Pork and... slimes? [Kaika && Hirosame]

[Elliot Grantham]

HP/---------------
MP/----------------

*GLOP*

Elliot shuddered as a fourth living wad of slimed oozed into view. They weren't attacking him, but that didn't mean that he wanted the dull green snot wads to follow him around. It was his fault he supposed. He was a heavy mana user, and he had walked into the forest alone. He froze as one of the slimes brushed up against him, its curious nature drawing it ever-closer to the Shaman. It felt like a living loogie was trying to give him a hug, and the other three were closing in.

Taking a deep breath, he started taking mental notes. After all, that is why he had gone into the forest anyway, to gather more information on the world in which he was living. The first thing that jumped out was that the dull green slimes were not malicious at all. He had only seen one attack after it had been attacked. Other than that, it just kind of sniffed out and then rubbed up against any magic user it could get its grubby little slimes on. He stifled a gag.

Despite their being green, the slimes did not blend well in the forest and actually stuck out like a commoner at the Queen's spring garden party. He sighed as a stiff breeze began to blow, ruffling his hair and taking away the smell of rotting leaves that had gotten themselves stuck to the slimes. Taking the opportunity in the hopes that his scent was scattered as well, he eased away from the slime... to no avail. He should have known that they relied on sensing rather than smell, but now he did and he took note of it.

"Eww... eww.. eww!" He hissed, using his staff to gently separate the slime from himself. He didn't trigger aggro, but that didn't mean the slime was happy. It started trying even harder to get closer, but Elliot had separated himself enough, and had definitely studied the slimes enough. Taking the opportunity, he leapt back and began to run, leaving the slow blob in his dust. His feet thudded loudly on the forest floor, but he didn't care. He reached a clearing and decided to take a rest on a large rock in the center. It wasn't huge, and his legs hung off of the side, but it was a decent resting place that wasn't the damp ground. It would do.

Word count: 401

TAG: Kaika Kokoro && Hirosame

[Hirosame]

Ah, a soft, glorious day. Another one of Hiro's days off, which he had a bit of time to kill. Today, he decided that he'd head back to his home in Moon Dance Forest, but not before taking a bit of a detour through the Windsor Greatwood. It was warm, but not too warm that the monk would've needed to shed his blue dress shirt, nor his dress pants. Hiro tipped the brim of his hat up a bit, looking up into the sunshine for a few moments, through the leaves as they danced above in the wind. His eyes shone brightly in the daytime light, and a soft smile brushed itself across his face. Fixing his hat once more, he put his hands into his pockets and continued moving forward. Luckily enough, the path that he was going to take for getting to his home was also the more scenic route, allotting him much time to look around and notice the beauties of nature, in the world that they were so kindly brought into. Hiro loved video games, for how beautiful they could make some scenery, and this was far from an exception. He reveled in this world's beauty whenever he could, and as often as possible. It kept him pretty happy.

However, as luck would have it, it seemed that another person wasn't quite so in the mood for watching the forestry around them, and he spotted a male running away from his current position, further into the forest. It seemed like he was going somewhere nearby the path, or was running away from something. Judging by the way that he ran, he could guess that the latter was probably more truthful, and that this person might need some help. Hiro hastened his pace a bit, trying to see if he could find the dude who blasted through the forest. He did manage to keep an eye on the direction from which the person was running from, and noticed a bunch of slimes in the distance, bouncing around all happily. It seemed like he was spooked by them or something, but he wasn't entirely sure as to why. The only actual reason why such a thing would happen was if the guy was of a particularly low level. He smiled a bit at the thought, but paid no mind to it a few moments later. For there, upon a rock nearby, was the person whom Hiro had seen running from that one direction. He wasn't going to criticize the man for running, or anything like that. Perhaps a light conversation?

"Hiya." Hiro began, extending one arm up in a wave. He hoped that he didn't scare the guy, who did seem to be of a low level. "Everything okay over here?" He asked, a soft expression still on his face. To the outsider, Hiro didn't necessarily look like he was the level that he was. So, perhaps he wouldn't look so intimidating in his current attire. Then again, maybe he looked more like a Lander, now that he thought about it. Maybe that's something he should consider for the future. A guy, with no visible weaponry at all, walks up to another person, who had just ran from some direction, possibly after having been chased by some low-level mobs, who sparked a conversation with somebody he didn't know, might seem a bit intimidating in and of itself. But hopefully, approaching in such a calm, relaxed manner, would stave off any thoughts that this person might be in trouble. "My name's Hirosame, but I'm mostly known as Hiro. What about you?" Conversationalism 101: Usually a good idea to start with names. Probably. Most of the time, it worked. If and when this person would respond, Hiro would begin to ask if they needed a hand with anything. If they said yes, he'd lend a hand. If they said no, then he'd be along his merry way, and allow them to continue sitting on top of that rock over there.

[670 Words]
Muse: aKu - The Final Blow
Tags: Elliot Grantham, Kaika Kokoro
Notes: PREPARE TO BE BLINDED BY MY FONT.

[Kaika Kokoro]

Kaika Human Monk Lv. 1

HP 60% MP 1%

STATUS: None

---

Kaika stood in the forest clearing, stretching her muscles. It was a little ways off from the path, and the perfect place to practice her abilities. Across from her, about five meters away, was a lone tree. Kaika closed her eyes, breathing calmly as a light breeze rustled through the nearby leaves. 'Focus... breathe...' She took a deep breath, tensing her muscles. '...and jump! ' Kaika crouched, and pushed against the ground with all her might, launching herself towards the tree, and almost two meters into the air. 'Aerial Somersault Kick! ' Instead of rolling along the ground as usual, she swung her arms in mid-air, using the momentum to spin forward, and strike the tree with an outstretched leg. 'Now, Wyver- ah! ' A piece of bark broke off from the tree, and Kaika lost her footing, flailing wildly as she hit the ground, hard. With a frustrated sigh, she shook herself off and stood up, brushing dirt and grass from her clothes. 'Why does a game have to hurt so much? ' Determined to succeed, she marched back to her starting place. 'Focus, breathe...' The rustling of leaves and warm sunlight helped to calm her nerves. "Again!" She leapt into the air, counting on her body to follow her mind. 'Higher! Somersault Kick! ' She spun through the air once more, this time even gaining a bit of altitude in her attack. Direct hit! She took a couple steps up the side of the tree to conserve her momentum, and bent her knees, swinging her arms over her head. "Wyvern Kick!" She felt a surge of energy rush through her body, and burst out through her feet, launching her skyward, well above the top of the tree...

The view was stunning. As Kaika sailed nine, ten, eleven meters above the ground, she saw the forest stretched out for miles ahead: the leaves blurring together into a vast sea of green. She twisted a bit, bringing her feet up over her head into a flip. The upside-down silhouette of Londinium blurred past as she tumbled, and the tree came back into focus. An electric tingle ran up her spine, as the second half of the skill kicked in. As if shot from a cannon, Kaika straightened her leg and plummeted towards her target, far below. She grinned with exhilaration as the ground rushed closer, striking the tree with a solid crack as splinters of wood exploded outward in all directions. She stumbled a bit from the sheer force of the blow, but managed to land on her feet. The clearing had gone quiet once more, save for the rustling leaves. 'That... was awesome.' Sighing contentedly, she sat back on the grass with a wet squelch.

'...squelch? ' Kaika's current outfit exposed a bit of her midriff, and she felt something cold and slick against her lower back. An unpleasant feeling making the hair on the back of her neck stand up, she slowly reached backwards, her hand colliding with something that felt like dish soap mixed with molasses. Her hand came back coated in... something green and dripping. It smelled like decaying plants. Fighting the urge to gag, she quickly and carefully stood up, an unfamiliar weight clinging to her backside, and turned to look behind her. The leaves continued to rustle, not from the breeze, but from several slimes emerging from the forest to join their comrades already in the clearing, all squirming slowly toward where she was standing. Beginning to panic, she glanced at her mana gauge, only to realize she had used it all up in her practicing. A slime started to scoot up next to her foot, and she reacted, kicking it violently away, and into another slime. And something changed. While they had seemed docile before, they now were starting to look... angry? The one she kicked was clearly agitated. She glanced around, looking for an escape route, and then was reminded of the extra weight on her rear. She swallowed hard and glanced over her shoulder, and was greeted by a writhing mass of oily green, and a status display: "Green Slime, Lvl. 7 / Normal". The inquisitive creature, unaware of its current situation, began to ooze its way up her back. Nearly in a state of shock, Kaika took a deep breath.

"AIIEEEEEEEEE!"

[Word Count: 714]

---

Skills Used: Somersault Kick, Wyvern Kick

Tags: Elliot Grantham Hirosame

NOTES: Not sure if anyone actually makes an "Aiee" sound when screaming, but I've seen it used in writing before lol. So much onomatopoeia in this post! >.<

[Elliot Grantham]

HP/---------------
MP/----------       

Elliot took in a deep breath as he wiped the sweat from his brow. He HAD to invest in some cloth armor. This chainmail mess was far too irritating and in the way for his line of work. Plus, it was tacky. He was sure there was someone somewhere who could make chainmail look good, but the beginner gear was far from that. Now cloth armor... cloth armor was where it was at. He had seen some really nice cloth armors both on some People of the Land and on fellow Adventurers. He almost wished he could be a tailor in addition to being a scribe. Maybe then he could get some good threads. He chuckled at his mental pun and made the decision to seek out a tailor. The emperor would have new, visible, clothes.

He was just about to hop down from his rock and continue into the forest when he heard a voice. Instinctively, his head snapped toward the sound and he raised his staff. He blinked when he saw the source however, as they were dressed in a rather blue-collar manner and carried no weapon. "Hi." He breathed in reply, his tone slightly questioning. He still had not gotten into the habit of automatically checking the interface when meeting a new person, but he could tell the person was at least more proactive leveling and gear-wise about being in the game than he.

"Yes, I'm quite all right. Just startled. I didn't know there was anyone else out here." His grip on his staff relaxed a bit and his stance dropped. The other man wasn't off the hook yet, but Elliot knew he could only get a five second head start if the other was out to player kill. He was dead meat if this guy wasn't a nice as he seemed. And he did seem nice. He had a very unassuming, non-aggressive posture, he introduced himself. Why, Elliot almost felt like he had been taken back home... if back home included a forest with remnants of skyscrapers and goo monsters.

His left hand dropped to his side as he dismounted the rock entirely. "I'm Elliot. Elliot Grantham." He replied, jingling slightly as he smoothed his chainmail and adjusted the strap of his bag. "A pleasure." a small grin tugged at the side of his mouth as the last of the surprise faded from his face. "Sorry about the staff and the 'grr...'. I've mostly stuck to research in my time here." The wind picked up again, and on it was the scent of the slimes he had left behind. He was almost grateful that they were not downwind of him, but then he remembered that they didn't need to follow their nose. His magic was like a homing beacon. From what he had seen though, he had run far enough to be out of their range.

As he looked down, he saw some of the leftover slime on his trousers and groaned. "Well, that's not good. Any hints on slime stain removal? I decided to do some field work today, and one slime became two, and then three. Once the fourth showed up, I decided to leave. They weren't attacking, but shawty kept trying to get low, and I just wanted shawty to go, go, go, go, go." He had to chuckle at himself. It was a very American song, but with how close those slimes were trying to get, he felt that it was more than appropriate.

He had said why he was in the forest, now it was the other's turn. "So, why are you out here? With the quality of your clothes, I'd think you'd be beyond such a place. Just out for a stroll?" he asked. It was a nice day, to be sure, especially when not in the midst of a slime sandwich. The sky was clear and bright blue, there was a rather consistent breeze, and it wasn't very humid. It would have even been a decent get fit day. As he thought about clothes getting sticky, his attention turned back to the man who had introduced himself as Hiro. He had some decent clothes, perhaps he knew of a good tailor! He was just about to ask when a massive crashing sound and a bloodcurdling shriek shattered the relative quiet of the forest.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, grip tightening on his staff. He took a deep breath and concentrated. "Summon Shikigami!" He felt the game begin to assist him in his magic as he spoke. The drain on his psyche was immediate and he saw his mana bar take an immediate hit. It would take five seconds for the spirit to manifest, but it would be a great help if there was someone being attacked. His hand began to glow as he moved it through the air in front of him, white trails of light remaining in the as he traced the symbols meaning 'spirit' and 'twin'.

Word Count: 831

TAG: Kaika Kokoro && Hirosame

[Hirosame]

While Hiro wasn't entirely sure how to react to somebody lifting a staff directly at him as he had made contact, he knew that this person was definitely wary of their surroundings after whatever had happened beforehand. Either way, though, the tensity in the air seemed to dissipate very shortly afterwards, as the man began to respond and speak himself. He had introduced himself as Elliot Grantham, a name which Hiro had found to be quite regal. A respectable name, for sure. The man explained that he was out for research, to which Hiro wouldn't have guessed as it had something to do with the slimes. Hiro waved his hand before his face, to dispel the man's worries of the introduction, before the introduction. After a few more moments of listening to Elliot speak, Hiro found himself chuckling. He had just dated himself with a rather old line from an American song from years ago. As such, he'd follow up with his own. "Well, you know, when the pimps try and get at you, you've gotta drop it like it's hot." Another rather dated response, but hopefully the man would have found it funny himself.

Hiro was questioned about his attire, as well as the reason why he was out here for the day. "Oh, something like that. I'm actually on my way to a place further through the woods, known as Moon Dance Forest. I've got a house over there, and I was gonna head there for the weekend." Hiro was slightly flattered that the man would suggest his attire and how he carried himself was beyond this kind of place, though he wouldn't make a deal out of it. Instead, he'd just return a smile, and a nod. Hiro was actually content with staying and talking for a bit more, curious about the research that Elliot had wanted to do, but his thoughts were very quickly shot when the sound of a scream echoed through the air. Hiro's eyes trained on the direction from which the scream originated, and responded to Elliot. "Sure as hell did." Hiro closed his eyes for just a moment, as he activated two skills in rapid succession. To the outside view, his body was very quickly enveloped by a white flame, the outlines of his body and clothing replaced by yellow, orange, and red fires. The second after that, his eyes burst open, revealing orange cat-like pupils, followed quickly by his form disappearing from Elliot's side.

Hiro had activated two skills, the first of which being Eye of the Tiger, which changed his eyes to that of a tiger, and greatly increased his movement speed. The second was Hellfire Drive, which cloaked his body in pure white fire, boosting his movement speed further, and adding some bonus light and fire damage onto his attacks for the duration. His speed by this point had multiplied beyond what a Monk was normally capable of, causing him to nearly vanish from sight at the beginning of Hellfire Drive's application. Within a few moments, Hiro had found the source of the scream: A woman whom had been surrounded by rather angry slimes. Wasting not a moment, Hiro leaped high up into the air, and angled his body. He launched forward an Aura Kick which planted itself firmly onto one of the slimes, causing it to disappear instantly. Vaulting off from where he impacted with the ground, he turned around and faced the rest of the slimes, activating Rafting Taunt. "Hey, Jelly Jigglers! Ready to get stomped!?" After the activation and application of the skill, the slimes should have quickly averted their attention directly to him, instead of the female that they were already attacking.

Hiro wasn't going to steal all the fun for himself, and deactivated Eye of the Tiger, as well as Hellfire Drive. The fires whisked away into the air, returning to the sky above, and his eyes reverted to their normal emerald green color. He shifted his stance into a more defensive one, but kept his body active and ready to move. He finally turned to the girl. "You alright?" He asked, feeling a bit of dejavu as he had just had a conversation similar with Elliot just a few minutes ago. One of the slimes jumped up at him, to which he quickly countered with a high roundhouse kick, spinning himself back into place. The slime crashed into a nearby tree, disappearing upon impact. Hiro kept the same stance, waiting for the next slime to make its move. Until then, he'd open up an offer to the girl, and to Elliot, whenever he presumably got here as well. "If you feel like taking out any frustration on these guys, then by all means. I'll just keep hate on them. If you need to run, then go for it." He wasn't trying to be a knight in shining armor, however much he may have seemed like it at the moment. He had noticed the girl's health and MP had been dropped significantly, one much more than the other. After this was all done, Hiro could help her get her HP back, if she wanted, but not until the slimes were dead. Until then, he kept his guard up.

[878 Words]
Muse: Masashi Hamauzu - New Bodhum
Tags: Elliot Grantham, Kaika Kokoro
Notes: Here's this. Hope it works. XD

[Kaika Kokoro]

Kaika Human Monk Lv. 1

HP 55% MP 4%

STATUS: None

---

Flailing wildly, Kaika spun around and smacked at the slime, to no avail. "Get it off get it off get it off! " The other slimes were still moving slowly towards her. In a last ditch effort, she quickly pulled her shirt off over her head, catching the slime inside of the inside-out shirt like a makeshift sack. 'Aww man, that's never gonna wash out.' The slimy bundle began to squirm, and she tossed it away by reflex. The once-pretty shirt fell to the ground with a splort, and it started to roll around aimlessly on its own. 'Ugh. Slimes.' Kaika turned back to the rest of the oncoming horde. "Alright, you little pests! You interrupted my training, grossed me out, and ruined my outfit! You're gonna pay!" She took one step forward, only to be stopped by a concussive boom, and a sudden gust of wind. 'Oh great, what is it this time? ' Kaika turned to look at the source of the noise, and her jaw dropped.

Super Saiyan Goku(?) burst into the clearing in a streak of fiery reds and yellows, kicked a slime, leapt forward, and landed gracefully nearby. '...what the hell...? ' Kaika shook her head in disbelief.

"Hey, Jelly Jigglers! Ready to get stomped!?" The man's voice boomed through the air, all of the slimes quickly turning in his direction. Off to the side, Kaika's shirt began to wobble its way towards him as well. She squinted at the glowing figure as the light began to fade, revealing a young man with long, messy auburn hair and emerald green eyes. 'Woah... he's actually kinda cute...'

"You alright?" The young man asked, turning his attention to her. His voice was soft, but confident. Despite his aggressive entrance, he had an aura of safety and kindness. His eyes met hers, and she glanced down shyly. 

"I-I'm fine. I just-" Kaika's eyes widened as she realized that the only thing covering her top half was a sports bra. Her face quickly flushed red, and she put her arms over her chest impulsively. 'Way to make a fool of yourself, Kaika! ' The young man seemed unperturbed, however, and had gone back to kicking slimes. 

"If you feel like taking out any frustration on these guys, then by all means. I'll just keep hate on them. If you need to run, then go for it." Kaika turned to glare at the little snot balls.

"My thoughts exactly!" She grinned, a wild glint of malice in her eye, and charged headlong towards the group of slimes with fists raised. 'No mana, but HP is still fine. I may be level one...' "Hyah!" '...but I can still kick some serious slimy butt! ' Channeling her indignation and embarrassment into her actions, she pummeled the nearest slime with her fists, making an odd splip splap splip splap sound as each blow connected, and the slime burst into colorful bubbles. Doing her best to ignore the awkward texture of her foes, she immediately turned to the next one, jumping into the air and landing on it with both feet and all the force she could muster. Despite her attacks, the slimes seemed to keep their focus on the young man, not even bothering to avoid her. 'Oh yeah, this is gonna be fun...'

[Word Count: 546]

---

Skills Used: n/a

Tags: Elliot Grantham Hirosame

NOTES: This was a lot of fun to write! Gotta love the sounds slimes make.

[Elliot Grantham]

HP/---------------
MP/-------           

Elliot blinked as he watched Hiro nearly disappear in a flash of what seemed to be fire. He didn't know it was possible to move so quickly! He watched as the flame-cloaked man sped through the woods in the direction from which they had heard the scream. A sudden tingle brought his attention back to his own spell-weaving. The symbols were finished and began to pulsate and spin with a bright, white light. His eyes widened, his amazement never ceasing at the wonders of the Elder Tale, as a spirit stepped out of the whirling characters.

Elliot was no longer surprised by the appearance of the Shikigami, he had summoned him more than a few times to assist him with his research, but it was still a marvel to him that HE was the one drawing him through the planes. "Horus!" He exclaimed, using the nickname he had given the Shikigami the first time he had summoned him. "There is someone in trouble nearby! Another Adventurer and I heard them screaming." He pointed and began to run, beckoning for the other to follow. They didn't have time to lose. While he figured based on Hiro's abilities that he would have things under control, he didn't want to just sit back and make him do all of the heavy lifting.

Horus nodded and began to run after Elliot, picking his way through the forest with ease. While he was similar in appearance and stature to his Shaman master, there were a few distinct differences between the two. The most glaringly obvious being that instead of a mouth and nose, Horus possessed a sharp, eagle's beak. He also sported a head full of bronze feathers which gave him the appearance of being slightly taller, and long talons instead of nails at the ends of his fingers. His golden eyes were also different, but hardly noticeable in comparison to the rest of him.

Heart thudding in his chest, Elliot continued to run. His head disappeared as he ducked beneath a branch, and once again as he cut to the left to avoid a tangle of vines. He chanced a glance behind him and saw Horus just beginning to pass him, his feathers slicked back by the wind. "Come on! We're almost there! I can hear them fighting something!"

The two burst into the clearing to see a young girl, who was only about half dressed, and Hiro fighting what looked like a whole pack of slimes! "Horus, get in there and help take some out!" Elliot said, readying himself. He took in a deep breath and slammed his staff into the ground. "DAMAGE INTERCEPTION!" His hand began to shine once more as he felt the magic begin to flow through him.

There was a loud screech much like a war call as Horus nodded and leapt into the fray. He targeted a slower blob that had not yet made its way over to the rest around Hiro and sank his talons deep into its gooey body. He slashed at it once, twice, three times before it burst and disappeared. He then made his way to a second and repeated the process. He was like a fury from myth, screeching loudly and shredding the monsters more easily than paper. Feathers flared, he fell back, surveying the battlefield. Many had been defeated by himself, the strange girl, or the man his master had already met, but there were still more to kill.

Elliot snapped his right arm outward, his index and middle fingers pointing at Hiro. As soon as he did, a barrier of multi-colored light sprang into being around the other man. Elliot grinned as he saw the myriad of colors and patterns. It looked like a beautiful stained-glass window with moving pictures which rippled with every blow. He watched as Horus did him proud, taking out two slimes before surveying like Elliot had instructed him previously. The last thing anyone needed was to be hemmed in...

[Horus the Shikigami has been summoned! 4:00 minutes left before unsummoned.]
[Elliot has used Damage Interception on Hiro! Barrier will absorb damage equal to 20% of total health. Can cast again in 10 seconds.]

Word Count: 663

TAG: Hirosame && Kaika Kokoro

[Hirosame]

Hiro hadn't noticed the fact that the female only worn what could be assumed as her underwear, instead of a shirt or something. He just figured that that was the girl's normal attire, and showing off what she had wasn't anything to be upset about. It was only after her reaction of thrusting her arms across her chest to cover up her own jelly jigglers, that he looked and saw a slime underneath a shirt nearby, slowly hopping its way to him. When he realized this, his face grew a bit brighter in color, realizing that the girl was actually only in her underwear, when it came to the top portion of her body. The slight glaze of red across his face changed when she started to beat up some of the slimes. So, the girl was a Monk, huh? Hiro nodded at her for a moment, in approval. It was nice to see another monk in the world, even if this monk was half-clothed and had no MP remaining. She had begun to kill one of the slimes at this point, though with a rather unrefined form. Then again, Hiro can't compare to others, since he'd received training in Moon Dance Forest, under the Elder. Not to mention, he was rather unrefined a lot of the time, too.

Not too much longer afterwards, Elliot had decided to join the party, which Hiro smiled and nodded at as a response. "Welcome to the party!" Hiro shouted, as he dodged to the side when a slime jumped up from behind to attack him. "Try the PUNCH!" Hiro forced his fist forward in retaliation to the slime that tried to attack him. His obvious pun being what it was, he decided to just let things slide by for the time being. As Elliot's familiar took care of two of the remaining slimes, while the monk girl had killed the last one, Hiro dropped his stance, and returned to a more neutral pose. Letting out a sigh, his body relaxed a bit more, he stood straight up. Hiro began to brush himself off a bit, as the slime that had appeared on his shoulder also disappeared into data. "Looks like we got 'em all, I'd say." He turned to face behind himself, squinting his eyes. "For now, anyways." Letting the menacing voice and everything fade away, he returned his attention to the two people whom were standing there nearby him, giving them both a rather soft smile. His weight shifted a bit to his side, leaning a bit to his right. He took a few seconds to nod to Elliot, give him a thumbs up, and then turned to the girl.

"You all good now, miss?" He asked in a calm tone. His voice wasn't as loud as it was when he first showed up, having toned it down quite a bit now. "Elliot, very nice follow up. That shield is rather impressive." He noted how much damage that the shield actually nullified, up to about 20% of his total HP. Given the level he was currently at, and how much HP Monks had in general, he figured that there wouldn't be any higher an amount of a shield at Elliot's current level. All that aside, though, Hiro looked to the ground and saw the girl's shirt. He picked it up, flapped it a few times to knock off any dust or dirt, and then handed it back to the girl. "Name's Hiro. I believe this is yours?" He added a harder question mark at the end, followed by a smile. After the girl would eventually take the shirt from him, he figured, he looked over to Elliot again, followed by a glance at the familiar that Elliot had summoned. It was a peculiar thing to see a Shaman's spirit animal thing, but he didn't pay it too much attention, lest it flutter over to his head and begin to peck his eyes out. That was probably the worst thing to do. Instead, he looked back into the female's eyes, and asked a question. "What's brought you out here, to be attacked by a number of Slimes?" He waited for her eventual reply, and to see what Elliot might have to add onto the whole situation as well.

[715 Words]
Tags: Elliot Grantham, Kaika Kokoro
Notes: I spent FAR too long on this post, I'm very sorry. Anyways, here it is. XD

[Kaika Kokoro]

Kaika Human Monk Lv. 1

HP 55% MP 7%

STATUS: None

---

As Kaika and Nice Guy Goku fought back against the slimes, she noticed two more figures enter the clearing. The first seemed to be a very tall guy with dark hair. He was holding a two handed staff, and calling orders out to the second figure, who seemed to be... the same very tall guy, only with feathers? Kaika shook her head and returned her focus to the imminent slimy problem, resolving to figure out what was up with the Doppelganger Twins later. Kaika focused on the menu, and her status bar appeared, floating ethereally in front of her. Her mana was regenerating, but not nearly fast enough to use any of her skills. She dismissed the menu. 'Guess we're doing this the old fashioned way.' She charged further into the crowd of slimes, punching and kicking indiscriminately. A few moments later, Tall, Dark and Feathered joined her on the battlefield. He leapt forward, screeching loudly as he tore through a few slimes, shredding them with intimidating looking talons. 'Wait, what? Talons? Who is this guy? I didn't think there was a bird race in this game.' The... thing... screeched once more, and then leapt backwards out of the fray, before repeating the process again, like a bird of prey swooping in to devour its catch. Kaika shuddered at the mental image, and hoped that the other guy was controlling this creature. If it ate slimes for breakfast, she didn't want to be lunch.

"Welcome to the party!" Kaika glanced over towards Nice Guy Goku, who didn't even seem to be breaking a sweat, despite the horde of slimes attacking him. He seemed to at least know the other two, so that eased her fears a bit. "Try the PUNCH!" Kaika blinked, and stopped fighting in order to stare at the guy. '...did he just make a pun? In the middle of combat? ' She giggled, in spite of the situation, as her concept of him as handsome and mysterious started to crack, to reveal, well, kind of a dork. 

"Ahahaha!" She cackled as she launched herself back into the fight once more with a grin. After all this time, trapped in a strange new world, she had forgotten what it was like to have fun playing a game. When she had first arrived in Elder Tale, she had spent so much time worrying about her appearance, what was happening to her old body back in the real world, and what other people would think of her, that the most important thing had managed to slip her mind. This was Elder Tale! A game! This world she had been thrust into wasn't supposed to be some boring grindfest, or a prison sentence, or a place to survive... it was supposed to be fun! With a sigh of relief and a feeling like the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders, she cartwheeled forward and ran for the last slime in view, kicking it hard as it flew off into the distance, between two nearby trees. "Goooooaaaaal!" She shouted, breathing heavily, but smiling from ear to ear.

"Looks like we got 'em all, I'd say. For now, anyways." Nice Guy Goku smiled, and Kaika smiled back, still riding the adrenaline high. "You all good now, miss?" She nodded, taking the time to catch her breath. His voice was softer now, which confirmed her suspicions that the tough guy exterior was just when in battle. "Elliot, very nice follow up. That shield is rather impressive." 'So, Elliot is the guy with the staff, huh? ' Kaika wondered what class he was. The staff seemed to suggest a magic user, but that only narrowed it down to six. A summoner, perhaps? They were know for conjuring mythical creatures, so maybe the feathery bird thing was one of those. It seemed to be mostly calm at the moment - just standing around as if it were awaiting orders. "Name's Hiro. I believe this is yours?" She turned back to face... Hiro, and saw that he was holding out her shirt.

"Oh! Um. Thanks." She blushed bright red as she quickly fumbled to dress herself. 'Oh man, I probably looked like a total noob compared to those two. I mean, not that I'm not level one or anything, but I didn't even get to use my skills! And after all that practicing, too... Ah, well, it can't be helped I guess. I show them next time for sure! Hmm... will there be a next time? ' She managed to get her head through her shirt, and pull it back down over her, and looked up to see Hiro looking right back at her. 

"What's brought you out here, to be attacked by a number of slimes?" He asked, his sparkling emerald eyes staring directly into hers. Kaika blushed and glanced downward.

"Well, I- I-" *ahem* "Training, mostly. I was practicing my skills out here, and the next thing I knew, there were slimes everywhere." She chose to leave out the part about her being so inattentive that she had sat directly on top of one, and the part where she had screamed when it started climbing up her back... she shuddered involuntarily at the thought. "Anyway, I really appreciate you showing up and playing the Hiro like that." She snickered, and turned to the other guy. Elliot? "So, you're Elliot, yes? Are you a summoner? Who's your... um... partner over there?" It occurred to Kaika that, with these two guys around, she'd have much less trouble dealing with enemies. Maybe she could even convince them to form a party, if they weren't in one already...

[Word Count: 886]
+25%, Mentor Bonus

---

Skills Used: n/a

Tags: Elliot Grantham Hirosame

NOTES: Are Kaika's jelly jiggler problems finally over? Will she ever be in a fight where she's not losing? Tune in next time, on "Kaika is Awkward Around Boys"!

[Elliot Grantham]

Elliot Grantham HP/---------------
Elliot Grantham MP/--------        

Horus HP/-----  
Horus MP/-------

Elliot couldn't help but let out a half stifled snerk. Hiro was choosing now to crack a joke? Sure, he was obviously well-experienced, but in the midst of combat? Then again, it wasn't like he was in any danger, or even taking any damage. Most of the enemies had been killed as well. He whispered a prayer of thanks and moved over to the others as the last slime was slain and their stench began to dissipate. Hiro had moved as well and was handing the girl what looked to be her top. The poor thing. How mortifying for her, to be forced to fight in her underclothes. Elliot averted his gaze until she had replaced her shirt. The last thing he wanted to do was maker her day worse by staring.

The Shaman dropped his head in humility as the other man complimented his support magic. "It's not all that...", he mumbled, "...it's only a Tier I spell. He still didn't have much combat experience and really had no idea as to the effectiveness of his magic beyond his Shikigami familiar, so he really didn't know that his shield was all that impressive yet. He just knew that people preferred pure healers to his build and only wanted Shamans around as a last resort.

"Yes, the area is free of enemies, but we should be cautious. There were many more Slimes than normal." Horus' replied to Hiro's declaring the all clear, his raspy voice peppered with the occasional clicking sound of his beak. As he spoke, the Shikigami flicked his wrists, slinging the excess slime off of his talons before standing next to his master. "Though with the four of us, there wouldn't be much trouble even if another mob that size or larger appeared."

Elliot nodded. He liked having Horus around. He was like himself, but a bit more abrasive. He was also more sure of himself when it came to things like combat, and that, in turn, made Elliot more confident. It was really weird when he thought about it, because according to the actual mechanics of the spell, Horus was really just a manifestation of his own inner self.

Elliot turned his attention to the girl as she began to speak. She seemed shaken, and rightly so in his humble opinion, as she asked them all some questions.

"A summoner? Me? No, hahaha. I'm a Shaman, one of the healing and support classes. And this both is my friend and my familiar, Horus."

"As a Shaman, Elliot can use his abilities to call on me in times of need. I am his Shikigami, his spiritual guardian."

"Haha, yes, but I don't exactly engage in combat often, so he is much more akin to a traveling companion. One whose company I appreciate immensely." Elliot said, dipping his head in thanks.

Horus simply rolled his eyes. He thought his master far too wordy sometimes. He took too long to say things and made them flowery. He did appreciate the praise however.

Elliot caught the eye roll and chuckled before looking to the girl and, this time remembering that he could, checked her information with the interface. "Which abilities were you training?" he asked noticing the craters and splintered wood around them that probably didn't happen in their fight with the slimes a few moments ago. The area was certainly a sight, and with the damage the four of them had caused in the fight itself, it would probably be about an in game month before the area even started to recover.

[Horus will unsummon in 3:30 minutes]

Word Count: 593

TAG: Hirosame && Kaika Kokoro

[Hirosame]

So the girl had looked away as Hiro had given her the shirt, to which he could only laugh a little bit, and nod in understanding. This wasn't exactly the most favorable of situations, he figured, since she probably had felt mildly embarrassed for not having her shirt to begin with, when the fight started. He wasn't going to say much of anything about it, though, since he would've felt the exact same way if it were him, and if he were a girl. He knew that Saeko had a situation where she was much like that, one that she didn't much care for talking about, and whenever he brought it up, it was mean glares for days. All that aside, Elliot had begun to speak, alongside his familiar, whom seemed to be just a passive member of the conversation at the moment. Hiro found himself rather surprised, as that shield that Elliot had given him was only a Tier I skill, despite how powerful it actually was. Then again, if it built off of the target's maximum HP, then it would make sense that the shield was incredibly powerful. He could probably actually attempt to clear some low-leveled dungeons if Elliot was around, just the two of them.

The familiar had confirmed Hiro's thought that they were alone, which was nice to have a second opinion on. Afterwards, Hiro's mind clicked to the female's earlier comment about how she had just been training, for whatever reason. Training out here, even though it was rather low-leveled to do so, didn't mean encountering a large number of monsters all in one sitting. Unless that wasn't her intention, but just how things worked out. Slimes tend to be drawn towards caster types, though, which confused him. Either way, that's probably just how things worked out, and just how things happened. Nothing more to say about it, really. That being the case, Hiro noticed how Elliot was asking the girl what abilities she had been working on. He wasn't sure that this was the case, of course, since training didn't necessarily mean just using one skill, or a combination of skills. Despite that being how a Monk works, it didn't make sense to only be focusing on one skill at a time, but more working on a multitude of skill combinations, in order to have versatility in combat, so as to be able to live with everything that goes on in a fight. One can never be too prepared for a fight!

He was about to ask if the girl had been doing much before she got here as well, but figured that Elliot probably had a handle on it all. The familiar seemed to just be floating there, waiting for Elliot's next move, and not really participating much unless it had something to say. As such, Hiro began to look around a little bit, seeing the destruction that the girl presumably caused. Seeing as there were a few places that had been impacted upon, he assumed that she was probably using something like Wyvern Kick. But, if she wasn't fighting anything, then it didn't make sense to be using ones skills aimlessly. It was at this moment that he realized that, after the battle, the two of them likely used up a good deal of health and MP, to which he entered his inventory. Pulling out two Greater Mana Potions and a Medicinal Tablet. He walked back over to the two, and smiled. Hiro held his hands out to them, holding a potion and tablet to the girl, and a potion to Elliot. "Here, you guys might as well heal yourselves up. These each should be enough to fully replenish both of you." After the two presumably took the items, he turned to the girl. "Now then, could we be so bold as to ask for your name?" The smile stayed upon his face as he asked, motioning to himself and Elliot. "You probably know both ours by now, so it's only fair to give your own." He tried to stay as sincere as possible, as he finished his thought. He probably shouldn't speak for Elliot as well, but he felt that it would make conversation from this point easier.

[708 Words]
Tags: Elliot Grantham, Kaika Kokoro
Notes: Introductions are important, yo. Assume that Hiro handed out the items after Kaika responds to Elliot's question.

[Kaika Kokoro]

Kaika Human Monk Lv. 1

HP 100% MP 100%

STATUS: None

---

Kaika was astonished to see that the feathered one could talk as well, and seemed to be rather intelligent. She had assumed it was just a summoned creature. Was it really possible to summon things that had human levels of sentience? Then again, the People of the Land were sentient, even though they used to be simple NPCs. This world may have had many similarities to the original Elder Tale, but there were other factors that made it seem like less of a game, and more of an entirely new world. Just a few weeks ago, she had ended up in a long conversation with a Person of the Land, the the topic had ranged from idle chit-chat to deep questions about philosophy. The man had told her about his children and grandchildren, and seemed to have his own opinions on things like politics and moral values. There was no way these people were programmed by a game developer. They were every bit as dynamic and interactive as any person she had met back in the old world.

Elliot laughed at her question, and explained that he was a Shaman, not a Summoner. His familiar, Horus, introduced himself as a spiritual guardian. 'So, there are other kinds of sentient species than just Adventurers and People of the Land...' Kaika wondered just how far back the history books went in this world. Had the People of the Land been around even longer than the Adventurers? What about outer space? Were there other planets, solar systems, galaxies? Was this a universe as big as her old world? Kaika shook her head. Perhaps she could find answers to these questions in time, but there was no point in worrying about it now. What she knew for certain was that this world was some kind of mix between game and reality. She couldn't expect things to work how they did in the game, but she also had to accept certain game mechanics as hard facts about this world, such as mana, respawning, and most strangely, the game menu itself. The thought of being practically immortal was hard for her to wrap her head around.

Kaika snapped out of her reverie as Elliot asked her what skills she had been training. "Oh! I was mostly working on my aerial combos. Running leap to close the gap into a Somersault Kick, follow up into a Wyvern Kick, and then spring off the enemy to reestablish distance." She grinned. "My subclass boosts my jumping ability, so with a bit of work on my landings and general footing, I should be able to stay in the air for almost the entirety of combat. Well... as long as I have mana, that is..." She sighed, and stretched her limbs. "I heard that slimes are supposed to be attracted to casters, but I think the bigger ones show up whenever anyone uses a lot of mana. And I, well, I was out of mana completely by the time I noticed them all." Kaika admitted sheepishly.

Hiro then offered her some HP and mana restoring items, and asked for her name. In contrast to his rather violent entrance, he just seemed to be getting friendlier as time went on. She graciously accepted the items, and thanked him. She doubted they were cheap. "Right, of course. My name is Kaika. Nice to meet you, Hiro, Elliot and Horus. I got a bit of a late start on this whole leveling up thing, but I've been hoping to find a party that wouldn't mind having me along. I've gotten pretty tired of sitting around in Londinium all the time, especially with so many great things to see out there!" She gestured vaguely in the direction away from the city. "As tough as it is being stuck in this world, I want to take advantage of this opportunity to explore the world while I'm still young. And someday, who knows... it might be nice to settle down somewhere, and maybe even start a family..." She trailed off. She wasn't sure if that was even a possibility in this world, but she had given up on being able to have kids of her own in the old world, and the glimmer of hope for this world was hard to ignore. Kaika took the pause in conversation to use the mana potion and tablet that Hiro had given her. She immediately began to feel the tiredness flood out of her, and a warm feeling rushed through her limbs. She felt much better, as if the entire combat had been erased.

[Word Count: 764]
+25%, Mentor Bonus

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Skills Used: n/a

Tags: Elliot Grantham Hirosame

NOTES: According to the Bestiary: "While relatively harmless alone, green slimes are sensitive to mana usage and will converge in groups on the location."