Grave

"That's unfortunate. It's hard to accept such a large guild falling into obscurity." Grave smiled at Hirru. "Guess we're in the same boat. Though I've been away so long, I don't even know what guilds are around anymore." Grave materialised the <<Gungnir Shard>>, its metallic shell falling gently into Grave's palm. He peered at it curiously and tapped it with a single digit. The shard unfurled, like an iron flower, and from within sprouted a platter of savoury and salty treats. He plucked a slab of what appeared to be ham, considered it a moment, shrugged and chowed down on it. As h

Grave followed closely behind his friend, unsure of his own footing on this floor. He'd never spent much time up on the ninth floor, so he wasn't yet adapted to the changing pathways that populated the volcanic landscape, but Hirru seemed to find his way well enough. He was always great at scouting and analysis, and it seemed those talents hadn't faded with time. Grave trusted in the Jade Hunter and stuck close to him as he finished the rest of the dry bread. He pulled open his menu and retrieved the <<Immolation Potion>>. Would this be good to wash down the ration? He swirled the

Hirru removed his helmet and let that familiar green hair flow out. Grave looked upon his old friend, his brother-in-arms and bit back a sob. He wasn't expecting reuniting with an old mate to be such a punch to the gut. It was Hirru alright, but his eyes were different. They were dull, they didn't have the same spark of life as before. He'd seen it before. "Things have been hard for you, haven't they?" he asked, his grip on Hirru's armoured shoulder tightening. "I'm all ears if you want to talk about it." Grave looked away. "Yeah... I disappeared without telling anyone. It was selfish. I

“If you’ve done this quest before, that should make my life even easier. I’m glad you bumped into me when you did,“ Grave sighed appreciatively. “It is strange how much things have changed though. The NPCs feel more alive, some enhancements and skills have changed. Aincrad just feels… different. Do you know why that is? Did something happen?“ Grave tapped his chin. “They don’t still have developers dropping hot fixes or anything while we’re all stuck in here, do they?“ The player’s offer of consumables temporarily distracted Grave from the names at the top of his HUD, and he stared at the

“Ahoy there! Fancy some help? I may not look it, but I'm a decent healer.” Grave turned to face the newcomer, whose muffled voice echoed over the crowd. In his momentary confusion, he didn’t recognise the voice, and probably wouldn’t even if it weren’t so muffled. Grave’s eyes lit up as they came to rest upon his literal knight in shining armour. ”Oh my god, yes, please. I was actually just having a bit of a panic attack. I’ve been off the field for a long time, and my mortality dawned on me all of a sudden as I accepted this quest,” Grave blabbered. “I would appreciate the help. H

<<The Iron Guardian>> Quest Description Grave mopped up the sweat pouring down his virtual face on the sleeve of his jacket. Leather wasn't great for soaking up fluids, and in fact, it sucked to rub against his face in the Floor Nine heat. He never liked coming up here. He was much more used to rainy old London. For the sake of a quest that could scratch that itch for a fight he'd been unable to sate since returning to society, though? It might just be worth it. "Are you the one that accepted the quest to kill the Guardian?" someone asked, and Grave turned to the hooded

Grave looked up from the notepad that laid in his lap so he could take note of his material and item stock before he got back into the swing of business. The chime in his ear tore his attention away from his motonous task and he brought up the message from NIGHT. With a smile, he stood up from the floor of his shop and whistled with two fingers. Hikari leapt onto his shoulders and curled around his neck like a scarf. He headed for the teleporter to take a trip down to the Town of Beginnings. The Evening Star's bell twinkled as he stepped in once more. "I've come to pick up the circlet," h

Grave stood back as Jevi went to work. When she turned to head back into the forge, baring her arms to the world, Grave could see just how strong she was. He would say he wouldn't want to get on her bad side, but he'd already been on the receiving end of her fury more than once already. He leaned against one of the walls and shut his eyes, zoning out to the ringing of metal against hot metal. Grave was startled out of his nap when Jevi returned with the item, her breathing ragged. She'd put the last, determined drops of her energy into this, and it showed. They were brilliant. Jevi stated

Grave eased open the door, the little bell tinkling ahead of him as he finished playing with the beam of light that danced along the front doorstep of the shop hidden in the alley. For being placed out of the way, it had a beautiful exterior that begged to be admired. "Greetings!" he called into the shop as he shut the door behind him. "I caught word that I'd find an artisan here. This is the Evening Star, correct?" he asked to the abyss behind the counter. He swept his eyes across the room to spot the storekeeper sitting at a round table. "Oh, my apologies, I expected you to be at the co

"You sure?" Grave asked, blinking at Jevi blankly. "I guess if that's what you want, I'm happy to owe you a favour instead." Grave smiled and ran his fingers over the rose again. "I'd find it hard not to think of you, wearing this into battle. I'll take great care of it." Grave tapped on the Black Rose Breastplate, bringing up its item information box, and accepted it into his inventory. He swiped through his menus, dragged the armour over his empty body slot and in a flash, the dark iron wrapped around his chest, the bands snapped around his arms and the pauldrons fell gently over his jacket.

Grave stared blankly. "Wait. So I didn't need to almost die to get here?" he groaned and slapped a palm against his face. "I've never been the greatest at thinking through things, to be fair." Grave looked around the small shop set into the mountainside. "It's a beautiful little place. I really should try and upgrade to a bigger workspace myself, that tiny cylinder gets cramped after a while." Grave stared at the dark breastplate that Jevi brought over, the same rose embroidered on his jacket hammered into the metal. He scanned its surface, ran his fingers over the gold trimming. He forgo

Grave pushed through the door to 'Amorous Armours and Armaments' and wheezed. "God, I thought the mountains on the second floor were rough." He leaned against the doorframe and caught his breath. "You couldn't have picked a less 'climb-y' location to move shop to?" he groaned and stumbled into the store. He stood there for two seconds, three seconds, and stood up straight, running a hand through his messy white hair, pushing it back into its familiar wave. He flashed a smile at Jevi, as if he hadn't looked like he was dying a moment ago. "I've come to request that gear I've been meaning t

Jevi made a face while sipping on the milkshake, and Grave froze. Had he said something wrong? Was that not enough? Was it too much? He looked away and chewed on a thumbnail. Of course it was too much. What good does him being here now do? He was such an idiot. He was late, that was the problem. He should have just kept his mouth shut, then maybe... "Why don't we find out together? Lets see if this new you holds a candle to the old Grave." Grave looked back up at Jevi. She smiled at him. It was a mask, Grave could see that. He smiled back. "Even if it doesn't, this is me now. We can works

Grave watched with apprehension. He knew he was a good cook. It was his profession here in Aincrad, after all. But there was something different about watching Jevi try a dessert prepared just for her, without any mechanical benefits. Just a treat to help lift her spirits. Something gnawed at the pit of his stomach. What if she didn't have as much of a sweet tooth as he did? Did he put in too much icecream? Would it be too hard to drink? All that melted away when Jevi closed her eyes and leaned into the straw. A quiet whistle slipped past his lips as he released his bated breath. "I provi

Grave smirked and grabbed a tall, bell-shaped glass and a bottle of fruity syrup and spun them both. "Coming right up," he announced. He bumbled about the kitchen, sliding the glass onto the countertop and drizzling a few rings of red syrup around the inside of it, almost to the lip. He flung open the cold box and whipped out a tub of ice cream and a bottle of milk. Two large balls of cold cream fell to the bottom of the glass and a stream of milk cascaded around them, the syrup infusing into it and turning it from white to a gentle pink. As he scrambled through the pantries for ingredien