Alkor

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

He steeled himself for the caress that came next. Alkor had always shied away from touch from anyone but his grandmother, because she was the only one who had never raised her hand toward him. Years of distrust culminated in the form of a youth who wanted no closeness with others, and yet, not everything was about Thom. Sometimes, other people needed other things and they weren't always within comfort. Her hand touched him, and he let out a ragged sounding breath.

"I had a lot of time to think about it," he said at last. "It was dark, dreary, and lonely, but it left a lot of free time. I thought about who I was, and what I wanted; and I thought about whether or not I had been going about it the right way."

He put a hand over here. "Alkor exists for a reason. I have fundamentally grown as a person because I took on this role. I've accepted responsibilities, and I've set goals. More importantly, I've learned what it means to be a friend, and to care about others. All that time I spent running headlong into danger without a thought for my own safety, I was endangering the hearts and minds of those people who had surrounded me. For that, I can't begin to apologize."

He held her hand there for a few moments longer, then released it to swipe open his menu. He went to the Friends tab, and input her name- prompting the request to appear before her. "You have my word," he told her. "No more reckless endangerment."

@Mari

"Even if they had, I'm in no hurry to risk rushing headlong into another coma." Alkor spoke with a hint of chagrin in his words as he kept pace with the more heavily armored woman. "I've got work to do before I'm any sort of use on the Frontlines. It's not like before. The stakes are higher."

The swordsman glanced off toward the town far below. "I suppose I'll get back to whatever grind I can find," he told her. "I've been out of it for long enough that I'm rusty about some things. I put down a few mobs to benchmark myself, and I haven't gotten any weaker, but I have a long way to go before I can call myself strong."

The woman gave him a wide berth. It made sense. She seemed to want more distance between them, like if he was the real thing, he might harm her. Or worse- she didn't believe he was, and he had no way of convincing her.

"I've got confidence in my ability to survive, but that's about it."

@Lessa

He pulled away to give her a very serious look. "I can't fault you, nor would I, for falling into despair. It's a deep, sinister pit with high, slick walls. You can't climb out of it alone. No one can."

I couldn't. I tried.

"But you're faced with a decision now. You can move forward, or you can stay hollow." He hadn't immediately responded to her confession of love. It wasn't anything she hadn't told him before, but it was an icy and bitter sentiment the way she offered it. Not warm, not inviting- it sounded like she meant to wound him with her emotions. Perhaps she did.

Alkor could forgive that after all the pain he had caused her. Instead, a slow and thoughtful response came to him after he chastised her for the lingering darkness. It was hopeless enough in Aincrad without adding fuel to the fire yourself.

"You're not alone," he said at last. "Not anymore. I don't disregard you when I say every life in this world matters. You're precious, even with all the things you've given up or had stolen from you. You're the only one who's forgotten that."

He exhaled sharply, uncertain of how to say what he felt. "This..." his voice trailed, and he stared up at the stars. "This isn't a good world for what I want for you,'' he said at last. "I want to see you thrive, and I want to see you live. We can't do either while Aincrad holds us hostage."

The words were chillier than he wanted them to be, but no less honest. He had always been honest, even when it hurt. "I care for you deeply," he said, "but I can't risk throwing you into that place. I don't know if I can bring you fully out of it now, let alone if I could pull you out again."

He pointed to the cursor over her head. "You need to find focus again. You've let yourself stay imprisoned for too long. Get rid of that, firstly," he spoke of her Player Killer Status. "It's time to start healing."

@Mari

He noted that she seemed much more reserved and much less touch-and-feel as she spoke, and even failed to comment on certain conversation points. It must have been a sore subject. Or he was overthinking it, which was fairly standard. "Well, being asleep while everyone you know is still putting up the good fight puts things into perspective, I guess."

Alkor folded his arms and looked away from the woman. There were so many things he had failed to understand about her, and in many ways, he still failed to understand. It didn't stop him from trying to make that connection now. Friends were a precious resource, and he had neglected to make any before.

Not for lack of effort on Lessa's part.

"Then we're on the same road," he turned and began to walk backward, all the while glancing the armored woman over. "I'd be greatly appreciative if I could get kitted out for the next challenge," he told her. "And... I would very much like a new sword."

The story about the Vampire made him recall another time Lessa had been less fortunate with blades. He dared not bring that particular memory to light.

@Lessa

"I'm not sure that before, I ever really knew what it meant to enjoy something. This whole experience has me thinking differently, and I think that's for the best." He spoke about their grim situation in a positive light, but neither player was content to remain trapped in Aincrad. "Conversations before were rife with responses like the ones you used to get from me. Unfeeling. Reactive. Distant." 

Alkor folded his arms. "I wanted to save everyone but myself, because I didn't understand the value of my own life. I didn't think it had any."

The whole brush with death had sobered him, and as they walked, he rested his hand on the pommel of his blade. "I still want to fight," he told her, "but I think now, I can say I'm fighting for the right reasons."

He looked her way out of the corner of his eye. "I treated people wrong because I didn't understand how they felt. And worse, I didn't want to. But you can't protect people if they don't trust you. If they don't understand. I get that, now."

When she mentioned the "vampire-stripper," his face went deadpan. "You're screwing with me, aren't you? I deserve that, I guess."

He shrugged after moment. "Regardless, I'd appreciate the assist. It'd help me get back on the right track."

@Lessa

One of a very small group who entered Sword Art Online outside Japan, from the sound of it. This woman seemed to be fascinated with the culture and tradition, enough that she stopped to admire the Creator's tribute to his own nation in a game otherwise meant to run parallel to reality. Alkor could appreciate that. He'd dreamed of being a samurai, once.

Pipe dreams, but if you don't dream, what value can you place on your aspirations? It made him wonder- what was his dream? Did he have one? What would he seek beyond this world?

He looked the goggled girl over and reached up to scratch his head. "Sorry, you can see how someone might have got the wrong idea," his chuckle was uneasy, but that was par the course. "Didn't mean to intrude. I'm sure you know what you're doing."

Out of habit, he gave a slight bow and settled into a relaxed standing position. It was obvious she had adapted a bit to the culture: touching was a rarity, even between friends. He respected that, because he'd been living there for several years before...

Before.

"Pleasure's mine," he greeted, "I'm called Alkor."

He took a few more steps and joined her near the edge. "It's a bit different, but the cosmetics aren't far off," he told her. "It's a good homage, all things considered."

@Azhoda

His zeal got the better of him, as it often did. Alkor relaxed after a few seconds of literally staring daggers at the woman expectantly, shut his eyes, and exhaled. "The world moves on with or without you, I guess," he muttered. So it was true. They had made their way all the way to the twenty fifth floor already. For them it may not have felt like much, but for Alkor that was a marathon run.

He heard that Lessa had not been among them, and he wondered how much or how little he had played into that decision. This did not seem like a woman utterly effected by the loss of him. Alkor was glad for that, in part. Lessa had never been someone he could do right by. He had never known how.

"Sorry," he grunted finally. "I should ask how you've been, and not be in such a hurry to get back to old habits." 

It was the most human remark he'd made in a long time, yet he half expected it to earn him a slap. Their relationship had always been rocky, and he had always been callous. To protect people, he had recognized that being distant from them was not always the best course of action.

Still, she entreated with him to walk with her. Alkor nodded, and fell in step. "I'll figure it out as I go along," he replied, "for now, I have a lot of things to do. Answers to find." He found himself staring into the void out ahead of them.

"I've never had any skill at conversation, or social interaction," he said at last, revealing a not-so-secret truth about himself. "I was never much good at talking to you, and I'm sorry for that. You seem to have grown pretty skilled in the time I've been gone. It's good to know that you found a path to follow."

@Lessa

He wasn't ready to face that. There were other demons ahead of him, each more pressing than his own personal desires. If he did see his friends in the future before they finished the game, he would be happy; but the most important thing was what he did now with the gift of life.

Slumber, experience, and suffering had taught him the meaning of something he discounted so readily before. He knew his grandmother would have been proud of his growth without ever having to hear it.

But Mari gave voice to that desire nonetheless. "It's the very last thing I can worry about," he said at last. "Grandmom isn't here. The game is the present, and the only way back to her is through it."

It was hard to say, but he forced it out no less.

"I finally understood, at some point just before we fought the Hydra. And I finally understand now, what I have to do. Why Alkor exists in this world." He tilted his head and smiled softly. "I wasn't wrong, but I was going about it the wrong way. These people trapped here, they all have lives. Most of them had lives that were important before they came to Aincrad. I only found the importance of mine once I got here."

He looked toward the frozen water and then gestured. "I have a duty to those people, to make sure they can have that back. And a duty to myself, and to Grandma, to make sure I get a chance to have a life of my own."

"I'm gonna fight."

@Mari

Aincrad offered different challenges to different people. For some, the simple thrill of combat was enough. Others craved a test of their mental facilities, or sought to face down their fears in order to improve themselves. All of these things were a culmination of the recognition that this was life now. There was no log out option, only constant reflection on the person they had been before, and the one they had become.

Players in Sword Art Online either moved forward or stagnated. For Alkor, it had not been a choice. He had spent so long moving forward that when he acted in an effort to remain alive, he paid for it with time. Now he was free.

The Seventh floor was a different sort of soothing to him. Various Japanese motifs littered his surroundings, and swordsmanship was revered like a proper religion on the craggy peaks of the mountain that climbed toward the skies. He came here to seek another missing piece of himself.

He scaled the treacherous mountain with his blade tucked away and gave silent thanks that pain did not exist here. The strain on his legs by now would have been inhuman. When he saw a decent vantage point, he took a short break and surveyed the sea of clouds that stretched out around him.

That was when he noticed the other Player leaning over the edge.

"Hey there," he called from a short distance away. "Couldn't help but notice you might be thinking about jumping. It's probably not a good idea," he said as he pulled the hood from over his head, messy black hair spilling out. 

Alkor knew he really wasn't the best candidate for talking someone down from self-harm, especially with his ineptitude in social grace. Still, he was the only one here- and if it was anything near what it looked like, he was the only one who had a shot at making a difference.

It didn't even occur to him that they might just be staring blankly over the edge.

@Azhoda

"In the last moments, before it could kill me, I teleported out." He revealed his secret, something he would have told everyone sooner had he not slept like Rip Van Winkle. "When I woke up, it had been multiple years. Someone must have dragged me back to the Inn on the Ninth Floor and left me. It's all fuzzy, I can't remember any details."

He shook his head as she prolonged her embrace, much more for herself than for him, and his eyes went wide. "He's in here?" Alkor asked. "Is he still alive? Are any of the others trapped in the game?" he asked that so fervently, it almost seemed like he expected her to know all of his friends without ever introducing them.

If she had met Evan, then in all likelihood, more of them had entered the game as well. That was more to process than he expected.  "Nevermind, that's a silly question," he relented. 

He smiled as she spoke about closeness, and of selfishness, and he nodded. "That's fair," he murmured. "You've thought I was dead for so long."

Alkor reached up and patted the top of her head. It wasn't nearly as affectionate as her deep, long embrace, but he had never been good with closeness or affection. When his eyes opened, he let out a ragged breath. "To be fair, I thought I was dead, too. It was like a long, dark dream that wouldn't end. I wanted to wake up. I wanted..."

The words caught in his throat. I wanted to see Grandma.

When she greeted him by name, he shut his eyes once more.

"Thanks," he whispered. "Thanks, Amari."

@Mari

His face contorted in a pained expression. Even without asking, the cursor over her head was enough to tell stories. She had held it close to her heart like an envenomed blade and plunged it deeper, desperate to find a way to him. It did not matter that it meant death. Alkor let out a chilled breath as he listened to her words. 

She never had let go. It twisted her until it controlled her completely. Devils in her mind saw him around corners, just barely out of reach. Mari had yearned for him so deeply that she had lost sight of reality. 

His fists curled and tightened at his sides as she told a tale of acceptance. Mari would accept that people wanted to kill her, and in turn, lose herself deeper in a sea of crimson. It was not a life he had ever wanted for her.

The dull ache in his chest spread wider, to his arms and the pit of his stomach. Emptiness swallowed him whole. In a single instant, he had failed her entirely. "I-" he began to say, "I am here, but then she said something completely obtuse. Cows? Horses? Cats?

"Why would I believe that?" he blinked skeptically. Were the delusions far worse than he could comprehend? "Who the hell would believe that? It sounds like some goofy line from a cartoon."

He had already flinched from her initial touch, but eased himself into acceptance. If her mind was to heal, or any part of her being it meant fragility in handling right now.

"A-ah!" he let out a cry of surprise as she wrapped him in an unexpected embrace and held him close. "Y-you're close," he stuttered. "And we're in public."

At her final words, the swordsman closed his eyes and nodded.

"I think I'm real," he answered. "At least, as real as I can be in a virtual world."

@Mari