human
Her gem-like half-open brown eyes grazed the landscape before her as she reached up and brushed a stray lock of her short, black hair from her face. She shifted her weight slightly to her left foot before turning her gaze down toward the path leading down toward a cleft in the jagged rock ravine below, through which she intended to pass in order to reach her intended destination.
She had grown her hair out once, but her hair had a fine, soft texture which caused it to become tangled into countless knots if she didn't brush it twice a day and carefully tie her hair back before she went to bed. She was convinced it wasn't worth the effort, so she had cut her hair to a length just above her shoulders which gave her a somewhat mature appearance. She wore a dark blue shirt and pants which helped accent the slight sheen of her armor plates which were clasped over her chest, legs, and shoulders. She had no emblem or distinct design on her polished round shield, as it was a simple beginner equipment which she had not gone through the trouble to personalize yet.
On her side hung a simple short sword with a broad blade and sturdy handle, one of the few pieces of her armament that she had spent some amount of time picking out. It had been forged by one of the smiths in town who was filling out personal orders, a rather rough-looking older man who had somehow been unfortunate enough to join in on this game perhaps in the hope of doing some casual gaming on the side.
Tsukiko, like many others, had been no different from this man. No one expected themselves to be trapped in this world where death would mean the destruction of their brain in the real world. Over the past few days, the initial shock had taken its course and the remaining players had more or less adjusted to life within SAO. Some had settled in the beginner town to help the more ambitious in their adventures while others, such s herself, resolved to improve themselves and steadily advance at their own pace. The reason for her traveling to such a remote location, in fact, was related to this very purpose.
The cool morning breeze grazed the gentle tips of its fingernails across her cheeks as she stood in a stolid manner overlooking the well-known area aptly named Rocky Gorge. Word had spread among the player-base that this place contained abnormally difficult monsters, with the occasional field bosses which would grant exceptional drops to anyone brave and capable enough to defeat them. On this particular occasion, since she had no way of knowing for certain if the rumors were true, Tsukiko had resolved herself to picking up at least one other person to explore the gorge with. Although she had come alone, she knew that there was a makeshift campsite right outside the actual zone where she could carefully pick out her partner.
She picked her way down the rocky path toward a rather sizable clearing, where around a dozen and a half young adventurers sat around a crackling campfire. She took long, firm strides and sat down heavily in one of the empty seats on a log nearby the fire, earning herself a few curious glances from the boys. A girl this far out into the wilderness, and a sword-and-shield user at that? Tsukiko was doubtless wondering if this would be worth the trouble if all they were going to do was hit on her instead of seriously consider her as a party member.
gpt
Shinn quickly checked the money amount he had in his inventory, carefully considering if the trade had any benefits. Of course, one could never had too much healing crystals, especially a frontline fighter like him, but still, so far into the wilderness of the first floor it was rare to find anyone willing to sell it. That fact alone made the few merchants that made it that far to rocket the prices sky high. Which brought him to his current predicament. He was running low on healing crystals as he as soloing such a dangerous area, but those prices were so absurd that all the money he had mustered since he started leveling would only allow him to buy three crystals. And he wasn't, in any way, short in cash. Far from that, he was probably one of the wealthiest solo players in the fighter class at the moment.
Fact was, the opening day of Sword Arts Online wasn't the first time Shinn had laid his eyes on Aincrad. As an affictioned gamer, since the launch of NervGear the boy was an avid user of the technology, and as soon as SOA was announced he applied himself as a Beta-Tester. He filled all the necessary forms the very first day and as soon as the game was available for testing, he was in the first group of testers for the game. That allowed him something of a headstart when the shit hit the fan the first day. He knew all the short cuts, best leveling places, better rewarding quests and the fastest way to climb both in level and in treasure. That made him one of the most advanced players in level in the game, along with others that had been there for as long as he had. Of course, that information was becoming a taboo nowadays, so every tester was pretty sure not to share it lightly.
"Can't you do it for half the price? You'd be still making a huge profit from it." - He tried, even though he knew it was pointless.
"That's the price, mate. Take it or leave it." - replied the merchant, a smile on his face. Shinn sighed, closing the trade window. The merchant seemed displeased. - "Your loss, mate."
Shinn walked away from the merchant, brushing up some locks of his bangs, that insisted in sliding down to his face once again. His silky black hair, that ended near his shoulders, framed a rather delicate, youthful face that bore big, sky colored eyes. A small, almost feminine looking nose and pink red lips finished his handsome features. His skin was very white, just like his mother's, which made him thankful that SOA didn't have sunburn parameters in its program. The boy was a little tall for his age, but far from the tallest man on the makeshift campsite of Rocky Gorge, and not very buffed either, but had the common built of your average japanese fifteen year old, with a lot to grow. His equipment, on the other hand, was less then impressive. He wore a simple Aincrad style dark grey T-shirt with short sleeves, which were really long, ending a little above his knees, with openings in the sides, right up his waist. Black, sturdy pants with black crude leather boots finished the main attire, a leather belt where a rather small and simple dagger and a similar looking shortsword hanged from. It was so simple that most of the players he had crossed in these few days SAO was on made fun of him. His Armor Parameter was indeed ridiculous, it was true, and a suit of armor would offer a lot more of damage protection than his simple clothes. But Shinn knew the mechanics of the game pretty well, and all strategies he used as a beta tester, a process of trial and error really, allowed him to devise the most suited tactic to his fighting style. His lacking of armor and damage reduction was more then well compensated in other areas.
The boy quickly got to the small tent he had by the entrance of the campside, checking that he still had two Healing Crystals, one Antidote Crystal and one Teleporting Crystal in his inventory, which he new probably wasn't enough for the kind of place he was going and the kind of enemy he planned to face. Not alone anyway. But he did not trust any of the grunts in the place, that much he was sure, and so had decided to try his luck on his own. Worst case scenario, he could use the teleport crystal back to the Initial City. A sudden gust of wind blew through the place, bringing him a sweet scent that reminded him of women's perfume. His hair fluttered wildly in the wind and slashed at his eyes.
"Agh, goddamned wind!" - he complained, grabbing his bangs in both sides, and tying them in behind his head, in a very small ponytail though the rest of the hair still flew freely in the wind.
After that he quickly put the tent back in his inventory, which glowed blue before disappearing as if it was never there. It happened right as a girl, not much older than him, was passing right by it on the other side, just entering the campsite, which explained the sweet scent he felt in the wind. She was pretty, no doubt, as all the avatars had taken the owner's image in the first day. What a girl like that was doing at a place like that was beyoud him, though...
human
Tsukiko, orTsuki(which means Moon) as her avatar was named, stepped past the gawking males that sat huddled by the fire and made her way toward the other side of the campsite, closer to where Shinn stood. She didn't take any particular note of him as her cauteous eyes briefly scanned each one. They were a tough lot, and most likely useful in a tough scrape when it came right down to it, that much she would acknowledge. However, her experiences in the past led her to conclude that few of these young men could be trusted to keep their intentions on a strictly business level.
She had no intentions of allowing herself to become involved with someone who simply wanted to dress her up and parade her about like some sort of trophy. Worst of all, if they didn't take the fighting seriously they could become seriously injured or killed while trying to show off in front of her. Although she had no actual proof that either of these had ever occurred up to the current date, the general acceptance of SAO as their new reality had sunk in a bit too deeply in that they did not seem to realize the true danger of this place. Overconfidence in their abilities was the primary cause of death among the players, and she was determined not to fall among their ranks.
Tsuki, which was the name her profile displayed, was a sixteen-year-old girl with a decently athletic yet distinctly feminine build which the young men around her clearly appreciated. Her arrival there alone and unharmed, as well as her current armament, would imply that she was both capable and serious about training in this area. It didn't take long for her to be approached by several with the intention of drawing her into his party.
"Hey beautiful," a blonde-haired fellow with a large axe walked up to her first, "How you doin? Some of the fellows and I wouldn't mind if you tagged along. We'll help you train and show you a few tricks to help you out, too."
Tsuki drew back, giving him a quick shake of her head, "No, I'm fine... I would rather join with a smaller group. I'd rather have an integral part of the party where each member has a part to play."
gpt
Shinn watched silently as the girl passed by him, not noticing the disappearing tent right beside her. His eyes were kept on her swaying hips for far longer than he meant, which made him blush and avert his eyes from her body.'She's pretty though'he thought. He quickly looked at the time on his menu. They still had some hours of sunlight in Aincrad, which was more than enough for him give a shot on the miniboss that dropped one of the weapons he was interested in. He just needed to be able to kill it and pray for it to drop, which was pretty much impossible with the normal rate.'Well, gotta give it a try!'
The blue eyed boy finally got up, ready to make his way down the trail when one of his acquaintances called for him, all the way across the camp, running in his direction. Kamiki, as his avatar was named, was a potion-crafting merchant, that travelled to Rocky Gorge under Shinn's protection. It was an easy job. When the craftsman got air that Shinn was going that way, he asked to accompany him there, to get some herbs he needed for his profession. Shinn was happy to oblidge, for a small fee, of course. Really small, as everyone was still beginning. It was a dark haired, chubby boy, one or two years older than Shinn, dressed in a somewhat poor merchant attire.
"Shinn-san, Shinn-san!" - he screamed, slightly out of breath after the short run. - "Are you leaving the camp already? Back to the combat grounds?" - he asked, catching his breath.
"Yeah, gonna find that mob today. Still got some time 'til sundown. Now's a good time as any, isn't it?" - he smiled. - "How's your crafting skill going along?"
"Well... About that..." - Kamiki gave him a fairly awkward smile, before clapping his hands together. - "Onegai! Get some more herbs me! I need those Yellowish Marble Leafs! Usual fee, ok?!"
Shinn laughed wholeheartedly.
"Haha, I knew you'd ask that! Sure, I'll bring them for you." - He smiled, patting the chubby boy in the shoulder, who in turn smiled satisfied at Shinn.
"I knew I could count on you, Shinn-san! Thirty Five of them would do just fine!" - Shinn nodded in agreement. - "Take care out there!" - Kamiki finished.
Shinn quickly made his way to the other exit of the camp, passing by the girl that was obviously being 'harrassed' by some guys at the camp. He knew most of them, as he was there for some days now, close to leave the area already, and didn't think they were the best company for a girl. Especially in a place like that. ThHey had lost already two party members since they got there. THankfully she was refusing their proposal. He closed in on the group.
"You're heading out there? Its a pretty high leveled place." - he said, looking at the girl - "I got some business out there, but its gonna be pretty dangerous. What exactly are you looking for?"
human
"I'm going after an Ancient Runic Rock Construct," Tsuki replied curtly, placing her left hand onto her hip and shifting her weight slightly as she turned to speak to Shinn, "I've heard that they sometimes appear amid large groups of weaker constructs and that the area is rather exceptional for obtaining higher-grade ores. They sell well in town considering the high demand for higher-quality swords. I think we would all appreciate better workmanship in the weapon department."
She then glanced back at the young men who where exchanging confused looks with each other. Was this girl really considering fighting such a monster? It was rumored to be very tough to fight, not only due to its own strength but that of the minions that it could summon which could draw out the fight. It wasn't nearly as hard as the boss barring the way to the next floor, but drawn-out battles were dangerous for starting players with only one or two healing items apiece.
"Plus, I've heard that it has a rather impressive rare drop, the Ancient Maul," Tsuki shrugged, "Personally, I think those are all just nice side benefits for my real reason of training here... I want to take advantage of the faster experience gain in this area. There is no need for me to stick around the beginner areas any longer than I need to, but I have no intention of letting that hamper my progression. In short... I'm here for my own reasons."
gpt
Shinn was listen closely to what she said, and when she finished, returned her a rather confused smile as well. Mostly, because she had used such big words and such a fancy explanation, just to say that she wanted what everyone else there wanted: To level up a little faster. Everyone else was rather surprised with her statement, as she was thinking of challenging the big shot mob around that area, one that, since the beggining of the game, no one had killed yet. Coming from a girl like that, it was probably the last thing any of those guys expected to hear, but still, there they stand, listening to the words coming out of her mouth. Strangely, they both had the same target.
"Well, I'm hunting for ARRC as well, so you're free to tag along if you want." - after all, with some help that monster would probaly be downed a whole lot more easier than if he fought by himself. - "Plus, I've been training here for a while, and can give you the tour. It can be a dangerous place if you wander on the trickier parts." - he smiled at her, rather sweetly.
human
"Alright," Tsuki nodded, his claim to having experience in the area acting as the deciding factor in her mind whether or not to accept his proposal to proceed further together and perhaps get some headway rather than simply lazing about with the others at camp and wasting precious daylight hours. His rather charming smile didn't have a visible effect on her, and although she did feel a bit uneasy she chose to ignore any concerns she might have had at the time. Personal differences were a minor issue if he could provide some actual guidance in this area, especially considering that the appearance location of the ARRC remained a mystery for the most part. Several groups had fought one before, but none had managed to take one down before they were forced to withdraw. She wasn't interested in the prestige of being the first to accomplish such a feat, rather she was more interested in training in this area with accelerated experience rewards.
She grasped her right shoulder with her left hand a rotated her arm a few times as if to work out some of the stiffness as she filed in behind Shinn, who had already earned several poisoned glares from the guys back in the camp sight. Why hadn'ttheythought of baiting her with claims of familiarity with the area? It was so simple yet effective against such a serious girl that they had entirely overlooked that approach. yet, the time for them to act was practically over as the two of them set off toward the path leading down to the gorge itself.
"I'm Tsuki," the girls hand cautiously gripped the handle of her shiethed sword as they made their decent, "What should I call you?"
gpt
Shinn nodded at her when she accepted his invitation, and while still smilling just as sweetly as before, his first thought was that she was a fairly rude girl. Of course they had just met, but a smile and a nice attitude could get people a long way, even more when they where trying to get some help. But he decided to just hang in there and do what he was set to do. They would probably part ways soon, as he was already finished with that area. Shinn was pretty much oblivious to the looks he was receiving from the other guys at the camp, as he slided his hand down for his menu, accessing his map, and trying to find the better route to take. They were already starting their descent when she finally introduced herself, although he already knew what her name was. If she hadn't catch the habit of identifying players by their name tag, he guesse she was still kind of new at the game.
"I know..."- he answered about her name. Then, without looking at her, the boy pointed at his avatar's name tag, right underneath his health bar. - "I'm Shinn. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Tsuki-san." - He fumbled around in his menu for a little longer, finally sending the party invitation to the girl and right after sharing his map information for the area they were about to enter.
"Alright... That way... Then swerve to the right pathway, so we can collect the Marble Leafs." - he mumbled, talking to himself. - "Then through there, and we get to the ARRC with some time to spare..." - he nodded to himself and kept walking, glad that was his last day in such a place. Too windy for him in there, which made his fairly long hair, somewhat of a bother.
human
Tsuki knew very well that she could simply read the name tag that hung above everyone's heads, but as she had grown accustomed to introducing herself in a relatively normal fashion for most of her life, old habits certainly die hard. Thus, when he responded with a typical 'I know' to her introduction, she felt more than just a tad irked. The player base was already engaging in various activities such as cooking, with some even going out of their way to recreate dishes from the real world with the same taste and texture. There wasn't any need to be condescending when her intention was merely to properly aquatint herself with her new partner, even if their paths wouldn't cross again for the foreseeable future.
"Likewise," Tsuki followed after him in relative silence, without a word of remark concerning his mumbling. He was probably used to working alone for the most part, so this behavior seemed relatively normal, to Tsuki at least. The ground began to level off after a few minutes of walking, the path widening as they reached the bottom of the gorge.
Many of the monsters here would go dormant when players were absent, giving the impression that there were relatively few monsters when in actuality the groups were plenty large to overwhelm unprepared lone players. As they resembled lumps of stone, they had a fair amount of camouflage although upon closer inspection their visible health bar would give away their hiding locations. A few of the larger lumps began to shake and move, the fragmented peices of rock fitting themselves together into something which resembled a small golem which raised their arms and swung them in order to attack, some of the higher-level monster hurling stones as projectiles as well. Tsuki casually drew her sword, the missiles bouncing harmlessly off her shield as she held it in front of herself. These small fry hardly seemed dangerous, although some of the larger ones in the back seemed a bit more menacing.
gpt
Shinn was well aware of the perils that roamed around in that area, those kinds of enemy group that he referred were dangerous if one did not know where to step. Of couse, at his current level, that kind of enemy wasn't even a bother to him. The only reason he didn't ran pass it all, dodging attacks until the enemy lost their aggro, was that he didn't knew if the girl could do it as well, and did not want to guide the poor girl to her earlier demise, by being careless and reckless. She seemed as she could handle herself pretty well, but it was better to be safe than sorry with so much on the line.
"These guys are easy. Just make sure you dodge or block the incoming projectiles. They pack a punch." - he said as advice as he unsheated his shortsword and prepared for battle. The small golems quickly surrounded him, but Shinn paid no mind, dancing amidst them with grace as he doged the enemies blows, his sword parrying every strike he couldn't dodge though those were so few he barely used his sword for it. Whyle dancing among the enemy, gracefull, the small sword slashed left and right, quickly reducing the HP of the group that surrounded him pretty quickly, but unable to kill any of them with a single hit. He quickly was out of the main group, leaving the small fry for his newly met partner, decided to face the larger ones on his own. He were sure he could handle it, but as he thought before, was not willing to risk someone dying under his watch.
"Ok, you two. Let's get this over with." - he said, quickly ducking under a big stone arm that swung right were his head had been a split second ago. His sword countered right after, slashing at the monster's body, the blade running on the rock solid torso. The second one tried to smash the young man with a heavy blow from above, aiming to squash the player against the ground, but Shinn quickly leaped behind, one hand on the floor, and then back to his feet as he spun. The counter came right after, a horizontal cut that reduced the enemy's HP a little more.
"Are you alright over there?" - he asked his new found partner, shooting a side glance to see how she was keeping up with the horde of smaller enemies as he dodged yet another blow that hit the ground like a sledgehammer, once again claiming the creature's virtual blood as he counter attacked. - "Just call if you need!"
human
Tsuki merely nodded in reply, deflecting the stones that flew toward her as she swiftly closed the distance between herself and the group of small golems. She made quick work of them, slicing through their stone bodies and cleaving them clean in half with one or two strikes. She didn't seem to be taking them too seriously either, as they merely served as a distraction from the larger, more dangerous mobs toward the back part of the clearing. Striking one with her shield then swirling to the left to slice another, she went from foe to foe without pausing as she made her way through the ranks, carefully watching Shinn's movements as he countered his opponent's strikes.
"I'm fine... I'll help you clean up this one if you don't mind," Tsuki brought her shield to bear in front of her as she dashed toward the larger golem, avoiding its back swing as it prepared for another swing across the field toward Shinn. It hadn't dropped its aggression on him, so she took the opportunity to get behind it and deliver a few swift slices across its back, reducing its health a bit more with each strike that they landed. She began to adjust her pace slightly to better accommodate his, such that they could keep the monster in a state of constant attacks.
Off in the distance, however, an even larger foe began to make its presence known, its footsteps causing the ground to shake from its immense weight. Its body was made of stone, much like the other, but instead of jagged, somewhat randomly assembled rocks making up its form it was instead cut from carved blocks of stone which were engraved with intricate carvings on each face. Its eyes gleamed a dark, blood-red color, its size, appearance, and distinctive title would inform anyone that this is what they had been looking for... Although its presence at this early part of the gorge was certainly surprising. Perhaps another group had fled from it and drawn it closer to camp?
gpt
Shinn smiled at her, sliding away from the enemy with the power of one blow he was forced to parry. In terms of sheer strentgh, he had no chance against those Rock monsters. He was still standing though, and unharmed though. He watched as Tsuki drew closer, her shield up in a defensive stance, and nodded, as he had clearly seen how quickly and efficiently she had dispatched of the pack of weaker enemies.
"You're pretty good, Tsuki-san. I'll gladly take you up on that offer." - He dodged another incoming attack , and slashed three times at the enemy he had already caused some damage, quickly consuming its HP. One attack in his back made by Tsuki and the monster disappeared in a glass-shattering blue explosion. It became pretty easy at that point. Shinn had to simply dodge the monster and launch its counter attack while his female partner ravage it from behind. It took just a few seconds for them to end it.
"Nice work. Been some time since I had such a good party." - Shinn sheathed his short sword, and smiled at the girl. - "And I'm sorry for letting you take care of the small ones while I fought the others, but I didn't know how good you were and was worried I could end up putting you in harm's way. I'm sorry, won't happen again." - he said, seriously and bowed slightly, very formal in his apology.
The thundering sound from the Ancient Runed Rock Construct quickly caught the attention of the group, making the boy frown. Why was that monster there? They were a pretty far from it was supposed to be, just now entering the Rocky Gorge itself. He knew the spawn coordinates were really loose after the official launch of the game, probably because of some twists made by the Server Admin that caused all that confusion, but he never had seen a mini boss so far from where it was supposed to be. He shrugged.
"Well, look who's sparing us the trouble of looking for him? There comes ARRC, although I don't have the slightest idea of what in the seven hells he's doing roaming around this part of the map..." - Shinn stated, bringing down his menu, and roaming through his inventory. Quickly he choose an item, and a simple polearm appeared at his back. He closed the menu and turned to the girl once again. - "This fight is pretty straight up, just be sure to never, ever try to block his "Slam" Skill. Saw it crush a Tank once, shield, armor and everything. If your STR isn't absurd, its certain death. Its fairly easy to dodge it though cause he has some cast time. Other than that, just burn him down. How do you wanna play it?"
human
"Don't worry about it. We have never met before, so its to be expected that there would be some misunderstandings," Tsuki nodded, accepting his apology without much hesitation. He was certainly a lot different than she expected him to be as well, as his actions possessed an elegance and skill yet humility that she had never seen in a SAO player before. She didn't have long to ponder this, however, as she turned her attention to the ARRC whose presence alone was a bit unsettling. How did its AI parameters even allow it to wander this close to the safe area? To the unprepared, it was a walking death trap, to say the least, although their own situation could rapidly deteriorate as well if they were not careful.
"I don't have high enough STR to take his attacks, so I'll just wait for an opening and strike his vulnerable spots as well as his nearly stationary legs," Tsuki replied calmly, using the tip of her sword to point out several locations on his body were the rock lacked protective runes. These places, however, were conspicuously close to his main body and would be quite dangerous to attack directly for any length of time. She planned on only attacking following each of this special attack skills as if he were at all similar to the smaller golems he would have a fairly long wind-down between each attack. He seemed strangely knowledgeable about this particular field boss, but as he had spent a fair amount of time here it would make sense that he would have run into the ARRC once or twice before. This fight, however, would prove more difficult than either of them would have imagined.
The ARRC wound up a forward swing of its right hammer arm and Tuski dodged to the left, trying to circle around at attack from its back. Just as it began its downward strike, she darted to the right, heading toward its side as her sword sliced across the open air aimed directly at one of its vulnerable spots. Just as she struck the stone surface with her blade, however, her eyes widened in surprise and horror as the monster's torso began to spin, its arms momentarily pulling away from its center piece. A corner of its rotating body struck her, and although she was able to pull her shield between herself and the blow it still hurled her away with great force, knocking her down onto the ground painfully. She glanced up at her HP, and was somewhat relieved that she had only lost about a fifth of her health... But what WAS that? Shinn didn't say anything about the monster possessing such a powerful counter-attack ability.
gpt
Shinn nodded, glad she found it in her to forgive him for the misunderstanding. Obviously it was something that happened a lot in new parties, but that didn't make anything easier to the part being underestimated. He had learn that on his time as a tester. They boy heard her explanation carefully and quickly examinated the field boss, nodding at her plan. She got it right immediately, as that was the best way to drop that thing fast, which made him reconsider her being a complete newbie. The girl knew her way around. Still for his level, ARRC had an incredible ammount of HP, ehich made him a very tough opponent for low levels. Shinn was glad he knew everything the boss could throw at them. And only the Slam technique was some sort of danger, the rest being very simple to avoid and counter. A very straight forward fight, if his memory served him right. And he was sure it did. Not to mention he was some levels higher than when he faced ARRC on the test realm.
"Alright. I'll try and keep his attacks focused in me so you take care of the DPS" - He wasn't exactly the best kind of tank, and he knew that fact better than anyone. He could dodge pretty well, and his acrobatic skills made him even harder to hit, but once he was actually hit, his armor level wouldn't be enough to absorb the massive damage and his HP would drop so fast he would be screwed in no time. He had little time to ponder the situation though, as the enemy quickly forced them to act. - "Here he comes!"
The opening strike was exactly what Shinn thought it would be, a straight attack, fairly easy to dodge. He saw Tsuki running left, and quickly the boy took the other way, dashing to the right to avoid the blow. He did the same as Tsuki, closing in as soon as he flanked the mini boss, his polearm cleanly cutting through the unprotected torso area. But even more than his partner, Shinn was taken by surprise with the quick counter-attack that came from ARRC. He had never seen the boss counter players like that, something completely new from his time as a tester. Luckly, his AGI parameter was high enough that he had time to react, throwing his body back sideways, spinning vertically through the air, and landing still intact. Tsuki on the other hand had been thrown to the ground by the strengh of the blow. She was still alright, as shown by her HP bar, but she was on the ground, and seemed somewhat distracted, checking her health. That's when the second surprise came. With Tsuki on the ground, Shinn had just became the most threatning target for ARRC, and that way, the monster should quickly turn back to him to continue the fight, but instead, it choose to completely ignore him, and once again to strike at the girl, his humongous arms raising above his head ready to smash her against the ground.
"Tsuki-san!" - Shinn shouted, worried, noticing he would never be able to run around the enemy in time, now that ARRC had his back facing the boy and Tsuki being directly across him on the other side. No way to help her unless he could walk through it. It seemed impossible, but as usually his instincts kicked in, and Shinn ran to the enemy launching himself to the ground and sliding right between its legs, which allowed him to reach her in time. But now he had to think of someway out of that situation. He couldn't parry its skill, it would be useless and both of them would die. He could quickly kick her out of its reach, but then he would die. He could still dodge it sideways, but that would be meaningless as she would die. He had little time to think as death rained upon them. Luckily his instincts were still sharped by the fight and a desperate plan quickly shaped into his head. He ducked as soon as his slide came to a halt right in front of Tsuki, and jumped, spinning along his polearm that built speed and strenght as it raised.
"RISING DRAGON!"- Shouted Shinn, as blue energy in the shape of a Dragon suddenly flared in the blade of his polearm, directly hitting the enemies fists. It was a fairly simple spear technique, one of the first he learned with his polearm, effective against flying and jumping enemies, in which it caused a knockdown effect and against standing enemies, it caused a small knockback effect. It was useless against an enemy that huge, but the knockback effect was enough to at least reflect its fists and some of the damage, acting as some kind of leverage that compensated a little for Shinn's lack of STR and successufully kept them from being smashed flat. Still, the boy was the one mostly damaged by the clash, being hurled away from the stone beast, his HP dropping a good ammount. Luckly, it granted some time for Tsuki to get back on her feet and for some revision in their plan, which was in great need of changing. Shinn was still astounded with the change in the enemy's pattern. That was a completely different fight. Somewhat slowly, the boy got back to his feet.
"Tsuki-san. Everything I told about it... Just forget it. This guy has a completely different programing than the first time I fought it." - he said, now very concerned. And he had thought that would be a simple fight, that would end without any problem. - "It's a completely different fight now, and a lot more difficult. I don't know what he did, but it seems Kayaba Akihito is dead set in having people die in here. From now on, we'll have to improvise..." - He finished, raising his polearm once more, aprehension clear in his eyes.
Shinn - Level 11
HP 68% / 100%
Tsuki - Level ??
HP 80% / 100%
ARRC - Level ??
HP 93% / 100%
human
Tsuki quickly began to piece together the bits of information that Shinn had let slip. So, he claimed to have fought this boss monster before, but it had a different AI and move-set at that time. Yet, there had not been any server updates or changes of any sort over the past few days since SAO had started. This meant, he had to have gained knowledge about this boss from some other, possibly flawed source, but if he had truly fought it before then there was only one other alternative... He was a beta tester for SAO. That would certainly explain how differently he approached the game compared to the other fellows back at the camp. This wasn't the proper time to confirm her suspicions, as their lives were very much at stake at this point.
"Thanks..." Tsuki called out to Shinn as she tried to circle back around the ARRC, "I sort of noticed that by now... Lets hope it doesn't start summoning until its health is somewhat lower, or we might need to run. Listen, improvisation isn't my style. I'll hold its attention while you attack its legs. It might not deal much damage, but its better than risking that counter-attack!"
The ARRC's attention remained on Tsuki, still blatantly ignoring Tsuki as it continued its relentless assault. It first swung low, which Tsuki dodged by simply jumping over its rocky arm, then dove under the second as it continued to rotate in a clockwise fashion. With each attack, its speed seemed to increase slightly, putting more and more strain on Tsuki's agility as she attempted to maintain the pace and follow its movements. Realizing that this would not keep her alive indefinitely as with the increased speed came additional damage that she would likely be unable to sustain should it land a hit, she began to push closer to the ARRC, forcing it to shift its angle of attack until its arm slammed into the ground itself, causing a slight shake effect and the ARRC to flinch. Tsuki swiftly darted in, this time not toward its torso but instead at the joint of its right leg.
"Eight-Point Star Strike!" Tsuki sliced four times with her sword almost simultaneously, the intersecting arcs crossing at a single point just before she finished off the combination attack with a shield slam. Diving between its legs and continuing her momentum, she managed to avoid taking any direct damage during the maneuver, but in the mean time the ARRC had raised its left fist upward and was merely waiting for a moment to thrust a punch downward like a pillar. Tsuki's eyes widened and she made a desperate attempt to dodge the attack by throwing herself to the left with her shield held up between herself and the lethal attack. She could hear her heart throb heavily in her chest and the sound of rocks crushing roared loudly in her ears as the fist narrowly missed her body. The impact, however, sent out a shock-wave of sharp rock shards outward, lowering her HP further as she struggled to regain her footing. Tsuki attempted to pull back as the ARRC's runes began to glow and the ground to shake, succeeding in putting some distance between herself and their massive opponent.
Shinn - Level 11
HP 68% / 100%
Tsuki - Level 10
HP 54% / 100%
ARRC - Level ??
HP 83% / 100%
gpt
"Legs huh?" - he asked to no one in particular, considering her plan. He figure it was as good as any, since everything had changed and it seemed his previous strategy was busted anyway. Looking at Tsuki it was clear that the girl was just as nervous as he was by then. - "Well, don't worry too much, partner." - Shinn blurted out without thinking, his polearm ready to strike at any given moment. - "Improvising is the one thing I excell at." - and although he did sound as confident as he meant to, the player was beggining to believe they would really need to use the Teleport Crystals and get the hell out of there, so the could avoid certain death in the runned hands of that stone beast. How much that thing had changed from his month as a tester was simply absurd. He could understand the addition of one or two skills, but that level of behavior alteration was something he wasn't expecting, even if it was from a man who turned a beautiful gaming experience in a death trap.
The enemy was clearly still targeting Tsuki, what would give Shinn a good oportunity to lay out some heavy damage. Of course, that would put the girl right in the line of fire, but it was a decision she made herself, and he decided to stick by it and trust her. They were already too deep into trouble for him to play hero, anyway, and that last stunt he pulled had pushed his luck to the limit already, so it was better not to test it further. His grip on the weapon tensed and he waited for her to attack, a swift combination, beautiful to look at, that drained a good deal of the enemie's HP. As soon as it turned to fight her, Shinn made his move. Running to his back, Shinn slashed at the leg with everything he got, striking it repeatedly. It was so desperately set into killing Tsuki that Shinn had the chance to really hurt him landing blow after blow, unobstructed.
When the girl as fell down, rolling to escape certain death, Shinn reacted quickly and seized the oportunity to deliver a critical strike on ARRC. Coming from the side, Shinn quickly leapt as the ground began shaking, responding to the enemy's runes, his foot looking for support in the monster's leg. Once with solid footing, he jumped again as his blade slashed from below, cutting from right between its legs to the very top of his head. The height Shinn got with that jump left him a little taller than ARRC, in a perfectly position to strike.
"Heavenly Cross Slash!"- he shouted cutting the enemy from the side, horizontally, right at the neck. Had it been a real person, on the real world, ARRC would've been dead, his head cleanly severed from its body. Being a part os SAO, though, the only trace of the technique was a red line where the blow cut it, and the decrease of its HP. He wasn't over yet, though, as the second cut that completed the Cross came right after, Shinn swiftly raising the polearm and bringing it down the golem's head, the same way it made up just a second ago. It only ended when the tip of his weapon dig itself on the ground, Shinn kneeled in front of ARRC. The counter-attack came a litte earlier than Shinn expected though. Different from before, the runed golem opted for a quick blow as if understanding the best weapon his enemy had was his maneuverability. Extendin its armgs, it spun so fast one could say it tried to lift itself off the ground. Even with his agility parameter as it was, Shinn barely had any time to get out of the way. The gamer had taken the counter into consideration when he decided to explore the enemy open and had it been the previous technique he could've avoid it. The new one, on the other hand, caught him by surprise. The boy quickly recoiled his weapon, changing to a defensive stance as he backed away, and even barely scrapping Shinn's defense, it was strong enough to hurl the boy away like a rag dool, his avatar's body painfully crashing against the ground with amazing violence and only coming to a halt when he finally hit the stone wall that limited the map's pathway. A scream escaped his lips, the pain vividly pulsing in his brain. Shinn stood still for a few moments, catching his breath and trying to get rid of the dizzyness that assaulted him, his Health Bar glowing red, dangerously empty.
The enemy did not summon any adds when low in HP. It enraged, multiplying its attack power tenfold.
Shinn - Level 11
HP 09% / 100%
Tsuki - Level 10
HP 54% / 100%
ARRC - Level ??
HP 46% / 100%
human
"Shinn!" Tsuki called out to him, concern and a hint of panic lacing her voice as she tried to close the distance between them. She had seen this scene far too often, in which groups of players had become too ambitious and tried to take on opponents far too strong for them to handle. She had seen them die right before her eyes, breaking into countless blue flakes of light as their lives drifted away like stray cherry blossom petals in the wind. She had seen this before all before, yet when she herself faced the moment at which she herself faced destruction, the gripping pangs of doom looming over her attempted to hold her captive. She could have run, and if she were honest with herself she would have admitted that she wanted to flee more than anything. Yet, Shin had decided to party with her, trust in her strength, and if she failed now the weight of such a betrayal would never relinquish its grip on her conscience. She gripped the handle of her shield firmly, and she voiced a silent prayer that she would succeed. She wanted to save him... No, shehadto save him, for her own sake as much as his. In that one moment, Tsuki was reborn. There was no time to think, no opportunity to hesitate. Here was only her, a sword, a shield, and a monster. She dashed forward, the entire world around her sliding in restricted motion as she raised her blade and parted her lips to speak.
"Eigh-, no, Sixteen-Point Star Strike!" Tsuki's gaze further intensified as the slices crossed the ARRC's torso, each strike falling more swiftly than the last until she reached the point at which she usually finished off her signature combination with a shield strike. This time, however, she merely laid more attacks upon the others, the intensity of the blows momentarily knocking the ARRC off-balance and delaying its counter-attack.
"Thirty-two-Point Star Strike!" Tsuki cried out, her eyes glancing upward toward her opponent's slowly depleting HP bar. It was too slow, much too slow. The monster's right arm was already decending toward her as she continued to lay slice after slice into her opponent's body. There was no time for hessitation. If she paused for even a moment, death would swiftly follow.
16%...
14%...
She couldn't afford to draw back, not after she had committed herself. She had to stand firm, and emerge victorious, at all costs. Curving her stance as the mighty blow drew ever closer, she brought her shield to bear but instead of directly opposing the force of the strike she instead slid her body alongside it, using her shield to guide her body along the sdie of its arm as it narrowly missed her. She then struck her sword out as she passed by it with the tip of her blade, using its own increased force and power to cut a deep slice down the length of its arm.
"I... I did it..." she could see the distinct blue fragments floating around her, but her mind was in such a daze that she could not be certain if it was the ARRC's or her own life that was drifting away as she fell prone onto the ground with a heavy clang.
Shinn - Level 11
HP 09% / 100%
Tsuki - Level 10
HP 5% / 100%
ARRC - Level ??
HP 0% / 100%
gpt
Shinn was still prone, trying to shake off the dizzyness that the sudden attack had caused, but his body reacted pretty painfully every time the boy ordered his muscles to take him off the ground. That surprise attack came completely out of the blue, and now Shinn blame himself for trying something so reckless as that. The monster they were fighting wasn't the one Shinn underestimated when he tried such tactic. He underestimated no one else but Kayaba Akihito, the server admin, who hid layers upon layers of traps in the programming of that field boss. If it was that bad at such a low level field boss as that, how much had the eight floor bosses the gamer helped destroy in the beta, changed by now? But he knew he had no time to ponder about that as he wouldn't be able to alert his friends from his month as a tester, if he didn't survive that fight.
The sound of two enemies clashing violently came to his ears, and he could hear Tsuki's voice as she evolved her Skill further and further. He was kneeling by then, and a quick glance at his HP bar showed he was in no condition to go back to the fight. He was amazed to see his partner fighting so desperately against the enemy, relentlessly attacking it with all she had never faltering, not giving it an inch of space. She was devouring ARRC's Health, but the monster wasn't being any kind to her as well, and Shinn wasn't sure who would end up dead first. Without a second to spare he fetched a Health Cristal from his inventory and was ready to use it and dash back into the fight, and take ARRC from Tsuki once again, the fear of seeing her die clenching his very insides, in a way he had felt very few times in his somewhat short life.
But it was too late already. As soon as he took the crystal, ARRC exploded in a million of blue fragments around his personal female hero. It was over, and they had won. But why was she falling to the ground like that. He was seeing her HP still dropping, entering the red zone, and still dropping dangerously close to finishing. Ignoring the victory window that appeared, Shinn dashed to his partner, breaking her fall with his arms as he slide to a halt close to her, wrapping her in his arms. He quickly aimed the crystal at her and broke it, watching in relief as her HP replenished back to green in time. Anger quickly followed it, and he wanted to scream at her for being so reckless. She could have waited for him to use a crystal and they could go back to the fight together, although deep inside of him he could understand her actions perfectly. That was not enough for him to restrain himself.
"Baka, what were you thinking charging in like that?!" - He yelled, a lot more intensely than he meant to at first. - "Did you know how worried I was? I barely had the time to pick up a crystal!" - finished, looking intently at her. His breath was ragged with the adrenaline released inside his real brain that affected his avatar perfectly and he fell to his knees as they failed to support him which made him bring her to a sit position as well. The boy was obviously shaking from the fear and rush of the moment. After a few long breaths, he calmed himself a little. - "Im sorry, I did not meant to yell. I got... carried away." - he said, releasing her when he noticed she was still in his arms, once again very formal in his apology, even if he couldn't stand yet.
"Are you alright?" - he asked, genuinely concerned. That was really intense. Shinn was shaking and out of breath and he wasn't even the one who pulled the move. He could only imagine how she was thinking at the moment. He smiled at her just as sweetly as the first time they met. - "Guess that part of improvisation not being your style wasn't entirely true, huh?" - He said, with the same smile. - "You did great, Tsuki-san. You did really great."
Shinn - Level 11
HP 09% / 100%
Tsuki - Level 10
HP ??% / 100%
ARRC - Level ??
HP 0% / 100%
human
Warmth. It always came as a surprise to her how realistically the nerve gear could convey such sensations to her although her body and that of her fellow players were so far away from each other. Yet, even then, the warmth that surrounded her at that time was both familiar and reassuring at the same time. Her consciousness slowly fluttered back, her eyes opening to gaze upon Shinn's face and her own green health bar hovering over her. Through the filtered confusion in her own mind, she could gather the gist of what he was saying to her and responded accordingly, even though it was difficult for her to simply shake off the enduring stiffness from such exertion that she had put herself through.
"If I had not done that, you would have charged in anyway and gotten yourself killed, ne?" Tsuki replied bluntly, "I noticed that it would flinch slightly under repeated attacks, so I figured that if I chained up my attacks enough I might be able to finish it off... It was a gamble, I know, but it paid off this time..."
Tsuki didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable letting Shinn hold her, but when he released her she did not give any indication of protest. She gave him a somewhat confused glance, but decided against pressing the issue. Apparently there were some guys whodidn'ttake every opportunity to flirt, which was a refreshing change to say the least. She swayed a bit, but managed to stand on her own two feet without much difficulty, "Thanks, but I'm fine... Pick up what he left behind and we can divide it up when we get back to camp. I'm a bit tired, so I think I'll call it a day."
This was to be expected, as she had just scraped by with her life by a hair's breadth. Shin himself, however, remained something of a mystery. He had worried about her, after they had just met just a little over an hour ago? She could see now that he was dependable, empathetic, and caring, a strong pole arm user who would be useful as a party member in future battles. Yet, there was something which was nagging at her that she couldn't quite get past... What was it, again? She turned toward the path leading back toward camp, but before she could take a single step, the memory of she suddenly struck her and froze her in her tracks. Shinn was a Beater, one of a very select few who had played SAO before its official release. They were known as being loners, looking down on other players due to their experience and skill from having explored this world before anyone else. Yet, as she had never actually met one before she couldn't be certain that this was anything more than just a rumor. But, there was a sure-fire way of finding out the truth.
"You know... Normally this would be the point at which I would offer to join you on a more permanent basis," Tsuki glanced over her shoulder, "You're quite a fine fighter yourself, and an invaluable asset to any party... After all, you are a Beater, right?"
gpt
"Actually I would have used a crystal first, you know?" - Shinn smiled at her, quickly getting up once he saw her standing in her own two feet, taking his polearm and once again putting it on his back. As soon as it was there, he opened the inventory and unnequiped it, the weapon and the belt that kept it on his back vanishing without a trace. He spent yet another Crystal to heal himself and gladly saw his HP bar increasing once again away from the danger zone. He watched as the girl walked away, and made its way to the boss, looting it. The money was evenly split between them automatically, and good heavy armored boots with good DEF stats were mixed with a lot of low quality items. Rocks of all types, two medium quality crafting jewels and the widely known Ancient Maul. A good drop certainly. He quickly memorized what was looted, so he could evenly split with her afterwards.
"You're going back? Alright. Hope you don't mind, but I have to gather some Marble Leafs for a friend. Strange name for a plant, isn't it? Being named as a rock. But I guess it makes sense since they're found on Rocky Gorge. Anyway I'll have to stay a little bit longer." - he said accepting the victory window, and watching as he gained yet another level, a smile on his lips. His leveling was going steady. - "But don't worry, now that ARRC's down, I can wander without any trouble." - He thought that was all but suddenly he girl stopped, and he listened carefully what she said. So, she figured it out by what little clues he had given her. To do it in the middle of battle, she certainly was a clever one. The question was what would he answer her.
It seemed she wanted to stick with him for a while, which in fact was great for him. If not for the other beaters he knew from testing month, most players were a lot lower in level, and fewer still were able to handle the fights with the finesse she had shown that afternoon. She was obviously not a threat then and he guessed she wasn't someone who would go back and share the information with the first group she would meet. Still, some part of his brain insisted that he should keep the fact hidden, least she would take advantage of it. Maybe she was inviting him to a permanent partnership for that sole reason? His usual self, at the end, decided that honesty was the best choice, even more if it was with someone you'd be joining forces with.
"Beater, huh? I don't like that word very much. It implies I did something wrong, but I nerver cheated, you know?" - he turned to her, the same smile on his lips. He couldn't say what point of view she shared when concerning beaters, but was ready for anything when decided to tell her the truth. - "But yes, I was one SAO's of the Beta Testers. Went all the way to 8th floor. Not that it helps right now, since the importnat bits seem to have changed. Does it bother you that I am... Well, a beater?"
He gave a pause for her to ponder about it, then continued.
"Still, if you are indeed, normally, at this point, offering to join me in a more permanent basis," - he smiled at her gently - "Then, I'd very much like it to do so. Most of us play alone fearing others will hold us back or give us trouble. I not really like that, but regardless I can say for sure you won't do either, so if you're fine with being my long term partner, consider it a done deal."
Shinn - Level 12
HP 100% / 100%
human
"I don't mind. How you spend your time is your own business, after all... I'm not much of a crafter myself, although I may get into blacksmithing later on. I'm sure you can handle yourself just fine without me for the time being, I'm just a bit shaken up," Tsuki admitted honestly, reaching up and brushing a lock of her hair behind her left ear, "Perhaps I could ease into it after we clear the first few floors."
One of the features that drew her to SAO in the first place was the depth of its crafting system, as it would give her the chance to explore trades and skills that she had no opportunity of experiencing in real life. While the actual processes were rather straightforward and simple, raw materials such as foodstuffs and herbs could be combined in a virtually limitless number of ways to create dishes catering to a wide spectrum of tastes. Swords and other weapons as well as armor could be fashioned with many different qualities, suitable for many different purposes. Yet, she did not want to elaborate too deeply about her interests at the moment, as the more pressing matter of forming a partnership with Shinn was more important.
"I didn't mean it as an insult, but many of the previous beta-testers seem to like to work alone. At least, that is what I have heard from others," Tsuki spoke after considering how to word her reply, turning and extending her hand toward him as she sent him a friend request, "It doesn't really bother me, since it seems like we are all really at on the same playing field. We are all trying to become stronger and go further so we won't be stuck in this world for the rest of our lives, right? I was just a bit worried that you might not see it the same way. I won't hold you back, and in exchange all I ask is that we watch out for each other. Going alone introduces all sorts of unnecessary risks, after all."
She shifted her weight to her right foot, her eyes gazing directly into his as she awaited his reply to her request. The wind which blew through the gorge brushed across her face, which for once had softened into a friendly smile. The two of them had foraged a sense of mutual trust and respect, which only added to the sincerity of her behavior toward him.
gpt
"Don't worry, I know you had no intention of insulting me." - Shinn smiled looking at the friend request that popped up in front of him, staring at it rather intently as he thought about how he viewed the girl in front of him. At first he had thought that she was fairly rude, and was pretty sure she saw everything he did as an attempt to flirt or impress her. As the fight went by, she proved to be a capable fighter not to mention someone worthy of respect, if still a bit cold. Circumstances rapidly forced him to trust in her and by now he was glad he did it. Looking back now, it was probably natural that she would be a little defensive around man. Most players of SAO were obviously males, and the few girls online were victims of constant harrassment and all kind of despisable behavior from thir part. Proof of that was the fact that, as she extended her invitation, a soft and friendly smile played in her lips.A smile so delicate and beautiful that would burn itself in the memory of every male lucky enough to see it, which made Shinn blush, somewhat embarassed.
The sunlight from a setting sun bathed her skin, reflected in the eyes who gazed so intently at his own, the wind caressing her face and making her hair flutter around her as if the whole game capitivated by the moment just as much as the young male player. The reddening of his face widening as his eyes registered her more than obvious allure. He allowed himself the briefest of momentos to enjoy it. No matter how respectful he was, Shinn was still a boy, and a pretty girl had just as much effect in him as it had in anyone else. That didn't make him any less embarassed by it, as he quickly gave her an apologetic look and turned his attention to the invitation.
"Done." - The boy stated as he accepted the friend invitation, an instant warning that said "Tsuki is Online" popping up in his field of vision. Then, smilling to try and hide his embarassment, he reached for her hand, shaking it firmly but with care. It was the first time he held hands with any girl his age, his sisters excluded, even if it was just in a virtual world. Still, the Nerv Gear accuratelly conveyed to him the softness and warmth of her touch - "Guess we're friends now."
As soon as they hands parted, he turned the other way, his back to her, so he could hide his blush. He could feel his heartbeat raging on his body, ressonating in his ears. He wasn't someone with all that experience in social exchanges, especially with girls, but normally he did fairly well in MMORPG's mainly because he was so focused in playing that paid little attention to other human beings. Now, SAO was the closest he had of a life and it was the first time he could see an actual girl playing it, not to mention being a really beautiful one. He was surprised he had not realized it sooner. Still he made his best effort not to sound strange as It would probably get better once he had some time to breath.
"Well, you better go get some rest!" - he said, quickly changing the subject. - "I'll gather what was asked and meet you back at camp, so we can talk things through over dinner, alright? - the boy continued, and suddenly turned to her once more, clearly nervous after realizing what he said - "Er, not that I'm like inviting you to dinner or anything! Just... You know, I have a few things I'd like to now about you." - he shook his head, backing away as he corrected himself, his hands up in a sign of peace - "A-about the game, I mean! Like your level and stuff!" - Shinn could see he was only digging his own grave there, now a little over conscious of her, and decided to just drop it sighing. - "Anyway, I'll see you later!" - He quickly turn away and start walking.
Even as the distance grew between them, it was clearly audible to her when he once again start mumbling to himself.
"Why would I say something like that? How does that kind of thing, anyway? I was freaking babbling!" - he sighed heavily. - "That was so uncool..."
human
Tsuki, being a girl and a rather perceptive one at that, understood a bit of what was running through the young man's mind at the time and tried her best not to feel put-off by his embarrassment. Given his reaction, he didn't seem used to being familiar with girls so she understood that he might misunderstand her actions, but she felt certain that even if they did not fully understand each other they could still be good friends. His up-front offer to try to get to know her better caused her to visibly flush and her arms to tense up, but thankfully his back was turned at the moment so he likely wouldn't notice. At her school, boys hardly ever gave her a second look, let alone invited her out to dinner. In her own estimation she was little more than just a bit over average-looking, but it was more than likely that this was primarily due to her firm and serious side that she showed to the public caused boys to turn away rather than approach her.
"Sure, food always tastes better when eaten with friends," Tsuki coughed twice, as if trying to clear her throat, "Its natural for friends to what to know more about each other... I want to know a bit more about you, too. Just do what you have to do and we'll talk when you get back-"
She glanced over her shoulder to see that he was already walking away, muttering to himself under his breath. She could feel the distinct sensation and weight of a sweatdrop form on the back of her head as she watched him leave for a moment before turning back toward camp. In the very least, she had acquired a strong ally that day, and had even earned a level for her trouble, yet the greatest victory in her own mind was that she had finally started to open up to someone else and a boy at that.
She wasn't exactly the most social person in her own life, mostly interacting with her own family and a small circle of friends at school, none of which where boys. She had a slight reputation among those who knew her as intelligent and perceptive, but beyond that no one took particular notice of her. This was one of the reasons she had started playing online games with the nerve gear in the first place. It allowed her to live more freely and transcend the stifling norms imposed upon her by society. She didn't want to just be an ordinary, nondescript girl who went to an ordinary high school, had ordinary friends, and would grow up to be an ordinary woman slaving away at some firm for less than what a man would be paid to do the exact same job. In an odd twist of fate the attention she drew from boys while online was oddly satisfying. Until it was confirmed that she was, indeed, female many of the male players mostly kept their distance.
Instead of being admired from afar, she felt like some sort of scarce resource of feminine interaction that the young men of the world of SAO knew they would be largely deprived of for the foreseeable future. She wanted to be respected and valued for her plain, ordinary self rather than be coerced into it out of lack of outlets for their instinctive male drive to hold female companionship. She liked the attention, but at the same time she was also repulsed by the somewhat demeaning intentions in their behavior.
Shinn, on the other hand, was different. He seemed to view her as a companion and friend that he wished to become closer to, who also happened to be female. He couldn't deny this fact any more than she could deny that her hair was black or any other aspect of her own existence. Perhaps it was simply her own delusions working on her, but she wanted to believe that there was more to Shinn than simply another would-be admirer out of abject desperation. For the time being, she would grant him the opportunity to prove her correct.
gpt
As his short sword pierced the neck of a yellow Mountain Cougar, Shinn thought he was glad the girl didn't misunderstood him that greatly, and happened to see past his seemingly clumsy attempt of flirting and catch a glimpse of his real intentions: a simple get together, something good to eat and friendly conversation so they could get to know someone both of them agreed to spend their time with, in a somewhat long term. Usually, it was that clumsy way of blurting out what came to his head, and the even more damaging attempts to explain himself, the greatest cause for him to seek comfort in the virtual world. There, he could be anybody, do anything. He could interact with anyone normally, full of confidence, and even if something was misunderstood, he could simple apologize and calmly walk way, with little to no consequence. But SAO had broken the rules, shattered every mask and now he felt as if he was in his every day life, in the real world. That brought back his lack of confidence and overall awkwardness when dealing with people. No, girls. He could handle other male players just as well as before. But girls? Completely out of his skill set. Something he would have to learn little by little, and hoped the time spent with his new partner would help.
The ammount of XP gained by the fight was almost disposable, but as he roamed through the loot, a standard item quickly caught his attention. Cougar Flank, a deliciously looking piece of meat on the icon. Shinn smiled. He had some herbs and spices in his inventory, and honey he bought before leaving town, so dinner could be really good. Satisfied with it, he kept going his way, collecting as much Marble Leafs as he could. Kamiki should be pretty happy with the outcome as well. Contented, the boy looked at the setting sun and decided it was enough for one day. He felt tired as well, and if he hadn't promissed to bring the leafs, he would have returned with his new found partner. It was time to go back to the camp.
Night had already fallen when he finally step back into camp, swiping the sweat from his forehead. A bonfire was lit in the middle of camp, providing enough light for him to find Tsuki, and the boy quickly made his way over to her. The place was rather loud that night, everyone sharing heroic acts and stories, screaming them loudly as if each one was trying to impress the others more than the previous. It was clear for him that most players there, if not all of them, were ogling Tsuki, measuring her every reaction to each story told, and he finally understood the reason for such an loud night. He couldn't help but smile at the scene. Well, boys would always be boys, he guessed.
"Good evening, Tsuki-san." - he smiled friendly at her, chosing an empty space close to where she stood, and quickly summoned his Tent. He couldn't wait for the time to hop in and sleep to his heart's content. They both deserved it, after such an afternoon. - "Got some rest?" - asked the raven haired boy, looking at the girl as he sit across her. - "While I was gathering the Leafs, I fought a Mountain Cougar, and it dropped some fairly good meat. I think it will do well for dinner..." - He trailed off as the noise on camp was slowly dying out. He looked around a bit, and noticed everyone's eyes were upon him, and they didn't seemed very friendly. Shinn was a bit confused. He knew most of those guys from camp, and while he wasn't friends with any of them except for Kamiki, they had at least a pretty neighborly relation. Shinn quickly turned to his party member, a little confused.
"Er... Did you mentioned something about what I said before, to anyone?" - asked the boy concerning his confession of being a "beater", but his tone clearly showed he didn't actually think she had done it. - "Everyone is staring at me pretty strangely..."
human
"Good evening, Shinn-kun," Tsuki returned his smile with one of her own, which was the true cause of the boy's cold stares as her reaction to seeing him was of a different league entirely from how she interacted with them. Rather than merely tolorating them and making short, curt replies to their questions, she welcomed the opportunity to speak with Shinn as if she had known him for some time. Just what exactly had he done to sink his fangs into her? The way the two of them struck up a casual conversation was infuriating to say the least, especially since Tsuki simply behaved as if none of the other boys even existed now that Shinn had appeared beside her.
"Mountain Cougar, hm? I suppose we could try to cook it, but it would be a shame if we ended up burning it instead. What's your current cooking level? I'm only at level five, and I think I would be hard pressed to make something aside from a cold meat sandwich from that prime cut," Tsuki's eyes glistened slightly and she rubbed her small chin thoughtfully as she carefully avoided delving into the finer details of her cooking prowess. In the real world she wasn't terrible at cooking, but real life had little impact on cooking aptitude in SAO, "I'm fine... I think I just needed some peaceful time to calm down."
The guys nearby took her words as a sharp stab to their pride. Listening to their gripping stories of conquest and heroism was peaceful?! Just what sort of girl was this, who could insult them without even seeming to realize it, her words flowing straight and true from her lips conveying that she honestly believed every word she spoke.
"No, I didn't tell them anything about you," Tsuki blinked twice, a bit confused, "I think its because they are jealous that I'm not treating you like a sack of potatoes or something... I can't claim to fully understand what goes through the mind of an adolescent boy, but I suspect thatmighthave something to do with it."