Lessa

Even as she kept her steps slow and measured, her mind spun out of control. Lessa had truly thought that she would die before facing Dominic again, and that had been entirely okay with her. Now, at the notion of seeing him again, she found it difficult to take a deep breath. What she went through in that defiled church left scars she'd never shake, and she had only been there for two days. The idea that others had spent years in that place was something she couldn't begin to comprehend. Even so, the visuals burned into her brain kept her up at night. Olivia, clinging to the edge of the w

"Bahr, hi." She turned to him, and wanted nothing more than to meet him with a tease or a jab in the arm. It had been months since they'd seen each other, though they'd spoken regularly, and she was happy to see her friend again. Hey stranger, she might have greeted, were the situation different. But she simply could not find the energy to drum up the enthusiasm. He'd hurried over, that much was evident, but every minute she'd spent waiting had been dedicated to imagining Oliver in danger. By the time Bahr reached her, her stomach roiled like a stormy sea, and she wasn't sure she'd be able to

Let's pick the truth that we believe in, like a bad religion, tell me all your original sins. So many questionable choices, we love the sound that our voice makes, man, this echo chamber's getting loud. First Floor, Town of Beginnings, Teleport Plaza "Tell me what happened." Lilik and Kyra turned to stare at each other. From outward appearances, the two women couldn't have been more different. Lilik already towered at six foot, but her wide shoulders, facial tattoo, and intimidating air made the woman seem larger than life. Kyra, on the other hand, seemed even smaller than her

The NPCs exploded from the burning building in a tangle of smoke and limbs. One in particular, a girl of about eleven, tumbled directly into Lessa's arms. Instinctively, the Guardian closed the girl in a tight embrace, lifting her off her feet even as Lessa moved them both backward. "You're okay," she murmured into the Sronian's soot-covered hair. "It's okay, I've got you." Only once an older woman materialized at Lessa's side, and peeled the girl off her, did the Player finally turn to Jomei. Black dust coated the lower half of her face, and she absently dragged the back of her hand across he

"Very lucky," she countered with a sage nod, "since I'm dirt broke. You'd think after all these years, I'd have more to my name. But I figure that would require grinding for col, and I've always been a bit too lazy for that." She watched him as she sipped, then set down the mug and breathed out a long sigh. "You're right. Of course you're right. It's wild to me that there are still people out there who don't see NPCs as humans. Like I said, after all these years... you'd think we'd all be settled in by now." She gave the bespectacled Player a small nod, then added, "So yeah, it's nice to

The cool air is alive with the Fall Festival. The smells of roasting meat, the sounds of laughter and music - all of Glyndebourne is simply buzzing. As you make your way down a sidestreet, heading toward the heart of the celebration, an elderly woman approaches you. An NPC, judging by her cursor, but one that you’ve never seen before. She offers a warm smile, and asks, “Are you here for the festival?” At your confirmation, she continues. “If it’s entertainment that you’re after, I have something that might interest you!” A quest window pops up, asking if you’d like to begin “The Mysteries of M

With the wall toppled, and the dragon head felled, Lessa was finally able to face off against the true threat. “Alright,” she ground out, tilting her head from right to left before setting her sights on the massive boss. That desire to deal big damage lingered, surely a side effect of her earlier miss. But Lessa surprised herself by instead opting for another TECH sword art, opting for the delay rather than the extra damage. Her efforts had paid off thus far, crippling the heads long enough for her teammates to deal devastating damage. And oddly enough, she didn’t hate it. “I wonder if I

"Almost done," Lessa growled through gritted teeth, bending her knees, and shifting into a battle ready stance as Jomei and Ariel did considerable damage to the head. After her previous miss, Lessa really, really looked forward to leaving her mark on Caustic. Less than a quarter health left, and then a single health bar left floating above Wushen's head. They could do this. They were so close to making it out without any casualties. Riding high on that thought, Lessa thundered toward the ghostly dragon, closing the distance in only a few strides. She hefted her blade over her shoulder, an

Lessa pursed her lips in thought as Raidou spoke. When he fell silent, she finally commented, "You know, you're an odd guy." She paused to sip from her mug, though she eyed him over the rim the entire time. Only when she'd returned the cup to the bartop did she continue. "I don't believe that I've ever met anyone else like you. Anyone so..." She spun her hand in in the air, as if that might help her find the word she was looking for. "Introspective?" She scrunched her face up, as if that wasn't quite the term she was going for, but apparently decided that it was close enough. "I think most of

As Jomei came into view, Lessa couldn't help the grin that bloomed across her face. And when he plopped onto the rock beside her, she leaned against him for a friendly bump. "That seat was saved for my smoking hot and unbelievably wealthy sugar daddy, who was going to offer me a lifetime of comfort and a herd of one hundred horses. But I guess I can settle for you." Then she shook her head. "Nope, wasn't waiting long. I'm ready whenever you are." She found her feet again, and waited for Jomei to do the same. At her side, Riker regarded Adere with deep, soulful eyes. Whether he wanted to join t

She wanted so badly to hit something. The need ached up and down her arms, stabbed at her fingers, pressed on her chest. After her previous miss, a rare sensation washed over her. The desire to deal damage, and as much as humanly possible. Her hands shifted in her gauntlets, clutching her sword's hilt tighter an in attempt to satisfy the longing for destruction. As Jomei felled the head beside her, the blonde prepared to release her own hell on Wushen. Unfortunately, it didn't play out that way. The ice wall remained standing after Ariel's attack, and the spiderweb cracks that bloomed acr

Watch your energy, Jomei had said, and with a quick glance at her HUD, Lessa confirmed that her numbers were holding steady. She had dealt a decent amount of damage, but using lower-power sword arts had allowed her to keep her energy count in check. Looking good, she silently reassured herself, even as she geared up for yet another attack. Hopefully, they could get this head down in only a matter of moments, allowing them more time to destroy the wall and actually hit the boss. So lost in her thoughts, Lessa didn't even notice the thick root that snaked its way out of the ground a foot i

The reply came quickly, and the alert in her HUD nearly had Lessa spilling her pop again. Swearing softly, she draped her open book across her chest, and summoned the message with a flick of finger and a twinkle of bells. The grin spread across her face as she saw his willingness to go adventuring. “Alright, lazy bones,” the young woman called to Riker as she carefully shifted, setting the book and can on the coffee table. “Up and attum. We’ve got places to be, people to see.” If the wolf heard her, he gave no indication. “Come on, bud,” she tried again. “We can’t keep Jomei waiting.” Wit

Lessa jabbed a finger at Jomei, passion firing in her wide blue eyes. "Take that," she barked at him. "And use it. Or I will be the one to kill you." From the other side of the walls, Lessa could hear the cries of battle. From the snippets she caught, and from what she could see above the ice, it seemed as if the other groups had felled their heads. Theirs, however, still held onto half of its health. That fact bothered her for more than it should have, for reasons she would have to examine later on. Maybe with a therapist. As if recognizing her frustration, Riker gave a low, guttural gro

Lessa hardly knew the man, having only interacted with him once in the distant past, and for a short while in the present. Still, when his praise landed, she felt her cheeks growing warm. Pleasure unfurled like flower petals, turning to welcome a sun that had been absent for far too long. "That means a lot," she told him, and meant it. "I think its difficult to feel important in a place like SAO, when you've got stats attached to everything you do. Am I the highest level? Do I have the rarest items? Have I cleared the most floors, completed the most quests, dealt the most damage?" She quirked

꧁༺Lessa༻꧂ Lessa, Guardian of Aincrad Level: 31 Paragon Level: 54 HP: 820/820 EN: 120/120 Stats: Damage: 28 Mitigation: 142 Accuracy: 4 Battle Healing: 45 H.M.: 8 HLY: 8 REC: 8 THRNS: 72 Equipped Gear: Weapon: Arcael's Might (T4 THSS - DMG DMG DMG HLY) Armor: Empress Armor (T4 HA - HM HM THNS THNS) Misc: Neutron Star Necklace (T4 TRINKET - ACC ACC REC REC)

"Got it," Lessa replied, nodding in Nari's direction. TECH sword arts weren't her forte, but she'd follow her tank's lead. As the head towered above her, and she felt its beady gaze boring into her, Lessa shivered. "Let's get this thing down as quickly as possible," she muttered, gaze flicking toward the walls that had sprung up around them. She really, really did not enjoy being cut off from the rest of the Frontliners. Once again, fear licked at the back of her mind, and she tightened her grip on her massive blade. Then she wasted no time dealing a quick blow, and moving back to Jomei'

Lessa’s heart leapt to her throat as the boss dealt a devestating blow. All around her, Players stumbled backward, and status effects cropped up all over. Had every single person on the Frontlines taken damage at the same time? As the woman scanned the joined Players, her gaze snagged on Alkor, and the breath was torn from her lungs. If he felt her gaze on him, he gave no indication, but the damage was already done. Memories of her best friend’s death crashed into her, an attack far more deadly than anything Wushen was capable of. Fear that she’d thought she’d rid herself of now bang

He's being brought as a +1. :3 Lessa and Jomei will be there!

The world tilted, and with a shriek, Lessa stumbled forward. Her boots slipped across the pebble-riddled battlefield, and though her arms pinwheeled, she could not find her balance. With the clang of armor, and an altogether unladylike grunt, the Guardian crashed to her knees. Even that did not provide the necessary balance, and she continued to pitch forward, coming to rest with her hands supporting her upper body. "Ouch," she ground out, though a glance at her health bar showed only a small chunk gone. Still, a small chunk was far worse than no chunk at all. As she climbed to her feet,

Even as she rolled her eyes skyward, feigning exasperation, she felt the small laugh bubble up from her core. Even in the face of danger, and a situation as stressful as a boss fight, Jomei could lift her spirits. That was one of the many things that she liked about him. "Just alright," she echoed, giving a toss of her blonde hair. As it tumbled down her back, she cocked an eyebrow in the ginger's direction. "That feels like a challenge." She watched the man charge the dragon, spearing it with his skinny blade before dancing back out of harm's way. Then she flashed a smile, narrowed her eyes i

With her gauntleted hand, Lessa snapped Nari a smart salute. A hard, fast, single-target attack was something that she was more than capable of. In fact, that was exactly why she'd chosen the ST Shift Specialty to begin with. There were certainly days when she wished for more AoE damage - wiping out waves of mobs while grinding would be super convenient. But at that moment, she was more than satisfied with her decision. At Krysta's mention of energy, Lessa let her gaze flick up to her energy bar. When it only crept up the slightest bit, she blew out a hard breath. No recovery proc, she de

@Oji @Senno @Mishiro @Faerie @Pinball @Van I’m excited to invite you to the roundtable! I’m taking all six of you because I’m a pushover. Further details will follow soon. @Demian @Astralin @Aoda The three of you have been placed on the waiting list, in that order. Thanks for your understanding! I look forward to our adventure together. :)

His voice startled her out of her scheming, and Lessa nearly leapt out of her armor. "Oh," she replied dumbly, before feeling a grin spread across her flushed face. "Yeah, I'm alright. I'm good. Just thinking." Her gaze left his face to scan their surroundings, taking in the crystals, the cavern, and the other Players. If she didn't know the truth, it might look like a neat place for a rave. There were certainly enough lights and colors. But unfortunately, she did know the truth. And despite everything, even Jomei's sturdy presence at her side, her stomach flipped. "It's so weird," she st

Hello and welcome to the companion event sign-ups. If you are interested in joining, please post here on the character account that you plan to use. We will take entries on a first come first serve basis, but priority goes to those who do not have a character in the boss fight. As a reminder: 1. This event will move quickly. Please expect only 24-48 hour posting windows. 2. We will be taking 5 people, but will pull from the wait list if anyone decides they can’t keep up. 3. Anyone can sign up, but priority will be given to writers not participating in the boss fight. 4. Characters i