Lindow

Lindow shook his head, a slight smile on his face when the young man Cal had said he hasn’t prepared himself for it, “Well, I was certainly not prepared for it when the little one came into this world. It’s rewarding as a father. You see yourself in their eyes, and it’s something you helped make. And that creation then grows up and matures. Its precious, the time you spend with them.” He cleared his throat turning his head back looking away for a brief moment. They were coming upon the shop district it seemed.

The dark billows of clouds that manifested over chimneys, the highly detailed signs and window panes. Everything from armor to weaponry, to salves and tools were located here. There was another explanation coming from the veteran warrior as he told Lindow about the district and gave a few pieces of helpful information on where to find the choice selection, on top of that giving hints on some quests where he could score some decent gear. Lindow stood marveling at the top end pieces of gear at one shop, his eyes reflecting back from the blade, “I was never a big fantasy buff, but the NerveGear was actually for my daughter’s birthday. I tried it out just to see if it was safe, didn’t imagine this to happen…” Lindow continued to exam the different items in the window’s shops as they passed by. It seemed like every other shop was a blacksmith, alchemist or basic merchant with very little of the others in between. Perhaps he could find a niche in something else rather than to take business from these hard working laborers.

“Thank you for the low down on those game mechanics. By the way, do you own a shop?” 

As he reeled in his catch, he pulled as hard as he could and fell down with a plop to the ground as a stinky old boot came crashing into his face. Lindow smacked the wet boot away as it dissolved into the air, “Ugh! Well, so much for that…” he placed the bait on the hook once more and he looked up at the sky, still good on time. He rested his body once more and cast his line out and patiently waited. Those thoughts of his family, when he was alone, are all he had to keep him going. His eyes burned through the water, it took patience and discipline to get through this mess. His calm eyes set on the bobble in the small pond, he needed to become one with the fishing line though it would be silly to start a manta and hum while he was fishing. He opened his inventory and got one of the pieces of bread out and ate a good chunk of it, chewing on the contents and swallowed. He thought about cooking up some fish, but he was no cook and he could only chose one profession. There was money to be made though, he didn’t see anyone else fishing for a living. He smiled, “We’ll be ok, right Crystal?” 

The explanations continued and he understood a good deal of what was being said, perhaps venturing out into the wild was not the greatest of ideas. He could have lost his life there, but how did so many others go about it? Perhaps they partied up, that would be wise, and there was greater safety in numbers. He scratched his beard again side to side, a common trademark gesture when he was thinking.

 

“Thank you, Cal. I honestly would have been a deer in headlights for a while if you didn’t show up. Plus learning all this on my own would have taken a greater deal of time—“

He said the merchant district, he had been here only one other time and that was to window shop for a better weapon. The items looked great but way out of his price range perhaps that was what stemmed most of this up, the monster loot and the currency of this world. He sighed when he offered Lindow a basic potion, indeed, that would be more than generous he thought.

“You help a lot of people, don’t you Cal? You care a lot about them. I too wish to help as many people as I can while I am here, so I hope instead of just one…we are now two, helping the greater cause. But I can’t say I am a perfect man. Since I have been here, I have difficulty adjusting to my offline morality issue. Not that I don’t care about people, but…I don’t know. It sounds selfish, but I can’t die. I won’t die. And I won’t let people stand in my way of seeing my family again.” There was a solemn look in his eyes as he adverted away as they continued walking.

To break the tension, he gave a slight cough, “My daughter loved shopping…She wouldn’t be able to afford anything, but somehow she made out like a bandit. I’d give her money for school books; she comes back with a new blouse. Kids…” he silently laughed to himself, “Do you have any children, Cal?”  

As he sat with patience, he looked out to the water once more, his mind filling with images of his wife. Her soft skin, her long brown hair, beautiful smile…

“Going to be late for work, dear!”

“I’m coming!”

The two couple kiss, a young girl sitting at the breakfast table listening to her musical device while reading some High Fashion Girl’s Magazine.

“Hey! Jas! What did I tell you about listening to your discman at the table?”

“What? What’s a discman? Dad, this isn’t the—“

“What are you wearing? Do you see what she is wearing? Go upstairs and change. You are not going to school dressed like that. Who bought her clothes?”

“Hunny, I’ll handle it, you are late. Go! Here’s your lunch!”

“She isn’t allowed to go to school dressed like that, and she better not be hanging out with any boys either until she is thirty. Especially that Ron guy, and James, and Peter…”

“Go!!”

Lindow felt the tug of his fishing pole in his sturdy hand,"Wooaaa! I gotchya!"  

The detail of his explanation was thorough to say in the least, rubbing the back of his head; Lindow nodded lightly, "So in other words, nothing like Pong?" Rhetorical question and once more he scratched his scruffy beard with his broad hands as he followed Calrex back to the city. There was certainly more to the game than he thought and it would take a lot of work. Right now he had the basics of the sword play down, his armor will get better with time as soon as he gets Col. As far as he gathered, it didn’t seem like weapons and armor scaled with weapons. So if he could get his hands on a few good pieces of equipment, he might be able to raid higher tier bosses at lower levels, dangerous to say in the least.

“I am familiar with the fundamentals of class roles, we did this sort of thing when I was a kid too, we played table top game called Dungeons and Dragons. Though this game is much more high stakes. I’m not too concerned with damage right now; I am more interested in actually hitting my target. So as you explained, I’ll need my Accuracy to go up. That’ll be my first task, then.”

Lindow nodded in approval to his own suggestion, anyone can do damage…but if you can’t back it up with hitting your opponent, then there is nothing to show but a fancy strike to the air. As he continued to walk into the city with his new found…Partner? Friend? What did those kids call them…”Sempai?” he noted to himself, but barely making the world audible. He highlighted the menu and selected the bottle of water from the menu, “Starter equipment; a basic weapon of your choice, some bread and some water, and some clothing, that’s all you need. A few potions would come in handy after starting this Death Game, don’t you think? Perhaps he has little mercy for the pawns he puts into play.” There was slight agitation in his voice, Lindow didn’t get mad, if ever, but to do this to people. It was sick.  

 

He looked through his menu to see if there were any skills attached to the fishing rod, there were none he could see and the description was as basic as the rod itself. Muttering to himself, he let the line fly as he shot it out into the crystal blue waters. He waited for a moment and found that his line was attached to something. He eagerly attempted to yank back on the rod and came up short handed; well…he lost the bait…Not a good trade off however.

Lindow once more applied bait to the hook, there were fish swimming in this little pond and he would get one. He sat down in the grass, there was still plenty of light outside so he didn’t have to worry about being out too late right now. He focused on the pond and swung his casting arm out as the line went into the pond with a Plunk! 

"On this floor?" That's right, there was a hundred of them consisting of the world of Aincrad and there were bosses on each of these floors. Lindow was a bit skeptical of this guy, he was giving very little info on himself, but it was disrespectful to ask for the information. It was none of his business, he just needed to do his part in all of this. Giving a nod to the kid, he folded his arms and seemed to tower over him. In the game, he replicated his height to match his real world self, that was no longer necessary after looking into that Mirror when the GM appeared in the Starting City. It was just one thing or another, on the upside he was glad he was stuck in this game and not his daughter. He wasn't sure what would have happened if he found out she was stuck. His eyes turned away from Calrex, "The sooner this ends, the better. I need to get stronger faster." he placed his fists on his hips and leaned down lightly with a smirk, the stoic expression leaving.

 

"And you are going to help me, kid, er Calrex..." he then placed his hands together and bowed lower, "Please." It was a dire situation, perhaps he would show his soft side to this player and that could be shown as a weakness, but right now, he needed direction, tutelage, and knowledge. 

 

"I can't offer anything right now, but I will be able to pay you back sooner or later. I have a wife and daughter at home...Waiting for me to come back..." the wind blew across his face, his peppered hair swaying lightly in the breeze, "If there is anything you can help me with about how this game works. I would be greatly appreciated. I just need the direction," his usual deep tonal voice changed to a more softer sound. The old man pleading, just for a chance to see them again, "Do you have anyone waiting for you back home?"

Lindow wasted little time to improve his skills and that meant he needed to pick up his profession. Running through the list of applicable jobs, and knowing that there were a lot of smithies in town, it wasn't too smart in the economy to pick up something that had a lot of competition. The Fisherman Job seemed like a nice idea, and it meant he could do this without having to swing his mighty blade around for hunting materials, and he loved fishing in real life. He promised himself he would by a small little row boat and go fishing with his daughter one day, or bring his wife. He loved the smell of salted bass and he normally ate all kinds of sushi. This was the perfect job for him. His stoic expression changed very little as he reminisced over his loved ones. Eyes closing he walked towards the Quest NPC, the Legendary Fisherman. He was given a tackle box, a basic fishing pole...which was really basic as Lindow examined it from his inventory. Nothing short of a stick and a piece of string. Guess he had to start somewhere. Unequipping his massive blade behind him, the geezer decided it was time to start fishing. 

As he got closer to the blue lake, he smiled and sat down opening his tackle box. The other players didn't seem to bother him much as they were hunting the mobs around the area. He got the bait out of the box, a little worm that could be devoured by the smaller fish. After he equipped his pole, he stood up and threw the line out into the middle of the water. The small lake seemed very dead compared to fishes, normally you could see them splashing about in shallow parts, but this one seemed rather still. His eyes brows furrowed as they crossed into his nose and his stoic expression remained unchanged. He brought the line back up and found his bait still wobbling on the hook. He sighed once more, perhaps there was another place he could go with a little bit more bite? Picking up his tackle box, he took another short walk to another small lake, the area more secluded than the rest. He looked around and nodded, "There should be something biting here...I wonder if there are certain techniques one can use..."

Lindow nodded, this was not the time to talk about it as Calrex had previously stated. The light crystalline eyes of his focused on the bigger picture here and it was to take out the Boar. His large hands gripped the blade hilt and spread his hands apart to get a better grip. He slid into stance, his feet breaking apart blades of grass as he sprung forward. He charged once more, the massive blade dragging once more cutting up the foliage of the ground as he targeted the boar, his stoic expression changed slightly into a half cross smirk and the bonecrushing anthem swung into the air over his head. His peppered black and white hair moved with the gust of wind he created as he slammed down on the boar directly into its ugly face. The boar met the massive blade head on as it whipped the creature around like a rag doll. The full momentum of the blade had crushed the Boar that it went skidding several feet away before blowing up into matter. 

==

ID: 27377 || BD: 9 [Critical Success]

HP List
(Hate: 3) Calrex: 93/93
(Hate: 1) Lindow: 5/5

Enemies: 
Boar: 0/5 [-3]

==

Erecting himself from his stance, he twirled the blade in his hand and sheathed it on his back and then dusted his hands clean of the battle. He turned to Calrex and nodded his head and gave...a thumbs up? Does anyone actually do that anymore? Thinking on it for a moment, his age was probably showing. He walked to his partner and stopped a foot away, "Seems like that was the last of that one. I can only imagine they get harder from here on. It could use some work..." he said lastly, holding the hilt of the blade behind him, referencing that it could be better, both his swordsmanship and the blade itself. 

There was silence for a moment, his eyes flickered in the sun, "You fight unarmed. Either that's really gutsy or you are a martial artist."

Once more she called him Daddy. The girl coughed and hacked, clearly something was wrong with her but now he wasn’t thinking it was alcohol, but more along the lines of drugs. Another case he had seen in many young teens. There was soot on her face, however, and she said something about her shop being destroyed. His eye brows rose, “Your shop was destroyed? You must have a profession then, so it seems something backlashed against you.”

The girl seemed disoriented and confused as she was calling him father and asked he got into the game. Clearly, he was not her father and if it was Jasmine, she would have been scolded, confined to her room and the door locked until the end. He scratched his peppered beard as she sprawled out on the floor, ill. If she inhaled smoke, this could cause her to cough and hack, but he was unsure of why she was calling him Daddy. Perhaps he needed to investigate a little bit. He looked down at her, he couldn’t just leave her there and she was in no condition to be walking about.  He sighed.

“Alright. Well, we need to find out what happened to you and we can’t just leave you out here where people could possibly take advantage of you.” He got down on his knees and lifted her up and over her back as he set his massive sword back to the inventory clearing room from his strong shoulders, “Ugh! I haven’t done this in a long time, I used to give my daughter piggy back rides a long time ago…that was…” It was ten years, and the memories of his daughter growing up surfaced, he was now more determined than ever to help this young girl out.

 

“My name is Lindow, by the way. What is your name?” As they walked up the alley from where she came from, the looks on strangers eyes adverted to them, shameful whispers spread as he passed by. He was merely giving the girl a piggy back ride; he couldn’t just leave her there. His hands were under her legs, there was no foul play here. His shoulders adjusted to her weight, and while he moved more slowly than usual, it was not at all a strain to help her like this. 

It had been one of those days for the Mass Wielding Swordsman, another day out slaying boars only to find he hadn’t really done much work. He was up at sunrise, even here his internal clock kept ticking and he went to sleep and went to bed at exactly the same time. Rubbing his shoulder totting his massive blade behind him, he was coming towards entrance of town on the second floor. As he was stretching his big arms, his eyes caught a glimpse of a young girl off in the distance. He smiled briefly, reminding of his daughter and how quickly this game needed to be completed.

 

He was going to turn back into the field when he noticed she was coming towards him, a dumbfounded look as she said the name, ‘Daddy,’ to him. Mouth and mind alarmed, he caught her elbow lightly, a quick reflex he used often when Jasmine was learning to ride her bike for the first time. Swiftly he knelt down by her side and peered into her eyes.

 

“Are you ok, little Miss?” He didn’t quite know what the problem was; perhaps she was hurt or was running from something? The way she stumbled though, he saw this in his career as a police officer when he first started out. Teens and drinking, he understood the life, he was a wild child at one time or another and he made sure that his daughter would not follow in those same footsteps. He couldn’t watch her twenty-four, seven. But that didn’t stop him from asking so many questions. “What were you doing last night? Who were you with? Were you drinking? It wasn’t that Daniel kid again, was it?” He didn’t even want to think that she was dating; there was none of that going on in his household.

 

Lindow straightened the young girl out, “Are you hurt? Did someone try to attack you?” she called him, Daddy. Perhaps she was just lonely girl trying to find some resemblance of real life here. His silent eyes looked over her, who knew how many children in this game were lost now and without parents. There was a sincere look in his eyes though, he wanted to help if he could. 

The weighty instrument of destruction was lifted up and placed on his shoulder with both hands while he bent his knees. The flaps of his black leather tunic shifted as he pressed into an attack stance. His long legs made stride for the boar as the newcomer who introduced himself as Calrex, still held the attention of the boar and dodged it easily with a quick thrust of his foot into the grass and to the side he came to a halt. Given the signal, Lindow charged from behind the enemy, his sword dragging behind him cutting up the grass as the blade was lifted upwards and swung around. Stopping abruptly in front of the boar, he used the momentum to turn slightly as his massive doom bringer looked to seek wrath down on the low level enemy. 

His sword was drawn over the boar, over shooting his target by a long shot. It was a critical miss and error in judgment on the Deputy Chief. The boar wasn't even phased by the crash of the wind from the blade as it swung back around. Lindow's expression was stoic, he quickly got into a defensive posture with his thick blade and took a deep breath in. 

"Is there a way to increase the accuracy of attacks for beginners? I think I hurt the grass more than I did the boar." He sought advice from the veteran player, there had to be some form of augmentation in the game for weapons. He could swing all day long and be as powerful as he wanted, but if he couldn't land his strike, what matter did it have?

===

ID: 27349 || BD: 1 

 HP List
(Hate: 3) Calrex: 93/93
(Hate: 2) Lindow: 5/5

Enemies:
Boar: 3/5

===

 

Like the presence of the wind, there was a swiftness in the air. His hands clutched the might blade high above his head ready to crash down upon the boar, but alas he was jostled by the timely matter of warrior clad in hues of the sea. His old eyes watched as he set off some sort of ability to call forth the attention of the boar. "What was that? Who is this?" 

Little time for introductions, he allowed the veteran player the right to tactically plan the assault of the lower grunt. Someone of his stature seemed to know what he was doing, and Lindow taking the back seat of the coordinated attack. Flashing a nod, he gripped the beastly weapon over his head once more to charge his downstrike attack. His leather clothing, dark as it was, shifted with his weight and he would cut down. As he predicted, he would cut this boar down to size dealing the maximum output of his basic greatsword. 

==

ID: 27342 || BD: 7 

HP List
(Hate: 3) Calrex: 93/93
(Hate: 0) Lindow: 5/5

Enemies:
Boar: 3/5 [-2]

==

The boar was ripped asunder by the fierce contact of his lethal sword.The movement of his arms stopped when the blade dropped on the boar and the war cry escaped Lindow's lips. There was a grunt from the beast as it struggled to get up to its stubby little feet. There was no change in expression from the older player as his massive blade swung around and dropped to his front as he gripped it in both hands. Tightening the grip, he looked to the new player, "Lindow. Thanks for the help, Kid."  

The safe zone; silver eyes strained out in the long distance of the grasslands where Lindow stood and watched the battles from the side lines. A hulking massive great sword on his back made of deep ebony sat unsheathed as he looked out, how did all these players just run out and fight without so much as a worry of dying? A big hand reached up as he scratched the peppered beard on his face. He forgot for a moment that his avatar was changed to match his real life image, a scruffy older gentleman with black and greying hair. Though he was close to middle age, it didn't mean his mind was getting any older. Still though...he looked out and envied what these people could do. He wore basic plain black clothing, all that was given in the game. He would have to hunt eventually and no one was going to hold his hand and just give stuff willy nilly. 

He shook his head, and placed his mighty hand on the hilt of his massive blade and unsheathed it. He took a step out of the safe zone and into the rolling green grass that made up the knoll. He looked for a secluded area to call his own, a spot that appealed to him was in light as he embarked in that direction. Toting his massive blade behind him, he walked briskly and waited for the mob to spawn. His eyes followed the direction of the rolling emerald grass, he would make his first strike count. 

A brown and dusty looking boar appeared as it spawned in his hunting area. The beady red eyes and dirty ivory tusks seemed to grow angry of his presence. Uplifting the massive blade with both hands over his head, he would destroy this creature with one blow, or be forever lost in the game. Soon the battle was to begin...

 

 

 

Profile
Username: Lindow
Real name: Gordon Shaw
Age: 48
Gender: Male
Height: 6’6’’

About: History/personality
 

Deputy Chief Gordon Shaw is a police officer for the San Francisco Police Department; he is Deputy Chief of Special Operations, mainly SWAT. Serving fifteen years on the force has become a rewarding experience and has given him a wonderful family. A loving wife, Crystal, and a sixteen year old rebellious daughter named Jasmine.  While the experience of saving lives has been rewarding, there have been many close calls in the past few years especially after the recent terrorist strikes in the country. His wife has pleaded with Gordon to retire early, or find a safer job. However, Gordon refuses as he believed his time has yet to come for that.

Gordon enjoys spending time with his family when he has the days off to do so, relaxing and surfing the web. He enjoys a rich, robust flavored coffee with two creams and four sugar cubes. He enjoys swimming and loves playing and watching Baseball. He has a healthy body shape, better than average build and a solid figure. He exercises five times a week with MMA and focuses on quick take downs. He is an incredible shot, being Deputy Chief of the SWAT, he has a wide expertise of various assault rifles and guns in general.

His most recent purchase was a full dive unit for the game of SAO, originally bought for this daughter’s seventeenth birthday since she has wanted the unit for a long time. However, before he was to give it to her, the day before he used it on himself to make sure it was safe, despite the nice reviews he has read about it. Now stuck in the game…he is determined to get back to his family. But he must survive to do so.

Virtues:

Tactical: While serving as DC, he has learned many tactical advantages in both unit based groups and solo. Taking these past experiences to heart, he can become a valuable asset to a team or party quickly discerning a tactical approach while minimizing casualties or injury.

Team Player: Lindow seeks out those who need a strong arm in the front lines of combat. While he may have experience in the real world, he understands the value of the young mind and their ability to raid monsters. Taking a back seat, he often hears the opinions of others and helps achieve the goal at hand.

Brave: As a Police Officer, Lindow has a steel will and will go to the front lines when called for often taking on the heat in battle. Although he is brave and will venture to a boss floor, he will make sure there is a safe route or escape as well. Brave, but not stupid.

Flaws:

Indifferent: Being stuck in game has questioned many of his morals. He wishes nothing more than to finish and beat all 100 floors as quickly as possible, at the same time he can become Bi Polar and not have a care for the wellbeing of other people’s safety should they get in his way.

Separation/Distrusting: While Lindow is a warm person at heart, he puts on a cold exterior. There is a fine line in the game of SAO especially when it comes to the players he is unsure of. Rogues or the like seem to be the Thief like population in SAO and he refers them as street urchins and unworthy allies due to their secretive motives.

Family First: Despite being involved with other players in the game and creating bonds, his family comes first as well as his safety. This mind set places him in a sort of bubble and will not risk his life for a fellow player should the scenario happen to fall out of favor. He will take the title of coward if it means of seeing his family once more in the real world.

Profession:

Skills
Non-combat:
»

Passive:
»

Combat:
»

Weapon skills:
» Two Handed Straight Sword Rank 1: [2/30]


Inventory
Weapons/Tools:
» Basic Greatsword
» Basic Armor
» Valhalla's Herald [+1 Thorns, +2 Heavy Momentum] [Equipped]
» Hard Edge [+1 Dmg] Two Handed Sword [Equipped]

» 15 Bread/Water
» SP: 4

Mats: 0 || Col: 1600

Mats Transaction History: 
8/24/15: -6 Mats to Mack 

 

Roleplays
»[SP-F1]] Earning a Living Quest +1 SP, +400 Col [Completed]
»[SP/Quest] Blade of Dreams Quest +2 Sp, +800 Col [Completed]
»[SP-F4] Lindow's Destructive Force  +1 Sp, +400 Col [Completed]



Relationships



Story Thus Far