Katoka

In the same way that a dog turns it's head in confusion at an odd sound, Katoka too shifted her head to the side. "I... What?" she felt as though she needed to reboot her brain to comprehend what was happening. "Sam I, I know who you are." Her hand still reached up and grasped onto Sam's and gave it a polite squeeze. "Can we just, sit down on the couch?" The blonde led Sam over to the couch, still holding her hand with the lightest touch. It didn't feel like when they used to hold hands before. This was just to lead, not to show affection. Kat sat down on one end and turned to face Sam, s

It had been... far to long. Kat dreaded coming home at times. Anxiety gripped her stomach and twisted it into shapes that were far too complex. She had taken to going on long quests or staying away for as long as possible, only come home when she couldn't find an excuse to be away. She would cry in the shower as quiet as possible, making sure to show as little emotion as she could when they were around one another. It was easier to pretend than it was to confront. It always had been. She remembered doing something similar back in the real world. Putting on a mask and going through the mot

The sound of sizzling flesh began to rise from the horse Katoka rode upon. Hunks of meat began to slide off and drip to the ground as if they were made of candle wax. Wrinkling her nose, Kat looked over at her companions. She felt a sigh of relief escape her as she saw Freyd seemingly returning to normal, though she felt her skin prickle at the sound of his fear. She rarely knew him to be scared whatsoever, and this unsettled her greatly. The samurai realized that she was slowly sinking from her high position. Looking down in a panic she watched as the rest of her mount sank into the grou

"Other than the height and weight differences between the two, and their clothing choices, I don't really have much else on how the looked unfortunately." she shrugged as she stood up. "I guess we're headed to the first floor then." Katoka helped Freyd clean up the tea and tea cups from their talk before the two set out for the teleport gate on the second floor. It would take them a bit to get there, however she was certain they could make the time pass quickly. "What do you think they were up to? Do you think they're trying to kill people on purpose? Or maybe it was just a prank gone wro

Sweat was forming on Katoka's brow. The fight was not particularly strenuous in any way to her, it was Freyd that was causing her to worry. It was not surprising that with their borrowed power they were tearing through the mobs as quickly as they spawned in, but she still felt the hairs on the back her neck stand up each time a new one appeared. Her friend was ruthless, seemingly consumed by the thirst for battle. "We need to end this as soon as possible." she muttered to herself. Her attention was pulled to the final monstrosity. Kat had been waiting for another to appear after Freyd had

"An end to who now?" the samurai arched a brow at the name, wondering where she had heard it before. Her hands felt slightly clammy as Freyd spoke, her anxiety doing its best to grab hold of her and not let go. She wiped her hands on her legs and shook her head, "No, I didn't hear any names used unfortunately, only them arguing in a panic before leaving as quickly as possible." Her eyes drifted to the jar of crystals and rested there for a moment, "Whatever these things are, I really don't like the fact that players are going out of their way to try and hurt people. It's... wrong. Co

A long sigh escaped from Katoka's lips as she sat down opposite of Freyd. She rarely could keep her feelings hidden from him, which was ironic considering he rarely displayed his outwardly. Forcing a grin that didn't reach her eyes she shook her head, "That's a story for another time. For now I feel like this is a more pressing matter." Despite her being a captain for their guild she still saw herself as the Whisper's subordinate. He was much more active than she was and he was several steps ahead of her in strength. Her hand rested reflexively on the hilt of her katana in an attempt to c

The storm that raged around them all had kicked up enough snow that it was difficult to see, thankfully their opponent was large enough that it didn't matter much. Katoka did her best to find her footing on the next attack, though she still managed to slip here and there, as the all too familiar sound of her sword art charging was barely perceivable through the loud wind. She cursed under her breath as she planted her foot and swung her blade, feeling her stance was off as the attack barely managed to connect. "Remind me to not fight this damn monster ever again!" The creaking groan of ic

The urgency of Freyd's invitation to his and Elora's home was something that cause Katoka to think that maybe her trip through the Fire Forest just last week had been something a bit more pressing. While the message he had sent had simply invited her over to talk over tea, deep down she knew that the items she had left with him had spurred a much more visceral reaction than she had thought. The blonde had spent the morning tidying up around her home, mostly busy work to keep her anxiety in check. She kissed Sam goodbye, only exchanging a few words before she finally left. Her relationship

The samurai wished she could it was a pleasure to pick up any goods from her close friend, sadly that would be a lie. Freyd Edges was in desperate need of a makeover, and some tidying, and hell Freyd could probably burn it down and rebuild faster than the time it would take to fix the place up. However there was also something still welcoming about it. Katoka wasn't sure if it was because she was so close to the Whisper, or if she had just gotten used to the "organized chaos" that he referred to, but she still felt a smile touch her face when she managed to find the weapon he had left behind f

Now wrapped in her warm and fuzzy cloak, Katoka let out a content sigh of relief. "You're the best Mina. Someone needs to wife you already." The trek to the frozen monster's lair brought back many memories to the samurai as she walked. She munched on the pastries that Ciela had given them as they trudged through the snow. She recalled the conversations she had with Freyd when they traversed the same path. They had both changed considerably since then, despite the short amount of time that had passed. Upon reaching the designated 'boss' area, Absolute Zero's hulking form was a large a

It was not very often that Katoka slipped into the "shop" that Freyd ran. No matter how many times she saw it she wasn't used to the tents and tables that were cobbled together. Glancing around she didn't notice her friend around and nodded, sure that he was more than likely at home with Elora. "Good." she thought. With a soft sigh she stepped up to a semi empty area and open her inventory, scrolling through and selecting as many items as she could before spawning them all at once with a clang. She promptly summoned a sheet of paper and writing utensil and began to leave a note. "Fre

She didn't remain on the ground long. Katoka knew that if she waited too long there would have been more things that emerged from the darkness. She knew that she wasn't ready to face them on her own just yet. With trembling knees she rose and stumbled her way back to the path she had previously been on. Her eyes were red, puffy and hollow, her nose running and her arm left a trail of blood behind her. She was broken, but she was not dead. Her hand gripped the hilt of her weapon fiercely, her teeth clenched and she shut her eyes tight. A growl rumbled from her own throat not unlick the wol

The wolf wasted no time. It loped forward, its jaws wide and snarling, only to be met with the glowing edge of her blade. The sword connecting with its open mouth once again and coming to a stop. Katoka yelled, her voice loud and filled with hate and pain and fear, her weak left arm struggling to hold the large creature in the air. Sparks flew from the blade and with one final shove the edge cut through the crustal reinforced jaw of the mob and cut clean through once again from head to tail. Kat continued to scream, her frustration having reached its peak long ago. She slashed and cut and

With pixelated blood dripping from her right arm, the samurai stood with her sword in her non-dominant hand, it's tip wavering ever so slightly as she attempted to keep her composure. If it wasn't for her battle healing skill she was certain she would have been in real trouble. Though she did manage to keep a few better quality healing potions on her after her near death experience on the sky docks for floor 26, she wasn't sure if she would have been in the right from of mind to remember to knock them back. The final wolf in front of her began to circle around her cautiously, never taking

A sharp and excruciating pain jolted Kat from her stupor. She cried out and looked around wildly, her mind barely able to process anything that was going on. She had just finished destroying the last wolf's growths and now she was on the ground, her arm inside the jaws of another-- no, the third wolf, the one she had cut from jaw to ass previously. She must have blacked out from the pain, only just now coming to as she was being shaken around like a ragdoll. "Let me go you son of a bitch!" she shouted, her voice shrill and counted in panic. She managed to bawl up her fist and strike it o

Katoka didn't have to go far to find the next blight wolf, it's snarling and corrupted form emerging from the darkness of the woods emanating a feral aura as it stepped into view. The samurai swallowed her fear, pushing it down for her to process later. Now was not the time to loose focus. The wound on her forearm throbbed, the teeth marks from her previous opponent making her wince as she gripped her blade with what resolve she could muster. The creature in front of her scratched as it's neck, the music like sound of tinkling stone from it's mane of protrusions. This had been her second

Using the pommel of her weapon, Kat slammed a heavy hand down on the wolf's head, causing it to let go of her for just long enough for her to jump back. The half hearted attack had not been without its disadvantages, her arm throbbing even more from the strike. She watched at the mob shook it's head slightly from disorientation, but the blonde felt herself freeze up as she got a better look at her opponent. This wolf was not unlike the ones she had faced previously with their disgusting mineral like growths, however this one had several that ran from it's shoulder to it's hip. The same di

The samurai made her first mistake in thinking the the fight was over, her second was taking her eyes off the red and black crystals that had absorbed the fallen mobs. Once she had caught her breath Kat had returned to the initial tree where everything had taken place, taking care to retrieve as much evidence as she could of the mysterious players that had created the lure and, at least to her assumptions, the wolves that had gone after her. The small bottle of blight was now corked and safely in her inventory when a twig snapped behind her. A grow began to reverberate through the forest

She knew he meant well, but watching Freyd crack Ulric over the head for over twice the amount of damage she did previously made her eye twitch ever so slightly. She was frustrated. The samurai knew deep down that she was strong now, much stronger than she had been in the past. However she felt as though she was hitting a wall, reaching a peak that she was soon going to fall off of. Ulric Drell spat on the ground and readied himself to attack Freyd. As he heaved his arm back he blinked in confusion. It felt wrong, as if his arm was much lighter than it had previously been. Looking to his

The opportunity to strike an enemy when they have been knocked off their feet is something that doesn't present itself very often, Katoka took that moment to strike. When Ulric hit the deck with a thud there was the all too familiar sound of a sword art charging and striking. A gust of wind rustled the downed pirate's hair as he looked down to see a red slash across his body and the small blonde now standing over him grinning. It wasn't a strike that dealt the amount of damage she had wanted, but it was better than nothing. With a few hops and skips she returned to the edge of the dock an

The third wolf had the most unique growths on it's body, with crystals jutting from various points of it's back as well as several from it's side and joints. Katoka would have been mesmerized had it not been for the imminent danger she felt like she was in. Despite these creatures not having a lot of health, they were surprisingly nimble and quick to act. The first two made sure to constantly attack, not giving her a moment to react. This one however, was circling her, watching her every move. It almost seemed to be analyzing her. Kat had fought and interacted with numerous NPCs and enemi

Flashes of light and the echoing clang of metal meeting what sounded light more metal sounded through the trees. Katoka was on the defensive almost as much as she had been when fighting the sky pirates on floor 26, and that was while fighting four enemies at once. This one wolf was keeping her from being able to perceive her surroundings. She stepped back and tripped over a tree root, sending her toppling over into a sprawling mess onto the ground. The monster had jumped as she was falling, sailing straight over her and missing it's attack. Kat thanked the horribly placed root for once an

The wolf lunged before Katoka could react properly. She only managed to draw her katana before it's jaws clamped down over the blade, sending sparks flying from it's mouth. Using all her strength she only just managed to yank her weapon free and kick the monster back to put some distance between them. Only then did the name of the mob appear above it's head for her to read, 'Sundered Blight Wolf'. The animal jumped once again and left Kat to move on the defensive, smacking her sword into the side of it's head in order to deflect it's attacks. She moved and danced through the trees, not ge

Panicked eyes shot towards the beast left standing. It chuffed a breath of air from it's snout and stepped forward to sniff the bodies of it's companions. The samurai had a better view of the growths on the wolf's side as it did this, seeing veins of black that snaked through the red crystals and into the flesh of the creature. "I need to get out of here." she thought to herself, "Before this thing decides it wants something fresh to eat." The wolf whipped it's head up and glared at Katoka, as if it could hear her thoughts right then and there. A growl creeped up it's throat and rumbled f