Goldenflame27

Far From Home [ Scout & Vena Sera ]

Kenshin grinned as he walked out onto the beach, his towel thrown over one shoulder and carrying a small tackle box in his right hand. He wore black swimming trunks and a skintight red shirt that clearly outlined his wiry muscles. Though he couldn’t feel the warm evening sun on his face or the cool sand between his toes, Kenshin was overjoyed at finally getting the chance to visit another sea. He missed the long days out on his rowboat in Niigata that inevitably became long nights on the beach beneath the stars. He sighed; nothing could could’ve made those days better. “Kenshin, wait up. You’re walking too fast.” Well, almost nothing.

Kenshin stopped and turned to see Alphard, the most beautiful woman in the world, in his eyes at least. She wore long linen pants and a grey bikini top, her silver hair left to fall loose over her shoulders. She carried a long fishing pole with which she playfully slapped Kenshin on the rear. “What’re you in such a hurry for lover? The others can wait another couple of minutes while we can take our time.” Alphard slipped her free hand into Kenshin’s and smiled lovingly at him. The young man blushed, suddenly feeling the weight of the small cloth bag about his neck. The bag was a minor item, with only a couple of equipment slots, only two of which were currently filled. The first slot contained a thin, unadorned iron band. The second held a ring of silver set with a miniscule topaz. Neither ring had any armor properties, contained magic, or really did anything at all. They had only one use, to complete a short ceremony binding the lives of two individuals forevermore.

Kenshin had planned on taking Alphard aside after meeting up with the others. They would fish for a while and Kenshin would slyly slip her ring on his hook. Oh, look at what I found. You know the fisher’s saying, ‘A gift of the sea is never to be wasted’ I guess we have to use it now… Then he’d drop smoothly to one knee and propose there in the surf surrounded by golden twilight.

Kenshin was still caught up in his fantasy when he and his bride-to-be came upon their friends. And what a sight they were… Yari stood talking to Luna, who reclined on a towel and looked on smugly. The object of her attention was none other than Suto, grumbling away while washing sand from himself in the waves. Fitch stood slightly apart from the others, watching Yari with a strange expression. Kenshin and Alphard set their loads down nearby and spread out Kenshin’s towel before addressing Luna and Yari.

“So ladies,” Alphard asked, “do I want to know what’s going on, or should Kenshin and I go ahead and catch dinner for us first?”

Far From Home [ Scout & Vena Sera ]

So there was to be a duel then, was there? Kenshin thought to himself. And Fitch won’t take any help. This wasn’t going to end well. Fitch was clearly not in his right mind at the moment, making him liable to make mistakes. Doku, on the other hand, was pretty calm for someone about to fight another human here in this world. The crowd began filtering out to watch the fight, Kenshin overheard a passerby noting that Doku had made a name for himself here as a duelist of some renown. “Great. This keeps getting better and better by the minute,” he muttered.

Alphard pressed up against his side, fitting her body neatly against his and rested her head on his shoulder. Kenshin reflexively put his arm around her and held her against him, but was slightly surprised. They were close, and this was completely natural for them when they were out hunting or just spending time together in the wilds, but she never showed this kind of intimacy in public before. Kenshin leaned his head down and landed a soft kiss on Alphard’s cheek. Quick as a flash, she caught his face in her hands and brought his ear down to her lips, whispering softly, “How’s your Tracking Skill?”

A slow grin filled the blonde boy’s face and he nodded. “It’s pretty good by now. Got something you wanna track down hon?” He slid his hand down to the small of her back and guided her gently out the door. “I was thinking that that ogre we saw over in the field outside Tarbinal’s ‘Haunted Forest’ might be worth our time. If it turns out to be a miniboss, a Field Boss, or Event Quest, we can at least log it in the Atlas before gathering the rest of the team and taking it out. If you want, we can head out right after this duel. I’m kinda worried about Fitch. He’s not thinking straight and he might get into some trouble here.”

His lover returned his grin and nodded. “Yeah, I was considering the ogre myself, but I really wanted to keep track of Yari. If she’s still on our friend list, then we can find her at any time if your Tracking Skill is high enough. I just want to make sure she’s OK every now and again. As long as she doesn’t remove us from her friend list, we’re all good.” Kenshin reluctantly agreed to Track Yari at a later date and the pair settled in to watch the duel.

Far From Home [ Scout & Vena Sera ]

not proud of my post. sorry gents. bit under the weather and I couldn't really get the creative juices flowing. next one will be better, I promise

Far From Home [ Scout & Vena Sera ]

When Yari jerked her arm out of Alphard’s grasp and spun away, Alphard realized that this probably wouldn’t work out as planned. She tried to explain her motives, that she was trying to help, but she couldn’t seem to pierce Yari’s drunken fog of anger. Finally, the taller girl sighed and stopped trying to drag Yari out the door. She sighed and said “Look Yari, I know you don’t remember me, but you’re one of my best – one of my only friends – and I’m just trying to help you. I get it, you don’t want any help right now so … be safe. I guess.”

With that Alphard began to turn away, expecting that her scrappy friend could take care of herself for the night. She didn’t, however, expect that Fitch would barge in and make everything worse. Kenshin had just barely caught him entering out of the corner of his eye before he had reached Doku and struck him across the face. Kenshin spun neatly out of his chair, simultaneously drawing his blade and dropping into a fighting crouch. At Fitch’s outburst and Suto’s stammered explanation, he resheathed it and sighed. It looked like this one would actually be able to be solved with just words for once.

Then Luna came in and things just got crazier. Insults were thrown, accusations made, and everyone just got more and more pissed off. Kenshin quietly made his way over to Alphard’s side in case all hell broke loose. The other PCs in the room were quickly clearing out due to the impending violence when Doku called Fitch out. As Fitch sat and steamed over the challenge, Kenshin made his way over to his friend and simply said “you need me in the fight with you?”

Far From Home [ Scout & Vena Sera ]

Kenshin glanced around the tavern as he and Alphard walked in. He immediately spotted Suto standing up at a table with two strangers and an apparently drunk Yari. “Uh… Hey guys,” Suto called, waving the pair of fighters. Kenshin nodded and waved back before nudging Alphard and heading in the direction of their friends’ table. As they got closer, Kenshin could tell that something was wrong here. Suto wore an expression that appeared to be a strange mix of pained, disgusted, angry, and unimaginably tired. Yari, for her part, was even more intoxicated than previously thought. She was swaying slightly in her seat and leaning heavily on the table. Her eyes were glazed and unfocused, her head was canted at a slight angle, and she gripped an empty mug tightly. Kenshin could only assume that she had grabbed a drink here to help cope with the loss of her memory. Suto had probably shown up after that and tried to be all friendly towards her, forgetting that he’s a stranger to her now. This most likely just drove her to distraction and back into the demon drink.

Kenshin shared a glance with Alphard, silently coming to the agreement that the pair personally needed to rescue Yari from this situation. So, as the two reached the table, Alphard moved over behind Yari’s chair and carefully helped her to her feet, saying “This girl clearly needs to get home and sleep off the alcohol in her system.” She levelled a glare at Titus and Doku, “I’m the only other girl here, so it’s least likely that I’m here to try to get into her pants once she gets home. Kenshin, why don’t you keep these guys company while I get Yari into bed? Suto, you and I will talk later about all this.” Then, over Yari’s drunken protests, Alphard gently steered her out the door.

Which left Kenshin standing next to the table with three men who were most likely all upset with him for some reason or another. Kenshin calmly walked around the table to where he could keep his back to a wall and his eyes to the door, snagging a chair on his way. The lanky swordsman sat down, steadying his sword’s sheath with his left hand so it wouldn’t bang against his leg as he sat. When he sat, however, he didn’t remove his hind from the blade; instead using his thumb to clear a couple of inches of bone from his scabbard out of sight from his fellows. He studied each of them in turn: Doku, dark haired and wiry, he leaned forward with an almost predatory intensity; Titus, clearly an American, was attempting to hide his emotions but Kenshin thought he could detect a brief flash of anger; and Suto, a friend, who seemed simultaneously relieved and upset with Alphard and Kenshin for taking Yari away. Doku was clearly the biggest threat here, but something told Kenshin to watch out for Titus. Without taking his eyes off the two, Kenshin set a small pile of small-denomination coins on the table (part of his winnings from the 2-v-2) waved over a server. “How about a drink for each of my friends here, ma’am? This should cover a couple of rounds,” he said, gesturing to the coins.

He was saved from further awkwardness by the arrival of a shorter brunette girl, who slammed her hands down on the oaken table and testily said, “So… was anyone going to tell me we were going out to a party?” Kenshin hid a grin behind his foaming mug and thought Now these tense bastards are your problem, girl!

Far From Home [ Scout & Vena Sera ]

Alphard smiled softly as she walked slowly down Tarbinal’s main street, hand-in-hand with her lover, Kenshin. These last couple of weeks had been filled with utter bliss. First, the bond between Kenshin and Alphard had deepened greatly, finally leading up to Kenshin nervously officially asking her out just before the boss fight on the last floor. She had said yes, of course, and they had spent the next couple of hours talking, during which time she confessed exactly how long she had been in love with him. They had laughed over how they both had the same feelings but had been too scared to admit them.

Then had come the boss fight. Yes, people had died. More than in any one fight to date, in fact, but both Kenshin and Alphard had survived, as had all of their friends. Yari might be a bit confused right now, but it was surely temporary. Right? Yeah, had to be. In any event, working as a pair, Alphard and Kenshin had attained the highest number of mob kills against the skeletons and had received a small reward called <Material Bone> and a nearly insignificant cash increase. It was a semi-common item used in crafting armor and weapons and differed from normal <Monster Bone> only in a slightly higher durability. The material was put to good use, though, as Kenshin had suggested a peaceful day of shopping. First, they had visited a favorite PC smith who had made them each a pretty good weapon Alphard’s was the

Grim Axe

and Kenshin received the

Grim Saber

. They had to go test the new weapons, of course, so the couple hopped on the teleporter in Tarbinal’s main square and farmed at a favorite spot over on Floor 22.

Finally, to finish the day, Kenshin took Alphard to a fancy restaurant back on 26 and treated her to a romantic dinner. The soft candlelight and NPC-played music were absolutely enchanting; the perfect ending to a perfect day. They then left the restaurant and walked hand-in-hand towards Tarbinal’s housing district in the hope that they would be able to find Yari, Fitch, and Suto and ask them if there was to be any group training on the morrow. As they walked, Kenshin reached into his pocket and fingered the ring he kept there. He’d bought the slim silver band while they were out shopping that day. He knew that they hadn’t been dating for very long, but he intended on asking Alphard to marry him as soon as he could work up the courage. She looked at him curiously, sensing that something was wrong, but he just shook his head, smiled, and squeezed her hand tighter. She smiled back, which made his heart glow with happiness after seeing all the emotional tribulations she had been through in the past, and pulled him closer. As he wrapped his arm around her, he overheard two Players chatting about the extraordinary circumstances of the 25th floor boss. One of the two, a burly mace user, was commenting on how ‘pissed off’ he was that someone had a revival item and never told anyone. Alphard suddenly tensed, and her hand strayed to the straps of her shield. “I oughta tell them where they can shove their ‘pissed off’. Nero saved somebody, our friend, I don’t care whether or not he hid the item until it became necessary.”

“Now Honey, I don’t think that we need to get involved. People are entitled to their opinion. No need to start a fight if it’s not really needed.”

Just then, the man’s compatriot, a lean spearman, laughed and said “Yeah, and what a waste of a revival item. Why use it on that bitch Yari. He could do so much better.”

Kenshin removed his hand from Alphard’s shoulder and nodded once. “Never mind, we can deal with them now.” Alphard smiled again, this time a sickly grin, far removed from the smile that she had given him moments ago. Unlimbering her shield, Alphard charged forward and pinned the maceman between it and the wall. Growling, she explained her feelings regarding his comments and pressed harder, until the wall behind him emitted the Immortal Object warning. When the spearman leapt to his friend’s defense, Kenshin stepped forward and blocked the man’s path. A small tussle ensued, ending with a formal 2-v-2 duel.

It was over in seconds. Neither man anticipated Alphard’s ferocity or Kenshin’s superb eye for timing. Once their health bars had dropped into the yellow, the duel was declared over, and Kenshin and Alphard walked away 1000 Cor richer. Which took them to the present moment, walking hand-in-hand towards the tavern where the two troublemakers had last seen Yari.

Far From Home [ Scout & Vena Sera ]

Kenshin

Display Name: Kenshin
Real Name: Kenshin Takami
Age: 17

Appearance:


Background: Kenshin was born in the coastal city of Niigata and is about as nerdy as you can get. His parents have always stressed the importance of following one’s own interests. The problem is, Kenshin doesn’t like social activities. Kenshin often overworks himself in school and is quite hard on himself when it comes to failure. He is pretty solitary in nature and enjoys reading or playing video games over all else. He mostly plays video games offline and by himself, though recently has been playing more online. He met Hiro, Alexander, and Mizuki separately in different video games and, despite never having met them in person, considers them to be among his few friends. When he heard of the Nerve Gear, Kenshin consulted with the trio and was persuaded to purchase it himself along with SAO. Kenshin planned on meeting up with Hiro, Alexander, and Mizuki in Aincrad and perhaps joining a guild with them if they’d have him. He thought it would help him get over his aversion to social interaction. When the game started however, Kenshin found himself trapped in an eternal hell surrounded with people and no way to get out. Shortly after entering the game, however, Kenshin found his neighbor and first love, Alphard. The two instantly partied up and have been working together since.

SAO Player Build: Two-handed katana user with light to medium armor. Also carries several throwing picks for medium range.

Far From Home [ Scout & Vena Sera ]

Alphard

Display Name: Alphard Shurai
Real Name: Ayano Nobunaga
Age: 18

Appearance:


Background: Ayano grew up in Niigata, a coastal town, and has been Kenshin’s neighbor for many years. The two often played together as children and to this day, still spend a significant amount of time together. In other words, it’s been just about enough time for Ayano to fall deeply in love with Kenshin. Nervous about what she’s feeling, Ayano never came out and told Kenshin her feelings, but has dropped plenty of hints. Upon hearing that Kenshin would be purchasing the Nerve Gear and Sword Art Online, she formulated a plan: to meet up with Kenshin in Aincrad anonymously and gauge his feelings for her “good friend”. Unbeknownst to her, Kenshin has also had feelings for her this whole time. He was simply unsure on how to express his feelings due to his general awkwardness.

Ayano, while being a generally nice person, has some deep seated emotional problems. Her parents had died when she was quite young, leaving her to be cared for by her aunt, who in turn left as soon as Ayano was old enough to live alone. This has led to some powerful anger issues and an abandonment complex. Indeed, one of the reasons that she loves Kenshin so much is that he is one of the only people that looks past her issues and accepts her as a person.

In the end, Ayano did end up purchasing the Nerve Gear, but was severely ill on the opening day. Instead, Asano was confined to her bed and, therefore, missed all the news regarding the trapped players. Sometime during the night, Ayano’s fever broke, and she decided to spend the next day relaxing and playing video games in bed. Unfortunately, the game she decided to play was Sword Art Online. Upon entering, Ayano was bombarded with questions from fellow gamers about her reactions to being stuck in the game, which only confused her. Finally, she hunted down an information broker and forced them to explain what had happened. The news was devastating for her. The deep-seated anger issues Ayano had worked her whole life to contain simply exploded, leaving her in a perpetual rage. It became her life’s goal to find Kenshin and, with him, utterly destroy the crowbegotten man who had trapped her in this hell.

SAO build: One-handed axe user with a tower shield. Heavy armor.

Far From Home [ Scout & Vena Sera ]

hey dudes. I'm gonna be back soon. prolly next week Wednesday or Thursday. I will read the reboot and reformat my characters to fit the new version

Kin of the 72nd Expansion Battalion - Shingeki no Kyojin

Almost an hour after his spectacular crash, Tinker and Ava finally made it back to the training grounds with the remainder of their team. The pain in Tinker’s ribs had steadily gotten worse and his arm had grown numb from wrist to shoulder. Also, Tinker’s back had taken a severe beating from the tree and was now pretty bruised. Ava’s triage had stabilized the worst of the injuries, but it had been decided that further work was necessary to get him back to top condition. Therefore, the aspiring battalion would make the medical tent their first stop when they returned to camp.

The tent in question was large, vaguely rectangular, and made of a thick white canvas. Placed midway down the main thoroughfare of camp, this medical center tended to all of the injuries received by trainees or instructors during training. The tent was currently occupied by only about ten other injured trainees and roughly the same number of medical personnel to tend to them. Upon entering the tent, Tinker was immediately accosted by a number of nurses who all began to pepper him with all sorts of questions as to the nature of his injuries. He began to answer, but Ava cut him off, answering in his place. The head nurse nodded several times and ushered poor Druiker to a bed. She then cleaned his wounds and wrapped his ribs, chittering away the whole time about how much of an idiot he’d been for trying ‘such a crazy little stunt’. “Yeah, well when I fix the turning hook, it’s gonna change everything ‘bout how we use those omni-detectional equirenment,” He responded somewhat groggily. “Hey, wadja do to m’ head?”

“Quit yer fussin’ laddie. It’s just the salve we put on the cuts. It’ll make yuh bit groggy, best you sleep fur a bit.” And sleep he did. Just as the woman finished the last of the cuts along Tinker’s arm, his eyes slipped shut and darkness embraced him.

Some time later, Tinker awoke, still groggy and with a raging thirst. He tried to sit up, but let out a slow groan of pain, and collapsed back down to the bed. A nurse calmly strode over and handed him a small wooden cup of water. Tinker nodded his thanks and took in his surroundings as he drank. Several of the other patients in the tent had been moved out and there was now a young woman walking about in the tent wearing full training gear. The woman was currently leaning in and talking quietly to a fighter who had somehow lost his arm up to nearly the elbow. She saw his glance and strode towards him confidently. “Good e’en, Druiker. And how ye be?” it was only then that Tinker recognized her as Sanja Petrov, the thirteenth ranked warrior in Tinker’s class.

“I’ve been better, Sanja, how are you? And who’s that man off over there who you were talking to?”

Sanja laughed and clapped Tinker on the shoulder. “I’m fine. That man is the last surviving fighter of a flight of scouts recently beset by Titans nearby. I was just discussing what a great Evil these Titans are. They’ll bring about the end of the world, you know!” Tinker shook his head at her overreaction and thought well, I guess everyone’s entitled to an opinion. By then, Sanja was talking again: “by the way, my own team recently disbanded. I was wondering if perhaps yours has another opening? I’ve tried several other teams, but they all seem pretty happy with their current composition.” Tinker promised to speak to Ava on her behalf and Sanja, in turn, promised to assist him in returning to his bunk. Several minutes later, when the pair were just barely in sight of Tinker’s tent, a messenger on horseback came thundering past. When asked what the hurry was, the man responded with the news that the scout- the man with whom Sanja was just speaking- had just killed himself.