Tending the Frisky Garden(Q/C)

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When Horus arrived at the meeting point, Raiken had already arrived; jeez, he planned to show up early, but she didn't like to waste time did she?

"Hey, you're early," Horus grinned, waving as he approached. His sword bounced on his pack a little as he quickened his place to approach the girl sitting on the fence. She was eating...were those cookies? Those looked delicious, but he didn't dare ask to have one. He was about to ask enough of her already.

"So, uh, I was wanting to do this quest. And getting the benefits and stuff will be nice, but mostly I was hoping you could teach me how to fight. We've done two quests together and you handle yourself really well. And if we do more work together, you probably want someone as skilled as you to watch your back, right? So maybe...I don't know, could you teach me?" he asked, watching her expectantly. "I understand sword arts and stuff like that, but as far as actual sword fighting goes, I'm not really an expert."

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Horus was bouncing internally, but restrained himself as he joined Raiken's party (he already had the quest). He knew Raiken to be a very reserved person, and he needed to make a point of impressing her. Whether he would or not was a different story, but maybe that would be sufficient motivation to stay alive for today. Horus had heard a few whispers about this quest; something about killer plant monsters? He wasn't sure, but it wasn't something he wanted to take alone.

And Raiken has proven herself a reliable questing partner; heck, he went into combat for the first time at her side. Then, with her help, he was able to climb a mountain. There were few people in this game that he trusted more than her, except maybe Icarus. But that was neither here nor there, they needed to get on their way.

Horus glanced into the forest; it was dense, without too much space between the trees. By quest logic, it was likely the space would open up a little more as they got close to their target to allow the players room to fight. Then again, SAO wasn't one to follow standards per-say...nonetheless, maybe they could use the trees to their advantage. Horus was pretty light on his feet, after all. Maybe his speed could impress Raiken.

"Sure. I'll follow you then."

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Raiken fought like a demon.

There was no evasion as the creature, a grotesque creation of vines and fauna, began its charge, she hardly blinked. She met it straight on, severing the vines with a single strike and going for it as hard as she could. It was admirable, though Horus could tell they had fairly similar styles of fighting. He wondered if it was just a shared preference, or if he had picked up some tips from Raiken without even noticing? He supposed either was possible, or even both. Though Horus wondered if he was faster; he had two items equipped to boost his Dexterity; one identical to the cloak Raiken wore, and a pair of gloves he'd gotten before his quest up the mountain. He suspected he could move faster, but Raiken could definitely hit harder.

The beast was gearing up to attack her. Horus gripped the hilt of his sword tightly until his knuckles ached. She told him to wait, and he planned to; he would study her with a careful eye until he was ready, or if he needed to interfere for some reason. He'd already told himself that if another appeared to gang up on Raiken, Horus would step in to protect her. Not that Raiken couldn't handle herself, but he hoped she might appreciate the initiative. For now, though, he would have to sit and watch.

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Raiken's help dropped quickly, and Horus jumped slightly. These things hit like a truck; and Raiken's gear was superior to Horus' by a pretty large margin. Horus was going to have to rely almost entirely on his speed to dodge these things, and hit them whenever he could get a strike in. The vines were fairly brittle, he noticed. Raiken didn't use a shield, neither did Horus, but she went in by slicing the vines as they approached. It was a good idea, and Horus tucked it away in the back of his mind.

He fought every urge to jump in and help her. He knew Raiken was perfectly capable, but the battle was proving to be a bit more treacherous than Horus had expected. And Raiken was going to have him fight six of these things?! He wasn't sure he could pull it off after watching this fight.

Raiken landed another good hit on the beast, and it could only take a little more before it would be gone. That would mean six left; and Raiken had intended for Horus to fight them alone. He swallowed nervously, wondering if this encounter had changed her mind.

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Horus all but gasped as the new sword fell into his inventory. He hurriedly scrolled through his menu to find it. It didn't take long; there weren't many items bouncing around his inventory, and this was his first new sword. He located it quickly and equipped it. The sword on his back dematerialized, and was instantly replaced by a new blade.

Horus drew it hesitantly, unfamiliar with the weight in his hand. It was slightly heavier than the old sword, but not by much. Rather than a rusted, dulled edge, this one was a clean material and sharp on both edges. He gave it a couple of experimental swings, and then thrust forward with it sharply. "Yeah, this'll do just fine. Thanks, Raiken! I'll pay you back for this, I swear."

And she'd made this with her own two hands? Horus wasn't really familiar with the crafting in SAO, but he could feel that she'd put a lot of work into this. He checked the stats for the sword; not too shabby, and a huge step up from his earlier weapon. He would do just fine with this.

"Yeah, I can work with this," Horus said, gripping it tightly. He leveled the tip of the sword with his eyes, holding it out in front of him like he'd seen Kendo fighters do. He wasn't sure if he held the sword right, but he did what he could. "Alright. I'll go on your signal, Raiken."

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Horus wasn't as tired as he should have been. He hadn't been fighting long in SAO, but had gotten used to the sensation of dodging and slashing in time with the enemy's movements. He wondered if it was natural battle reflex, or if the game helped him at all, or if maybe he was getting overly confident with the weaker enemies.

He knew better than to try anything alone, though; Raiken had been a huge help so far. In fact, though he hadn't kept count, he was fairly certain she'd gotten more kills than him. It was definitely a team effort, but Horus knew well that she was carrying just a little extra weight since her gear was still better.

He was thankful for the sword she'd given him, but Horus could already tell he wanted something different; he'd get a lighter sword, something he could move faster with and help him dodge and parry attacks. Even if he couldn't hit as hard, he knew it was more important to not get hit.

They were nearly done, and only one nepent remained. Horus singled out one nearby, and decided not to wait for confirmation before launching his assault; he could handle this, even if Raiken was tired or didn't want to jump in this time. Horus charged quickly, readying his blade as he charged and landing a quick slice across it, sprinting straight past it. The vines whipped behind him but he moved just a little too quickly for them to connect. With 15 damage dealt, Horus charged his Uppercut sword skill and did short work of 25 more health points. He readied himself to deal with the counterattack, if it came.

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Raiken failed to disappoint. She delivered two savage blows, and the nepent was on its last...well, not leg, but something. Horus knew he wouldn't be able to finish it before Raiken sunk her claws in, but that was fine; he'd gotten the last hit a couple of times, as had she. What mattered was that they both got out of this unharmed.

Horus charged his slant sword art, and dropped another 25 points of health from the beast. It stumbled; convulsing slightly as more vines whipped around to strike Horus. He sliced them before they made contact, a swift blow upward that stopped the attack and subsequently dealt another 15 points of damage. That was close; it wouldn't have killed him, but he wasn't in any hurry to get his ass kicked either. It screeched again, and more vines swept in his direction. Horus backed away but the vines were too quick, but they didn't strike him; instead the tentacles wrapped hastily around his ankles, jerking them out from under him. Horus crashed to the ground, sword launched out of his hand and a few feet away, stuck in the ground. He clawed at the earth, but couldn't break its grasp without his sword. "Ah, shit!" he exclaimed, kicking at his restraints uselessly.

The best grew closer, its huge mouth opening in a malicious grin. A few more seconds, and Horus would be nepent chow.