Announcements: Cutting Costs (2024) » January 2024 Copyfraud Attack » Finding Universes to Join (and making yours more visible!) » Guide To Universes On RPG » Member Shoutout Thread » Starter Locations & Prompts for Newcomers » RPG Chat — the official app » Frequently Asked Questions » Suggestions & Requests: THE MASTER THREAD »

Latest Discussions: Adapa Adapa's for adapa » To the Rich Men North of Richmond » Shake Senora » Good Morning RPG! » Ramblings of a Madman: American History Unkempt » Site Revitalization » Map Making Resources » Lost Poetry » Wishes » Ring of Invisibility » Seeking Roleplayer for Rumple/Mr. Gold from Once Upon a Time » Some political parody for these trying times » What dinosaur are you? » So, I have an Etsy » Train Poetry I » Joker » D&D Alignment Chart: How To Get A Theorem Named After You » Dungeon23 : Creative Challenge » Returning User - Is it dead? » Twelve Days of Christmas »

Players Wanted: Serious Anime Crossover Roleplay (semi-literate) » Looking for a long term partner! » JoJo or Mha roleplay » Seeking long-term rp partners for MxM » [MxF] Ruining Beauty / Beauty x Bastard » Minecraft Rp Help Wanted » CALL FOR WITNESSES: The Public v Zosimos » Social Immortal: A Vampire Only Soiree [The Multiverse] » XENOMORPH EDM TOUR Feat. Synthe Gridd: Get Your Tickets! » Aishna: Tower of Desire » Looking for fellow RPGers/Characters » looking for a RP partner (ABO/BL) » Looking for a long term roleplay partner » Explore the World of Boruto with Our Roleplaying Group on FB » More Jedi, Sith, and Imperials needed! » Role-player's Wanted » OSR Armchair Warrior looking for Kin » Friday the 13th Fun, Anyone? » Writers Wanted! » Long term partner to play an older male wanted »

Sword Art Online: Aincrad Arc

Floor 1-100

0 INK

a part of Sword Art Online: Aincrad Arc, by KazutoK.

This is where non scripted events will happen. So here you will socialize while we are in between floors anything non cannon can happen here.

KazutoK holds sovereignty over Floor 1-100, giving them the ability to make limited changes.

5,650 readers have been here.

Copyright: The creator of this roleplay has attributed some or all of its content to the following sources:

http://www.ascii.com/

Setting

Aincrad is an iron-and-stone made floating castle that has about ten kilometers floor base diameter and consists of a hundred floors stacking straight upwards, meaning that each floor's diameter is a bit smaller than the previous one. On each floor, there are a couple of large cities along with countless small scale towns and villages, forests, plains, and even lakes. Only one stairway links each floor to another, and the stairways exists beyond the boss room of each dungeon. The «Teleport Gates» of every unlocked cities are connected to one another.

It is possible to climb the outer circumference of Aincrad, but trying to climb beyond a floor that hasn't been unlocked will result in being blocked by a barrier and a visual error.



Floor Number

Notable Landmarks & Locations

1 «Starting City»,«Black Iron Palace» («Aincrad Liberation Force's» («The Army») Headquarters), «Monument of Swordsmen»(New ALO), «Monument of Life»(SAO), «Room of Resurrection» (SAO Beta), «Tolbana» (Raid base), «Horunka» Village
2 «Urbus», Urbus Teleport Gate Plaza, «Marome Village», «Taran Village» (Raid base)
3 Forest of Wavering Mist
7 Monster Arena
8 «Friben Village» (Silica's former hometown) Friben Teleport Gate Plaza
10 «Thousand Snake Castle»
11 «Taft» (former location of the «Moonlit Black Cats» Headquarters), Taft Teleport Gate
19 «Ralberg» (former location of the «Golden Apple» Headquarters), Ralberg Teleport Gate, «Hill of the Cross», Griselda's Tomb
20 «Sunshine Forest»
22 «Coral» Village, Coral Teleport Gate Plaza, Kirito, Asuna and Yui's Forest Home[4] Lake Outside «Coral Village»,
24 «Panareze», Panareze Teleport Gate Plaza
27 «Ronbaru» Town,[10] Ronbaru Teleport Gate
28 «Wolf Plains»
35 «Forest of Wandering», «Mishe», Mishe Teleport Gate Plaza
39 Former location of the «Knights of Blood» Headquarters
46 «Ant Hill»
47 «Floria», Floria Gate Plaza, «Hill of Memories», «Forest of Giant Flowers»
48 «Lindas» (Lisbeth's hometown), Lindas Teleport Gate Plaza
49 «Myujen», Myujen Teleport Gate Plaza
50 «Algade» (Kirito's former hometown and the location of Agil's shop),Algade Teleport Gate Plaza
55 «Granzam», Granzam Teleport Gate Plaza, «Knights of Blood» Headquarters, «West Mountain».
56 «Pani» (Headquarters of the Divine Dragon Alliance), Pani Teleport Gate Plaza
57 «Marten», Marten Teleport Gate Plaza
59 «Danac», Danac Teleport Gate Plaza
61 «Selmburg» (Asuna's former hometown), Selmburg Teleport Gate Plaza.
65 Old Castle Labyrinth (Horror theme)
66 Old Castle Labyrinth (Horror theme)
74 «Kamdet», Kamdet Teleport Gate Plaza.
75 «Collinia», Collinia Teleport Gate Plaza.
100 «Ruby Palace»

Known Monsters
â—ŸDire Wolf (1st Floor)
â—ŸSwamp Kobold Trapper (1st Floor)
◟«Ruin Kobold Sentinel» (1st Floor)
◟«Ruin Kobold Trooper» (1st Floor - Labyrinth)
â—ŸScavenger Toads (1st Floor)
◟«Frenzy Boar» (Level 7) (1st Floor)
â—ŸLarge Nepent (1st Floor)
◟«Little Nepent» (Level 10) (1st Floor)
â—ŸRed Spotted Beetle (2nd Floor)
â—ŸStorm Hornet (2nd Floor)
◟«Wind Wasp» (2nd Floor)
â—ŸTrembling Cow (2nd Floor)
â—ŸTrembling Ox (2nd Floor)
â—ŸThicket Spider (3rd Floor) ]
â—ŸTreant Sapling (3rd Floor)
â—ŸElder Treant (3rd Floor)
â—ŸDark Elven Wolf Handler (3rd Floor)
â—ŸDark Elven Royal Guard (3rd Floor)
â—ŸForest Elven Hallowed Knight (3rd Floor)
â—ŸForest Elven Falconer (3rd Floor)
◟«Killer Mantis» (20th Floor)
â—ŸWerepanther (22nd Floor - quest area)
â—ŸLungfish (22nd Floor - event monster)
â—ŸMineral Elementals (27th Floor - Labyrinth)
â—ŸDark Dwarf Miners (27th Floor - Labyrinth)
â—ŸGargoyle (27th Floor)
â—ŸBlood Wolf Leader (28th Floor)
â—ŸCoppice Spider [30]
◟«Drunk Apes» (35th Floor)
â—ŸWerelion (40th Floor)
â—ŸAnt Queen (46th Floor)
â—ŸGiant Venus Fly Trap (47th Floor)
â—ŸLand Anemone (47th Floor)
â—ŸGarish Gerbera (47th Floor)
â—ŸFrost Bone (55th Floor)
â—ŸBlue Slug (61st Floor)
â—ŸDemonic Servant (74th Floor - Labyrinth)
◟«Dusk Lizard»
â—ŸElder Sapling
â—ŸFallen Elf Warrior
◟«Feathery Dragon»
â—ŸJagged Worm
â—ŸLizardman Lord (Level 82) (74th Floor - Labyrinth)
â—ŸRagout Rabbit (Super Rare) (74th Floor)



Known bosses
«The Fatal Scythe» 1st Floor (Bonus) Boss Monster of the Black Iron Palace Hidden Bonus Dungeon
«Illfang the Kobold Lord» 1st Floor
«Nato The Kernel Taurus» 2nd Floor Mid-boss

«Baran the General Taurus» 2nd Floor Closed Beta Floor Boss
Mid-boss in the death game

«Asterios The Taurus King» 2nd Floor Floor Boss in the death game

«Bullbous Bow» 2nd Floor (Field) A Field Boss of the 2nd Floor.
«Nephila Regina» 3rd Floor (Dungeon)
«Fallen Elf Commander» 3rd Floor (Quest)
«Nerius the Evil Treant» 3rd Floor Quest boss for the 3rd Floor portion of the first campaign quest in SAO.
«The Witch of the West» 22nd Floor (Quest) Can only be defeated with the help of the roar of a lion.
Two-Headed Giant 25th Floor
Metallic Elemental 27th Floor
«Nicholas The Renegade» 35th Floor (Event) A Christmas event Flag Mob in the Forest of Wandering
Six-Armed Metallic Buddha Statue 50th Floor
«X'rphan the White Wyrm» 55th Floor (Quest)
«Geocrawler» 56th Floor (Field) A Field Boss of the 56th Floor.
Armored Stone Warrior 60th Floor
«The Gleam Eyes» 74th Floor
«The Skull Reaper» 75th Floor
Heathcliff 100th Floor (supposedly)
Create a Character Here »

Floor 1-100

This is where non scripted events will happen. So here you will socialize while we are in between floors anything non cannon can happen here.

Minimap

Floor 1-100 is a part of Sword Art Online.

4 Characters Here

Ark [24] "The shadows are always there--whether you live under them or out in the sunlight is your choice."
Morrighan [24] "The world is merciless. But, that doesn't mean it isn't beautiful."
Fenrir [13] "Can you blame me?... For not wanting to go back to that world?"
Asuna Yuuki [3] "Ha, judging me by gender? By looks? Well.. fight me."

Start Character Here »


Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Morrighan Character Portrait: Ark Character Portrait: Fenrir
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

«Ark»
Image


December 5th, 2022 – 5:02 P.M.
Floor 2 – Somewhere Forest – The Walled Village


The broken form of the houses lay in crumpled heaps of rubble and wood. How eerie, Ark thought, for not a living sound could be heard from the evacuated section of the village. Not a sound but the thundering of giant footsteps a distance away and the looming chill of dread. But, they weren't alone. Ark's detection alerted him of that.

“«Kasadi»! «Hunter»!” Morrighan called out from a little ways ahead of him. They were approaching their destination quickly but, so far, there had been no sign of the two children—or any other beings, for that matter.

Then, he saw them. The two were hovering over the collapsed side of a house—struggling almost hopelessly to pull someone free. Their mother. A wave of sadness crashed into Ark's heart as he looked at the children's expressions, the desperation that moistened their eyes. He could feel their fear and knew that, in the same situation, he might have broken down and given up. But, they weren't alone. «Hunter» seemed to be screaming at someone—a man. A short haired, rugged man dressed in a beige uniform. At their distance and, even at their speed, Morrighan and Ark couldn't hear what was going on between the figures but, after giving what seemed to be a reassuring comment, the uniformed man dashed off, unsheathing a katana. But, towards what? Ark's golden eyes followed and scanned the man's path. He didn't like what he saw.

A single, rather large «Gigante» was slowly making its way towards the destroyed house, a crooked and toothy grin plastered on its grotesquely human face. There was no way that the man, with the inexperienced maneuvers he was making, could take on the «Gigante». Fortunately, the giant was in a position not too far from them—they'd make it. Fenrir wasn't close enough to assist, Ark reasoned—in the distance, he could see the blond swordsman cutting down several approaching giants, steadily but slowly making his way in their direction. He caught Morrighan's gaze and tightened his expression, an understanding passing between them. So, we have to take this one out on our own. “I'll drop him and you go for the neck—no different than before.”

“Got it,” she nodded and fell back, preparing to time herself with the «Gigante's» fall. Taking note, Ark slid off of the rooftop they were running on and proceeded on the ground.

The moment the «Gigante» stepped out, onto the main path, an extended hand reaching out to snatch the lone warrior, a blade tore through the air at its heels, severing tendons in a swift motion. Ark skid to a stop, turning his body to watch the giant fall to its knees. A moment later and Morrighan would have finished the job. A moment later and no one would have died. That moment never came. The «Gigante» didn't collapse to the ground the way that the others did.

Ark watched in shock and confusion as the giant dropped to the ground in a completely fluid motion—as if it had anticipated the loss of its tendons—onto all fours and charged, tearing through the air with the speed of a wild animal. Morrighan screamed in horror as the «Gigante» sank its teeth into the uniformed man, the man, himself, having been caught too quickly to let out his own. Ark watched, a terribly sick and disgusted feeling eating his stomach, as the giant consumed the man in a mess of red sparks. Within moments, he was gone. Focus, Ark told himself—you have no time for this. Immediately, he sprinted over to the children whose faces were also frozen in terror. In a swirl of purple, Morrighan joined him by his side, both had their weapons drawn.

“We're only going to get one shot at this. Use it.”

“I know," she replied, keeping her eyes trained on the «Gigante» which was still savoring its meal. She lifted her arm, slightly waving her blade to make her point, “Why else do you think I have the «Sword of the Hero» equipped?”

He smiled, acknowledging her point. But, still, he could hear the quiver of her voice. It was the same as the tremble of his arm. “We'll win,” he said, reassuringly.

Before she could reply, the giant turned at them and charged. An increasingly large desire to freeze like a deer under headlights came over him and, had he not been completely aware of the eminence of Takao's death, he might have done just that. But, with all of his strength, he screamed, “Now,” and jumped into the air. In line with their preconceived plan, Morrighan muttered, “Kieh”, and a massive shockwave blasted out of the sword, knocking the «Gigante» back and propelling Ark high into the air.

Tightening his grip on his «Valkyries' Glaive» and feeling the familiar pull of gravity, the dark-haired player twisted his body and positioned himself into a dive—heading straight towards the giant and swing his weapon in a glowing golden arc.

Then, the giant jumped, its jaws wide open in a warm, slimy welcome. “AKANE!”

As he fell, Ark had just the time to think about what he had done. At least, now, Takao would have the time to run—at least it wasn't her. As long as she lived, it wouldn't matter if he died. He wasn't... afraid. Afraid. No. Why? It wasn't supposed to be like this. He didn't want to die. This couldn't be—his thoughts were broken as a figure with golden blond hair smashed into him. Then, he couldn't feel his right leg—his «Health Bar» was cut into the yellow zone. He hit the ground seeing red.

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Mirai Chi Character Portrait: Hisui Character Portrait: Triangle Character Portrait: Magnus the Great
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Zalgo
Martial Artist's Hut, Time: 6:32 PM, December 6, 2022


"Eh...the Bullbous Bow? W-what's that? And...h-how do you know, ah, t-that I-I'm dealing less damage? A-and, well..."

We would of been a bit more irritated with her seemingly stupid questions if he wasn't expecting it already. As it was he just sighed a bit. "The Bullbous Bow is the field boss for this floor. It's a giant bull that wanders the area out west past the savannah. As for the damage just look at the boulders durability counter. It ticks one damage less every five hits and you're not doing a lot of damage to begin with." He educated her to the factors of the game like a teacher to his student.

"I-I wouldn't mind, ah, g-going to town, though...I-I mean, I could use some, y-you know, thicker clothing...a-and food, of course, but..."

She glanced over to the hut where Romeugh and Julidiot were being nauseating last he checked. He figured thicker clothing would be handy for her since she wasn't wearing much armor or any really from what he could see. The cold didn't bother him as much since the padded cloth supporting his armor so that the making sure the metal links didn't pinch him was rather warm. It wasn't arctic fur coat warm but it sufficed for a mild temperature floor like this one was. "Right, it's settled then. If you want, I'll invite you into a party for the trip in case we get attacked or something.
If you're gonna invite those two love birds go do it now." He proposed the makings of a party for mutual safety on the road which wasn't a bad idea since there could always be PKers trolling the main roads for passerby's to jump. Another risk was monster attacks of course.

Looking up at her boulder he figured out a way to make it up to her later. It wasn't going to much right now since they needed to get going but it was a small gesture of good will. "I'll work on your boulder, catch you up a bit while you
talk with the other guys." He offered his help. With that said he threw a heavy hook right over the cloaked girl's head into the boulder. He knew it was a bit of a waste to be punching this boulder while he had a rock of his own to crush but smashing his own stone wouldn't alleviate his sense of guilt over the debt he owed her.

Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Morrighan Character Portrait: Ark Character Portrait: Fenrir
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

«Morrighan»


December 5th, 2022 – 5:07 P.M.
Floor 2 – Somewhere Forest – The Walled Village


“AKANE!”

The name shot out of Takao's parted lips like the report of a gun, echoing through the Northern section of the village. Her body had moved, faster than it had ever moved before—hurrying. Hurrying to save him and yet, the sick weight of hopelessness pulled on her. Time moved slow. She could see him falling into the jaws of the «Gigante». See him and do nothing about it. It was like a nightmare. Being so helpless. She could feel her heart, painfully screaming in her chest.

The blazing white teeth, etched with red, clamped shut—little glowing red flecks flying every where—and, in the midst of the chaos, flurry of blond and dark hair crashed to the ground.

Speechless, Morrighan searched frantically for the strength to move and she found herself running forward and pulling Ark close to her. His leg was gone. But, that didn't matter. He was alive. And, next to him, was Fenrir—who had lost his left arm, saving Ark. He had saved Ark. Through wet eyes, she said, weakly, “Thank you.”

The joy was short lived as reality returned, casting a shadow over the trio. The «Gigante», angered over its failed attack, loomed over them and pounced. Morrighan raised her blade in a futile attempt to defend them, whispering “Kieh” but knowing that, not having finished its cool-down time, the shockwave wouldn't save them. It was over. A last thought pierced through her mind, causing her to laugh remorsefully. This game sucked.

Suddenly, there was a sound like the wind and a single dark-figure zipped by, a blade extended, and spun in a wild fashion. In a connected series of consecutive slashes, the sword cut right through the «Gigante» as it flew, immediately sending it back into the blue-shards from whence it came. Morrighan watched in amazement as a number of other figures, clad in the same beige uniform as the man from before, flew overhead—leaping from roof to roof, seemingly preparing to engage the «Gigantes». The dark-figure came to an oddly soft landing in front of the three, revealing a short and young-looking man with black-hair and an apathetic expression.

Seeing Morrighan's expression, he gave a partially amused scoff with the barest hint of a smile. “Don't say anything—you did good.” He threw a set of «Healing Crystals» to the three and, then, with a glance at their weapons, unsheathed three swords—all of which had been strapped to his waist—and placed them by their feet. He motioned towards the two children and their mother, “Don't worry about them. Go out there and keep fighting, if you'd like, or take a break—you deserve it.” With that, he took off, seeming to be headed for the action in the distance and being replaced by three other uniformed NPCs who proceeded to help «Hunter» and «Kasadi».

Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Morrighan Character Portrait: Ark Character Portrait: Fenrir
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Fenrir

Floor 2 - Somewhere in the Forest - The Walled Village

“Fenrir, meet us up North—take down as many «Gigantes» as you can on the way” Ark's companion, a violet haired girl that he still didn't know her name, told him before running off. Fenrir was a little puzzled as to how she knew his name, but he soon remembered that Ark called him before, outside the village. However, that was not the time to think about it. Their first priority is to make sure that Hunter and Kasadi are okay and their second priority was to clean the village of those giants. Fenrir quickly jumped his way up to the roof of a nearby house and saw the direction to which Ark and his friend went. The way there was littered with broken houses and smoke could be seen in several place in the village and, of course, the heads of giants that searched for easy prey. There were about five giants on the way to Hunter and Kasadi's house, but it was easier to strike them down from the rooftops.

All of the giants didn't even pay attention to him, and so Fenrir gripped his Sabre with his right hand and it glowed white yet again when he readied his attack. He jumped from his rooftop like a flash of golden lightning and severed the back of the first Gigante's neck. However, the sword still glowed white and Fenrir continued jumping from rooftop to rooftop, cutting and severing two more necks of giants, and all three exploded and disappeared together. He could hear the sounds of fighting from the direction he was heading to and assumed Ark and his friend already started fighting too.

*I have no time to waste here* Fenrir thought to himself and prepared to jump again, but the two remaining Gigantes already noticed him and turned towards him, the back of their necks no longer exposed. *In that case, I just need to take your heads completely off*.

Fenrir sheathed his Sabre as quickly as he had drawn it and it stopped glowing. Instead he reached for his Bastard Sword and it started glowing in its night-black color. Fenrir swung the sword and used the momentum to jump and spin in the air, taking off one of the two remaining Gigantes head before landing on the rooftop behind it. As it exploded and shed blue light on him, Fenrir jumped again in the same manner and this time split the Gigante's head at its mouth and landed at the rooftop behind him. The second Gigante exploded shortly after and joined his friend in the great respawn timer in the sky.

Fenrir sighed in relief while still holding the Bastard Sword with both of his hands. However, he didn't have long to rest.

"AKANE!"

The voice that screamed that name was familiar. Fenrir immidiately turned around and saw Ark in the air with a Gigante that planned to swallow him whole. Fenrir started running instantly and sheathed his Bastard Sword. Everything seemed like it was moving in slow motion and Fenrir had to muster every bit of strength he had to run as fast as he could. He himself didn't know why he was doing this. He just met these people and he was about to put his life in danger in order to save one of them. For some reason, he just couldn't turn away. He couldn't run away, because he knew that it will haunt him for the rest of his life if he didn't save someone he considered a friend.

*Haru-chan, if I should die here...*

*Please forgive me...*

Fenrir jumped with the speed of lightning and managed to crash into Ark. Time suddenly returned to its usual speed and Fenrir couldn't feel his left arm as sparks of red littered the air when the Gigante shut his mouth. His HP bar entered the yellow area and he could feel pain coursing through his body as the two swordsmen crashed into the ground.

Fenrir used his one remaining arm to pull himself to a sitting position as he saw a flurry of violet hair approaching them from the side. Ark's, or rather, Akane's girl companion fell to the ground and pulled him close to her. Fenrir could see that not only did he lose his left arm, but Ark also lost his right leg. The girl was crying with happiness and with a weak voice said to Fenrir "Thank You". Fenrir blushed and rubbed the back of his head, he wasn't very good when it came to crying girls. But when he looked at the girl embracing Ark tightly, as if he'd disappear if she let him go, he couldn't help but feel happy for them.

"It was nothing" Fenrir said with a smile "I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I let one of my friends die".

He finally said it, that they were friends to him. But unfortunately, they didn't have any time to rejoice that Ark stayed alive, as reality kicked down the door of their illusion of safety and happiness in the form of a huge shadow.

The Gigante towered over them before he jumped to finish them, and he looked a bit pissed that he didn't get to fill his stomach with some Ark-Burger. The girl raised her sword to try and protect them, but to no avail. Death was near for all of them, for none of them had the strength to defeat this Gigante. Fenrir closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Darkness was there to welcome him again, and he felt its warm and safe aura envelope him.

*Ugh, I hate losing in games* Fenrir complained in his mind and managed to let out a weak laugh. That was when he suddenly heard a sound as if the air was being pushed and something was moving at a fast speed through it. Fenrir opened his eyes and turned around to see the Gigante with its neck cut clean through at its back. The Gigante disappeared into the sky to reveal the one standing behind it, a young man with black hair that had a rather cold look on his face. When he saw the trio, the man let out a small laugh and reached for his pouch.

“Don't say anything—you did good.” The young man said as he threw some Healing Crystals their way and after a quick glance at them, unsheathed three swords and put them on the ground beside them. He then signaled with his head towards Hunter and Kasadi “Don't worry about them. Go out there and keep fighting, if you'd like, or take a break—you deserve it.”. The man left and let Fenrir, Ark and the girl finally rest.

With no time to waste, Fenrir grabbed one of the Healing Crystals and used it, returning his HP bar to the green area before he stood on his feet. There were still Gigantes in the village if that young man asked for help, and that meant that their mission was not over yet. Fenrir walked towards the swords the young man left them and picked one up. It was a peculiar sword, with a blade that seemed almost flexible. It probably did more damage to the Gigantes if that young man went through the trouble of leaving those here instead of letting Fenrir and the group help with their own weapons.

"I'm going to help them" Fenrir said, turned around and smiled a little smile at the girl that held Ark "Ark can't fight with his leg gone and you're under too much emotional stress to be fighting right now, so I'll go and finish this quest for all of us with the NPCs. There are more villagers to save, and if I can fight then there isn't any reason I shouldn't".

Fenrir started walking towards the direction the young man went to before halting to a stop and turning around again.

"You two have established a bond that cannot be broken, even by death" Fenrir said, his shyness surfacing again and he couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth "Only because of this bond, you two will stay alive until the end of his game".

Fenrir looked at the ground, as if thinking what to say next. But, he already knew the answer to that question.

"By the way, my name is Yukishiro. But you can call me Yuki if you want" Fenrir said with a big smile this time "Or Fenrir, whichever is easier. I figured that if I know Akane's name, then it's only fair you will know mine".

With that, Fenrir took off to kill the remaining Gigantes in the village.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Phew, that was tiring" Fenrir said and started walking back towards Hunter and Kasadi's house, where Ark and his friend were probably still sitting. He knew he said he was going to help the NPCs, but they did almost all of the work and the remaining Gigantes, that were not a lot in numbers, were decimated in about 10-15 minutes. Fenrir could feel his shyness rising and his face going red from the words he said to them before and he wondered how they will react.

Fenrir's arm completely healed, so he assumed Ark's leg was also healed, too. Sure enough, when Fenrir got to Hunter and Kasadi's house he could see Ark and his friend sitting in the same place, the Healing Crystals gone and Ark's leg back in its place.

"We should get the "Quest Completed" window any second now" Fenrir said and blushed, wishing that they somehow don't remember the emberrassing things he said earlier "How are you feeling, you two?"

Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Morrighan Character Portrait: Ark Character Portrait: Fenrir
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

«Ark»
Image


December 5th, 2022 – 5:13 P.M.
Floor 2 – Somewhere Forest – The Walled Village


Useless. Meaningless. Empty. Cold, in spite of the candle-like warmth of the «Healing Crystal» as it spread through his body, in spite of the warmth which Takao was giving him—with her endearingly constricting hug. As much as she loved him and he loved her, he couldn't save her. He hadn't been capable of doing so when the time had come. Heck, he thought, bitterly, I couldn't even save my own sorry behind.

Face to face with death, a million possibilities and he chosen to freeze up. He could have drawn his «Boomerang Spear» and shoved it down the giant's throat. He could have concentrated and used a mid-air drift with his «Valkyrie's Glaive» to evade. He could have, at least, attempted to take the «Gigante» with him. But, what had he done?

Nothing. He had given up. Thrown away everything that was precious to him. His family, his friends, his life. Takao. In that crucial moment, he had abandoned all of them. How pitiful. That's right. That's what he was: Pitiful.

“I'm going to help them,” a voice said. The other player, Fenrir, had gotten up—seeming to be ready to return to the battlefield. That's right, there were still people out there, they had to help. Instinctively, Ark began to rise up. Only to be caught by Takao as he collapsed, lacking a leg for support. Helpless. Another word he now defined himself as. “Ark can't fight with his leg gone...” By that last word, Ark was gone. It was all he could hear. That's right. He couldn't fight. He grit his teeth. Useless. Meaningless. Pitiful. Helpless.

Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Morrighan Character Portrait: Ark Character Portrait: Fenrir
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

«Morrighan»
Image


December 5th, 2022 – 5:14 P.M.
Floor 2 – Somewhere Forest – The Walled Village


“You two have established a bond that cannot be broken, even by death. Only because of this, you two will stay alive until the end of His game.”

Through her deep amber-eyes, Morrighan studied the blond player as he spoke. In spite of his sturdy appearance and willful actions, there was a hesitation in his voice, she noticed. He seemed... shy. The way he cast a glance to the ground, after his words—not looking really looking at them, almost avoiding their eyes.

“By the way, my name is Yukishiro. But, you can call me Yuki if you want,” he said with a wide and kindly smile. Then, as if he was suddenly unsure, he added, “Or Fenrir, whichever is easier.” He continued, seeming tentative with his words, “I figured that, if I know Akane's name, then it's only fair you know mine.”

That brought a defined curve to Morrighan's lips. Perhaps, she thought, he could use some friends, too. Taking a moment to look at Ark, whom she had buried in her arms—the near-traumatized expression blanking his usually calm and collected face—she made a decision. But, before she could start speaking, the player was gone—having run off to fight without offering her the chance to reply. She waved her hand but, it was too late. And so, she whispered, not really expecting it to reach him, “Thank you.”

For a moment, all was quiet, once more. The distant thundering of the «Gigante's» footsteps were slowly fading as—or, at least, she assumed—more and more were defeated. The screams of the people had ceased, the air of hopelessness pervading the city was gone. «Kasadi» and «Hunter» were safe—their mother had been saved, as well—and, now, both were contentedly working, already beginning to repair the destruction that had been wreaked by the «Gigantes». This quest was, pretty much, over.

Then, why, she questioned, her stomach churning, do I still feel something out of place? As she thought, Morrighan subconsciously did what she always did when she was stressed or bothered: she held Ark close to her. And then, it dawned on her. Ark hadn't said a word since they had been saved. Worriedly, she nudged him. “Ark?”

He said nothing, confirming her fears. Oh no. He was falling into that desolate void which always pulled on him when something when terribly wrong. She felt a horrible sinking feeling welling up inside of her. Ark was always the one she looked to when things went sour. When he was like this, she could never figure out what to do. Let it be, the voice of her parents told her. Anything strong could never break. A little time can fix anything. And, time and time again, they had been right. Perhaps it was better that she didn't do anything and just left him be. He was strong. He'd get better.

But, another voice told her—this voice feminine, warm but unfamiliar. With some confused thought, she realized that it was her own voice. Even diamond breaks. Looking at Ark, how could she do nothing? She had to try to help. And so, she pushed away from him, holding his face—blank with a sullen emptiness—and looked him in his lowered eyes. He didn't respond, his eyes seeming to burn holes in the ground beneath her. “Akane”. She said his name forcefully but not without great concern and care. Unsteadily, his eyes turned up, the golden warmth now seeming cold and metallic. Trying not to be discouraged by the cold stare he gave, she searched his eyes—hunting for his thoughts. Whenever he was upset, she tried to remember, he'd always say that... “You're not useless,” she said, striking the word right out of his mind. His eyes twitched, seeming to recoil at the word. Reassuringly, she continued, “You're not. Don't worry about that giant—everyone makes mistakes.”

“Not as bad as mine,” he retorted. His voice was as bitter as ever but, Morrighan noted to herself, he was talking, now. And, he hadn't been able to pull his eyes away from hers. There was some improvement.

“We're still alive—and that's only thanks to you,” she said, already anticipating his next answer as her words left her lips.

He frowned, his eyes sharpening. “What are you talking about? The crawler nearly killed us and I couldn't do a damned thing.”

“I wasn't,” Morrighan began, her tone hardened in response to his aggravated attitude, “talking about that.” Then, realizing that bringing her own anger wouldn't help the situation at all, she softened her gaze, once more and brought her forehead to his—tapping him gently.

He seemed confused, “What, then, were you talking about?”

Running a hand through Ark's soft and dark hair, she whispered, soothingly. “The «Colossal Gigante». Without you, we couldn't have figured out how to defeat it.” He drew in a breath and Morrighan suddenly felt lighter—knowing that her words had struck their mark, hitting his heart-string in just the right way. He opened his mouth, seeming to be preparing to make another snark but, before he could even think, she pressed her lips to his. And it was over.

The darkness of his expression lifted and he pulled her into a hug. “Thank you,” he said.

She smiled, with a little laugh, “It was the least I could do.”

“But,” she added, with a sharp tone, “do that again and I'll beat the mood out of you, instead, next time.”

He laughed, weakly, “Yes ma'am.” They sat there and hugged for a few more moments until they were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Fenrir—Yukishiro, Morrighan thought to herself—had returned, the sunset behind him giving him a very heroic seeming appearance. She got up, intending to greet him, and turned to help Ark up, as well—only to find that he had picked himself up, his leg having returned. At this she smiled and turned to the approaching player with a pleasant wave of her arms, “Welcome back!” she called.

“We should get the «Quest Completed» window, any second now,” the shy player noted bashfully, clearly embarrassed over the recognition.

Morrighan shrugged, dismissively, with a bright smile when, as if on cue, a set of white windows—with the familiar words, «Congratulations!!» and «Quest Completed», etched in dark-lines—blinked into existence before them. There was a moment of surprised expressions before the three began to laugh.

Fenrir looked at them, blushing but, seemingly, a bit more confident, “How are you feeling, you two?”

“All square.” Ark answered and was about to continue when Morrighan interrupted, having decided to take the opportunity to follow her earlier decision.

“I think,” she began, “that 'all triangle' may be more appropriate”. She gave Fenrir a warm smile, “After all, I believe that we've done this all well, together as a team!” Then, she extended her hand in a welcoming handshake, “My name is Takao, but, I'd prefer you use my username, Morrighan, and this,” she said with a point at Ark, “as you already know, is Akane—but, we all just call him Ark.”

With a grin, Ark extended his hand, as well.

“If you wouldn't mind too much, would you like to join us?” She asked, her amber-eyes glowing warmly, “I know we'd make a great party!”


QUEST COMPLETE:
OBTAINED:
  • Weapon - «Aaltonen's Wings» / One Hand - One-Sided Blade; Range: Mid; Power: 19; Type: Slash; Special Quality: Allows the users to string together combinations of up to three slashes within the duration of a single attack--opposing fighters cannot strike during the period that the combination is executed.
  • 750 Col Total
  • 700 + 200 EXP Total -- Ark +350 = 1065/3115 (Level 16); Morrighan +450 = 1517/3115 (Level 16)

Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Morrighan Character Portrait: Ark Character Portrait: Fenrir
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Fenrir

Floor 2 - Somewhere in the Forest - The Walled Village

"All square" Ark answered and Fenrir felt relieved. After leaving them, he wondered if it was really the best choice to leave them without someone to protect them, but it seems like everything was fine.

“I think that 'all triangle' may be more appropriate" Ark's female companion cut into his words before Ark managed to continue talking “After all, I believe that we've done this all well, together as a team!”. Fenrir smiled shyly as the girl smiled herself and extended her open hand, inviting him to shake it.

“My name is Takao, but, I'd prefer you use my username, Morrighan, and this, as you already know, is Akane—but, we all just call him Ark.” the girl, Morrighan, said and finally introduced herself, formally introducing Ark on the way as Ark extended his hand as well. Fenrir felt happiness well up inside him as he extended his hand to meet theirs. Ever since the beginning of SAO, most of the people that didn't know anyone didn't even try to make friends or form parties together because they couldn't really trust each other, so Fenrir was pretty much a solo player ever since the game started. Fenrir felt joy that he finally had people that he could call friends and be with in this twisted game. Somehow, dying didn't even seem like a possibility.

*Recklessness is the key to failure..*

Fenrir suddenly remembered these words from his past and they stopped the utopian fantasy he built in his head and brought him back to reality. There were still 98 bosses to kill and floors to conquer, and being reckless was the quickest way to die. The thought bothered Fenrir, but he didn't let it affect his mood.

"Nice to meet you, Morrighan, Ark" Fenrir said with a smile "I may have already introduced myself, but I think I should do it formally. My name is Yukishiro, but you can call me by my username, Fenrir"

There was a slight pause as they all looked at each other before Morrighan started talking again.

“If you wouldn't mind too much, would you like to join us?” Morrighan asked, her eyes shining bright "I know we'd make a great party!”

Fenrir was surprised at first, but started laughing after a second. He was so relieved, he thought so hard about how to ask them if he could join them, that he got himself worried. Fenrir found happiness inside him that he didn't discover since this game started, and he expressed it in his shy smile that he always had when he made new friends.

"Of course!" Fenrir said and, out of sheer excitement, hugged the two. It took Fenrir about two seconds to notice what he was doing and when he noticed it, he pushed Morrighan and Ark away and blushed, his face probably looking like a ripe tomato. "S-Sorry about that! I was just really happy!"

Trying to change the subject, Fenrir laughed a nervous laugh and started talking again.

"W-Well, we should get going!" Fenrir said, still red as a tomato "Let's take a new quest!"

And with that, Fenrir started walking towards the city's closest gate. He wiped away the tear that trickled down his cheek so that Ark and Morrighan won't notice it and smiled with joy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUEST COMPLETE:

OBTAINED:
Weapon - «Aaltonen's Wings» / One Hand - One-Sided Blade; Range: Mid; Power: 19; Type: Slash; Special Quality: Allows the users to string together combinations of up to three slashes within the duration of a single attack--opposing fighters cannot strike during the period that the combination is executed.

750 Col Total

700 + 200 EXP Total -- Fenrir: 900/1833 (Level 12)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Floor 2 - Giant's Cave

"Umm.. Ark? Remind me why we agreed to do this?" Fenrir asked as he looked at the dress he was wearing with embarrassment and then look at his dark-haired friend. After going out of the Walled Village, Fenrir, Morrighan and Ark went to take another quest, one that was called "Mistaken Identity". Somehow, he didn't even remember how, he and Ark reluctantly agreed to the quest that involved them cross-dressing. However, the quest specified that male characters HAD to dress as women and approach the Giant's lair, so there was no way around it and Morrighan had to remain in ambush somewhere nearby.

"I'm sure she's laughing at us so hard right now" Fenrir said and looked towards where Morrighan was hiding "We shouldn't have agreed to this.."

He sighed and blushed, scouting with his eyes to check that no other player was there watching them dressed like that. It was bad enough that he and Ark were wearing women's clothing, but it could be worse if someone other than Morrighan would see them.

"Let's get this over with" Fenrir said and took the lead. The faster they were finished with this quest, the sooner they could get out of these clothes. The Giant's lair was a cave that was located just outside the village from which they took the quest and it was dug into the ground. Fenrir couldn't see how deep the cave was, as shadows enveloped the entrance. However, the bones of various animals scattered outside hinted that a rather fearsome Giant lurked inside. Fenrir took a step forward and immediately stopped.

Apparently, that small step was enough to trigger the quest.

The earth shook as something obviously stood up inside the cave. A grunt echoed from within the shadows and after a few seconds, a rhythm of thumps could be heard before a huge humanoid came out of the cave and stood in the open field.

The Giant stood straight and stretched his back, his height was probably two or three times higher than Ark and Fenrir and he cast a great shadow at them. The Giant held a club in his left hand that matched his size and a worn-out helmet was worn on his head, who knows how he got a helmet this size. Two and a half HP bars popped next to the Giant's body to indicate his health and Fenrir gripped Aaltonen's Wings, the new sword he got from their last quest, expecting the Giant to attack.

"Is this my beautiful bride?" the Giant suddenly said and Fenrir felt stupid. He had totally forgot the Giant won't attack them as long as they wore those dresses and didn't do anything suspicious. Fenrir relaxed and sighed before answering to the Giant.

"Yes, it's me!" Fenrir strained his voice and tried to imitate a girl's voice, feeling even stupider. The Giant was a computer-created object, it shouldn't be able to distinguish a man's voice from a woman's, so the whole imitation thing was unnecessary and really embarrassing. Fenrir looked at Ark and signaled him to follow his lead. The Giant, enchanted by the sight of his new "bride", extended his open right hand slowly to try and touch Fenrir, but Fenrir wouldn't let him.

"Ark, Morrighan, Now!" Fenrir shouted and revealed Aaltonen's Wings from behind his back, sending his right hand to its handle and gripping it tightly as golden light covered its blade. Fenrir unsheathed the sword and in a flurry of golden color severed the fingers off the Giant's extended hand.

The speed of the new sword was amazing. Just like the effect in its description said, connecting three strokes of this sword together was simply child's play. It was much faster than his Sabre, and he could still use normal attacks if he wanted to. Aaltonen's Wings was evidently stronger and faster than his Sabre, but Fenrir decided he should still keep his old sword in case something happened.

The Giant cried in pain as sparks of red flew from where Fenrir cut him. The Giant's HP bar was reduced by about half a bar, but he still had two more, and he was probably very angry as well.

*I have friends now* Fenrir smiled and took a quick glance at Ark and Morrighan, waiting for them to take their swing at the Giant *We'll be more than alright*

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Mirai Chi Character Portrait: Hisui Character Portrait: Triangle Character Portrait: Magnus the Great
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Soulies
Her eyes dilated and her body was tense.. however she managed to focus on the familiar face.. Triangle. Or was it? Eh.
"Why.." She began to point at him, deadpanned, "Is your hair short.." She almost didn't recognize him since his long hair was his signature and it bother her to no end..[SHE DOESNT LIKE CHANGE] And since she was slightly dazed by being so tired she continued to whisper 'why' under her breath. "Morning idiot"
That snapped her out of the trance.. "...Morning.." Glancing at the milk, she took it from him, before being surprised by the heat. To protect her hands, she pulled up her sleeves to be a makeshift mitt. ".." She peered down at his hands and saw his palms red.. She murmured, "idiot.." She blew on the scalding drink, before teasing him- "Finally deciding to look like a guy?" She took a sip, flushing at the sweet taste of honey. As she savored the warmth filling up her body, she suddenly realized something.
What happened yesterday?
She doesnt recall doing anything.. Was the dream.. maybe.. re-
"U-um...h-hi...g-g-guys..." Hisui stuttered, looking around at anything in the hut other than those two. "U-um. W-well, t-the man, er, w-with the armor...y-you know, t-that other person d-doing this q-quest with us?...a-anyway, ah...h-he was t-thinking of, uh, g-going to town. A-are you two, eh, i-interested in coming?" She lowered her glass, observing the female- amused at her reaction. Was she embarrassed? 'About what.' She wondered, totally obvious to the mood the two "love birds" created. "Hm.. alright" Her eyes closed in a smile, "Thanks for the invite." She looked at Triangle, "Do you want to come.. maybe this time you'll buy an elephant." With that, she decided to drop the question of what happened (for now that is).. there was too much change happening anyways.
Getting up, she faltered. 'Hm.. muscles sore..?' She felt rigid like a broken doll.. but she didnt show it- Not too bad anyways.
Grabbing her cloak, she took another sip of her drink before finishing it off. "Maybe Ill buy some ingredients for a cook out tonight.." She said, but more like to herself. "Would you enjoy that Hisui? Maybe Magnus will too.." Ah yes.. the helmet man.. she hasnt really associated with him.. but if they were going to be stuck together.. might as well enjoy the time together.

Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Morrighan Character Portrait: Ark Character Portrait: Fenrir
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

«Ark»
Image


January 6th, 2022 – 11:04 A.M.
Floor 2 – Marome Forest – The Giant's Cave


Two years ago, in an attempt to make her smile after she had been berated, by her parents, about “over-association with lower-class boys” (pretty much implying him), Akane had made Takao a promise. Not a big promise. No, all of the serious commitments had already been made—not in words but in the way they looked at each other. No, that wasn't it. He had made this promise simply to bring the smile back to her lips. A promise that he would, one day, wear a dress for her amusement. That had brought a craze of giggles upon her and had definitely been worth it. “You're so silly,” she had said between laughs and he had agreed. What Ark hadn't expected was having to fulfill that promise so soon.

“Gods,” Ark muttered as he brushed the long, luscious, auburn strands of wig away from his face. “Why did it have to come to this?” He took a moment to take another look at himself. Behind him, his hair fluttered through the air like a dark, burning cloak over his silky white dress with silvery arm bands holding a set of black sleeves which flowed to his hands. And, of course, none of that was nearly as odd and uncomfortable as the two lumps of jelly that Morrighan had stuffed into his dress to give him his “curves”. “You look hot,” Morrighan had teased in a fit of “coughs” as she applied mascara—clearly enjoying it. Ark rolled his eyes, diverting his gaze at the thought. He had no interest in being “hot” for a giant.

Fortunately, Ark thought, I'm not alone in this ridiculous act. Having Fenrir was definitely reassuring. Beside him, the pale skinned swordsman adorned in an elaborate and frilly pearl-colored wedding dress dropped his gaze in embarrassment as they neared the giant's lair. “Umm... Ark? Remind me why we agreed to do this?”

Because, he wanted to reply, Takao finds cross-dressing guys to be the funniest thing since Cards Against Humanity¼. But, retorting wouldn't help them out of the ludicrous situation so, he decided to reply simply. And teasingly—sticking his tongue out, “Because, mi'lady, you can't afford to look like anything less than a princess on your wedding day—might cost you a limb or two considering who the groom is.”

He was sure he caught the hint of a grimacing wrinkle but Fenrir just continued, “I'm sure she's laughing at us so hard, right now.”

At that, Ark had to laugh, in spite of himself as images of Takao's expression flashed through his mind.

“We shouldn't have agreed to this,” the blond bride-to-be muttered, casting uneasy glances at their surroundings. Noticeably, his pale face reddened and his stance tightened—not too strange considering how tight the hems of his dress seemed.

“Don't worry,” Ark said, placing his hand on Fenrir's shoulder, “we already have this fully planned out. This should be over quick.” He said that confidently and strode forward but... deep inside... there lingered a shadow of doubt. What if I freeze up, again? No. He wouldn't think of that. Shoving the thought away, he smirked adding, “And, it's for the ladies—how much better can it get?”

He stopped to look ahead. The opening to the cave loomed over them like the mouth of a crawling giant, gaping in a warm, slimy welcome to its next meal. Ark berated himself for the thought. Stop, psyching yourself out. The reality was that, if the plan was carried out properly, they'd not have a problem bringing down the giant. Even if it was at least three stories in height. From the corner of his eye, Ark spotted a flash of purple jumping between the trees. Takao, he thought with a smile, his confidence reasserting himself.

Said confidence went screaming and running out of his mind as the ground-shaking thunder of massive footsteps echoed through the air. Ark couldn't blame it, his left index finger nervously sliding through the air by his side, opening his equipment menu and shakily preparing to summon his weapon. Had he been alone, he would've bolted, too. Only, he thought, heaven knows how hard it'll be to run in this garb.

“Is this my beautiful bride?” the giant asked, suddenly, his name «Polyphemus» and health bars materializing as he stepped out from the shadows of the cave. At the question, Ark had to resist a sigh. Thank goodness he was short-sighted and didn't have glasses.

Then, Fenrir spoke up in a strained attempt to imitate a girl's voice, “Yes, it's me!” In later days, when he recounted his experience on this venture to Morrighan, Ark would be unable to explain how, exactly, he was able to contain his laughter in that moment. All he would have to say was that he simply couldn't let Fenrir one-up him like that.

In a single flamboyant swish of his scarlet wig—a motion that jiggled his voluptuous jelly—Ark harrumphed in the most feminine way he could muster before beginning his silky play, “Of course, this is she—can you not recognize the young duchess of Marome? Your beautiful young bride has come all this way to meet you and you aren't even prepared?”

For a moment, «Polyphemus» seemed confused—a moment that Ark used to summon his «Boomerang Spear» behind his back. In an almost drunken daze, processing Ark's words and simultaneously entranced by Fenrir, he reached forward, with his right hand, to touch the swordsman.

Only to have his fingers severed by a beam of golden light, “Ark, Morrighan, now!”

“With pleasure,” Ark remarked, his voice still sounding silky from before. He coughed, correcting himself, before screaming and throwing his spear—right into the giant's left arm. Note to self, Ark thought despairingly, don't count on hitting your target if it is flailing wildly in pain.

There was a bellow of rage giving Ark a moment's warning to move before an enraged arm slammed into the ground beside him. Chuckling weakly to himself, the auburn cross-dresser turned to run as the giant stumbled trying to reach them.

Now, a word to all. Running in heels wasn't as bad as most had said it would be. No, Ark thought as he run—his heels clacking noisily against on rocky pathway leading away from «Polyphemus'» cave. It was much, much worse. Roughly a few seconds into the run, that was the conclusion that Ark had reached. And his heels hadn't even sunk into the ground... yet.

Ark cursed, in a very unladylike manner, as the squelch of sinking soil brought him falling to the ground. He immediately kicked his high-heels off but that didn't help much—«Polyphemus» had caught up. As the shadow of the giant's massive hand loomed over him, Ark could feel every energy reserve in his body draining. No!

He rolled to the side, just as the hand closed on his position and, with a loud scream, ran his halberd through the back of the giant's hand—pinning it to the ground in a flash of magenta. Ignoring the following scream of pain, Ark leapt back onto his feet and ran as fast as he could up the giant's pinned arm—struggling against the heavy folds of his dress. Then, he jumped, propelling his final weapon, the «Valkyrie's Glaive», towards his target. If «Polyphemus» was “short-sighted” before, now, he was definitely blind.

The rest, Ark thought with some satisfaction at his accomplishment, is up to Morrighan and Fenrir.

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Mirai Chi Character Portrait: Hisui Character Portrait: Triangle Character Portrait: Magnus the Great
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Zalgo
Martial Artist's Hut, Time: 6:36 PM, December 6, 2022


Wham! Wham! Wham!

The sound of his fists hitting the face of the boulder began to drone on in his mind. The monotony of it was
starting to claw at his patience. Even grinding mobs didn't feel like as such a drag to him as this task did.
Just how long are they gonna discuss this? When I said I'd soften up this boulder for her I didn't think she'd take her sweet time while I do this whole bloody quest for her. He just stopped hitting the boulder. Flexing his stiff fingers he felt slight pangs of pain run through his hand. If nothing else, he had to compliment the game for considering the rigors of an adventurer's journey with such detail.

He strode on over to the tent where the trio were all discussing whatever trivial matter they were wasting his precious time with. "Oy!" He announced himself as politely as usually did which really was not all that polite. The brushed open the opening to their tent and peered in from outside. "You all got the run-down right? Going to party up, head to town and get some supplies and other junk. I'm gonna make it simple." He announced through the doorway, talking in a slightly lower volume than he was outside the tent but still rather loud by normal standards. He immediately sent each one of them a party invite, the ACCEPT/DECLINE button appearing on their interface. "Accept or decline, I'm gonna be leaving for town in ten minutes or less if you're feeling hasty." He informed them, pulling his head out from the opening of the tent.

He realized of course that if he went without little black riding hood he'd be screwed for being able to buy anything. He very quickly popped his head back in for a further announcement, looking directly at the short hooded girl for this one.
"Yourself excluded of course. Take however long you need. Try to be fast ok?" He added. With that said to her he took his head back out of the tent and slowly meandered his way back to the girl's rock. He looked at the rock and then back to his sore fists, feeling only just returning to them now. "Welp, back at it." He gave a warm breath to each of his fists and started punching her rock up, his hand hurting with each strike.

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Mirai Chi Character Portrait: Hisui Character Portrait: Triangle Character Portrait: Magnus the Great
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Soulies
Mirai braced herself for Triangle's sassy remarks, but before he could really do anything, Magnus entered.. 'Hm.. someones impatient.' Taking her weapon, she left with Hisui- Triangle following behind. 'Guess its a good thing Triangle got these kind of breeds..' She thought, looking over their group. A normal horse wouldnt be able to go down the mounts with four people- especially with one that is adorned with heavy armor. "W-well, I-I'm all ready to go," she told the other two players in the hut. "P-please get ready soon. A-and, um...d-don't just, ah, r-ride off on your horses...a-and leave us behind." She giggled softly, shaking her head. "Of course not.."
----------------

Holding the reigns of her horse, she looked around. There wasn't anything they needed.. or nothing that really came to her mind. She had cooking equipment, weapons.. but she was lacking some juice 'hmm Maybe some medical gear and potions..' She spotted a small market stand with recognizable bottles, and began toward it. However she faltered- Oh yeah, she was in a party.
She grimanced at the bad habit of venturing on solo. The whole group party thing was a new concept for her, even if triangle was her partner.. he didnt mind when she wandered off. Glancing back at Hisui and Magnus, she was about to say something until she saw Hisui staring at something (and it wasnt magnus.)
"hm?" She followed her line of sight, and saw the green bracelet before feeling the quirk of her lips. She remained quiet, and continued with her question, "Well, should we split up and get our equipment and meet up at a certain area to eat?"

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Mirai Chi Character Portrait: Hisui Character Portrait: Triangle Character Portrait: Magnus the Great
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Triangle was flipping through the guidebook for Urbus, it didn't contain any information on the ratings for restaurants but it did list prices. The restaurants and shops were ordered by price, cheapest in the front and most expensive in the back, Triangle flipped all the way to the back. Totally immersed in the guidebook, he wasn't holding the reins to Yfla either, the horse simply followed it's sister Rhombi. He took a moment and held the guidebook between his teeth to tie up his regrowing hair, soon enough it'll be at the same length as when he first joined the game. Ever since they left the mountain, Triangle had been taciturn, he was still a little dazed from the whole ordeal and was unsure of what to say in case he let something slip.

"Well, should we split up and get our equipment and meet up at a certain area to eat?"

Not sure exactly of where to go, he picked the very last restaurant on the page, Bean Rua. It was the most expensive establishment in the city, located next to a scenic river, with outdoor dining option included that looked out at the river and city, it served fine exotic foods with ingredients found on higher levels. There was also live music on certain nights, but unfortunately not tonight. The cheapest dish on the menu costs 300col. Triangle whistled to himself when he saw the price, it was more affordable than he thought.

Triangle looked up from the guide and suggested "How about this place?" He described the restaurant, and reassured his party when he saw their surprised faces, "Don't worry, I'll handle the bill, you guys just enjoy yourselves." But there was something else to take care of: their clothes. Magnus wore nothing but his armor, Hisui's clothes were not suitable, and He and Mirai didn't remember to pack anything fancy for this trip; he wasn't even sure they had any clothes fancy enough for such a restaurant. "Oh since, we're enjoying ourselves here, might as well look right doing it, lets stop by an outfitter and buy some more... suitable clothes. Its on me so help yourselves. Follow me, I know a nice place, it's right around the corner actually."

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Mirai Chi Character Portrait: Hisui Character Portrait: Triangle Character Portrait: Magnus the Great
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Zalgo
Urbus, Time: 7:58 PM, December 6, 2022


They rode into town, the gang of fellows wearing painted whiskers. While some of the others might of felt uncomfortable he felt nothing of it. He had to live his whole life feeling ashamed of anyone seeing his face so this feeling was nothing new. Luckily he was still wearing his helmet so that kept him obscured for the time being.

"S-so, ah, I...I haven't really looked around i-in this city. D-do you perhaps, um, h-have an idea about w-where we're eating? O-or, um, should we ask t-the other two?"

He heard Hisui as he now knew her by say behind him. Though he did definitely know the city better than her since he had already played through this floor before there were some things that were outside his base of knowledge. Good restaurants were one of those things. Her question had occupied him to the point where he missed her checking out various trinkets and accessories in the windows as they rode through town.
His deep thought was only interrupted when Mirai voiced her suggestion.

"Well, should we split up and get our equipment and meet up at a certain area to eat?"

Though not a bad idea her suggestion didn't serve him too well seeing as how he was both too poor to afford anything and not in need of anything other than food. He was about to go about trying to mention this awkward matter of fact to Hisui when Triangle decided to be an isosceles.

"How about this place?"

Triangle described the restaurant that he didn't know about until he told them about it. It was the most expensive restaurant in town, no wonder he never went there.

He never appreciated the finer details about this game. The taste of the food, the freshness of the air, the appearance of the clothing, all of it meaningless. It all paled in comparison when the war against the odds was in it's peak. In his mind everything which wasn't directly benefiting his leveling was unnecessary or 'roleplay' as he'd call it. He was never much of a roleplayer. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the graphics, he just didn't take the time to ever actually appreciate the graphics.

As for the restaurant, he wasn't too keen on the idea. The fact that this Triangle character was offering to pay for all this and then going for the most expensive stuff in town had him suspicious. Just what is this guy's game here? Is he planning on paying for all this expensive stuff now and then later on demand we pay him back or work for him until we've payed off the debt? If so I'm really not looking forward to the kind of grinding I'd need to do to fess up the money for that level of debt. After all, I still need to pay off my debt to Hisui. She at least is pretty cool about my debt to her, not using it as leverage or anything yet. I don't know this guy, it might be a trap. Magnus's obsessively compulsive frame of strange logic wound itself in circles over the matter.

"Oh since, we're enjoying ourselves here, might as well look right doing it, lets stop by an outfitter and buy some more... suitable clothes. Its on me so help yourselves. Follow me, I know a nice place, it's right around the corner actually."

For now, his concerns were silent as he rode on towards their destination. It seemed all too much like Triangle was purposefully hiking the price of their outing up so he can spring his unfortunate surprise on them all later. He was just quietly wishing for this venture to be over with so he can back to punching the boulder, a far more rewarding task which yields that golden ambrosia of the gods called Experience Points.

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Mirai Chi Character Portrait: Hisui Character Portrait: Triangle Character Portrait: Magnus the Great
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Zalgo
Urbus, Time: 8:00 PM, December 6, 2022


Magnus stepped into the clothing store and immediately he remembered that he absolutely hated shopping. He never liked shopping in his life and yet he saw the insides of stores quite often. He wouldn't of if he had a choice but he was pretty much conscripted into watching over his sister everywhere she went and she was almost always going shopping, well at least when she's not talking on the phone or belittling him. She could spend literal hours going over articles of clothing with her friends/minions while he stood around feeling his legs slowly go numb. The only thing he could do there is silently wish that nobody notices him so he doesn't have to talk to anybody.

Here at the very least he wasn't forced to look after anyone. On the other hand he also had to find things to buy but that wasn't unusual for him either. His parents would always take the opportunity to laden him with various chores whenever the opportunity presented itself. If he was anywhere near a store which had something they needed it was his responsibility to also pick that up for them.



Ten minutes later.


He scanned over the various clothing, weighing the prices of the various articles before him. They almost all were far more costly than what he would like to pay for any of this. He was wondering what on earth he'd pick when it suddenly caught his eye. It was a particular green tabard with sky blue trim and a stylized white floral design. It wasn't overly fancy but something about it seemed to resonate with him. Thinking about it he considered the possibility of a work around using that very item.

He went and purchased what was close to about the cheapest selection of shirt and pants they had, a bare off-white linen attire. With those he bought the tabard and wore it over his plain clothes before cinching it to him with a regular brown belt tied securely to his waist. He stepped out from the changing room clad in his purchased selection. Without his armor, especially his helmet, his ugly mug was open to the world for everyone to see. Now that he was dressed up like this this game was starting to reek with the all too familiar feeling of real life he had hoped to escape by coming here. After the guy who created this game removed their custom avatars that sense of escapism was no longer available to him. He managed to fake it for a while by wearing the armor but now it started to become just as uncomfortable as life had always been.


Needless to say he wore a sour frown pretty much the moment his helm came off. He saw Triangle and Hisui chatting it up over in the mens section of the store. They both had taken a bit longer than he did since he pretty much hunted down what he was looking for and bought it with little delay. He skulked on over to their position, his posture being a bit hunched forward since he didn't really feel like looming over anyone since that would make him more notable which was what he was trying to avoid as much as he realistically could. He didn't do anything drastic or weird to keep from being noticed but despite his size he stood in a way which made himself appear smaller than he is. It was somewhat notable as whenever he stood around when he was clad in his armor he stood proud with his head held up high. "Hi. You both done or do you need another minute?" He asked in a less aggressive and pushy manner than he normally spoke in.

He saw her choice in clothes and it wasn't too far off from his own. While she had picked a plain but decently pretty dress he had picked a neat tabard with very plain clothes to wear under it. In addition, both her dress and his tabard were a similar color of green, her dress being a slight bit darker in hue than his tabard. He had a slight flight of whimsy when he considered the thought that some people might think of Hisui and himself as being in a relationship, what with them wearing similar attire and sitting together in a restaurant. Heh. As if anyone would believe a cute girl like her would actually like me.
He dismissed the ridiculous notion as he awaited their reply.

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Mirai Chi Character Portrait: Hisui Character Portrait: Triangle Character Portrait: Magnus the Great
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Soulies
Mirai scanned the guide, and blinked at the prices. Well.. for some reason she wasnt surprised on the choice.. She peered up at Triangle and then at the horses, 'Yeah not very surprising at all.' She thought. Mirai always suspected something, but Triangle seemed to be from a very expensive taste- even though he looked like a noob in a tattered cloak when she met him. 'Oh well..' Shrugging it off, she followed them to the outfitter nearby
"You get kicked out for 'not being stylish enough!' It's stupid! And I dunno about you, but I know for a fact that I'm absolutely gorgeous!". [highfives nightblazer] She blinks, overhearing customers of the bean rua. Mirai simply rolled her eyes, however as she did so she caught Hisui's nervous.. and sullen expression. Was she.. self conscious? Well that wasnt too surprising either, since she noticed that Hisui was a rather.. shy character. Deciding not to say anything yet, she slid off Rhombi, giving a pat of praise, before turning to the brightly lit store. Unfamiliar.

She scanned the area and then the clothes displayed on the window case. Yes, unfamiliar. "...." She felt sudden distance. How long has it been she since shopped for.. casual or fancy clothing? Even in reality did she ever near a store after her sickness struck her- no need for fancy balls at that time. Despite this, Mirai didnt feel all to nervous at all- instead she secretly felt like she should savor the new experience before her, even if it was all graphics. 'Its the closest thing ill ever get..' Yes, with the thoughts of death constantly hitting her back, she always had a mindset of being grateful, even if she didnt show it.

Entering the store, she looked around. "Black.." She whispered, before heading over to the dark dressed section. "hmm" It only took her a few minutes to find a dress. It was a black based dress that reached her knees, around the upper body was a blue corset with black lace.. It was quite nice actually.. Looking at the price she blinked in surprise. It was on sale. "lucky me."Turning around to head over to the cash register (she had her own mula from before) she saw Magnus staring (without a helmet too //gasp).. 'At what-' A subtle grin pulled at her lips. Hisui. 'Is he.. interested?' She wondered, examining the look in his eyes. It was difficult to see what he was thinking.. since he seemed to always have a natural sour look. Inching near, she hanged the dress over her arm, "Looks like we are almost finished.." She examined the selection, and felt overly amused at the choices that magnus and Hisui made. Fate hm? "Thats a good choice Hisui.." She complimented genuinely, seeing how the green dress will correspond nicely with her eyes. She peered at Magnus, "and i could say the same to you."