Character Sheets Ep 2: Struggle

Struggle

Characters Featured:  Leaflit Mitsuha, Ayrara Belfy Carnwhenhau

Sweat dripped from Leaflit’s brow.  Her blue hair, stuck to her forehead as she frustratingly swatted it away—letting out a scream as she dropped her sword, “Ugh I… why!  Yuria can do this… and every adventurer why is it like this I hate this! I just suck!”

She fell to her knees and pounded her fist into the ground, which had little effect except to kick up more dust into her eyes, “WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

Sitting on the fence at the back of the guildhall, a faerie stared at Leaflit with bored eyes.  She was childish in appearance with snowy white hair and golden eyes.  The white cloak on her shoulders contrasted her tanned skin. She spoke in a deadpan Sylvan accent, “Hey Leaf.”

Leaflit quickly turned to look at the girl, with an exasperated expression.  She yelled out, “What?!”

Ayrara rested her elbow on her thigh and leaned forward, resting her head onto her palm, “Why do you want to use a sword so badly?”

Leaflit’s eyes widened in madness, twitching in frustration.

“S…swords are the weapons of heroes!  You know, the valiant hero that slays the evil lord?  Sword!  They use swords!  We’re not in Ireland!”

Ayrara blinked a few times and tilted her head in confusion, “What’s an Ireland?”

Leaflit sighed, “I need to use a sword… but I’m just too physically weak.”

Ayrara nodded and gave the slime girl the once over, “Analysis complete. Fitness score of one… pretty bad.”

Leaflit screamed, “Ayrara why are you doing this to me?!  Are you just bullying me?”

Ayrara hopped down off of the fence, sending up a cloud of dust as she slowly walked over.  Crouching down she picked up the sword with two hands as she examined it, “Iron Sword.  Regular… pretty heavy.  Need a lot of strength for this.  This weapon is made durable to strike powerful blows.  Recommend… artifice instead…”

Leaflit looked up at her in exasperation, “Huh? An artifice, but aren’t those heavy too?”

Ayrara shook her head, “Doesn’t have to be.  If you don’t have the stats for this… then find a way using the stats that you do have.  Artifice that compensates for lack of strength.  You’re good at strategy… let’s use that.”

Ayrara beckoned Leaflit to her workshop, the official Angel’s Sword Guild smithy which was littered about with various weapon parts.  The artificer pulled a blue sword off of the rack.  It has a single sided blade with a thicker back which contained an integrated device.  A large blue sphere at the center was dim with the lack of energy.

Ayrara explained, “Basic blast sword.  Its really light compared to an iron weapon, special alloy.  Magical fuel to increase damage.  Make up for lack of strength.”

Leaflit took the blade in her hand, staggering forward a bit in overcompensation before realizing its lack of weight, “You’re right it’s so light!”

Ayrara nodded, “Work smart, not hard.  Use what you’re good at.”

Ayrara tapped her head before bringing her hand to her bicep, “Not what you’re bad at…”

Leaflit’s eyes lit up as she swung the sword around enthusiastically.

The two headed outside to the guild training grounds where a few training dummies were set up.  Ayrara pointed at one of the dummies far in the back row, “Rock dummy, you can’t break with low power.”

Leaflit spun the blade around unnecessarily and slashed into the rock dummy, which deflected the blow with a loud ring.  The impact reverberated throughout her arm, “Ach…”

Ayrara looked to Leaflit, tucking her hands into her cloak, “No hints… but Ayrara can.  Even with low strength.  Ayrara can break it with that.”

Despite being around the same age Ayrara was simply a genius.  Excuses of this fact bubbled up in Leaflit’s mind before she shook her head violently to wipe it away, “You’re right… I can do it too!”

Focusing on the task at hand, the guild receptionist examined the situation and noticed a small crack on the seam of the training dummy.

Ayrara’s eyes lit up at Leaflit’s comprehension, “Oh…?”

Leaflit raised her sword up into the air before dropping it to her side and striking a precise blow against the crack before pulling the trigger on the artifice with a click.  The blue sphere whirred to life and began to glow bright blue as the air around the artifice compressed with a sudden rumble—exploding outward that sent the blade straight through the stone dummy.  Stone shards burst through the air and littered the ground as the upper half of the dummy went flying, crashing into the earth a few yards away.

Ayrara nodded to herself, “Good.”

Leaflit excitedly turned to Ayrara, “I… I can do it!  I can become an adventurer huh!  Thank you Ayrara!”

Ayrara cringed at the enthusiasm and held out her hand.

Leaflit looked at her open hand in confusion.

Ayrara’s golden eyes flashed with a bright glint, “5000 clim”

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Leaflit's Sword Design by Kriss Sison