Mayuri 0 Posted July 6, 2015 #1 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Shay was back at home in Seal Beach, California. It was early morning and yet the girl had been up an hour before dawn to make sure her brother’s had their breakfast before they went to school. Three lunch bags sat on the counter meticulously packed and a plate of bacon was at the ready. She stood over the stove watching the eggs carefully drying them, making sure to avoid cooking the centers all the way through. “Javier… Marcus… you better had better be up and getting ready for school or you’re not going to get any breakfast!†she hollered from her spot. A small whine and a door being kicked were the only responses she got from the pair. Her brother’s weren’t morning people, but Shay loved them anyway. “JAVI! “ She shouted as she flipped the egg onto a plate. There came a shout in return. “WHAT?†“Did you remember to get that thing signed by mom and dad?†There was a long pause and the fifteen year old boy came stomping from his room and into the kitchen pulling his jersey over his undershirt grumbling all the while.Shay walked over to the refrigerator and pulled a paper from under a magnet and set it on the table before the young man who grabbed a seat. “Aren’t you glad I remembered?†she said as she headed back into the kitchen again and then reappeared with several ready plates of food. “Thanks Shay!†the raven hair boy said. “You’re welcome… where’s Marcus?†“Oh... you know,†Javier said as he bit into his toast. Shay sighed and went off to gather her baby brother out of bed. She walked down the hallway and knocked on the last door on the right. “I’m coming in…†she said, but no answer came from inside. When she opened the door… the room was no longer part of her home, but a black void. “Marcus?†she called into the darkness, but there was no answer. A chill ran down Shay’s spine. Then everything went deathly silent and from the black came a horrible sound, like a freight train barreling down upon her. Shay tried to move from the doorway, but she was frozen in place. The ground began to shake and from the darkness came a pair of hands. They grabbed Shay up and pulled her into the dark, shutting the door of Marcus’s room behind her. There was a thundering CRACK!- and a rustle of leaves, and Mayuri came crashing down onto the ground with an OMPH! The small dark hair girl opened her eyes and groaned. Shay had taken to sleeping in the trees in the wooded area outside of town to save her Col for necessities only. A bed in this world just wasn’t one of them. Slowly, she sat up and moaned; she blinked and rubbed her eyes giving a stretch and a yawn. She had begun the Medicine of the Forest Quest a few days ago, but was having trouble completing it. The final Nepent kept giving her trouble; she just wasn’t strong enough to take him on. Still, she needed the blade the quest gave to improve her fighting abilities. The young woman began to pick the leaves out of her hair and examined herself. Once more, there were no injuries, or pain, but she had ripped her pretty while dress. “Ughhh,†she complained as she looked at the small tear. She would have to get that mended eventually. But for now… she was awake and that meant it was a new day, and time for breakfast! Link to post Share on other sites
Mayuri 0 Posted July 6, 2015 Author #2 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Shay sat there on the floor where she’d fallen from the tree and opened her inventory. She took a piece of bread and a bottle of water from her items and closed her display. Setting the water beside her, Shay began to pick apart the bread. The girl pinched off pieces and then rolled the soft bread between her fingers making a ball from it and would then put it into her mouth. If her mother had been there, she would have been told to stop playing with her food. Sadly, she had not seen her mother or any members of her family in quite some time. During the first few weeks she found this idea difficult to deal with and often cried, but as time passed she found herself being less sad about it. If anything, it lit a fire under her butt and gave the girl the determination she needed to move up in the game and get home to those who are most important to her: her family. The bread was gone and she washed it down with the small glass bottle of water. Mai kept the empty bottle and put it back into her inventory. She knew she’d be by the stream later where she could refill her empty flask and save herself some Col. Breakfast was gone and so Shay stood and dusted herself off. “Today is the day,†she brushed the crumbs from her dress. “You're going to slaughter that damn Nepent…†she told herself with determination. Link to post Share on other sites
Mayuri 0 Posted July 6, 2015 Author #3 Share Posted July 6, 2015 This was the third time the young woman had started the Forest Medicine quest. She was fine killing all the regular Nepents, but when Little Nepent would show, it was just too strong for her to finish off alone. Mayuri would fight as hard as she could, but would find herself needed to retreat and cancelling the quest. Even though the mob would only take her life down to half before she’d give in, she felt she was better safe than sorry. She could always redo a quest… but in this place, she could not respawn her life. The man who locked them all within Aincrad made sure of that. Mai knew the man was not kidding because she had seen someone die right before her eyes, the cousin she had come here with. He couldn’t take the prospect of being stuck within a game, and so he took the coward’s way out. Yosuke threw himself off a tower, and all Mai could do was watch. She had no idea what she would say to her aunt and uncle when she got back to the real world. The girl put her hand on her stomach as it churned at the thought. “Don’t think about that now…†she reminded herself and repeated till her stomach no longer hurt. Mai knew that the distraction would only make her lose focus on the fight ahead, and she really needed to get this quest done as soon as possible. The girl headed down the path back toward the small glen where the Little Nepent and its tiny friends awaited her. Link to post Share on other sites
Mayuri 0 Posted July 6, 2015 Author #4 Share Posted July 6, 2015 The sun was shining down upon her and it was another beautiful day in Aincrad. Even though she was off to go do battle, Mai couldn’t help but find herself skipping down the path to her intended destination. The road was a familiar one, and there was little to no danger as things didn’t spawn in this area except a few rabbits and flowers. There were several flowers that had tiny icons above them, and under previous inspection, she found she could try to collect them. As she had no idea what the flowers were for, Shay left them where they were. If she needed them at a later time, she at least knew where they were. She skipped long watching her shadow and the tips of her cute blue slippers twirling as she went along. Link to post Share on other sites
Mayuri 0 Posted July 6, 2015 Author #5 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Shay knew she was getting close just by the way the shadows were now falling upon the path. Things got a bit darker before the Nepent glen. The petite raven-haired girl stopped her skipping and stood in the middle of the path as she surveyed the area. Nothing was visibly there, but she knew better than to trust what she saw. The game was tricky that way and it lulled players into a false sense of security. She had been fooled the first time. As soon as she had stepped beyond this point, she was immediately attacked by one of the Lesser Nepents. It wasn’t hard to kill, but had there been more of them she would have been in trouble. It was then that the girl decided to take quests more seriously. Mayuri pulled her Hwando from her sheath. She loved the Korean short sword. It reminded her quite a bit of a small Katana, but it was meant for single handed use only. Mai often found herself using it with two hands as she was a bit of a pixie and found that she had more power and control over her weapon if she double gripped upon it. Mai twirled the weapon in her hand and then proceeded with caution. Link to post Share on other sites
Mayuri 0 Posted July 6, 2015 Author #6 Share Posted July 6, 2015 22782 BD: 9 (+1 crit) 3 Damage to Lesser Nepent MD: 9 (+1 crit) 2 Damage to Mayuri Mai was glad that she’d been so careful because as soon as she stepped from the light and into the shadowed area, a Lesser Nepent appeared and Mai turned her weapon out and struck at the little plantlike mob rather harshly nearly cutting off the bud of the plant. Just as she did, the darn thing opened its bloom and also attacked; it fired off its small needlelike thorns at her. Mai tried to dodge them, but there were just too many and she was struck several times in the side. The girl grimaced as she looked down at the little points that stuck out of her side. She would have to remove them once she was done killing the darn things off. The raven-haired beauty looked up and saw that the Nepent was only hanging on by a thread. One more hit and it’d be done for. Mayuri: 5/7 Lesser Nepent: 1/4 Link to post Share on other sites
Mayuri 0 Posted July 6, 2015 Author #7 Share Posted July 6, 2015 22791 BD: 3 MD: 4 Mai and Nepent MISS! Mai went to strike again by the Nepent was ready for her. It seemed that the system knew when its mobs were in trouble and seemed to give them a bit of a boost in order for it to be more difficult for a player to finish them off easily. She swung her Hwando, but the Nepent fired in return causing Mayuri to retreat. The girl spun out of the path of the attack and landed several feet away from where she’d been standing before. The girl eyed the plant as she moved to attack once more. Mayuri: 5/7 Lesser Nepent: 1/4 Link to post Share on other sites
Mayuri 0 Posted July 6, 2015 Author #8 Share Posted July 6, 2015 22794 BD: 4 MD: 5 Mai and Nepent MISS! Mai was having trouble trying to hit the Nepent again. It seemed that no matter how many times she went after it, the cheeky little monster was just not going to give in. It hopped away from her, firing its stinging nettles, but it also never actually landed another hit. It seemed that they were locked in a stalemate. Mai was going to have to kill the thing soon, or else she was going to find herself surrounded much like the time before. Nepents spawned rather quickly on this part of the path. It was likely to cut a player off from any available help. Mayuri: 5/7 Lesser Nepent: 1/4 Link to post Share on other sites
Life 0 Posted July 6, 2015 #9 Share Posted July 6, 2015 ID: 22795 It was another dull day for Life it seemed, not a day went by where he didn't just wish that everything was over and he could be back home again. He often did whatever he could to satisfy his boredom. He wondered if there were still players roaming about the forest doing the beginner quest called <<secret medicine of the forest>>, but he doubted it, sometimes however he would catch higher levelled players farming it just because they couldn't kill anything else. The memory brought a smile to his face. The forest never failed to deliver, there was a single player, one which he had never laid eyes upon. She was cute, really cute.. he never thought he would actually see someone like her in this game. She was in battle with one of the nephents and struggling by the looks of it, the way they missed each other was rather amusing but life knew all to well that sao was a dangerous game, one to many players died simply by misjudging their own strength. He decided that if he was ever going to get to know this person he would have to talk to get her attention first. Life began to sprint over towards the two and blew past her just before a swift motion of his hand unsheathed the blade that put an end to the nephent; leaving it as a cloud of golden pixels. Life re-sheathed his katana just as quickly as he drew it and turned back to look at the girl "You looked like you could have used some help" Nepent: 0/4 Dead Link to post Share on other sites
Mayuri 0 Posted July 6, 2015 Author #10 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Mai was ready to kill the Nepent, or so she’d thought. The girl raised her weapon to strike, but something quickly moved past her and before she realized what had happened her Nepent shattered and disappeared. Mayuri stood there frozen a moment and blinked. What in the world was going on? She hadn’t even hit the thing and yet it disappeared. It wasn’t until she heard a voice. The girl dropped her arm and turned to see a young man in a lovely blue kimono sheathing his Katana. It was then that she realized that he was the one that had so quickly moved in and finished off her mob. Mayuri was a bit stunned. She didn’t know if she ought to be mad or thank him for his assistance. “I ummm... I had it, but it was very kind of you to come over and help me.†She spoke and smiled. Mai stood there looking up at the tall figure wondering who he was and how he moved in so quickly and silently without her even realizing. “You have some skill there… I didn’t even realize you’d come until mob disappeared and you spoke. Are you some kind of ninja or something?†Link to post Share on other sites
Life 0 Posted July 6, 2015 #11 Share Posted July 6, 2015 If she was anything like the regular types of people he'd met they would have probably gotten pissy about him taking the mob from her. However she wasn't mad at all it seemed, in fact, she complimented him. Life allowed a faint smile to show and rested his left hand on the hilt of his katana; his other hand brushed his fringe away from his face. "Ninja? Not quite.. Im closer to a samurai if anything, or at least that's what i've been told" Life smirked, she was nicer than most, he still remembered all the arrogant players in his old guild that would lecture you on their prowess if you even assisted them in a battle. "I should introduce myself, my name is Life." He extended out his hand to her as a friendly gesture. He wondered how far in the quest she was, by the looks of it she was just starting. "This would be the secret medicine of the forest quest right? I had never done it myself but i could help you out while Im here" Link to post Share on other sites
Mayuri 0 Posted July 6, 2015 Author #12 Share Posted July 6, 2015 He spoke and Mai found that she couldn’t help but to smile. “It’s very nice to meet you Life,†she said as she extended her hand and accepted his. She did not have a terribly firm handshake but she did her best to be polite. “I’m Mayuri.†The girl gave him her name in return. It was the proper thing to do when making introductions with another. He asked if she was trying to complete the forest medicine quest and she nodded. “For the last three days,†she blushed and admitted. “I’m afraid I’m not much of a gamer. I can kill loads of these little guys, like the one you helped me with, but the big one further down the path is quite difficult.†Life told her that he would not mind helping her and she grinned. “Are you sure? I don’t want to take you away from anything important other than helping me finish a starter quest. I’m pretty sure I might be able to handle the Big Nepent this time. I’ve leveled a little since the last attempt,†she explained. Mai’s teal eyes looked up into his and she smiled softly, even her gentle eyes crinkled and smiled along with her face. She really would have loved the help, but Mai was not one to make a bother of herself. Link to post Share on other sites
Life 0 Posted July 6, 2015 #13 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Mayuri.. what a beautiful name life thought to himself; he doubted it was her real name though. It was surprising however to hear that she had been going at the quest for nearly three days. "Three days?!" Life tried not to look as though he was being mean or anything but he wondered how anyone could be struggling so hard with a quest like this, however then again.. he had seen worst. "Well, if you think you've got it i could watch and make sure you don't get yourself killed.. you remember what the announcement said right.. you die in this game and you die in real like. No pressure though." Life smirked and winked at the girl, he wasn't going to let her die on his watch. She smiled, not sure if he really wanted to help her. "Of course I'm sure, there have already been to many deaths, It doesn't sit well with me" Life started to think about everyone who he had known, now dead because of his incompetence. Link to post Share on other sites
Mayuri 0 Posted July 6, 2015 Author #14 Share Posted July 6, 2015 “Yeah I know… that’s so bad right?†she said with a sigh. “I don’t know how it is I screw it up, but something happens and then I run you know?†Mai laughed at how silly she sounded but it was the truth. “Kind of lame huh?†she smiled weakly knowing she must’ve sounded rather ridiculous. Life again offered his assistance and said he’d be happy to just keep her company in case of anything. “I do remember what the announcement said.†Mai repeated. She knew the full extent of what this game was, but she did not fear it. He winked at her and told her there was no pressure, and she lit up in a bright smile once more. “Alright… I should very much like your company if it’s not any trouble.†She said rather decidedly and began to walk along the path toward the Nepent. Mai frowned when he’d mentioned how much death he’d seen so far. “That must be very hard. I’m terribly sorry for your losses.†Mayuri’s heart hurt for him. She was a rather empathetic girl and couldn’t stand to see anyone in discomfort. She figured it was probably when he had agreed to travel with her, so she would not have to die, and he wouldn’t have to feel somewhat responsible for it. Even if he had not come and she somehow perished, she would not have blamed it on him. It was her decision to take on this quest and hers alone. “It’s very kind of you to be concerned for me,†she said after a long pause. “I’ll do my best to not give you reason to be worried.†Shay was a very resolute sort of girl and always tried to make good on the things she said. Link to post Share on other sites
Life 0 Posted July 7, 2015 #15 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Mayuri was extremely polite to him and her smile emitted a warmth that he hadn't felt in a long time. Life smiled and shook his head "Don't be sorry for me, I'm still alive and kicking. Though sometimes I wish I wasn't.." He stopped himself from continuing any further, it wasn't a very appropriate time to have a break down, there were people. He kept his composure and relaxed, he still wore his blue battle kimono which often caught the eye of many, it was one of the reasons why people thought of him as a samurai, though it wasn't what he had intended on, he just liked that stats. "Im not much of a gamer, but when it comes to survival you need to adapt, something I'm rather used to. It won't be to difficult to catch up with the stronger players" Life was practical and the type of person to go out of his way to protect others, it wasn't any different now, this woman was struggling and needed assistance and he would provide it. After all the bloodshed and battles a person gets tired and worn down. It was true he didn't want that for anyone, the burden of such battles weighed heavily on a persons soul. Life sighed and stood beside her placing a gentle hand on her shoulder "Well we should get going shouldn't we?" Life did remember this quest after all, he did it with his old guild... before it was destroyed by Mari. Link to post Share on other sites
Mayuri 0 Posted July 7, 2015 Author #16 Share Posted July 7, 2015 "Don't be sorry for me, I'm still alive and kicking. Though sometimes I wish I wasn't…" “DON’T YOU EVER DARE SAY THAT EVER AGAIN!†Mai yelled at the boy and shook his head. She didn’t care what had happened, and how many things went wrong, she just never saw dying as a solution to anything. “You’re alive… it means a chance to make everything right, even when nothing is, so please, don’t ever say that again…†she sighed. The dark hair girl lowered her eyes and stared down at the pretty blue shoes as she realized she might be crossing the line. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.†There was a moment of awkward silence, but the young man still seemed eager to help her out and even told her that she might be able to catch up to the other players. “Do you really think I could? I’m so terribly far behind.†Mai would very much like it if it were true. She wanted to somehow be a help to others and protect them in any way she could. Life told her that they ought to get a move on and Mai nodded. “Oh yes of course!†She said realizing she was holding them up. The girl turned on her heel and began to move down the path carefully keeping an eye out for more Nepents. Link to post Share on other sites
Life 0 Posted July 7, 2015 #17 Share Posted July 7, 2015 When Mayuri yelled at Life he wasn't sure how to respond, at first it was a look of shock, but his face quickly relaxed to his regular expressionless look. He wasn't sure why she cared so much, if he wanted to end his life that was his own choice. "It's fine. I appreciate your concern. Forget I said anything, It's nothing for you to worry yourself with." He could tell she felt slightly embarrassed after her outburst, it was cute and refreshing to see some humility in the wake of such arrogance which he normally saw. There was something about her which made him feel like he needed to protect her.. to shelter her from the world. He dismissed his thoughts, he wasn't very good at coming to terms with the way he felt, large or small. She was still nervous about catching up to the other players it seemed and doubted herself, it wasn't unusual for players to emerge from floor one willing to fight to clear the floors. The trick was how long they would last and their willingness to press onwards. It wasn't uncommon that players would throw their hands in the air and be done with everything and decide to play it safe by staying sheltered on the first floor. "I do think so, I've seen players who were much weaker than me now become some of the best front liners. Not many, granted, but it happens." The two then began to walk down the pathway, he faintly remembered the competition he had with Kazuya with who could kill the most nepents in an attempted to best eachother. Kazuya wasn't very keen on contesting with him once he found out just how strong Life was, but Kazuya was always pissed that a newbie was placed in a higher position than he was. It was understandable, but the difference in strength was undeniable. Link to post Share on other sites
Mayuri 0 Posted July 7, 2015 Author #18 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Life’s speech still didn’t sit right with Mai. She was concerned, and she did worry. After the death of Yosuke she promised herself that if she ever found another in emotional distress, she would do anything she could to help. Shay never ever wanted anyone to feel that same sort of despair and loneliness ever she figured that she would somehow help others fill those voids and heal themselves so that they no longer wanted to prematurely forgo existence. She looked over at the young man beside her and decided that she would find some way to help Life much like he was helping her right now. The boy was rather pleasant and Mai liked this. As they walked along he told her about others who had been weaker than he at one point, but passed him up skill wise and made it to the front. She smiled at the thought. “The front lines huh? “ She paused and thought about that. “All I have to do is work hard? I think I can do that… No… I will do that, thank you Life. “ She smiled brightly, “You’ve just given me a new goal: I will work hard and I’ll get to the front lines, and I don’t know how, but I will make myself useful and strong so I won’t be a hindrance and you won’t have to lose any more comrades.†Mai wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings as she spoke; she was far too busy talking to Life to notice that they had traversed the path and were now in the Nepent glen. Before she realized what happened, the small girl was lashed about the waist and whisked up into the air. Maiyuri squeaked and kicked as she was pulled from the ground. She had been grabbed by the Little Nepent, who was not so little. He was rather big in fact. The plant mob was easily four meters or more in height and just as wide as it was tall. There were ling thorny tendrils extending from the monster which it used to pull in its victims to the giant bug which was its head. The giant bud opened up revealing rows of razor sharp teeth and made a rather strange screeching sound. Shay struggled to get free. She was able to free her weapon arm from the creature’s grasp and she slashed at the vine in which she was tangled in. She cut it, but it was not enough to escape its grip. Still, Mai wriggled and pulled trying her damnedest to get herself free. 23156 BD: 7 HIT! Mai Damages Little Nepent for 2 MD: 2 Nepent Misses Mai 11/11 (+1 Hate) Life 63/63 Little Nepent 30/32 Link to post Share on other sites
Life 0 Posted July 8, 2015 #19 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Life couldn't believe what just unfolded in front of him, Mai had wandered straight into the boss section and was restrained by it. He wasn't sure wether to be pissed or amused with her but all he knew was that she needed to be free'd before she got herself hurt. Life darted from where he stood just a second after Mai had cut away at the thing to get herself free. "Mai!" With a single motion of his hand, life cut the nepents vine arm and caught her before she fell. He placed her gently on her feet and turned to face the nepent lashing out at it as he did. The overgrown plant like creature shrilled in pain and lashed back at life with its other vine arms, multiple times but life dodged each strike narrowly. He shifted from his position so its attention could be more focused on him, and away from the girl. He spoke in a strained tone, it was all he could really say "Please be more careful." Life stared coldly at the creature and kept a close eye on it as it backed off and waited for the next bout, he could tell why Mai had struggled with it before, it had nearly three times her health bar. ID: 23328 ~BD: 7+2=9; Life strikes ~MD: 8-3=5; Nepent Misses Mai 11/11 (+1 Hate) Life 63/63 (+1 Hate) Little Nepent 23/32 Link to post Share on other sites
Mayuri 0 Posted July 8, 2015 Author #20 Share Posted July 8, 2015 While Mai struggled to get herself free, Life rushed in and easily cut her free from the grip of the Nepent. He scooped her up into his arms before she went plummeting down, and set her gently on the ground before the girl even knew what happened. Life got between her and the creature, evading all of its attacks as he kept the thing busy. Mai tried her best to follow his movements but he was rather agile; she was rather impressed by his skill. She didn’t not have time to be in awe however, as Life told her to be more careful. Shay’s cheeks went red hot at his words. She knew this was her fault; she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going and that made Life have to play hero and rush in to save her. The raven-haired girl couldn’t have that. She wanted to prove she wasn’t weak and that she could indeed fight and protect herself, all things her actions thus far spoke nothing of. The girl rushed in and turned her blade toward her enemy looking for opportunity to strike. The mob was rather busy trying to catch Life that Mayuri found opportunity to make it directly to the creature. She raised her blade with both hands and swung it as hard as she could. Her sword landed a blow, cutting deep into the Nepent causing it to make a horrible sound. Out of nowhere, vines shot out at the girl and slammed into her torso causing the petite girl to be thrown back and hit the ground rolling. Mai landed a few meters back and slammed her fist on the ground as she grit her teeth as she saw that the Nepent had done a bit of damage to her. The girl got up off the ground quickly and growled as she readied herself to move in and strike once more. She was not about to let herself get hit like that again. 23339 BD: 9 (+1 Crit) Mai hits Nepent for 3! MD: 9 Critical! Nepent hits Mai for 3! Mai 8/11 (+3 Hate) Life 63/63 (+1 Hate) Little Nepent 20/32 Link to post Share on other sites
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