[PP-F23] The First Sword

[Koga 0]

The faerie sat silently as Koga looked on. He didn't brush it away, or speak to it. He felt no need, clearly the sprite knew enough about his to not require his words. He took comfort in the warmth of her presence, and the imperceptible touch of her lazily undulating wings, like that of a feather across his skin.

A great light engulfed Alkor, and for a moment the man disappeared in the blindness that came with staring into the sun. When he reappeared, Koga had to blink in surprise. Since when could the system change a players appearance outside of their initiation into this death game? Koga was about to open his mouth to comment on the change when Starla stepped forward. The man reached out and was about to grab her wrist to stop her from doing something that may end up getting her killed, but the faerie stopped him. "Don't worry," she whispered, "you're safe here with us." For reasons Koga couldn't explain, he believed the little creature, "I know you've suffered, lost those you care about in more ways than one, but no harm will befall you or your fellows whilst in these hallowed halls." She fell silent again and Koga turned his neck to look at her, finding the small woman staring back at him. He nodded back at her, and watched as the Queen cupped the snow-haired woman's face, and spoke to her in a voice he could not hear, or even see. Despite that, he knew some exchange had just occurred.

A silence fell over the group there after, only broken once Alkor greeted Lessa. "Uh, dude?" Koga said, the first words since he'd stumbled upon the others. He pointed at his own head, "You uh...got a new do?"

[NIGHT 0]

They were on edge, most of them, regarding the ceremony. NIGHT didn't sense tension in the air -- rather, a calm strangeness. The shift of Alkor's locks from dust to gold caused the woman to raise a brow, glancing between the system's favour and their other attendees. How unusual. But it didn't seem to harm him. She could only shudder at the thought of the prompt he'd received from earlier; if this was part of the ritual, the woman was thankful she hadn't received a word of it in the slightest.

It was granted to the newbie, however, and she flinched when she realized her acceptance of it.

Her reservations for danger almost slipped away, as Starla had rose to greet royalty. What; was this a procedure mark out the lights of the cosmos? What could Cardinal be high on?

The thought of danger had her pressing her incisors together, and the added vulnerability that neither Koga nor herself were bordering against a potential attack pushed NIGHT to further alertness, just in case she had to be ready, fast. With two hands, the queen -- it was a queen, wasn't it? -- wrapped her hands around the novice's face, and NIGHT held her breath.

She let it go once fingers had shifted to touch upon the player's forehead. And the words of affirmation afterwards only worked to ease her quandaries, reassuring her that no harm was meant to befall upon the adventurer.

"A true Knight may stray, but he will always find his way home."

Home. She entertained it for a moment, and what it meant to her. A flash of blonde, an intricate ponytail, first came to mind, before it went by NIGHT's honest dismissal.

The player rubbed the back of her neck, glancing over to the new window that appeared in Lessa's periphery. In the moments of waiting, she turned to Alkor, examining his appearance better. It suited him, she figured. A symbol of change for the better.

(Not sure about that potential contractual obligation, however. Being tethered to Cardinal's will was rough.)

[ChaseR 0]

The queen was moving- enough fooling around was enough. With a deep inhale, Chase blew the fairy away and being perfectly able to see alright again, he kept his eyes pinned on the queen, more than simply wary with his stance unchanging. And then the same story started all over with Starla too. "She's being way too intimate with you, don't just give her your only weapon.", he cried out to the both of them, blinking in confusion and noticing that Alkor's hair was a little more... blonde. Alright then...

"What're you even th-", he looked to the side at Alkor, ready to get scolding before she came back. The fairy got back up in his face with a slightly bothered look, making him flinch and staring right back into his eyes. Back to freezing he went. "F-Fuck off, stop looking...". No words, just thoughts. "You should warm up to others, you know.", she chimed in and once more, complete silence. Hell, Chase seemed to find his coping mechanism. Looking away from the uncanny faefolk right in front of his face, as much as he could at least. "What was Kayaba thinking putting these things in here... Why are they even so tiny in the first place, why..."

[Lessa 1]

"I'm fine, see? Nothing weird. Well... okay, it's a little weird, but I'm not hurt."

Lessa simply stared at the man, her doubt as plain as the nose on her face. "Riiiiight," she returned finally. "You're fine." With a gauntleted hand, she reached out and tugged sharply on his newly-minted blond locks. "Whatever you say, Blondie."

The woman looked as though she might say more, but the sudden appearance of a quest prompt startled her attention away from Alkor. The moment she saw it, her stomach plummeted. She didn't need to read it to know what it said. In fact, the Guardian made an effort to look anywhere except at the pop-up window. 

The fairy spoke again. Cowardice, too? I would not have predicted that trait.

She grew as tight as a drawn bowstring. "I'm not being a coward," she growled. "I'm being cautious." Rare annoyance crashed like waves in the oceans of her eyes as she turned to the creature. "I'm being practical."

And how has being logical and practical fared you thus far?

"I'm alive, aren't I?" The words snapped like a whip, a violent outburst meant to cover the true source of her refusal. Maybe I'm a coward after all. What did she really have to lose? It was unlikely the system would create a quest meant only to kill them, and if her acceptance did trigger combat, there were half a dozen players around her. Orochi, the Lich King, the trip into Sanctuary... very unpredictable events with potentially devastating and deadly consequences that had turned out alright in the end. Better than alright, actually. So why stop now?

This encounter will do nothing to change that fact.

"I bet you tell everyone that before you kill them," she muttered. Then she jabbed a finger at Alkor. "If this thing turns my hair green or something, so help me God-" Then, with that same finger, she slammed the accept button.

[Starla 0]

     Starla listened intently to the speech coming from the elven woman. She stood tall above Starla, but her stature was not in the slightest bit domineering. It was soft, gentle, and filled Starla with a warm feeling. Starla was excited that she had reached the ranking of Squire. Although it was not what she was potentially hoping for, a special title was also acceptable. It didn't seem to do anything other than identify her as such. A shame, but not everything was done just for her own benefit. She had been raised in such a way, but never felt comfortable with such a thing. She looked over to the person with the A name, whose name she still could not remember, who had a new hair color. Did he get a cosmetic item as part of his contract with the Queen?! Starla felt a bit jealous, but she did love her white hair anyway. There was nothing she would change.

"Seems I've got some work to do before I come back here. Everyone doing okay? No monsters so far. Seems like we might be in the clear." Starla felt an ominous feeling as she said that. Uh oh. Did I just jinx us?

[Alkor 0]

Alkor glanced toward Koga, confused. New do? "What?"

When Lessa called him Blondie, he blinked. That could not be a coincidence. He pulled the mirror that Kayaba had placed in their inventories at the very beginning forth and looked at himself. The reflection caused his mouth to gape open. "I'm-" before he could speak, Alkor remembered her words. 

What you see as the brightest light has become a part of you.

His eyes grew impossibly wide as his cheeks flushed and he looked away hard, staring at one of the many walls to ground himself. How embarrassed do you want me to be, lady? 

The regal woman turned now to face Lessa, only moments after she accepted the quest.

"Dear, you have suffered a great deal, haven't you?" she asked in a quiet voice as she bid the woman come closer. "You have fought and bled, physically and emotionally for so many people in this world. I can see it in your eyes- tired eyes, weary of the struggle. Such strength goes beyond swords, does it not?" the question hung heavy in the air while the woman kept Lessa's gaze. She watched the blonde step closer and smiled. "It is no small feat to endure with a heart so large. No one here can deny the strength that comes with empathy, with loving others above yourself. But always remember your companions. You do not struggle alone, Lessa." 

The Queen gestured toward Alkor, toward Starla, toward all the others, and then brought her attention back to the blonde woman. "These are your people. All of them different, some who you may not know, others you know all too well. Learn to work together with them and nothing can stop you on your quest to be free." She gestured for Lessa to kneel, and to offer up her blade for the blessing of Knighthood. "For your courage, and for your kindness, I name you, Lady Lessa, the Lionheart."

She withdrew and smiled to the collective of Players, and bowed her head. "In time, I may see you again," she said, and she looked to Starla one last time. "Some of you, for a certainty. To the rest of you, I bid good luck and safe travels. Know that even in the darkest night, even the smallest candle burns brightly."

With that, she faded into the night.

[Lessa 1]

Thread Complete

All participants receive:
- 2 SP (1 page reward, 1 COVID bonus)
- 67 col

In addition, Alkor receives:
- 2 SP (Tarot Training Room bonus - half of the thread participants belong to the guild.)