Death of Mind, Birth of Girl, Welcome to Elder Tale [Solo]

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky Angel was laying down on the couch in the living room of the place she was staying at. It was a little apartment for two people, of which both spaces were occupied. They day was close to ending and she was keen to play more games, after resting her body for a while. Another day had passed by uninterestingly and her now habitual routine was completed. The basic day for her was now getting up, morning training with mock weapons, shower, make breakfast for uncle and self, eat, go to school, study as much as she can in school hours so she doesn't have to do it at home, come home, training once more, make dinner for two and leave one aside for late working uncle, and shower once more. With all of that done, she had free time. Her lunches consisted of leftovers from dinner, which she would eat either late and sometime after her shower, or when her uncle gets back. Her uncle worked full time as a stocker at an alcohol store which took him through the hours of 10am to 10pm. He would go from the supplier and unload at every store, stocking them at each store. Because of this, he often came back late and half the time either intoxicated or planning to get intoxicated. The rest of the time, he was rather good, but exhausted and tired. He took custody of his neice when she was 15 and has looked after her until now, 18. It was a learning curve for the both of them, one learning to let loose and relax while the other had to learn to live with a teenage girl who was afraid of him (and most other people). Over the years, they got accustomed to each other, though he had only seen Angel smile once or twice, and that was when he gave her presents. Checking the time, Angel was waiting for the Elder Tale game to launch. Having made dinner but not yet had her shower, she decided to eat first. She had made shepherd's pie which was still nice and warm with the cheese all melted. It was agreed that as long as she cooked the meals, she could make whatever she felt like. Her uncle earned enough to buy the ingredients, but he did say keep the cost as low as possible. In return, she makes one expensive meal a week, and the rest are innovative, cost-effective meals. One meal is never repeated in a week. She likes to expand her repertoire, after all. It was nice to cook instead of training to be a bodyguard or a linguist. She may not be built like one, but she was still a girl. Sitting down and eating dinner, Angel ate slowly and critiqued her cooking. The cheese was melted satisfactorily with a few burnt spots but the potato mash was a bit lumpy and dry for her. Next time, a bit more butter and add some milk, and mash it longer. The mince was the savory type which had the mixed veggies in it, so it made it simpler to assemble. It was heated well enough and still remained that tad bit juicy without going dry. The stock in it was nicely thick too, so it held together well. The first few times she made it, the mince would be squeezed out from the weight of the rest of the ingredients. Finishing her portion, she put it back in the oven where the heat would be retained longer and then checked the time again. She still had an hour to go. Standing up, she grabbed a change of clothes and her towel, moving into the bathroom. If she had half an hour, she would shower but with an hour, she would have a bath. Running the water and making it as hot as she could stand, she filled the bath while undressing. She hung her towel over the mirror as she hated seeing the scars on her body, but couldn't avoid it all the time. Taking off her clothes for the day, she put them in the washing basket and turned off the tap, soaking in the bath. Her scars quickly began to ache as she winced from the pain. She was use to it now. No matter what she does, she can never rid herself of those painful reminders on her body. Passing the time by soaking her hair in shampoo and conditioner, she lays there until the heat of the water begins to fade. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 750
| PARTY; Chain
| NOTES; SOLO
| made by lafayel ♡ btn[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky Feeling she had been in long enough, Angel got out of the bath and towel dried her hair first while standing on the bath mat. Not dried completely but to the point where it wasn't dripping, she dried off her body and put on her change of clothes consisting of black sleepwear for winter. She refused to wear short sleeves and shorts. The finishing touch was her favorite red scarf which she got for her most recent birthday. Her uncle knew how much it meant to her to cover up her scars, and the neck one was the hardest to conceal. Brushing her hair, brushing her teeth and then cleaning up the bathroom was the end. With still damp hair, Angel walked back out into the living room to check the time. She had about five minutes left. Feeling the time was right, she went back to her room with the lights out, curtains closed and turned on her computer. As it booted up, the pale blue light was the only source of illumination in the room. Within a few minutes, it was at the desktop. Running the Elder Tale launcher, she watched as the update was applied. At the same time it finished a patch, the game went live. Entering, she was taken to the character creation screen. She had thought about this beforehand. Pure white hair with light purple eyes, pale skin and any white clothing she could start off with. Height was a bit short than her, back to when she was 15, back to before she tried to end everything. Classes were Bard, Hitman and Wood Crafter, with the weapon and instrument being Scythe and Violin. She learned some violin from her uncle who use to play in an orchestra. And then her player name, Chain. Clicking start and going through the tutorial, she finished it up well enough and learned her controls, but then as it transported her avatar to the main world, her vision went black and she lost consciousness. She didn't know how much time had passed, but she woke up without much trouble. Opening her eyes, she was immediately confused. Why wasn't she in her room? What happened to playing Elder Tale? What was with the location she was in now? She had so many questions to ask, but absolutely nothing could answer her. She couldn't process any of the information around her as she was stuck internalizing everything. She didn't recognize where she was. As with most cliches, she pinched her cheek. It hurt. She really was here. She slapped herself to be sure. It still hurt. Looking at her hands, she saw that they were younger, softer, and not hers. Then some of her hair swayed in front of her. It was white. Pure white. Her original hair color was white, but she had dyed it to a light pink. Not only that, this hair was longer than hers. And then it hit her. This was her avatar. The character she had just made, ｢Chain｣. Angel stood up with shaky legs and looked around for a reflective surface. The entire place was in complete disarray and disrepair. Finding a reflective surface, she stared at her reflection. It wasn't her. It was Chain. It was her Elder Tale character. This world was... The world of Elder Tale. A game world, a world of dreams where she could start fresh. Something she always wanted. But, things were off. Something in her mind hadn't clicked yet. This was the world she wanted, a place she could escape to, but what was she missing? And then she remembered. Underneath that soft white skin she could see now were scars that would never disappear, neither from her body nor from her mind. What she was in now was just a shell she created in the image of her ideal appearance. A figure without scars, without flaws, flowing with feminism and not the mysterious yet hardened character she was in reality. Her name, Chain, was suppose to serve as a reminder that she could break free of those shackles and be whoever she wanted to be. But now, she was locked in this figure, this dream like avatar she always wanted but could never reach. What is the point of a dream if it is gained so easily? There was no mental gain, her mind had not been fixed. Her body was fine, but her memories, her experiences remained. The chains had just pulled her down further. The closer you are to your dream, the further away you are. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 750
| PARTY; Chain
| NOTES; SOLO
| made by lafayel ♡ btn[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky Angel was starting to panic and hyperventilate. Collapsing to her knees and clutching her chest, she did her best to hold back the tears. She didn't want to cry again. She lost all her tears a long time ago, and squeezed out the last few in that traumatic experience of hers. Biting her tongue, she felt the pain and tried to steady her breathing, holding her breath to begin with then letting it out slowly. She had to calm down. Her mind was already having enough trouble coping as it was, it didn't need the hassle of controlling a spastic body right now. To try take her mind off her own thoughts, Angel looked around at her surroundings. The scenery truly did look like the concept art she saw of the game on the net, so she was certain of where this was. Not that she needed any more convincing. And then she saw other people collapsed, slowly getting up. Other adventurers. It seems she wasn't the only one in this situation. And the amount of people in this area alone was shocking. So many players logged on and got trapped here. They were getting up one by one, and each inhibiting the same reaction she had to varying degrees. Some of them were really happy. Others started pressuring the People of the Land that looked bewildered and frightened of the aggressive appearing adventurers. But there were also some other players going around trying to give out information and calm people down to reassure them. They must have been logged in and woken up before most of the others. Not many people would be willing to do that normally, so they must have been experienced players from overseas. Their demeanor showed as much. There were some other normal looking adventurers who were simply going with the flow and got over the shock easy. But something was scaring her just as much as her own thoughts. The amount of male players. Especially so close to her, some of them. She usually didn't mind in real life since she knew they couldn't do much and she ignored strangers for the most part. But this was another world. She had no idea who was who in this world, but knew that everyone was a stranger. And this world's rules were different than those in real life. In fact, there may not even be any rules. She was afraid. Afraid something might happen again if they get too close. She wasn't exactly traumatized by men, nor did she have a phobia of them. But she would get extremely unsettled if they approached too close to her without reason, especially if they had smiles on their faces. It was at that moment that some of the players approached her. Her pure white looks, so innocent, drew the attention of other male players. Similar to seeing salvation, they were quick to flock around her. Her unique choice of appearance had some of the gamers admiring her and saying praises, while others were just grouping together in the hope of hearing something useful. But it was frightening her. They were surrounding her, getting closer, trapping her. No more. No more. Unable to bear it, the fear in her eyes and on her face were clearly shown as she inaudibly screamed with mouth open, no sound coming out. Maybe someone with really good hearing would hear it. With the players in confusion over her silent scream and clutching her head, Angel took this chance to shove through them all and run. Any place without people. Just, somewhere away. She pushed her way through everyone and made her way to the city's exit after some running. She wasn't tired yet, but she didn't care. She also had her HUD turned off so she didn't know her own status, nor could she see names around her. Looking around as she reached the gate, she saw five male players running in her direction. They were chasing her. Knowing this, she began running again as fast as she could, out into the wilderness filled with monsters. She had no idea what awaited her there, but she didn't want to be around people. Her mind was reaching its limits. She couldn't take much more. With the memories of her hardships flowing back into her head, she felt like she would burst. Why now? Why was it coming back now? She didn't want to remember! Was it because the scars were no longer on her body? She ran. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 750
| PARTY; Chain
| NOTES; SOLO
| made by lafayel ♡ btn[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky Angel kept running without a care for direction. Scenery, monsters, everything flashed her by. Not long after, she felt exhausted and collapsed down facing a tree. She had gone into the greatwoods and gotten lost. But there were no people, so she was happy. But that was not so. With the sound of footsteps on grass, she felt the fear creeping back up on her. Why did this game have to be so realistic now? Surround sound, full graphic rendering, 3D animation, the works. Why did she have to leave her room? Why did she have to be here? Slowly turning her head, she saw the five guys from earlier approaching. Falling on her behind, she pushed her way up to the base of the tree, feeling like it was a wall at her back, preventing her from getting away. Her mind began racing as these realities plagued her mind. Angel didn't have a fear of being trapped, or of males, but the combination of the two reminded her of that traumatic experience in the past which caused her to attempt suicide. Letting down her guard and accepting an invitation to the rooftop view, only to be trapped on the stairwell by those boys and then abused by a group who hated her existence. It was people like them that caused Angel to vent her frustrations when they presented themselves. At one point, it was a girl picking a fight in school which she won, but went too far and broke both arms of the girl by standing on her back and slowly, painfully pulling them further back. It was always her getting beaten up by her mother who said it was 'training', and then shackled to everything else by her father who said 'it was for her own good'. Having finally reached her, the five players stayed a distance away, saying what was suppose to be a joke, followed by some questions, wondering if she was alright. But Angel couldn't hear them. The sound wasn't registering in her ears. All she could hear was the sound of her mother hitting her in training, all she could see was the mock weapons coming at her. Getting no response from the trembling girl, one of the male players closes in on her to supposedly pat her shoulder. As he got closer, Angel started backing away. Seeing her name, the guy called her by the name Chain and for a moment she froze. Chain. Chains? The feeling of those shackles around her ankles, her wrists, her neck, that sensation came back out of the blue. In her vulnerable state, any stimulus would do, if it related to her bad memories at all. He was getting closer to her. Too close. Not only were shackles chained to her in her mind, but hands. Those flesh pieces gripped her where she had shackles in the past. Grabbing those bruises and scars made it hard to fight back. Even with her everyday sparring, she could do nothing but watch that time. As that guy had approached her as well. They didn't even bother gagging her since it was so late after school that no one would be around the stairwell. But back then, she was saved, if only by a few centimeters. Although she hadn't been defiled by eyes at that point, the act itself and her proximity to it was still just as horrifying. That one male student who had saved her. If not for him, she would probably hate all guys out there, except maybe her uncle. But there was no one here. All she saw in front of her was a male player with four others standing around. The one closing in on her was kneeling down to her height, hand stretched out towards her. No. Get away. No more. On the verge of breaking, her mind began seeking a way out. It no longer could think positively. Everything was a threat. It tried to find a time when such fears and frustrations were settled down, and ways of being rid of the cause of the problem. The conclusion was simple. Kill them. Tear them apart. With her bangs covering her eyes, head drooped, the black scythe materialized next to her. In that second of bewilderment, the male player was taken back. With a stream of tears from each eye, the avatar Chain cried silently as she left a large gash in the body of the male player who fell backwards in pain. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 750
| PARTY; Chain
| NOTES; SOLO
| made by lafayel ♡ btn[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky Her conscious thinking was shut down. Angel had retreated to the back of her mind, leaving Chain in control of her body. The experiences of Angel, those muscle memories which remember how to fight with a weapon. She was no longer thinking, just letting her mind do what it wanted. Similar to how people multitask, they get to the point when they no longer realize that they are doing and are simply just doing it. Sure, complacency would usually appear at this point and habits become apparent, but it was enough. To fight without thinking was enough. Scythe in one hand, Chain with tears rolling down her cheeks approached the player she had just cut. He was writhing on the ground, feeling the sting of the hit. Apparently it could hurt, but not as much as reality. At least not with the amount of health he had lost so far. While the other four were stunned and unsure of what was happening, Chain raised her weapon again and stabbed the scythe into the player, dropping his life again. He didn't have time to draw a weapon. The combined sight of being attacked and feeling pain had him wrapped in fear. As a Bard, Chain's overall damage was low since the class was meant for enhancing a party. Still, what she lacked in character stats, she made up for in experience. There was a game she played a while back which you could do one on one combat against an opponent up to 50 levels higher than you. A single hit would be the death of you, but she won it at least once, simply by gaining enough experience in fighting that opponent. The same thing applied here. With her combat know-how and experience from reality, she could utilize it here. Spinning the scythe in circular motions, she kept carving it into the adventurer's body as he tried to crawl away, eventually on his stomach and crawling away. After she stopped at one point, he stood up and tried to run. But it wasn't enough. Stabbing her scythe into the ground, Chain grabbed both arms of the player and kicked the backs of his knees to bring him to the ground. Still with a tight grip on his wrists, she held the pressure points despite being unsure if they work, and then stood on the guys back. Just like that time back in school. With the tears drying on her face and a couple drops of that virtual blood on her cheek, a sinister smile spread from ear to ear as she bared her teeth. Slowly, she pressed down on his back and pulled those arms straight and together. Eventually, snap. Hearing that sound, she let go and picked up her scythe, giving the final blow to the player. With a slow drag through that avatar, she pulled all the way through and saw the body begin to disintegrate into light. As it vanished, the blood somehow remained both on her scythe and her face. Her white hair remained surprisingly clean during all of this. Bringing the blade of the scythe to her mouth, she licked that blood. It really did taste like blood. That taste of iron she was familiar with after licking her own wounds, so to speak. Realizing she was drinking the blood of someone she just cut down, her face distorted in agony as she collapsed to her knees again, clutching her head. Why did it all come to this? Why was she doing what she was doing? It didn't matter. She had already started, so she may as well finish it. Standing up again, gripping her scythe tightly, the tears of the avatar called Chain began to flow anew. Her tears in real life had dried up, but this avatar was only just given life perhaps a few hours ago. Its tear ducts were still capable of producing tears. Unlike her own. Taking a slow step forward, she swayed slightly as her mind re-adjusted. And then another step. The last four players equipped their weapons, but only one of them drew so as to not appear like they were ganging up on her. Truthfully, she didn't care if she died. In fact, she welcomed it. If only she could die, she could be through with this torture. But they wouldn't let her die in real life. Her lips finally moved to make a word. But the only words they said, with a shaky voice, was... ｢No... more...｣ never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 750
| PARTY; Chain
| NOTES; SOLO
| made by lafayel ♡ btn[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky A second player readied his weapon and approached Chain. He was using a one handed sword without a shield on his off hand. He was approaching on the defensive, probably not willing to attack despite what had just happened in front of him. Either he was calm and optimistic about the fact that people can revive, or he simply didn't care about the other guy anymore and was afraid for his own life. Saying some words, asking Chain to calm down, he got no verbal response back. Instead, she leaped forward scythe first, hacking at the guy who raised his sword to block the weapon. He at least had some knowledge of physics or combat as he took a step forward and tried to block as close to the hands as possible. This served to reduce the amount of force required compared to taking it at the end. That said, not dodging meant that the scythe blade was now in a position to gouge out his back if he gave ground at all. Having come to a halt, Chain's mind began its tunnel vision, ignoring everything else and posing questions with no answers. Why was the weapon stopped? Why didn't it go through? What is in the way? What to do now? Without Angel being able to follow her own thoughts, her body continued to move as she kept the pressure against her opponent. Applying force to the blocked weapon of hers, she slowly walked backwards, causing the blade end of her scythe to start closing in on the male player. Seeing this, the guy thought quickly about what to do. When the blade was just about to cut into him, he angled his sword to the side, causing the pole of the scythe to slide off and cut into the ground. Having figured how to defend against a scythe, the male player seemed more determined in his approach. With confidence, he began walking towards her again. Bad move. How have they not learned yet that they shouldn't approach her? Why aren't they trying to understand her better? Understand how she feels? Instead, they try to play the hero and try to calm this girl down with actions and words without thinking about what to do. Feeling a bit of rage among her frustration and fear, Chain began her attacks anew, repeatedly spinning and slashing with her Scythe as the guy backstepped and sidestepped out of harms way time and time again. But he was only serving to irritate the white haired girl. Just when she was about to lose her temper, the guy was backed into a tree where he couldn't dodge. Taking this opportunity, Chain thrust the bottom of the pole into the guts of the male player. Hunching over from having his chest hit hard with a blunt weapon, the guy let his guard down for a moment too long as the scythe came swinging down, slicing through his shoulder. It hurt, but it wasn't that he couldn't bear it. Getting hit two more times before managing to roll out of the way, he stood up weakly with his sword at the ready. His life had dropped by about one quarter. If he wasn't careful, the more experienced and faster girl would have him sent to the cathedral just like the other guy. On that note, the person who died first was still at the cathedral, shaking and trying to understand what happened. Only after his death did he realize his mistakes and whatnot, but it was too late. He hadn't made friend requests, so had no idea how to get back to the others. Chain didn't let up one bit. She charged forward as the other three guys watching could only watch in both fear and awe at this fairy of death dancing a strangely beautiful yet deadly medley with precision. The one male player being attacked was finally attacking for real now, trying to get the upper hand, but it was about even. His avatar stats was about even with Chain's experience, so it was at a standstill. Until he saw an opening and took it. Chain had faked it. Having looked like she tripped, she had lost her balance and stance. Recovering from this spectacularly by using her scythe as a crutch, she pushed off the ground, supporting her weight on that weapon and changed her direction enough to get out of the way of the strike, retaliating with a decisive spin and slash which cut the male player down. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 750
| PARTY; Chain
| NOTES; SOLO
| made by lafayel ♡ btn[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky As the second player was sliced down, Chain made sure to finish the job by finishing it with a fancy spin and then a horizontal spin of the body, swinging the Scythe so that the blade pierced the player's back and went through him. Her style of combat was one where the movement was fluid and sharp, allowing momentum to be carried along and then delivered over and over. It may look like dancing, but it conserves energy and power in it, making it suitable for weaker women so that they can match up to men. In a way, this was a good style of combat as it could bring the weak Bard onto an even level with a stronger opponent. At least under certain circumstances. The movements would also flick off any blood on the weapon with some sharp parabolic turns. Similar to how the samurai Iai style works. Realizing that she has just cut down a second person, Angel felt sick. Mainly from the fact that she enjoyed doing so. Without tears this time, she silently looked onwards in a daze. She no longer cared about what was happening around her. The three remaining players were now looking to attack her. By all rights, all three of them could take her down together but for some reason, they weren't attacking as a group. Maybe their morals set them apart as preferring to fight fairly, rather than overpowering in a situation like this. They most still be viewing Elder Tale as a game, seeing above their characters and viewing the situation as a player challenging others, rather than a fragile girl breaking down mentally. With that, the next challenger approached. He seemed overconfident, almost obnoxious with the way he held himself, as if he thought he could do this without losing any health. Whether this proved to be true or not was about to be tested. Seeing the next opponent, Chain began attacking again. Swinging her Scythe, she aimed for the left flank of her opponent only to be stopped by a shield. In his other hand was a spear, useful for thrusts but not so much for swinging. However, a powerful lancer should be able to blow away opponents with a swing of their lance. With no shield and a weapon that specializes in swinging or spinning, Chain was at a disadvantage. The best she could do was attack as quickly and often as possible to prevent any chance of a counterattack. Blow after blow was either getting blocked or parried by that large shield. The player must be of the Guardian class, but he was only wearing leather. Prioritizing mobility most likely, or simply a matter of preference. And then the male adventurer pushed with his shield at the same time Chain attacked, causing a knockback. Being taken by surprise and losing her stance, Chain watched as the point of the lance struck her in the abdomen. It didn't end there as the guy thrust one more time, landing it in her shoulder before spinning around and swinging the lance to knock her back. The guy must have had a great sense of creativity or imagination to come up with a random combo like that which had no form or style. Falling down and feeling sore, Chain slowly got up and saw her white clothing and hair getting stained, albeit a little, by that blood. Touching the wounds, she saw the blood on her fingers and her face was one of terror. Those memories of all the times she had endured so much pain in her training came back to her. Enraged, Chain renewed her attacks with a fervor as she used the knockback from colliding with the shield to speed it up in the opposite direction, rapidly striking with an increased fury. Getting overwhelmed quickly, the overconfident adventurer's face began to contort under the pressure as he suddenly felt his left arm lighten. Chain had used the scythe's curve to strike off his arm, followed by a few rapid kicks to knock him back and knock him down. Having lost 20% of her health and now at an advantage, Chain stood with a foot on the mans back as he tried to get up and placed her scythe under his neck. Putting pressure on his back and yanking the scythe upwards in one motion, she pulled off a critical hit in the form of a beheading as the already weakened player was finished off and sent to the cathedral. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 750
| PARTY; Chain
| NOTES; SOLO
| made by lafayel ♡ btn[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky Turning slowly to the remaining two male players, Angel surrendered her mind to the pleasure and stress relief she was feeling from the killing, turning a blind eye to what she was actually doing. At least for the meantime. She just wanted her mind to calm down, to stop thinking and making her panic like she is. To get away from those memories in her head. She could screen out what she was doing, but end up viewing the memories of her past as if she were still there, or she could turn away from her memories and look at the harsh present of what she was really doing. Her only salvation was to retreat to those days she was with her uncle and moving on, but she was lost in the jumble of memories composed of bad times in her head. The easiest way would be to reset it all, go back to the start. The two remaining players hardened their resolve. They knew that this would be it. The two of them strengthened their grips on their two-handed sword and staff as they got into a line formation. The first one was a swashbuckler while the second was a sorcerer. In her current state of mind, Chain had no strategy or tactics, or even able to recognize them. The best would probably be instinct, intuition and experience on knowing her blind spots or possible counters against her. Still, there was no knowing how this battle would turn out. By all means, she should die here. But just like the protagonist in a typical shounen manga, she wasn't going to go down. Charging forward, her scythe clashed with the two-handed weapon and was overpowering her. Pushing her back, Chain leaped backwards just in time to avoid a slash since the two-handed had a slower attack rate than a scythe. But that wasn't good enough. Seeing a flash of light, a white strip slipped past the swashbuckler and struck the Bard's torso, lowering her health by another 15%. That made a total of 35% damage by this time. If she wasn't careful, she would surely die this time. The more damage and pain she took, the more Chain's retaliation grew. Without waiting, she got back up and began attacking the swashbuckler again, parrying instead of taking on hits directly. This way, she could continue to fight without losing her stance and risking a counterattack. And between this, she kept a keen eye on the sorcerer as she adjusted where she stood so the two-hander was in between at all times. With this, that spell would be locked down. He could move around, sure, but without considering his surroundings, he may be the one attacked instead. And it seems he thought he was safe. He began to change his position for a better shot as he went behind a tree. In this time, Chain parried an attack to a certain side so that she could slip to the opposite side and chase the sorcerer. If she was quick enough, she could get him as he came around the tree. She was confident in her speed, in that regard. Managing to slip by the swashbuckler, she rounded the tree to see a finger pointed directly at her heart, and a white light about to shoot forth. With barely any time to spare, her instincts kicked in as she let her legs go limp and curled her body up, falling down to the ground. The time it took to cast and for her to fall were just enough apart that the mana arrow shot by over top of her. But now she was pinned to the ground with a staff holding her down, a finger pointed at her, and a two-handed blade aimed at her a meter away. It seemed they were talking about restraining her for now until Chain calmed down. Something about not wanting to kill someone, especially with the realism that was involved. It was the sorcerer who was understanding the best as he spoke how she must be so afraid at the moment. Finally, someone who realizes, but oh so late. Too late for redemption. Muttering a few words, Chain was barely audible but the sorcerer noticed. Leaning in closer, he heard those words with eyes wide. ｢Accept our dominion. Reap our malediction. Welcome... to Oblivion...!｣ With those words, the staff holding her down was knocked away as her scythe was readied and a skill was activated. As if spinning a baton, the scythe rotated and sliced up the sorcerer who had a low maximum health to begin with. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 750
| PARTY; Chain
| NOTES; SOLO
| made by lafayel ♡ btn[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky Finishing the skill, the sorcerer was still at about 35-40 percent health remaining. But Chain didn't stop. While the poor guy was in a state of shock, she sliced up the last of him, not relenting in the least, cutting away at him until he had fully vanished and gone to the cathedral. In response, the angered swashbuckler was through playing around. The sorcerer wanted to restrain her since sending her to the cathedral, assuming they lived, would meaning losing track of her. The swashbuckler no longer cared. Four people had been player killed in front of him, and the person who did it was a girl who had gone insane. There was no talking to this one anymore. Facing each other now, the white bloodstained Bard readied her scythe while the infuriated two-handed swordsman began his charge at her. Chain was at a major disadvantage in this one on one. A bard is meant for a party, to support them using their unique skills. It is possible for them to serve other roles, but not very effectively depending on their stat distribution. But to go up against a two-handed sword wielded by a swashbuckler would be pushing it. To win this, her mind would have to be fully focused, using all the training she had been so harshly given since a young age. Bringing her full mind back to the present, she drew all her attention to her opponent. Looking only at the fight and processing how to move and attack, Angel would be able to take her mind off all distractions. Screening out her memories, her thoughts, her insecurities and her morals, she let only her instinct, knowledge and experience flow through her body. She had never won a battle against her mother, but that didn't mean she would lose to some random person she just met. Both kicking off the ground, their weapons clashed as Chain was repelled, kicking off to the side instead of backwards so that she could recover faster than if she went in the complete opposite direction of her force. Her advantage was experience and speed. She would need to take full advantage of this during battle. Jumping straight back into the fray, she did her best to keep a good posture and footing, slowly getting pushed back. Blocking blow for blow, she was on the defensive against the superior damage dealer, but she was managing to get a hit in every few blocks. Still, she was losing health at the same rate because of the blocking. Her health was now below 50%. And then the swashbuckler opened up some distance. As he did so, he got into a stance with his two-handed sword pointed at her. It looked like he was going to thrust with a slashing weapon. Suspecting a skill, Chain began activating her own as the cooldown had finished. Still with no HUD turned on, she had no idea what their health's were at but felt like she may not survive the skill and counterattack that follows it. Seeing the big blade glow, it was confirmed that it was a skill in use as her own scythe began to glow a similar color. Approaching as hers activated, Chain wanted to close the distance to make it harder for a thrusting weapon to attack. At the same time she walked forward, the opponent's skill activated. Already spinning her weapon, her skill activated a fraction of a second later. In response, the first stab of the dart tack skill hit her clear in the left flank, dropping her health by an additional 20 percent. But the next to attacks were countered. Her spinning of the scythe as a skill deflected the next incoming two attacks and finished by slashing one more time at the swashbuckler, knocking him backwards. With both skills finished, it was now a matter of who was first to recover. The first was the swashbuckler as he launched forward, lunging with his weapon. Having just used a lunging skill, it seemed he had unconsciously lunged again, and this was his downfall. Stepping backwards and to the side, Chain narrowly avoided getting impaled as she steadied her footing and charged forward to the side of her opponent, dragging her scythe from the ground and upwards into the swashbuckler. Cutting through a leg, she spun around and next sliced an arm. Not stopping, she did one final spin and planted the point of her scythe into the heart of her opponent. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 750
| PARTY; Chain
| NOTES; SOLO
| made by lafayel ♡ btn[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]

[Chain]

We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky Having cut down the last person, Chain stood there, holding her scythe. The swashbuckler fell onto her, sliding down her stiff figure as his body vanished and was sent to the cathedral. It was a wordless defeat. Her own health was at about 15 percent remaining, give or take a few percent. She definitely would have died if it wasn't for them taking it easy on her. There was a sense of satisfaction in her now. She felt accomplished, relieved, satisfied, and a bit indulged, sort of like feeling pleasure in a happy way, rather than the intimate way. Letting out a deep breath, a smile spread across her face as she looked up at the sky which was now mostly night. Feeling free of whatever may have been burdened with, she spread her arms and embraced the night. That feeling of freedom and hope for a better day. But... Her clear mind started to fade, and the reality as well as gravity of the situation flowed back into her thoughts. A mix of negative emotions ran through her face as she collapsed to her knees, dropping her scythe and grasping her head in pain. What had she done? She just murdered five people in cold blood. All to appease her troubled mind. And she had enjoyed it. Feeling something sticky on her hands, she slowly brought those trembling fingers in front of her face. Her delicate hands were smothered in blood. Looking at her white beginners cloth armor, she saw that it was stained red in many places. She was hurting all over, and her long white hair was disheveled, as well as discolored by the red that stained it. This avatar which was meant to be the embodiment of what Angel wanted to be had been defiled by her. This wasn't what she wanted. She just wanted to play a game and have fun, and use her avatar as a means to express who she really wanted to be. But now she had ruined it. That stained past of hers had tainted her way of thinking, and finally invaded her actions in this lawless world which did not abide by the rules of reality. A place where she could kill and let off steam. She was finally getting better, increasing her self esteem. She was getting through school and building relationships with others. She was creating bonds with people she could trust like her uncle. She had to make dinner tomorrow, and get her lunch ready. She had to do her daily routines. Her hair was still damp in her room, so she had to dry it. But no more. All of that was gone. This is who she is now. A killer. A silent scream came from her open mouth. Nothing would come out. She was broken. And then, she just collapsed. Falling to the side, her mind shut down. It was like a computer that had overloaded. It crashed and rebooted, running a recovery check. Her mind was now the same. It had crashed and was in the process of trying to fix the problem. The problems were apparent. But how to alleviate them? When was Angel most innocent? That would be her childhood, back when she was a baby who did not know any better, yet to be exposed to the world. What is it she wanted to be? A cute, innocent girl oblivious to the harsh reality that surrounded her. So her mind came up with a solution. Reset. Clear away all unnecessary memories and lock them away. With that, Angel had been reset back to a clean slate. Opening her eyes, Chain looked around aimlessly. She was like any other person now. But the difference is her thoughts. She had none. It was like an artificial intelligence with a self learning program just like a human, but with no pre-existing data on it. She had full motor functions and muscle memories, but simple actions like talking, eating and emotions were gone. She could finally remove any walls and express her emotions openly, but she did not know what emotions were. She did not know names of things. And with her HUD turned off, she knew only what she could see. The death of a mind, the birth of a girl. Standing up, Chain first found a stream and walked through it without thinking, causing the blood to wash away. She then walked back to town with what sense of direction she retained. Welcome to Elder Tale, Chain. never forget that the promise of tomorrow lies in your heart

[/font][/font] WORD COUNT; 750
| PARTY; Chain
| NOTES; SOLO
| made by lafayel ♡ btn[/ul][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/div]