Alkor

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

A message flickered into view in front of him and Alkor stopped. There were only a handful of people who might reach out, and his mind filtered through them all until he read her name. He was glad to have a chance to get normal interactions with her, after all the time he spent being everything but himself. He looked over the words and blinked. Dragons? Well, any gamer had to like dragons. Who didn't like dragons? Alkor liked dragons.

He typed off a quick message and affirming that he would join her, then hurried off toward the teleporter. After a few minutes of travel time, he made it from the Town of Beginnings to Tolbana, most likely fairly far behind the woman. The first Frontliners had met there, in the ampitheater just ahead of him. To think, that's where his journey would be reborn.

The symbolism actually made him snort loudly.

"Okay, now to find Lessa," he muttered to himself as he moved toward his destination, glancing through his inventory as he moved. "Let's see, I have..." He doubted seriously that there would be a real challenge for either of them if the quest brought them to the first floor, but in this world, it always paid to be prepared.

When he arrived, he gave her a nod. "I made it," he announced.

@Lessa

"Well, that's a relief," he said as he finally sized up the burger that the waiter had gone to the trouble of bringing him. "Midnight is way past my bedtime. I'd be useless at that." He took the delicious looking food in hand and took a bite. He absently wondered if Lessa's friend, the waiter, had spat in it when he heard their conversation, but it wasn't like that would do much inside of the game.

He glanced her way after polishing off the single bite he had taken and then went to finish his drink. It slowly receded from his cheeks as color returned and warmth with it. Had it been as bad as his mind told him? Perhaps not to anyone else. Lessa seemed far more composed.

Alkor had never been to the point where he cared for someone quite like she described. His grandmother the obvious exception, she didn't really need him- there were other family members, it just inconvenienced them more than it had him. He was the only one who didn't have a life.

That wasn't the case anymore.

His finger swiped open the menu, and he righted an ancient wrong.

The friend request appeared in front of her.

@Lessa

His entire body shivered as she spoke.

I'm not running away. I'm not running away. I'm not running away. 

He heard every word she said. Everything hit him just as she intended, but true to form, he had responded in a way that proved he had never improved his social skills. Except in this situation, he was on the verge of a breakdown. Every word he said was more for himself than her, to reinforce the statement. That he wasn't afraid. That he wouldn't be afraid of her anymore, more specifically, of the feelings he had in response to who she was.

Alkor had friends- or something like friends, his idea of what that word meant- but Lessa had always been more intense. She was a kind woman, and had accepted his behavior despite how awful it had been. He realized that now, far too late to undo it. That was why he had come in the first place.

That was why he would beat the anxiety, here and now.

He looked up at her. "No, I didn't mean to say that out loud. I was telling myself to calm down. It doesn't matter how uncomfortable I am," he shook his head, "I'm not here to make excuses, or justify my actions. I was wrong. I wanted you to know why I did it, even if it was a poor reason. You deserve the truth."

He exhaled loudly, and if he could have been perspiring, he knew he would have been. But it had been said. The weight was gone, and he could breathe again.

"You didn't need me to begin with," he said at last. "I don't think it's healthy to need someone." He reached for his coke again, desperately sipping it for comfort. "But, if you want them around, that's what makes it special. And honestly, I do want you around. As a friend."

@Lessa

Alkor

Level 22

450/450 HP 44 Energy

8 Base Damage 3 Evasion 2 Savvy 21 Mitigation

The higher floors were much different, and more intense than what he was used to. By the time he made floor 21, he was in awe of the complexity of each settlement and the way Players interacted. It wasn't like the Frontlines he remembered. These floors and players were all working together to come up with ideas for getting stronger, and how to effectively survive and adapt as Aincrad became more vicious.

Alkor knew that to grow, he had to take a few chances too. It wasn't that he had a death wish- no, by now, he had brushed with death one too many times to want it again. He just wanted to face a threat that would make him stronger.

He heard tales about trolls in the underground and decided that he had to find out how true they were. So, he set out from the gates after snooping around and asking a few questions of the other players in the area. One or two of them laughed, but there was one who raised a concern about him wanting to go out and fight something like that alone...

@Bahr

"Like right now," he let out the breath he had been holding as she spoke. Certainly, he had not expected a positive response. His own emotions were a monster he struggled to overcome and understand. Those of others were a mythical beast- terrifying, imposing.

She was more than entitled to feel whatever way she did. The difference was always his perception. In return, Lessa had perceptions of her own. They were both wrong.

"Every bone in my body is telling me to get up and walk away, because I don't know what to say. I barely understand my own feelings. But I do understand fear, and I know that you can't be brave if you don't feel it."

Alkor put the glass down and looked up from it to match her gaze. "In that moment, all I thought about was getting out of here alive. There wasn't a single trace of getting away from you. This game was supposed to be an outlet. I was live-in caregiver for my grandmother, who suddenly started showing signs of dementia just before this all started. My only thoughts were that I couldn't die. Not before I get back to her. I can't imagine faking my death just to avoid someone. That's beyond social anxiety, it's warped."

Frigid, skeletal fingers tickled the back of his neck as he spoke. "That doesn't mean I wasn't afraid. I was. That's why I acted the way I did. I let my fear rule my actions. I let it whisper in my ear what other people thought of me."

He relaxed his jaw and unclenched his fists. "I let the idea that there was someone as scared as I was convince me I understood what it meant to care for someone,"  he said softly. "I let guilt convince me it was alright to pretend to know what love was, because people kept telling me they cared. I tried to give Mari what she wanted, even though I have no idea what I want."

He took a sharp breath. "No, that's not quite right. I want to see my grandmother.

But I'm not afraid of you. Not anymore. I refuse to walk away from this conversation because it shakes me up. I refuse to live my life chained by uncertainty, and I won't let your honesty tear down that resolve. I've been given a chance to right my wrongs. I'm taking it." 

@Lessa

"Burgers?" He lit up. There was nothing quite like a good hamburger, at least, not to a good ol' boy. Pulled pork came a close second. "That sounds great, honestly."

He walked with her toward the place where the barkeep and Lessa shared a strange exchange, then they took their seats. He looked toward her after she asked her question and considered it. "I... guess it was like waking up from a bad dream," he confessed. "Only to return to the nightmare."

She was so different. Distant. Not at all like the woman who had refused him space after he practically pleaded with her for it. They had been so bad, so very bad with each other, but he remembered how he had treated her.

He had been so much worse.

"Look," he said, "I'm going to be honest. I told you once that I wasn't good with people, but I don't think I explained that well; and I don't think it excuses the way I treated you in the past. I was trying to cope with having to be myself, and pretending to be someone else, and having them collide on a horrible disaster walking on two feet."

He took his drink in hand and sipped it. The familiar subtle flavors of vanilla and cinnamon washed around his mouth and calmed his nerves. Coca cola had always done that for him, somehow.

"I get nervous around people," he told her, "and even more nervous with physical contact. Instead of saying something, I just acted like a dick. I should have been up front about it."

He looked back up to her. "I appreciate you taking the time to come meet with me, I really do. But you don't like me, right?" He asked that very bluntly, like he already knew the answer. "After looking back on it, I can't blame you, honestly, if you don't. So, part of the reason I called you before anyone else was to apologize. I wronged you more than anyone else.

I'm sorry."

@Lessa

He remained crouched as she spoke and then became silent for a spell. How did he answer that question? What had he seen? He supposed anyone in Aincrad probably had come in contact with death in one way or another. The very first day had seen a smattering of suicides, and after that, people twisted by captivity started to lose touch with reality. Player Killers with no regard for human life became a normal facet of life in SAO.

But in the battles toward freedom, at the forefront, where it became increasingly difficult to survive? The people who wanted to be there probably imagined it as a struggle, but the reality was that it was its own brand of hell. He still remembered the Twinfire Phoenix, and the Hydra...

It was enough to make his blood boil. People rushed headlong into battle and risked their actual lives just so others could escape. It truly was a test of humanity, and of community. He supposed that aspect came from the ingenious mind of the creator, who knew men were inherently selfish.

"You can't get far in this world alone," he replied. "I say that as a Solo Player myself. The Frontlines- you have to learn to accept others, and trust them, and work together with them. The more people you lose, the harder it gets to press on. Not just physically, but mentally as well."

He paused, looked up at the girl, and offered a sad smile. "There's been a lot of death," he told her, "and I came close myself, back on Floor Nine. Barely managed to get out of it. Ended up in a coma, and only just woke up a few days ago."

He remembered going to the monument and seeing the names of people he had fought beside. Zelrius, for one, had surprised him. His eyes moved back toward the clouds. "This is as unfair a world as the one we came from, but the rules? Those are as absolute as they come."

@Azhoda

He glanced at her after she thanked him, confused. Alkor could understand being glad he was alive, but simply being himself? He'd never met anyone who was quite so enthusiastic about him simply existing. It almost seemed ridiculous.

But he wouldn't say that to her. Someone who had suffered and struggled for the past several years on his account deserved better than to be relegated to a short chuckle, especially when he could never be sure exactly what he felt about it. There had only been one person in all the world that made him not have to question himself.

Now, he often wondered if she was still hanging on by a thread.

Amari was alive. That was good. It was one less thing to keep him up at night. Their relationship? Another question, but better asked on a different day. He was very glad to be able to call her a close friend. He wasn't sure she would be quite so content with that.

So he put a pin in it for later.

"I haven't done anything quite so special as all that," he said after a long silence. "You've survived this long all on your own. I think it's no exaggeration to say you've got yourself to thank."

He spared a glance back toward the town, far below. "I've got a lot of catching up to do, Miss Strongest in all of Aincrad," he folded his arms and looked her over. She hardly looked the part of a monstrous Player Killer.

Looks could be deceiving, he supposed.

"And you've got some work of your own to do," he added.

@Mari

He watched her enter into a face paced string of messages and blinked. It almost seemed like she'd made a good friend in his absence, if not for how exasperated she seemed. When she beckoned him to look at the conversation, he seemed altogether unsurprised. "Honestly, I thought he'd be a little tamer when it came to actually talking to a woman, but I stand corrected."

He gave a slight shrug. "If you go back at him, he has to come back at you. Just how he is. He gets enjoyment out of being an absolute lunatic." Alkor smirked after a moment. "But it looks like you two are having a lot of fun together, honestly. I wouldn't say his shenanigans are altogether a bad thing, given how you play right into them."

Corvo had always been much more outgoing than Alkor, if not exactly the most gentlemanly of characters in a roleplaying game. He was very different in the real world, a more modest person who rarely let his Id run wild. That was what made MMOs so refreshing and soothing to the red-haired lad. Alkor and Corvo got along because they were polar opposites- the no-nonsense, level headed player, and the murderhobo without a filter. Yin and yang.

"In fairness, you brought in on yourself by making that first joke. He wasn't likely to pass up the opportunity to turn it around on you." Alkor felt a tinge of relief at the knowledge one of his good friends was alive and well. It was hard knowing that the other man was inside this world as well, but he seemed to be in good spirits.

"If you change the subject, he'll probably make a few more jokes and then get tired of it when you stop fighting back."

@Mari

It was always soothing to Thom when he got to listen to beautiful music. Anything with strings, winds, brass, or just a skilled voice could take him away from his own mind for a short time. Mari had talent with the violin as she had shown before, but the depth that went into this particular song struck him. 

The way she played it reminded him of one of his grandmother's favorite songs. It echoed into the river of eternity and dragged up swirling emotions that had long clung to the bottom. He reclined himself as much as he could, then closed his eyes and allowed for the music to let him drift.

When she finished, she looked back to him. "You didn't do too bad for someone out of practice with having an audience," he praised faintly. His expression was ever gentle, serene. "It's a beautiful song," he added.

"I think it's missing something, though," he correctly put two and two together, for once. She mentioned wanting to play together with him earlier; and by ear, he could tell this piece was meant for accompaniment. One day, he'd have to learn it.

"Tch," he looked away as she joked about his inability to smile, scratching the back of his head. "I'm not that bad..."

His voice trailed off as she pulled away and asserted that she did not need an immediate answer. She was insistent, he gave her that. Not wanting to hurt her, Alkor had given her the knowledge that there was still something. Right and right now were not always synonymous, after all.

He just didn't know what right was for himself, and it wasn't fair to answer for either of them. "I don't plan on dying," he reiterated. "not until I'm old and gray, and outside of this damn game. So, you better not either."

Alkor furrowed his brow when she said he'd interrupted her ritual, and he wondered how many times she had come to this place to play. She said he didn't have to say, but it would be wrong not to. After all, she had meant to play it for him.

He should hear it, at least once.

@Mari

He crouched down and ran his fingers over the rock face. It was so easy for some people lost in their dismal emotions just to throw their lives away. The edges of Aincrad had claimed so many lives, so many people who could have been saved.

The swordsman narrowed his eyes as the wind picked up a bit, buffeting his face and tossing his hair wildly about. His expression never changed from that grave, flat look. It was nice to have something forward to, and in a way, everyone had at least one thing. Whether it was that pizza they ordered to be ready after they logged in for the first time, or seeing their grandmother after years of being trapped inside of a virtual world. Alkor heard that the girl wanted to see the Japanese countryside and thought that was a nice dream.

"Anyone who's gained more than a few levels and isn't spending all their time on the first floor has something in mind, I think," he agreed. "But some of those people chose to stay there and take care of other things that the rest of us can't while we work toward ending this world. They play an important role, too."

It was easy to forget that small children had taken to Sword Art Online, and without adults to care for them, they might miss important aspects of childhood development. There were merchants as well, people who supplied the Frontlines. Alkor used to consider them little more than NPCs as well.

He had been humbled since.

"As for me," he said at last, "I'm working toward joining the Frontlines in their effort to clear the game. I want to be sure no one else has to die, if it can be helped."

@Azhoda

In another time, they had been younger adventurers. Lessa had been meek by contrast, and Alkor threw himself headlong into battle against a behemoth. It would be different now. She had the heavier armor, and several levels or more than he had. Time had given her the opportunity to grow, in more ways than literal.

"Battle's about the only time where I'm not anxious," he revealed. "So, yeah. Good times."

His thoughts moved over the floor where they had spent so much of their time, and as the town grew larger he shook his head. "Strange how things work out," he muttered.

It was cold, but that never bothered him. There was no added danger in this weather, whereas other floors boasted climate based damage. The cold could still kill you, if you weren't smart about it. That was just the learning curve.

"Now?" he thought aloud. "I guess I don't have a direction in mind, just yet. Trying to get my bearings. But, I suppose I could handle food. It's not that far beneath me," he joked.

Of course, he seemed serious. He always seemed serious.

@Lessa

He tensed once more as she spoke, and his eyes followed her. "If I'm going to be completely honest," he told her, "I need you to understand exactly who I am outside of a stream of data relayed back from my mind." Alkor placed his hands on either of her shoulders.

"I've never had anyone close to me other than a few friends, and my grandmother. Those friends understand that I'm not always able to find the strength to leave my room, or go outside, or even talk on the phone. They accept that, and it's because they accept it that I can call them true friends." He paused and let out a breath. "I got trapped inside a world where I can't get away from human interaction, and it absolutely overwhelms me."

He closed his eyes and shivered slightly. "Before, when I was just a character in a story, it was easy to disassociate that- but Thom, who I am, is the object of your affections, and he's not sure how to handle them, let alone reciprocate. That doesn't mean I don't care. It doesn't mean I don't feel anything. It means I don't understand any of it."

When he reopened his eyes, he looked down into hers. "I don't want to give you an answer now, because I don't want to disappoint you, or hurt you worse than you already have been hurt. We're friends, and I most definitely don't want to throw that away. If there's more than that, we'll find it in time. The very most important thing right now is that you find yourself again, because with or without me, you have a life to go back to when all of this is over."

He managed a soft smile. "And I want to be sure we get to meet on the other side."

@Mari