DestinyStar

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

@Zelosse I thought I'd try recounting the fight with her thoughts/feelings, since I knew after reading it she would be kind of a mess at the end haha... She might take to fighting well, but she does have anxiety issues in reality that I figure would transfer into the game. ;)

@BlackPanther Haha... I saw an episode of South Park last night about airports. It was hilarious how true it was... That whole process sucks. X_x

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

@Zelosse

Day 2, Morning.

Cinera countered him with a sort of breathless grin, relieved that he seemed to be satisfied. Apparently, he had learned all that he needed to know from that fight so she felt like she could relax, a bit. Now out of danger, she allowed herself to plop down on the ground in relief. However, Delcastle just seemed all the more excited as he immediately began to explain combat swap to her. This was something she was very unfamiliar with, as it would be a difficult tactic to carry out with nothing more than a controller. So we just switch in the middle of a fight...? I thought we were all fighting as a team?

Without any hesitation, Delcastle had engaged the small wolf, making Cinera immediately jump to her feet. Looks like this wouldn't be a time to rest and discuss, after all. Her hand carefully rested on the hilt of her sword as she watched him demonstrate with the wolf. She proceeded to draw her sword as soon as the wolf landed at her feet, but he had stopped her. Why? The wolf had been engaged - as part of the same party, she assumed anyone near the wolf would be in danger. Much to her surprise though, the wolf paid no mind to the girl who was only two feet away and leapt for the man who was a good couple yards back. "Whoa..." She sort of admired the way Delcastle held off the wolf, as if it were nothing to him and this creature was just a plaything.

"I think I understand... But does that apply to all monsters? Or just wolves?" Cinera thought back to the many games she had played and recognized aggro as something common among the creatures who fought in packs. Other solo-fighting monsters, such as large bosses, would always give their attention to the entire group, seeing them as a whole rather than as individual people. Was it the same with this game, or would this technique he was explaining be a huge advantage for their party during the entire game?

At his instructions, she nodded and stood at the ready. Their first switch was a bit shaky on the timing, as she hesitated for a fraction of a second in her insecurity. As they practiced, though, she began to really get the hang of it. With Delcastle serving as a distraction and dealing some light damage, these beasts moved slowly and were much easier to strike down. In this moment, she felt like they were invincible... and these new wolves were level 3! On the way here, she had struggled with level 3 monsters. Did teamwork really make this much of a difference? She played most of her games solo, so this was a new adventure, for her. It was exciting! The way they moved together to take out the enemies became, in itself, a well-oiled machine. Perhaps that wasn't just how the brothers worked... Maybe, just maybe, that was what she had always been missing with these games. Of course, none of her friends would ever play video games, but it would have been neat to try those games with a partner or two. She felt a sort of thrill inside her that she only felt when she was playing her favorite games - a sensation very similar to opening a present on Christmas morning. This game, even if it was trying to kill them, was pretty kick-ass.

However, that confidence didn't last very long. As they approached a much larger wolf, Cinera felt a strange sort of queasiness in her stomach that made her very uneasy. These opponents were obviously much stronger than the level 3s, but they felt a bit cocky with how well their fights had been going; even Cinera wasn't level-headed enough, at the moment, to speak up about her nervousness. The thrill of killing these strong monsters would be that confidence she needed to get through this game - and maybe survive. Delcastle took the first hit, as usual, but the alphas attacked much quicker than Cinera was expecting. Her eyes grew wide when she saw his shoulder get hit, so she quickly pushed herself forward to defend him. They went down fairly easily as she fought her hardest, now feeling that fear from before build up in the pit of her stomach. Delcastle hadn't been hit during any of their battles, so far... Were they in danger, now? Suddenly, she wasn't having fun anymore.

Her hunches were right as the largest wolf began to eat at Delcastle's HP. He was growing weaker by the moment, and she found herself trapped as she blocked a leap from the remaining alpha wolf, digging her heels into the ground just like before as she tried to hold him off. Her teammate was in trouble and she couldn't do anything about it. Cinera grunted as she managed to shove the wolf off of her, only to turn and try to get to him. By the time she did, though, he had flipped the Den Mother off of him and moved out of the way - a switch. Her good instincts kicked into gear as she rushed forward to slice the large wolf as hard as she could. A battle cry escaped her lips as she struggled to pull her katana through the wolf's flesh; she wanted to make sure her attack was as powerful as possible, so that its HP would drop into zero.

She must have still felt cocky, though, because she let down her guard as soon as she had pulled her blade through. That was when the attack happened. Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The growl behind her came as a surprise, to which she turned to see the face of death right in front of her, teeth bared in a mid-air strike. The Den Mother had recoiled from the attack, almost instantly turning around to kill Cinera, who had fallen into the trap. Fear encased her small frame as she gaped, practically seeing her life flash before her eyes. This had been stupid. They should have never come to fight, at all, especially not monsters this huge. It was only in this moment that she noticed the beast was a level 6 - not even a four or five - and way out of their current range. Her eyes closed as she waited for the sharp teeth to sink into her flesh and turn her into pixels.

Instead, she felt something hard slam into her side, shoving her to the ground and making her slide across the dirt to safety. She winced at the motion, but in surprise immediately opened her eyes to see the horror before her - Delcastle had taken her place. His HP bar sunk into the red as this large wolf clamped onto him, shaking him from side to side as it attempted to rip him apart. He had saved her...? In this moment, Cinera's heart stopped and she just gaped, staring at the scene with wide eyes. He was dying... because of her. Not just in the game, but in reality. Fear kept her frozen as tears welled up in her eyes. Her friend was going to die. He's going to die... He's going to die!

"D.. Delcastle! NO!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs as her body moved on its own, lunging forward to stab the Den Mother in the throat. Her hands shook as she screamed, pushing with all her might to obliterate the damn beast. As it dissolved into pixels, she stumbled back, gripping her katana tightly with both hands. Every ounce of Cinera's body shook as she gaped at Delcastle. He was alive, but her eyes couldn't quite see that through the fear. That had been too close for comfort. What if something had happened to him? It would be all her fault. I got reckless... I was careless...

Her companion stood and seemed thrilled by it all, but she could hardly hear him. The looming thought of how real death was in this game hung over her like a dark cloud, and she barely felt his tight hug. His embrace did bring her out of her fear-filled trance, but tears immediately fell down her cheeks as she broke into sobs. This would be the second time she broke down in front of him, but she couldn't help it. Death was something she had always feared, and being so young she was even more afraid of losing those around her to it. Though he probably wasn't too aware of it, Delcastle had grown on her as a friend and someone she felt like she could thrive with in this game. More than anything, he was a good person, and the thought of him dying because of her own cockiness was too much to handle. It was one thing to get herself killed, but it was another thing to endanger another person. She might feel more confident, but Cinera had not yet come to terms with what death would mean, even as she nearly saw it happen right in front of her. She was not prepared to see someone die for the first time.

The sobs shook her body as she found herself collapsing to the ground. Her breathing was quick and ragged as she buried her hands in her face. "I-I'm s-sorry... I-I'm s-so s-s-sorry... I-I'm s-sorry..." She choked out over and over through the sobs. Another panic attack. This one was worse than the first, as it happened almost immediately and suddenly from the high emotions she had felt during the battle, rather than building up from a small feeling. It also was a lot more difficult to control, as she bent over and cried much louder than before. Her body shook with the ever-lingering fear, and it became the worst experience she had ever had. Her ears hadn't even heard his comment about how "well" the fight had gone. All she could hear was the sound of death. Immediately, she clamped her hands over her ears, unable to control the violent tremors throughout her body. Reckless... That was a reckless way to fight... Damn it... She stared at the ground with wide eyes. I knew it... I can't do this...

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

@Zelosse Whoa... That was actually my favorite post of yours, thus far! You're very good at reading characters, btw... You have Cinera spot on. :P She does use it 2-handed right now, since it's still pretty foreign, but I wanted to let you know that as something to play with for the future, haha.

Also... Awwh he protected her! But I can't tell if he's scheming or starting to get a bit of those feels... ;)

I'm gonna catch some sleep but will reply when I wake up! Great post, again!

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

@Zelosse Sure, go ahead! The only thing I ask is no dialogue. I am pretty particular about the way my characters speak. ^^" If you have any questions about her fighting style, let me know! I plan to work her up to using the katana one-handed. :)

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

@Zelosse Sorry it took so long! I've never written a fight before... Tried my best haha. ^^"

Also totally been watching SAO II: GGO with the hubby, so I got distracted. xP He's never seen it. But he says he likes it so yay!

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

@Zelosse

Day 2, Morning.

Cinera nodded as he explained, feeling a bit relieved to hear this. "That sounds good. Lead the way." She was unfamiliar with the pattern of other VRMMO games, but this one seemed to be fairly similar to those that she played - which meant she had some time to build up her skill before they would encounter too many large groups. Of course, the hunting prey would be different than the bosses, but even a pack of wolves wouldn't be more than three or four, maybe five max; it was unusual for regular monsters to gang up on you, even if you have a big party.

With this in mind, she followed Delcastle to the hunting spot, noting that they were heading in the complete opposite direction from the rest of their party. She was beginning to learn how he and his brother liked to do things, and it was honestly like a well-oiled machine. They were working with them separately to find their strengths and weaknesses, and then they would form the group as a whole to make it function. It was a pretty good strategy, but it did require a lot of trust from those involved. Cinera felt herself suddenly become a bit nervous that he was leading her out into a dangerous area, like this; it would be an ideal way for him to trick her, if he wanted to, since he knew that she was fairly defenseless out here. It may have been a mistake to tell him all of the important details about herself - was it really smart to tell a stranger her biggest weaknesses?

Shaking her head, Cinera continued to follow him. No, this wasn't the time to doubt. She had already made the decision to trust him. He knew what he was doing; her life was better in his hands than in her own. And honestly, considering the circumstances, she couldn't see people trying to ambush one another. This game was them against the GM and the bosses, not against each other. Hopefully any player battles would cease until the end of the game; people wouldn't be stupid enough to actually fight other players when they could die for real, would they? She had no idea at the time, but she severely underestimated the insanity of people in this world.

Soon, they arrived in a small meadow near the forest where they encountered a pack of three wolves. Level 2, huh... This should be okay. I fought these on the way to this town. When he asked if she could handle all three by herself, she nodded. "It should be okay. They move quick, but if I remember their attack power isn't very high." I just need to slow them down... She remembered what he had said about hitting their limbs as she removed her cloak to place in her inventory. This was the first time she had revealed herself in this game, showing her black leather bralette, shorts with white belts, fingerless gloves, and boots. It was an outfit that did not have much protective power, but it allowed her to move fast which is what she had originally been aiming for. Agility was always my strongest suite... but if I can die based on my HP, I might want to save up for something more protective.

She also revealed a deep, black katana resting on her hip in its sheath. This little gem had been something that she discovered during the beta test when she wandered into a secret cave. It had contained a secret boss that was pretty low-level, and she was sure to challenge the monster again as soon as the full version released. It was a rare sword in title only - its abilities were pretty average, but Cinera absolutely adored it. The weight was fairly light and easy to control, but it still had a decent strike power; it fit perfectly with her agile nature. Severance... An oddly fitting name for a sword like this. She smirked at the thought and quickly drew the long, black blade from its hilt and held it above her head at a downward angle, ready to fight.

Okay. Here we go!

As the wolves targeted her, she quickly lunged forward, her orange hair sparkling in the sun as it flowed behind her. The first wolf lunged at her, to which she dodged and sliced her sword toward the one on the left, instead. It left a mark, but not much damage. She was too worried about Delcastle watching her - she needed to focus. Another wolf jumped at her and she turned to block, her blade coming into contact with the wolf's teeth as it pushed her back in the dirt. Cinera struggled, grunting as she tried to keep her ground. Come on... I need to be stronger! It was no use, though, as her back slammed into the tree behind her. A bit of a cry escaped her lips as she fell to the ground, still squaring off with the wolf as the others began to growl. The pain level in this game was surprising... almost realistic. She could practically feel the scratches on her back from the bark of the tree.

Rather than admire the game's level of detail though, she noticed that the wolves only attacked one at a time, though it was in quick succession. So they won't gang up on you... I'm sure that's not the same with every creature, but this makes it easier! I just need to calm down... After a moment of struggling, Cinera managed to push the wolf back with her blade and then kick the wolf as hard as she could. It whimpered as it fell back, and she managed to regain her footing while the other wolves were distracted. Once she was up, another wolf lunged and she jumped to the side, simultaneously swiping her katana to wound its back leg. One was slowed. Good. This was the one she needed to focus on. One at a time.

As she began to regain her confidence, the fight moved very quickly. She dodged the way of another wolf and managed to strike the wounded one, killing it instantly. Then she blocked another one as it lunged, this time digging her heels into the ground to keep her footing. In a more confident manner, she firmly grasped the katana with one hand to hold off the wolf and pulled her other hand back to punch it hard in the snout. It wasn't much damage, but enough blood gushed from the wolf's face to keep it distracted. Cinera once again dodged the other wolf and drove Severance hard into the wounded one, killing it. This last wolf was the easiest, not requiring much except a dodge to the side and a few strikes from her blade. It was finished.

Cinera glanced around before lowering her stance and letting out the breath she had been holding in. The fight took longer than it would have for a normal player, but once she got a rhythm going she made sure to fight carefully and pace herself. Her defensive skills were better than she though, and she credited that to the confidence Delcastle had begun to give her. Quietly, she returned Severance to its sheath and looked over at her new friend, breathing heavily from the battle. "So... H-How was that...?" She gave him a nervous smile as the blood from the wolf she had punched dripped from her fingertips.

Eagleton High [Just Your Average, Everyday High School Roleplay]

@NuttsnBolts I'm sorry to see you go, but I wish you all the best!

Eagleton High [Just Your Average, Everyday High School Roleplay]

If everyone wants to restart, we can absolutely do that. :) @OldManWong are you okay with that, too?
If we did restart, it might be best just to keep the few people we already have and who we know will reply. Too many people results in too many flakes and waiting on too many responses (which makes it move way slow).

If I can be honest for a moment... I'm really disappointed as of late. I joined 8 RPs since coming back onto this site and only two of them are really active. Most people quit on me or just stopped replying. :( I only bring this up because I'm honestly curious - is that normal on this site, now? Do people do that a lot in the other RPs y'all do or have tried to do?

From The Grave

Bump...? <3

When the magic dies - Elorwin and DestinyStar

A bit of a smile crossed Dru's lips as this new stranger uttered a familiar name. "Ah, Richard? Yeah, he's part of our guild..." The worry in her face concerned him, so he felt pretty bad at his next response. "I, uh... hate to tell you this now, but he's actually out on a job right now. He should be back soon, but until then the master should be able to help with anything Richard could." So she did know somebody in the guild. That was a good thing. Maybe they were close friends or something? The look in her deep, blue eyes said otherwise, but he simply shrugged it off as the shopkeep approached him.

A bit of a frown appeared on his lips. The master wouldn't be happy to hear that they didn't have those. They had already asked at two shops. Blue crystals were pretty common, right? They used them for a lot of things around the guild, including cooking. It was strange that many shops were running out, so quickly... Hopefully there wasn't a shortage. This was another thing that just didn't sit right with Dru. The pain in his eyes began to tingle, and he gracefully ran a hand through his hair to mask the pain. This stranger didn't need to know the weird things going on around here, especially if she did want to make a formal request. Above all, he knew that the image and reputation of the guild was extremely important - it was what provided all of them with work.

After leaving his list of groceries needed with the shopkeeper, he began to lead the girl - Sophia, she said - back to the guild hall. His eyes traced her up and down, examining her. A girl this pretty would fit right in over at their hangout. In fact, he immediately knew that the other men were going to mistake her as a customer and immediately try to charm her. She was in for a treat. He wasn't into all of that, though, so he figured he'd just find the master to help her and retreat back into his corner to check out some books. It was a bit strange how similar they looked, though, and something about that kept sort of nagging in the back of his mind. Right now it wasn't important, but it did make him wonder since there weren't many others like his tribe out there.

When she asked about the guild, Dru couldn't help but to smirk. She would be pretty disappointed to see how much of their effort went toward beauty - they were practically a host club, the way they dolled up and welcomed guests everyday. Many jobs related to dating or makeovers and things that really didn't make an impact on society. However, their guild was full of talented wizards, despite how much they wasted their talents.

"I guess we're best described as a... research guild? A lot of our work is based around climate and how magic affects the world around us, but honestly it's not really what we're best known for..." Another smirk crossed his lips as he tried hard not to laugh. Research? Yeah, they did that. After all, they did have experts in snow and air within their guild, and he himself was a master of water. They often studied the weather and how to manipulate and control it. Plus, they had some known for archival magic. Richard was really the only one to study how the climate is affected by magic, but he was considered the nerd of the group. Handsome, just like all the rest, but still a nerd.

"Well, here we are." He stopped at the gate to a large, highly-decorated building in the center of town. Blue Pegasus. The place he had called home for the past several years. A safehaven. "This is home. Now, uh... You might find that it's a bit different from what you expect, but be sure to give it a chance, okay? Whatever you need, they'll be able to help. Trust me." There was almost a pained look in his eyes as he said this, glimpsing into the past. They were always there whenever he needed them, so he had no trouble saying this to her with full confidence that they would help her solve whatever problems she had.