Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)
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		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Human Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: Daril on 23-02-2015, 22:23:16</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daril</strong> on <strong>23-02-2015, 22:23:16</strong>
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				The blade of Artemis' short sword glowed with a blue color so bright it seemed almost white as it descended in a diagonal arc and struck the wolf that was attacking her.&nbsp; A glowing red gash appeared where her sword had slashed the creature, then it suddenly burst into fragments that billowed upwards for a brief moment before disappearing.<br><br>"Looks like that's the last of them," Artemis called out to her companion, a tall, slender, impossibly beautiful girl with medium length black hair.&nbsp; Of course that wasn't what the girl looked like in real life.&nbsp; But then in real life, "Artemis" was a tall, busty, blue-eyed blonde girl from Canada named Sara McMillan.&nbsp; Here in Aincrad, she was considerably smaller and less busty, partly because she didn't want to stand out too much and partly because she'd always found her large breasts a bit annoying when she had to engage in physical activity.&nbsp; She still had the blue eyes and blond hair, but the hair was worn in a shorter, braided hairstyle.&nbsp; She'd also replicated the trademark blue ribbon that she wore in her hair in real life.&nbsp; It did a nice job of complimenting the blue and white outfit her character wore.<br><br>With the battle over, Artemis sheathed her blade and reached over her shoulder to count the number of arrows that remained for the bow she still carried in her left hand.&nbsp; When she was done, she strode over to talk to her companion.<br><br>"So do you want to head back to town?" she enquired.&nbsp; "Or do you want to just call it for today?&nbsp; It's getting pretty late."<br><br>As much as she would like to continue playing Artemis in the stunning virtual world of Aincrad, a part of Sara's brain was telling her it was now time to be assume the role of Sara McMillan, the foreign exchange student who needed to get some studying done.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mysterica</strong> on <strong>25-02-2015, 05:14:33</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs51/f/2009/329/1/4/Ninja_1_by_hgjart.jpg)</div><br>"Let's go into town for now.&nbsp; All we've done is kill wolves and boars.&nbsp; There's got to be something more we could be doing around here.&nbsp; Just one more hour, then we can help each other with our homework.&nbsp; OK?"&nbsp; Selene said as she walked in front of Artemis, sheathing her dagger.&nbsp; The two had been out hunting for the better part of an hour now and were finally starting to get the hang of how to properly attack, and more importantly how to start reading the movements of these early level enemies so they don't keep taking unnecessary damage.<br><br>"There's almost got to be some sort of hidden quest or something back in town!&nbsp; It's the first day of the game and we haven't met a single NPC acknowledging that yet, or even a message from Argus.&nbsp; Let's go talk with some more people in town and try to dig up some new information.&nbsp; If nothing else we can meet a few more players.&nbsp; Neither of us are heavy armor users and we could really use a friend who can take more than just a few hits if we want to really go exploring!&nbsp; Come on.&nbsp; Let's go!"&nbsp; With that Selene reached out to grab Artemis's hand before starting to jog towards the Town of Beginnings while lightly humming merrily.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daril</strong> on <strong>25-02-2015, 08:19:56</strong>
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				OOC: Borrowed a bit of text from the starting post done by the GM of another SAO RPG I previously participated in.<br><br>IC:<br><br>Artemis hesitated for a moment, then allowed herself to be dragged along behind Selene.&nbsp; She thought they really ought to be logging out now, but what was another hour?<br><br>At that moment, the sound of a bell ringing reached Artemis' ears, making her look up.&nbsp; It seemed to be coming from ahead of her and Selene -in fact it seemed to be coming from their destination itself.<br><br>Suddenly there was a flash of light, and the field Artemis and Selene had been jogging through disappeared, to be replaced by the huge circular stone "square" at the center of the Town of Beginnings.&nbsp; Stumbling to a halt, Artemis looked around and saw that hundreds -perhaps thousands- of other players were already gathered there, with more flashing into view every second.<br><br>"What just happened?" she wondered aloud.&nbsp; Many other players seemed to have similar questions, as the air around her and Selene was alive with excited voices.<br><br>Then things started to get <em>really</em> strange.&nbsp; A section of the sky above the player's heads started to flash red.&nbsp; It contained a single word in English.&nbsp; Since that was Sara's native language, she had no trouble reading it.<br><br>The word was <em>warning</em>.<br><br>Additional sections of the sky around the now solid red section also began to turn red, the shift spreading like wildfire until the entire sky was red and separated into grid sections containing either the words "Warning" or "System Announcement."&nbsp; Confused and somewhat frightened, Sara cast her gaze around the sky until she saw something flowing out from between some of the grid sections.&nbsp; It was thick an viscuous, and began to form into a large shape -a massive yet somehow formless hooded figure.<br><br>"Players," the figure announced.&nbsp; "I welcome you all to my world.&nbsp; My name is Kayaba Akihiko. Right now I am the only person who can control this world."&nbsp; There was a pause. "I think that most of you have discovered the fact that the Log Out button has disappeared from the main menu. This is not a bug; it is all part of Sword Art Online's system."<br><br>Artemis blinked and quickly made the gesture to bring up her menu.&nbsp; As the figure said, there did not appear to be a log out feature.&nbsp; She hadn't noticed it before, but then she hadn't been looking for it.<br><br>Then the hooded figure dropped a bombshell.<br><br>"...also, the disruption or dismantling of the Nerve Gear from the outside is strictly forbidden. If these things are attempted, the signal sensors in your NerveGear will emit a strong electromagnetic pulse, destroying your brain and stopping all of your basic functions."<br><br><em>What?</em><br><br>Artemis blinked.&nbsp; Who was this guy?&nbsp; Some hacker playing a prank?&nbsp; Surely he wouldn't be able to make the NerveGear's hardware do something like that...<br><br>Artemis angrily began to search through her menu as the figure continued to speak, saying something about what would make the Nervegear fry her brain but she didn't need to worry because the media had been alerted.&nbsp; Surely there had to be <em>some</em> way to log out...<br><br>She shut the menu in frustration as the hooded figure explained that Sword Art Online was no longer a game, that they would really die if their health reached zero, that they could only free themselves by clearing the game... this was going too far.&nbsp; She had homework to do.&nbsp; She didn't have time to waste on some hacker's prank...<br><br>Then the hooded figure dropped another bombshell.<br><br>"I will show you evidence that this is the only reality. In your inventories, there will be a gift from me. Please confirm this."<br><br>Artemis had no intention of playing along with the figure's game, but found herself holding an item anyway.&nbsp; It seemed to be some kind of mirror...<br><br>A flash next to Artemis drew her attention, and she looked over to where Selene was standing only to see a sight that truly shocked her.&nbsp; Where the tall warrior woman Selene had been standing was a smaller and more slightly built girl with twintails -her friend and fellow student Mizuki Watanabe.<br><br>"Mizuki?" she enquired.&nbsp; At that moment, a flash engulfed Artemis herself, and she suddenly found herself looking down at her companion, just like in real life where her height of six foot one -one hundred eighty five centimeters- made her a virtual giant in Japan.<br><br>(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/9/91/SaraM.png)
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				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Wolfie</strong> on <strong>25-02-2015, 10:50:26</strong>
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				It was at the main square that a samurai woman known as <div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Amaya</div><div class="spoiler_body">(http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag5/Cosmic_Fenrir/image.jpg1_zpsgmojtnhz.jpg) (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/Cosmic_Fenrir/media/image.jpg1_zpsgmojtnhz.jpg.html)</div></div> found herself looking up at what could only be considered a cruel prank to those of sound mind. This woman was not one of those people. A quick glance at her menu showed that the enormous figure claiming to be the game's creator spoke only truth. "A game we cannot escape, and actually die in? Talk about realism." She scoffed as the figure continued with other nonsense, only listening when the inventory was mentioned. Curious, she would quickly check the inventory, finding a strange mirror. After she chose to select it her form was enveloped in white light and her <div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">true self</div><div class="spoiler_body">(http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag5/Cosmic_Fenrir/image.jpg1_zpswx9xhfdh.jpg) (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/Cosmic_Fenrir/media/image.jpg1_zpswx9xhfdh.jpg.html)</div></div> was now shown. Akira Masuyo, age twenty-two, she stood at a solid five foot ten inches. Her true appearance was not much different from her avatar, and in some opinions, probably more attractive anyway. Seeing she now had her normal appearance, she frowned, a bit disappointed that she had just lost her samurai persona. <br><br>Pushing the matter aside she quickly began heading out of the square. "I will clear this game then." She rested her palm on her Uchigatana and began to make her way through the crowd, pausing only at a pair of girls who stood out from the rest. One was a tall blonde, the other a shorter girl with twin tails. "I'm sure you are in doubt, but accept it as fact. We cannot log out, and if you want to live past a week you had better raise your level and grab some rare drops. You will need all you can get." Looking around she shook her head. "The surrounding areas are useless from now on, everyone will over grind them. If you are smart you will head out far away from here and prepare for the boss door as quickly as you can." She scoffed, seeing she was wasting time already. "Do try to stay alive, after all there are no re spawns you know." With that said she turned to make her leave, planning on heading out alone.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Latooni Subota</strong> on <strong>28-02-2015, 22:13:49</strong>
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				<div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Venice the Swordswoman</div><div class="spoiler_body">(http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y331/ReverseAdonis/Paladiny.jpg)</div></div><br>A flash of green shined brightly across one of the fields nearby the starting city of Aincrad, the squealing of hogs and sound of shattering bodies following immediately afterwards, as in the middle of an entire mob of low level creatures a beautiful red-headed woman spun about with a glowing green sword. Venice, an extremely tall swordswoman, cleaved an entire batch of monster with a single Cyclone sword skill, slamming one heel down to stop her movement before swinging the large two-handed sword she was using up onto her shoulder.<br><br><strong>"Hoo . . it really does make a big difference, increasing the height and utilizing larger weapons. Seems my information gathering was the right option after all."</strong><br><br>Since the very hour the game had gone on sale, Venice aka Shinozaki Yuri had been playing the game nonstop, utilizing her knowledge as a beta tester to get into some important low-level quests before others could get them. She'd skipped the tutorial-like quests to teach people how to play the game, instead focusing on one that made a delivery for a blacksmith, earning herself a &lt;Greatsword&gt; to replace her starting one-handed straight sword with. It was really a big experiment to see if she could make up for her lack of practice in actual fighting (She was a delicate rich girl after all!) with better gear and reach, and so far it had been a resounding success. She'd been playing for hours now and was already thinking she'd be able to slip ahead to the next town and get even further ahead of the others. If she wanted to really make a name for herself, being the first person to make it to the boss of Floor 1 would certainly do it . . .<br><br>Just as she made eye contact with the next hopeless little piggy to be sacrifice on her sword, a group to the left of her was swallowed up in white light and disappeared. Glancing back towards them, and the city, she saw more and more towers of light appearing, only for herself to be teleported as well ending up in the middle of a crowd of THOUSANDS of users just like her. Well . . almost. She was superior to them, of course. Still, it became progressively harder to keep her mask of aloof confidence as Kayaba himself appeared above them and informed the player base exactly how screwed they all were. Venice wasn't worried though. Or rather . . she wasn't, until she looked at one of the floating newscast windows and saw the headline.<br><br><em>'Heiress to the Shinozaki Conglomerate unconscious!'</em> Up there she saw herself being loaded off of a helicopter, her own father meeting with a group of doctors to wheel her physical body inside of the most expensive private hospital in Tokyo, her body obscured by the ludicrously expensive silk pajamas and the Nervgear obscuring her face from view. A little dizzy, she leaned heavily on her sword, a hand reaching up to palm her face as she tried to control her breathing. It was real . . that psychopath put her in real danger, and daddy brought her to the best hospital he could to take care of her . . that meant she was really trapped. Still in a daze she barely registered Kayaba's words, seeing the people around her checking their inventories. A few button presses later and she held a mirror in one hand, her beautifully rendered Irish reflected in the mirror. Imagine the horror when light overwhelmed everyone again, and in the place of the six-and-a-half foot warrior was replaced with a positively teensy, pale Japanese girl, light brown hair hanging limply around her shoulder and pale face locked into a disgusted expression.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">(http://i1027.photobucket.com/albums/y331/ReverseAdonis/ba245cbac4170be9e3ce5201ad0345e23b4aafa7.jpg)</div></div><br>Her massive sword was taller than SHE was, and she looked around in a panic, noting that everything was just . . bigger! A foot and a half difference in height change and arm length, and all of her plans and practice were ruined. Feeling what was surely a panic attack beginning to set in she began to back away from the larger clumps of people in the crowd, her weapon discard and laying on the ground as she tried to focus, bumping into the gorgeous blonde foreigner and finding it VERY difficult to control her breathing at this moment in time.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mysterica</strong> on <strong>02-03-2015, 01:23:07</strong>
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				Selene smiled as the world around them suddenly changed to bring them back to the starting town.&nbsp; Not only did it take the two girls to their destination, but it also meant that this must be the big opening day event she had been expecting.&nbsp; Selene immediately looked at Artemis and blurted out, "I knew there had to be some kind of event being planned.&nbsp; We might have missed this if we just logged off... oh come on what are you looking at?"&nbsp; Selene jerked her head over to where Artemis's was glued just in time to see one warning label suddenly expand to become a crimson sky of bad news.<br><br>Selene pulled up her menu to check for the existence of a 'log out' button along with everyone else upon hearing the abysmal news and instinctively reached out to squeeze Artemis's hand for support.&nbsp; At the mention of an item Selene scrolled through the sea of 'new' tags next to all the minor junk items she had acquired from earlier until she found &lt;mirror&gt;.&nbsp; She clicked on it and for a moment saw her reflection before bright lights all around made her world go white.<br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Mizuki</div><div class="spoiler_body">(http://safebooru.org//samples/1291/sample_95d9346b4d67b76bc6e688187c6d36609bc26430.jpg?1344533)</div></div><br>When the glare died down she looked back at the item but now she saw her real face staring back at her.&nbsp; She dropped the mirror in shock and looked to her side but instead of Artemis it was Sara looking back.&nbsp; For a moment she thought she might cry, but then came an oddly reassuring warning from a gorgeous girl just walking past as though nothing had happened.&nbsp; With a deep breath Selene steeled herself and answered "Yes it's me Sara, but please... it'll make this easier if you still call me Selene for a while. Even after all this, this is still a game, we have stats that increase as we progress.&nbsp; Mizuki can't change the world around her, but Selene can fight to change this one."&nbsp; Despite her bold statement she was shaking and more than welcomed the distraction of a girl bumping into Sara.&nbsp; "H-Hello... um... are you alright?"&nbsp; She asked the girl, not really sure how to help her.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daril</strong> on <strong>02-03-2015, 02:13:41</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/9/91/SaraM.png)</div>Artemis stared in disbelief as the tall swordswoman who interrupted her and Mizuki to dispense advice on how they should proceed.&nbsp; How could anyone just accept this situation at face value?&nbsp; It was crazy.&nbsp; Selene's words also sounded crazy, though since Selene was her friend Artemis tried to be a <em>little</em> more understanding with her.&nbsp; The blonde archer was about to reply to her friend's statement when she felt something bump against her and looked down to see a girl with light brown hair and glasses looking up at her.&nbsp; The girl was small -even smaller than Mizuki- and seemed to be on the verge of a serious panic attack.&nbsp; Artemis quickly placed her hands on the girl's shoulders.<br><br>"Are you okay?" she enquired.&nbsp; Her Japanese had a bit of an accent, but was otherwise nearly perfect.&nbsp; Glancing over at Selene, Artemis noticed that her friend was also shaking slightly, though not as much as the smaller newcomer.<br><br>"Let's get out of here," Artemis suggested.&nbsp; Placing her arm around the newcomer's waist and drawing the smaller girl in close, the blonde archer began to push her way towards the edge of the crowd.&nbsp; She couldn't take this craziness at face value, but she could be practical in her own right.<br><br>High above their heads, Kayaba finally finished his speech and withdrew.<br><em><br>"Players, I wish you luck."</em><br><br>The whole square errupted into angry cries, and Artemis surged forward, pausing only long enough to make sure that Selene was able to keep up with her.&nbsp; She didn't stop until they reached one of the town gates.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Latooni Subota</strong> on <strong>03-03-2015, 02:15:40</strong>
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				<strong>"Th . . this is . . nonsense!"</strong><br><br>The petite girl was shaking, pale-faced as she offered no resistance to being pulled away from the crowd. The analytical part of her recognized the value of getting the hell out of dodge before panic set in, but she just couldn't focus. Too many errant thoughts running through her head. She'd died SO MANY times in the beta, so the size and reach she'd chosen were her only real advantages. Without those safety nets she'd be dead in a week! Hell, she'd fought entire MOBS earlier and was brought to critical health numerous times while she experimented with her character, if even one of those hits had been a Critical Hit instead of her body being sent to a hospital it'd be sent to a MORGUE. She barely processed the words of the blond and the black-haired girl, one hand moving to partially cover her face as she willed herself to calm down and focus. There were almost ten-thousand players in this game, and she knew just how big the towns on the first floor were. It would be crowded and full of panicky people, over-farming the nearby hunting grounds . . they'd be living in utter poverty! Her fear was partially overridden by her pride, as her hazel eyes flicked over to the others with her. They were a lot calmer than most of the others . . . She'd never survive on her own, but if she had help . . <br><br><strong>". . . I'm okay now. I just . . I saw myself on one of those news reports. My real body, that is. I can handle this."</strong><br><br>Extricating herself from the admittedly comfortable place she had clinging to the blond woman, she ran both of her hands through her hair, trying to figure out just the right words to say. She was a Shinozuka damn it! She couldn't be some whiny little brat begging for help.<br><br><strong>"We . . We need to leave this town. Things are going to get worse before they get better."</strong> She let the statement hang in the air, clearly fishing for interest in what she was saying.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daril</strong> on <strong>04-03-2015, 02:40:16</strong>
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				Artemis' initial goal was to get as far away from the square as possible, but she hesitated when she reached the gate.&nbsp; It would be dangerous out there, especially now that it was getting dark out.<br><br>The tall blonde felt something stir against her, and looked down to see the tiny brown haired girl she'd been holding close during the flight from the square extricate herself from Artemis' grasp.<br><br><em>". . . I'm okay now. I just . . I saw myself on one of those news reports. My real body, that is. I can handle this."</em><br><br>Artemis nodded sympathetically as the tiny brown haired girl explained what had happened, but frowned and shook her head when the girl recommended they leave the town right away.<br><br>"Let's not do anything rash," she advised.&nbsp; "It's getting dark out.&nbsp; We should find someplace to stay for the night and decide what we're going to do in the morning."<br><br>With luck, this whole thing would blow over by then.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Latooni Subota</strong> on <strong>05-03-2015, 05:21:50</strong>
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				Venice winced a bit as the blond woman tried to shoot down her idea, and vehemently shook her head, chestnut-colored hair swinging about her shoulders.<br><br><strong>"You don't understand. People . . well . . mob mentality is a thing, and god only knows what some of the crazier or desperate players might due."</strong> Wait, fear probably wasn't going to work. Scratch that, go for greed and pride. <strong>"Besides, if we stay here all the good early quests are going to get taken, and the hunting grounds are going to be overhunted. We'll be at a huge level defecit compared to the smart players who went on to grab the better quests immediately. If that happens it'll be even more dangerous for us in this game. Listen, I was a beta player. I admit that I wasn't very good at the whole fighting thing, but I normally play support classes and merchants in mmorpgs anyways. I spent most of the beta gathering information on quests and mob drops and the like, so believe me when I say it's really important that we move on before the other thousand beta players take all the good stuff. It's a little dicey, but I can probably lead you guys to the next town with only having to fight a few wolves. They're tougher than those pigs, but you two look tough enough that you can handle it. With my help, of course. My name is Venice by the way."</strong><br><br>Just gotta keep talking, convince them that you know exactly what you're talking about. Venice was a natural born leader, a princess amongst commoners, damn it. She wasn't gonna let a little fear keep her from grabbing allies to protect her, and if she helped them out early with good advice, they'd have no choice but to stick with her right?
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				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mysterica</strong> on <strong>05-03-2015, 08:22:08</strong>
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				Selene listened to the exchange between her friend and the previously panicked girl carefully and couldn't help but find herself on Venice's side.&nbsp; If they ever wanted to be top tier players they couldn't afford to remain low level on the first floor.&nbsp; "I... think she is right <em>Artemis."</em>&nbsp; She said as she put one hand up on the girl's shoulder.&nbsp; "The first twenty-four to fourty-eight hours here are going to be very important to be strong enough to ever win this game.&nbsp; There will only ever be a handful with high enough a level and be equipped well enough to fight in the front lines and survive, and working with a Beta tester will help us make it through this."
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				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daril</strong> on <strong>06-03-2015, 23:50:55</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/9/91/SaraM.png)</div>Artemis shook her head.<br><br>"Look, the hooded cloaked guy may have said we need to fight our way out, but do you really think he can keep up trapped her forever?&nbsp; This could all be over tomorrow.&nbsp; So let's not do anything risky.&nbsp; Our priority for the time being should be to <em>stay alive</em>."<br><br>Artemis wasn't even entirely sure the cloaked figure was telling the truth when he claimed that dying in the virtual world meant dying in the real world, but she was inclined to play it safe for the time being.<br><br>"Besides," the blonde archer noted as she reached back and touched her quiver.&nbsp; "We should get supplies if we're going to be leaving town.&nbsp; I've used up over half my arrows, and you don't even look like you have-"<br><br>Artemis paused.<br><br>"Uh, what was your name?" she asked Venice.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Latooni Subota</strong> on <strong>07-03-2015, 05:46:37</strong>
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				Half a success was better than no success, she supposed. Sighing and letting her shoulders slump a bit, she blinked up at the blond again.<br><br><strong>"Venice, I said. Like the city."</strong> She pulled up her inventory screen, frowning a bit, before tapping a few buttons to cause the basic shortsword all players begin with to appear on her hip. <strong>"I had a much bigger sword I got from a quest, but I .&nbsp; . sorta . . dropped it, back in the chaos. Probably long gone by now. Doesn't matter too much though, since it's too big for someone my height to effectively use anyways. My avatar was big EXPLICITLY to use those weapons too . . Jeez. Still, if we take it slow and sneaky, it shouldn't be too difficult to get to one of the nearby towns and get to some better hunting grounds. If I was solo there's no way I'd be able to do it, but with three of us we should be able to get our hands on some good quests and not get stuck competing for hunting grounds around here."</strong>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mysterica</strong> on <strong>14-03-2015, 07:56:06</strong>
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				"Nice to meet you Venice."&nbsp; Selene said clapping her on the shoulder.&nbsp; "I understand what you mean Artemis but we have to hope for the best but prepare for the worst.&nbsp; The stronger we are the better and we should take advantage of the offer from a beta tester.&nbsp; Let's sell our junk, get Artemis full on arrows, and maybe a health item or two just in case for the trip and head out.&nbsp; The three of us should be able to watch out for each other if we work as a team."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daril</strong> on <strong>15-03-2015, 20:34:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/9/91/SaraM.png)</div>Artemis sighed.<br><br>"Can't you two wait until morning?" she muttered, then composed herself.<br><br>"All right.&nbsp; But we're only going as far as the first village.&nbsp; If we really do die when we're killed in this game, I don't want to be doing stupid things like grinding in the dark."<br><br>The tall blonde turned and began to walk back the way they had come.&nbsp; Her body language and brisk stride made her irritation very apparent.<br><br>"Let's go find a weapons shop.&nbsp; Are you going to need anything, Venice?"<br><br>Despite her irritation at what the smaller girl had dragged her into, Artemis was concerned about Venice's ability to protect herself should they get into trouble.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Latooni Subota</strong> on <strong>21-03-2015, 02:48:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Yes! Score! Mission accomplished! With the others caving in, now she had a chance at getting ahead of the curve and not being stuck back in loserville with the other 9000+ players in a tizzy over being trapped in the game. Just because she was stuck here and it was truly dangerous didn't mean her original objectives had changed. In fact, they became more important than ever. She needed to amass power and wealth enough to be safe and comfortable, and her only shot at that was early alliances. Turning to the blond she shook her head in the negative, reaching up to open her menu and tap a few icons, before the beginner's short sword materialized on her hip as she re-equipped it.<br><br><strong>"I'm good, see? No sense in selling a weapon when it could make a passable back-up weapon. I've got some basic bandages, bread, and water too. Should be set for the hike to the next village."</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daril</strong> on <strong>21-03-2015, 06:53:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/9/91/SaraM.png)</div>Artemis gave Venice's short sword a dubious look.&nbsp; She carried the same type of sword herself, but hers really <em>was</em> just a back up weapon.<br><br>"Are you going to be able to protect yourself with that if we get into trouble?&nbsp; There's only three of us, and neither Selene nor I is a tank."<br><br>As she spoke, the blonde scanned the signs on the buildings ahead of her.&nbsp; The sight of one that said "Inn" made her sorely tempted to suggest that they reconsider their course of actions, but she kept going until she found a weapons shop.&nbsp; Opening the shop door, she ignored the greeting of the burly NPC shopkeeper and made her way over to the bows section.&nbsp; Picking up two quivers of arrows, she glanced at the assortment of bows, wondering if she might be able to afford an upgrade if she sold her current weapon.&nbsp; As she scanned the various short and long bows, a weapon in the next section over caught her eye.<br><br>"How about this?" Artemis enquired, walking over and picking up the weapon.&nbsp; It was a simple spear -a cheap weapon with low durability, but also one with light weight and a long reach.&nbsp; "You should be able to handle one of these, right?" she asked Venice as she turned to face the smaller girl.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Latooni Subota</strong> on <strong>22-03-2015, 03:17:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>"Of course I'm going to be able to protect myself!" Lie. "It's 'SWORD' art online, after all. Swords are great!"</strong><br><br>Venice followed the others along, quite happy to let them gather any additional gear they wanted. As far as Venice was concerned the goal was to not need the gear, and sneak past as many encounters as possible using the cover of night. When Artemis pulled a spear from the wall to show to Venice however, the girl blanched and shook her head 'no' vehemently.<br><br><strong>"There's nothing wrong with the starter weapon, as long as you use sword skills to make up for it's slightly lower stats. Besides, that thing is long as heck. I'd end up smacking one of you upside the head, or stabbing you in the kidney, or something. I'm fine as-is."</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daril</strong> on <strong>22-03-2015, 07:17:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/9/91/SaraM.png)</div>Artemis shrugged.<br><br>"If you say so.&nbsp; Just remember that I'm an archer and Selene relies on stealth.&nbsp; We aren't going to be able to do much to help you if the enemies get close.&nbsp; With this, you could at least keep them at bay."<br><br>Placing the spear back on it's rack, Artemis picked up one of the longbows in the bows section nearby and began to examine it.&nbsp; If she sold her current bow, then she'd probably <em>just</em> be able to afford a longbow.&nbsp; She liked the longbow's damage stat, but its sheer size gave her pause, as it seemed like it might get in her way.<br><br>"What about you, Selene?" Artemis enquired.&nbsp; "Anything you want to pick up while we're here?&nbsp; I might be able to lend you some col if you need it."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mysterica</strong> on <strong>26-03-2015, 00:41:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Selene laid back a bit to let Artemis and Venice get to know each other thinking it better to let them grow acquainted with each other on their own rather than get in the way and risk fanning the sparks into flame.&nbsp; When they reached the shop Selene began looking around at the various weapons constantly checking them against her dagger.<br><br>"No..."&nbsp; Selene responded after a time.&nbsp; "Thank you, but I think I'll just save up for a while.&nbsp; There are sure to be better things to buy in the next town.&nbsp; No need to buy equipment that's just going to be quickly replaced."&nbsp; She smiled and went over to the NPC to sell all of the unnecessary junk clogging her inventory from earlier.&nbsp; "Are we ready to get going now?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Sword Art Online: Yuri Edition (IC Thread)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Daril</strong> on <strong>26-03-2015, 04:34:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Artemis nodded as she purchased the quivers she had picked up and placed them in her inventory.&nbsp; She'd decided against getting a new bow for the time being, as the longbow seemed like it might get in her way if she had to run or defend herself at close range.<br><br>"I'm done here.&nbsp; I just need to pick up a few healing items and I'll be set."<br><br>Fortunately there was a merchant's shop that sold healing items just down the street, so the group was able to purchase the necessary items and get back to the gate before the sun sank much lower.&nbsp; Even so, Artemis found herself hesitating as she looked out at the sunset lit plain outside the town.<br><br>"Are you two <em>sure</em> about this?" the blonde archer asked her companions, hoping one last time that she could dissuade them from what she considered a foolish course of action.
			</dd>
		</dl>
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