Divine Judgement [PRIVATE]

[Scheherazade]

"My faith is seared into my skin; burned into my worldly flesh with ink as a reminder that I can never give it up. It is a burden that is worth nothing and everything. It is my pain." ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ Availability: Open to all, so jump right in~ FOUR SLOTS MAX ONLY  Setting: Deep inside of the heart of the plains, where people are few and the monsters are plentiful. Scheherazade Lv1

Scheherazade ran lines and stories over her head, well-worn relics of another time. Her namesake, Scheherazade from One Thousand and One Nights. “Close thine eyes, and while thou sleepest Heaven will change thy fortune from evil to good.” I have closed my eyes, Allah. Shall my fortune change from the impenetrable fate I had thought Kayaba had sown among us, as if he were a god in place of you? The blonde closed her eyes briefly, as if feeling her tattoo burn into her skin once more, the delicate blossoms etched into her skin, Surah 1 charring into the milky-colored flesh. "Bismillaah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem." She spoke, her words slow and quiet, barely a whisper against the crackle of wind that brushed her cheeks, and then turned, staying quiet. There was no need to speak anymore in her mind. All was still for an instant. The blonde took a moment to observe her surroundings quietly. The smell of sweet, dry grass lingered in the air, and the earth was warm, dark-colored as if still slightly damp, and her eyes alighted on an azure butterfly before she turned and brought out her shield, testing it cautiously and feeling the weight press against her arm. The shield felt cool, and she tested it out curiously. Something nudged at her, and on instinct, she made sure she move well in this armor before shifting one leg back for better balance, and then took a deep breath. The plates of her armor shifted along with her, as if they were one entity; and then the cold metal touched her skin, reminding her that she had no more companions nor extensions of herself as friends and fewer emotional bonds-she was alone, and that thought chilled her to the bone. She leaned on her right foot, as it was more behind her, and made a quick half-spin, clutching at her shield and making sure it stayed with her, like an extension of her arm, and behind it came a swirl of gold light, flame-like, almost, curling around her lazily and then disappearing easily with a quiet swish that attracted her, as it was both subtle and brilliant. Scheherazade knelt down, touching the warm air where the light hit, and then released her hold on her shield, realizing that she had attracted quite a few opponents. She leaped back from one boar and dodged the other, making sure that none of them could hit her until she was a safe distance away, and then realized she was in the heart of the plains. How dangerous. Her eyes narrowed. She couldn't evade these monsters for long, she knew, as the second almost skimmed her. And besides, her health would dip much lower, and from the lack of players around here, no one would be able to help her. The blonde hesitated for a second, conflicted, and then the steel came through her eyes again, helping her calm and her muscles tensed, waiting for an inevitable battle. Her blade locked into position, making sure that she was used to the weight, somehow, as if it were a balance beam in a dance studio. She had fought with a rapier and a longsword back then, but times had changed. Willow no longer existed. Her face remained calm, but a wave of overwhelming sadness washed over her, crippling her inside, and she fought the urge to fall down. The sorrow coated her like a perfect layer of hurt, making her ache, wondering why she was so empty. I want to cry, she thought absently, but there are no words or sounds to describe this pain, as if I was breaking over and over again. Like glass. Like a shattered wing so bloodied that it drips over your hand and seems more like feathers than bone. She stayed quiet and calculating, planning her next move. It seemed that there were barely any players here, but it was of no matter-the blonde merely got out her axe, admiring the sharp blade before swinging it down decisively, admiring the clean swish it made. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed a single distinctive blue-purple hide, and then she approached it, swinging her shield and axe lazily, but her eyes were sharp and focused, betraying her focus and concentration. The boar spotted her. Scheherazade closed her eyes, focusing on her environment. The warm sun against her back, scalding, really, making her uncomfortably hot, beads of ignored sweat on her forehead. The hot breeze, so much like the winds of Cairo, the Cairo she never knew that intimately, the land of sun and forgotten histories, stories lost under sand dunes that reached out and swallowed people whole. Her ax glinted as she shifted into an offensive position, noting that her one opponent did the same coolly. Her lips parted, tongue sliding out to wet them. "Surah 1. Bismillaah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem." Her opponent lunged. Scheherazade dodged, the sword scraping against her skin, which she noted coldly before throwing one leg back, taking a deep breath, even as she lifted her axe to block the next attack. "Al hamdu lillaahi rabbil ‘alameen." The blonde murmured, eyes locked on her enemy, pale irises cool and detached. "Ar-Rahman ar-Raheem Maaliki yaumid Deen. Iyyaaka na’abudu wa iyyaaka nasta’een." Then, leaning on her right foot, which was behind her, she slid her left leg out, making a rapid half-spin, eyes glinting lazily. Scheherazade blinked, watching her opponent lunge, waiting for their charge, unrefined and coarse, so unlike her dance-like state, which made her realize that dance and death were similar, if not on intimate terms. "Ihdinas siraatal mustaqeem." She whispered, watching the cut appear on her body, but also be mirrored on her opponent, who leaped back, shocked, surprised by the golden flame-like light that surrounded her lazily, and a tiny bell rang out. An opening. The blonde calmly shifted her axe into a more comfortable position and sliced through them, feeling the blade catch on skin, on flesh, and with a great noise, ripped through it, her enemy roaring in pain before they disappeared in silence. Scheherazade blinked and then looked down casually, almost carelessly. "Siraatal ladheena an ‘amta’ alaihim. Ghairil maghduubi’ alaihim waladaaleen." With a sudden, hesitant gesture, she leaned down a bit, staring at the empty space where her opponent once stood, blinking at the wavin grass. "Aameen. May your judgement be swift." Leaving the cloud of pixels in silence, she paused, and then realized that the battle had taken much more out of her than she was comfortable with. Pausing to dig her axe into the ground in order to lean on it, Scheherazade gave herself a brief break, heart pulsating, her eyes scanning the horizon idly for anyone new.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS - EDITS BY ANGELO OF SAO-RPG

[Tesh]

    "God it's so freaking hot today...not to mention this leather I am wearing is making me feel as if I'm sitting directly at the bottom of a dutch oven. And the worst part of all about it. I can't even find a place with a slight pinch of shade to be able to lay down for a moment to take a break and eat." Tesh thought as he was lying there in a patch of knee high grass taking a bite out of an apple that he brought along from back in town. Even though this place was rather filled to the brim with many monsters, such as the boar and the wolves, there were several places throughout the deepest parts of the great plains that were most fortunate for players to take a moment to relax without having to fear of a surprise attack from an unannounced enemy. Luckily for Tesh being here trying to grind out his first level or two, for the past week or so, he was able to discover several of these places, and he made it a point to take advantage of these locations whenever possible to avoid overexerting himself too much and becoming too exhausted to for the return trip back into town.

    “Either way, now is not the time to be complaining about such petty things, especially when I should be grateful for the fact that there are such places as these throughout the great plains like this.” As he takes another bite out of his apple. “I think I’ll lie here a bit longer… I have been out here for a while now.” By now probably having accumulated roughly seven or eight boar kills, it’s only natural that a player of his level would need to take some time regaining his strength and letting himself heal up a bit from the minor damage that he received throughout the fights that had previously commenced. “I haven’t seen another player now out here since the beginning of my day… I wonder if this place really is that large. Or maybe I’m just falling behind the rest of the players who have managed to group up with a solid team of other players… either way it’s starting to become quite the pain being a solo player now. Not to mention it would be nice to have a conversation every now and again with an actual person and not just with my own thoughts… that’s probably something I should take care of soon… before I totally lose any sanity I may still have.”

    Taking the last bite from his apple, enjoying every last bit of taste it held, and trying to savor every last drop of water that was contained inside it, he raised it up to the sky, looking at the apple as the rays of sunlight wove it’s way around the core, the young man took in all of the peace and serenity that he could absorb in the this small oasis from the combat. Without a thought in mind, which was a rare occasion, Tesh felt his spirit refilled. Tossing the apple high up into the sky, almost as if it could reach the sun that was harshly beating down on his skin, the young man shoved his two handed sword into the ground and lifted himself up from the hilt. Raising his arms up high and taking a deep breathe, he stretched in a manner that resembled a cat. “I think I’ll call it a day, I’ve gone decently far now.”

    Tesh began his trek back down the dirt path that he knew would eventually take him straight back to the town of New Beginnings. He made sure that when he was making a return trip back to the town to stick close to the road, especially if he was tired, because it was less likely for him to encounter a hostile enemy, allowing him for a peaceful hike back to home.

    “I wonder what I should make myself for dinner tonight. The past few nights I’ve been going out to…” When all the sudden his train of thought was cut off, seeing off to the right of the path another player had just landed a finishing blow. His gaze was totally drawn in on the players long golden hair that seemed as if it was floating of its own volition while the player gracefully made the deathly blow. It appeared as though the fight that she had just endured was a tough one, or rather, she has also been out here for some time grinding XP, in the same manner of the young man…Solo. “She’s strong… not only in her fighting, but the presence she holds about her. This could be a perfect opportunity to find somebody that I could party with that would be capable of holding their own.” Where the first thought that came to Tesh’s mind. “I don’t know how much longer I will be able to manage running around out here solo… especially if I want to start getting more XP, because the measly amount that I have been acquiring is obviously not cutting it… Now is your chance Tesh…. Just say something…”
 
    As the player dug her axe into the ground to lean back on it both players made eye contact. As a means of trying to not portray himself as a hostile to the lady, Tesh took his sword and also dug it into the ground, being that he had a bad habit of holding his sword over his shoulders since it was heavy and almost larger than himself, raising his hand up to wave. “Umm… Hey! I was just making my way back to town and was taken back by your strength, would you mind giving me a moment of your time to talk?”

[Kaito]

"I'm no hero. I can't save my own life, let alone another. I was never a "Sapphire Samurai." Just a ronin fighting for ideals I can only hope to aspire to." ☒ Scheherazade Tesh ✐ 756 ✉ And in walks a nosy Kaito wearing a new, somewhat fancy hat. Also, this I think will take place before "On The Prowl" in terms of events. Kaito Lv3

Kaito eyes were closed as he thought, if he focused hard, he’d be back home. He could feel the hot island breeze on his face, the sun burning bright through his eyelids and the low roar of crashing waves in his ears. But as he slowly opened his eyes, he knew he was still here, in Aincrad, amongst the Great Plains as sometimes it didn’t feel like he was too far off. Watching the high grasses flutter and wave with every movement of the air, the hills and flatlands seemed to flow like the ocean in front of his black eyes. That so much beauty could hold so much danger though…     On a day like this, hot and familiar, he was happy for the newest addition to his wardrobe as the dampness on his forehead stayed in place and kept his head cool as the cloth and leather wrapped hachimaki headband wrapped around his head. It was the first step in constructing his Japanese style armor, especially as the summer months would be here soon enough. So many players were running around in European style heavy armor, understandably for the added protection in combat but the problems that occurred when met with long term wear in extreme weather seemed lost to some players. Still, that could have been bias showing but it certainly was what Kaito believed. Not to mention that the stats of a piece of equipment were what truly mattered, so developing a piece that was functional and stylish was all the better, especially when you could craft it yourself.     And that was the goal today, not just simple grinding. Kit was right in thinking that he was heading towards a burnout without a reason to head into the field. So getting the materials for a new piece of equipment was, for now, a good enough reason for him. Crafting was… therapeutic. It gave him a definitive short-term goal and watching something he created come to life in the “MindCraft” system was amazing to see. Even if the system mostly went through a majority of the steps for you with a single tap of a hammer or the cut of a chisel, as they’d “magically” transform into the next piece of equipment right in front of you. So, it seemed it was time for another boar hunt and maybe perchance come across some Copper Ore in the process.     The deeper plains were a double-edge sword, of course. On one hand, you’re less likely to have to struggle to find a patch of enemies that isn’t being “mined” by another player. But on the other hand, if you were to get into trouble, you’d be quite out of luck if you were to solo by yourself. Which… well, what he was doing exactly now. He was sticking with the main road a little closer towards the Black Forest today, far enough away from the usual town hubs but without going into the more risky forest for now. Especially after the crazy waves of enemies they had to take down the day before with…     “…Tesh…?” Kaito muttered out loud as he crossed over a hill, seeing a familiar blue scarf and giant sword on a player with ash grey hair out in a field with another player, heavily armored with axe and shield. It was a surprising combo that not a lot of players would have run, as it was usually just seen as more a utility tool nor really the weapon of heroes. Not to mention the fact the title of the game was “Sword Art Online” and not “Axe Art Online” but it would flow better on the tongue. He didn’t terribly know what he was thinking, only that he was happy to see a familiar face out here.     “TESH!” The dark haired man called out, waving exaggeratedly from afar as he made his way closer to them, “Tesh, it’s me, Kaito! How are you doing?” As he hurried over to meet the young man his age, He started to get a much better look at the player he was speaking to, in royal blue and gleaming silvered armor and long braided blonde hair. For a half-second he pondered why it seemed he found so many girls with similar features here in SAO before looking between them and having a moment of social realization. “Oh, hello. S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to jump in so abruptly, I just wanted to see how my friend here was doing. I, um… I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Scheherazade]

"My faith is seared into my skin; burned into my worldly flesh with ink as a reminder that I can never give it up. It is a burden that is worth nothing and everything. It is my pain." ☒ Kaito Tesh ✐ 000 ✉ Yay! More people! ^-^ And some boars, too~ Scheherazade Lv1

"...taken aback by my strength?" Scheherazade murmured, oddly touched. It was an amusing thing that he spoke, though, rather shyly, she noted. There are some moments when the universe seems to still with laughter; amusement bubbling from the surface poisons every person alive, and they share a chalice dripping with wine, she thought dryly, her humor bubbling up within her. What type of person was this player, so polite that he asked to speak. Her eyes betrayed as much, and a tiny, light-colored pink blush spread over her cheeks, coloring her skin and making her pale flesh tingle with heat. She sized the other up, taking in their strangely colored features, down to their aqua-colored eyes and huge sword. A two-hander. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she analyzed the newcomer, offering him a hesitant smile. He seemed...Caucasian. Slender. Taller than her by a bit. Definitely agile, by his build, but what else? Strength was needed for two-handed swords. Good enough. She was an all-rounder in everything but endurance, but she made up for it with her shield, which would protect her from most attacks. She placed a hand on her axe, ready to take it into her hands and pried it out of the ground, watching particles of dirt slip off. She cleared her throat shyly, making it seem more like a random, quiet note before she turned pinker, the compliment having got to her. She smoothed out her braid, the end tied off gracefully with a large blue bow, one the color of the midnight sky. "Talk if you wish. There's no need to ask." Her words were warm but professional, and she gave him another smile as she approached him with a subtle, soft self-assurance that belied her warmth, and she extended a hand shyly, an American gesture of good faith, and then her eyes focused on something behind him, something that moved and disappeared, hidden by rows and rows of brightly colored grass. A touch of gray? Perhaps it was a new player? Her eyes landed on the green cursor and she nodded in simple acceptance, waiting for him to come closer. Oh, this one seemed to be a little older than her. And a little nervous, was he? His polite mannerisms made Scheherazade smile a little, and she tilted her head at him in a gesture of respect, her smile warm and welcoming. He seemed well enough, and though something about him had a nervous quality, he still seemed to radiate power, somehow, and that drew Scheherazade to him. She set down her shield and watched him lightly, and then divided her attention between the two, leaning forward on thin air before she gave up and put her axe back in the earth, using it as a support to lean on. "Hello," She replied politely to Kaito, her eyes warm but a little wary, braid quietly smoothed over her shoulder, even as she smiled again, a light pink blush over her cheeks as a product of her earlier exertion. "It's fine. I haven't introduced myself. Scheherazade." Sch-hera-Za-Dah. Each letter rolled off her tongue lightly, the Persian name from One Hundred and One Nights. Scheherazade, the teller of stories so great that she made the sultan be as captivated with her stories as he was with her herself. A flash of blue over his shoulder. Her eyes flashed in warning. "Wait. Do not move." Her axe was brought into an offensive position again, her eyes dark and cold as she tilted her head, noticing that the boar had disappeared into the knee-high tall grass. "A boar. Behind you..." She trailed off, her words lightly coated with her accent, the sounds soft and gentle in her voice, though it was low and dark, the curse of being a contralto. Her blade glinted wickedly, and her earlier humor disappeared, as did her amusement. A predator at her heart, the woman bent down, watching a flash of blue and purple pass by, perhaps not revealing itself from fear. Her gaze sharpened and her grip tightened on her weapon, making her knuckles lighten two shades. A boar, but badly wounded. She should be able to get by without invoking Al-Fatihah, her sword art. Her eyes flickered, legs testing the earth nervously. She felt unsteady, unstable, as if something were about to tip her over, perhaps because she didn't know her opponent as well. The beta test was somewhat similar, but the differences kept on catching her off guard. Her sense of unease grew, and she swung her axe through the air suddenly, feeling it cut several blades of grass with a clean swish, the sheer strength and power reassuring her that all was fine. Her eyes closed, and she tried to listen to the thrum of the earth, the whisper of the wind, the millions of stories the very earth murmured in their secret languages that no one could understand. Calm, Scheherazade hefted up her shield, waiting for it to charge. Her last glimpse meant that they were in its field of vision, so it should attack any second no-she stumbled back, her grip on her shield faltering. Something had hit the material, but it was too strong to be just one boar. No. Two boars, then? Wait-they should have seen the male player as well. Her eyes narrowed. More than two. Six, most likely. Two for her and four for the two male players, if it was even. She murmured this to the other green players as fast as she could, still using her shield to block herself from the repeated attacks. One charge was particularly strong, however, and she narrowly avoided being tipped over. That was enough hiding. Her eyes became colder, more detached, almost, as she lowered her shield, setting it into her inventory with a flick of her slender wrist and instead placed two hands on her axe, testing it lightly. One boar out of the two became more brash and lunged at her, and she used the earth to leap away, the gentle pressure of her heels against earth almost similar to the sensation of wood beneath her feet in her dance studio. Scheherazade kept herself focused, and then spun easily after the boar tried attacking her again, one leg out to give her better balance as she turned rapidly, disinterest in her lilac-colored eyes. She blinked at the two monsters. "Come," She murmured quietly, a subtle dignity hidden within the folds of her voice. The two boars charged at once, and she cut one while vaulting over the other, relying on years of practice with leaps and jumps and spins and turns. Her braid flew out behind her, whipping in the sudden wind, but it didn't matter, the green player completely focused on destroying her two opponents. Her tongue flicked out and wet her lips, and she tilted her head, exposing the hollows of her throat as her hair almost became looser, the bottom part free from her ribbon, which fluttered gently on the ground. She took a quick moment to pick it up and tied it around her wrist, then looked up from her kneel to notice one boar charging at her, and Scheherazade bit back a sigh. As soon as it came near, she made a cut across it's nose, but it made a quick nip at her shoulder, making her wince at the sensation of the bristly pelt against her skin. What stories can you tell me, little boar? She inclined her head at the snarling boars, a small, dignified smile playing on her lips. You're a program, I suppose I could say. But you know much more about the desperation of players than I. And also... She paused. I fell in love with a program once. But I don't think that counts as "fell in love", she mused, making another slash on the boar on her right, the one already badly wounded. Because I believe I'm still in love. I believe I'm still falling. And, little boar... Her eyes locked on its red ones, fear coloring the AI's movements as she killed it off with a final swing. I'm afraid of falling. My apologies, she murmured quickly in her head, even as she fended off its companion with her shield, her axe gone for now. She tried to focus on her environment gain, the heat overwhelming her. There was a saying for this in America, she knew. It was so hot it was cold? Yes, that seemed like it. The heat overwhelmed her, a tiny pink blush spreading across her skin, flushed. The blonde felt it, but it was more like an icy sensation, one that burned and made her feverish. That wasn't good. She focused on her fight, however, constantly utilizing her Acrobatics to leap over and flip over the boar she fought with, before there was a brief moment of silence when she realized she couldn't keep it up. Her tattoo burned, as if reminding her of her past, or in this case, her sword art. Her pink lips parted and she began to repeat Surah 1, a kind of symbolic litany in the way that the first floor would be the only place she would recite Surah 1, as the numbers matched and all. When she finished, she would repeat it again and again and again. A tedious practice, perhaps, but not one without purpose. Religion meant faith. And faith was perhaps the one thing that she had in spades. She took a deep breath to steady herself. "Surah 1. Bismillaah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem." The Arabic rolled off her tongue easily, the familiar words of the Qu'ran familiar and steadying, grounding her to reality. This was fine. She was fine. The boar charged, and Scheherazade refused to flinch as it approached her, switching her shield for a sword. She threw one leg back, balancing herself, and then took another deep breath, cutting her opponent as he reared near her, taking note of the fact that he hit her with a wildly thrown lunge, and then murmured the next lines quietly, the sounds blending in with the crackling wind as she leaned on the leg behind her, then made a rapid half-spin, her blade out, cutting the boar's stomach open. The boar let out a rough roar, utterly infuriated, but all Scheherazade could feel for this boar was contempt. How uncouth. This boar was fully deserving of her scorn, a simple beast in all his primal urges. How...unrefined. "Al hamdu lillaahi rabbil ‘alameen. Ar-Rahman ar-Raheem Maaliki yaumid Deen. Iyyaaka na’abudu wa iyyaaka nasta’een. Ihdinas siraatal mustaqeem." The words were a mantra that was burned into her skin, literally, her tattoo being of beautiful red-pink lilies that were made out of spiraling words of the Qu'ran, a reminder of her faith. Dark colors mixed with light. A metaphor, perhaps. At times it seemed more like a punishment. A chance at salvation. Ten thousand and one beliefs. Ten thousand and one stories. Whispers in the wind. "Siraatal ladheena an ‘amta’ alaihim. Ghairil maghduubi’ alaihim waladaaleen." Around her, a circle of gold-colored flame-like light surrounded her, the boar roaring when his charge took place on her in the form of a red cut, which she winced at. Critical, it seemed. But the same cut was mirrored on the boar's thick hide. It opened its mouth before disappearing, the a tiny, ringing note filling the air before it disappeared. "Siraatal ladheena an ‘amta’ alaihim. Ghairil maghduubi’ alaihim waladaaleen." The words, after being repeated, left an almost quiet shade of contemplation on her, and she had barely murmured "Aameen" before tilting her head in displeasure. What had that animalistic urge to kill had come from? Perhaps not kill. It was more like fascination, she analyzed, catching her breath. Fascination at fear. At fury. She sighed, wiping off her forehead and wishing for more coolness, observing the two and then running a hand through her hair, cursing silently. It had taken so long to braid...and now she had to do it again, it seemed. Her sense of laziness prolonged the activity and so she left it down for a while. Her fingers delicately rubbed at her wrist where her ribbon was, even as she smiled a little at the newcomers.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS - EDITS BY ANGELO OF SAO-RPG

[Tesh]

"There Is More Than One Way Forward" ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ notes Tesh Lv1

She could probably sense that I was nervous, Tesh thought to himself, after the girl had acknowledged him and seemed to have accepted his request to speak with him. This made Tesh question when he was going to be able to totally get over this social problem that he had with other people. I am getting better though. After that day when I made my first encounter with another player, I was finally able to at least get some words off and start a conversation with other people in this world. As Tesh fell back into the memories of that time when he met Phyre, who was not only the first person to talk to Tesh in this game, but the first person to show Tesh their heart and compassion. That wonderful day allowed me finally pull my arms back in and stop keeping everyone at arm’s length, never allowing anybody to see the real person that I am...if they were even capable of getting a word out of me. If it wasn’t for her showing me her heart I would have never been able to meet the other three people that I know: Angelo, Keith and Kaito; and, even if it were, but a slight encounter, it was the first time I ever joined a party with other players in this game…it was the first time that I wasn’t solo…I owe it all to that girl. Finally coming back to reality, Tesh realized that the girl who was up on the ridge, leaning up against her axe that was buried in the earth, was right in front of him raising out her hand towards him as a friendly gesture. He saw that she seemed to be rather taken back from what he had to say to her moments ago, but not being able to think any longer about what he would do or say, because he spent the entire time living back in the memories of the good encounters he had with other players in this game, Tesh quickly raised out his hand to shake the girls, who has yet to give her name. Either way, Tesh felt reassured from her behavior and the softly subtle smile that she had placed on her face, and as she stated to him that there was no need to ask her if she would talk Tesh felt at ease, but at the same time, he felt slightly curious. From the manner in which she held herself, and from the appearance that she gave off, it was reminiscent of that of royalty, as though she was a royal knight tasked with the quest of protecting the King or Queen of her nation in a distant realm. It was only natural for Tesh, after coming to the conclusion that this was probably the manner in which she held herself up to that he would engage a conversation in a manner that resembled, or matched, that of the regards to which she held herself on. But he digressed. As he began to speak again, while he took the offering of shaking hands with this girl, stating “it’s not too often that I ever encounter anybody out here in the heart of the plains” he is taken in by his surroundings; the wind picking up to a degree that was able to make his scarf being flowing briskly through the air, resembling that of the girl’s hair previously, as well as, providing a soothing touch on the skin that was being battered by the sun’s rays; he continued stating, “what exactly makes of you out here today by yourself? I was going to call it a day, but after coming upon you I was curious to see if there was something you might possibly be in need of some help with.” But before she would have been able to respond Tesh heard off into the distance his named being called by a voice that sounded rather familiar to him. Turning around he noticed it was a dark haired man, and quickly following remembered that it was Kaito from the day previously, who was running towards the two of them wave his hands, whom finally arrived up to the two of them standing there. “Of course it’s alright, no need to apologize” Tesh stated to Kaito, following the statement of Scheherazade that she made to him as well. “What a coincidence! Not only running into one person out here in the heart of the plains, but two…and even then, a familiar face!” Tesh stated with a grin on his face that made his eyes squint together. Not knowing where to take the conversation, about to say something again to Scheherazade, he was cut off when she told the two to not move and that there were boar behind them. After watching the graceful moves that Scheherazade exampled in the combat moments ago, Tesh realized that these were not the only enemies that have graced them with their presence. Peering into the tall grass he made out that there were two boars that were getting in the proper stance to charge at him. “Kaito! I’ll handle these two, switch with Scheherazade in case there are more to come!” Tesh announced as fast as he could while sinking his feet into the ground, bracing himself to be charge at by the two boar. It wasn’t a moments past after stating that to Kaito that the first boar dove out of the tall grass to strike Tesh. With a swift flick of his wrist, Tesh turned his sword to the side and nimbly ducked down to the left underneath the pounce of the boar, stretching out his right leg and crouching his left knee down to get closer to the earth bellow him. Once the boar’s stomach was over flying inches above his right shoulder, Tesh quickly shifted his weight while spinning his right leg behind him, he extends his left knee upwards allowing him to spin him around in the air facing the boar’s side that now become open. Taking a glimpse out of his left eye he noticed that second boar already made its first move, and was now also pouncing through the air, charging at Tesh to hit him from behind. Gotta do it, he thought to himself as the sound of a hum echoed out from his sword; subsequently, the sword turned black, a void-like blackness that would only be seen if drifting through space itself, and with a quick swift of weight in the young man’s torso, he was able to perform his sword art, a spin attack that would hit multiple targets, that were in range, a few times. Spinning as fast as his physical body allowed for, Tesh spun in an aerial roll striking the first boar down the side of his stomach, red pixels strung in the air as if time paused; coming around the backside now, the second boar is hit across straight down the middle of its head. Coming back around once more, seeing that this was going to be the max amount of spins he could possibly perform after already being out in the plains for this long, he makes contact with the first boar once more, slicing it clean in half, it bursts into many pixels that flutter of into the breeze. The last strike… it hits… as Tesh begins to make his descend back down to the ground. Landing on the ground in a similar position to the previous, before lunging upwards, with one leg stretched out with the other crouched down, his sword comes to an after digging up the ground as it stops the momentum. The boar with two slices down the middle and middle-left side of its face flies within a foot of his face, and as Tesh looks up, it burst into hundreds of multicolored pixels. Now, taking a be sigh of relief, as the pixels fly off with the wind, he pears over at Kaito and Scheherazade, waiting to see the next move, while also taking on a rear-guard position to make certain that nothing tries to flank the two who might being about to engage in another battle.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS - EDITS BY ANGELO OF SAO-RPG

[Kaito]

"I'm no hero. I can't save my own life, let alone another. I was never a "Sapphire Samurai." Just a ronin fighting for ideals I can only hope to aspire to." ☒ Tesh Scheherazade ✐ 1208 ✉ Everyone's showing off their dance moves! And Kaito still has trouble with boars. Rue would be shaking her head right now. Kaito Lv4

Kaito felt like he was starting to become comfortable around new people more than ever before as Tesh greeted him warmly. It really warmed his spirit to be recognized with affection by another, even if collectively they’d only known each other for a little while. “With 10,000 people all stuck between two floors, “it’s a small world” is more literal than ever!” He joked as he brushed his nose before being addressing by the blonde haired young lady, blinking a little blankly as he repeated back, “S-Sha-hera-zahd? That’s an impressive name, t-though I’d be a bit intimidated to try and read it. My name is Kaito… not really, of course but I think everyone’s starting to get used to that, right?” Despite her very European appearance, he couldn’t for the life of him determine where her accent or name could originate from, hearing hints of what his American ears would perceive as British along with… other influences. There was a bit of a mystery to this stranger, much like another beautiful, blonde young girl he had met in recent days. But where also the one he knew of seemed to radiate a dark attraction and a quiet sullenness, Scherazade carried herself with a level of dignity though with a shy demureness to it as well. If he had pictured what a female knight of old might have looked and acted like, it was certainly from her. "Wait. Do not move." Her axe was brought into an offensive position again, her eyes dark and cold as she tilted her head, noticing that the boar had disappeared into the knee-high tall grass. "A boar. Behind you..."     The dark haired man flinched for a moment when she reached for her axe before her next sentence made him realize why, sighing as he gripped his sheath and prepared to draw his blade, “Figures. Group starts to get bigger, aggro range expands...” There was surprisingly a kind of… boredom to his voice at the idea of being surrounded by attacking wild animals but at this point, fending against Boars was starting to get a bit routine. Sure, that was in the plan today but by himself, drawing one enemy at a time. It was easy pickings and even this scenario wasn’t so bad as they really had only one mode of attack, with their tusks. Still, if Tesh was still at the level he originally was back in the Black Forest, as well as the young lady they had met still in her beginner gear, then they still must have been level 1 or 2. These were fights at their character level.     Hearing Tesh directing him this time, it looked like his gray haired partner here was starting to get the hang of things around here and was ready to take action. “Right, lets group up after this first wave!” He suggested back as he spun around and drew his curved blade, rather short and machete like compared to the rest of their weapons. Not by choice but it had proven to be over the couple of months to be something he had grown fond of. Sure, there was the handicap of reach and the odd balance but he could whip the blade fast with its thin design. Because he felt that’s what he needed to beat the computer, something that hits fast and hard.     Because despite how Scheherazade and Tesh might humanize these grey furred, hooved animals, all Kaito could do was see them as nothing but code, texture mapping and AI patterns. As he shifted around the main open patch between where they had been speaking and the glimpses of their dark hides, he casually spun the blade around himself, taking a relaxed stance to draw them out. First pattern: Aggressive Charge. Listen for the stamping of feet and the louder snorting. Three taps and a whine is when they strike. He directed himself as his black eyes darted between the two figures with their red eyes glaring his way. Thump-thump. The third scrap of hoof on dirt didn’t come from the one in front of him as the sound of battle cries were going on around him, making it difficult to make out the various sounds on that plain but he must definitely heard the whine from his left side. Looking from the corner of his eye as that dark hide came from the long grass, his agility and dexterity helped him spin out of the way and strike back just in time. He grit his teeth and watched the blade connect with its eye as it leapt through the air, sliding across the length of its body and exploding into blue pixels as one was down.     Of course, in this new position, he had left himself exposed from behind as he spun around in time to see the other one already making its course straight for him. Not having enough time to evade, Kaito gasped loudly as he reached out and was able to catch ahold of those big tusks, blunting the blow as it slammed into his chest but able to keep his footing as his toes dug into the earth. Grunting and panting, the older player kept the boar from shifting and tossed its head to try and throw its sharp tusks into his face. He heard a voice around him began to speak with a reverent tone in a language he recognized but did not know. The young knight was… speaking Arabic? Was that the accent he couldn’t figure out? Regardless, he glanced over to see the young woman perform almost the exact same maneuver as himself. Maybe she was a quick learner too?     Regardless, knowing that she was taking care of herself meant he could focus on what was in front of him. As the boar began to try and wrench its strength back against him, Kaito growled as he used it against it. Letting go momentarily to let his free hand take the work, he stabbed the blade into the creature’s side, the boar howling out as with both hands now free he spun and threw the digital animal against the ground. The force of its body slamming the pommel of the weapon deeper until it came out the other side made the oversized pig disembowel itself as it shuttered and gurgle-snorted only for a second more before dissipating like the other.     He turned around to check on Scheharazade just in time to see the boar charging head long at her, not yet defeated. Kaito ran for his weapon as he called out, “H-Hey! Get out of the… way…?” He shouted at first before ray of light seemed to strike at the same time as the boar, the creature landing motionless and disappearing before he could finish his sentence. “Oh… You have some sort of… punishment skill then? I mean, I could kinda tell you’re going for more of a “Tank” build to begin with but that’s a smart move. Though, maybe instead of using it directly to take a hit and deliver damage, you use it just in case something gets through your guard…?” Kaito suggested gently as he picked his weapon back up and glanced around for anything else coming their way.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Scheherazade]

"My faith is seared into my skin; burned into my worldly flesh with ink as a reminder that I can never give it up. It is a burden that is worth nothing and everything. It is my pain." ☒ Kaito Tesh ✐ 000 ✉ Braids, doing nothing, thinking, and blushing. Done. :P Scheherazade Lv1

"Perhaps," Scheherazade conceded, swinging her axe to let it rest over her shoulder as she smiled politely at the gray-haired man. "But if one had broken through my guard; it is most likely that I myself would be too surprised to block, and I would find myself at odds with the time that I had to execute such a move. You're very knowledgable, are you?" She spoke politely, her English accent more pronounced, now, and she graced him with a small, honest smile, her fingers clenching around her axe. Tesh seemed still cautious, and she smiled at the sight. It was pleasant to see another who was constantly vigilant, and that added to her mood a little. Kaito seemed to be doing the same thing, so she added in her two cents as well, staring over the tall grass. He had seemed to be almost bored with their fighting earlier, but encountered a tiny bit of difficulty, so perhaps he was around...early level three or late level two? She bit her lip, a little confused. At any rate, she then swung her axe off her frame, instead once again leaving it in the ground as she ran a hand over her hair. It would need to be tied again. She sighed at the thought, but then began. She started with taking the section from the nape of her neck firmly and braided it into a smooth French braid, leaving the rest of her hair over the opposite shoulder, and then tied it off as loosely as she possibly could but left it firm at the same time. Reaching for the remaining loose hair, she wrapped it over and under her braid, creating a coiled effect, until she reached her ribbon and tucked it under, securing her hair once again. It was pretty, but a little too tight for comfort. Oh, well. At least it wouldn't get into her eyes as she fought. Scheherazade blinked. There were no boars easily seen in their range, and she had all this wide-open space...her fingers twitched. She wanted to dance. A La Seconde turns, Chaînés turns, Fouettés, and, of course, the pirouette. Triple pirouettes, too-god, she had hated those things when she was in the Conservatory, but now she itched to do them until her limbs ached. Moving into a arabesque, entrechat huit, entrechat neuf-she wants to do that. Her eyes gleam suddenly. So what's holding her back? She can imagine herself as she moves to a smooth, flawless, really, simple position after lightly asking Tesh and Kaito to keep an eye on the fields around them. She can see herself humming lightly, and then moving to the next position, her arms raising slightly, making sure her form is fine before she continues on. She could her wrist absently and switches out of her armor, instead settling for the smooth comfort of her legging-like pants and her loose cotton top. She doesn't trust herself not to. She knows what's holding her back. Her sense of duty, the way she's left on a battlefield- She's suddenly struck by the memory of her strict ballet instructor, Yvonne, speaking to her in stern voice, hair piled up atop her head in an elaborate bun as she focuses on the interminable floor sequence of embôité, embôité, chasse, chasse, arabesque…but that's not what Scheherazade is doing right now. She focuses and takes a deep breath. She wants to dance. She's built for this. She's trained for this. But she can't. She pauses and tries to focus on looking out, expression impassive. There's not much to do, suddenly, and she finds herself incredibly at a loss at what to do. She's generally avoided contact with the other dancers at the Conservatory, and they did the same to her in turn. Just another student, blending in with the others, each so brilliant they seemed dim among others of the same caliber. Social contact isn't the strongest point to her, and so she merely hums lightly and continues on with her watch, content. She'll leave the socializing to the others. Her posture is straight, refined, she notices absently, almost too much so, the blonde drawn up to her full height. One arm rests lightly on her shield, keeping it up, as the other limb leans on the axe embedded in the ground. She faces the breeze, which is a little discomforting, seeing as how it blows back tiny wisps of hair. Scheherazade blinks ineffectually, wondering why it's so silent. It shouldn't be, honestly-boars are very, very thick around this area. She closes her eyes for a second, trusting Kaito and Tesh, and visualizes them in her mind's eye, each one taking a side, as if they were parts of a triangle. Her mind eagerly whispers tales of rich lore and tragic history, and for a second, she can see herself as a member of Angel's Requiem for a minute again, each swing of her longsword a true ring of steel that would emanate in a beautiful arc of glowing blue and silver fused together. Sych, a fellow guild member, would stay by her side silently, a much more quiet comrade, a male spear-wielder with a penchant for critical hits that would severely cripple the opponent. What would she be? She wonders for a minute, and then the thought strikes her as she opens her eyes again, expression calm and serene. Perhaps she could be a knight, or even a ruler. Something flickers across her eyes. That's what they had called her, or at least, those in the guild, Sych had divulged quietly. The Knight. It was an amusing thought at the time, and she had professed her bewilderment. When she had asked why, he had simply shrugged and said that it was easier to pronounce than Scheherazade, making her smile. She pauses, unsure. Is she...supposed to approach them? Talk, perhaps? Scheherazade keeps her calm facade up, but the tiniest of blushes creeps up her cheeks, and her eyes are slightly averted. No, she repeats to herself, hesitant. It would perhaps be better to let them make the first move. The blonde lets her thoughts dissipate. Her tongue flickers out and wets her lips as she inclines her head the tiniest bit, tapping her fingers against the metal of her armor. Her cheeks are now rosy, but she doesn't mind. Her gaze flickers over to the others.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS - EDITS BY ANGELO OF SAO-RPG

[Tesh]

"There Is More Than One Way Forward" ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ notes Tesh Lv1

The fighting had finally come to a halt and the atmosphere became peaceful once more. This obviously was not one of the areas that were safe for a player or party to take a break. There were were only a few places of this nature this deep in the plains. So it was no surprise that the three got ambushed. Tesh was just relieved that Kaito and himself showed up in time and stopped to talk with Scheherazade, if not she would have been overrun by boars. Seeing her capabilities, from the previous fight, with her axe and shield, it was obvious that she could stand her own ground fighting these boars, but six boars attacking at one time against a single person, at least for a level one, would almost guarantee a fatality. Just the sheer thought of Scheherazade dying, even though he just met the lady, caused his head to start throbbing in pain, just like all of the other times he is reminded of that one day, years ago in the real world. The pain of the throbbing was enough to cause his peripherals to start becoming blurry...but before he let the memory fully resurface he snapped himself out of it. What had just occurred to Tesh was most likely visible to the the other two, as the initial pain of the throbbing was enough to make his eyes cringe, as well as forcing him to put his head down, chin pressed up against his collarbone, looking at the ground; additionally, they probably heard the sound of him grunting slightly at the overwhelming pain. Picking his head back up looking at the other two players, who appeared to be looking over at him now after his little charade, he spoke up quickly to try to avoid the topic of what was going on. “Well, it looks like we both got her just in time! Thank the Lord.” “Everyone alright?” Even though it was a little after midday now and Tesh was going to be calling it quits, heading back to town, because he knew that he was bound to run into several other groups of enemies along the way, which would be the most that he could handle in a day solo, he asked the other two players “What you guys up to today?” Thinking that maybe they would want to party up. Having a group of three would allow for Tesh, who was only level one at the time, be able to stay out longer and not force him to call it a day so soon. getting a second-wind from this occurrence, especially running into Kaito, whom he just partied up with yesterday, Tesh became excited about the idea of partying up with the two but didn;t want to be the one to say it...he was still rather shy with people, especially around people who he is just meeting for the first time. Looking over at Kaito, “As a side note, how are you holding up from yesterday? That was rather intense after all...that was actually the first time partying up for me...it was also the first time taking on so many creatures at once, it was absolutely terrifying at first, but it was an amazing experience for me to see just how a party can function together and achieve what I, fighting solo, couldn’t imagine to do in days...let alone in one encounter...I’m grateful that you were there. Thank you again.” Tesh said, remembering how smoothly they were able to fight together before. Now looking back over to Scheherazade, seeing her rest up, one arm relaxed on her shield, the other, leaning on her axe, that she dug back into the ground, holding herself up, Tesh really did imagine her as a knight on the battlefield. She was calm, and this is what made Tesh first trust her abilities in fighting, one who can keep their composure while being in a position that could potentially be fatal is necessary when out here, fighting to get stronger, or whatever it was is that brings them out into danger. Even though her mannerisms were rather bold and strong, like someone who wouldn’t want to be bothered by many people, she did still show interest in the two. This is what gave Tesh hope that she would also want to party up with the two and fight together. Looking back out into the grassy fields, not able to see any other mobs of enemies he said one last thing before waiting for someone else to make the first move. “well...What now? I guess...”

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS - EDITS BY ANGELO OF SAO-RPG

[Kaito]

"I'm no hero. I can't save my own life, let alone another. I was never a "Sapphire Samurai." Just a ronin fighting for ideals I can only hope to aspire to." ☒ Tesh , Scheherazade ✐ 1001 ✉ Make like the Knights of the Round Table and "Run awaaaay! Run awaaaaaay!" Kaito Lv4

Kaito chuckled shyly as he scratched his messy head of hair at her compliment, feeling a little embarrassed by her compliment, “H-Hehe, knowledgeable maybe but n-not very articulate. I didn’t mean to use the ability when someone breaks through your guard, but not use it as a direct way to attack. Like, um, activate it, fight like you normally would and make an enemy think twice to actually hit you. Though… I guess that would be more useful a tactic against more intelligent AI characters than just, well… pigs.” He glanced off a little as he spoke that last sentence, seemingly punching holes in his own strategy. The dark haired man’s theories were sound but he did seem to have a problem with confidence. Which was strange as he took to taking a bit of a leader role, especially when he announced the idea of grouping up after their “first wave” of enemies. He knew what he was saying, perhaps too well. Maybe he was one of the so-called “Beaters” that some would speak in hushed, callous tones about… and others that would snicker over the title if English was their first language. Regardless, he could come off as a curious contradiction: a man who seemed to picture himself a leader with no confidence in his ability to lead.     “I, um, I’m sorry if I sound like I’m “man-splaning” here. I just want to make sure we all play to our very best out here, to survive and be safe, you know?” He said with a soft smile, as she coyly braided her long golden hair back again. There really was something regal to the way she held herself that made him feel awkward and clumsy in comparison. Even with his somewhat toned build, he felt somewhere between lanky and normal but not getting to either of them correctly. But he did feel like he was getting better as all the fighting for the past few months was changing his internal biology. Well… that was one way of thinking of it. It could also simply be him growing with better stats. But what was mechanical and what was simply learning to be better here in Aincrad? “Well, it looks like we both got here just in time! Thank the Lord. Everyone alright?”     It was an odd declaration but Kaito understood the reasoning behind it. “Oh, we’re okay! Got a little carried away focusing on one pig but I made it out alright. Scheherazade has a power that makes someone pay for hitting her, so she’s good too… I think. Um, h-how’s your health Scheherazade?” He asked, feeling his tongue maybe beginning to cramp with that name as he wondered how to shorten it. Or if he should even. “What you guys up to today?”     “Oh, just bringing home the bacon is all.” He joked badly as he snickered, tapping his menu in front of him, “And hopefully some fur skins too. I’ve been trying to get out of this armor for quite a while now. It’s definitely time for an upgrade.” He flicked a window towards the two of them as indicators for a party invite showed in front of their faces, “If you’re interested in joining in for experience and Col and stuff, I’d be happy to show you guys around to some not really seen spawn points.” Though that more jovial nature was put on hold as Tesh seemed to have a moment of deep gratitude that left the young man momentarily off guard as he spoke to him of just how thankful he was for grouping up with him the other day. It might have been beyond Scheheraz- Wait, Sche. Yes, like the French “Chez”, that would be a good nickname, Kaito thought. But it might have been beyond Sche to know where the two of them were coming from, she’d be able to tell the camaraderie between them.     “Hey, hey, don’t you sell yourself short.” He said, gently scolding him as he clapped his palms on his shoulders, “You were great that day too, you fought with all your might and I wouldn’t want it any other way. You- And you too Sche,” Kaito explained, turning around a moment to address the blonde haired knight and testing out her nickname to see how she’d take it, “I think you two have great potential out here to take on anything this game has to throw our way. I mean, in time. That includes myself too. Because we’re not really trained swordsmen and swordswomen here, just average first-world people. So maybe we can… can…”     The black eyed man’s vision was caught by the twinkling of blue slipping through the grass underneath his feet when he momentarily got a little sheepish, his eyes widening as what looked like the faint remains of the six Boars the three of them had just fought were skittering across the ground. Trails of blue pixelated diamonds trailed between their legs as Kaito’s face seemed to go pale, suddenly muttering to himself, “No… no-no-no, not again…!” The loud, abrupt snort of something massive forming behind him made him suddenly spin around and draw his blade, only to freeze as it had returned. The “War Hog” as its title announced above its head stood twice as high as it lifted itself out from the tall grass around it, crimson red eyes glowing from behind a body encapsulated by iron armor from its flank to its snout as if someone (or something) had bolted metal plates to its very hide. It’s tusks were at least a meter long each and splintered and broken, jagged in ways that left it’s serrated and barbed and very, very deadly.     “We… We need to get out of here. NOW!” Kaito barked as he glanced to the two next to him, backing away before practically going into a sprint from this thing. If a player nearly 3 levels higher was running in fear, what did that mean for the rest of them?

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Scheherazade]

"My faith is seared into my skin; burned into my worldly flesh with ink as a reminder that I can never give it up. It is a burden that is worth nothing and everything. It is my pain." ☒ Kaito Tesh ✐ 000 ✉ What shall you do now, my fair knights? Scheherazade Lv1

Scheherazade blinked at Tesh's question. "I was trying to gain some expertise in the game, as you might have noticed. Boars are the lowest level monsters in the game, and I thought that I could handle myself. But thank you for your help." She smiled lightly before letting her gaze drop to her axe, studying each little crook in the wood, wondering when she would get used to this weapon that felt fairly natural in her hands already. But not completely, and that was what mattered. She turned her head around and opened her mouth to talk to the two about some inane topic just to get conversation going but then closed her mouth, realizing that she didn't know what she was doing. Socialization had been important, yes, but in Sword Art Online, it was a chance to turn your entire image around. A fresh start. Every action in the beginning would be thrice fold returned with a vengeance. Scheherazade needed to be careful in order to know that she was doing the right thing. The right thing. In a world like this, filled with lawlessness, brute force, and desperate hope, what did doing the right thing have to do with anything at all? The green player let her gaze rest on the gently swaying grass. Nothing at all, as did morals and ethics. But even if it was just her...she was going to uphold her ideals. She had let herself suffer with her beliefs and she could do it again. Her tattoo seemed to sear into her skin once again. Right. She had suffered for her ideals, this belief that she held on to all too tightly. But she would burn for this. It would be her downfall, the blonde was sure of it. Her eyes flickered. So be it. If I am going to die inevitably, I would rather it be from my soul's truths than anything else. No matter how little my beliefs could have effected my death. As long as it did, I would be content. The green player jolted at the sudden sound of Kaito's voice, and turned around, spotting an absolutely terrifying creature. It was grotesque, and reminded her of blood. Her eyes flashed. Blood indeed. And then Kaito...he had shouted out a warning, but-there was something off about this creature. It was no ordinary boar, that was for sure. She hissed out an Arabic curse under her breath and ran, her footsteps thudding hard against the soft earth. Indeed. She could not underestimate this opponent. It was best to flee. But the boar-it was pursuing. How odd. Panic welled up in her before she forced it down. Her lilac eyes narrowed. Scheherazade couldn't think clearly with panic, after all. The blonde young woman felt the weight of her shield in her hand and tried to calm herself. It would be alright. It had to be. And then she ran on. The sound of the boar's hooves thundered behind her, and she ran harder, but a sense of unease welled up in her, despite her attempts to not let it do so. It was terrifying. Had Kaito encountered this monster before? She gritted her teeth. But now was not a time to talk. She ran harder, pushed herself farther, and the sound began to fade suddenly. Why? And then it sped up. The green player risked a turn to glance at it, and her eyes widened. She cleared her throat and shouted to the other players, her contralto spreading with the wind that blew through the plains. "It's attacking! I can't tell which one of us, but it is, and yet-" Her voice cut off when she noticed it running after her and Tesh, and pointedly avoiding Kaito. Was it because of the level difference? Did it somehow understand that? The blonde cursed under her breath in furious Arabic mixed with Swedish, completely incomprehensible, and then raised her axe defensively in one hand, just in case. Her blonde hair was tugged off her back by the wind, blown back, and she blinked the air out of her eyes, a light cold sensation. But it was closing in. Scheherazade swore again under her breath, and then turned around, thrusting her shield forward. The boar closed in on her, who was an easier target, and she watched the monster charge straight at her shield. She struggled to keep it up, feeling the sheer force of the strikes exhaust her. It was a logical choice in her head. They couldn't outrun it forever, after all, and this would buy them some time. She then watched in shock and horror as holes were gorged in her wooden shield by the monster's tusks and narrowly flipped over an attack that was at her side, beginning to sprint again, but the monster was at her heels. One missed step and she could very well die. Scheherazade's heartbeat sped up. She had only defended herself against the monster for about twenty seconds, but her arms ached and her legs were slightly unsteady. How pitiful. Her gaze hardened as she ran faster, finding herself a little distance away from the boar before she tripped slightly, and indent in the ground making her stumble and fall to her knees. Her lilac eyes widened as she tried to get up in time to evade the boar once again, shield securely in front of her, but the irises held a delicate wariness. She couldn't evade this opponent for long.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS - EDITS BY ANGELO OF SAO-RPG

[Tesh]

"There Is More Than One Way Forward" ☒ Scheherazade Kaito ✐ 000 ✉ notes Tesh Lv3

Everything remained peaceful for the moment, it seemed just as much that they would be able to take a breather for the time being, so Tesh sheathed his great sword back up around on his back, as he asked the other two if they were alright. It appeared as though both were completely fine still after the ambushing, which was a relief. Even though they were only level one boars, six of them fighting in unison could have been the very end of them if Kaito didn’t show up. Tesh continued on and asked the two what they were up to, Scheherazade and Kaito both seemed to be doing the same thing, which was just out and about farming experience and looking to get some possible drops that would benefit their stats. Tesh chuckled slightly at a really bad joke Kaito made, but there was some truth behind it. As players, the majority of the people had to go out and kill these monsters to gain some col and food to eat in order to survive. It was an American joke that Tesh was all too familiar with. Kaito placed his hand on Tesh’s shoulder, after Tesh showed some gratitude towards the older player about the previous day, attempting to reinforce some confidence into the young grey hair man. “I’m grateful because that was the first time experiencing a party, as well as, the fact that I’m just not that good with people skills. So it was very helpful for me.” As Kaito continued on talking about the two others’ potential as players Tesh noticed his face go slightly pale and sheepish, as if he saw a ghost or something standing right behind Tesh, muttering something to himself which Tesh couldn’t exactly make out. When a loud snort came from nowhere, Tesh was caught off guard and shocked, being that the massive boar was standing right behind him. Kaito released his grip on the Tesh and turned around drawing his blade. At the same time, Tesh would look over his shoulder to see this massive boar, with the title above its head reading ‘War Hog’. Yelling to the others Tesh said, “What the hell is that thing?!” And as Kaito went into an all-out sprint, Tesh heard him say that they needed to leave. Before he even got the words off of his lips Tesh was already moving as fast as he possibly could alongside Scheherazade, who seemed similarly spooked from the occurrence. Running beside her, he realized that the oversized boar was continuing to pursue the two of them, and at a rapid pace as well. As he realized that it would probably be impossible to escape this situation he heard Scheherazade scream that it was attacking. She got into a defensive position and began to take on the brute force of its attacks one after another. Tesh didn’t know what to do, if they were to fight this beast they would most likely end up dead by the end of it, but he wasn’t just going to leave her behind to die so that they would be able to escape. A few seconds pasted, feeling as if time was slowed down tenfold, he saw the massive brute of a boar striking down on the woman. She was losing strength, getting weaker, she was not able to continue this up for much longer. He looked towards Kaito quickly, without thinking another moment and yelled to him as hard as he could, “We need to fight! Now!” As the words fell from his lips, he was already in a full charge towards the beast. Timing its attacks on the hybrid tank, he waited to strike as soon as it was finishing up its last blow on Scheherazade. Charging up from behind her, he placed his foot on one of the rocks that were throughout the Great Plains, leaping with all of his strength at the boar. He grabbed the hilt of his sword while flinging himself at the massive beast, unsheathing the blade, and driving it straight into the head, right above the nostrils, of the beast. The blade struggled slightly to penetrate the boars hide, but it did indeed sinks into the skin, as he noticed the red that poured out from the cut. Soon after his blade managed to skin into the hide of the monster, it squealed and got startled from the attack, and began to go rapid from the young man on his face, bucking around like a horse, it swung its head, causing Tesh to lose his balance on the monster, flinging him off of itself. Tesh flew through the air, trying to regain his balance and orientation using his acrobatics, but the sheer force from the monster was so great that it didn’t allow for him to do so, and what ended up happening was he landed on the grassy plain, on his back, causing him to slide away, rolling over himself. It hurt, but it wasn’t enough to keep him down. As he spit dirt and grass out from his mouth, and began to get back up on his feet, he looked over towards Kaito, on one knee, waiting to see what he was going to do for a second, before going back into the fight, while at the same time reevaluating his attack method.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS - EDITS BY ANGELO OF SAO-RPG

[Kaito]

"I'm no hero. I can't save my own life, let alone another. I was never a "Sapphire Samurai." Just a ronin fighting for ideals I can only hope to aspire to." ☒ Tesh, Scheherazade ✐ 781 ✉ Kaito for this thread will now be voiced by Shia LeBeouf. "No no! NononNONONONO!" Kaito Lv4

Kaito knew what this was. It was reliving the nightmare that welcomed him to Aincrad in the first place. He knew he might meet the War Hog again at some point but to have the scenario be so similar made the color drain from his skin even as they ran at full sprint. Here he was with younger players (Sche at least, Tesh was near his own age), being chased after by this monster far too big for their levels and threatening to kill them just at level one. Was the War Hog stronger than him? By himself, Kaito guessed yes, even if they were technically the same level. This was after all a Rare Monster, something above the regular trash mob but not a Boss monster. But for these two? It might as well have been Illfang itself. He could hear the charging monster behind him, glancing over his shoulder to make sure those barbed tusks weren’t glowing red. The War Hog itself had its own Sword Art that would have been deadly to any of them this far from town as he struggled to get away. But it looked like in his attempt to run first from this creature was going to bite him in the end as the armored boar’s snorts and whines were moving away, as well as the rapid footsteps of his young allies. He glanced over in horror to realize that the creature was seemingly ignoring him, herding away the lower level players from running to safety, even if the closest town was maybe over a half hour away or more by foot. “No! No-no-no!” Kaito breathed out as he skid to a halt in the grass, realizing just how much this scenario was turning into the same situation that killed TigerLilly. The War Hog was already on top of Scheherazade when the dark haired man pulled out his weapon, hearing Tesh call out what he realized had to be done. They had to fight this thing. “Damnit, okay! Watch out for its Gore Attack, it has a chance of causing a Bleed effect!” He yelled out as he watched the young man attempt another one of his giant hail-mary strikes on the boar with results being thrown across the field for his actions. Glancing at his party side-bar to see if he was alright, Kaito realized he needed to end this as quickly as possible. Crouching down into his familiar charging stance, he silently begged the system to hurry with the warm-up animation as blue streaks of wind energy encircled his form, forced to watch as those tusks did a number on Sche’s shield. He hadn’t heard of the system having item degrading to it but watching the wood splinter and gouged into made him wonder just how far it would take. The second his sword turned blue, Kaito dashed across the grassy plains towards the War Hog, running as if the wind was driving him forward as his beginner’s sword struck it’s back hide again and again. “KA! ZE! NO!” He yelled out, whipping back his blade to send the final blow… only to hear it clank down against tusks that were now baring down on him, all the energy from that final blow sending dirt and grass flying but the War Hog was as firm as a mountain. “H-Ha…?” Kaito voice cracked as the creature seemed to annoyingly just turn around to face him during his Sword Art’s onslaught, its blood red eyes baring down at him now. Roaring loudly, it twisted its head and spun around, catching Kaito’s leather armor with its barbed tusks, digging into his arm as he yelled out in sudden pain, lifted up off the ground and tossed aside. His eyes found the sky as he was sent rolling down a hill, trying to fathom just what went wrong. He was the higher level player here, why didn’t his Sword Art do more!? Fear was making him sloppy, making him nowhere near as effective a fighter he had been just moments ago as he finally skidded to a halt, huffing as his shaking legs struggled to get him back up again. He watched as the War Hog once again turned back to Scheherazade, stamping its cloven hooves as its tusks turned bright red, as if its strikes against Tesh and himself had let their blood cover his massive spiked teeth. This was it, this was the Sword Art! She could survive the hit from this thing but the percentile for that Bleed Effect was high. If she got hit by this…! “SCHE! MOVE!” Kaito gasped and screamed as he futility ran to get to her in time.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Scheherazade]

"My faith is seared into my skin; burned into my worldly flesh with ink as a reminder that I can never give it up. It is a burden that is worth nothing and everything. It is my pain." ☒ Kaito Tesh ✐ 000 ✉ Hang in there, Kai. She's not someone you can kill so easily... Scheherazade Lv1

Tesh...he had been thrown back? Her eyes widened with worry before she forced herself to focus, taking deep breaths. This required full concentration. She couldn't afford to die now, and she didn't want to. She pushed back harder, but so did the boar, and the two were lost in a fight of pure strength, one that she was beginning to lose. The blonde merely gritted her teeth and pushed back harder against the monster, feeling the monster's tusks gore into the wood of her shield, making her stumble half a step back, but she gritted her teeth and threw her weight against the material, as little as it was, hoping that someone would help her. Kaito started screaming words, and she was about to turn to him instinctively before the War Hog started climbing on her shield. Kaito's voice seemed very far away as she realized what type of situation she was in, absently listening to Kaito's words as she kept herself still but firm and steady. Gore Attack, bleed effect...and then Kaito attacked? The boar retracted from her figure, making her gasp in relief, collapsing slightly onto the ground in a half-lying, half-sitting position, eyes wide with horror. And then...he was thrown. Off one of the only slopes in the plains, which were mostly flat. Just their luck. She grimaced at the thought before realizing the boar was onto her again, and her hands scrambled for her shield. The boar roared in fury and annoyance, a harsh, grating noise. The tusks turned brilliant crimson, as if blood were coating the ivory, a toxic poison that dripped down and down and down and coated the monster's spiked teeth. Her eyes turned dark as she readied her shield in anger born from fear and panic. But that charge...something told her it was different. Scheheherazade trusted her instincts. She took a calculated step back, noting out of the corner of her eye that the monster shifted the course slightly as to aim at her perfectly still, exhaled slowly, strength rushing back into her limbs. Her lilac eyes remained shut, and she trusted that the boar hadn't hit her yet. She drew on years' experience of dancing, the strength she had accumulated in her legs, the sheer power that resided there, ballet and contemporary and salsa and raqs sharqi and powerful, beating limbs that seemed like they had hearts at times. She pressed her heels and then her toes and then found a place in the earth where she would push off and hoped that she was just as good as jumping as she was in the real world, opened her eyes and watched the boar close in, and then pressed her feet against the ground and pushed off, completing an arcing backflip. She vaulted over the boar, and her limbs felt like lead, slow and sluggish and refusing to obey, but the monster charged straight on, the curse of speed and momentum. Her axe flashed as she got it out, eyes flickering between the axe and her currently ruined shield before quickly swiping as to let her shield reside within her inventory once more, taking it out in a more repaired form, even if scratches marred the surface. She had seen this trick with other players, and had been eager to use it for her own gain. But now seemed more like a dire time than anything else. Her eyes flickered to Kaito, and while the War Hog took a minute to recollect itself, she ran over, hair flying out behind her as she sprinted, shield brushing against her leg, and she found herself nearby him, eyes darting towards him, forcing herself to stay calm and steady, form smoothing out into a quiet trepidation. "My sword art...if that attack is as strong as you claim...perhaps it can actually put a dent inside of that beast. It's a gamble, but...it's the best chance we have, since...it doesn't seem to be stopping." Her arm tightened around her ax, and she glanced up to see the boar running towards Tesh, this time, the closer target. Tesh...her eyes widened in alarm. Tesh didn't have a shield like she did, so the chances were that he would get hurt. Very hurt. Her legs carried her through, though slow and sluggish, making her bite her lip as she skidded to a stop next to the gray-haired boy in an attempt to stop herself from cursing in violent Arabic, a habit she had picked up from her father.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS - EDITS BY ANGELO OF SAO-RPG

[Tesh]

Nothing left to say

What's standing in your way?

You had the chance to never walk alone

WORDS: ### || TAGS: Scheherazade Kaito

After tumbling over himself as he got thrown away from the face of the War Hog, his mouth full of grass and dirt from the Plains, he looked over to his right and saw Kaito come to a crashing halt in his strides. On one knee, about 10 or 15 meters away from the beast and Scheherazade, he heard Kaito say something regarding it having a bleed effect of its own. Does that mean that even AI can have Sword Arts as well? Tesh thought to himself, while Kaito got down into a charging stance, getting ready to join the fight against the beast of the Plains.

Tesh would get back up onto his feet as he saw Kaito’s sword turn blue and begin dashing towards the massive hog. Tesh had never seen his Sword Art before, well at least this one, and was hopeful that this attack would be able to take the massive boar down, at least deal a good amount of damage. As Tesh began running back over to the group he would see the boar and Kaito come to a stalemate with their attacks, the boar looked annoyed and angry with this attack, twisting its head around and throwing Kaito as well.

If Kaito even can’t deal this beast than we might be done for after all. He thought, watching as Kaito tumbled down the side of a hill, catching his feet and turning around to yell to Scheherazade that she needed to move.

Seeing the tusks of the monster turn red, Tesh realized that this must have been the gore attack that Kaito was talking about before. As the massive brute of a boar began charging towards the blonde woman, in a full on sprint, Tesh’s stomach sank, almost to the point of when he witnessed what his sister had done years ago, in the real world.Move Sche! Please move! Tesh would think to himself as he was impending the awful situation of her getting toppled over by the massive boar. He hardly even knew the woman, but it didn’t change anything, the last thing that he wanted to see happen was her get killed, especially by something like this.

Hoping that she would move and get out of the way in time, his wishes came true, as he watched the blonde haired woman vault up into the air, flying over the monster, gracefully, and landing behind it. She managed to dodge that monsters massive attack, one that would have probably killed her right then and there. A deep sigh of relief was expelled from his bowels, as he watched her make it back over to where Kaito was standing. What were they going to do now? Tesh couldn’t think of a way that they would be able to manage to kill this monster with all of them coming out alive. While he was continuing to make his way over, in thought about their plan of action, he heard the stomps from the monster getting louder and louder, and as he realized the boar was sprinting towards him now he knew that he needed to act now.

Quickly he rationalized that the best route of taking on this beast was to go for its legs, seeing that his last attack that was aimed into its head was a total failure. As he planted his feet in the ground, preparing himself to dodge the attack and strike at the legs of the boar, he heard another set of footsteps running over to him, and it was Scheherazade, who seemed rather concerned, the same way that Tesh had felt previously, when the monster was charging at her, but this was bad. If he were to dodge the attack and make a counter attack at its legs, it would leave Scheherazade open to getting struck by the attack, and now she no longer was holding her shield, probably from the massive beating that it was taking previously to all this. Looking over to her direction he yelled, “What are you doing?!” But it was too late, she had already gotten herself to his location and the boar was gaining on their location.

With his eyes set on the boar that was running them down, Tesh told the blonde, “I’m going for its legs, I need you to move, so you don’t get hit” quickly as his sword began to turn black, holding it down by his side. As soon as the boar got close enough, Tesh would give Scheherazade the signal to move as he dashed in. The brute placed his tusks all the way down towards the ground, rubbing up against the grass and earth, throwing dirt and blades of grass behind it as it charge forward. Going straight on was not a possible way to get to this things legs. Once it got close enough Tesh dove to the right, using his acrobatics to regain balance of himself while in midair, and cut back in, diving under the beast to strike at its legs. As the beast continued charging, Tesh used his sword art, Whirling Dervish, dashing underneath the boar, taking his blackened sword in both hands as he rapidly swung it horizontally striking the front two legs of the monster as he was passing by underneath.

The first strike landed perfectly, right behind the knee of the monster, and as he was able to successfully land the second strike on the beast, he wasn’t fast enough to make it all the way through, and was hit in his back by the back right leg of the beast as it was continuing to charge. The impact was intense, enough to have broken several of his ribs, but since this was in the game, and the only indication that the impact was so intense was his head would snap backwards as some blood would fly out from his lips. His attacks were enough to stagger the monster, falling forward onto its face and come to a sliding halt, but the impact of its leg once again threw Tesh down towards the ground.

The pain was incredible, as he lay there looking up towards the sky, seeing his health bar drop into the yellow and close to the red zone. Laying there in the dirt, he tried to hold onto his consciousness, and prayed that the other two would be able to make the final killing blows on the monster while they had such an advantage against the beast.

Tesh

BOBBI

[Kaito]

"I'm no hero. I can't save my own life, let alone another. I was never a "Sapphire Samurai." Just a ronin fighting for ideals I can only hope to aspire to." ☒ Tesh , Scheherazade ✐ 1096 ✉ I'll leave the fate of the War Hog to you Sche, on whether or not you deliver the final blow or not. Kaito Lv4

Was this his fate? To be the reason why every young person he meets sees their demise? His legs are moving as fast as he could muster, panting heavily as he ran towards them, hand outstretched as if in a nightmare. No matter how hard he pushed himself, Kaito wouldn’t be able to reach her in time. So another young girl would die because of his inability to face the challenges of this world head on. His cowardice left this monster of a hog charging for her. “SCHE!!!” He screamed out as she seemed to hold still, as if accepting her fate… and then suddenly leaping into the air with such grace and ease as the War Hog’s tusks charged right under her, its momentum sending it right forward before the sword maiden fell back to the earth on her booted feet.     Kaito collapsed to his knees as his body seemed to give way into relief at the sight of her escaping from the deadly maneuver, having spent so much energy trying to get to her and feeling the adrenaline momentarily leave his muscles. He panted as the corners of his mouth turned up at her as Scheherazade approached him, skidding close as he gasped, “O-Oh thank goodness, I-I thought you… I thought you’d…” He tried to explain himself but his open mouth just couldn’t make the words as she gave him her idea of how to take it down, Kaito shaking his head as he panted, “B-But the chance of t-that Bleed Effect! Even if it succeeds, we might not have enough potions to get you to safety! The numbers… The numbers are against us!” Numbers, calculations, random number chances. This was the language of gaming that the gray haired man knew. He was no man of faith, didn’t put his heart in chances. He had no idea of how important faith was for Sche but it seemed they were opposites in that regard.     But she didn’t seem to listen, no time to listen as the two saw the beast set its eyes now on Tesh, thundering across the plain as big as a bison as Kaito’s shaky legs lifted him back up. He had to keep fighting, even if his body was burning from exhaustion, aching from lack of virtual air. Tesh’s massive blade was at the ready as she got to him first, hearing him yelling at her to get away. He could understand the reasoning as the young man’s weapon was meant for long sweeping attacks and didn’t want her to get hit in the process. But now Kaito too was seeing for the first time the choice of the steel-blue haired man’s Sword Art. But it was a gamble, much like Sche’s desire to use that Counterattack Sword Art she had as he went straight for the legs as his darkness engulfed zweihander only got him through so far. Kaito was already moving towards the War Hog as the young man was trampled, hearing him gurgle and roar in pain as those metallic clad hooves kicked into his torso before nearly falling right on top of him. It was a gamble that nearly cost him a lot more if he had been underneath the beast when it fell.     As the War Hog skid into the ground tusks first, the gray haired man took this as his chance to try and deliver as much damage as he could as fear seemed to evolve into rage. Rage at the beast that took TigerLilly away from him, from her friends and family. The young man suddenly leaped into the back of the giant boar, the steel rivets and scales digging into his fingers as he gritted and attempted to ignore the pain. The War Hog attempted to get back up to its feet as the invader on its back suddenly delivered blow after blow on the back of its head, squealing out in pain finally. “You! Won’t! Take! Another!” Kaito screamed even as the beast attempted to buck him off, grasping hold of the barbed tusk with his gloved hand when it attempted to jab behind it at him and roaring through the pain to deliver a stab through its eye.     The beast reacted by throwing its head forward, those barbs sinking deep into the flesh of Kaito’s gloved palm and yanking him off the shoulders of the War Hog, yelling as he landed on his feet and into a roll, getting up as it thrashed about, trying to find him with its good eye. Pulling back his sword and pointed at his quarry, it had to be close to death, it had to be nearly finished. He lifted his shaking palm, red streaks across his fingers on the inside as the tendons were pulled taut. Come on, come on! Fingers, move! He begged his hand as the War Hog found him and began to stand back up again, its sole eye fixated on the man that nearly ended its life. His pinky, ring and thumb slowly began to curl in as it dug its hooves into the ground, preparing to charge as his two fingers finally pointed where he wanted this next Sword Art to strike. Lighting began to course along the ground and up his legs, forming around his blade as the creature began to run right at him. As his blade finally took on that blue hue again, as the metal clad boar was nearly upon him.     Can I survive this?... Do I deserve to survive this? Will I see you on the other side, Lilly...? His mind in a split second thought as Kaito seemed to leap forward in a flash of lighting, his curved sword striking into the giant hog’s snout and forehead. But his body also followed through with it as his shoulder and torso slammed headlong right into one of those serrated tusks at the same time, this creature’s sheer weight and mass causing Kaito to bounce right off the beast as warning signals screamed in his ear. But the pain was enough to make him realize he was in the Red anyways as he tumbled away, face rolling into the grass and dirt as everything was taken out of him. Had he done enough damage to kill the War Hog? Or if not, was the numbers on his side and paralyzed the creature for Sche to deliver the final blow?     Groggily, Kaito’s mess of a head of hair lifted up, eyes unfocused as he gazed at the monster to see if they would live or die…

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS