Cyrus

Now that everything was official Cyrus kept his katana equipped on him. The beautiful if only low level sword was always strapped to his side. In his opinion it was fitting with his outfit to make him look more badass. He was also now a blacksmith which wasn't as cool but he at least could make his own equipment. Soon enough he would be making his own armor. But for now in his down time he would be crafting weapons to level up his skills. It was the hope that he would be able to craft an amazing sword at least amazing for his current level. After that he would just be selling off his equipment to NPC's and other players. The young gamer was indeed gawking at all of the things he acquired during his previous quest. Despite all of the bad luck they had in the fields everything was made better when he got lucky on completion. The random loot roll he got at the end was fairly high so he took it and ran. Her words brought him back to reality.

It was expected that they would need to travel to to another area to continue her quest. After they started heading towards the fields he picked up the conversation again. "Hhhhmmm how about we just toss some questions back and forth. But this time you have to answer your own question also after getting an answer." Not even waiting for her reply really he started thinking of some questions. Did she seem less evil and possibly more friendly? Or was he just imagining it? Perhaps the fact that they were getting to know each other more was making it easier for her. "What's your life motto? What do you live by?" This question was fairly intense but if understanding each other was growing a connection he was going to exploit it. This wasn't even for the purposes he normally used it for, mostly anyways. Instead it was to strength their harmony as partners and soon on the battlefield. 

Getting to work he kept an eye out for the things the pertained to her profession. Unfortunately he didn't have a tool that he could use just one on thing at a time and get results now. He was forced to actually gather stuff. Replying to her enthusiasm about the gathering he found a way to make things interesting as usual. Cyrus had been going to school for business after all. He had a sharp mind for profit. "Or you could always find a way to make other players do the searching for you and gather the materials. I'm sure the lower level players and the zombies would find anything to keep them out of real battle. If you supply a fair amount of Col for X amount of materiel  you can avoid the girly stuff and grunt work." This was just a peek into the dark and brilliant mind of Cyrus. One could only imagine what his true plans were for when he finally got the level and strength he desired. There had already been hints and clues left that he intended to start something great. While he spoke he checked for loot. Not finding anything.

ID# 80729 results:

Loot: 12

There game had finally come to a close. And despite them both being worn out and just ready to relax for the rest of the day Kisodeth didn't let her guard slip. There had to be some way past that cold exterior. Of course he already thought of one way but it was a vague sort of thing more than a clear cut plan. The circumstances had to be just right to be able to use that method though. But for now he was just letting everything be. The answer wasn't going to show up out of the blue today. Instead he just listened to what she was saying making a few mental notes here and there. As they spoke he looked through his inventory at all the stuff he gathered. Flipping through his menu he checked to see just what he could craft immediately. Only weapons were available for the time being. They would have to buy armor for a little while. But that would at least cut down on the cost of a few things. His thoughts were already going to what kind of Katana he could create. 

"Sure thing lead the way Kiso." Cyrus was a man of his word. And even though they had been focused on other things than money at the moment he still had some extra Col stored away. The week he took to research was still paying off. Things were going pretty smooth for the young man lately. It was hard to think that nothing bad happened yet. But he didn't want to be too pessimistic. Forbid anything happen he was sure Kiso would be there to bail him out and chew him out at the same time. Their partnership would be dangerous for the rest of Aincrad. They were going to be an unstoppable force soon.

******

Thread Rewards: Each Person
+1 SP
+200 Col

Thread Rewards: Cyrus

+1 SP

- Blacksmith Skill

+5 Crafting Material

They were both ready to go and there wasn't anything more to do. The Sensei NPC had walked off standing on the grass toward the edge of the cliff. For a moment Cyrus wondered what would happen if he tried to push the NPC off. But that would just be cruel even to the lifeless clump of coding. Besides he was taught a lot and as far as he could tell this had been authentic training with a katana. In the real world this would have taken years to perfect and he had just learned all of that in a few hours. He was almost grateful to the game for the opportunity before he remembered his circumstances. Truly he wasn't exactly unhappy with being trapped in a game. He was able to escape from his responsibilities and just play the game. It was only the death part and what was happening to his body outside the game that bothered him. If those two factors had been removed it was possible he would have been completely content with being here. There was so much to enjoy and experience.

There were probably many more hidden quests and skills that were waiting to be found. But for now he was just ready to get going. Equipping his new skill and his blade he walked back over to Kiso. The game was feeling a lot more complete now. He was ready to take on some mobs. Everything he needed really was his. If anything he just needed to add some better armor. But he was sure that the easy mobs of the floor would be easier to take down now. He was confident that if he ran into one now it wouldn't result in death. "Yeah let's get back. Let's focus on you now. What do you need to get accomplished next? I just have my EaL left to do..." 

Thread Rewards: Each Person
+1 SP
+200 Col

Thread Rewards: Cyrus

- Katana Skill

- Basic 2H Katana

Their relationship was obviously going to be an interesting one. They were going to annoy and tease each other but in a way still understand and respect each other. How this would work out in the end was anybody's guess. "That's not a nice finger." He chuckled as they moved back to the starting city. Her last question was answered after he took a moment to think. "I'll buy dinner only if you tell me your type of guy." He took on her cold and expressionless tone messing with her a little. " Not that I care or whatever." The grin he gave her clearly showed that he was just playing around. But it was up to her to take it how she wanted. It didn't take them long to get back to the starting city. Cyrus was pretty accustomed to the area and knew the fastest route back to the quest giver. With the material gathered it was indeed a productive day for him. Opening his shop soon would be able to work for them immediately.

Following the quest back to the quest giver led them to a small shop. The NPC that Cyrus didn't even care to remember the name of taught him the basics of crafting. It wasn't a complicated system. Like most RPG's it had a similar foundation that he was used to. So he flew through the teaching part and made note of where he could find tips if he forgot. And that was it really. There was nothing to it. The equipment that was made for the quest had been removed when he spoke to the NPC again. He wasn't exactly mad that he couldn't keep it. The stuff he made was pretty weak and not worth the space it would take up. 

If he couldn't tell that Kiso was getting restless and impatient he knew now. So there was a slight kick in his step. The tunnels led them back outside and they were finally at the top of the waterfall. It was the final moment of the quest. You could always feel when a quest was about to end. Like a sense of relief it it was something extremely tedious as this. Now he just had to find the katana. That was pretty easy seeing as the stream that fell off the edge had a gleaming katana edge down into the water looking like a treasure. The blade didn't even look like it had been worn down by the water or anything at all. Rather than checking on his partner he instead walked into the stream and made his way toward the edge where the blade was. It was dangerously close and the pressure of the water didn't make it too hard to stand up. 

With some focus he made it to the blade and when he finally grabbed the hilt a familiar figure walked seemingly from out of nowhere. It was the Sensei again there to congratulate him. The blade actually dissolved which made him wonder if he was going to get the blade also. It was a fairly beautiful blade even if it was probably weak. Cyrus cycled through the mushy stuff and finally completed the quest waiting for the rewards to pop up on his screen. The story went something about it being the Sensei's blade that he wanted to pass on also.  And when the reward finally displayed he turned towards Kisodeth and gave her a wide smile looking in her direction for the first time since the waterfall incident. The bokken had disappeared from his inventory as it was a one time quest item. The katana skill and blade were now his. They were finally done and could go back home. "Let's get the hell out of here."

Cyrus bowed a little at her comment. "I try to be. I'm going to enjoy life to the fullest even now." Cyrus already knew that his words weren't going to melt the ice queen. If she was going to open up it was probably going to be more in his actions than what he said. Blushing and getting flustered was not the norm for her and in a way that's probably what made him curious. For now though there wasn't a plan to make her fall for him or anything stupid like that. Enjoying the now. She was going to be stuck to him for a while so he would test his boundaries and see what happened. Worst case scenario she would try punching his teeth out. Best case scenario... what was the best case scenario? This only fueled his curiosity even more. "Besides I had to return the compliment." Again he was twisting up her words a little just to push her buttons a little. To anyone else he was probably poking a sleeping lioness. Only this didn't register for him seeing as fear was not something that he let control his actions. If he always feared the what ifs he would never take his chances.

"I like to see myself every once in a while but I know what I've got going on." Another question which threw him for a loop. This was another question he wasn't expecting but it was fun. Rolling with the punches he didn't have to think about this answer. "Maybe not so much the drugs part but I'm pretty wild also. And I suppose that's where my choice of a WOMAN comes from." He emphasized the word on purpose hinting to a few things about his choice in a partner. No one liked being with someone who couldn't match them mentally and emotionally. "I guess if we're strictly speaking about personality I would have to say smart, fun-loving, and confident. Someone that can handle me at times. If she's not mentally capable she won't last." It was the last boulder he would be hitting that day. This was getting boring and he already had enough to complete the quest. 

ID# 80626 results:

Loot: 9

Another crushing failure. So he just decided to end things there and move on. "I think we're done gathering. I could always find more as I travel. I don't want to waste too much of the day. Let's head back." Taking the lead again he would start them back to the Town.

There was still some slight surprise that she had come with him this far. Apparently she was going to be in this for the long run. It was quite hard to ignore the fact that her cloth armor was displaying more than she probably liked. Instead of ogling her when noticed her cover up he made a point not to look in her direction anymore. "Despite what you say about settling down. Business partnerships are like settling down in a way also." It was just a thought that he would share out loud. It wasn't anything to start a conversation really more something for her to think about while he was working. "It's fine. I'm not one for puzzle games either but every RPG usually has some sort of puzzle element. So I was expecting this at some point." His speech trailed off as he continued to look around the room for clues. Essentially the pictures told a story. Three of the symbols were grouped unusually close together. A man meditating, circling koi fish, and the Zen symbol in japanese culture. This is where Cyrus had expertise thanks to his personal interest in the culture back in the real world. Without hesitating further he slid the rings until those three symbols were lined up and pressed the circle in the middle. 

The rings spun for a moment and only displayed one symbol, a katana. It was a trick of the eyes because they spun so fast you couldn't see what happened until the sword was displayed. There was an unlocking sound before some rumbling as the wall separated granting them entrance. "That wasn't so bad." The rest of the trip through the tunnels went by smoothly. There weren't any more puzzles just more paintings as aesthetics for the quest.  "This was quite extensive but I guess it was worth it. A hidden quest wasn't exactly going to be easy."

It was no surprise that she caught on to him. Of course he was putting in a little more effort because she came off as the sort of person that didn't like the flirting. However he did catch her choice of words. She never said explicitly that she didn't like it. Just what he might have thought. Maybe he was reaching on that theory but it was something to keep his mind preoccupied. A lot of her answers were never straight forward but it just meant he needed to read between the lines. Although he had to be careful so that he wasn't looking for something that wasn't there. "Touche. Even someone with a cold personality can still be attractive in the right circumstances. I see what you're saying." He made a point of looking her up and down. And then even feigning an expression as if he was really thinking about it. As usual he was finding a way to turn her own words against her.

There had been the brief moment of awkward silence but to his surprise and benefit she kept things going. If she was taking an interest in this no matter how small it was it saved him from having to convince her it would be fun. Her next question made him grin a little bit. "Good genes for the most part. My body just took on this shape naturally. I mean I work out somewhat to keep everything nice but I didn't do anything special really. I'm not complaining about the questions. Time is moving along faster with us distracting ourselves." When he paused in conversation he looked to see if there was going to be a yield from his most recent work. Another bust though. Her bad luck was really rubbing off on him. They would probably only spend another moment or so here before returning to the town so he could learn the basics to blacksmithing. 

ID# 80619 results:

Loot: 10

So they would be entering the waterfall together. It was easy to just go along with her teasing and shoot back his own sarcasm and jokes. "Aww would you miss me? That's sweet." With his partner in tow they walked along the narrow path that led them through the waterfall and into the cave. The water that fell on them was quite heavy. There was so much attention to detail in this game but that was the goal of VR right? Make it as real as possible so that people get absorbed in the game. It was too bad that those mechanics were designed for the purpose that they would actually be trapped. The wet effect applied to their bodies having come in contact with that much water. It made Cyrus wonder if that would have made them slower if they were wearing more armor.

Once inside the waterfall it wouldn't take long for eyes to get adjusted. There were crystals luminescent crystals in the cave that led their way. The cave stretched into a tunnel which was apparently their way t get to the top. Wasting no time Cyrus waded through the small pool that only came up to his shins. The shore was a mostly gravel before turning into stone. There was some light crunching underneath his step for a while. As they walked further into the tunnel a wall came into view. Due to the light of the crystals it could be seen that there was some sort of puzzle designed into the wall. So this was one of those complete the puzzle to get the reward type of deals. "This is better than a gathering quest at least." There were three rings and one circle in the middle. The three rings had picture and the middle circle seemed like a button. It was a match sort of deal. But what were the consequences of getting it wrong. Probably was safe to assume that the developers didn't make it so that getting it wronf would cause immediate death. There were some hints along the wall. The correct sequence of the rings were drawn somewhere. 

The faces Kisodeth made were priceless to him. Making her mad was sort of a highlight in his day. It was never intended to be too serious to make her want to take action. Just enough to get a scowl on her face or the roll of her eyes. One of the other things he enjoyed other than flirting. Their search continued and so did their game. Taking him up on his offer the question was asked. It was a good one too. Of course he put himself in this position by laying down the rules. No dodging. Full honesty. For a moment he just thought about his answer and how to word it properly. "I guess I wasn't too sure about that myself until you just asked me. I like to think I'm a charismatic guy. I'm pretty confident also. I guess between that alone flirting is just the natural result right? Also I wasn't exactly as good looking as I am now. Not to sound cocky. You might not even find me attractive. But I like what I've turned into. And I like to test my limits." This was a personal truth not many knew about him. Things were heating up. 

Shaking off the simple but intense question his pickaxe went knocking away into the next boulder available. Kiso probably didn't intend or expect that kind of reply but she asked a good question. It made him curious of how she would take that answer. Out of the corner of his eyes he was carefully watching her response without making it obvious. This was also the perfect chance to think of his own good question. It didn't take long for one to come to him. It took everything not to grin too much. They were getting more personal which would make this entire interesting. Things were sure to be different by the time they got back to the Town of Beginnings. 

And it was looking like they would have a pause just to have regular conversation when he didn't find anything. Which would be interesting seeing as the last question asked gave to an intense answer.

ID# 80609 results:

Loot: 9

Cyrus was good at being cordial and just playing things along as they came. It was fairly easy to play nice with Airi. Having a few younger sibling it was kind of a knack he had for having a calming tone and vibe to him. After a while he didn't have to analyze every little thing she did. His initial impression of her had been cast so his current view of her was more on the positive side of the scale. The conversation had a nice flow to it so he didn't have to search for words to keep things going or search for an excuse to get away. Rather the way she spoke seemed to pull him further in. It was something dismissed by Cyrus at the moment. She didn't pose a threat at the moment. Everyone was about equal in strength. It also helped that she didn't look like a fighter. Yet, looks could always be deceiving. 

When she continued with their conversation he wasn't expecting part of her life story. Empathy wasn't something that he was well versed in but he could only image his little sister getting lost in a game like she was. So despite his wall that protected him from being drawn in by sob stories she at least got some sort of reaction. Taking a good look at the sketch the male gamer just shook his head. "I've never seen him before unfortunately. It's a big city. It would be easy to pass by somebody you know and never even know it. But I can definitely keep an eye out now." Cyrus wasn't the type of man to make promises. So that response was as good as it was going to get. Committing yourself to obligations you could not fulfill was something he despised. Besides there was no point in giving Airi false hope that he would be passionately searching for this person. "I'm usually moving around a lot in and out of the town. So I might run into him. I was on my way out the city today actually. When I'm out there I'll keep that sketch at the back of my mind. There was always the possibility that he would forget over time. There was no need in worrying the poor girl though.

After smashing up some dummies for a while he finally finished the practical training and turned to the Sensei who bowed and gave him his final task to complete the quest. There was a katana placed at the top of the waterfall. It would be his task to enter the waterfall and make his way to the top and retrieve it. There was a long drawn out story about where it came from and where it was used in the lore. More NPC ramble about how he was the last student in his particular school and style. More feel good stuff for players but Cyrus wasn't really interested in all of that. It wasn't real. While he would carry on the style that he was taught it wasn't something real right? Or maybe this small quest was actually a reference to someone real. It was something that lingered at the far back edge of his mind. It was unlikely from his view point.

Turning to Kiso he spoke to her catching her in a sort of tranced look like she was thinking about something. However he didn't pry instead he offered her a chance to tag along. "I gotta go into this waterfall and make it up to the top to retrieve the katana. You coming or you gonna wait here till I come back." He didn't necessarily need her for anything. It sounded like he just had to walk up and grab it. But maybe it wasn't going to be that easy. Either way the option was available to her. It was a level one quest and there was no way it would be hard enough that he couldn't complete it alone.

Cyrus had been lucky so far in getting material and he didn't want to stop there. It would be better for him if they were able to get as much crafting material as possible on this initial run. It wasn't going to be perfect he knew that much but it would be better to come out with a lot right out the gate. With Kisodeth with him his chances of finding loot in theory was supposed to be greater but it wasn't exactly turning out how he planned. After that first find she wasn't getting very lucky. It was probably best to move on to a new area. "It might not be rigged you might just be unlucky. I hope it doesn't rub off on me." He teased her a little letting out a soft chuckle. "But no we can change locations this spot is probably dried up by now. Spotting another good area not too far off he stopped what he was doing to scan the area. It looked clear for the most part. There was one mob hanging particularly close by but it didn't look like it was going to be moving towards them any time soon. Laying his pickaxe over his shoulder he led them over to their new gathering spot and got to work.

Listening to Kisodeth's story he grew quiet for a moment. So she had been a loner even before the game. It kind of made sense and explained a few things. But he didn't want to open that can of worms. Instead he just nodded his head. "I'm sure she got you some help. The fact that you're still in the game is the best clue. I don't think your body could have lasted this long without medical assistance."  Rather than letting her dwell on those thoughts he wanted to keep the mood positive. They were making some sort of progress. When they got to their new spot he started hacking away at the first boulder he saw the tapping went on for a minute or two before he finally got a result. Nothing on this first boulder. "Yeah your bad luck is rubbing off on me bad. I'll let you ask a question if you get a material or not on this one. Gotta think of more questions."

ID# 80602 results:

Loot: 12

For a moment Cyrus just stared at her. For a moment his eyes were locked on her facing searching for something before looking for the source of her strength. The fierceness of her eyes told him everything he needed to know. Only a smile came to his face. "Who said you were going to win though? I wasn't going to take it easy on you." As she sent him on his way he wasn't expecting what she had to say next. He opened his mouth to reply but instead shut it. There was only a small nod. "Me too. You're not so bad." Turning away from Kiso he returned to the Sensei and resumed the quest. The next thing were the basic sword arts and how to activate them. It was the final thing he had to learn before putting it all into practical use against test dummies. While he was working he occasionally looked towards his partner even though she was no longer thinking about him. At least as far as he could tell. 

The test dummies that were set up had the immortal object notification hover over them for a moment before disappearing. Another glance at Kiso allowed him an interesting display as she was laid out. The young gamer had to snap himself out of it hoping he wasn't caught. Taking in a deep breath he started on the next requirements of using every type of attack he had learned so far. The dummies also displayed how much damage was done per attack which was fairly impressive. The katana skill had fair energy draining but high attack which worked out perfectly for him. A lot of the stuff he had unlocked during this training would have to be earned later on it was more of a preview of what could be. And Cyrus had already come to the assumption that this quest was the first real quest that had been well worth all of the trouble. 

The short moment that she hugged herself he felt bad. Despite her cold attitude she was still a woman and he was raised better than that. This game was now reality for them. Saying or doing something had real effects on them. They were no longer allowed to log out when things got dangerous for them. He would have to be careful about what he did from now on. "You know what assuming does. It makes an ass out of you and me." It was a pretty dry joke but it was his attempt to make things easier for her. The subject had been let go. It wasn't something that serious that he was going to sit there and pout about. It took more energy to frown and be upset which wasn't worth it. 

Bringing up tattoos was obviously the right play there because she got really animated about it. While she spoke he listened intently trying to remember as much of it as possible. Normally he was good at keeping up with details about a woman but this went way beyond his skill level. "That's pretty dope actually. I didn't think you could be that creative with just one theme. I wouldn't have thought about it." Cyrus also let the underlying meaning kind of just slip by him without thinking too much. He was less shameful and thought body art was something unique to each person and interesting. "Yeah I would love to see them. I'll be able to show you my dragon and my wolf." There was at least some sort of exchange going on. His own moral code had been turned on since the beginning seeing as he wanted to see just how real the world would get when he first started. Since then he forgot the option was still selected. They were talking now and it wasn't as stiff as before. Perhaps they were starting to get along? He didn't want to get his hopes up too much though. 

Despite their talking he still was able to give enough focus to find his next material storing it also. But he got another question as well which stumped him for a moment. "Let's make this a little more interesting and personal. Did you leave behind someone? A boyfriend or friend with benefits?" 

ID# 80553 results:

Loot: 20 [+1 T1 Material]

Cyrus had a lot of opinions about Kisodeth but a lot of them had less to do about her body and more of them about her mind. For the most part they were all positive and any that were bad were expected. Everyone had their flaws including himself. He was lucky to get stuck with her flaws because it could have been a lot worse. His little game ignited something inside of her though. The Ice Queen was summoning a blizzard with her words making her too cold to approach. Her outburst caused Cyrus to just grow quiet. There had been plenty of experience with women to know when to hush. And so he focused on the next step which was blocking. This wasn't something foreign to him he just didn't use it as often in real combat resorting more to dodging. And with his Bokken he had to get used to size of the blade and how to block properly. 

Looking up again he watched as Kiso disappeared into the waterfall letting her have her space. The blocking was probably the longest of the training so far. Getting the timing right was difficult for him. There were different conditions to when he had to activate the blocking. While Kiso was away and out of earshot he put in more focus to finally complete that step of his journey. When she finally returned he could feel her eyes burning daggers into his back which made him look for her. His silver eyes scanned for her making sure she was alright if only a little damp.

"No it's fine. Maybe I went too far... we're stuck with each other though. Maybe I should try a little harder" Putting a pause in his training he closed the distance between himself and Kiso. "Spar with me." So far she had not attempted to kill him when she had so many chances to try. That said a lot. "Let out your frustrations. Everything we've been holding in so far. Anger at the situation, the present, and the unsure future. Let it all out with me." He was ready to help her if she let him. If she accepted his offer.

The way she replied to his answer struck a cord somewhere. Containing his reaction he decided not to damage their already fragile partnership. Instead he made his own comment giving more of his background than he originally intended. "You're wrong." It was said simply but it was firm and held bass to his voice. She was establishing her own image of him and she was getting it wrong. It was probably the first time since they met that he was getting so serious. "I'm one of five. Parents didn't really come from too much. They broke their backs to get where they are. They taught all of us the value of money. When I was old enough to work I was buying anything extra that wasn't a necessity. Because I chose to continue my education they provide me with some extra to make living easier. They're probably not doing much for themselves right now focused on me and my siblings."

For a while there was silence only the sound of his hacking on another boulder being heard. She wasn't really turning up anything at the moment which wasn't going to plan. He figured having more hands on deck would yield better results but that wasn't a sure thing. It was something he knew walking in it was just him being hopeful anyways. Trying to break the silence again before things went in the wrong direction he spoke. His voice was less harsh. "It's my turn again. How many tattoos do you have? I only got my two but I noticed a few of yours. Tell me about them." It was a two parter and he was wondering if he would get away with that. But only because the first part could induce a very short answer. His intense talking distracted him resulting in not finding anything.

ID# 80549 results:

Loot: 9

Finally settling on a draw style he liked there were a few more test draws before he was content. Something sort of flashy but also useful as an opening attack. There was usually logic to a lot of things he did in this game. Next they moved on to basic striking which again was something simple. At first it was just some vertical slashing going on. That was something easy enough but it left you fairly open. It was super easy to grasp so they moved past that quickly and then he was onto throwing some cuts from the right or left side. There was plenty of room for variation here but he stuck to the one that left him room to dodge if it came down to it. There weren't always going to be situations where he could avoid an incoming attack but it was better to have the option open. In these sorts of games it was harder to become a super swift dodging master. You were going to take damage somewhere. It was just up to you to determine how much and where. 

The smart comment he was expecting came from Kiso as usual but he was already prepared for her types of answers. Her cold personality was easier to read now on some of the basic things. Stuff like then he could guess where her responses would lie. Flirting was something that Cyrus did naturally most of the time without him even realizing it. It was more playful teasing and to see just how far he could get. Apparently she would be the target of his flirtatious ways for a while. That cold exterior she wore like her armor just made things more interesting.

"Hhmmm 10 Col? That might actually be money well spent." He cast a look to her emphasizing his words giving her a warm smile. This time even when his attention was split his form never faltered. Cyrus had always been a quick study when it came to learning by doing. His mistakes only shaped his skills further through self-analyzing. "All work and no play has got to be pretty harsh on you. I'm sure you've had eyes on you before. It would be hard not to look." That last sentence had been a little more mumbled but easy to be heard if one was listening close enough. Breaking her serious tone was the goal. There had to be something underneath the Ice Queen and he was very curious to find out. They had already played the question game so he knew a few things about her already. Even with he back turned to him the occasional glance was shot her way. It was easy to admit that she was definitely easy on the eyes. It was a plus in their partnership that he had an attractive associate. Although there were no plans to get tied down and the tone of his voice could convey by the way he spoke. He was too young to be settling down even now with their dire situation. Cyrus had a firm belief that he would stay alive until the end. But did he have an interest in getting involved with any woman in any other type of way? That wouldn't interfere with his plans right?

Cyrus peeked over his shoulder and to his surprise she didn't get annoyed with his logic. Normally it was easy to read people and engage them in conversation. But Kiso wasn't normal. She didn't just chop it up with someone just because. For her there had to be reasoning behind her actions and words that much he could pick up. So in order to get her to play along with his plans he knew he would need reasoning and logic for it. Luckily boredom was enough of a threat to bring her away from the silence that threatened this quest. It also would help them understand each other. And if they understood each other and the way they thought they would be a large threat on the battlefield.

Another thing he noticed quite some time ago was the attention she put into moving her hair at times. This was something he secretly wondered about. It was one of her best features in his eyes. Long black hair that was like a crown upon the Ice Queen it only made her blue eyes stand out that much more. For a moment she sounded stumped when Cyrus didn't hear her reply. But the the question was finally asked. Moving to his next boulder he listened carefully. 

It was a fairly simple question indeed one that took no time for him to respond to. "I was a student actually. I'm studying to get a business degree and I had a chance to go abroad to Japan. Family wanted me to focus on education so they funded my hobbies and other expenses. I did intern a few corporate places but that's not where I want to end up. Corporate America isn't exactly a fun place." He didn't really go into much more detail. She didn't ask for all of that. Instead he kept his answer shorter and to the point. A devious grin was stretching his face now. "We can keep score if you want. But I'm really competitive."  Since he found a material he decided to ask his own question next. "What made you play SAO? You don't seem like a gamer type to me. Not judging though."

Another material showed up after his quick hacking. "Already beating you."

ID# 80545 results:

Loot: 19 [+1 T1 Material]

Listened to Kiso's complaining chuckling along the way. She was quite serious about everything she said but that's what made it funny also. "The scenery is perfect for this place. Remember you gotta enjoy the little things." His secret project on her continued on seeking to find what interested her and what she liked. That's what he would use to get her to open up some more. There wasn't any particular reason why he was choosing to do this other than the fact that she was more or less tied to him. Perhaps it was just another short term goal he added just to keep his mind busy. Perhaps she was growing on him a little like frostbite slowly inching her way along. 

As he followed the Sensei's instructions he kept her at the back of his mind also. They were on basic drawing techniques at the moment. It was a fairly easy concept to grasp probably because the game's mechanics were doing most of the work for him. They started off with basic drawing. He was already used to drawing his curved sword. It just felt different drawing a Katana since it was a two handed weapon. Or well for this training he was using a Bokken. After a while he got used to it and was starting to pick a style of drawing that he liked and essentially looked cool. If he was going to be wielding a Katana he might as well look good doing it. 

Hearing Kisodeth's sarcastic remarks he chuckled triggering an automated response from the Sensei when he didn't draw correctly. The NPC chewed him out a little but Cyrus didn't really pay him any mind. "Awwww don't be such a sour puss. It's not too cute on you. Your just jealous you won't be looking this good." Cyrus had a smart mouth too so tossing these remarks back and forth was something fun to him.

Kisodeth was still coming off as cold and uncaring. She really didn't care for the game itself it seemed just didn't want to become an easy target. That was understandable kind of. She got more than she bargained for when she started playing SAO. But it was better to make the best of it than to be bitter. It was starting to become his mission to at least get her to enjoy the small things. If she stayed bitter here the entire time it would drive her crazy. When she spoke breaking the silence he looked up to see what she was going on about. Noticing the group of players he couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head. "You sound upset over there." He teased at her. Pulling out a pickaxe from his equipment he went to tapping away at the most promising gathering of boulders. The quest he got provided him with one to gather material. It would take a few taps per boulder before he would know if he got a material or not. So instead of tapping and searching in silence he started up some conversation.

Catching the material thrown to him it got stored away quickly. There was no real rush but he just wanted this to be over fast. "If we're going to be stuck here gathering for a while we might as well distract ourselves from this boring task. This might get awkward but we might as well get to know each other. For every material we find we get to ask one question and get a honest answer. No dodging the question. And before you complain it's better than sitting here in silence. I'll let you start since you found the first one." Cyrus wasn't going to take no for an answer. She was his partner now and he was going to take that a little serious. Despite only just meeting recently she wasn't afraid to make the sacrifices it took to make this relationship profitable to them both. Despite her attitude her actions were speaking louder. She was putting in some effort whether she wanted to admit it or not. And so Cyrus would put in some effort of his own. She became his next project. It would probably take some time but he was willing to wait. After hacking a few times he got his first material and stashed it away.

ID# 80534 results:

Loot: 20 [+1 T1 Material]

Walking back out of the door he equipped his shoes again not really making a big deal out of Kiso not following his respect for the dojo. Cyrus had a deep respect for Japanese culture and as such he followed it when entering the dojo. It was just a game at the end of the day so he wouldn't bring it up to his partner. Instead he focused on their current goal. Following his map out of the town the quest was going to lead them on a bit of a trip. However it would be good to get out of the town. Since starting this game he never really spent too much time inside the walls choosing to expose himself to the risky elements of the game. Never really putting himself in too much danger but giving himself a chance to develop habits for when he was in deadly combat situations. If being in this world became second nature to him then it wouldn't be too much of a challenge to handle situations that required more from him.

Once outside the gates the marker on his map took them further away from the town. Sticking to the road and avoiding mobs where he could Cyrus was drawing closer to their destination. The quest seemed to be taking them to a higher elevated portion of the first floor. Checking his quest again it said recommended level one so he assumed it was safe for them to press on. There wasn't much talking going on during there trip. It was something that stuck out to him. The young man stayed on alert though until they finally came upon an area where bamboo was starting to become more dense. The path  got more narrow and less visible as if it was a road less traveled. Slipping through the bamboo they finally came upon a waterfall. Within the pool that surrounded the water fall was a decent patch of grass and the same NPC at the Dojo was seen kneeling again. Creepy? But Cyrus didn't make a fuss. There was a walkway of dirt leading to the platform and he followed it on even if Kiso didn't. It was like something out of an old school samurai movie which was quite fitting for the quest.

Interacting with the NPC once again he updated his quest. He was given a practice wooden Katana that he would have to practice with. Not wasting any time he began the instructions the NPC gave him once in a while. The things the NPC said were actual combat moves but most of it was how to use the new weapon he acquired. 

(Need to get this removed)

Being partners with a crazy, psychotic, and evil woman wasn't so bad. Or at least it wasn't so bad for him. Frankly it was actually kind of fun. He didn't think he would enjoy her company as much as he did but here they were now. Once again she agreed to tag along with him to complete a quest more personal to him. Apparently it was 'just for the loot' but he was beginning to suspect she just liked his company. Even the big bad she-wolf had to get lonely at some point right? The fact that he could put up with her and didn't mind it probably played a great part in everything. It wasn't something to dwell on for much longer. Instead he listened to the NPC that was giving him the quest. Fairly vague no real restrictions on it. It was another gathering quest which sort of annoyed him also. They were pretty drawn out and boring for the most part. However he had a partner now so it wouldn't be as bad. She would be able to help him identify things faster. Besides they could talk more and get to know each other while they looked. While he didn't really say it out loud it was something he was curious about. They would be stuck together for the foreseeable future. And it didn't look like they would have anyone joining for the moment either. So it was probably better to add something to their association beyond small amount of respect it took to at least acknowledge each other as equals. 

Turning away from the NPC he walked back to Kisodeth who would be waiting for him. As he walked he looked through his quest on his menu. "It's a fairly straight forward quest. Gather some stuff. Turn it in. Forge your first piece of equipment. Skill acquired. You ready?" It wasn't really much of a question nor did he really ask. They both knew what they came here for and what it was going to require. So Cyrus already started walking towards the gate before she even responded. His mind wandered briefly as he thought about the possibilities. He would have to play around with crafting for a while to see if he could get some good stuff. It would make their travelling easier if he could make their stuff on the go. And it would save them Col to have everything they needed. Thinking about it having a merchant player around would also be a plus at some point... he would have to find one later. He added this to his agenda. His grand scheme was getting larger just as fast as goals were getting completed. 

@Kisodeth

Cyrus had a chance meeting with his now partner, Kisodeth. At first it didn't look like it was going to end pretty but somehow they came to an understanding. For the briefest moment he thought he was actually going to have to really fight a woman for the first time in a game. But that bullet had been dodged. Another problem for another day. They came to see eye to eye having similar ideals on how they wanted things to run in SAO. It wouldn't be fun to have other players dictating how they would want to live in the tower. It was an inevitable thing that the young gamer had the foresight to see. In games the strong usually band together to be stronger. When that happened guilds formed. The strongest guilds usually claimed the awesome farming spots across many maps. They would get all of the one time loot for themselves. When they got too strong there was nothing to do if you didn't have your own power to compete. 

Both of them were to stubborn and hungry to let that happen. So now they had to speed their way through the floors and catch up to the rest. And one way for them to get there was to pick up this katana. Cyrus had his eyes set on it from the start. He already spent the courtesy points into his curved sword skill so that it could be done easily. Now he just had to hunt down where to pick up the katana skill and the starter sword. There were some hints laying around also. There was a place on the map called The Dojo. He first discovered it one of his many exploration trips. The discovery made such an impact that it was all he could think of. In the real world Kenjutsu had long since been watered down into less lethal methods. He was curious if Kayaba had put enough thought into the game to also include some authentic japanese sword styles into the game. It was SWORD Art after all.

For the briefest moments the young man turned to check on Kisodeth seeing as she agreed to accompany him. For a moment he had been absorbed in getting to The Dojo that he almost forgot about her. A few more turns and they were there. Cyrus stopped in front of the door wondering if his suspicions were right. "This is the place." Sliding open the Shoji doors Cyrus entered with his shoes unequipped. It was more of a respect thing than anything else. There was an NPC kneeling away from the door far in the back of the large dojo. Assuming Kiso was still following him he approached the NPC. Engaging with the NPC he quickly read through the requirements and directions for the skill. Apparently it was a bonus skill and wouldn't take up an extra slot. Turning to Kisodeth he gave her a sheepish grin. "We're in for a small trip... but it will be worth it." They would need to travel outside of the town to acquire the katana.

@Kisodeth