Jae

The shore was little more than jagged rock and restless water, slick with rain and foam, the wind carving merciless fingers through the darkness. Jae stepped from the swaying boat with stiff limbs, her balance shifting as she landed on uneven stone. Her fingers uncurled from the boat’s edge, knuckles pale, stiff from the cold. She had gripped too tightly, a reaction she hadn’t fully registered until now. The NPC boatman said nothing. He had barely spoken at all, and even as she turned her head slightly, she could feel his vacant gaze on her back, waiting. Perhaps for her to leave, or perhaps f

Ryo’s assurance drifted through the desert heat, casual, self-assured. "I'll make sure you don't die." Jae’s lips twitched—not quite a smirk, not quite amusement. A breath of laughter, dry as the dust beneath their boots, slipped past her lips before vanishing beneath the murmur of the market. She adjusted the strap of her gear, fingers deft and unhurried, before casting him a sidelong glance. “The ones who say that usually go first.” Her tone was light, almost absent, but there was a weight behind it, a certainty etched into the space between her words. She brushed a stray wisp of silver

Jae’s cat-eyes flicked toward the voice, sharp and unyielding as a blade catching the sun. She had been mid-motion, tightening the worn strap of her pack, when the stranger’s casual “Yo” threaded its way through the market’s hum. Her movements stilled, emerald eyes glinting beneath the low shadow of her hood, catching on the figure weaving toward her. He wasn’t an NPC—his gait was too easy, his grin too unburdened by the heavy heat pressing down on Fortaleza’s sandstone walls. Another player, then. The faintest twitch of her eyebrow betrayed her interest as she studied him. Sunlight dance

The market buzzed with life, a symphony of voices blending into the metallic chime of goods exchanged and the shuffle of feet on worn cobblestones. Jae moved through the chaos like a shadow, her hood drawn low, emerald eyes sharp beneath the brim. The air carried the mingled scents of dried herbs, leather, and sweat—a far cry from the cool, resinous calm of her forest home. It was then, as she waited for the vendor to count her coins, that she caught it: the faint murmur of something unusual, a thread of gossip woven into the noise. "Fool’s errand," one voice scoffed, muffled by distance. Anot

Buying the following items: Water Canister (x3) | [400col] Grants +(5 *Tier) health regeneration while out of combat. Effect lasts for one thread. Total: 400col Math: [2,900col] - [400col] = [2,500col]

Days Later Dawn broke over the forest in a delicate symphony of gold and amber, light threading its way through the latticework of branches overhead. The soft, luminous glow spilled into Jaelynn’s hollow like liquid fire, pooling in uneven patches across the bark walls and the mossy floor. The world below seemed to slumber still, its breaths slow and steady, the muted rustle of leaves a mere whisper. But here, high above the forest floor, energy sparked and coursed through her, a silent crackle of anticipation that had been building for days. She had waited long enough—too long. Fo

The rumors wove themselves into the air like threads of smoke, drifting from table to table in the dimly lit tavern on Floor 02. They were fragmented, half-whispered tales that dissolved as quickly as they formed, leaving only the lingering taste of intrigue. Jae caught the murmur first as a stray thread—something about a quest unlike any other, a challenge that had broken even the strongest among Aincrad’s warriors. Even those who walked the frontlines, whose blades had tasted victory over countless foes, those under them spoke of the quest with hesitation in their voices and shadows in their

weight of the hammer (Quest) | Exp: 1,749 | Posts: [21] | Status: Waiting For approval Once more, the frontliners shattered the chains binding Aincrad’s next floor, their triumph a distant thunder that barely stirred the quiet corners where Jae lingered, hidden from the storm of their progress. But the shadows no longer comforted her; they suffocated. Enough. With a resolve that burned brighter than her fear, she stepped into the labyrinthine wilds of Aincrad, her heart pounding to a rhythm of ren

Jae paused for a moment, the remnants of her shattered attempts scattered at her feet like broken promises. The heat from the forge clung to her skin, seeping into her very bones, but it no longer felt like a punishment. The flames had become her crucible, and she, the metal—tempered, not destroyed. The fractured pieces at her side gleamed like jagged stars, pieces of her soul that refused to submit. The weight of them was heavy, yet strangely freeing, a reminder that even in failure, she was something more than she had been when she walked in. Callum approached, his steady footsteps the only

Name: Veil-Piercer Item Tier: Weapon Item Type: Longsword (Straightswords) Item Rarity: Perfect Enhancements: Accuracy III Cost: Free - Earning A Living Desc: "Made with Aursteel, the shape of the blade resembled a flame, etched with small symbols and patterns reflecting the internal thoughts of its creator." Post Link: Post #16

"Fuck." Jae would exclaim after laying the saved piece to the side of the forge. Despite her momentary smile, she was still not any further in creating her armor. The air around her pulsed with the rhythmic beat of the forge, each strike on the anvil a declaration against the weight of failure. The flames crackled and swirled, their molten dance a wild, untamed force that mocked the stillness of the world beyond. In the quiet corners of her mind, the sprawling labyrinth of Aincrad seemed like another life, a faraway dream from a forgotten time. Here, within the forge's embrace, ev

The forge’s glow was a subdued ember, casting wavering shadows across the soot-streaked walls. The air within the smithy was heavy with the scent of iron and fire, a mixture that wrapped itself around Jaelynn as she stood before the anvil, the failed attempt still cooling in her hands. Her earlier triumph sat sheathed at her side—a reminder of her potential—but now, the twisted metal in her grip seemed to sneer at her ambition. The light armor she’d tried to craft lay misshapen, a haunting echo of what it might have been. Its surface bore the scars of uneven heating and a misaligned strike, it

The anvil awaited her next attempt, and she would answer its call until her strength or her materials ran dry. The forge glowed like a sleeping dragon, its heat licking at her skin as Jaelynn spread the next material across the anvil—a piece of ore she hoped would bend to her vision. She wasn’t crafting for battle this time; she sought something protective, a second skin to shield her in the wilds where the wind bit and the shadows lingered. Light armor, she decided. Practical. Nimble. The tools in her hands felt heavier now, as if the weight of her recent triumph and subsequent f

The forge was alive with heat and the roar of flame, but Jaelynn’s focus was sharper still. Her newly forged blade rested on the workbench behind her, a masterpiece of balance and power, its markings glinting like the constellations she often gazed upon from her hollow. She could still feel the hum of the perfect weapon in her hands, a creation born from sweat, determination and isolation. Yet, the perfection of that blade was not enough to satiate her hunger for mastery. She turned to the anvil again, untying her satchel to retrieve the next piece of raw material. Her fingers lingered over th

The walk back to her hollow was unhurried, each step weighted with a quiet satisfaction. In her pack rested the fruits of her labor: five distinct ores, their edges sharp, surfaces uneven yet gleaming with potential. As the forest of Floor 2 welcomed her back, the thick branches overhead swayed in silent acknowledgment of her return. Reaching her hollow, Jaelynn climbed swiftly, her muscles aching but eager for rest. Once inside, she knelt and gently placed the ores on the woven mat near her lantern. They reflected its golden light, each unique in its composition. Aursteel, the rarest among th