Alkor

Alkor smiled when she said that. There weren't many people who related things back to ancient history, or to the seemingly unimportant, fictional deties, creatures, and people that the people in those civilizations used to explain or justify things beyond their understanding. At least, he hadn't met many of then in Aincrad. "Exactly like that," Alkor agreed emphatically. 

Just like the sea contained memory from everything it touched, written and oral history kept pieces of all the people that influenced it. Children's stories and urban legend alike transcended over time into folklore. Gods lost their divinity to become elemental concepts, and all of those things gave insight into the thoughts, emotions, and circumstances of the times in which they were conceived. In some small way, the Aincrad incident would live on in history, and all the people who played a part in the myth would tell its story.

"Every time we experience something, we relate it somehow," he said, "and we explain it back in our own words. In a million years, that'll be primitive to a distant civilization." Alkor gave a lighthearted laugh as he glanced over at Noctua. She sighed; and in Alkor's experience, that was a body's nonverbal cue that it had a lot going on. He understood that.

"...nah, nothing like that," he said after a moment of just listening to the water ebb and flow. "Just sorting things out in my head. I'm kind of a mess, and get stuck in my thoughts a lot. I think I was starting to obsess again, so I'm actually glad to have someone to talk to."

"Sup, fellas?" Alkor asked as the others arrived, smiling in earnest. He offered a fistbump to Chase, who he hadn't seen in the longest time, and gave Koga a thumbs up in response to his query. "Well, like Chase said, there's a pretty mean looking Rhino inside just waiting for us to beat on it," he said. "Figured since I'm still pretty frustrated about some things, I could use some violence. Thought you might feel inclined to the same."

He turned his attention toward the blue haired player and nodded. "Yeah, honestly, I figured you'd be one of the best people to call. You're usually pretty knowledgeable about quests, and I wasn't sure you'd done this one yet, but since you're willing I'm definitely glad I sent the message. Me and Koga are pretty coordinated, so we'll be able to sort out the teamwork piece with you pretty quickly."

Alkor folded his arms. "I shouldn't have a problem whittling away health, so we'll follow your lead and let you pick up some aggro before we jump in and start nuking it. Sound good?"

"Yeah, that doesn't fill me with confidence," Alkor muttered under his breath as they turned away from Koga. He wasn't sure how physics worked in this world, but in the real one, when you fell from a great height and hit water it wasn't much different from hitting concrete. Combined with the fact that he generally thought this was an awful idea, he walked alongside NIGHT toward the Teleporter in town. They hadn't gone too far when he spoke up.

"I don't really like this," he said plainly. Alkor wasn't often blunt with his thoughts like that, but this situation could have been prevented. They should have tried harder. "Koga's one thing. He's been out and around, he knows better. That girl is fresh out of the starting zone. If she dies, won't we be responsible for it because we didn't try more than we did to stop her?"

Naturally, his mind worked backward from what he assumed was a foregone conclusion. Alkor liked to keep his scenarios separated into preventable, unpreventable, and unexpected- this definitely blurred those lines, and he disliked it. He knew that they likely would not have changed either Player's mind with words, but leaving things like this...

"Also... I guess I owe you an apology, NIGHT," Alkor said as they reached the town and strode through the gate. "The last time we talked, I was still pretty badly adjusted. Like I told you, you remember, I'm sure." He ran his fingers through his hair and ruffled it into a mess. "Anyway, what you said really mad me think. That, and a few other things I guess. I realized that I couldn't just push people away while also trying to do right by them. So, thanks for that."

Alkor landed on his toes from the last attack, crouched low as Setsuna rushed through and smashed the Lich, such that it was unable to eat the remaining Warrior. Without hesitation, the dark swordsman slipped between the two enemies and turned a corkscrew in the air, tight to the ground. His attack launched quickly, before either creature could move.

With a powerful screech, the Lich shimmered faintly before exploding. Alkor landed on one knee, blade out to his side. After a moment, he settled back into a standing position, wavering slightly as he turned to find Setsuna, sheathing his blade in one quick turn of the wrist.

"I think that takes care of the second quest," he told her.

Alkor: 909/960 HP  70/104 Energy (-9) | DMG:14 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 4

Setsuna: HP:900/900 | EN:62/90 | DMG:22 | EVA:3 | ACC:5

Stygian Warrior 9 HP: 100 (-120) | DMG: 25 | MIT: 5 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0 (ID# 184031 Battle: 6 HIT)

Leech Lich HP: 20 (-70)| DMG: 50 | MIT: 30  ACC: 2 | EVA: 0 (ID# 184032 Battle: 8 HIT)

"Just like me, then," he said quietly when she mentioned that the Ocean felt like home. The sound of waves crashing against the shoreline was among the few greatest forms of catharsis he could imagine. He recalled his grandmother telling him about the healing properties of salt water, and how her mother would stand waist deep in the sea and let the water flow into open cuts or scrapes. It sounded painful when he thought about it, but somehow, almost the same as what he was doing now.

The same as both of them were doing, really. Without hearing her reasons, he gleaned her purpose from her words. They were both lost, looking for answers just outside their reach. Both of them were metaphorically letting the saltwater touch their open wounds. Would it heal them? Perhaps.

"Yeah, sure," he gestured to the beach all around him vaguely. "Plenty of free real estate. Make yourself at home." Alkor wasn't one to tell someone they couldn't do as they pleased, especially when this was an open area where anyone could come and go freely. Instead, he was warm and welcoming. He'd found that sometimes it was better not to be alone, even if you weren't sharing deep and painful truths with another person. 

"Do you ever think about it?" he asked, thoughtful. "The ocean, I mean. How ancient it is, and how it'll outlive us despite that?" It sounded bleak at first, and he quickly amended. "Like it's nice to know that some things in life are permanent, when others aren't?"

He spun through to get closer to the last warrior standing, breaking its guard in a fluid motion. Before he could capitalize on his movements however, a hideous hand grabbed the warrior away from him and Alkor looked on as the Lich consumed the last of the warriors that had spawned with it. They had been warned, but it still took him by surprise that the enemy turned on its own in such a way.

What a brutal mechanic. Aincrad is absolutely savage.

He took a hop step back as two more warriors emerged from the River, and Alkor suddenly worried that an endless army of the Undead was rising to meet them. While they were superior in total strength, the numbers did not favor them; if the boss continued to swallow these things, it would quickly grow out of hand, and they would have to fall back.

"Looks like we have a problem," he stated. Setsuna was visible now, and the boss appeared to have become targetable. Still, somehow it seemed stronger than before, and they needed to factor that into their strategy. "We can't let it keep eating them, nuke it and I'll take care of the adds."

He sprang forward once again, activating his AoE skill, but one of the Warriors managed to deftly dance away from his blade. "Damn!" he hissed. "I missed one! Sorry!"

Alkor: 909/960 HP (-51) 78/104 Energy (-9) | DMG:14 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 4

Setsuna: HP:900/900 | EN:79/90 | DMG:22 | EVA:3 | ACC:5

Stygian Warrior 5 HP: 100 | DMG: 25 | MIT: 5 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0 

Stygian Warrior 6 HP: 100 | DMG: 25 | MIT: 5 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0

Stygian Warrior 7 HP: 100 | DMG: 25 | MIT: 5 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0

Stygian Warrior 8 HP: 100 | DMG: 25 | MIT: 5 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0

Stygian Warrior 9 HP: 100 | DMG: 25 | MIT: 5 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0 (ID# 184021 Battle: 1 MISS)

Stygian Warrior 10 HP: 100 (-135) | DMG: 25 | MIT: 5 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0(ID# 184022 Battle: 3+4=7 HIT)

Leech Lich HP: 350 | DMG: 50 | MIT: 30  ACC: 2 | EVA: 0 (+50 Base HP, +5 MIT)Lich hits Alkor, Critical : ID# 184020 MOB: 9)

"Mmmm..." Alkor started to agree, then realized he suddenly wasn't alone. Sometimes, deep in his thoughts, familiar voices would come back to him. When it struck that this one wasn't familiar, he glanced up toward the source. "Oh, sorry," he apologized, "I hadn't realized there was anyone else here."

Part of him wanted to be annoyed that he wasn't alone, but a bigger portion was now worried that he looked like an idiot who was talking to himself. He stood upright and brushed the sand off himself. With his thumbs hooked under the dark trousers that hid beneath his cowl, he returned his gaze to the heavens. If she meant no harm, then he had no reason to stress or arm himself. 

"Sometimes it's good to step away and just lose yourself in something," he said, giving voice to his purpose here. "Even if they aren't real, they still beggar understanding. For me, looking at the stars makes my problems all seem insignificant."

Once he'd spoken those words, he glanced back to the woman. She twisted a ring around her finger, fumbling with it. A nervous habit, perhaps? He understood that. It was rude to ask someone that he'd just met about what was bothering them, right? Yeah. Best to not do that.

This woman was to be married. Or at the very least, she had the ring significant of such an engagement. Second thoughts? Don't talk about relationship stuff. Got it.

"I'm Alkor," he told her. "It's nice to meet you."

Alkor whipped around when Koga spoke. 

"Y-you what?" he stared in disbelief at the man who jumped headlong into a boat and proceeded to ask the others if anyone wanted to accompany him. "I get the Scientific Method and all, but don't you think that in a game where fall damage kills you and you don't get do-overs, that might not be the move?" He took a step forward and attempted to grab the man by the sleeve. His hand wafted through air and caught nothing. "You've got to be kidding me right now," he murmured as he looked to NIGHT for some semblance of sanity. "You know if he dies, we won't find a body, right?" he questioned the woman who had suggested it in the first place.

Sword Art Online had driven many people past the point of no return in all the time they'd been trapped. He'd watched Players throw themselves over the edge and plummet to oblivion. Women and children murdered by people who believed it was just a game, and that they'd wake up fine. The number of people who had given into the idea that this couldn't be real was staggering. 

Yet if they did wake up on the other side, none of the people still trapped in Aincrad would know the difference.

Alkor wasn't about to take that chance. "Its been months since then," he said, "those events are gone the second they're over. The chance that the slow fall effect is still going is statistically-"

He stopped himself short when a message came across his HUD. 'Starla wants to be your friend.' At that point, she said that she would join Koga on his misadventure. His shoulders sagged as he accepted the request. At most, her name might disappear again the moment she splattered on the floor below, and at best...

Well, he'd just have to follow through and hope for the best. "You know that you're literally gambling on life or death, right?" he asked Starla. "Like, if this goes badly... well, you heard what I said. You don't have to go through with it."

His gaze shifted to NIGHT. "I guess this means we're going to go and see what happens on Floor 21, huh?"

The Raging Rhino

Judging by what he saw, Alkor understood implicitly that fighting alone was a terrible plan.

The golden gaze of a Player who knew his limits swept across the hide of a massive beast that, with little trouble, made quick work of several nearby enemies and just kept going. He was out of the line of fire- for the moment- but if he wanted to engage in the Colosseum's many blood sports, he would need a capable team of Players. Someone preferably who could eat a hit or two, and another DPS to nuke the thing. Offhand, he didn't really know any tanks who might profit from the experience. He did have two people in mind, though.

Alkor fired off the first message quickly, to the guy who would likely be in the line of fire.

Quote

To: ChaseR

Hey man. It's been a little while. Sorry I fell out of touch, things have gotten a little weird for me lately and I needed some time to clear my head. I'm getting back in the swing of things now, and I'm currently on the 24th floor, looking for a small team to take on the Rhino in the Colosseum. If you want to catch up and get a little workout, you can meet me here. I'm gonna reach out to one other guy and try to get this tag team entered in the event. Looking forward to hearing back from you,

Alkor

Once he had sent the first message, Alkor started by addressing another.

Quote

To: Koga

Hey bud, I was thinking about the conversation we had the other day and I thought I'd use this opportunity to call you up for a quest. Maybe a little Ultraviolence would be good for the both of us? I'm on the 24th, at the Colosseum. We're gonna be fighting a pretty nasty enemy, so come prepared. With the guy I've got in mind for tanking, you may or may not need items- so keep that in mind. See you, bud.

Alkor

With both of those messages sent, all that was left was to wait for responses. If either man was out, he'd make other arrangements; but he was hopeful that he'd get to see both of them and that they could beat this thing down while having a good time.

@Koga@ChaseR

The twenty fourth floor went beyond feeling like home. The beach was what he knew, but this was the sort of otherworldly, tropical beauty that differentiated the game from reality. He was glad for it. He welcomed the sensation because it was sobering, and didn't allow him to find himself lost in the fantasy that nothing had changed. So many Players fell victim to routine. Alkor just tried to make the best of what he'd been given. This lagoon was one of the few places he came to find his quiet. 

Around him, the sky and sea melted together in a pastel of azure. Rocky shoreline crested against the horizon and interrupted the gentle flow abruptly, yet from their interference the light that filtered overtop cast a soothing shadow. Nestled in that gentle darkness, the Swordsman leaned against one of the many jagged stones that flecked the beach. He basked in the last rays of twilight as the darkness crept overhead. With a placid expression on his face, Alkor couldn't have hoped for a more peaceful retreat from all the stressors that SAO had to throw at him. 

He used the precious time he had to reflect. Most recently, the deep and shattering conversation with Koga- his feelings on that were still raw, and the wound hadn't even scabbed over yet. It wasn't anything the other man did. Alkor just had to take time for himself, to face those things and to make his own peace. There was Lessa, who was apparently glad that he reached out. Was his fear that she might see him as a nuisance born of his anxiety? It seemed that was the case, but he found himself drowning in all the implications that came with it. Thoughts bore more thoughts. He fell further away from clarity.

"The stars sure are pretty," he murmured to himself as he made a vain attempt to focus on anything other than the war behind his eyes.

@Noctua

Alkor took a moment to breathe. Everything felt so insignificant in that moment, like the pain had washed over him and taken away every ounce of anxiety related to Aincrad. It was replaced with a doubt he wouldn't ever absolve, even long into the future. Once this game ended, he would always have to live with the fact that he wasn't there when his grandmother needed him. It was a valuable lesson, and one that would spur a great shift in his mindset. From now on, if someone needed him, Alkor would be there. Even if he didn't know them. Even if he didn't like them. His grandmother had always told him that kindness was rare in their world, and that if he could be anything, he should be kind. It was time to live that life, the one he had been afraid to look toward.

With a weak smile, he turned to glance at Koga. "Yeah," he said quietly. "In this world, there are people we would never have met otherwise. There's experiences we couldn't have had under any other circumstances. There's gonna be lessons to learn; and I think the most important thing we can do is start opening ourselves up to them." Alkor offered an outstretched fist to Koga, to bump his own against. "From now on, if you need my help, just ask for it. I'll add you as a friend, and I'll always be just a message away."

He opened up his menu and sent the request, giving the man the opportunity to accept.

If Lessa wasn't where she'd like to be, then Alkor certainly wasn't any closer to goal. He knew exactly how she felt. For all the time they'd both spent in Aincrad, neither of them were satisfied. Alkor had to smirk at that. Between the two of them, Lessa cared infinitely less about that kind of progress than he did. It seemed almost hilarious, because there was a time when she'd admonished him because he obsessed over it. Then she mentioned the token boss battle that either of them had fought in, and he fixed his gaze on the Monkey King. Neither of them wanted to relive that nightmare. She immediately suggested that they start, and he nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, luckily, neither of us have done this quest, so it'll be a big help."

He took a step forward, and when he seemed like he was about to freefall and eat the damage, he reached out and grabbed one of the many vines that hung from the canopy. It swung out under his weight, carrying him out and away from the settlement. "WOOOHOOOOOO!!!" he called out wildly. The Players all had a pretty good idea about how the fauna on the eighth floor worked now, several years later. The tricks of the trade, everything that made moving around easier were common knowledge- or just an Info Broker away. He continued to glide through the air until his feet set down on a lower platform, whereupon he grasped another vine that hung lower and swung out in the opposite direction. The complex series of shortcuts available made it easy and convenient to move across the floor without having to walk across the forest floor itself. After all, it was dangerous to do so, what with the King rampaging.

Alkor's howl hadn't gone unnoticed, however. It became apparent that the King's attention shifted toward the source of the sound, and the monstrosity swung out toward the Player with the intent of swatting him out of the sky. With a lopsided grin, the swordsman shifted his weight and swung narrowly out of the beast's reach. By the time it got another hand out, he'd already made landfall and started running. Now, if Lessa followed closely, she might be able to engage with the King before it had time to recuperate; but if she was a bit slower to follow, it would have a chance to swing on Alkor once more before they began the battle in earnest.

He got his weapon out and ready in he meantime. The adrenaline rush was welcome, a heightened response that would help to abate any lingering doubts that Alkor had, as well as to wash away any thought to the Ninth Floor boss battle.

There was no easy answer to that question.

Just saying "no" cheapened the deeper thought that it inherently evoked. Alkor couldn't just dismiss Koga by saying 'of course not,' either. He'd brought the talk to this point by probing, and so the only fair and just recourse was to think about something he'd fought so hard to suppress. With a visible frown on his face, he stared hard at the sunset. "Her conditions worsen pretty much every day," he revealed, a truth he'd spent all his time avoiding. Thom remained alone in his room whenever he was home, isolated from a world that he'd chosen to reject. The pain he felt, the tears he shed. Everything became a second, thicker, iron skin that he wore protectively. 

Even against his own family.

They were the source of so much pain, to the point where his emotions altered them into the enemy apparent. Alkor couldn't love them- or he thought he couldn't. He refused to admit it to himself, the fact that he couldn't just erase a lifetime of emotions. As Jericho came tumbling down, his face remained stoic. Inside however, the ruins and dust had no time to settle.

Alkor cracked. 

He cracked, so imperceptibly that if Koga blinked he'd miss the uncomfortable shift in Alkor's position. The youth lifted his pipe once more, shaking like his bones were ancient. A puff, then another, and he inhaled deep. When he exhaled, his body stilled. He still felt the ache. There was nothing even the pain dampeners of Aincrad could do against what plagued him now.

"The doctors gave her morphine just to deal with the anxiety that her degrading memory induced. She screams out. Doesn't recognize anyone. Not the people she sees daily, or the ones she's known for years. She's alone in the world, and medically, she's already gone. Her body just hasn't caught up to her mind, but it's not far behind."

His expression was weary, for the first time visibly burdened by the entire world he held on his shoulders. Alkor never showed that struggle to anyone, but he couldn't hide it now. Not in this situation. He went for the pipe again, but it fell out of his hand. When it landed on the ground, it split in two and fragmented into billions of pixels. He cursed softly.

"She wouldn't have made it this long. Nothing short of a miracle would have to happen. Being here, in this place, I won't even be able to say goodbye. I ran away like a fucking child, and now, this is my punishment. The one person I can't live without, who's been with me through everything, and I couldn't even be bothered to be there for her when she had no one else."

He looked down now, his hair falling over his eyes. Darkness obscured his features as he sank into those thoughts for just a moment. Everything he'd said was an admission of guilt as much as it was acceptance. All the things he didn't want suddenly became real. Yet, when he lifted his head, Alkor smiled over at Koga.

"Honestly," he said finally. "If I did anything less than live the best life I can, she'd be ashamed of me. Next time I saw her, she'd slap me out of heaven and send me falling back down to Earth, screaming down at me to do it again, but to do it better. Do I think I can live a normal life? Fuck no. I'm a weird kid, I don't understand how other people think or what they feel unless they tell me explicitly. I can't ever be normal. But I can go back and live a good life. That's the only thing I can do."

In the early morning, most Players were still asleep. The token few who weren't generally spent their time ambling around the higher floors, polishing their techniques and improving their skills through trial and error. Alkor took that time to go through his own skillbook, reviewing the various abilities he rarely used and how they might be useful to implement in rotation. He hadn't put much thought into that sort of thing since the Floor 9 boss, but he was rapidly approaching a time that would see him doing so again.

It never hurt to get back into practice. 

On the second floor, a place where he wouldn't have to worry so much over death if he screwed something up, the golden eyed swordsman carved through weaker monsters like a hot knife through butter. Each skill sent a numeric string of information through his HUD, which in turn gave him the information that he'd use to optimize his build and rotation during raids.

He was consistently hitting, which made things go a bit more smoothly, but he did want to get a bit more resistance from his targets. That was when the idea struck him.

"Maybe someone could use help with one of the stronger field bosses?" he thought out loud. It was a good idea. If he found someone who could trigger the quest, he could spend some of his time roughing up the weaker trash mobs, and even take some aggression out on the field boss if they weren't strong enough to cut it down themselves. "Now, I just have to check the postings..."

Alkor hurried back to Urbus, all the way to the request board where he mulled over the myriad postings for anything related to higher level quests. If there was anything, he hadn't seen it yet. Surely, someone would need to finish the quest.

Alkor Level 48

If Setsuna was still nearby, Alkor didn't see any sign of her. He supposed that meant she was doing what she did best, and succeeding at it. What it meant for him though? More work. As he tore through the enemies with almost no effort, he half expected Setsuna to pick up some of the slack. It appeared that she didn't feel it was necessary.

Alkor didn't particularly mind. Every enemy he struck down was another useful experience, another chance to hone himself into the warrior he wanted to be. He spun the blade round in his grip to reverse, charging up his Sword Art as the creature charged at him with reckless abandon.

As if on cue, Alkor's blade sang upward, gliding through the distance between them. At the precise time of impact, he stepped through and as his weapon joined him in perfect unison. Carved in two uneven halves, the Stygian Warrior spasmed for an instant before exploding into two massive red clouds of data.

He knew what the quest entailed, but almost groaned aloud when the set of four more Warriors apparated. More pressing was the sudden arrival of the Leech Lich, which rose from the Waters of the Stygian with a low groan. Its hunger was instantly visible as it clambered up the shoreline, still feeding on the remains of a soul that it had sundered. There was no blood, no gore; but the sight of an emaciated spirit torn to ribbons, hanging from the maw of an amalgamation of horrors was more than enough to prompt Alkor into unbidden shuddering.

The enemy that they came for had arrived, and Setsuna had bidden her time. This was her moment. If she didn't seize the opportunity, the creature would slowly snowball in power to a point beyond where they could go. Alkor just had to provide suppressive fire in the meantime.

"Any time now," he muttered.

Alkor: 960/960 HP 87/104 Energy (-6] | DMG:14 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 4

Setsuna: HP:900/900 | EN:90/90 | DMG:22 | EVA:3 | ACC:5

Stygian Warrior 2 HP: 100 | DMG: 25 | MIT: 5 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0 (ID# 183657  Battle: 3+4=HIT)

Stygian Warrior 5 HP: 100 | DMG: 25 | MIT: 5 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0 

Stygian Warrior 6 HP: 100 | DMG: 25 | MIT: 5 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0

Stygian Warrior 7 HP: 100 | DMG: 25 | MIT: 5 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0

Stygian Warrior 8 HP: 100 | DMG: 25 | MIT: 5 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0

Leech Lich HP: 250 | DMG: 50 | MIT: 25 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 0

"Yep, Rain Check," Alkor said with a soft smile as the other two paired off to head back to civilization. Out here where there was no one else, the hermit elected to sharpen his skills further. While he watched them filter out of the area, Alkor scrolled through his menu and looked for the skills he was dropping points into. He needed more money to shift to anything else, which meant a day or two of grinding out on his own.

That wouldn't be too much of a problem. It just meant he should probably have taken the offer of food; but Alkor figured Koga would have a lot of fun eating steamed buns at a bakery rather than whatever conversation the golden eyed swordsman brought with him. And with a cute girl?

Not that Koga actually was a simp, but the man was coming up Millhouse.

He gave the other man a thumbs up as he looked back, then turned his own attention to the room where the Lich spawned. "Okay, it should spawn again in an hour or so," he said. "Judging by what I saw, I should be able to take it out on my own..."

Alkor couldn't disagree with Setsuna on that. Every time the system gave, it felt like an attempt to make them forget about everything it had taken away. Sometimes it was more heinous than others. The Tanabata example was a perfect one. By giving them something that they remembered and that seemed familiar, it almost made them feel like the festival itself had never really gone away. The game wasn't intuitive enough to project the memories of their family or anything like that, though the Cardinal system had every bit of potential to do something so foul, but thus far, it hadn't done anything that severe. Some people did lean hard into it, though. Those who fought were less inclined to see it as anything but a respite than those who didn't.

When she backed off and blended into the environment, Alkor knew his cue had come. He reflexively readied his weapon and rushed headlong toward the enemies. They would fixate their attention on him foremost, and after that, Setsuna would come in with the clean sweep. The most important thing of note was that the field boss would only spawn after the first wave; so it was unlikely that the girl would attack right away. Alkor recognized that she would be at most efficient if he cleared the way first, and then she moved in only once the Lich creature appeared.

So, he dove.

His explosive motion ripped through three of the enemies with ease. Skilled though he was, even Alkor had not developed the necessary grace and agility to extend his stroke reliably to a fourth target. He would have to train harder from now on. Still, three out of four was actually excellent, and he'd almost cleared the way entirely in one fell swoop. He gripped his weapon tightly and took up a defensive stance, certain that the mob would retaliate on behalf of its fallen allies.

Alkor: 960/960 HP 93/104 (-11) Energy | DMG:14 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 4

Setsuna: HP:900/900 | EN:90/90 | DMG:22 | EVA:3 | ACC:5

Stygian Warrior 1 HP: 100 (-120) | DMG: 25 | MIT: 5 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0 (ID# 183616 Battle: 2+4=HIT)

Stygian Warrior 2 HP: 100 | DMG: 25 | MIT: 5 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0 (ID# 183617 Battle: 1+4=MISS) (5 to hit Alkor, minus 3 for his evasion misses)

Stygian Warrior 3 HP: 100 (-128) | DMG: 25 | MIT: 5 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0 (ID# 183618 Battle: 9=CRIT)

Stygian Warrior 4 HP: 100 (-120) | DMG: 25 | MIT: 5 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0 (ID# 183619 Battle: 5+4=HIT)

Alkor almost laughed out loud, but suppressed the urge when NIGHT referred to him as Wayne. Some jokes never got old, and that one actually held some merit for him beyond the humor. He still stared down at the water, remembering the battle that ensued when the sky started to fall. "Yeah, if I'm remembering it correctly, I was in the middle of something, too," Alkor replied as his gaze moved up to look over the others. The third person, he didn't know; and Alkor wasn't very good at social discourse, even to the point of failing to pick up common cues. So, as the woman asked how he'd been, he considered the answer for a moment. Since that day, he had thrown himself headlong into every possible fight. All the strength he could muster went into forging even more strength, to the point where he was almost on the Frontlines again. But he hadn't made a great deal of progress at the other things in Aincrad. He didn't have many friends, still, and the ones he did have he was notoriously bad at keeping in contact with. Koga was the rare exception, because they'd seen each other multiple times in the recent week- and here he was, again.

"I've been okay," he said after a moment. "I hope you have too, NIGHT." 

His gaze flickered over to Koga, amused at the misconception he'd had. "Nope," he said, "just a criticism on how batty I am," he attempted to pander to the inside joke a bit more, uncertain about how those worked but still hopeful that it might get a cheap laugh out of someone who actually didn't like him very much. NIGHT and Alkor had become acquainted only through a series of strange and outlandish events that led to an awkward misunderstanding. Even after the resolution, he had the feeling that he hadn't left things better than they'd been- not that he expected anything else. 

There were all of four people who knew his real name in Aincrad, and they were people who he'd been through some intense hardships with.

When he felt the other woman's eyes on him, his own gaze moved to hers. He blinked once and tilted his head curiously. It was pretty unusual for women to stare at him, in his experience. "Last night?" he asked, confused. "Not that I know of, no," he looked back to the lake, imperfect and yet still beautiful. It dawned on him that she was probably referring to his comment. "Oh, that's what you meant. No, this happened a few months ago. Some boss level enemies appeared and the floor fell through. It was the end of a festival, so everyone was pretty thrown off by it."

Maybe that would help? A detailed explanation to abate any further confusion seemed like the proper decision given the situation. Or maybe he was missing something? 

Oh! She gave her name. Right. He should introduce himself.

"I'm Alkor," he said, after a moment. "Nice to meet you."

It had been a good occasion to call on Lessa, that was certain. He didn't often reach out for help, but in recent days he'd put more emphasis on doing so. It was her request that he not take on any excessively dangerous or exciting things by himself. She'd even had an attack dog to punch him over it; though, she hadn't strictly known about that encounter until later. Alkor didn't hold her accountable to that as a result. Instead, his thoughts were more on how to approach the conversation. Unlike the people he didn't know quite so well, Lessa was well aware that Alkor was no good at communicating. She almost seemed happy at the compliment even Alkor considered weak. He just didn't have much to draw on for more; and now, he felt awkward about it.

Lessa was brilliant as expected, even in her response. She said that she was glad to hear from him, and he searched himself for the proper answer as if she'd posed him some cryptic question. How did he feel? Did he feel anything? Was he glad too? Or was that the proper, courteous thing to say in the situation? His face betrayed nothing of the turmoil hidden behind it. "That's good," he said, "I'm just glad it didn't inconvenience you at all." That seemed like a fairly safe response. Maybe a bit flatter than it could have been, but it seemed to show some kind of empathy?

She quickly changed the topic back toward the situation in front of them, which gave him a bit more confidence about what he should say. Unlike trying to figure out what people were thinking or feeling, tactics were direct. There was very little room for something to have a hidden meaning. He listened carefully, eyes once again on their intended enemy.

Though one or two hits from the thing probably wouldn't do him in, Lessa had more survivability overall. Alkor's build was geared toward evasion rather than taking the brunt of any damage. Lessa wore heavier armor explicitly for that purpose. It stood to reason that she would be the one standing at the front. She'd come so far, and gone so far ahead of him. Alkor always felt a bit awed by the progress she'd made.  "Yeah, I think that'd be wise," he agreed. "I can hit it pretty hard, but if it hits back, I don't know how many of those shots I'll be able to take. You might get one or two more than me." He smirked. "You've gotten a lot stronger than I remember," he commented. "If you're afraid, I can't even tell."

Notably, his gaze never left the beast as he spoke, and he wasn't inclined toward fear himself. He was taking all the necessary precautions. Something insignificant like this wouldn't be the end.

"Looks like it," Alkor commented without looking up at first. The sight of it was daunting, especially given that the beast wasn't confined to some boss room. This was a free roaming, dangerous creature that caused collateral damage, just like the Twinfire Phoenix had. But unlike that monstrosity, this one kept respawning. It was an absolute menace. "I don't think there's a good way to put it down, though," he observed, then finally glanced up to the blonde.

"You ready?" he asked. It was about as good of a "how are you?" as the man could manage, considering. He never knew how to talk to Lessa; because she was one of the few people who had known him for such a long time, she had seen him in the darkest parts of his time in Aincrad. When he was at his most detestable, she'd sought to help him. Despite the venomous creature he'd become, she had still shown kindness. 

Lessa was so far away, even standing right next to him. Where he reached out for the light, in many ways, the woman embodied it. It was always just out of reach. She was always just out of reach.

"I figure we can take it pretty quick, honestly," he assessed, "and with drastically decreased risk, but there will still be a small margin for error. Judging by how it's ripping through mobs, it can take a healthy chunk of HP out with a single hit."

As he spoke, he didn't really look at her. It was like staring at the sun for too long. It was easy to feel compelled, but it would burn your eyes if you gave in. For Alkor, it was more that he felt ashamed. He was bad at keeping in touch, and she let him keep his distance. 

But, for the sake of that friendship, there were days when he did try to close that gap.

Like this one. "You look well," he added. 

The Monkey King

The village in the canopy was the safe zone particularly because of the behemoth below. Alkor could see the creature romp and smash from his vantage point near the edge of town, like some morbid statue that presided over the carnage unflinching. He refused to let it be. "The thing looks tough enough," he muttered to himself. It would be a decent distraction; but would he be alright going it alone?

He knew at least one person who wouldn't be happy to hear that he took the chance. Alkor watched as the King smacked another hapless beast aside, sending it sharding into pixels. It had no regard even for its own kind- he didn't consider the creatures as beasts, more as cogs in an ever turning machine. Even at that, the system dehumanized them.

With a quick message spared to the person who'd told him to stop taking risks, Alkor explained concisely the situation he found himself in, and a suggestion that they tag team the field boss rather than him going down by himself and shooting the dice. If nothing else, they hadn't gotten much of a chance to catch up at the Tanabata festival. This would be... well, Lessa would probably like that.

Or maybe she'd get annoyed. Alkor wasn't really sure. He sent off the message and waited for a reply.

Alkor level 47

It was a sight that many Players talked about, but few ever really took the time to get close to. 

A hole, far too dark to see to the bottom that pierced the perfect waters of an otherwise peaceful lake. Alkor came to see it for himself because he had overheard a few people talking about some other guy who allegedly jumped into it and died; and there was another who claimed that it spat him right back out. With the conflicting stories, Alkor neither knew who was telling the truth or if they were both lying, nor did he particularly care. 

It just seemed like something that they ought to raise awareness about. Could someone accidentally fall into it? Could they be pushed? All very fair questions, things he wanted to discern. In his travels through Aincrad, solving its mysteries and expanding his knowledge were some of the few joys that the golden eyed swordsman found. The others came from combat, and he did that often enough without having to try.

As he approached the pier, Alkor saw two people he never expected together. The first was Koga, who he'd been teaming up with recently. Then there was NIGHT. Alkor approached them from behind, but not before another girl got the first word in. It was funny to think that someone might consider this... tragic sight a decent venue for a date, but Alkor supposed that anywhere was great when you were playing a game that could literally kill you.

He made no comment as he slipped forward, adopting a neutral stance next to Koga with his arms crossed. Alkor gazed down at the floor, the circumstances of its creation still fresh and hot in his memory. "That was a crazy night, huh?" he asked, to no one in particular.

Someone had given this poor girl the wrong impression of what an Otaku was; though, to be fair if she really wanted to she could just as easily have called Alkor Hikkikomori. Not that she knew that about him, or anyone else in Aincrad did, really. Still, the basis was there- a fondness for the Japanese culture. Her own culture, by the look of her. Maybe it was less a weeb thing than it was a traditionalist thing. He couldn't say.

"Tanabata, huh?" Alkor asked, straining to recall the festival. It had gone by pretty uneventful for him, other than a conversation with Lessa and the jarring boss encounter at the end. He stopped for a moment. "Yeah, I went," he told her. "Pretty cool that the game has these things for the Players. Almost considerate, if it didn't mock us so much at the same time."

That was about when she mentioned the group of enemies. Alkor turned to look ahead of them, wondering if she had caught sight of their destination. "Yeah, that's what we're looking for," he answered. "A group of like, three or four. They go down and the mob we have to kill spawns."

The fact that they mellowed out so quickly was a relief. Instead of getting up in arms, both Koga and Kasumi took Alkor's words in stride and the woman went so far as to invite them out to eat as thanks for their help. He quickly reassessed the situation. Clearly, there was a mood here that needed to be preserved, and this was a bike that already had two wheels. It did not need a third.

"Actually, I had some other plans after this," he said. There were plenty of quests left to do, and Alkor was almost to his goal. Soon, he'd be able to fight alongside the others. He just had to make the last push and propel himself into the top echelon of Players. "You guys should go ahead and fill up, have a few drinks for me." 

With his HUD opened up to the menu, he skimmed over a few things and double checked that he'd gotten credit for clearing the quest. Satisfied that he'd fulfilled the parameters, he smiled to the other two. "Rain check, maybe?" he asked.

Honestly, he wasn't really great with other Players, or people in general, and he didn't want to drag down the mood. Plus, Koga could use more friends- and the way Alkor figured it, he was repulsive as far as attracting friends went. This really was the best move for everyone.

"No, no, I absolutely appreciate the sentiment," Alkor grinned when Koga dismissed the apology as unnecessary. "Just be a little more cautious from now on," he told Kasumi. "Things can get dangerous, even if you're overleveled. All it takes is a little bit of bad luck and..." he made a gesture like exploding, to indicate the stream of data that Players and mobs alike became when their life bar ran dry. He didn't press his luck, though- he'd said enough about Koga for the man to get irritated, and even Alkor hadn't missed the telltale glare.

"Like he said though, it ended up working in our favor, so I can't really complain."

Alkor turned his gaze sideways at the question Koga asked. A scout Player didn't necessarily have to belong to a guild; and it seemed like they would at least have someone with them to handle the heavy lifting if they were coming somewhere that carried the risk of death. If she as in fact guilded, they were taking risks he didn't agree with regarding their Players. 

He didn't say anything, though. Alkor had never really loved most guilds in the game, with most of them focused insular and creating friction in an already stressful environment. Others were a bit more overly friendly, and that had its own annoying aspects. "...Alkor," he said his name after Koga finished. "I'm Alkor."