Zero

Zero slowed down after a few minutes of running, leaving the settlement behind, and set her down. He had ignored her screams and demands, knowing he would have to pay for it once they were done but feeling it was worth it. "Sorry, but if those guards spotted you they would have attacked you and killed you. Wasn't about to let that happen." He removed his coat and sword, sitting down against a tree. "Sorry for doing that without letting you know, but like I said I had to do it."

Zero quietly listened to the young man and nodding slowly. He could understand what he meant about the rate of suicides and deaths, they were not exactly low. He slightly smiled at how idealistic the boy in front of him actually was and crossed his arms. "I can understand that. It's a pretty noble idea, maybe a little idealistic but it's a nice idea nonetheless." He glanced behind him then back at the boy as he was asked for his name. "My name's Zero, I can't help you myself but we can definitely find a Tailor in town who could teach you."

He kept his grip firm but did not apply too much pressure, watching her icon turn orange. He sighed when she continued to fight back and closed his eyes. "Better get you out of here before the guards show up..." He muttered to himself right before he felt the sudden slam against his forehead, only opening his eyes as a reaction to it. "Come on." He quickly rose up, picking her up in his arms, and ran off as the NPC guards patrol began to near them. "Any longer and they would have spot you. They would try to kill you since you gave yourself an orange icon."

His eyes dropped from the stars in the sky down to Jetra when she pushed him back. He felt somewhat amused how often he failed at dealing with others, his current state being one of the worst most likely, and could not help but smile slightly. He looked at the young trap as the fists flew and barely dented his health, noticing the spark of sorrow in her eyes. He gripped her hands by the wrists and gently lowered them against the ground. "Who hurt you? I can't forgive someone who'd make a flower cry."

Zero's face did not change as she spoke to him, his eyes focused in hers as the blade well all the way through. His head turned to the side when he was suddenly slapped, the slap registered as damage. Normally he would have torn in half anyone who did damage to him, but he did not feel anger nor felt his consciousness snapping. "No, I'd never do that to something so beautiful...and if you think my life isn't already being lived in vain then you honor me. I'm but an insane man who has almost nothing left in his life..." His eyes looked at the sky, watching the stars, and pulled the carrot hairpin from his pocket, squeezing it gently.

He grinned when he saw the blade held up in his direction, the wielder's shaking visible, and walked forward. "I'm not doubting you've done it before." He placed the tip if his finger on the blade and smiled at her. "However, being afraid isn't something I'm prone to doing so here is my response." He gripped the blade and pushed forward, the blade piercing into his chest and forming a red gash on it. His eyes firmly stared into Jetra's as his smiled persisted, his friend hand slightly reaching out to her. "I won't harm a lovely woman like yourself, even if she stabs me in the chest with her blade."

Another day, another walk, these were Zero’s thoughts as he slowly trekked through the first floor’s fields. Small parties of players glanced at the platinum haired young man as they walked passed him and farmed the mobs in the nearby areas, straying from his path as they felt something was off about him. He quietly pulled up his coats hood, hiding his face slightly, and slipped his hands into the coat’s pockets.

“Stir clear of that guy, he’s a high level player. Watch how he carries himself, not a care that he’s strolling out in the open like that plus the feeling he gives off. Only monster players act like that, better to not risk making him mad.” A player warned his party in a low voice.

Zero grinned slightly overhearing part of the warning, but decided to ignore them and moved on his merry way. He glanced at the gate to Starting City with slight hesitation. He rarely ventured into settlements while it was day time, specially one’s with Starting City’s population. His eyes peered at the gate as he stood below it then lowered to gaze at the traffic of players coming and going, feeling slightly sick from the amount of people.

He sighed as the sounds of indistinguishable talking revolved around him, gritting his teeth as he pushed passed the crowds. His eyes caught sight of what seemed to be an empty bench, and he immediately moved over to it. He sat down just then realizing he was not actually alone on the bench, on the opposite side sat a small girl who looked like she had a rough day.

His hands slipped out of his pockets and pulled his hood back, the young man now leaning back against the bench. “I can’t stand Starting City’s crowds at this hour, knew I should have come when it was night time like I usually do.” He scratched his head hoping she would engage the conversation, she was rather cute though he hoped her age was not as low as she appeared to be. Because she was kind of his type.

The platinum haired young man laughed internally at Jetra's behavior and continued to smile at her. "Young miss you shouldn't go off on your own, there are lots of dangerous individuals out and about." He stood up from the bench and followed after her, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Allow me to escort you wherever it is you may be heading." He turned around, walking backwards, and looked at her eyes. "Not to boast, but I'm a pretty strong player."

Zero looked at the parasol as it hit him and simply blinked at it, pain was not felt in the game and he had never experienced getting hit there before. He picked up the parasol and looked over at Jetra, letting out a sigh. He stood up from the bench and moved over in front of her, handing her the parasol. "No need to be so overly harsh young miss. Here, this is yours and I think it suits you much better than I." He smiled at her and sat down beside her. "I apologize if I made you mad in any way."

"Eh?" He looked at the screaming person before him slightly confused and blinked; he had not heard nor noticed her until now and simply scratched his cheek unsure of what to do. His hand slipped the hairpin back into his coat's pocket while he looked at Jetra's parasol. "I like your parasol." He spoke truthfully, he was extremely calmed down by his pervious thoughts, and gave a slight smile when he realized she thought he was staring at her body. "Ah sorry, didn't mean to make you uncomfortable young miss." He scratched his head and looked to the side. "If you wish to ask for something as compensation I won't say no. After all, I wronged a pretty maiden like yourself."

Zero yawned slightly as he sat on a bench near Starting City’s plaza and laid back, watching the sky for a few moments. It was late at night, way too late for anyone to be out, but that was the best time for him to go to the other floors. No one would be out at that time and the few that were he easily scared off by a sudden burst of killing intent from him. “Man the moon here really is one of the best…” He smiled slightly and pulled a small hairpin from his pocket, holding it up over the moon. “I’ll find you eventually my little runaway Cinderella, until then I hope you stay safe.”

Zero quietly walked across floor one, not a care in the world for the platinum haired boy. He  had recently managed to win a duel against a pretty worthy opponent and felt oddly cheery then, he had not fought someone in a long time. His eyes caught the sight of a player who seemed somewhat irritated, he was going through his inventory and spoke about creating plushies or something of the sort. He stopped himself from walking further and slipped his hands into his pockets, walking over to the troubled player. "What might be troubling you, kiddo?"

A sense of excitement was clear in the air, both of the fighters were eager to begin the match. “Unreal? Yeah that seems like the proper word for it.” The atmosphere seemed to become heavier, Zero’s excitement carving a smile on his face and causing his grip to tighten. Time felt like it slowed more and more with the last few seconds passing by until it seemed the clock had frozen when it hit the last second. His legs bent down in this last second and pushed him forward as soon as the clock struck zero. “Only one chance.” He quickly sprinted at Takao, his sword becoming consumed by a black flame, and leapt into the air at the last second. The black flame from his weapon consumed his entire being before swooping down at the brunette boy, dashing passed him in the blink of an eye.

The flames disintegrated in that split second and the announcement of a winner was displayed. He sheathed his blade and turned to his opponent giving him a thumbs up. “Good match. I haven’t fed my weapons in a while, thought I may have gotten dull. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable.”

ID# 50329 BD: 6 Hit

DMG: 5 (rank) + 4 (weapon) + 1 (base) = 10

Ra’s Beam: 5x2x10 = 100 – 6 (mitigation from armour rank) = 96 DMG

Takao:

HP: 73/169

EN: 41/41

Zero:

HP: 116/116

EN: 9/29

“Thank you for accepting my request. I want to make sure this isn’t decided by sheer luck. Hope you can understand what I mean and that it isn’t too inconveniencing for you.” The platinum haired boy glanced at the counter as the seconds began to tick away then back to his opponent. “Time really does become slower when in a situation of great stress, huh?” He spun his blade a few times as he took a step back and readied for when the counter hit zero. His breath began to slow as he focused on the person in front of him, ignoring all outside distractions

(Yeah, sure that seems fine with me.)

ID# 50320 LD: 13

Spoiler

Level: 29

HP: 116

Energy: 29

 

Rank 5 Darkness Blade

Rank 4 Battle Healing

 

Twinfire Phoenix Blade: +4 DMG and 16 Burn Damage for two turns on 8-10 roll

No Armour

No Accessories

“Of course, I’m always ready.” He nodded and wiped the air, opening his menu and sending him a Half-Loss duel request. “Whatever happens, happens. No hard feelings, nor grudges over this. I feel we can both agree to that.” He spun his sword a few times before impaling it in front of him and opening his inventory, equipping his Twinfire Blade. “Mind if we only use weapons? No armors or trinkets, just our blades.” The platinum haired young man pulled out the flaming sword and smiled slightly, slowly spinning the blade in his hand.

Zero smiled somewhat proudly at hearing him call him Onii-chan and grabbed his drink. "I'm at your service Nonon, so how about-" He blinked when Nonon suddenly stood up and ran off, his hairpin falling off. "E-eh?" He glanced at the door quietly for a few moments before finally setting down his drink and walking over to the hairpin. He picked up the small object and looked at the door, his eye slightly twitching. For the first time in a while he felt he had been defeated, that night was going to be a long and drink filled one.

He smiled when Nonon purred, but looked surprised and blinked when he suddenly stood up. When he heard the trap apologize and explain himself Zero nodded quietly. His eyes looked at him a bit saddened from hearing how he was treated in the past; his hand petting his head once again. He gently pulled his head into his chest when he started to cry and gave him a slight thumbs up. "I'm glad to be of service. Anything you need just let this big brother know." He smiled confidently as their drinks were placed on the table, alcohol for Zero and hot chocolate for Nonon.

Zero placed his elbow on the table, resting his head on his chin, and glanced at her. He smiled slightly at Nonon's shyness and gently pet her head. "I'm admiring the view, hope that's alright." Their eyes met and he blinked surprised at how the trap's beauty seemed to amplify. His hand gently pet his head and sub-consciously began to brush it. "Are you alright Nonon? I tried to bring you in as quickly as possible."

"I'm close to Tokyo I'm from Yokohama and, again, it's my pleasure Ms. Nonon." His steps slowly became a more difficult as the cold drained his energy. He continued to watch Nonon closely as they reached the town, smiling at his snores, and walked into the nearest tavern. Some players glanced at the pair, a young man carrying what looked like a passed out frail girl. He moved to the booth farthest away from prying eyes and set Nonon down beside him, ordering a warm glass of ale and a cup of chocolate.

It was nearing mid-day, noon, when Zero quietly strolled into the dueling arena not expecting to see anyone around, the duel was not something he had made public. He swiped open his menu and began to un-equip all his gear except for his Three Great Beasts swords. His hands gripped the handles of the blade on his back and on his left side, impaling them on the ground to his sides. He gripped the final blade on his right side, unsheathing it, and tossed over his shoulder. He was a bit early in order to make sure he could set everything up for what was about to occur. “He should be arriving any time now. He glanced at the stands, empty as could be without not a soul to be seen.

Freya watched the stalls as she walked by the stalls, noticing a game of Ring Toss. She stopped in front of the stall and glanced at the prizes, Kitsune masks, finding them to be to her liking. Her hands brushed over the three metal rings as she turned to the stands owner. “Excuse me sir, but could I participate in this game?” She gave the vendor a flirty smile and picked up one of the rings. “I’d really appreciate it, I want to get one of those Kistune masks really badly.” She grabbed one of the rings and spun it around her finger.

The stall owner smiled at Freya and nodded happily at the request. “Sure thing young lady, go on ahead and try your hand, you have three chances to win so make your shots count.” The owner warned before smiling again and stepping aside so the young lady could play.

“Seems simple enough, though I’ve never played this game before.” Freya grabbed the ring she had been spinning and aimed carefully, tossing it at the metal rod only to miss it. “Guess it’s not as easy as I thought, still have another two rings.” She gripped the ring lightly and carefully aimed the ring up to the rod, confidently tossing the ring. It hit the rod with its backend and managed to slide onto the rod. “Guess I win.” She giggled and spun the last ring on her finger, setting it back down in order to receive her prize.

The vendor walked over to the prizes and grabbed one of the masks. “Here you go young lady.” The vendor carefully placed the mask in her hands and went back to their spot, allowing Freya to move along her merry way.

~Kitsune Mask Acquired~

First Try: ID# 50216 LD: 6

Second Try: ID# 50220 LD: 11

"Of course, born and raised here in Japan. What about you Ms. Nonon, are you from Japan?" He kept a good grip on his body, ignoring his shaking as to not embarrass him. His gaze focused forward when Nonon asked if they could be friend and he let out a slight laugh. "It'd be my pleasure to be friends with you Nonon. Though I feel I'm not worthy of having such a relationship." He glanced down at him, the town entrance finally in view, and began to walk more slowly as the cold began to finally affect him. The storm's winds continued to pick up, Zero's breath becoming more and more visible from the cold.