Zajcica

That didn’t mean that she was ready to end it or anything but anything could happen. A boss with plenty of damage over time or phase could put her down for good. Or even one good slip could send her tumbling to her death. Little did she know she was going to get a little to close that reality than she could have realized. The mountain began to rumble as the dark of night crawled over the sky. Yuki stuck close to the wall of the cliff. “An earthquake?!” She panicked a little as she dug in but an earthquake it was not. The trembling got worse with each passing second and Yuki began to reali

A couple more hours passed and Yuki quickly realized that the first third of the mountain was not to scale with the time it would take to make it to the top. Three more hours would pass and she hadn’t even made it halfway. The mobs were denser from the small compressed area and lack of players to remove them. Thankfully, she was one woman army when it came to trash mobs. They were getting noticeably tougher but still unable to leave the paladin with a single scratch. She would punch a few out of her way when they got especially dense but in no way did she feel threatened yet. The temperat

In about 3 hours she would see the one-third mark of the mountain, or what she could assume was the one-third mark with a simple glance looking up. The afternoon was starting to roll in by this point and soon will be followed by the evening. It was clear that she would either be climbing in the night, or stop for a rest at least. Knowing this, she would go ahead and take her first break of the day. The paladin would squat down and rest her back against the mountain’s cliffside. She would open her menu and scroll down the friends list to jog up some memories of the friends she’d made in h

The path was narrow, carved into the side of the mountain with little wiggle room to avoid the mobs that inhabited the area. If the journey to the mountain didn’t put someone out of their element, the climb up it was more than a test of endurance: It was a battle of attrition. Mobs clawed down the mountain, merely walking into their doom from the blonde front-liner’s invincibility. They would freeze, melt and explode into data upon approaching her. ”So even at the edge of the zone, enemies here cannot even touch me.” She comments as she continues to walk through them. A sigh escapes her l

The walk to mountain’s base was just as arduous as the task of climbing it, probably. The slope started very far from the safe zone and had many hurdles in between of climbing small cliffs, weaving through tunnels and crevices and sliding down slopes. The struggle a normal player might have trying to just reach the mountain was one she could understand, the battling and resource rationing was not something could empathize with. Front-liners were strong but Yuki needn’t even lift a finger to send enemies back to their coding over-realm. Shifting metal clanked as the Paladin stepped to the

Blurred vision came to Yuki as the smell of the misty morning woke her from sleep. Her eyes trained on the wooden ceiling she woke to every morning. Dull, every morning. There was a little hope still in her mind that she would wake up to a completely white ceiling under the brightest light in existence with hair down to her heels in a hospital gown or something. In any other context, waking up where she was now would be a dream. Here it would continue to be her waking nightmare. Years had passed by now and her life was passing her by in the real world. Nevertheless, life continued here - Today

Yuki would listen to her sword’s words as she readied to jump into the fight. “I understand what you mean. However, I think the fight with the Shadow changed a lot about this floor that maybe we weren’t aware of. Perhaps mobs from other floors were pulled into thralls and still seek out players in the maze because of it. That’s my best guess anyway.” The two haven’t fought along side one another in what felt like years. The paladin was a little rusty but soon found out that it wasn’t unlike a riding a bike. She swiftly followed up her sword’s attack with her own - something she almost nev

Yuki sighed heavily as Night revealed to her the reason she’d gotten so lost in the maze: It was not a static feature to the floor’s design. It shifted it’s layout indiscriminately over time. “Nice, so people just get completely lost and starve to death in a labyrinth.” The Paladin groaned as she led the way through the corridors of stone, her armor clanking and shifting with every step that echoed off the walls. Then Night would mention the chalk. “Oh, that’s why I got so lost then. I was trying to avoid people for the most part so I didn’t stay long.” Yuki would admit, trying not to be

Before NIGHT could even ask the Paladin if she'd want to come along, the shuffle of her armored boots would move past her towards the ruins of a labyrinth. "What good is a shield if you leave it at home? I've polished the rust, I do not need a shield for I am just that." Her spear would shine against the wandering rays of light. The usual smile that NIGHT was accustomed to might be even brighter. "So long as I stand, nothing will threaten my friends - My life." The tank would offer a party request, something that neither of them had been seen in quite awhile. The girl would open her map a

The Paladin was left on her knees, wrapped in the arms of one of her best friends in Aincrad, maybe even in the real world included. Tears rolled down her face, and just as NIGHT was pulling away from her she would pull her back into the hug. "Thank you. I really need to hear that... I will message Cro, please don't do it in my stead. I might disappear without a word but I don't lie." Then she would release the girl from her grasp. Standing up and clearing her throat Yuki would offer her friend a smile. "So, how do I look? This is a little more true to my untreated appearance in the real

The blonde was just as shocked as her dark haired partner was to see her. So much so that she could hardly muster words. "I... I uh..." Clearing up her throat, the paladin hung her head in shame. "Night. I hadn't meant to be so distant." The paladin started. She rested her spear in the dirt, looking way different from when she'd last saw her. "I look a little different, I know. I may have been hiding my details and changed my appearance so I could reflect a little on some things." Her sword, respective to her being the shield, would hold up a piece of white chalk asking if she needed it.

How long had it been? Hours now that she'd been lost in this god-forsaken labyrinth? That's what it had felt like. In order to get back into her element, Yuki had put her armor on once again to wander a decently high level area. She knew she could survive just about anything and with a teleportation crystal she would be able to swoop out without a problem. Too be honest, she probably could have used it by now considering how long she'd been stuck but something about her pride wouldn't let her. Her luck was finally turning around though as she finally rounded the entrance to the place. See

While everyone got acquainted, Yuki would start thinking about what general location the labyrinth would be. Of course they couldn't find the boss room without first finding the labyrinth but that shouldn't be too difficult. Her focus would soon be interrupted by a party invite, however. She would promptly accept the invite and turn back to the party. Zandra would then suggest they start looking outside of the settlement to begin. "Agreed." Yuki would nod with a smile. "Several of the floors tend to keep the main settlement in the center of the floor so narrowing down an exact location can be

As the group introduced themselves, Yuki would take stock of her gear to make sure everything was in order. The last thing she wanted was to be wearing the wrong gear if trouble sprang up. Nevertheless, she would be approached by the blonde fellow who would arrive soon after herself. "Likewise, Jomei. You may call me Yuki, it's much simpler than my username." Closing her window she would look over to Vigilon and nod. "I don't think we've been introduced either, else my memory fails me. I'm looking forward to working with you, so stay behind me if we get into a scrap." Zandra would then sp

Yuki would wait patiently for Syra to collect all the information that she needed. Obviously the paladin had nothing better to do in the moment and getting engrossed with the world was a good first step to seeing past it. If they were to escape this prison they would need to understand it first. Once they were finished and the newbie had collected her quest, Yuki would extend a party request to her. She could probably aid the red-head without needing to do such but it was a nice incentive to be able to see her health bar. That being said, she was sure that the enemies on this quest could kill

It happened while she was lying in bed that morning. A message from a familiar face that she had not yet had the chance to meet up with since her recent absence for reflection. How many people would recognize her beside her name these days? Hell, she'd probably catch night off guard doing away with her usual dyed hair and change of gear. Despite her aforementioned absence, there were still players relying on her to help them. Perhaps not her in particular but she was still glad to be considered when she hadn't even shown up for the last floor boss. Times have changed though. Yuki was a di

Several players would walk by. Eyes were trained on her, despite it not being uncommon for high level players to make their rounds on lower floors. Many of those people owned houses on these floors so some of them even lived here. That being said, the paladin herself probably stood out a bit more than others thanks to her attire. The way someone carried their self really changed how they were presented to strangers. Soon, she would find the person she was looking for. Young, even moreso than herself. To be completely honest, Yuki had spent so much time in this game tearing through mobs an

<Let There Be Light> Back to basic. With the change of appearance, Yuki would be leaving behind the old title of The Pink Paladin and ushering in a new era for herself. No more hair dye or hiding behind an emotional shield. The blonde will carve a path to the future in whatever way she saw fit. Seeing as how the frontlines had yet to amass on the 27th floor's labyrinth boss so far, she would do with her time as a mentor for those still trying to find courage and skill to become strong player like herself. Well, stat wise at least. Floor two, Urbus. The eagerness she had when sh

Within moments, the house started smelling like home again. The dusty cobwebs swiped away and the wonderful scent of meat and vegetables returned life to the disheveled abode. Crozeph's words rang true to her when he spoke about emotions being difficult to take on alone. It was even more difficult to ask someone else to burden what you feel are your own responsibilities. Learning to confide in someone you can trust is something she would have to adapt to. "Thank you, Cro. I appreciate you." A couple minutes later, the food would be finished. No matter how often she cooked in Aincrad she w

If this was a cartoon, a sweat drop would be running down Yuki's head right now. It seemed that they took her metaphor a little too literally. Maybe it wasn't the best comparison but it got the point across to Becky at the least. "Of course, tanks are not literally swords. Like Becky said, I only meant to say that you're a rallying flag in the face of adversity. If you believe in your team, they'll believe in you. Be that inspiration to them and they will follow you come hell or high water." As they stepped into the courtyard, Yuki walked in fearing absolutely nothing. Her bravado may loo

As she walked into the house, Crozeph would voice his regrets to her. Yuki would simply shake her head in response. “I’m the only one to blame. I tried to shoulder pain that I could not take alone. I should have sought you out and asked you to share that burden with me. If I had done that, maybe I would have been back for the floor 26 boss.” The pinkette would say, making her way into the lovely kitchen. It was much less maintained than she would have wanted but that’s what happens when you don’t go home for months. One of the first things she noticed was just how much of her stocked food

Yuki's eyes would glow, confirming her use of the searching skill. Her eyes would pierce directly into Dazia's. There's no way could have missed their searing gazes meet. When Vigilon would speak up, asking if something was wrong, Yuki would deactivate her searching skill and shake her head. "You never know when some low-life could be lurking in the shadows to catch you by surprise. As a leader, it's my job to keep people safe. Luckily we are alone at this moment." The paladin would hide Dazia's position. The girl had a green cursor but Yuki had found her before she could catch them by surpris

The group was now rallied together. Yuki was the spearhead of them all, leading the charge into battle. Astreya's response to her advice seemed to be taken somewhat lightly. Perhaps she had some doubts of her own and the fallen paladin couldn't really fault her for it. They only had one life and they had to make the most of it. That's why Yuki learned this MMO stuff. She needed to be able to protect herself and others from certain doom. "Your confidence is the team's confidence, friend. The blade of a sword is dull, it will not cut. Likewise, if a tank does not lead and show the team what they

As another entered the fold, Mikoto would feel a little more certain about taking on the Cerberus. Usually, she would bring someone like Crozeph or NIGHT to help her fight but she wasn't sure how well she'd last against a higher leveled monster with ways through mitigation without some additional damage. Thankfully it looked as though they were completely covered in that aspect. Vigilon seemed nice enough. "Worry not, stand behind me and you won't even feel threatened." The girl would say so confidently that it almost sounded like bragging and she had almost every right to. Though, as the

After confirming that the team was hoping to do a quest, Yuki would nod and reach into her inventory. Scrolling through the menus, she would find herself a nice little immolation potion that she constantly had downed before. It was her only way helping the team besides being a meat shield, but recent discoveries had put her towards changing her build slightly. The ability to withstand any attack while also returning damage like her friendly damagers could do. While discussing some strategy, the pink-haired paladin would chime in. "I focus solely on being a bruiser, to use the MMO term. Wh