Ourian Ivaldi

"It's just not proper gaming etiquette to use our real names..." Zachary couldn't help but feel slightly taken aback by this statement. While true, Chris, Sarah and Joey have been his friends for as long as he could remember so he figured it would be okay. 

"Honestly I never really understood what the big deal is about using our actual names..." He admitted, going through his menu to equip his gear and prepare for their meeting. "You get bent out of shape way too easily, Chris..." After donning his gear, he walks towards the door to their room and gets ready to leave. "I'm going to go on ahead. I'll meet you there."

As he approaches the meeting place in the square, Zachary looks at his HUD for the time again. Ten more minutes... He thought as he sat down at one of the benches, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of his friends. As he waited, he couldn't help but wonder why Sarah wanted everyone to meet up today. 

The world was black and empty... Nothing could be seen in any direction... It was eerily quiet, almost to the point that one would be driven mad if exposed to this strange phenomenon for too long in a continuous manner... Squinting, Zachary tries to find any difference in the surrounding area. After a brief search, he sees what appears to be a spec of light in the distance. A wave of curiosity envelopes him and he gives chase, watching the glimmer of light take form slowly over time. Eventually, the light takes on a humanoid shape/ Once he is close enough, Zachary stops and observes the being in front of him.

"Might I ask your name?" Zachary asks as he tries to discern some distinct features of what he assumed was a person. Completely enveloped in light, this person had none that he could discern. It did, however, make a motion to him, pointing directly at Zachary. Who are you? The voice he heard was familiar, however it was odd that he did not hear the voice coming from the being in front of him, but rather his own mind. 

"I'm Zachary. What's your name?" The being just shook it's head. 

That's not what I asked... I'll ask again, 'Who are you?' Confused, Zachary tries to contemplate the nature of this question. If not a name, what else could this person be asking of him that defines him? 

It's not too late, you know... The being says before gesturing to Zachary's chest. What you need... has been within your reach all this time... You just have to see it...

"What do you-" Zachary started, before the being gave him a light push and send him flying backwards, a single word echoing in his head. 

Remember...

Opening his eyes, Zachary looks to a ceiling that he has become accustomed to for some time now. His breathing and heart rate were slightly elevated and he was drenched in a cold sweat... Sitting up and sitting on the edge of his bed, he looks over at his friend Chris, who was in the bed across the room from him. It seemed like he was still asleep. Swiping a hand in front of him, he checked to see that the time was 9:28am. 

"Guess I better wake him up... We're supposed to meet the others in the square in about a half hour..." he mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and letting the HUD fade away as he got up to gently shake Chris awake. "Hey, it's time to get up, bud... Sarah and Joey are gonna be pissed at us if we are late..." 

Stats and Gear

As he passed the gates to the city, Ourian couldn't help but take a second to admire the scenery. Fields of grass swaying in the breeze causing a ripple effect that made it look like a large ocean of grass... The bright blue skies were much easier to see now that there were no buildings obscuring his view... He watched the clouds float by lazily in the sky as he waited for everyone else to catch up to him and Issa, who have elected to go ahead without waiting. 

I hate to admit it... but this is pretty damn cool... It all seems so real... Well done, Mr. Creator... Ourian thought as he smiled to himself. He couldn't help but imagine how much time and energy had been put into making Swordart Online...

This just feels so... wrong though... If someone had talent like this... why would they throw it all away by trapping everyone here?! Surely their career is over now because of this...

"Oh, I'm sorry. I meant for it to be fun but I keep forgetting that this isn't just a game anymore. I didn't mean to scare or worry any of you, I just like fighting. Its all I've ever really known..." Ourian could feel the remorse in Zuekin's voice as he said those words. Stopping, he turned to Zuekin once more and smiled.

"No need to apologize. If anyone should be apologizing, it's me. I'm more or less the opposite right now... I may be taking things a little too seriously, I admit..." Ourian sighed, trying to keep a smile. He didn't want to worry anyone. "But I just want to make sure we all get strong enough to survive before we have a good bit of fun... I'd be more than happy to take you on later down the road though."

Turning back around, he continued his walk towards the gates, this time he wasn't stopping. they've wasted enough time and he was eager to get started. Not long after, however, he heard Kazuma strike up conversation, frustrating Ourian at this point. He didn't even get a chance to look over his shoulder before he noticed that Zyran had already handled it and was practically carrying Kazuma away. Chuckling to himself, he pressed onward. 

Now it... begins...

OoC: Sorry, I momentarily forgot the turn order... Thanks, Zyran, for reminding me. 

OoC 2: As of this moment on, we shall be implementing an AFK rule. For the sake of thread progression and completion, each player will now have a 24 hour time of courtesy to post once it is their turn to do so. If they fail to post within that time, the next person in line to post may go ahead and post. 

"Kazuma, back off... While I'm curious as well, we can't go around fighting everyone. Save it for the mobs outside the city." Ourian said calmly, admiring Zuekin's confidence. While he did want to accept the challenge, he also agreed with Zyran and Issa. It was too soon for player vs player when they didn't know if it would cause player death. 

"Forgive me, Zuekin, but I must decline the idea of dueling. Sometime in the future, maybe, but not until we know more about the game itself. I just don't want any of us to die accidentally in the case that a duel does, in fact, still follow the guidelines of dying when our health reaches zero." Ourian explained as he started walking towards the gates to the fields. They've waited long enough and he was eager to get started.

"Well anyway, let's get going everyone. I want to get to that hunting village at a reasonable time so we can see if there is lodging or if we will have to come back here."

I wonder if we will ever run into those two here... Ourian thought as he gazed out towards the sky above the walls of the city. We could truly use your skills... both of you... Kikuro... Galateinn... If you are here... stay safe until we meet again... Suddenly, Ourian felt Issa shift her weight against her back and smack him on the back of the arm.

"What's up, handsome? Looking to join us? Well I hope you can handle a little crazy... Because we got plenty of it!, Right, Ourian?"

Positioning himself to where Issa wouldn't fall, he turned around and supported her with his arm, poking her in the side of her head with his free hand as he did so.

"The only crazy we have here is you, doofus." He teased, letting her go once she had her balance and walked over to the new comer. "I guess you got the message I sent to the whole floor. Sorry if it seemed weird to do so, we were actually hoping to get a hold of a few friends of ours that might be playing as well, but that's beside the point. If you are looking for a group to join, you are more than welcome to come with." Ourian explained, extending a hand to shake just like Zyran, who he was standing next to, did as well. "We aren't doing any quests or anything right away, more like just getting a feel for the game and its mechanics. If you're cool with that, by all means, join us. Zyran is going in as our tank, and Issanalyn over there will be our off-tank. The rest of us are pretty much DPS centered. What about you?"

"Well said, Kazuma." Ourian praised, watching as Zyran started messing with Kazuma and Issa laughed. Turning his attention to the direction of the gate again, he took a deep breath and sighed slowly. Suddenly, he felt something lean up against him without warning.

"Now then, Oh Fearless Leader, are we going to that village Kazuma mentioned? Or did you have something else in mind? Pretty sure our little kitty cat friend here is ready to get started." Chuckling nervously, he scratched the back of his head, taking care not to move too much and cause Issanalyn to fall. 

"Well, Kazuma basically summed it up. My plan was to use the Town of Beginnings as a common area for training, but if this hunting village will prove to be a better training ground, I say let's check it out." He explained, trying to hide the fact that he was blushing slightly. When Issa asked if Riley was still intent on joining them, he looked over his shoulder to talk.

"She's right. You are more than welcome to come train with us. You just gotta deal with her trying to play with your ears or something... Which I guarantee she will try and do."

Good... looks like we have a solid group... two full DPS, a designated tank, a DPS that can go Tank as needed, and a DPS that will be support as well... Ourian thought with confidence as they all started thinking about how to best provide as their roles. One thing was still bothering Ourian, though... The other two that won copies of SAO did not join them... and it seemed like they had no intention of doing so, seeing as how they likely would have showed up... I just wish I knew their usernames... It would be much easier to get in touch with them... 

"I basically sent a group message to everyone on this floor." Ourian admitted, crossing his arms and letting his menu drop away. "I was honestly trying to find the other two from our school, but I don't know what they call themselves in here... and I'm not about to put personal information in a group message to a bunch of strangers..." Turning around, he stares off towards the north, where the main gates to the town are. 

"Anyway, we should get going. Before we take up any quests, we should get a feel for the system first, I think... That way we can breeze through everything later." He suggested, waiting for everyone else's ideas. 

"Okay now... Relax everyone..." Ourian intervened, trying to prevent an argument, especially with Kazuma and Zyran, which was commonplace with those two. "Anyway, it is nice to meet you, Riley. I hope that you won't hold this first impression of out group in poor standards. Everyone is still letting the idea of this death game sink in and they're just on edge is all. Once you get to know us, we are quite fun to be around." He reassured her as she asked him about if he needed to know anything about her. 

As if answering his question, everyone started displaying their stats for everyone to see. Responding in kind, Ourian pulled up his own stats menu and revealed it to everyone. 

"Well for starters, we could all share our stats. I'm built for pure DPS, right out the gate, so that's going to be my role. I would also like to get my hands on some weapons with debuff abilities if at all possible so I can try to impair the targets and to help keep damage to Zyran to a minimum." Ourian stated as Zyran declared that he would take up the Tank role while Issa would focus on DPS and provide off-tank support. 

"I'm assuming from the lack of armor that you would be more built towards DPS or support?" He asked, redirecting his attention to Riley. He was quite curious to shat she could bring to the party. Knowing Kazuma, he's going to fill the Support role, seeing as how that's really the only thing we don't have at the moment... But he also likes to fight so it's anyone's guess... He felt that someone should be in charge of support, someone who can focus in the heat of things... This would obviously suit Kazuma since he has a knack for being calm under pressure. Having someone who can keep an eye on attack patterns of bosses and call the shots will be a great asset. 

"Who's dueling?" Ourian asked the cat player, looking from side to side trying to see who else was fighting. Then he realized that she seemed to mistake him for trying to fight because he had his weapon drawn. "Oh! Nonono... I'm just messing with Kazuma, see?" He said, moving the blade to angle the reflected light onto Kazuma's chest.

As he demonstrated, he noticed someone greeting them and a quick movement between him and Kazuma, stopping next to the cat girl. 

"OH MY GOD SHE'S ADORABLE!!!" He immediately recognized Issanalyn from the goofy demeanor and how she was playing with her tail, without asking...

"Umm... Shouldn't you ask fir- never mind... Sorry about that... she's gets excited really easy... She's harmless, I assure you." Ourian mentioned to the girl as he looked around to see if anyone else was going to join them. It didn't really seem like anyone else was interested, so he walked up to them, sheathing his kodachi. 

Well, I guess nobody else is going to join us... I tried to get a lot of people gathered, but it is what it is... Everyone probably thought it was junk mail or something... He thought, sighing that there was such a small turn-out...

"Anyway, I'm Ourian." He said, directing his attention to the cat girl again. "The spaz there is Issanalyn, but we just call her Issa. The big guy is Zyran, Issa's bigger, yet younger brother IRL. And that's Kazuma."

"Damn it... there are like fifty people here with long black hair! This is bull..."

"Well, THAT sounded familiar..." Ourian said, looking around to see if he could find the source of the voice. Didn't take long to find Kazuma, who was spacing out as per usual. Well, that's one of them. I wonder when Issa and Zyran will be here? I figured that they would all be together... He wondered as he started waving towards Kazuma. 

"Kazuma! Over here!" He shouted, trying to get his attention. Pretty sure that he wasn't going to get his attention that easily, he got up and started walking over to him, weapon still drawn. Oh man, I know how I can have a little fun with him... He thought deviously as he positioned his kodachi where it was reflecting the sunlight, and tried aiming it at Kazuma's face. He wasn't trying to hit his eyes directly, but just enough to get his attention. 

OoC: Any new players may message me to join us in starting our adventure in SAO. 
Approved Players
Ourian Ivaldi, Zyran Maclaire, Issanalyn Maclaire, Kazuma Mokhos, OmegaNeko, Zuekin

Loot Distribution
Col: All col is distributed evenly across all participating members
Items Drops: Any time an item(s) drop, the player that made it drop gets to decide who gets the item. 


It's been four days since the death game was announced... A lot of people of players, in their panic, rushed straight for the fields to try and gain as much col and materials as possible to make themselves stronger. Ourian and his friends were no exception.

It took quite some time to get them calmed down, especially Issanalyn, but everyone eventually reached the same page and were now ready to think of their next move and how things should be approached from this point on. After sending everyone a message to meet at the clock tower square, he went to meet them there, arriving before everyone else. Figuring it would still take a little bit of time for everyone to gather, he resigned to sitting down on a nearby bench, inspecting his kodachi.

"These weapons may just be data... but they look and feel so real... It's actually kinda scary..." He said to himself as he held the blade over his head and watched the artificial sunlight reflect off the blade. 

Stats and Gear

Ourian Ivaldi

Username: Ourian Ivaldi
Real Name: Zachary Reese
Age: 19
Height: 5' 7

"Oh man! I can't believe we all won!!! This is gonna be EPIC!!!" Zachary exclaimed as he walked back to his college dorm with his friends Joey, Chris and Sarah, each of them grinning from ear to ear as they each waved around their own game cases. Of the thousands of students to attend their college, only 6 lucky people were able to win the contest and earn their own copies of Sword Art Online, and they were 4 of those lucky players. 

"For real!!! I can't wait to get to the dorm and boot it up!" Sarah cheered, skipping a little as she started to move a little ahead of everyone. "We should all meet up in-game and form a party, and eventually a Guild! It's gonna be so much fun!"

"True... but I think we should wait on the guild until we learn the game a little better, my goofy little sister." Joey teased, sneaking up on Sarah and snatching her case away playfully, causing her to chase him around and make everyone laugh. 

"So, Zach. What's the plan, anyway?" Chris asked expectantly. Zach thought about it for a few minutes and nodded to him.

"Yeah we should meet up and learn the game together. It will make things easier in the long run. Anyway, My room is this way. I'll meet you guys online in an hour."

"Bet!"

Walking away from the group, Zachary couldn't help but look to the game in his hands. He had waited so long for this moment. He was going to get it regardless, but now that he actually won a copy of the game for free, he felt relieved that he wasn't going to have to take any chances with waiting in line and hoping that they didn't run out of copies of the game. He moved to Japan on an exchange program just so he could get the opportunity, as well as study his major. Growing up in a small town, Zachary never really got a chance to pursue his passion for programming. Ever since he was little, he loved to take things apart and put them back together to learn how they worked, especially computers. Once he learned basic coding, he even made his own little game that everyone enjoyed at his school. His parents, however, wanted him to be more athletic and play sports, despite his disdain for anything sports related. 

When he turned 18, he applied for a scholarship in the foreign exchange program and was pleased to hear that he was accepted. To this day, his parents are still mad at him for not going to the local college where they went to school... but he was happy for once. Everyone here all had the same passion, general hobbies, and were great people. Now a year later, he had made some really great friends, who have become his new family, and he has made the decision to stay in Kyoto. He never wanted to go back, not after all he has come to love here...

Finally reaching his dorm room, he ran over to his computer and booted it up, getting the Nerve Gear set up and unpacking Sword Art Online so he can get everything ready. Once he insert the disc, he placed the Nerve Gear on his head and grabbed his phone, texting the group to meet him near the clock tower square shown on the back cover of the case in the area listed as the Town of Beginnings. Once it was sent, he placed his phone on his desk and lied down on his bed and fired up the game.

"Link START!"
 Personality
Zachary has always been energetic and confident around his friends, and feels at ease around them. However, despite his cheery demeanor, he has always had a serious and cold nature about him that surfaces from time to time. This was mostly due to his family never approving of his goals and his passions. Before moving to Japan, he was always alone and never had any reason to talk to anyone, seeing as how he was always considered the black sheep of the family. While his family loved sports and cars, he liked computers and games. Complete polar opposites, yet forced to live under the same roof... At least until he was able to move to Japan where he met Joey, who became his first real friend and introduced him to Chris and Sarah. Thanks to them, he had learned to express himself more and in just a year, he had opened up to be a wonderful and cheerful person. Though, he does still have a bad tendency to crack under pressure and overthink things to the point he gets discouraged, which is where Joey brings him back to reality.

Virtues/Flaws

• Kind-Hearted - (Virtue) Zachary is a sweet, caring individual that always looks out for others and tries to ensure the happiness of all those around him. Always willing to go out of his way to try and make someone smile and cheer them up when they're feeling down. This would also be considered a flaw because he tends to attract people that will take advantage of his kindness.
• Naive - (Flaw) While being kind-hearted would be considered a good trait overall, there are always those who are too kind for their own good. Zach, unfortunately, is one of those people. Easily taken advantage of, he has often been taken advantage of in the past and has a long streak of naivety in him. Always looking for the good in everyone, he can't help but try to help someone when they ask for it, at least until they decide to show their true colors...
• Energetic - (Virtue) Always on the move and never stops. Fun and entertaining to be around, he loves to lighten the mood around him whenever and however he can. However, this can also be considered a flaw since some people don't share his enthusiasm and tend to get annoyed by it.
• Energetic - (Flaw) While being full of energy can be a good thing, others may not think the same. For some, being around someone who is constantly on the move and hyper tends to make them want to distance themselves from that person. It can be an annoyance at times, especially in serious situations.
• Strong-willed - (Virtue) Never gives up and always does his best to keep moving forward. Most of his life, he has been considered a black sheep and has an intense desire to prove those people that treated him as such that his passion for what he loves can lead to amazing achievements. Once he puts his mind to something, he will see it through to the end.
• Overthinker - (Flaw) Zachary has a tendency to overthink things and make things seem more complicated that they actually are. It's not that he does it on purpose, but it's just that his brain and mind are hard-wired to find every single possible outcome before making a decision. This leads to him slowing down and even putting him into a slump, and usually results in him muttering to himself to help find a way to decide on the best outcome.

Skills
Total Skill Points: 5
{Novice Curved Sword}  5/8           Damage with this weapon type increases by 3.

Equipment
   Consumable      Vanity      Uncommon      Rare      Perfect      Demonic   
---
   Starter's Kodachi    -----{Tier 1 Rare Curved Blade}-----{Damage +1 / Accuracy +1}
   Starter's Vest    -----{Tier 1 Vanity Light Armor}
[3] Starter Healing Potion -----{Consumable}-----{Heals 50 HP}
---
Materials
[10] Tier 1 Materials 

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