Faerie

Fae looked towards Nari a feignt smile on her lips at the praise and encouragement. Nari was right, Fae was different than she was back then, and this time it would be different this time she wasn't in over head and this time she wouldn't be running. Setting her gaze back on the beast before her Fae held her sword out. The wave of confidence bolstering her stance, Fae watched as the troll shook its head snorting as it glared down at the much smaller figure. Fae kept here eyes locked on the troll, waiting for it to launch an attack. She would have more luck dodging her foe and counter att

Fae leapt up as the large troll slammed its club down on the ground missing her as she planted her foot on the weapon, using it as a springboard to launch herself towards the beasts head. Bringing the flat of her blade slamming into the side of its skull making it stumble to the side as she landed behind it. The troll was very clearly shocked by the attack as it stood there, brain scrambled for a moment. Fae compared the amount of damage that she did compared to the troll and a wave of confidence rushed through her, this creature may have been super powerful to a completely green character who

Fae smiled at the tall ginger who opened the door for her before following him inside her large box in tow "Its nice to meet you Jomei I'm . . ." Fae was cut short from her introduction as the only other guest called out her name, well more accurately a nickname. And with that nickname and that hair Fae knew exactly who this was, even if it had been a long time since she had seen the woman she wasn't so quickly going to forget a friend "Oh, I've just been, around, you know how it is. Its really nice to see you again Nari, and its really nice to meet you Jomei." Fae smiled at the other party go

Back on her feet Fae looked at her health bar again surprised to see how little damage she took compared to when she had fought this troll so long ago. Back then one hit had brought her to the brink of death and she had had to flee in order to even survive the encounter, now she had taken a hit way harder than back then and it had barely done anything to her at all. The fear was still strong in her but a new sense of confidence washed over Fae as Nari stepped in and called out to the troll, her scythe resting behind her. The woman exuded a confidence that Fae couldn't even begin to see h

Fae just smiled at her green haired companion, it was beyond sweet that she was willing to hop into the middle of the combat with nothing in hand. Now holding a whip in her hand Avoryn had some form of weapon to fight alongside Fae with, even if it wasn't the best weapon on the planet. "Thanks Avoryn, I appreciate your help!" Fae tossed the empty vial that she was holding and turned back to face her opponents holding the sword towards them as she prepared herself for another attack. Fae waited until right before one of the boars was about to charge before she launched herself forward pausing f

Fae listened intently to Nari as she focused on dodging all of the attacks that the troll was sending her way being more patient then she was before not trying to make an opening, but instead waiting for one to open for her. Fae was just fast enough to keep dodging the strikes coming at her, but any mistake on her part could lead to her taking a hit from the massive club the troll was holding. A large swing of the club came horizontally at Fae, and there was no chance that she could dodge backward. Opting for the only real option she had Fae jumped into the air above the club making it m

Fae slowly opened the chest fearing the worst, bit as the lid softly thudded against the main body nothing happened, letting out a sigh of relief she looked over the contents, just a few pieces of equipment that were weaker than what she was currently using and a small amount of col and materials, it honestly felt kind of lackluster for all of the effort that she had put in getting the chest to appear, but equipment was still equipment and Fae put it all into her inventory before taking back out both the compass that Giovanna had given her, and the scale she had found using it. The compass was

Blackness was all that Fae experienced for what felt like an eternity as consciousness slowly came back, her eyes snapping open to the light of an early morning. She sat up groggily, she had been unconscious for an a night and half a day, and the chilly air almost came as a shock compared to the blazing inferno that her last moments had been. The clearing was still in ruins, the ground decimated by the heat, though the fiery circle that had enclosed the area earlier was now gone. One other thing was different though, where the large thick scale had been now stood a chest seemingly made of thos

The fog cleared in that moment, almost as if to let Fae experience the fullness of her death, every agonizing second not dulled for even a moment before she would be no more. The stories always said in these moments that you would see your life flash before your eyes, but Fae's mind was completely blank, staring at the unsettling grin of the creature as it savored the moment, advancing on her slowly as if it was enjoying watching her struggle. And struggle she did, Fae's hand stretched for the blade that was lying beside her, muscles aching as the fatigue caught up to her. Fingers scraping and

Every move became more and more lethargic every passing moment as the battle continued to rage on, the idea of giving up an impossible one that wouldn't cross Fae's mind even in her subconscious, but before long the choice to fight wouldn't be something that Fae had the luxury to make. Every attack that the fiery guardian made came closer and closer to hitting Fae as her movements grew more and more sluggish over time. The fight was wearing out every ounce of ability that she had and the beast showed no signs of slowing it's onslaught, no sign that it was growing tired in any way. One m

The ebb and flow of battle was in Fae's blood as she continued to dodge out of reach of the faster and stronger monster, feeling the battle as if it was an extension of her very own body and mind. The brief moment of clarity that had come with the pain from the creature's successful attack was fading quickly, and Fae could feel the fog trying to overcome her mind once more as claws swept narrowly above her head, the hot air coming off the creature singing the tips of her hair as Fae pushed for more space. The fight was dragging on too long, and in the back of Fae's mind, subconsciously

Subconscious willpower, it was the only explanation for how Fae hadn't fallen yet, how despite the fatigue and fog that was building from the combined effort of the extreme heat and the exertion of fighting against the creature of molten magma, she was able to keep dodging out of the way of the hotter than hot claws that aimed to take her head off. Instincts had taken over Fae's body, and there was no thoughts left, it was just the internal struggle between Fae's will to live, and the need for her muscles to succumb to the mind numbing pain and heat. Instincts weren't always enough thoug

Being on the offensive made Fae more confident, but it didn't make the fight any easier as the both she and the fiery demon attacked with a fury. Fae tried to let go of feelings, let go of thought, let instinct overcome her as the fogginess grew and made it harder and harder to think rationally. Her body didn't want to die, and it was almost as if she could subconsciously feel the flow of the battlefield around her. The movements of the creature, the rocks on the ground around her feet, the air rushing around inside the prison of fire as the burning hot air forced the cold air out. Fae could a

Exhaustion. The feeling was now a comfortable friend as the onslaught continued, leaving no time for a counterattack, Fae was on the defensive barely making sure that the fiery claws missed her as she was constantly pushed back, drawing nearer and nearer to the burning wall the kept her trapped. It seemed impossible but the heat only grew more and more intense as Fae was forced closer to the raging blaze behind her. Thoughts getting harder and harder to process, movements getting more and more sluggish Fae could barely even feel panic as the fight continued, both her and the monster's health s

The fight was practically a stalemate, the enraged guardian swinging its arms in attack after attack, an unrelenting onslaught that made it nearly impossible for Fae to dodge let alone lift her sword up in defense. The combination of the ever increasing heat and the unrelenting onslaught from the guardian was one of the worst situations Fae had ever found herself in. Originally she thought that the creature would be easier to kill after its weapon had been thrown away and it was left with only its claws, but it seemed as though it only grew stronger as it was backed into a wall, fighting even

Going on the offensive was proving to be difficult as Fae was consistently pushed back, reaching her limit as she parried and dodged the never ending assault. The sharp sound of steel meeting hard rock was the only sound that could be heard, drowning out the roaring inferno of the barrier that kept Fae from fleeing. Each block and Parry sending a shock through Fae's arm, her grip getting harder and harder to maintain as her hands and arm strained against the heavy slams. Sweat poured down Fae's face stinging her eyes as the exertion of fending off the enraged monster combined with the swelteri

The NPCs in Sword Art Online seemed like they had a life of their own, seemingly sharing the same feelings as the players. Fae didn't know if the monsters in this world had the same feelings as the other creations in Aincrad, but if they did she knew that the monster in front of her would be feeling nothing but intense fear. All of the fellow magma creatures had already fallen to Fae's blade and now all alone the final guardian stood without any weapon while it's opponent, it's prey thought to have been trapped in a way that none on these lower floors would have been able to escape, confidentl

The roaring sound of fire was all that could be heard throughout the forest as Fae stood opposite the monster guarding the demonic shard that the gypsy women had told her to go get. She hadn't told her that there would be anything like this guarding the fragment of demonic energy, or else she wouldn't have taken on the quest so lightly. The firelight Caused shadows to dance across the clearing as the wind blew through the fiery barrier keeping her trapped in her duel with the guardian. Fae could barely hear the thunderous cracking sound of the whip as the guardian lashed out for another attack

A dull throbbing started up in the back of Fae's head as she grabbed the next arrow out of her hip quiver, a feint ringing feeling like it was attempting to escape her skull. With a sharp intake of breath Fae brought the bow even with her chest, holding the arrow loosely to the string waiting for the signal to draw and then fire, the dull aching and ringing growing every moment as if building up to some crescendo. The customary whistle blew out and Fae drew the bow in one solid motion, only sighting for a second before letting the arrow fly. The ringing seemed almost tied to the arrow growing

Back at the starting line Fae held up her bow, pulling the string back and taking a moment to focus, she doubted that the wind had changed enough at this point to make her arrow go too far off stray if she just aimed for the same place she aimed last time. Once again methodically lining her bow up to where she thought she had aimed previously Fae release the arrow, watching as it soared through the air, thudding softly in the distance into the second of the yellow rings, this one wasn't worth as much as the bullseye in the center, but it was still worth a lot for this set. After loosing

Fae methodically lined up her second shot, she had overcompensated last time, but now knowing where the arrow hit the target she could aim for the exact point that would land it in the bullseye. Releasing the arrow Fae held her breath, she didn't want to be shown up by these monsters, and this was a sport that she not only had a passion for, but was also skilled at. The arrow flew being carried by the strong wind, thudding into the center most yellow circle. Fae couldn't help but let out a cheer as a shockwave blew out from her target and caused the guardians shot to go wide. It wasn't m

It was Nari's words of encouragement that broke the spell that had a hold on Fae. she wasn't the same as she was the last time that she had seen this creature, she was stronger and she had people or person behind her that was even stronger. Sliding the blue blade out of the sheathe on her lower back Fae locked eyes with the creature shoving the fear deep down as she charged at it sword drawn. Fae was hoping that she would be able to use her speed to her advantage with her wearing the lightest of the armor categories and with this creature's size this should be no problem. Fae was proven

Fae leaned into where she thought the wind was coming from so that she could make sure that it hit the target even after being veered so off course. Calmly she pulled the bowstring back her fingers lightly gripping the arrow that she had knocked to the string. Breathing in calmly Fae let the arrow fly, making note of exactly how far off to the side she had aimed so that she could adjust if the arrow still missed. Letting go of the arrow Fae concentrated hard to see where the arrow landed on the target that was seventy meters away she would need to know how much to adjust her shot by if it hit

The long bow in Fae's hand felt comfortable and it made her smile as she thought back to the first time she had ever learned to shoot one. She had been a small kid, it was after her mother had left her and her dad and she needed something to latch onto in that time of need. An archery camp had put up flyers in their home town, advertising a week long retreat where they would learn how to shoot bows and do other activities. Fae remembered racing home from school clutching the flyer, begging her dad to let her go, and he did. The week long camp wasn't all that great and most of the people there

Fae stood around for a while, waiting for something to happen as she pulled out another one of the potions strapped to her thigh, downing it in seconds and bringing her health up again by a sizable chunk. It took another couple of minutes for anything to happen until suddenly Fae could see a target appear off in the distance, and next to her was all of the gear and set up for an archery competition. "Welcome once again folks to our third and final round of our competition, it is time to see If Fae can come out on top, or if the guardians intense blaze will be able to take her out." A round of