Kura

"Another one."

Receiving word from the Cardinal that another player has once more stayed inside Krycim for the required amount of time for his quest, the Gemini, pushed himself off the bench and quietly reviewed the data that's been sent to him. 

"A war hammer user, a reckless combat style and the tenacity to ignore the damage that comes as consequence from fighting said way."

The Gemini groaned internally. He had nothing against the more simpler weapons in Aincrad, however the duels he had with them normally devolved into who hit who first. And because of quest requirements, he was forced to employ the exact same weapon as his opponent as well as their way of fighting. So he silently resigned himself to playing whack a mole with his opponent, then get crushed due to his lack of Sword Arts, a player only skill that normally made his bouts one sided affairs, with him normally on the side that's slaughtered.

(Player Stats)

6/1/2021 Rank 2

+ 3x Uncommon T1 Debuff Songs
+ 1x Perfect T1 Debuff Song
+ 1x Perfect [Masterpiece] T1 Debuff Song
+ 1x Salvage Material
- 8x Materials

+ 46 EXP

Blueberry may not have liked to kill things, but Kura had no such moral qualms about hitting things until they stopped moving. He would give a simple nod to Blueberry's command, and throw himself at the Nepent Variant. The vines lashed out once more in a last moment of defiance, which were then smashed away without remorse. His blow wouldn't be blocked away this time. Hefting his weapon, he slammed the field boss in the chest. With one final groan, the boss shattered into pixels of light.

Dismissing the prompt for loot immediately, Kura would quietly survey the area to make sure there were no other threats, then when there were none, walk back to Blueberry. Then he realized something. They weren't in a party together. So used to solo grinding he forgot one of the basic things in MMO's that you needed to do if you wanted to fight in a group.

And so, he would send her a party invite, while looking at her weapon.

"Never knew frying pans could be such an effective weapon."

(Combat)

(Loot)

Kura was expecting to continue be pressed back by the Nepent Variant's onslaught, not for it to unceremoniously fall face first onto the ground. Whatever Blueberry did, it was damn well effective, with the frying pan knocking the poor creature out cold for a few moments. Not wanting for this opportunity to slip past, he slammed his war hammer into the prone Nepent Variant. Backing away as well to her side, he took a moment to respond to Blueberry's reply to his comment about annoyance.

"I'm rooting for you, do your best in all that you do."

The joking tone of her words completely flew over his head as he began to move forward into the fray once more. It was groggily pushing itself up, the Nepent Variant, after Blueberry's first blow. Not wanting to be blocked a second time, he closed in the distance, ready to strike the field boss once more.

(Combat)

Kura would think about said good times, which were basically similar to Blueberry's roommate situation where he would stay up long hours to grind on his MMO, or pouring over his textbooks. Boring to everyone else, the peaks of his life in Kura's opinion. Putting aside about what that says about his psyche, Kura would simply shrug in response to the first part of Blueberry's reply, believing they had different tastes in fun.

He took the tap on the back as the signal to go, but before he did looked back with a curious expression when he heard Blueberry's words when he was being pushed.

"But you're not bothering me. Do you plan to bother other people afterwards?"

While talking with Blueberry, he saw a Nepent Variant in the distance. Thinking it was alone, he began sprinting forward, his war hammer appearing in his hand. With an over head swing, he looked to crush the Nepent. But before it could land, two vines appeared before him and blocked his blow. While the first Nepent ran away to safety far in the distance, he looked towards the now very angry source of the vines, a Nepent Variant.

"Ah, there's momma."

As he says that, the field boss looked for revenge, lashing out with the vines originally used for defense. Not being caught flat footed after his failed charge, he weaved his way through the counter attack, trying to look for his own.

<<Field Boss Spawned: Nepent Variant>>

(Combat)

Kura would accept the party invite he received from Yuurei while they followed Larbrook to the Maze. While he didn't hesitate to press yes, it was still a new concept to him, fighting with other people. He generally knew the basics of grouping up from MMO's such as aggro and such, but it's a part of this game in particular that he hadn't really interacted with much, despite it being one of the main appeals of the Sword Art Online. 

Hearing everyone's greeting as well as Yuurei's question, Kura would respond promptly to both.

"I'm Kura, nice to meet both of you Rei and Sai.  As for my level, it's two."

Kura would glance at Sai for a moment, unused to any people as nervous as her, and glad that she had someone else to rely on. At this point however, he really shouldn't be worrying about the social dynamics between the other two, with him being able to get two shot by the boss mob in the quest, Even then the only reason why he would survive for that long was because he coincidentally had a breakfast with mitigation enchantments on it. Putting Kura's mortality aside, the person himself would look towards the maze entrance with curiosity. They were almost there by this point, and Kura looked forward to it exploring it.

Hearing the foot steps behind him, Kura assumed it was just another player making their way through the town. What he was not prepared was for Blueberry to leap from the shadows in front of him. He was luckily able to stop in time before he barreled into her, and more importantly kept his coffee from spilling. While most would be surprised by Blueberry's sudden appearance, Kura instead focused on the more pressing concern of her calling out his taste in beverages.

"The taste reminds me of good times is all, I'll be the first to admit that it isn't exactly the most pleasant of drinks. Also good morning Blue. As for what I'm doing, I'm just going through an old routine I had for nostalgia sake. Hunt a few mobs down, have lunch outside, then continue grinding until sundown."

Despite him saying that about his coffee, he would have a little smile every time his cup touched his lips. After another sip of his drink, he would pose a similar question to Blueberry.

"How about you? What are you up to?"

Kura meandered through the city of the first floor with another cup coffee in hand. It was another beautiful morning, and because of that he was feeling a little nostalgic. It's been days since he's farmed on this floor, and while not a long time for most, it felt strange to him. He's been farming this floor every day for years now, so to leave it for such a extended period of time made him miss the place. But now he was revisiting his old stomping grounds, and maybe going for a boar or something along the way.

The wind gently rolled over his skin, as if welcoming him back from his tribulations from the other floors. He glanced at the time, seeing it being only 8 am. He had plenty of time to relax, even packing a meal alongside a few desserts he bought from Daemien. Though he admittedly ate one while having breakfast. Regardless, he looked forward to doing whatever his whims decided.

"It's a peaceful day"

(Player Stats)

It had been awhile since Kura grinded on the first floor, as he's been stretching his wings in order to finder more fertile ground for his farming expeditions. But whether due to a sense of nostalgia, or simply because he's had a little too much excitement recently, Kura would be roaming the plains outside of the Town of Beginnings.

Thats when he saw Daemien once more, hidden behind a few inconspicuous hills.

Kura would give a wave to the cook, and once more go through the process of purchasing more foods for his journey. From his exploits on other floors he had money to spare, and splurging on tasty food's was a pleasant reward to him.

Purchasing 1x "Crème Brûlée", 1x "Berry Crumb Bars" from @Daemien for 800 Col

5/30/2021 Rank 2

+ 3x Uncommon T1 Debuff Songs 
+ 1x Rare [Masterpiece] T1 Debuff Songs
+ 34 EXP
- 8x Materials

Meandering around the second floor this time, Kura would spot out Damein in one of the crevices of the mountain. He was slowly becoming a regular, at least, as much as a regular he could be with how often Damein moved around. Waving to the cook, he would go and solely focus on a certain item, "Macaron"s. Not because they were his favorite, though they tasted pretty good in Kura's opinion. Instead it was it's affect on crafting.

With only materials to spend, and those materials being gifted to him in order to further his profession, it felt wrong to him to spend it on anything else that wouldn't further his craft. And so he would go through the motions of purchasing a decent amount of the dessert. And after thanking Daemien, he would go back to grinding, mentally checking off one thing he needed to get for his crafting.

Purchasing 3x "Macaron" from @Daemien for 9 materials

On the steps of Olympus, Kura would be found sitting down, recovering from his challenge with Apollo. Idly, he noted the setting sun in the distance, and almost began the routine of him pushing down his exhaustion in order to make it back to home by sundown. But he didn't, instead opting to lean back and take in the atmosphere.

The beauty of Olympus that Kura overlooked before, now was being admired by him. Kura allowed himself to be awed by intricate structures that dotted the area. Then once took in all there was for Olympus, he would rest his eyes upon Athenaia in the horizon, trying to make out the architectural wonders he once ignored from a distance.

He would eventually return back to floor one, and back to his busy lifestyle of grinding and adventuring. However right here, right now, he would simply just bask in the splendor of the world of Aincrad.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.

(Summary)

"That was a beautiful display of passion, player. I am glad that you have finally found your wings through this challenge. Now then, for your reward."

Apollo would snap his fingers once more, and light once more coalesced into a physical shape. It took form as a metronome. He would then hand Kura it, who would tiredly grasp on to the contraption and place it in his inventory. Seemingly amused at Kura's exhaustion, Apollo's smile would not fade as he continued to talk.

"Their is still a large journey ahead of you on your road as a performer. May this trinket of mine aid you in your pursuit of masterpieces. The only thing I ask of you in exchange is that you continue on this path of yours, and when you have mastered your craft, come back here and allow me to listen to your melody."

Kura would simply nod, too tired to give proper thanks as he dragged himself through the halls of Olympus to the exit. Apollo would watch him go, internally looking forward to that day Kura would return.

Those emotions manifested in a hauntingly beautiful melody. While his previous attempts with this song were better show cases of Kura's technique, none could even hope to match the sheer amount of passion that was in his voice. He ignored any desire to try and fix the imperfections in his tone, rhythm or pitch. Kura didn't even care about the challenge itself, the reason why he came in the first place.

All he wanted to do was sing for singing sakes.

Then, after he had sung his final note, exhaustion began to take hold of Kura. He had never felt so emotionally taxed before, with this being the first time he ever let himself be overwhelmed by his feelings. As he recuperated, the echo of polite applause rang in his ears.

Focusing on the sound, Kura would see Apollo with a small smile upon his face, and pride dancing in his eyes.

It felt bittersweet to relive those memories, and rather than pushing down his emotions like he normally would, he embraced them. It felt strange to him to allow these feelings to persist, with it normally distracting him from his objective. But he cherished the feeling and let it wash over him. 

Other emotions began to follow suit. Remorse from not being able to make any friends in Japan, homesickness from the United States, yearning from his desire to see his childhood friends once more. All of these feelings coalesced into one jumbled mess that Kura could not control.

He wanted, no he needed to express these feelings lest they overwhelm him. For once he did not care about whether or not the thing he was about to do would bring him closer to his objective, nor if it was perfect through some arbitrary guidelines. Kura just wanted to give a voice to these emotions.

And so he began to sing.

Not for long however, as Kura would doggedly hunted down the answer. And what he would piece together would leave him in a somber mood.

The reason why he felt so at peace was because that game was how he held off the growing sensation of loneliness he felt when moving to Japan. Those were not happy days, with his efforts of making friends failed due to his lack of cultural knowledge combined with his inability to learn social cues. In the United States, his friends grew up alongside him, and were already used to Kura's quirks, said quirks even endeared him to his peers.

There were no childhood friends that would accommodate Kura in Japan however. This is not to mention how he bumbled his way through learning Japanese as well as the simple stress of living in a place that was vastly different from where he grew up. And so when he remembered that song and that game, it reminded him of being relieved of that burden while he was playing.

Meanwhile, Kura was wrestling with his own mind in order to find a clue to this challenge. This sort of thing was foreign ground to him, actually thinking through the problem instead of trying to ram himself through it as per normal. But being out of his element didn't mean he wouldn't give it his all, which is ironic due to that same very determination is the reason he has to solve this problem in the first place.

Going back through his memories, a certain part of "Earning a Living" quest caught his attention. It was the feeling of peace he had when singing that nostalgic song from long ago. It was strange that he felt relaxed remembering that piece, since that music reminded him of when he poured countless hours into grinding in a MMO, not exactly the most peaceful of experiences. But it did regardless, but the reasons why eluded Kura.

Apollo meanwhile looked on from the sidelines. He knew as well as the player did that his attempt would not be able to pass as a success for his challenge. But before Apollo could call him out on his failure, he halted himself as he saw Kura closing his eyes, trying to figure a solution.

It was progress that Kura is actually taking his time with a problem instead of just smashing his head against it until it fell apart. Apollo, while stoic faced on the outside, smiled internally. To have a student with the level of drive of Kura was never a bad thing, even if said drive impeded their own abilities. He knew how much energy Kura dedicated to his craft in such a short time frame, which is the main reason why he bothered Zeus in the first place to contact Kura.

Inside his heart, Apollo quietly cheered on the hammer wielding player as they pursued the solution to this challenge.

Unlike when he was practicing when Landon, Kura knew he already messed up. Though just because he is aware of the issue doesn’t mean he couldn’t necessarily fix it. The man was always high strung when he had a goal in mind, and for the most part it has served him very well in many of his past adventures. This is not however one of those times that sheer brute force will give him the edge he needs to overcome his problem.

He wracked his head for ideas. Once more he thought about how his earning a living quest, and how he was able to solve his problem there. Yes, there was no way he could replicate it with any sort of consistency, it was both too random and depended on variables far out of his control. But he was not looking for that, instead he wracked his mind about what he had done fundamentally, and if he could use that knowledge to make a method to the madness known as singing.

For a normal person, this task would be trivially easy. However, asking Kura not to give it his all while doing something is like asking someone to defy gravity. Pigs would never fly, and Kura would always try. To sing for fun, while he understood the concept, Kura knew if he tried that every single cell in his body would cry out in rebellion. After a few more moments passed, Kura steeled himself and tried his hardest not to try at all.

It splendidly backfired.

His previous issues from his Earning a Living quest reared their ugly heads. Kura wasn't as bad as before, but the same problems still plagued him. He couldn't fully relax when singing normally, much less when actively straining his voice in a vain attempt to "casually" sing. And this time, he wouldn't have the get out jail free card he got like when he was last faced with this predicament. 
 

Apollo listened with an impassive expression to Kura's tale, organizing the new information brought to light. This player was in a interesting predicament, in his dogged pursuit of success, it only brought him failure. He was the picture of trying to hard, at least in terms of singing. Placing his goblet of wine down, he stood and gestured for Kura to do so as well.

"I've grasped your situation. Now stand, the time for talk is over."

Kura would get up from his chair, as soon as he would his chair would dissolve into light, along side Apollo's seat as well as the table and drinks.  Looking at Kura, Apollo quietly wondered if Kura would be able to overcome this next obstacle.

"Your challenge will be thus. You are to sing without trying your best to achieve some goal. Allow your voice to spill out without worrying about how it sounds. Sing for singing's sake."

And for once, Kura actually hesitated.

"I could not do anything else. Talentless in all manners, whether they be physical or intellectual, I was unable to grasp concepts at the rate my peers could. However, I still wanted to achieve things, regardless of how good I was at them. And with the only variable that I could control was my mental state, I began to throw my whole entire being into everything that I wanted to do. It was the only way I could barely keep up."

Taking a moment too reflect, Kura looked into the goblet of wine, his reflection staring back at him. He saw that he was smiling, like he was talking about a old friend or lover. After the momentary pause, Kura continued.

"There is no room for hesitation, I cannot afford that disadvantage when I'm already so far behind. My drive is from necessity, as well as a desire to achieve the goals I've set out for myself."

"I am not looking for your past player, instead what I seek is how you will shape your future. Everyone has a reason they continue to go on, whether it be from social pressure, personal beliefs or whatever motivates them. So tell me player, what drives you? Is it to fulfill a dream of yours? The weight of expectations? I will not judge, for mortal desires are as varied as the number of stars. It only matters whether the pull of it allows you succeed whatever you do."

Kura sipped his wine while mulling over Apollo's words. His drive had always been apart of him, something that he had never questioned. Digging deep, Kura looked back into his past. He began to wonder exactly why he was like this. Slowly, he pieced his memories together, eventually coming to a conclusion that he was confident in. And then Kura spoke once more, a nostalgic tone honeying his words.

From an outsiders perspective it would be an odd question that had no relevancy to the subject at hand. It would not be wrong to be confused about being posed with seemingly random query. Kura, either not perceptive enough to grasp that or just simply not caring, took the other goblet into his hand and spoke.

"My name is Fuji Kuramoto, and my player tag is Kura. I was born in the United States and raised in Connecticut. My father's name was Clark, and my mother's name was Malfina, with both of them Japanese. I moved to Japan when entering high school due to them missing their homeland. Exiting high school, I got a job, and due to recent events I am currently here."

Apollo blinked, then took a long draught from his goblet. After finishing the drink whole, he would place it down and wave his hand once more above it to magically refill it. He sipped his drink while looking Kura straight in the eye.

"Not exactly what I meant."

Remembering exactly what he was working with, Apollo would simply shake his head.

"If you believe that all song is just simply air being expelled from your lungs, you would be mistaken. Beyond the physical process of training your voice, while still a very important part of singing, there is also your heart to consider. You must find the passion to decorate your song with, your muse if you so will. But before we continue, let us speak."

Taking a step back, Apollo would snap his fingers. Light surrounding them coalesced into two ornate chairs and a fine table. Gesturing to sit down, Apollo would take one a seat of his own. After Kura followed suit, he would wave his hand over the table, with two golden goblets of wine appearing. Taking one into his own hands, he would sip and smile.

"While Dionysus's raves are simply madness incarnate, his taste in drink is quite refined. Now then, tell me about yourself."