[SP - 10] Breaking restrictions, regaining full strength (Rapier Grand Mastering)

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

"Is my hard earned swordsmanship, gained after years of practice under my father's mentorship in real life, worth something in this game?" this was the question that drove Kayla Ariel D'Sole into playing sword fighting related video games in her spare time. She'd put this and other similar questions every time she would start playing a new game, be it a 'classic' like 'World of Warcraft', 'Aion', 'Chivalry' or 'Dark Souls'* but most of them had almost 0 connection to actual sword fight and not to mention crappy graphics. The new Nerve Gear's Virtual Reality technology based ones like the upcoming Sword Art Online were something that the blonde couldn't wait to play.

 

*Keep in mind that SAO was released in the year 2022, so those titles could be considered 'classics' by that time frame.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

A blonde figure could be seen meditating in the dark on top of a tree. Maybe meditating is the incorrect word, remembering or reflecting about past things would be better substitutes for it. So, there she was... the blonde tailor, reflecting on her relatively recent events and remembering the time around when she purchased and entered the SAO world. The moment when the GM that took a giant's form in the square on Starting City, Kayaba Akihiko, displayed his madness and announced that they were trapped in this game that he created. That memory was still vivid in her mind, at first she'd doubted his words but the disappearance of the Logout option was indeed alarming. 

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

but her mind didn't want to remember the horrific events that passed after that announcement. Instead she unconsciously took a memory 'leap' backwards..to the time she battled the first mob in SAO.

(*MSP) It was the moment after the blonde figured out the basic stuff, she'd left the 'Starting City' in a rush, heading towards the first mob field she saw was the closest to her position. Once she exited through the northern city gate there laid a open green field filled with lvl 1 mobs. She drew closer to it, uncertain of how she had to do...usually games like this give you some sort of starting active skill that makes your weapon glow and gives you a flashy move while attacking. As far as she read the 'noobs book'  she couldn't find a way to use it or locate any kind on the skill tree. 

 

*MSP - Memory Starting Point 

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

But that didn't matter now, she was certain that her IRL training would help take on a simple lvl 1 mob. So she closed in the nearest boar, nasty little things with a menacing pair of horns. 'How am I supposed to one hit kill this thing?' she asked as the blonde entered her trained defensive stance and slowly entered the mob's agro range, catching its attention. The boar almost instantly started charging at her without any warning 'Wait!!!where is the countdown??' she thought, her eyes widening in surprise. She was accustomed with the countdown from the fencing competitions and even in the other MMOs she played, the mobs usually had some kind of delay between noticing and attacking.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

But here the mob acted like a actual wild animal, with the instinct to immediately attack any nearby stranger that it deemed dangerous. So the blonde only had time to make a step to the right before the boar hit her on her left side. It was only a partial hit but it send her flying a couple of meters after which she tumbled an additional one. "Holly censored !! What was that?!" she shouted in  surprise while quickly regaining her footing and reentering her defensive pose. 'Its like these things have actual instincts' she thought while observing the boar making a full circle around her.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

But the boar didn't allow her to take any hostile action as it charged towards her once again. She let out a smirk while making a somersault to the right, this time completely evading the incoming mob, then with a quick recovery she stabbed the boar right in the lower die of its back. "Did you think I'd fall for that again?" she asked in a satisfied voice, as the mob continued running to put some distance between the two before turning around to face her. The blonde let out a smile while beckoning it with her left hand: "C'mon piggy, show me what you've got!!" she could feel her blood rushing through her veins, excitement was slowly building up alongside a adrenaline rush.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

As if taunted by her words, the boar engaged into a frenzied dash towards the blonde. "I already told you, that it won't work on me twice" she declared as she started running towards the mob as well. This time she had enough time to choose the spot she wanted to hit, the head..dead center between the boar's eyes. She'd calculate each step with its approximative distance and speed like she did countless time in the fencing championships. 'One hit..that's all I need!' she thought thrusting her basic rapier as the boar entered her striking range. She was certain that she would finish it with this last hit but once again the boar outsmarted her, making a feint to the right then hitting her in the left side with its head after evading her weapon.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

She was once again send flying back as the mob landed a successful critical on her, looking at her HP bar the blonde frowned as it was all red..almost depleted. 'Are you censored serious? I'll have to restart after dieing from the first censored mob???' As she straightened up herself for the second time, her eyes started showing rage and determination...directed towards the boar that was circling around her, awaiting for a chance to attack again. She entered a defensive stance this time, not losing sight of them mob, not even for a second. After about half a minute the boar got tired of waiting and decided to attack her once again. But this time she was prepared, as the mob closed in she made a feint to the left, striking the boar in its right side as it passed, missing her by only a couple of centimeters. The boar started tumbling on the ground before finally exploding into pixels.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Seeing it shatter, the blonde let out a small cry of joy before doing a victory dance for a couple of seconds before noticing that she'd gotten the agro of another boar. Would she fight this one as well? well she can't say that the thought didn't cross her mind but looking at her HP bar that showed only 1 HP left. She was curious how VR respawn would feel like but her warrior pride didn't let her 'die' uselessly so the blonde made a 108º turn and started running towards the starting city with the boar..or boars chasing after her. (*MEP)

 

Looking back, the blonde now gave thanks to her polished instincts for not allowing her to experience 'death', she couldn't say for sure but her SAO time would've ended right there.

 

*MEP - Memory Ending Point

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

As she leaped down from the tree top, making a perfect landing in the pitch black darkness, Ariel closed her eyes and listened to her surroundings. The darkness didn't helped her see around her too much except some faint figures in the dark. Not hearing any threatening sounds, the blonde summons her inventory and takes from it a certain crafting material that helped her fight on this floor a while back. It was a bottle that contained a fluorescent powder, labeled: 'Firefly essence'. It offered faint illumination of the surroundings but only for a distance of 1-2 meters, it wasn't much but at least she wouldn't simply 'bump' into any undead without seeing it first.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

And so the blonde started walking, with no apparent destination, into the dark. This floor with its Japanese theme of the Underworld stimulated her memories for some reason, next making her remember the time she first fought in a group vs group battle. And so with the the bottle of fluorescent powder in her right hand and with her left hand resting on her black rapier's hilt she began reminiscing that fight while strolling in the Underworld, keeping watch of her surroundings as now she was alone..without her trusty companion to warn her in case of any danger. 

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

(*MSP)It was a random meeting on a riverside, the first thing Ariel noticed about the guy that engaged her in conversation was the odd mix between shield and rapier. In her usual burst of sincerity she didn't hide the fact that she thought of him being....special, to chose such a contradictory combination of gear. But the blond boy didn't mind her straightforwardness and instead offered that they go into a training session before he dashed off before her. 'Who was that guy again?' thought Ariel while making her way towards the meeting coordinates, she then took a look at the the message sender's name. 'Oikawa -  the faint.....the faint of what? what does that mean' she muttered while looking at the map.

 

*MSP - Memory Starting Point

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Normally she would reject this type of invitation that sounded more like a date proposal but a couple of words caught Ariel's attention and made her walk to the coordinates that the guy left behind...even in the rainy weather, those 2 two words were 'Training session'. Words that she was very accustomed with from her time IRL and almost felt compelled to see what he was talking about. As the two meet up again they exchanged pleasantries, properly introducing themselves and cracking a few jokes along the way. That was until they've reached the target location, the so called Ring of Trees, where they were greeted by a very uncharming mob named 'Illtooth, The Kobold Prince' that was accompanied by 3 guards. 

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Luckily the guards named 'Ruin Kobold Troopers' attacked first and were easily dealt with by the due. fight in which only Ariel managed to land heavy blows due to her somehow savage fighting style, in return of sustain minor damage as she didn't have a shield like Oikawa. She was starting to give him credit for choosing that that particular build. The fight against the 3 lasted shortly with the two landing almost all their intended hits on their opponents and so..after the last guard fell the 'Prince' made his appearance with its twin sais aiming one at each of the players.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

The fight didn't last for long in the eyes of a outside observer but for the ones engage in battle time seemed to flow slower than usual... painstakingly slow. Ariel saw at that time the utility of that shield as Oikawa didn't lose even 1 Hp while the blond, with her unrestricted fighting style..lost half of hers. To top her misery when the Prince looked like he would fall, she attempted to last hit him but didn't have enough damage and only left him with 1 HP. A free kill for her fighting partner that got the last hit bonus. (*MEP)

 

*MEP - Memory Ending Point

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

'At least i got the col reward back then!' A smile slowly emerges as the blonde remembered how the whole thing ended and chuckles. 'We should fight that prince again sometime, for old time's sake... but I think he'd fall in only 3 rounds vs our current selves'. Much time had passed since that initial encounter and she'd fight alongside him and many new friend even more. 'The bandit mission I did with the guys from S1...The camp trip.... The 8th floor's murky waters she explored and disgusting foes she fought with Tyger, Baldur and the rest of the ragtag group. The Avalanche quest we did with Alyss and her panda.. Time sure has flown by quickly.' She reflected as she brought the fluorescent bottle in front of her, raising it to her eye level.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Fighting was part of almost her every memory she thought continuing with a sharp voice "And part of the ones that will come it seems!" She said as she was a large figure in front of her, more massive than the 'Undead Captains' she fought in previous trips. it was dual-wielding katanas and wore a white overcoat that was almost in perfect condition. She could feel the heavy steps as the earth beneath her feet started shaking with each step it did. The blonde kept the bottle in her left hand then unsheathing her black rapier in one swift move, she'd let out a couple of chuckles. "Hey..creepy annoying voice, if you want to make a appearance, this would be a great time!" she said addressing no one in particular..at least no one that could be seen.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

But received no response in return, instead the trembling stopped as the general halted in front of the blond. With one rough move it unsheathed its large katana from its back and showed a faint diabolic smile while watching Ariel. "So you don't wanna chat a bit first?" she asked entering a defensive stance while looking at the giant, trying to decide where to attack first. She'd charge at the giant striking him in the left leg, the general roared and tried to slash Ariel but she evaded the giant katna with ease.

Ariel: 53 HP / Basic Damage: 9 / Dmg. Mit.: 3 / Accuracy 3/ Evasion 3 / Light Momentum +1 / Thorns +2 (changed Lion's Rage( +1 Savvy +2 LM) with Lion's Protection (+2 Thorns +1LM)

 

Undead General: 75 HP /Basic Damage: 5 / Dmg. Mit.: 2 / Accuracy 2 / Bleed +1 / does full damage on nat MD of 9 and 10

ID: 14623 BD: 6 (2+3acc+1BD<<Concentration>>) MD: 4 (5-3eva+2acc)

 

Ariel: 53/53

Undead General: 68/75 (-7)

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

But the general didn't stopped just with that so instead of defending itself it made consecutive secondary horizontal slash forming a half arc in front of him. This move took the blonde by surprise so she had to improvise and jump high using passive athletics skill she had. A normal jump wouldn't be enough but with extra help from the skill she managed to jump high enough so that the blade swap underneath her and with pinpoint timing she landed on the passing wide side of the katana's blade, performing a secondary jump that took her in front of the giant's chest. Without hesitation the blonde stabbed the general's left side, hopping to deal more damage if she struck its heart.  

 

ID: 14673  BD: 8 (5+3acc)  MD: 2 (3-3eva+2acc)

 

Ariel: 53/53

Undead General: 61/75 (-7)

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

She was now mid air, preparing to land and back off to easily evade the mob's next strike. Thinking of what to do next the blonde barely saw the next massive upwards slash coming from the bottom left to the mob's upper right. The blonde only had time to move her left hand near her left shoulder pad but it wasn't merely enough to negate the massive sword's momentum. She let out a small scream as the last hit send the blonde to the right making her drop the fluorescent bottle and roll over a couple of times before coming for a stop.

ID: 14674 BD: 5 (2+3acc) MD: 7 (8-3eva+2acc)

Ariel: 51/53 (-2)

Undead General: 61/75