Nari-Lanreth

Nari gave one final dig through the plant beneath her before gently moving the dirt back into place. She had to admit – she had enjoyed this entire encounter, it had been…so fulfilling in a way. But she knew that there was more that needed to be done, regardless of how much she wanted to stay here. “You’re right – the most we can do is to follow our path, to wherever it leads us. Perhaps, as some do, we’ll find another to travel that path with us. But perhaps for individuals like ourselves – well, maybe we simply have to accept that it is a path to traverse alone.” Nari slowly raised hers

Nari heard the crunch of feet behind her. Spinning around quickly, she felt as Yuki crawled up onto her shoulder, all while Nari raised herself to her feet. Drawing her sword and raising her shield, Nari found herself face to face with the Gypsy woman once more. She felt a shiver run down her spine, as she felt that similar odd familiar in the air between them again. “It appears that you managed to find yourself a companion.” The Gypsy woman’s voice rang on the air again, her words sounding almost song like to Nari’s ears. “I did, and…” Nari raised her right hand to tweak the snow f

Nari spent the next few minutes feeding the small fox anything she could find. The creature itself was no bigger than an average house cat, but it powered through any of the snacks that she pulled forth for it. She felt nothing but happiness at the interaction, waiting for it to end at any moment. Eventually, as her collection of food came to an end, she waited for the moment she knew must be coming. Instead, however, the fox turned its gaze to her, reaching up and nuzzling her with its tiny nose. Nari, taken aback, realised for the first time that a small dialogue box had appeared besid

It didn’t take long for the creature to eventually give in and jump forward for the food. The small fox lunged up, using its front paws to hold itself up as it dug into the small bar of food in Nari’s hand. Nari remained as still as she possibly could while it did so – tightening her muscles to keep herself from scaring away the fox. It didn’t take long for it to finish the small amount of food that Nari had to offer. She expected the creature to lunge away, content with what it had been given. She was instead surprised when it suddenly stared at her, appearing to – at least in her mind –

Nari felt her heart tighten as the small creature slowly stepped out of the bushes, drawn by the smell or sight of the food that Nari held within her hand. As it slowly slunk closer and closer, Nari noticed that the form had taken shape – similar to the image that had crossed her mind not long ago. Covered in white fur, the small black eyes and nose stood in front of a pointed face, the long body containing four small legs, which in turn gave way to a long, bushy tail. Although not a perfect representation, the creature was as close as Nari could expect to find to the snow fox she had enc

‘Strength in numbers…perhaps. But is there also not a strength in…other things?’ Nari couldn’t help but see the shift in the man’s posture as he spoke. His voice bared no change in emotion, as if he was providing nothing more than a fact, but his posture…his very actions, and words, seemed to hint at something else. “Your points are valid, and I cannot argue their truth. Yet…I wonder…I wonder if not, there is some strength in something beyond the conviction of the loner – the defender. Perhaps this is the road we are forced to walk, but is it not fair and right that we should also search

Nari stared at the small white creature before her, its black eyes and nose staring back at her from beneath a bush off to the side of the trail. Kneeling down slightly, Nari kept her gaze focused on it, determined not to lose sight of it. ‘How…how do I bring you out of your hiding spot?’ Nari wondered, trying to think of some way to draw it forth from the bushes it was within. She was just beginning to consider the option of providing it some of her food, when she remembered the items that had begun this quest. ‘So, that’s what you’re good for then, is it?’ Nari pulled forth her inv

Her eyes scanned along the forest floor, focusing around the base of the many trees that lined the pathway itself. She couldn’t help but wonder at the repetitive action of the entire experience. An old phrase – one that she herself had used previously in her real life – ran through her mind. ‘What is insanity but the repetitive movements, with the expectation of a different outcome?’ Nari couldn’t help but laugh aloud at the irony of the situation. Here she was, completing the same action, over and over again, hoping that somehow – this time would be different. ‘Isn’t that just how t

The thought shook Nari deeper than she expected. She had never relied upon others, not even in her darkest times in the real world. But…perhaps that was a mistake she had made – perhaps that was one of the many reasons she had always had so much trouble handling others. She was far too reserved, far too cut off from others. ‘Perhaps…perhaps that is something I should change. There are many friendly individuals here…’ A few faces passed through her mind as she considered whom she could try becoming more connected with, but she quickly put the thought of it behind her. ‘That is something t

Nari paused again in her work, staring at the area she had just been digging into. There was such wisdom in his words, and yet, she sensed something else there…was it sadness? She had never before been great at catching the emotions or feelings of others, but somehow she felt a connection with this man she had just met, as if they were of like mind and heart. “Perhaps that is true, but…is it not lonely, to go through life in such a way? Would it not be easier to instead have others to rely upon? To provide you their strength when yours faulters?” Nari shook herself from her trance, realis

Nari slowly paced around a collection of trees, following some disturbances in the snow around their bases. She wasn’t entirely certain what the tracks were – if they were even tracks – but she followed them nonetheless, eventually finding a small hole in the ground. Peering in, Nari saw nothing alive inside. Raising back onto her feet, she realised that the creature she was looking for likely wouldn’t be found within a small hole underneath a tree. Turning away from the tree, she began searching the forest floor again for any sign of anything in this world beyond herself. She could feel

She had managed to walk another few steps before Nari remembered that foxes were tiny creatures, and that meant that they may not necessarily remain only on the forest floor. Backtracking the areas that she had previously passed, Nari began searching the very trees themselves, looking for any sign of a creature of foxlike shape that could’ve passed through. As she did so, she wondered what she would do once she had found such a creature. She hadn’t been given much in the way of direction in that sense, but she was sure that something about the food she was given would help with that. She

‘I was not expecting this whole experience to include reminiscing about my past…’ The voice in her head had a tone of frustration, a tone that Nari knew was showing her annoyance at the whole situation. It was right though, she hadn’t expected to be randomly searching the forest for some creature – a creature which she didn’t even have a description of, much less any sort of idea on how to tame it. In her mind, she saw the face of the fox once more, and she wondered if maybe – just maybe – she could find just such a creature. A lovely, white fox that could accompany her anywhere she went.

“I understand.” The words were spoken softly, barely more than a whisper. Her hands continued carefully pushing and pulling at the dirt, and she let silence envelope the two of them for some time, before bringing her next question to the air around them. “So, you fight for others, and not for yourself?” She had meant to ask just that question, but something in her mind caused her tongue to continue. Against her better judgement – if there was any at all – she spoke the next part stoically, no emotion attached to the words at all. No resentment, no distaste, a simple statement of fact. “I

Nari felt herself blinking softly as the snow fell into her upturned eyes and face. Shaking off the memory, she felt the cold around her return, the image of the fox’s face slowly slipping away from her mind’s eye. The warm feeling she had felt at the memory seemed to recede from within her, leaving her feeling cold and miserable once more. She huddled closer to the fire, desperate for its warm in the cold snowy area that surrounded her. The warmth of the fire made her feel slightly better, and after some time she became to consider her next options. She clearly had no idea of what her ne

Her mind pulled her back to a time when she had first ever gone camping. It had been mid-September, the first snowfall had just cleared itself away from the land, and warmer temperatures had begun to return. The two others she had ended up coming with – friend’s that she had long ago stopped spending time with – had as much experience with camping as Nari herself had, which was to say that between the three of them there was nothing. The first night had been the worst, as the temperatures had dipped down below freezing once more. Nari had sat within her tent, curled up in her sleeping ba

Nari stopped meddling with the dirt as the man mentioned her was one of the frontliners. Nari’s eyes went wide in realisation, she had known that there was more to him than caught the eye, but she had never figured he was a tank of all things. Bowing her head in a sign of respect, she clasped her hands before herself, before returning back to the task of searching the roots of the plants. Her voice was softer as she spoke, a tone of respect in the words she provided. “A frontliner? How did you do it? How do you do it? Do you not fear death? Does it not cause a chill down your spine a

Nari could feel the cold air beginning to nip at her – and knew that sooner or later she would need to do something in order to warm herself up. She’d already been out here for hours – and although she knew the cold itself wouldn’t cause the same dangers as in the real world, Nari also knew she wasn’t going to take risks in this world. Looking for an area nearby that would be sufficient, Nari began to stray off the path she had been following thus far. A small clearing beneath a widespread tree eventually caught Nari’s attention, a small log settled upon the ground creating a perfect seat

Nari felt her glance shift towards Jomei’s form across the arena, the words that Astreya had stated ringing in her mind. ‘Was he…going easy on me? It certainly hadn’t felt like it, not towards the end, at least.’ Nari smiled as she returned her gaze to Astreya, something about the girl’s chipper behaviour bringing a wave of happiness over her. Glancing at the two fighters she was pointing out, Nari watched them trade blows for a second, before nodding her head. “It would appear as though you’ll have quite the fight ahead of you, regardless of which comes out victorious. For myself,

Nari looked down at the dirt beneath her hands, seeing the more brutal mess she had made of the dirt in comparison to the man beside her. She felt a pang of regret at the mess – a feeling of upset at having caused such devastation in such an area of beauty. She caught herself as her hands began to push the dirt back, as if to return the area to how it once was. “Ambitions? Goals…? Do we have those still, beyond simply escaping this death game? Perhaps once, I had those…but now…now all my focus is on getting strong enough to make my way to the frontlines, to place my effort among those fi

Her mind drawn by to the present by the sound of something snapping in the woods, Nari spun around, her eyes searching for the cause of the noise. The trees swayed slightly in the soft wind, the branches almost seeming to dance as Nari looked between them into the deeps of the darkness that they created. Her breath coming in slow bursts, Nari eventually lowered her weapon and shield – suddenly realising that she had taken a defensive stance without a second thought. Nari felt a moment of pride at the subtle perfection in her reaction, the fact that she had unconsciously become prepared to

Nari’s mind began to wander as she continued her path through the woods, thinking back to the time she had visited a local wolfdog sanctuary. She had been so enthralled by the large animals, watching as they had prowled the fenced areas that they had been kept in. It was nothing like the wolves that she had seen in the zoos – although both were caged, the sanctuary had provided several acres of open land for the wolfdogs to explore and live within. Nari had spent most of her day then just watching the animals wandering, sometimes coming to the fence to watch Nari in return. She had – at

Nari glanced between the item in her inventory now, and the spot where the woman had once stood. Nari realised she hadn’t been given any further details about how to tame this creature once it was found, nor what the creature was even supposed to look like. ‘Perhaps…perhaps it differs for each person, like so much else in this world.’ Nari’s head bobbed with the thought, her agreement taking a physical form. Unsure of what else to do, Nari began walking again, continuing upon the path she had begun with. She figured that there was not much else for it – except to search for anything that

Shop Post: Ice-Tipped Spear Transaction Date: 2022.02.06 Cost of Transaction: 1 material Crafter's Profession: Blacksmith Crafter's Rank: 1 Item Name: Ice-Tipped Spear Item Tier: T1 Item Type: Weapon [Polearm/Spear] Item Rarity: Rare Item Enhancements: Damage (1 Slot); Accuracy (1 Slot) Craft/Appraisal/Obtainment IDs & Rolls: ID203338 Item Description: A long polearm crafted on a red-steel shaf

Returning to the forge that she was becoming more and more comfortable in – yet still amazed at every time she entered – Nari wondered what she should spend her time today focusing on creating. She had limited success with the heavy armour the day previous, but…well, everyone did always need some protection. But she was also aware that protection came in the form of offensive capabilities, as much as being surrounded by metal. Glancing about, she knew that she wanted to branch out a bit from her typical work. Thinking back to what she had seen around, she decided upon some weapons – a col