Aoda

ID: 76902
LD: 11

"Nothing here either." The noirette sighed, standing up from a crouched position after searching a small brush for anything craftable. Instead of treating the quest like work, he decided he'd get the most out of it and enjoy a quick walk through the fields. Despite the amount of boars, the area was quite peaceful. Aoda had always expected them to be warzones, but it seemed he was incorrect to assume that. Every so often, the young man would dig through the grass in search of something to bring back to Zackariah, but clearly he had not become any luckier after accepting the task, as he hadn't managed to find even a single item.

ID: 76901
LD: 1

"Perfect! The first assignment I'd like you to accomplish is simple enough. Go fetch 5 materials and bring them back to me. Then, we'll talk more about alchemy." Spoke the alchemist. Like he had stated, it was no more complicated than making breakfast in the morning. The first thing he needed to do was find the most suitable spot to hunt for the materials. As he stepped out of the door, he gazed from side to side, just so he was sure he wouldn't be trampled on as he entered the hordes of players. It took some time to maneuver through the crowds, however he did eventually make his way to the other side of the Town of Beginnings.

Upon exiting the city, the young man admired the view of the plains and the blue sky above him. It always seemed to be a nice day on the First Floor, despite the fact that it was a death trap. "Where to start..." Aoda muttered to himself while examining his surroundings. From what he could tell, there wasn't much around him that he could take back.

Warm air brushed against Aoda's face as he pushed open the wooden door of an alchemy workshop. Inside stood a man with long, flowing white hair, who seemed to be fiddling with some sort of vial filled with an odd, green liquid. As the noirette entered, the alchemist glanced up towards him. "Come here for a moment, will you? You seem like a capable player. Let's see... would you care to assist me with something?" The NPC man inquired. Aoda had originally only entered the shop to browse the collection. However, he was in need of experience and col, so he thought it could be worth his time to listen to this man's words. After the young man nodded, the NPC continued to speak. "I am Zackariah, an alchemist. Recently, I have begun helping low-leveled players who may not be equipped well enough to fight on their own. Would you like to learn a bit about alchemy?"

As Zackariah finished his speech, a quest menu opened in front of Aoda. The lad was in need of a profession. It was a decent way of earning col, since he was too weak to grind monsters in the fields. Perhaps Alchemy was for him. "I accept your quest." The player replied, moving his hand above the "Accept" button and pressing down on it gently.

(Been busy, sorry my dude. :P)

"I see. Artisan sounds like it could be an interesting choice." The man replied. Aoda hated working, however he was in need for a bit of col. Back in the real world, he held an online shop where he took many people's art commissions. How different could it be in a virtual world? "So you're a cook? Which floor is your shop located? I'd love to stop by some time. I like to think of myself as a food connoisseur." He said with a chuckle.

Now that he had decided on a job, he was interested on leveling. "I'm aware that I am too low of a level to fight outside of the safezones, by myself at least. How did you go about gaining levels, if you don't mind me asking?"

Aoda had known about the game's currency, however he didn't have even the slightest idea how he could obtain any. He knew killing mobs was an option, but with his gear? That was out of the question. Then, Sey spoke of work, which he assumed meant starting a shop. He had seen players who ran their own places, but the noirette had never considered himself to be much of a shopkeeper. Outside of Aincrad, he had never had any experience working at a cash-register in a store or anything of the sort. Unimportant roles in an office were all the lad had ever worked. He didn't think that was an option in a world like this. "I've never really thought about it," He replied, "What kinds of options are there for work as of now?"

Becoming a cook was definitely a bad idea, since Aoda could barely make eggs without messing something up in the process. Blacksmith and tailor seemed boring to him. Maybe alchemy could be interesting, but I'd like to know what the rest of my choices are first.

Aoda studied the man who stood before him. "You're strong, Sey. Much stronger than I've been so far. I think I've been looking at this game wrong," He stated, looking back out towards the fields, "I've wasted too much time already. I think I should take some time to use this game as a vacation before claiming the big prize." The noirette thought seriously about what he wanted out of this. The man was beginning to see how beautiful the game was as he looked out towards the sky and plain ahead of him. Grass danced gracefully in the light wind, which was quite peaceful. Somewhere in the distance, a group of boars sat idly, most likely waiting for a player to step into aggro range. What would I do if I were brave? The young player asked himself. His answer was halted as his thought was interrupted by the man's question.

"In my opinion, everyone has potential. The only difference between me and the other players who haven't left this city is that I am now deciding to take initiative, with help from your words of wisdom. I do intend to grow." 

Aoda spun around to meet the eyes of the unknown man behind him. A relatively tall, white-haired young man, seemingly around the noirette's own age, awaited his response. "They're smart, I wouldn't expect them to try pulling it off of my head and I'm definitely glad they didn't," He chuckled, "But yes, to answer your question, I am missing my family. Aren't you?" He asked in a curious tone, wondering whether or not he cared about getting out of this game. The dark-haired swordsman had always had a feeling that there were people who's lives were better inside SAO than outside. Or perhaps he simply had no one to go to. It sounded sad, but very possible. The stranger suddenly became interesting, making Aoda intrigued to learn more. "My name's Aoda. Nice to meet you." 

Standing at the gate of the Town of Beginnings, right at the edge of the safezone, Aoda looked out on the grassy fields that covered the floor. So many thoughts raced through the man's head. "Should I go out? What if something goes wrong? No, I need to become strong." Although fear traveled throughout his body, he tried his best to be brave. His goal was to see his family again and he couldn't sit back while the players on the frontlines worked hard for him. The noirette's hands left his pockets and crossed over his chest as he leaned up against the wall. For a moment, his mind traveled back to the days before Sword Art Online. Aoda never thought he'd miss his family as much as he did. Then, he snapped back to reality. "If I work hard I'll see them again." He told himself, before looking back out towards the fields and taking a deep breath.

"I agree. That's why I've decided that I'd like to help out those on the frontlines. Kasier, you seem to carry much more knowledge about this game than I do. What do you think the best way to become stronger is in a world like this?" Aoda inquired. There were various reasons that the young man had not left the comfort of a safezone since entering the death game, but the main thing he'd tell himself was "I am afraid." But seeing how many other players fought for the lives of everyone in Aincrad, was it a reasonable excuse? Just like everyone else, he had people he wanted to get back to in the real world and the noirette believed it was time to finally put in some work to do so.

Suddenly, Aoda's thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the woman beside him. It had been a while since someone had offered him lunch, but he wasn't the type of guy who liked accepting a person's money. "I'd love lunch, but I have no col to pay." He replied to the girl.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kasier. It's no problem, really. I enjoy helping." The raven-haired player smiled. As they continued forwards, he listened to the young woman's question. It wasn't a bad inquiry, however he was surprised she couldn't tell his level by his clothing, a light set of beginner's armor. Aoda was a bit annoyed that he'd need to tell Kasier that he was only level one, although they had been in the game for so long, but it really couldn't be helped. "I'm the lowest level you could possibly be in this game; I'm level one. A little embarrassing, but whatever.", He chuckled, "And no, I don't have a profession. However, I've wanted to take up that cook profession for quite a while, seeing as I've always loved cooking for myself and others."

He then stopped speaking for a moment, realizing he had started rambling. "Sorry, I'm usually not one to talk about myself so much. What about you, do you have a profession?" Aoda questioned. If he'd at least known what kind of shop this "Ariel" girl was running, he'd be able to narrow it down at least a little bit by himself. From first glance, the woman looked like she could be maybe a tailor or an artisan, but he wasn't certain which.

Suddenly, Aoda was in the middle of a pair of players who seemed to be trying to converse with him and he wasn't sure who any of them were. Did she call me Mr. Tall Guy? he thought, although he didn't mind, since it was a fitting name. After letting out a chuckle, the noirette replied. "Hello Madame Shortstack and Guy Who's Height is Somewhere in the Middle." He said, copying the nickname given to the girl, as well as making up his own for the man. Both of the two seemed to be a bit younger than he was, although not by much. He was definitely taller.

The girl had silver-looking, long hair and seemed to be around Aoda's level. The man, on the other hand was a bit taller than the girl and had short, dark hair. He was definitely a higher level player, seeing as he was not wearing the basic armor and did not carry the sword that players are given upon entering the game.

Suddenly, a raven-haired young woman bumped into him. It took a minute, but he was able to regain his balance quite easily. "Don't worry about, it happens.", Aoda replied to the girl's apology, before taking a look at all three of the players to introduce himself. "My name is Aoda, if you were wanting something to call me other than Mr. Tall Guy. If not, than Mr. Tall Guy is fine."

He really did not have a better way of finding the shop, however, two people looking was definitely better than one. "Where have you looked so far, so we know what areas of the town to avoid?" Aoda inquired, standing up from his comfortable spot on the bench. The town was fairly large, so he had assumed the dark-haired girl hadn't checked everywhere. Suddenly, the boy realized he hadn't yet asked her name. "By the way, my name is Aoda." He told the girl before holding out his hand to shake her own.

The noirette scanned the town. Where to start... He thought, attempting to make a decision. "How about we check over there?" Aoda asked, pointing towards a decently crowded street in the distance. He wasn't sure whether or not Ariel's shop was often as packed as the street that he hoped was outside it. As he began to walk forward, he thought about what kind of shop the girl they were looking for might own. A blacksmith or tailor maybe? He could really use either of the two, since his gear was less than useful. Perhaps she was an alchemist or an artisan. Or maybe even a fisherman, although Aoda doubted that, since their weren't many in Aincrad.

Suddenly, Aoda found his eyes open once again. Standing in front of him was a fairly good-looking woman. She had dark hair and eyes as red as blood. When she had asked if he'd known where the shop owned by Ariel was, he looked back at her, confused. "I'm sorry, I don't even know who Ariel is, let alone the location of her shop." He replied truthfully. Although she was only a stranger, Aoda felt like the right thing to do would be to help her out. "I'd be happy to help you find it, if you'd like." The dark-haired player added.

To be honest, he had literally no idea what he was getting himself into. No knowledge of who the dark-haired woman was, who Ariel was, or the vicinity of the shop. That was often the case with Aoda. He was the kind of guy who would say yes to pretty much anything asked of him and he would usually offer his help even if they didn't ask. Helping people in need made him feel good inside, so he did it. For a moment, however, he sat patiently on the bench, waiting for a response from the girl.

Cold was a good word to describe this floor. Despite that, Aoda still found the environment around him to be quite beautiful. It was his first time travelling to Snowfrost Town, the main settlement on Floor 4. "I should have at least brought a scarf or something." He muttered with a faint chuckle. This town, unlike the Town of Beginnings on Floor 1, was very peaceful and there weren't nearly as many players on the streets.

Aoda strolled by many small shops and cafes, which he was eager to enter, but he decided to save them for another time. Today, he just felt like relaxing in the snow. A few snowflakes found their way onto the young man's dark hair as he continued down the road. Eventually, the path he had been taking came to an end. He had arrived in the center of town, which was even more charming than the rest of it. Aoda took a seat on a nearby bench and let out a soft yawn. Then, to make himself a bit more comfortable, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

"Sorry." Aoda mumbled as he rushed through the packed streets of the Town of Beginnings. Attempting to maneuver through the crowds made him glad that he was a decent height for a man, at least tall enough to see over the rest of the players in his way. If only he could stop for a moment without getting trampled on, that way he'd be able to explore the city and take a moment to catch his breath. He was starting to rethink the decision he had made upon leaving his room at the nearest inn.

Suddenly, he saw what seemed to be the end of the road. Aoda began to move quicker until he was finally able to escape from the true horror that was now behind him, only to find himself in another large crowd, although he was able to move freely in this one. Upon entering the fairly open space, his outfit was revealed. His hair was a dark, almost black colour and was fairly long for a male. A set of cloth armor given upon entering the game was all he had, as well as his basic curved sword. Actually, that was his reason for wanting to leave the Starter City. He had finally decided to start his journey into Aincrad.

@Cyn @Row @Seul

Aoda

Profile
Username: Aoda
Real name: Levi Marello
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Height: 6'1

History

Having a rich family isn't necessarily all it's cracked up to be. Aoda, his brother, and his parents lived in a large city somewhere in North America. Lots of pressure was put on him, as he was the oldest child of two and this caused him to become jealous of other teenagers around him. To him, it seemed like they were able to live their lives much more freely than he was. His family was overprotective towards him and rarely let him have his way. For the first eighteen years of his life, he was forced to focus on his education and was only given a limited number of hours of free time. Sure, he still made lots of friends, but he was never able to experience the kind of life that his generation's youth should be allowed to live. To Aoda, his large, expensive house felt like prison.

Although he was tired of his liftestyle, there wasn't much Aoda was able to do about it at that point. He still had a year of school left and he wanted to finish it before going off to University and finally leaving his hometown behind. The school year went well, as it always did, and he finished it with exceptional grades once again. To celebrate his graduation, his parents bought him something special, something that would give him a break from all of the stress put on him. It was a NerveGear. For once in his life, Aoda had been given something that he wanted and of all people, it was his parents who had given it to him. He sat in his room that night for about an hour before deciding he had wanted to try it out. "Sword Art Online" was the VRMMO they had bought with it. Maybe If he had known that he was leaving one prison only to enter another, he wouldn't have put on the headgear.

Virtues:
Compassionate: Because of the harsh environment he had grown up in, Aoda found himself to become quite compassionate and easy to befriend. This was a useful trait, as it allowed him to create friendships with people he had never imagined to even speak to. This is also helped him see why his parents were so strict towards him and he was able to understand that they were doing it for his success in the future, even if he didn't like it.

Faithful: Throughout his life, Aoda believed that someday, he'd be free of the burdens and stress put on him by his family. He tried his best to stay faithful, even if the odds weren't in his favor. He was also thought of as a truly trustworthy and loyal friend by many people.

Talkative: At first glance, you'd think Aoda could be quite shy. However, that couldn't be more wrong. It simply allowed him to branch out more and meet lots of good friends. He found it easy to express himself and start conversations with almost anyone he had ever met.

Flaws:
Envious: Aoda's lack of freedom caused him to become jealous of his peers and other teenagers he knew. Their lives seemed to be a lot easier with much less pressure. Constantly, the boy wished he could have a life that was similar to their own, although he knew it was almost impossible.

Aimless: Although he worked hard in life, Aoda never really had a true goal that he was looking to accomplish. Everything he did was for his parents, so they would be happy for him. Upon entering SAO, he realized this. He decided that he'd start on a blank slate and find a goal to achieve.

Stressed: The pressure of school and life in general had nearly gotten to Aoda. He needed a break from it all and he had hoped Sword Art Online would be his paradise for the time being. If only that were the case.

Profession: N/A