Lessa

"Dang," Lessa breathed appreciatively, emitting a low whistle as the images above the boss room door came alive. Each symbol burst into color, and it took her a few seconds to recognize them as the crystals from each territory. "Huh," she added, tilting her head slightly at the sudden connection. Maybe she should have paid more attention in the boss meeting. Maybe she should have actually finished the Mysterious Divide quest. A few weeks had passed since she and Jomei had concluded the first, and he hadn't mentioned continuing since then. Without conscious thought, her gaze flicked over to whe

Only after the pair had exited the cave did Lessa began to breathe normally. The tunnel itself hadn't bothered her too much, but watching Jomei shimmy into that hole, and imagining doing so herself, had taken its toll. Still, with the night air cool against her flushed face, and the sounds of relief all around her, she couldn't help but return her companion's smile. When she turned to face him, the expression deepened, amusement flashing in her dark eyes. "You're a mess," she informed him matter-of-factly, reaching up to brush some of the dirt from the top of his head. The feel of his shaggy h

Lessa regarded the man in silence, her blue eyes focusing as if she looked at him, truly saw him, for the first time. Nearly thirty seconds passed after his final statement, and she knew that if she didn't say something now, the silence would drag on for too long. But the words simply would not align themselves properly in her head. Instead, too many thoughts, too many memories, buzzed around her like annoying flies. She tried to mask her sudden speechlessness with another long drink of cider, but after she'd swallowed, she was no better off. Finally, she shifted back to face the bar agai

Even the dead end couldn't suck the joy out of the situation. The cries of the trapped NPCs lit a fire in Lessa's heart, and her face glowed with the warmth of it as she beamed at Jomei. "They're alive," she stated, the words tumbling from her lips like a prayer. "They're alive. They're alive!" Though she'd wanted so badly for them to live, doubt had begun to worm its way into her mind. She certainly wouldn't put it past SAO's creators to give them such a messed-up quest. But now? None of that mattered. Still humming with excited energy, Lessa dropped to her knees beside Riker. Tossing he

꧁༺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)

Was NIGHT playing with her? The other woman's attacks lacked the flair that Lessa had expected from someone so adept at swordplay. Lessa could hold her own, sure, but NIGHT had accomplished feats on the fighting ground that Lessa couldn't come close to. So why, then, did each strike feel more like a kiss than a bite? Frustration bubbled in Lessa's gut, a purely emotional response to her guildmate's apparent taunting. Her wooden blade slipped along NIGHT's with a sound strangely reminiscent of a beast's warning growl, and the Guardian inhaled sharply. She was making a lot of assumptions about s

"You're right," she began. Then, with a hard exhale that sent her blonde bangs flying, she added, "Again. I'm not sure why this quest has me so messed up. I've just spent so much time with NPCs over the past year that it's getting especially hard to see the lines between us and them, y'know?" She lifted her hands, then let them fall again, helpless. "We've been in here forever. I sometimes forget that its a game, and quests like this are going to follow the standard MMORPG formula." Despite all of her apprehensions, when Jomei bumped her, she couldn't help but smile up at him. "I'm glad you're

Rather than bursting into pixels as expected, Stoneheart took a painfully slow step backward. Then another. Then another. Finally, with a crash that shook the small space and sent pebbles skittering, the guardian fell backward. He came to rest in front of the opposite door, his back pressed squarely against it. Even in death, the golem protected the human from the horror that awaited her inside. Silence and stillness fell across the room. If brave enough, one could pick their way across the battlefield toward the resting giant, peering over its shoulder to get a better look at the carvin

Lessa studied the shattered gems for a long moment, expression as hard as the rocks that surrounded them. Finally, she loosed a small sigh, and shrugged a single shoulder. “I mean, I guess,” she conceded. “It could have been the result of the cave in. It probably was.” She paused, then nodded, as if to convince herself. “I’m sure you’re right, Jomei. And I can’t figure out why anyone would want to smash the crystals.” Still, doubt swirled in her eyes as she continued studying the wreckage. She looked as though she might say more, but then thought better of it. Jomei’s question seemed to s

The door swung open to reveal a small, unremarkable room. Though the ceiling hung a good fifteen feet up, the earthen walls closed in on all sides, providing limited space to move. Speckled sunlight filtered in from somewhere above, fighting weakly against the darkness that clung to the corners. Opposite the entrance stood a second door, the same as the one just entered through. Something appeared to be etched above the frame, but the dim light made it difficult to know for sure. The view was also obstructed by a giant stone golem, standing at attention in the center of the room. He hunched on

"Drinking myself stupid in a bar I can't get drunk in," she echoed, then snorted out a laugh. "Yeah, that's about right." Lessa turned back to the bar, pressing against it as she rest both forearms on the scuffed surface. She cupped the warm mug between her hands, watching the steam rise lazily into the air. "It could be worse," she said flatly. "And we've been in here... god, we've been in here a really long time. So I know I've had plenty of time to just get over myself." Pausing again, she chewed on her lower lip as she considered her next words. For whatever reason, her story had burs

"A cave in?" Lessa echoed, frowning. Accidents such as these were common in Aincrad. The NPCs faced the same hardships that normal humans might in the real-world, and the universe wasn't always fair or friendly. Still, an event of this magnitude wasn't something she'd seen in a long time. One or two people trapped, maybe, but an entire group of farmers? That was definitely cause for alarm. Putting voice to her thoughts, she asked, "How many people are we talking?" Tiberius' face lost even more color, as if that were possible. When he finally spoke, it appeared that the short answer pained

Alexander returned a moment later, placing matching mugs in front of the two adventurers. Raidou's contained his unsweetened green tea, while Lessa's steamed with the sickly-sweet smell of hot caramel apple cider. "Thank you," Lessa said, and this time all silliness had dropped from her tone. The NPC studied her for a moment, head cocked, as if the shift caught him off-guard. Then he nodded, gave a soft "mhm," and returned to his cleaning. She was genuinely grateful for his kindness, even if they took shots at each other most every day. She was also grateful for his seemingly endless supply of

“I thought so,” Lessa confirmed, nodding once as Raidou admitted to, indeed, being Raidou. As the patron seated directly beside the Red Wanderer vacated his stool, Lessa claimed it for herself. Then, setting her stolen mug on the bar top with a solid thud, she gestured to the empty container. “Another please, bartender.” Alexander paused in his cleaning to stare at her for a full five seconds. Then, he heaved an enormous sigh. “You’ll be the death of me,” he informed Lessa before turning to Raidou. “Can I get you anything?” Once he’d disappeared into the kitchen, the Guardian shifted

The barkeep glanced toward the newcomer, the lift of one bushy eyebrow the only expression on his weathered face. “Aye,” he answered, “that would be me.” But before he could say more, the barrel-chested man rounded on another patron. “I’m cutting you off.” His victim, a blonde in a pastel pink hoodie and black yoga pants, stared back incredulously. “But there’s no alcohol in these.” ”Doesn’t matter,” came the NPC’s reply. “No more.” Even as the man grabbed for her empty mug, the Player snatched it back, cradled it against her chest, and snapped, “I’m not drunk, you know. I

With a self-deprecating snort, Lessa replied, "I don't think I've left the house more than twice in the past month. My routine doesn't even involve putting pants on. If Aincrad had Doordash, I'd have put on fifty pounds of Whoppers, Crunchwrap Supremes, and Sausage and Cheese McGriddles." For a moment, silence hung between them. Then, even the wry humor left her expression. She pressed the pad of her hand against her right eye; there were no tears, but it still felt raw. "I don't even know what paradise looks like anymore." The admittance sounded so melodramatic, like something her middle scho

"Oh no no, I'm good," Lessa assured Jomei. At the same time, she shoved her face within inches of an old tome, squinting at the handwritten text like a junkie might regard their next hit. Before Jomei could react, she yanked herself back, shaking her head rapidly. "Nope," she reiterated. "I am good. Soooo good. I am not at all obsessed with some dusty old books in the middle of a video game that kills people." She put extra emphasis on each word, as if that were necessary to convince Jomei of her conviction. Still, when she hooked her arm through his and dragged him toward the front door, she

꧁༺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)

"No," came her knee-jerk answer, grief-stricken expression never wavering as she watched the bound captain. Half a dozen armed men surrounded the man, and though Daemon Xandis wore a brave face, Lessa could see his jaw clenching and unclenching anxiously. The NPC, who had never been anything but kind to her, was in genuine trouble. His people, the innocent Ladonians, were likely in a similar predicament below decks. They don't deserve this. "I'm not sure if this is some sort of messed up event or what," Lessa muttered, words spouting from her lips like water from a faucet, "but it's hones

Her hand clutched his, and in it, Lessa found balance in both the literal and figurative sense. Later, she'd look back on that moment and ruminate on the fact that they were holding hands. But in that split second, she simply squeezed, steadying herself against the sudden attack. With a pang of regret, she let his hand slip away as he confidently summoned his weapon, drew it, and strode forward. Jomei was one of Aincrad's most powerful players - surely, he'd surpassed her over the years - and she had complete faith in him. Whatever this random encounter was, she could think of no better c

After Jomei's shrimp-related admission, Lessa added a snort of her own. "You can't eat fifty shrimp in one sitting?" Feigning disappointment, she shook her head, then heaved a great sigh. "I'm afraid that's a deal breaker for me. I simply cannot entertain the notion of being with a man who cannot eat fifty shrimp." The words left her mouth before her mind could register them, and she felt a blush climbing her neck. It spread across her cheeks like unfurling flower petals, and she ducked her head to hide the tell-tale embarrassment. Maybe it won't mean anything to him, she thought on a note of