Lessa

The edge of his long cloak brushed the backs of her legs as he turned, and she listened to Alkor take his leave. So that was it, then? A brief exchange, and they would go their separate ways? It made sense, in a way. All she had wanted was an answer, and he had given that to her. He had nothing else to offer, and she had no further questions. So why did something still feel unfinished between the two of them? Why did she still feel unsatisfied? Lessa had expected an entirely different story. Though she was embarrassed to admit it, she had foolishly concluded that he and Mari decided to st

As he told his story, she felt herself growing even more conflicted than she had been before. He spoking of seeking justice for a little girl and her mother, and putting an end to not a man, but a monster. It all sounded so harmless when he said it said it like that, in that voice which had always brought her comfort. In fact, it sounded heroic. But he had still killed another player. She vivdly remembered him speaking of player killers, and how completely twisted they were. How could a person kill another, when there was already so much danger programmed into SAO? It was senseless. But he

Thank you for making those edits. Welcome to Aincrad! Approved.

The moment she saw him approaching, she turned her back to him. So it is not just a glitch in my menu, she thought to herself, closing her eyes tightly. When she opened them again, they shone with the first sign of tears. But she bit the inside of her cheek, hard, fighting to keep the tears from falling. Crying now would do her no good. She heard the grass crunch beneath his boots, and when all sound ceased, she could feel his presence directly behind her. But she could not turn around. Her stomach had already tied itself into knots at the thought of him being a player killer, and if she loo

She had found out earlier that morning. Lessa had been nestled deep under the quilts of her guild's inn's bed. Wrapped in a warm cocoon, she had been content to simply watch the snow pile up outside her window. There had been a lot of it in the past eight hours, and the drift that pushed against the glass covered nearly half of it. Lessa had sighed, the sight reminding her of the hard winters she had experienced back home. Home. She found herself thinking less of the real world these days. Now, her dreams of returning home were replaced by dreams of those she cared about within the world

Approved.

For the second time in the same number of weeks, her body was pressed to his. She could remember the sweet scent of his cloak. It had not been a specific smell, but simply a mixture of aromas that she had come to associate with the amber-eyed swordsman. It had been a scent that she had kept with her, and more often than she would like to admit, she found herself wishing she could experience it again. Again, she drew a deep breath through her nose. This time, all that she smelled was her own blood. Suddenly, his body was gone, and there was nothing left to support her near-lifeless frame

The woman let forth an anguished cry as his blade sliced her skin. This time, the hot, sticky liquid flowed freely from the wound, seeping under her armor and dampening her clothing. It pooled on along her collar bone, the edge of her breast, and even her underarm. There was so much blood, and it would go on to stain her skin as they continued their battle. Later, when she would peel off her clothes and inspect the damage, the dark mark on her skin would serve as a cruel reminder of the harm he had caused her. The damage that he had enjoyed inflicting. A sob continued to bubble up in the bac

But that strike never came. Finally, her blue eyes fluttered open. Nothing had happened. She thought maybe he was lining up to strike her, waiting to ensure that critical hit. And why not? She had all but handed him her remaining health on a silver platter. So she waited a beat more. Somewhere, off in the distance, she thought she heard a chorus of booing from the stands. But again, there was no jolt, no pain, no blood. And she hesitantly turned to face him. When her gaze found his figure, she desperately wished that he had just been waiting to hit her. The actual scene that she found deva

This time, her reaction was not instant. As the spectators grew quiet, the tip of the blonde's sword dropped to the ground. One hand held the weapon, and the other slowly rose to her neck. She pressed it there for a few seconds, then pulled her gauntlet-clad hand away. The crimson liquid seeped into the metal, running along the thin creases, and dripping to the ground like fat, dark raindrops. She stared at it for a moment, speechless. Then, the hand clenched into a fist. I was right the first time. He is a monster. She grabbed at her weapon once more, a bit of the blood rubbing off onto He

And with the same machine-like precision, he slashed at her again. This time, the woman did venture a glance at her health bar. Just like that, he had cut down a third of her health. It was unacceptable. Her hands tightened within her gauntlets, squeezing her heavy claymore's hilt tighter. She focused all of her energy there, willing the rose-tinted blade to find her mark this time. She was tired of falling to him every time. Once, he had been her mentor. He had picked her up on the street when she was a lowly level one. He had led her through the motions, helping her find her feet. Then, it

Though her armor absorbed some of the hit, Alkor's powerful strike sent the woman falling backward. She threw out one foot, and caught herself before she could fall over. But it did not take a glance at her health bar to tell her he had dealt some serious damage. Part of her was hurt by his action. Sure, this was all a contest. She could not die, and this was the whole point of the challenge. But that look in his amber eyes when he had struck her had been chilling; they had been completely bereft of emotion. His actions had been crisp, clean, and made without hesitation. He's a monster, insi

She drew her sword with a long, metalic hiss. Lessa knew that she would not be able to outrun Alkor. He was far too quick, and he would easily be able to dodge her attacks. But what he did not have was protection, and she had plenty of it. Her best bet would be to come in hard and heavy, and pray that her big hits found their mark. If they did not, she would just have to depend on her heavy armor to keep her in the game long enough to see victory. With this in mind, Lessa made the first move. The spectators roared as she moved into action, picking up as much speed as she could muster. She

The woman was dressed for battle. Her silver breastplate was lined with pink, and delicate roses were etched into its surface. A matching gauntlet adorned each hand, and they caught the light with each movement she made. Then, there was Hell Rose. The blade was her pride and joy, and it had kept her alive for as long as she had been in the game. It was not perfect quality, but she had never once considered trading it out. It gave off its own pink light, and it seemed to grow even brighter than ever before today. The light given off by her sword was matched only by the light in the woman's bl

This is where I will post all items crafted in Wild Rose Forge.

"This is my last material," Lessa noted, staring at the last piece with a frown. "Might as well try it." Truth was, she did not have very high hopes. How was it possible for someone to have such bad luck with crafting? But this time, something felt different when she struck the material with the hammer. An energy surged up her arm. It was a familiar feeling, and her blue eyes flew open. "YES!" She cried, as the material turned into a perfect pair of gauntlets. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she muttered. "Bad luck streak is over!" {[1308] 11 + 1 (Hammer of Dawn) = 12. Perfect item craf

Lessa did her best to control her emotion, as it looked like she may have a forth straight day of bad crafts. "I have never had such bad luck," the woman told the otherwise empty shop. She shook her head, then sighed. It would pass. She just had to keep pushing. That was the only way she would get through it. She grabbed another material, and thrust it into the flames. {[1307] 5 + 1 (Hammer of Dawn) = 6. Good item crafted. One additional material for Claim.}

It was a new day, and Lessa had a few more materials that she had picked up while facing Avalanche. "Might as well use these," she commented. "Maybe they'll break my bad luck streak." It didn't. The material was completely worthless, and the craft was a complete bust. "Nice way to start the day off," Lessa muttered. {[1306] 1 + 1 (Hammer of Dawn) = 2. Craft failed. One additional material for Claim.}

"I'm sick of this!" Lessa cried out, tossing down her hammer. Then, she grabbed the good item, and stomped back to the fire. She was getting desperate, and she could not go on wasting materials this way. She shoved the item deep into the flames, and watched them lick it hungrily. When she realized what she had done, she sighed softly. She was being overdramatic. But she was down to her last material, and she was more disheartened than ever. The final product was just as terrible as she had expected. This time, she made no sound at all as she threw it aside. {[1219] 2 + 1 (Hammer of Dawn