[F04 – SP] The Winter Fox | <<Feeding Your Enemy>>

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari couldn’t quite remember what had originally brought her here – she had been told that the fourth floor was snow covered, and although she had always disliked the winters months, perhaps she had seen it as a way to reconnect with the home she had lost when this whole death game had started. Whatever the reason had been, Nari had spent the last few hours wandering the snow-covered forests beyond the main settlement of Snowfrost. Although she was once again on her own – something that she enjoyed, especially in a silent, somehow soothing environment such as this – she had heard that it was possible to encounter a travelling NPC, and from it obtain some sort of friend.

She hadn’t managed to get the details of the quest before heading out of Snowfrost itself – learning only that the woman appeared to be similar to the real-world Gypsy’s of folklore and storytelling. It had never occurred to her that locating such an NPC might require further information gathering before making the attempt, and so she had spent her time just wandering the snowy paths, the crunching beneath her feet one of the few sounds breaking the otherwise cold, dead air around her.

Pausing in the middle of her pointless walking, Nari took a deep breath – breathing in the cold air that felt like it burned her lungs, even though she knew it wasn’t truly doing so. Looking around, she noticed that it had started to snow again, the soft flakes falling from the sky to cover the tracks she had been leaving behind her in her travels. Although she normally detested snowfall, she had to admit that here – for whatever reason – it had an almost beauty to it, something serene in the very environment itself.

Moments passed as Nari simply stood and watched the snowfall, her mind lost to memories of the world before all this. After some time, she shook herself back to consciousness, deciding that she had rested long enough. Pulling her cloak up around herself, she trudged onwards through the snow, keeping an eye and ear out for any signs of either a threat – or this travelling woman who was supposed to be the start of this quest.

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Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 6 | HP: 120/120 | EN: 30/30 | DMG: 7 | MIT: 18 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0

Wølf Fang Blade, Plate Armour, Lanreth's Defender

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Word Count: 369

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

The cold, bitter air had begun to take its toll on Nari as she came to another stop. She figured that she had been travelling for nearly three hours at this point with no sign of her goal. Stopping to breath warm air onto her hands, she closed her eyes, letting the exhaustion her body was feeling have a moment of control. She knew that she couldn’t truly stop and rest here, there was still far too much time left in the day for that to occur. ‘Just a few moments, to give myself a respite. Even I cannot continue walking the entire day, regardless of the willpower.’

Shaking her body from head to toe, Nari let herself settle onto the cold ground, pulling her legs into herself so as to trap as much body heat as possible. The cold air around her made her shiver in her armour – the cloak doing little to keep out the cold around her. She sighed aloud to herself as she closed her eyes yet again. ‘Why did I even come out here? What would I want with a companion? I try to avoid people…’

She knew the thoughts and feelings of despair that were currently coursing through her mind were partially because of the cold, but it took all she had to drive it away. Knocking her hand against the side of her head, she forced back the voice, reminding herself that if nothing else, this quest could make her stronger. ‘Everything I do here is for one clear goal – to get stronger, to help clear the game. And if that means completing quests that give no real benefit other than the experience – well, then so be it. I’ll do what’s necessary.’

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Word Count: 289

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Although she wanted to stay seated on the snow, curled up in a ball and ignoring the world around her, Nari knew that she had no choice but to continue on – or turn back and return to Snowfrost. It was far from her to give up so easily, and so, she found herself rising to her feet and heading further into the woodlands, deeper along the path she had been following thus far.

The snow continued to crunch against her feet as Nari kept her eyes out for any signs of others in this deserted area. It had been a long time since she’d even seen the small animals of the game anywhere, and she was starting to wonder if she had gone beyond some sort of border. She hadn’t heard of any sort of exclusion zones – well, the safe zones, but those weren’t what she was thinking of here. She had originally been enjoying the comfort of solitude, but had started to feel something tug at the back of her mind, a certain wrongness in it all – too silent, too empty.

Perhaps it was just a reminder that even though the Cardinal system was great at recreating aspects of life, it couldn’t calculate everything that was required to present a direct translation or copy of the real world – a fault in the system, so to speak. Unsure of what that meant – if it was even important in the least, Nari put the thought aside, thinking back instead on everything that had happened since her arrival here.

She had met a few wonderful people, who had shown her that she could choose to be strong. Choose to be more than she was in the real world – and perhaps even transfer who she was here to her mind and body out there. She thought back to her meeting with Astreya, and what the young girl had said to her, about how it was just a different battle.

‘What was that?’ Her eyes snapped to her right, her left hand lowering to her sheathed sword, as her eyes scanned the area around her. She realised that she had naturally come to a halt, her body tensing in preparation for a coming attack – should one come at all.

A shift of movement off to her left caught her attention, and she spun in the direction, looking for the cause of the movement.

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Word Count: 399

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

It took a moment for Nari to focus on the woman standing in the shade of a tree. She wore a short dress and headband that did in fact remind Nari of the gypsy folk of fairy tales and stories. Yet there was something…off putting about her. Nothing dangerous, just an air to her that felt…mysterious.

Lowering her sword slightly, Nari stepped closer to the woman, calling out as she did so. “Are you the one that people seek should they be looking for a companion?”

Although she didn’t raise her tone much, Nari’s voice carried across the open air as if she had shouted. The woman turned her gaze towards her, although Nari felt as though she wasn’t truly seeing her. That same off-putting feeling crept down Nari’s back, and for a moment she considered forgoing this experience in its entirety, wondering if she was making a mistake with this one. She hadn’t heard of anyone dying from a quest such a this, but…

‘But is it worth the risk’ The thought snuck up on her, and caused a shiver to run down her spine. The question itself was valid, but it didn’t bring any comfort to Nari as she stared at the unspeaking woman. Just when she was about to ask her question again, the NPC’s voice reached her ears, ringing with what Nari could only describe as a melody.

“You seek companionship, in the form of one bonded to you? I can show you how to find such a being, if you’re strong enough to do so…” The words seemed to drift off for a moment, and Nari realised the NPC was waiting for a response from her before continuing.

“I would like to learn. Teach me how to find a companion.” Nari kept her response blunt and to the point, hoping it would speed up the dialogue that was required here. She didn’t have patience for a long-drawn-out monologue, especially not in the dead cold of winter.

“I have found a food that attracts such a creature, providing you the opportunity to tame it to your side, and bind it to you until you, or it, pass from this world. If you are able to do so, you will find yourself in the presence of loyalty that cannot be broken – lest by betrayal.” The woman paused again, and Nari – her frustration growing, realised that this was going to require a bit of back and forth before progressing.

“May I have this food?” The woman smiled as Nari’s question reached her, holding out her hand as if offering something. In front of Nari a dialogue box will appear, the typical accept and deny buttons appearing below a line of text. Nari glanced at the text, noticing the mention of <<Familiar Food>> in the description.

Glancing back at the woman, she couldn’t help but feel something off about this whole encounter. She couldn’t quite place her finger on what it was, but her finger hovered over the accept button for a few breaths before she was able to get the willpower to press down on it.

As soon as she did so, the woman smiled and turned, disappearing behind the tree without another word, leaving Nari standing in the cold snow, alone once more.

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Word Count: 546

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

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 could possibly fit the description of a companion.

‘Something…should stand out, so just…search for whatever seems to be companion-like? I don’t really have much else to go upon right now…’ Shrugging to herself, Nari continued walking, her head constantly on a swivel as she searched for anything jumping out towards her.

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Word Count: 157

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

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 one moment – ended up staring eye to eye with one of the beasts behind the fence. Their gazes had locked for quick some time before Nari had realised that the action of staring into their eyes may not be a good idea. She had remembered once being told that to do so was to challenge the animal.

Just as she was about to break her gaze, the wolfdog’s head suddenly snapped around, something in the distance catching its attention. Nari released a breath that she hadn’t even realised she was holding, a tension in her body releasing as she felt something in the air change. She hadn’t even noticed the natural change in her body, the way in which her heart had slowed and steadied, how everything else had dropped away as she focused. It was…an entirely different feeling, compared to the anxious state she had generally found herself in.

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Word Count: 258

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

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 defend herself and enter battle. Her smile of pride disappeared as she realised the other side of the situation, the fact that she now lived in a game world where there was a need for such reactions.

‘The ying and yang, there are always two sides to the simplest of actions.’ Sheathing her sword, Nari gave one final look around before determining for sure that there was nothing in the woods around her.

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Word Count: 177

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

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 to lay against. Using her sword, Nari cut a few pieces of wood into something that would possibly burn, to provide her with a minimal amount of warmth. It took her a few attempts, before she eventually managed to get the fire burning to a point where she could feel the warmth helping her cold, tired body. It felt blissful, and as she relaxed down beside it, her mind began to wander again towards times long gone in the real world…

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Word Count: 190

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

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 bag, trying hard to stay as warm as possible, swearing that this would be the last time ever she would engage in such a horrible act. The darkness of the night had caused the soft wind, and the movement of the branches and trees outside cast horrors upon the soft shell of the tent above her.

The morning had brought a break from the terror to Nari’s already less than enjoyable situation. As she had opened her tent door, she had found herself mere arm’s reach from a small, white furred creature. At first, she had thought that perhaps it was a coyote or cat, but as she glanced at the small pointed nose, and black, soft eyes, she realised it was no such being. She had watched as the creature froze, it’s eyes on her, an uncertainty in it’s face – waiting to see what Nari would do.

Fighting to resist the urge to reach out and pet the creature, Nari had waited until the small fox had eventually determined it was safe, skirting around the tent and disappearing into the brush. That small encounter had made the remainder of the weekend worth everything she had suffered, and Nari held onto the memory for days, and years, to come.

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Word Count: 304

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

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 next steps would be but, she did know that she couldn’t possibly give up and end it all here.

The realisation that she had sat by the fire for far too long passed through Nari’s mind, and although she preferred to remain seated by its warmth for as long as possible, she also knew that this quest would never end if she didn’t leave her current position.

Pushing against the cold ground, Nari forced her legs to unfold and support her weight. Giving her cloak a quick shake to drive away any of the built up snow, Nari stepped on the fire, forcing it out, before turning and returning to the path through the woods.

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Word Count: 224

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

‘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. It would be different from most other companions she had in the many other games she’d played, but she enjoyed the thought nonetheless.

Considering the possibility, Nari began searching the lower areas of the forest instead, looking for any sort of sign of a creature passing through.

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Word Count: 157

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

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 cursed herself, realising that she should have been more direct with the mysterious woman.

‘You had your chance to ask her what needed to be done, and you missed it. Now you’ll have to deal with what little information you have. Regret no action except the reaction of regrets.’ Sighing, she pushed aside the pang of regret that had been growing, instead forcing herself to focus on finding this companion.

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Word Count: 176

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

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 the desperation beginning to set in – she had been out here for hours, and no one even knew she was here.

‘If I were to die…no, I can’t think like that. But…I also need to consider having someone to touch base with, someone whom can be notified – or notice – if I do suddenly disappear…a friend, in other words…’

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Word Count: 158

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

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 to consider after this quest has been completed.’

Filing the idea aside for the time being, Nari returned her focus to the quest itself – moving on to the next area to continue her search for anything that would stand out. She still wasn’t entirely sure exactly what she was looking for, and so kept her eyes peeled for anything that would signify something beyond herself was here.

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Word Count: 171

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

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 this entire game goes? The same thing, again and again, with the expectation of new results…’

‘But sometimes…sometimes that does happen.’ Nari thought about how her blacksmithing had already begun to show different results, how her continued repetitive action had changed the outcome.

She was just beginning to wonder if that somehow meant that games were just a creation of insanity, when something flashed in the corner of her vision. Snapping around, Nari searched the area for whatever had moved.

ID 203356 | LD: 19 | Familiar Search | Success (Familiar Located!)

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Word Count: 180

 

Edited February 7, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

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 inventory, searching for the familiar food that she had received upon accepting the quest. The food – little more than a biscuit in appearance – shimmered into her waiting fingers. Holding it out towards the little creature, Nari waited patiently, willing it to come to her outstretched hand. ‘I do hope you’re hungry, because this is the best option I have…’

ID 203358 | CD: 11 | Familiar Taming | Success! (Familiar Tamed!)

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Word Count: 171

 

Edited February 7, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

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 encountered during the camping trip.

She waited cautiously as the creature sniffed the air between them, taking slow, careful steps towards her. Nari stayed frozen, waiting for it to approach her entirely before making any move to touch it. The last thing she wanted to do was to spook it before she had the chance to properly tame it.

‘You are, absolutely gorgeous…’ She smiled at the words in her head, willing to wait out this tiny creature as long as it was required for it to trust her.

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Word Count: 202

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

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 – request more.

“Are you…still hungry?” Nari’s spoken words didn’t seem to drive away the creature, and slowly, she raised her right hand, pulling up her menu and scrolling through it to find more food for the small creature. She hovered over the familiar food as she found it – noticing that it had suddenly been locked away from her use. “Alright…let’s see what else we can find you…”

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Word Count: 181

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

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 beside her, notifying her of the companion’s information. It had no official name, and as she glanced between the box and the fox, she wondered if it didn’t deserve better.

“A name…you deserve a name…what should I call you?” Nari thought about it for a few moments, trying to figure out what would be most fitting. “Yuki.”

The word slipped out before she had even truly registered it, but the small fox seemed to perk up at the sound. ‘Well, Yuki it is. Alright.’

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Word Count: 192

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

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 fox’s nose gently. “And her name is Yuki.”

“Excellent! In that case, I’ll take back what remains of the food I provided you.” The Gypsy woman held out her hand expectantly, waiting patiently for Nari to respond.

Feeling a bit output by the fact that she couldn’t keep the food, she pulled up her inventory, noticing that now she could select the food and bring it forth. Doing so, she returned it to the woman.

Before Nari could say anything further, the woman turned and disappeared around a tree once more, leaving Nari and Yuki in the snow-covered forest alone once more. Unperturbed by the odd woman’s actions, Nari looked up at Yuki and smiled, speaking aloud once more.

“Come on Yuki, let’s get back to town. I want to introduce you to some…well, I hope to one day call them friends.”

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Word Count: 250