have the better weapon."

OOC: You can decide what you wolves should be HP-wise and how many, but I think about four or five might be enough. If you want more though, by all means make more of them, just don't go too overboard. ;D

[Lessa 1]

As Ryuu charged the pack of wolves, three peeled off from the rest. They crouched, and took slow, deliberate steps toward the man. Their jaws were clenched in twisted snarls, and low growls rumbled deep in their throat. When Ryuu was close, the first sprang toward him.

He slid to a halt, pushing off of his sword, and changing direction. This left Lessa in the direct path of the oncoming wolf. She had not been expecting the maneuver, and the beast lunged at her. Luckily, out of instinct, she brought her arm up to meet the wolf's jaws. They clenched down on her new gauntlet, and with a grunt of exertion, she threw the best backward.

"Needed a little more warning than that," she called out, though not unkindly. She had been expecting a casual material-gathering session. Ryuu, apparently, wanted something a bit more exciting. I can do exciting, she thought to herself.

{Wolf 1 inflicts 0 damage - countered by +1 damage mitigation on gauntlets.}

Lessa 15/15

Ryuu 11/11

Wolf 1 8/8

Wolf 2 8/8

Wolf 3 8/8

[We'll just do this for a start, and add more as we kill these?]

[Kazuya 0]

Ryuu rolled and twisted as he did, so that he would be rolling backwards. He eventually planted his foot and changed direction, sprinting toward the wolf that had just attacked. "Sorry. Step back and get ready Lessa!" Ryuu yet again jumped into the air, but this time he was rapidly spinning midair, parallel to the ground. "Hiyaahh!!" Ryuu's rotation slowed and he aimed for the beast's neck. It sank into the beast and released a onslaught on red polygons. Ryuu's momentum carried him forward as he ended in a roll. He got back on his feet and was facing the wolves as they snarled at him even more ferociously, since he had just injured one of their pack. The third wolf (to his count) suddenly surged forward, clamping down on his leg. "Wha-?!"

Ryuu - 10/11 (Damage 1, Skills +1)

Lessa - 15/15

Wolf 1 - 6/8

Wolf 2 - 8/8

Wolf 3 - 8/8 (Damage 1)

[Lessa 1]

The young woman winced as her partner took damage. The concern was plain on her face as she called out to him. "You alright?"

Without waiting for his answer, she squared herself up with the weaker of the wolves. Though she did not know the man well, she never liked to see another person take damage. Truthfully, it gave her more motivation to strike the enemy dead. Her blue eyes narrowed, and her lips were drawn into a tight line of concentration. Then, with a cry, she lunged toward the wolf. Hell Rose swept across her body, slashing upward, and raking along the wolf's side. It left a sizable gash.

{Lessa deals 4 damage - base, +2 Hell Rose, +1 two-handed skill.}

Lessa 15/15

Ryuu 10/11

Wolf 1 2/8

Wolf 2 8/8

Wolf 3 8/8

[Kazuya 0]

Ryuu elbowed the attacker in the face then ripped his leg out of its mouth, setting loose a stream of red polygons. "I'll be fine. What we need to do is finish off these nuisances." He was kind of happy that this person worried about him so much. It meant that she wasn't going to end up running away from him, even with his odd appearance and evil colored eyes.

Ryuu lept back, avoiding the same wolf. He then spun around Lessa, bring his blade up high as he did and brought it down towards the weakened wolf's back. But the wolf was too fast and it leaped backward to avoid the blow. Ryuu found himself, with his sword lodged deeply in the ground. "Ahh! Not fast enough. I hate the limits of my level!"

Ryuu - 10/11 (Missed)

Lessa - 15/15

Wolf 1 - 2/8

Wolf 2 - 8/8

Wolf 3 - 8/8

[Lessa 1]

Lessa could not help but smile. He was a go-getter, alright. It took him no time at all to recover from his failed attempt. She was a bit worried by his tendency to blame blunders on his level. In her experience, it was best to admit she had weaknesses, rather than blame game limitations. That would allow her to acknowledge and improve on areas she was lacking. But she hardly knew the boy, so it would do her no good to pass judgement.

One of her weaknesses, for example, was fighting multiple enemies. Again, as she made a move to strike a wolf, another seemed to appear out of thin air beside her. Luckily, she was able to throw her gauntlet into it, knocking it away before it dealt any damage. But it left her with no time to inflict damage of her own.

{Wolf 2 deals 0 damage - gauntlet's +1 dmg mit counters attack.}

Lessa 15/15

Ryuu 9/11

Wolf 1 2/8

Wolf 2 8/8

Wolf 3 8/8

[Did you lose the 1 HP after your missed attack in the last post, or did you have something to mitigate it? Just checking!]

[Kazuya 0]

Ryuu saw the other wolf coming as well as the expression on Lessa's face. "Don't laugh. In real life, I am a master of several disciplines of fighting. Missing a blow is rather new to me, so I can't help but want to blame it on the game. But maybe these wolves are just a lot different than people." As wolf 3 came at him, he yanked his sword out of the ground and trained it on the incoming wolf, but instead of attacking, he dodged the wolf and spun around it to get the previous one. He brought his sword up this time as if he was using the blade to complete a devastating uppercut.

But before he could complete it he saw the second wolf leaping towards Lessa. "Watch it!!" He abandoned his attack to stop the other wolf. Since it was in midair, it was quite vulnerable. Ryuu simply spun around again and stuck his arm in its mouth to stop it from progressing while her guard was down. He didn't really know why though. The girl apparently had good enough armor to mitigate the damage. His body seemed to have just reacted on its own.

Ryuu took damage from his selfless maneuver.

Ryuu - 9/11

Lessa - 15/15

Wolf 1 - 2/8

Wolf 2 - 8/8

Wolf 3 - 8/8

[Lessa 1]

The woman's eyebrows furrowed as she regarded the man. She had not been laughing at his performance, but rather, appreciating how enthusiastic he was. Yet he seemed offended. She bit her lower lip gently. I will have to be more careful around him, she thought to herself.

Suddenly, Ryuu threw himself toward her. She took a startled step back, blue eyes widening as he used himself as a shield against the wolf. He took damage on her behalf. Lessa winced. "You didn't have to do that!" She cried out, mortified. Holding up her hand, she motioned to her gauntlets. But then, when the initial shock wore away, she sighed. "Thank you, though."

Turning her attention back to their enemies, she saw they had wasted no time regrouping. The weaker of the wolves hung back, while the other two crept steadily closer. Their jaws were twisted in a snarl. She grit her teeth, and lifted her claymore over her head, anticipating an attack that came shortly after.

The wolf launched itself, but she was ready. Dropping onto one bent knee to steady herself, she thrust the blade upward as the beast came down on her. The blade lodged itself deep in the wolf's midsection. It gave a pained howl as Lessa tore her sword out, and then cantered back to its brethren. She stood.

{Lessa deals 6 damage - base, +1 two-handed skill, +2 Hell Rose, +2 critical.}

Lessa 15/15

Ryuu 8/11

Wolf 1 2/8

Wolf 2 2/8

Wolf 3 8/8

[Kazuya 0]

Ryuu threw the wolves off his arm toward the others, causing red polygons to fly into the air. "Sorry. I... um...I just sort of reacted before thinking, which isn't like me. I didn't mean it in a way as that you couldn't defend yourself." Upon apologizing, he gripped his sword with both hands and brought it up to his head in an ultimate offense technique. He looked Lessa in the eyes and asked, "Shall we?" He didn't wait for her answer. He has been waiting to get his armor and the only way he was going to do that was by killing these wolves and getting there hides.

He charged the wolf that he had just threw, but he tripped. "Wha-!?!" The wolves started to close in quickly. Ryuu got up but only to see the thrown wolf flying at him. Upon collision he was thrown onto his back. Red lines appeared on his face where the wolf's claws had gashed him. "They are focused on me! Get them Lessa!"

Lessa 15/15

Ryuu 7/11

Wolf 1 2/8

Wolf 2 2/8

Wolf 3 8/8

[Lessa 1]

"Ryuu!" Lessa called out, watching the man trip and fall. Her stomach dropped as the wolf raked its claws across his face. He was having a tough time. She knew the feeling. Sometimes, even if you have the best weapons and the most practiced attacks, something goes wrong. The woman could not blame him for what was happening. But it did motivate her to work harder to protect him.

She honed in on the wolf that had just attacked her companion. With a grunt of exertion, she lifted Hell Rose, and before the wolf even saw her coming, she let it fall. This attack, though not her most powerful, was enough to end the virtual wolf's life. Without a sound, the figure burst into data. She gave a triumphant cry. "One down!"

{Lessa deals 4 damage - base, +1 two-handed skill, +2 Hell Rose.}

Lessa 15/15

Ryuu 7/11

Wolf 1 0/8 DEAD

Wolf 2 2/8

Wolf 3 8/8

[Kazuya 0]

Ryuu was breathing hard and sweating from his struggle with the wolf. "Th-Thank you. I'm sorry. I must be a burden to you right now, not even being able to finish an attack." Ryuu got up and began to try a different technique. He knew that tripping was a liability, but only if he was on the ground. He only needed to be on the ground for enough time to give him the momentum needed to reach the wolves. He began sprinting again. "I will stop being a nuisance and start helping now. I am truly sorry for before. Allow me to make up for it."

He already knew that since he was such a low level he would be a better shield than a sword. He grabbed the throat of the injured wolf as it was about to attack him and practically hugged it. With the wolf resisting the whole time, he cried out, "Now stab it!"

[Lessa 1]

"What are you doing?" The woman squealed, watching her companion wrestle the wolf himself. This was an unusual tactic, and Lessa hated to watch anyone put himself in that position. Now panicked, and worried for Ryuu's safety, she moved closer to him. Calm down, she told herself. Willing her heart to stop racing, and her mind to clear, she lifted her blade. The squirming wolf was a difficult target to hit, especially since Ryuu was so close to its body. A wrong move, and she might strike her partner instead.

She inhaled sharply, and lined her heavy blade up for the attack. Finally, when she knew she could not hold out a second longer, she lunged forward. The claymore tore through the wolf's pelt, burying itself in its flesh. Then, it burst into data, raining down on the couple.

{Rolled a 9 on the d10 die. Lessa deals 5 damage - base, +1 two-handed skill, +2 Hell Rose, +1 critical.}

Lessa 15/15

Ryuu 7/11

Wolf 1 0/8 DEAD

Wolf 2 0/8 DEAD

Wolf 3 8/8