Alkor

The Second floor was expansive and covered in fields of lush green grass. Just the way he remembered it, and yet different. It was filled with memories instead of infantile Players trying to worm their way through the ranks. Those people had gone on to bigger and better things, multiple floors above. After a brief stint in the caverns of Floor 21, Alkor decided to go back to basics.

A low level field boss might be just the thing to sharpen his skills. Low enough that it didn't pose the threat of death, but high enough that he could play around with skills and damage dealing. After consulting a few information brokers who had been dealing this information for literal years and decided it was hardly worth charging him for, the darkly dressed player set out into the sunlit field to find himself a wasp.

He just had to hope he wouldn't kill it instantly, because that would be counterintuitive to his plans.

Uh... what?

"I'm really not sure what you're talking about," he blinked. "When someone has an incorrect idea about someone else, it's proper social protocol to correct them, isn't it?" He tilted his head, genuinely curious.

"You're talking to the wrong guy about emotions. I barely understand my own, let alone anyone else's. I'm sorry, I'm genuinely making an effort but I'm lost right now. I don't understand why you're upset, other than that you're worried about Lessa."

He let out another sigh, as though the conversation were grating on him. It was. Heavily. "Anyway, I do appreciate you jumping in to help me. I thought I could handle this floor, but I obviously can't. I didn't mean to take a risk like that.

Sorry, again, for troubling you, Bahr."

@Bahr

It didn't exactly surprise him when Lessa said she wasn't interested in Fantasy. She always seemed less like someone who would get into an MMO and more like a sporty, horse riding, carefree kind of girl. Well, for what Alkor knew about girls. He only had experience with them limited to twelve years of required school, and even then, he had been ostracized and bullied. Girls didn't show kids like Thom the time of day.

Lessa was nicer, though. She'd always accepted him, and tried to be close. He knew she meant well, even if before he had gone about communicating with her all wrong. Still, when she said it was odd that the Dragon had been "hiding..."

"Oh," he began, "you know about the Cardinal system, right?" He glanced at her and swiped the menu open. "It's the thing that controls everything that we're not in this world. All the NPCs, all the quests, all the mobs. It thinks in real time and responds with new data. It can generate new information on the spot."

He opened the item menu and scrolled through it one last time. Health potions he wouldn't need, but still had were present. The menu flickered closed. "That's how, probably. As we cleared more floors, Cardinal reacted. It could have been programmed in all along, or it responded to a need for new quests."

Alkor blinked. "Also, I understood that reference. The Lazarus thing."

@Lessa

Lessa. Ah. Okay. That makes more sense.

The man unloaded a lot of emotional words and Alkor sat through it while hiding his ennui. These things were clearly something that Bahr needed to get off his chest. He had many reasons to feel the way he did that the other man couldn't quite comprehend. Instead of firing back, Alkor crossed his arms and sighed.

"You're allowed to feel how you want, man," he said finally, the obvious frustration oozing from his pores. "I talked to her the other day so I could apologize for how I treated her. I'm aware that I wasn't great to her. I feel bad for it.

I almost died on the Ninth Floor. Up to that moment, I thought I could be something I wasn't. I thought I could be a hero, apart from everyone else trapped in this world, all by myself. In that moment where my health was dwindling, all I could think about was staying alive. I have things I have to do. I have people who care about me.

I understand now. I see why you don't like me. That's fine. I'm not going to ask you to change your mind. Thanks for the jacket."

He glanced back toward the settlement in the distance. "Lessa's a good person. I'm glad she has good people around her now."

@Bahr

Alkor stood and stared blankly. 

What...? Did he just punch me?

The red space on his face didn't register in his line of sight, and he didn't feel any pain, but the impact registered. It was soaked by his mitigation, but it was enough to make him blink. 

Someone he just met hit him.

His brow furrowed and he almost spoke, but the man threw something at him. He caught the item and blinked. 

"Are you bipolar?"

Alkor sent the item to his inventory and eyed the man as his expression returned to ambivalence. "I just met you. I don't know who you are. You punch me, you talk about 'her' like I know who you mean, and then you give me a piece of equipment. You want to elaborate on that? I'm already bad enough at knowing how other people feel and why, I'm not going to put it together by myself."

That was open enough. Maybe he'd get the picture, maybe he wouldn't. It wasn't up to Alkor to do more than he already had.

@Bahr

Alkor returned his blade to its resting place at his hip. He had not considered the difference between himself and the 21st floor to be quite so great. He knew better, now. When the other man spoke, he let out a sigh.

"Didn't think I was this far behind," he replied. "Now I know better."

He glanced off toward the large lake that glowed somewhere in the distance. It was a dark floor, but perhaps not so dark as the tenth. The other man was illuminated by strange, discordant yet colorful light; but his eyes were actually that red and green dissonance, and it wasn't a trick. As strange as the gold of his own.

Players enjoyed little things like that, he noted.

"I appreciate the help," he stated. He had given a similar speech not so long ago; but Alkor was skilled to some degree. Any chances he took were more likely to end in success than someone at the base of the mountain.

But, could still end in death.

He could have actually died, this time. Knowing that was worse than actually dying. It meant there was weakness to wring out.

"I'm Alkor."

@Bahr

The second floor seemed like a good place to take a few quests. It was below his level a bit, certainly, but the darkly dressed Player knew that he could still benefit from the quests he had yet taken, even if it were just the rewards. Games like this didn't penalize Players from wanting to do work, after all.

It would be interesting to see what kind of things he had missed, back before. The world had so much lore tied in, and all of it worked together with the system that controlled the entire world of Aincrad to randomly generate content at the drop of a hat. These quests were a result of that interaction. One of his friends always used to get so excited when they were waiting for the game to drop.

He wondered now if Evan was quite so enthusiastic.

Hmmm?

A questgiver NPC had ticked on his mini map as he mused about past interactions, and he glanced up just in time to see a girl start to walk away from her. Alkor moved forward, listened to what the quest entailed- the NPC sobbed and pleaded with him to go and rescue a small child.

The other player seemed in a huff, and Alkor wondered if that meant she was displeased with the content. Wouldn't this be the kind of story most girls would think was sweet, or something?

Well, I guess that's not true for everyone. Maybe I should see if she needs any help? Yeah, at worst, she'll just tell me to go away.

"Hey there," he called, "I just took this quest, did you need some help?"

For Alkor, conversation of most types was a bad thing. He said things that made people misunderstand, or he misunderstood what they were trying to tell him. The very core of their current problem was that the things she was saying didn't help that they had already started off on the wrong foot.

Idle conversation was often even worse. If there was no point, why did they talk? They had nothing in common except a brief incident where they instantly disliked each other. That seemed like a recipe for disaster to Alkor, even if he were no authority on social things.

He thought he heard her mutter something, but clearly he had missed it if she did. He did not deign to pry about it. She returned his thanks with an uncharacteristic- or at least, uncharacteristic from what Alkor could tell of the woman- smile. He looked her over one last time from over his shoulder, then turned and raised his hand to wave goodbye.

"Later," he said, not unkindly. There was no reason to be mean to the woman, so he did his best to be as neutral about all of it as he could. He slipped out the door of the tavern and into the snow, swiping open his menu as he went.

He did have to respond to a message or two, after all.

@Ceres

The very idea of a Dragon is what made some children fall in love with fantasy. The genre was wild and exciting, and when it was applied to games, they often magnetized new Players. To hear about a Quest line that involved the mythical beasts gave Alkor something to be excited for. It was rare anything beyond leveling up interested him.

But Lessa didn't need to know he was excited, right? She would be content knowing he was in if for the experience. He didn't have to-

"Yeah, I want to fight a Dragon," he admitted.

Okay, way to keep your Poker face up on that one.

"Read a lot of books as a kid with Dragons. I'd never meet one in the real world, but here? That's worth looking into." He rested his arm on the sheath of his weapon and reclined a bit. "Won't get a chance if we don't go for it, right?"

I've got to be more friendly than I used to be, but still set boundaries. We're friends. Friends are nice. Friends talk about stuff like dreams and hopes. Right?

"So, we're looking for a Dragon, probably guarding a gem. Anything else important to know about it?"

@Lessa

The expression he gave her was somewhere between skepticism and disbelief. 

Rabbit Man? 

He waited a few seconds for the blank pages of his mind to fill with words, then composed his face and lifted the mug to his lips. The container emptied rapidly. He placed it on the table in front of them. 

Alkor looked around to see if Ashton Kutcher had been trapped inside Sword Art Online with them, and he was in fact being PUNK'd. When it became clear that he was not, he let out a sigh. 

"Clearly, I'm not doing much of anything positive for either of us," he muttered. The truth was, irritation like this and a clear inability to empathize made Alkor infinitely more heated than he actually needed to be. They were both trying, but they were both also failing. Miserably. "Look, good luck with your adventure and the SP and all that. I'm not one to wish anyone ill, and I'd much rather see everyone in this god forsaken game thrive and survive. I just don't think I have anything worthwhile to offer you."

And I really don't need to create another situation like I did with Lessa back then. I need to be honest enough that I can create that space, and not try to help someone even though I'm not okay with it.

"It sounds like you already know everything I could tell you, and that's enough to get you by. There's plenty of people who would be willing to talk, if you are. Getting better takes practice, like you said. So, good luck with that, too."

He stood up paid the col that his menu prompted him to. 

"I've got an appointment to keep, so I really do have to run anyway. It was..." His voice trailed off for a moment. "It's been an experience, talking to you. Thanks."

@Ceres

"Talking isn't that hard," he pointed the back end of the mug at her, "I just don't like doing it." She had a lot of nerve, not that any of it would keep her alive. Still, she seemed aware of that. His entire reason for being there seemed pointless now. At least he had a few brews to show for it.

"You seem to want me here as much as I want to be here," he narrowed his eyes a bit and shrugged. "I can leave anytime. Just say the word. I did what I came here to do. You've been sufficiently warned."

He gestured toward his drink. "And I've wanted one of these for a while, so I guess that worked out in my favor."

Alkor took a leisurely sip, reclined a bit and leveled his gaze on the woman. She wanted to tear into him just as badly, but decided to settle for passive aggression? Was that it? He wanted to throw that right back at her, but honestly, he knew better. 

The high road would get him out of here with less of a headache, and he'd probably never see her again.

Probably.

@Ceres

He resisted the urge to get in her face again after the last comment. She had been around long enough to at least read the tutorial, or overhear someone talk about skills. To not invest them? At all? What-

No. Pick your battles. You don't need to start that again. Be calm. Be constructive. Be-

"Don't take this the wrong way, it's great you want to start moving forward; but you should stick to the First floor until you've made decisions about that SP, and work your way up once you've gained confidence in your abilities. Or at least have a party that can keep you alive while you're at it."

Okay, you could have done worse. Probably.

He finished the mug and crossed his arms. "I've met a few people, maybe one or two I'd call friends. That's a precarious word, and not a lot of people fit in it. But, acquaintances, neighbors, or allies- sure. I have those. I have..."

Had.

If they're all alive. If they still remember me. They haven't heard the news yet.

"...a few of those."

He straightened a bit and called for another drink. "You should try to find a few, possibly around your level. Work with them. Stick to the back. Feel things out. Get comfortable, then move forward."

@Ceres

"It's... rough," he said after a moment when his drink arrived. The cool amber fluid washed down his throat and the familiar flavor soothed him just a bit. "I don't want to be helped, but I recognize this is a world where being a loner isn't going to get you far. Teamwork and community are important. Even if you don't know someone, if you let them die, that's one less person who might reach out a hand and save you from death later."

I didn't let anyone hold a hand out to me back then. I tried to take on the world alone. I tried to fight the Hydra without relying on my teammates.

As much as he hated to admit it, people did need others. There was no way to avoid it in this world. Perhaps the Creator had made it that way, as an indictment of modern society and how people were so far removed from communities, social activities, and engrossed in their phones.

In the real world, he avoided leaving his room as much as he could.

Here, you couldn't have a room if you didn't go out and agonize over mobs and col for it.

"You're allowed to ask for help when you need it."

@Ceres

Alkor wasted no time as the other man soaked the damage for them. He raised his blade, illuminated a golden color this time as the energy coalesced around it and offered it extended length. A moment later, he surged forward with vigor to impale the Troll- only to be disappointed as it stepped clear out of the way in its mad lust for the Red Cloaked Player's life.

It brought the other fist down this time, a one-two punch type combo even as it's other arm flailed backward and it cried out in surprise and pain. The creatures further up the Castle were no joke. He knew that now.

He felt his shoulders sag a bit with humility. First the Hydra, and now a Troll. Two very real reminders that the ladder was high, and he still had many rungs to climb.

It was close now, though. One more attack like what this man had already managed and it would be over. They could get out of here. And Alkor could go lick the wounds of disgrace with more training.

He grimaced as she spoke about his perceptions and hers, and how both of them had been wrong. He didn't agree, he had been harsh, but he had never said anything that wasn't true. Still, they had managed to find a stillness that seemed more appealing than the shouting match that could start, if he corrected her.

Alkor managed to keep his opinion to himself. "If you don't have anything nice to say," Grandma used to tell me...

She had told him about how bad she was with people, and while he agreed with her, he also related to that. "You're right," he admitted. "I don't really prefer talking to people or being around them all that much, but I also can't help but to try and do something when someone looks like they're in need. You looked lost, so I checked to see if you were."

The rest of that altercation could literally have been "oh, thanks for the advice," but it's never that easy. 

"Huh?" He half turned as the waiter appeared to take their order. "Oh, uh, we're not... uh..." Ceres started to give her order without a thought toward the statement about them being a couple, but Alkor at least attempted to correct it. His words were cut off by the short conversation, and "Tom" turned to him."

"I-I'll have an ale, I guess," he said.

Why did I sit down, again?

Alkor walked into the Blacksmith shop and looked around. It was rare to come to the first floor looking for items, let alone weapons, but the Swordsman had decided on something new. He needed to get a weapon appropriate to train himself up until he could improve his skill enough to switch for something of higher quality. With that in mind, he moved toward the desk to put in his request. If the Blacksmith was around, he hadn't seen him yet.

Maybe he was in the back filling an order? Ah, well. Alkor opened the menu and scribbled a note for the proprietor to read whenever he got in. It detailed the weapon he wanted, and he left an amount of materials necessary to cover the creation as well. Satisfied he would get results, Alkor turned to leave and gave a quick, respectful bow before the door shut behind him.

-10 T1 Materials, to Yukiro

@Yukiro

The Troll never took it's attention away from the stronger Player. Despite how that should have been positive for Alkor, it fell sobering on his shoulders. How was he supposed to protect others if he was the one being protected?

Unimportant. 

He had spurred himself back to action, and he would not allow for anything to make him less useful than he already was. If nothing else, he could add a small amount of damage to the total.

Everything counts, even the little chunks.

He ignited the power of his sword skill yet again, undeterred by his previous miss. This time, he launched himself under the monster's arm and through its defenses. Even though he was not doing a great deal, he moved swiftly. He mastered his inadequacy and changed it into resolve.

The blows all landed, the ineffectual damage registered. 

It still swung for the fences at the other man, like it had been bitten by a mosquito. Barely annoyed.

Alkor landed, skidding across rock and through standing pools of water. He took up his stance once more, blade pointed toward it's target. His eyes burned with intensity.

@Bahr

The Troll bellowed angrily as the more experienced Player struck, feeling from another impressive blow to its significant health. Or at least, significant to Alkor. Without help from the other Player, this would have ended much more quickly, and he knew it. That was what made him so frustrated. There had been a time where he was strong, stronger than a great many of the other people trapped inside Aincrad. He had fought on the Frontlines, and faced down the most ferocious enemies of his time...

But it wasn't his time anymore.

He knew that despite his second chance at stepping out into Aincrad, he would not start once more at the top rung of the ladder. He knew that, and yet, he was still suffering internally. 

Why? Why am I so weak? 

His face twisted in a mask of rage, but the Troll utterly dismissed his next strike. It went wide, driven off course perhaps by shaky hands, or by an effortless evasion. Neither outcome satisfied the darkly clad swordsman. The other man seemed moderately amused, if not entirely bored by his situation.

How the mighty had fallen.

"I know now," he answered. "I got the answer I wanted."

It just wasn't one that he liked. The revelation of his own relative weakness only fanned the flames of aspiration. He had to get stronger, just like before. 

No, perhaps, different from before.

This time, he planned on sticking the entire crawl toward the top out with the rest of them. It would be a long, difficult journey. It wasn't one that he would turn away from. His grip relaxed as he let out a breath. There was no use in being angry now. The other man had this situation under control. His ennui shattered the illusion that Alkor had any chance of playing hero in this cave.

I'm not giving up.

The more she talked, the more evident it became that this woman had her own ideas about how to handle herself. On the one hand, Alkor had made an attempt to help her and she had made it clear that she wanted none of it. On the other, she seemed to want nothing more than to unleash her fury on him about how he was pious and unfeeling up in his ivory tower. Both of those hands told him that he should leave her alone, and as she finished her tirade, he managed to let out a callous tch.

The door slammed in his face, separating the two Players by a thin margin. He could push it open and pursue, but why? It was clear she didn't want any part of his advice, but there was always more to the story. He had told Lessa that he was making an effort to change, to be better, and he was; but that didn't mean he was going to miraculously be better at talking to others, or with any sort of social interaction.

"Understanding others," he muttered. "That again?"

Part of him wanted to turn and leave it be. She could clearly find her own way with that attitude. At least, that was what he wanted to tell himself. In actuality, he pushed through the door nearly a minute after she had, looked around, and started toward her. "If someone tells you they don't want you to die, is that really how you respond?" he said as he got close enough that they were half a meter apart. "I'm not telling you not to do anything, or saying you're incapable, I'm telling you to be safe."

He thrust a finger toward her and jabbed it fiercely to accentuate his words. "You have options. You want to risk the life outside the safe zone? More power to you! I'm all for that! You want to live safely and get out of here alive? That's fine too! There's nothing wrong with any choice you make!"

Why was he yelling? What possessed him to care so much that he willingly followed another person into a crowded area and engaged with them verbally? 

You can't protect anyone if they don't trust you.

The words rang clear in his mind again, and his hand dropped. She clearly didn't trust him, nor did she want to. "Look, whatever you want to do is your decision," he said more quietly, "but at least wait to go exploring until you have that gear. I'm sorry for bothering you. I'll leave now."

He turned to do so.

@Ceres

"Yeah," he muttered, "you're probably right."

Alkor managed to land on his hanches, one hand dug into the rocky floor beneath his feet. His balance was not quite shattered, though he was irritated with the clear gulf in strength. This man had appeared seemingly from nowhere and taken a chunk out of the monster's health.

It was infuriating. Was he a Frontliner? What was he doing on this floor? No- it couldn't have been that. This wasn't even the highest they had come yet. He was just that far behind.

"Damn it," he seethed as he made it back to his feet, gripping Nightbringer tightly. The crimson blade glinted ominously in the pale, unnatural light of the 21st floor. "Damn it!"

He composed himself just enough to give himself over to anger. The Sword Art responded in kind, twisting the air around his blade into a sinister scarlet color as he activated the skill.

Three hits, then a descending blow to the head were not quite so simply achieved on something that dwarfed him in size, but the system filled in the gaps in Alkor's ability. Three streams of red data appeared on the beast's belly, albeit smaller and less significant than those created by his sudden savior.

The final blow came with a loud thud as the darkly dressed swordsman delivered the stun and dropped to his feet. "Quick," he called out behind him, "switch!"

Alkor took the opportunity to launch himself backward, having given the other Player an opening with which to strike. He seemed to be the one who would decide this conflict, anyway.

He watched her in silence and listened as she spoke. Did she intend to berate him? His arms folded across his chest, the stoic youth let out a long breath through his nostrils and waited for her to finish. It almost looked like a dragon exhaling a plume of smoke, given the weather conditions. "You think being high enough level is all it takes to survive?" he asked. "If Lessa didn't warn you that there were other factors, she must be rustier than I thought. Look, you need to pick up some better equipment if you plan on traveling around. Mobs don't scale to your level- they scale to the floor you're on."

He doubted that the stronger woman had given the woman much advice about leaving the safe zones, because she wouldn't have urged anyone to do so unprepared. He gave her that much credit. It must just have been this particular woman, deciding for herself that she was ready to go on an adventure.

"I want to make sure no one else dies a preventable death," he told her, "and I'm not being harsh because I think it's the right way to approach people, I'm doing it so you'll understand that what you're doing is reckless."

I'm one to talk about recklessness.

That aside...

"You're welcome to do whatever you want, just know there are people risking their lives to make sure you don't have to. You could go back to the Town of Beginnings, kill a few boars a day, and live in an inn until they clear the game. If you're not going to take the threat seriously, you shouldn't chance it."

@Ceres

He never thought to notice anything off the path, other than the mobs that strayed near. They had further aggro range the lower your level was relative to them. That mechanic was a mainstay in all types of games. Traditionally, if you couldn't handle that kind of heat, you would backtrack, improve, and come back when you were ready. For Alkor, that didn't quite seem like the test of strength he sought.

No, it had to be one of those trolls. Traditionally, they were loners with a lot of power behind their punches. They never strayed far from the darkest recesses of bridges, dungeons, caves... luckily for Alkor, the dimly lit cavern seemed to be just the right environment for that kind of encounter. He just had to access some of the map data he haggled for, do some dungeoneering, and make his way toward the dankest part of the 21st floor. Easy enough, he told himself.

Until the third narrowly avoided encounter, he kept that attitude strong. "This seems like a bad idea," he told himself aloud, "but I already made up my mind, so I can't let that stop me now."

Bravery in the face of certain death was... Noble, to a point, but stupid beyond that. He would try to run if things got too dicey. That was the plan, anyway. Discretion is the better part of valor, General Lee said once. Alkor seemed to think his discretion was on point.

"Okay, round the edge of this underground lake, and..."

He smelled the rank breath before he heard the beast bellow. All the rumors pointed to it, and in the next instant, Alkor confirmed the truth of them. A Cave Troll. "God," he huffed toward the behemoth beast. "You're ugly."

Luck must have been on his side, because the creature was deceptively quick for its size. The massive fist skimmed past as he shrugged out of the way, eyes wide with the realization he may just have bitten off more than he could chew. The impact shook the floor as the beast yowled its displeasure, and the intensity forced Alkor to jump and roll out of the way. He was not nimble to the point where he could turn the situation to his benefit- he didn't have enough SP invested all around for that kind of feat.

But he did have the ability to evade, and that was the best he could do.

It had decidedly been a good rest of his ability. "Crap," he muttered. "That's bad."

@Bahr

His skepticism bled into his face as a single brow rose. How could someone who had managed to survive for this long be so utterly...

What's a good word for it?

Alkor had to agree with her assessment. He did not want to be there, nor was he totally convinced about the things she was saying. It wasn't possible to mistake the cursors over Player heads, nor would an NPC understand what a Player was saying by calling them an NPC.

She had to know that. Didn't she?

"You're not armed properly," he stated as he looked her over and saw her items. All too familiar gear from the very beginning of their extended stay in Hell. "You shouldn't be leaving the settlements on any floor except the first with that kind of gear."

Clueless. That's it.

"You actually can die in here, you know."

He didn't answer her questions, because it should have been obvious upon further conversation that he was not, in fact, computer generated. And she didn't need to know that he didn't want to be there. That was not going to help her in the slightest.

@Ceres

He watched the breath roil from his lips, transfixed. Winter in his hometown rarely got so cold that he could see snow, so Snowfrost Town was a nice change of pace. He yearned for Winter, because it felt cold and warm fires were never out of place. No one complained about the heat when it was a precious commodity. 

It was not like the humidity he was used to, where everyone was always sick of being sticky and covered in their own sweat. People loved the beach, but hated the weather that came with it. He just hated going outside.

More appropriately, he hated being around people. Even now in this world after coming to terms with the fact that he was not just a character in a game anymore, Alkor disliked unnecessary interaction. It made him nervous. 

When he heard someone ask another person if they were an NPC, he blinked. That's beyond socially inept. That's just being an airhead. He looked in that direction and spied a confused looking woman in the wake of someone who was not impressed with her question.

It's not your problem. She's fine. She'll be right. Just leave it... leave it... dammit, Thom.

"...hey, uh, are you lost?"

@Ceres

Skill being Dropped: One Handed Straight Sword [Rank 3] 

SP being refunded: 23

Cost: 23,000 Col