Zenshu

Success. It was a word that Zenshu was starting to think may be well outside of his grasp. No matter how much effort, no matter how careful he'd been over the past few days, he'd not found it. As he stared at the growing piles of reject - some salvageable, some complete losses - he couldn't help but begin to wonder if he would ever break out of the rhythm of lose that had occurred over and over again.

"It may be hard to hold on to the hopes...to know that one day it'll change. But one day it will change! I'm going to keep working at it until I finally become successful - I can't fail forever...I mean, even logically I should get lucky at least once or twice..."

He listened patiently to Krysta’s words, glazing over the topic of the game itself and instead focusing on the frontlines. He couldn’t blame her, there was a lot of contention in the fact that they were trapped here – even Zenshu had found himself becoming angry at it, at first. He knew that many players held on to that anger, using it to drive them towards clearing the game.

“I wasn’t even aware that healers existed in this game! That is wonderful to hear! I may not be anywhere near as powerful as some individuals, but I will definitely try my hand at fronting…well, maybe not tanking, but trying to take down whatever should stand before us!” His smile broadened as he tried to portray confidence and friendliness, his eyes still cast slightly downwards. Suddenly realising that the other was waiting, he opened his menu and sent off the party request, trying not to show his embarrassment at how long it took to recognise the requirement.

“From what the quest said, there should be a man around here that we need to meet and escort into the desert…” Zenshu’s eyes cast around the marketplace, before he spotted an NPC that carried a marker on it different from the others. Curiosity overtaking Zenshu, he approached the man, trusting his new party member would follow. A deep bow as he stopped in front of the man, greeting him politely. “Good morning, my name is Zenshu.”

The eyes of the older man seemed to light up as he looked over the pair, before his raspy voice spoke. “Are you an adventuer?”

Unsure of what else to say, Zenshu nodded in response, listening as the man explained his predicament. Coughing fits made the conversation go slow, but as they listened, Zenshu became more sure this was the quest. His agreement to assist – causing a notification to appear, with the update to the quest - assured Zenshu of this fact. He turned to face Krysta as the older man began to lead them towards the settlements exit, heading for the desert beyond.

“See? This is progressing nicely so far! I wonder if this will be a simple quest? It does just say that we need to escort him, nothing about having to fight anyone, or cause any sort of disturbances…then again, when do these descriptions ever tell us everything? Oh well – I’m sure together we’ll be fine!”

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Word Count: 401

Zenshu listened intently as the girl – Krysta – spoke about the possible beauty of the many floors, and the concept that could be Aincrad. This all came crashing down, however, with the reminder of their current predicament. Zenshu shuffled his feet, the reminder crashing down his happy persona for a brief second, before he managed to recover.

“Well…yes…there is that. Although…we could die in the real world too…so, is it so different? Not that I’m saying it’s better – it’s just…here, the real world, if we die, we die. I guess we should…” He hesitated as he considered what he was trying to say. Was he really trying to defend all this? “It’s not that we should continue on living as though everything was fine…but aren’t we losing out if we focus on the bad? I mean there’s a lot of good here too! The people, the things we can do…sure, there’s always the risk of this being our final day…but at least we can fight. And we can try and escape…some people don’t have that in the real world.”

It was a weak argument in his mind, but he felt like it needed to be said regardless. At her offer to join him, though, he suddenly peaked up – his smile returning and his eyes widening. He hadn’t expected to have a companion, but the idea of it was exciting.

“I would love to have you join – if you have the time, and want to! It would be exciting to make new fri- I mean, acquaintances here! Plus, an adventure is always more enjoyable as a group, rather than alone! From the looks of it too, you’ve had some experience throughout Aincrad as well. Maybe you can give me some tips and advice on what to expect, especially if I’m looking to join the frontlines one day!”

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Word Count: 305

The group appeared to be finally making some headway, a collection of materials found and stored away properly. He listened to their casual conversation, making some comments when he felt appropriate for him to jump in. His mind had begun to relax, enjoying the company, and he felt his entire body lose a tenseness he hadn’t even know he’d developed over the last little while. Shaking off the thoughts, he returned to the conversation just in time to hear the question about the time of day.

Raising a hand, he pointed up towards his right side, just above his head. “There should be a universal clock here. It’s connected to the in-game time, which is local to Japan…but it’ll give you an idea of what time of day it is. If you look up a bit you should see it, pretty much directly across from the health bar! A lot of the HUD information is just a matter of where you look, and being aware that it’s there.”

He settled back into his seated position as the conversation turned away, agreeing that a meal did sound enjoyable once they had finished everything here. He made a point of letting the group wander about, to get comfortable with being outside the Town – he wasn’t sure how familiar they were with the wildlands beyond the wall, but it had seemed like this was their first time out.

“Just be careful Syra! Don’t forget that fall damage is still a thing…and at that height…well, that would not be good! Maybe it’s best if we don’t climb the big trees right now? Just for safety sake!” He watched as the girl made her way to the top, before eventually returning to the ground safely. He gave a sigh of relief as she touched her feet on the ground, before letting his smile spread once more. “How’s everyone doing on their material search? Once we’re done here, we could either head back to the alchemist and complete the quest, or if you want we could grab some food before we finish everything?”

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Word Count: 347

Zenshu's success had completely halted, and as he glanced about his shop he began to wonder what he was doing wrong. He was thankful that his mistakes yesterday had not completely wasted all of his materials - he'd been able to save a good portion of the threads that he'd been using. 

"Well, I guess I should be glad for that at least! I'm not losing out on anything. Simply not making as much progress as I'd like to be making...but then again, I'm not really that skillful yet. I have only been doing this for a a little while, after all! I'm sure with enough time, and patience, that my skill will become...well, better. Maybe even masterful...although I hope that we're not here long enough for that to occur..."

Zenshu turned at the voice behind him, his soft smile suddenly halting across his face as he took in the blonde lady before him. Instinctively he averted his eyes, bowing slightly as he fumbled his words in response to her question.

“Oh, no, no not at all! It’s just, well, I’ve never been to this floor before and I was thinking that there’s so many shopping opportunities, and maybe I could find wares for my crafting – I’m a tailor you see, and there’s lots of fine threading and – well, that’s not important! What is important, is that I’m here for a quest, not for shopping!” He rose from his bow, before he realised that he’d been talking only about himself – without any of the proper introductions, or greetings. Forcing out a breath, he let his smile beam wider as he cast his eyes downwards again. “I’m Zenshu, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He waited for a response, before letting his attention turn back to the marketplace around them. His eyes roamed over the many wares, taking a brief respite while he tried to calm his mind enough to form a proper sentence. “I’m actually here to complete a quest, one that I’ve heard is…well, not easy, but not as dangerous for lower levelled players. Perhaps you’re familiar with it? I believe it’s called The Traveller?”

He brought up his quest menu, sliding it around to display the quest to the blonde, his eyes politely kept averted. Once he was certain she was done reading it, he swiped a hand carefully through the air to close the menu, before continuing. “I just arrived a moment ago, and well…I’ve not experienced anywhere beyond the Town of Beginnings really, so I guess it was a bit shocking at first to see such a place. It is beautiful in a way, isn’t it? I mean the hawking might get a bit on one’s nerves and ears, but just the tapestries on display, and the colours, and the collections…there’s no wonder this is considered a wonderful market!”

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Word Count: 343

Stepping off the platform of the fifth floor teleporter, Zenshu felt his eyes glancing every direction – trying to take in everything as quickly as he could. He’d never been to the fifth – in fact, he’d never been beyond the Town of Beginnings at all. He’d figured it was about time to make his way into the world beyond the town and fields he’d gotten used to, to explore the greater expanse of Aincrad.

He’d heard rumours about a quest engaging a traveller who required guidance through a desert. From what he’d heard – and having read a bit about it in the details of the quest on his quest list – Zenshu had come to the conclusion that the quest itself couldn’t be that difficult. Determination – both to try and complete more quests, and gain more confidence and capability, as well as to leave behind the safe place that had held him back for so long – had caused Zenshu to arrive at this point.

What he found before him was not at all what he had expected. The large bazaar contained numerous colourfully decorated stalls, merchants and buyers throughout, with raised voices declaring the wares they had for sale. It reminded Zenshu of some of the cultural events that he had attended with his parents back home. That connection was where it ended however, the entire scene reminding him more of a Middle Eastern atmosphere, than a proper Japanese event.

“I cannot believe that something so…chaotic…exists here! I wonder if there’s any good deals to be had…I’m sure given enough time I could find many a wondrous items!” He’d started to step towards the hawking merchants, curious at what there was for sale, before he caught himself. He had far more important things to attend to right now, to get distracted with a bit of flashy sales. “First, I find this Traveller – and complete the quest, then I can come back and do some shopping! I doubt leading someone through the desert would take very long, after all!”

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Word Count: 336

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Even with his increased rank, Zenshu was finding that his luck wasn't getting any better with his work. Sure, he'd managed to create the one set of clothing - which had turned out nicer than he'd expected, if he was honest with himself. But since then, he'd wasted more than he'd prefer to have done. He was aware that there would be loss - that just came with any success or business - however, he'd never expected to have this much trouble. 

Knowing there was no point in focusing only on the negative - it for sure wouldn't increase his success rate at least. Putting aside the thought of all the wasted material, Zenshu sat at the table - determined to keep trying, no matter how long it took to create his masterpieces. He knew it would be a long time before he was creating the eye catching pieces he wanted, but until that day he'd continue trying. Giving up wouldn't help him here.

Yesterday's piece had gone relatively well. He'd managed to complete a full set of samue that had turned out relatively stylish - enough so that he'd held on to the piece, considering using it for his own wear purposes. 

"Persistence is key. I consistently put my effort into it, and eventually I was rewarded with success. I just need to keep that in mind, with all the pieces that I'm trying - I won't always succeed immediately, but if I work hard, and keep trying then eventually it'll pay off!"

He gave a broad smile to himself and the otherwise empty room, before seating himself at the work table once more. His skill having increased, he decided it was time to try something a little more difficult, but possibly worthwhile to him.

Another failure of an attempt. Zenshu wondered what he was doing wrong - sure, he'd been gaining good experience even with his failures. He'd seen the progress in his level, but also in his ability to tell when something was going wrong and to stop. But he'd yet to figure out exactly how he was supposed to find success in the things he was creating. Pulling aside the wasted pieces, he settled himself into the work table once more, taking time to set his materials and goods up before beginning his work.

"Soon, I'll get the hang of this. I can't let these failures drag me down. I'm already getting better - maybe I haven't completed an award winning, eye-catching piece yet, but it's coming! And that's all that matters. Eventually, I'll get there. I just need to keep going."

Zenshu listened patiently as the elderly man explained his connections with yoga – what limited those were. Zenshu waited politely as the elderly man bespoke about what Zenshu understood as a wife – from the sounds of it, spoken in the past as if no longer a part of the present life of the man, and not just because they were all trapped in a game that cut them off from the real world. Zenshu couldn’t help but assume that the wife had passed away, and from the actions and mannerisms of the man, he assumed some time ago – enough that Teddy seemed to have come to terms with it, accepting it.

As the man paused, Zenshu gave a slight smile before speaking the only thing that came to mind in response to the idea of everyone getting together for yoga. “Well, I can’t speak for everyone of course, but I don’t know how much I myself would benefit from yoga – I’m sure it has some excellent properties and can be superb for certain individuals, but I’ve always found my calming methods in other ways. That, and I participated in enough extracurriculars that focus on well balanced physical conditions, that I never needed yoga myself. But of course, I think coming together and doing something is definitely an excellent idea! If not yoga, then perhaps we can find something else? It doesn’t necessarily need to be about clearing the game either, I’ve heard there’s a lot of extracurricular based things that you can do here! For example, did you know that you can do things like fishing? I’m sure it won’t entice everyone, but if you’ve ever enjoyed it…well, it won’t be exactly the same as fishing in real life, but it’s likely to be a good comparison! Beyond that, there’s a ton of other activities you can look in to – and constant events and opportunities to celebrate together…and of course, food! You can eat as much as you want, and never have to worry about gaining weight, or regretting the intake! The system will always keep you exactly as you are – which I guess for some people isn’t necessarily a good thing…but at least you don’t need to worry about changing from current? We’re all relatively healthy and capable right now, and should remain as such!”

His broad smile passed over each of them – the other two, Soren and Syra, busy with their searching. Zenshu wasn’t sure if they were listening or not, but he treated them as part of the conversation regardless. He figured that the inclusiveness may cause them to join through proxy, even if they hadn’t intended to do so originally. His commentary was truthful, from the heart, but he was always concerned…

The commentary from the elderly man caught Zenshu – he’d been so focused on their task at hand, that he’d simply assumed that they had been looking into material searching. It hadn’t even crossed his mind that the others may be thinking further ahead, already. Especially not towards the idea of standing in the frontlines – not that he was against it in any way. ‘It’s only logical though. If you make any progress here, you focus on heading towards the front. Which is what these three – and myself – are likely aiming to do…because that’s how we’ll escape, eventually. We may not all have the greatest life to return to – well, some of us may not – but we all want to escape this…there’s no doubt about that. But in order to do so, we need to take the fight to the front – to get to the hundredth floor, and eventually beat the final boss to end this madness.’

He nodded his head as Teddy finished his commentary, realising that the older man – and Soren in turn – were both interested in gearing up for a future fight. Zenshu crossed his hand in front of himself, bowing his head slightly as he spoke in order to give his apology, before standing up straight again. “My sincerest apologies – I do not think it was a mistranslation with the system, so much as a misunderstanding on my part. I was assuming, and thinking entirely, on material gathering due to the quest at hand. I realise now that you were asking about items beyond that – about items that would eventually assist with fighting, and being on the frontlines themselves! I can commend that, and I hope I gave no insult by providing incorrect, or irrelevant information.”

Standing straight again, he glanced between the two before launching into his monologue again. He had gained a lot of information in the recent days as he had begun his own journey upwards, and was overjoyed that he could share it with someone else. ‘Like a true senpai, I can help guide these three safely. Eventually, perhaps, they’ll surprise me – but that is the way of the senpai and kouhai. I should take pride in the fact that I can help them now, so that later on they can maybe help me, if it ever comes to that!’

“As to being able to obtain items that would allow you to better operate in a fight – absolutely. This system has three main sets that are important; your armour – which can include cloth armour like I wear, or light armour like Soren – or even the heavy armour like you yourself wear. Each comes with advantages and disadvantages, depending on what type of build you are going for. You had mentioned being a…paladin?...I believe that would be like a tank? With the idea of keeping the attention on yourself and taking all the damage, so that others can focus on taking down the targets. There’s many ways that can be done! To begin with, you’ll need to look at both your skills and enhancements. Enhancements are parts of the equipment – on armour, on weapons and on accessories like trinkets – which allow you to add special features. Depending on the quality of the item, you can have between one and three upgrades – for example, my weapon…” He summoned forth his ninjato, drawing it from the sheath and laying the blade across both palms, allowing it to be fully visible. The sun seemed to be drawn into the dark black metal, with no reflective light bouncing off it. “…contains a single level of rarity – known as uncommon – meaning that it has only one enhancement. I chose to go with damage on this one, simply because I wanted to be a DPS focus – that’s Damage per Second – meaning that I focus on hard hitting strikes. Some enhancements are specific to the pieces of equipment – like damage being specific to weapons, or mitigation being specific to armour. But some can go across numerous different types of equipment, for example the Taunt enhancement can be placed on armour or a trinket…”

He took a second to allow the information to sink in, before continuing – his own enthusiasm causing him to speak with a slight tinge of excitement. “Now, sometimes you can combine skills and enhancements in order to better yourself. For example, if you specialise in a weapon, you automatically do more damage with the weapon depending on your skill level with it. Add on a damage enhancement, and that only continues to grow! I’ve heard that tanks use the Taunt enhancement, alongside things like Howl or Fighting Spirit to increase the ability to aggro – or pull attention to themselves – by causing more hate with each strike, or by using taunts with the howl ability. So, if you’re looking at tanking, that may be something to consider – because you’ll be more effective if all the hate is on you. Oh, I should say, hate is how monsters determine whom they will attack. The more hate you cause, the more likely it is to focus on you. Attacking and hitting a monster will of course cause hate, but like I said – there’s other ways to increase it, which is important for a tank.”

Zenshu seemed to pause to consider something for a moment, before his words flowed out again. “Now, sometimes skills will cancel out the use of enhancements…one such example is combat masteries. Once you hit level eleven, you automatically get to choose what’s call a combat mastery. These are focused on either Damage, Accuracy, Evasion or Mitigation – each giving you specific benefits in one area of expertise. The downside is that you cannot boost these using enhancements. So, if you decide that as a tank you want to mastery mitigation, you can choose the combat mastery for mitigation – but any mitigation enhancements on your armour will become void, as they can’t stack together. The good news, is that would allow you to take other, beneficial enhancements – freeing you up to take fun things, like Thorns in this instance.”

Glancing between the two, he knew that he’d just unloaded a lot of information on them – which he figured the younger man could handle, but the father may have some difficulty digesting. The last thing Zenshu wanted to do, was provide more than could be consumed and maintained, so he figured he had better leave the remainder for the time being. “There’s a lot to it, but if you want we can sit down and plan your build one day, and come up with a good combination for you! That way you we can help you obtain the best possible build for you!”

He was just about to turn away from the conversation, when a sudden final though popped into his head. One that he felt would be important to point out – just from what he’d seen of how familiar the elderly man was with the system itself. “Oh, I should say…when it comes to items and equipment – there are a limit to enhanced items that you can wear. As you may have figured out, you can basically wear as much clothing and….decorative items as you can manage to stuff on yourself, logically. Enhanced equipment though, has its limitations. The system won’t allow you to equip more than three pieces that you would benefit from – but it can be almost any logical amount. So, you could technically walk around with three weapons – although you would only be able to wield one at a time, or you could wear two pieces of armour and a weapon, or three trinkets! You can of course switch them out as well, so sometimes it’s worth having numerous different options – different weapons, or armour, or trinkets – in your inventory that you can switch out to as the need arises!”

Content with that final piece, he gave a nod before heading off to leave the pair to think it over, and speak to one another with a mediocre amount of private space. He had just been settled after his few moments of peaceful meditation, when Syra had dropped her own information upon Zenshu. At first, he had been stunned – not disturbed, or disgusted, but simply shocked with the personal information that had been shared.

Not knowing what else to do, he bowed deeply, saying the first thing that came to mind for him. “I thank you for your honesty, and for trusting us enough to share such a personal anecdote with us…it truly means a lot. I hope that you know – as Soren has stated – we do not judge you on it. You are truly a wonderful person, and I wish that we can continue to enjoy your presence and spark, and that we can come to be closer friends with our time here…”

His voice faltered for a moment as he realised what it would mean for Syra to eventually clear this game – to have to return to her life in the real world, and the feelings that she had left behind. He realised again, that some people here had escaped from harsh realities, and found a measure of solace, or comfort, in this game. Even if it came with such a dangerous edge, it still gave some people more than they had in the real world. He felt his heart tighten, and his resolve questioned – how could he focus so heavily on trying to clear them from this place, when individuals like this would only suffer in return.

‘It’s not fair, either way. We can either stay here – trapped forever, and those who have a good life to return to, or at least a modicum of something worth returning to – lose what they left behind. Or those who have nothing to return to, who are better off here in some ways, suffer because some of us want back to our lives…I wish…I wish there was some way…’ He cut the thought off before it could take root, knowing that it wouldn’t help in any way. The last wish had only caused trauma and grief, and hardship for everyone. He wouldn’t make that mistake again – not here, not where it could very well come to fruition.

“I do not know what hardships there were for you in the real world, and my heart aches wishing that I could do something about it…but I hope that you can find some sort of solace in this place. It may not be perfect – in fact, it may be worse than what you had before, I do not know – but if it gives you even a single spark of life back, then I wi- I hope that you can grasp on to that, if only for a time….” He’d caught himself midway through the word, before changing his sentence. His head bowed, he waited for a time to hear Syra’s response, before straightening. He’d entirely lost track of how far they’d managed with the quest. Forcing a smile upon his face again, he tried to turn the conversation and air away from the negativity of the real world they’d left behind, focusing instead on the moment at hand. “So, how are we coming along with our searching? I know it can take some time, but this is only the first step in the quest! We still need to return to Zachariah in order to finish the final moments, and depending on how well that goes it could also take some time!”

He turned his gaze back to the open plains as he waited for the answer from the others. He knew that it would still likely take them some time to complete the quest – and a part of him hoped that it would take all day. He’d come to enjoy the time together with these three, even if it hadn’t all gone perfectly. Even if they were, in many ways, so different from himself. They each had their own reasons, their own histories – but they were friendly, and welcoming, and relatively good people. People that Zenshu could say, with certainty, that he was enjoying being with.

“With any luck, we can stay together for a long time…” The words were whispered, barely audible against the soft breeze that had begun to blow across the plains, encompassing the area around them. He felt no shame in them being heard, nor the emotion behind them – he was happy to have met such wonderful people, and he wished he could tell them that. He’d one day, maybe, get the courage to do so – but for now he’d be content with just finishing the quest with them. Perhaps they’d even bring him along for the next one, assuming they wished to continue it.

His eyes lingered on the few players further out in the fields – some he recognised as individuals he’d had encounters with previously, who had turned him away. He felt his fists tighten for a brief moment, before relaxing. He couldn’t blame them – not everyone would get along, and he understood, now, that his personality could sometimes push many gamers away. He hoped that wasn’t the case with these three – he hoped that perhaps, for once, he’d managed to find a group that he could stay with, rely upon. He was sure that given time, perhaps they’d have their fights as all groups did – but perhaps their times together, their future endeavours, would allow all of that to be nothing more than hiccups.

Smiling to himself, he settled in again in his seiza position, placing his hands on his lap as he let his eyes sweep across the immediate area. Either through luck, or simply the system knowing it wasn’t worth it right now, the few creatures near them had left them alone. He wasn’t sure how long that would last, but if need be, he’d intervene. He’d do anything to ensure that his party was safe, no matter what it took – that was a promise he intended to keep, one that he wouldn’t let falter in any way. He owed them at least that much.

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Word Count: 2,800

His success hadn't truly grown, but as he glanced about the tossed aside materials Zenshu was happy that he could at least save some of the materials he'd used the day previous. 

"Sometimes it's the little things...I may not have finished a piece yet - but at least everything I'm using hasn't been an entire waste! I can probably re-use some of this for today's work...and maybe I'll have a bit more success with it!"

Zenshu glanced about the shop, his eyes passing over the heaps of clothing left incomplete on the table - most tossed aside once Zenshu figured out that the pieces were not coming out the way he wished. He sighed as he reviewed the growing piles, wondering what he was doing wrong.

"I just need to continue pushing forward. Soon, I'll get the hang of it and have the success I need to really get things rolling around here!"

Zenshu watched for a while as the fight came towards its finale. He gave a sigh of relief as the boar eventually exploded into a shower of shards, Syra’s first and only strike depleting the creature of its entire health bar in one go. He leaned back, letting his tension release as he realised that the group was – for the time being – out of danger. He considered the fact that the boar had posed such a risk, and wondered if they should maybe avoid combat for a little while – the party was well settled, but the boar had proven to be more than Zenshu had expected.

His attention was pulled from the fight as the elderly man began speaking, asking about ways to get the system to work for him, to better his chances with what Zenshu assumed was the ability to find materials. He gave a quick nod, before smiling broadly at the elderly man, leaping into a detailed explanation that he hoped would provide some insight to the elderly man.

“Well, there are many different ways that you can better your chances to find materials and other things. Depending on how you want to handle it, you can of course focus on skills as you level up in the system – things like searching, that will help you better locate materials, or treasure chests, or even loot monsters with better success! Or, you can go the faster and easier route – which can sometimes be easier at lower levels – which is to upgrade your equipment with enhancements that are specifically designed to increase your looting capabilities. There’s many different things you can get – even some armour pieces can be used to increase those odds, but things like trinkets, such as necklaces can as well!”

He paused, giving the elderly man a beaming smile as he waited to see how the older man would take the information. He knew that he had unloaded a lot – some of which he felt might be a bit over the man’s understanding. He hadn’t meant to get too technical – although he wasn’t sure it was technical so to speak, so much as just an information overload, but Zenshu figured he could cover the topic again at a later time if the older man required a refresher.

“There’s definitely a lot of information there, but I can go over it again later if you want, once we’re back in the Town of Beginnings? There’s a lot to the game, and it can sometimes can be a bit overwhelming – but that’s what we’re here for, is to support one another!”

He beamed yet another smile as he finished talking, before realising the elderly man had already moved on to another topic. As the question regarding morning stretches was poised, Zenshu found himself speechless for a second, trying to determine exactly what was being asked.

“Do you mean…Yoga? It’s, well, not something that I’m familiar with myself…although I have heard that it can be beneficial… I personally haven’t tried it myself – and with how the game works, I don’t think it’ll actually be overly beneficial anyways…the game keeps you in a suspended state – so technically speaking, your form will never change. Which means that…I guess things like yoga and stretching and all that really aren’t that beneficial – other than maybe the mental assistance it provides if it calms you and things like that?”

Zenshu suddenly stopped as he considered what he had been saying, realising that once again he had begun rambling without any real purpose or answer. His grin slipped slightly as he considered what he had said, before deciding that he needed to clarify what he had attempted to say, broadening his grin in the hopes of clearing the air a bit.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is, if you think it’ll help then it can’t hurt to do it? It may not have any sort of real physical benefit…but maybe it’ll help clear the mind and bring about some peace for you? Which, well, that’ll be good too, I think?”

As he turned back to the others, he caught the tail end of Soren’s curse – declaring the sick humour of the game, and drawing Zenshu’s attention in even more. Striding the few steps towards the younger man, Zenshu smiled down, trying to glance down at the piece of material that the man had collected.

“Did you say it’s a piece of chalk? That definitely sounds original! I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone else having something like that, usually it’s things like crystals or metal bricks or such…although I guess I can understand why that might be underwhelming – but at least it’s unique? You could be the only one in the game that has chalk as your material! Although maybe the dust would be a bit of a negative…” He beamed a diminishing smile as he glanced at Soren’s face, trying to read the emotions of the man. Zenshu was well aware that the man was prone to angry outbursts, and he didn’t want to cause any himself – but he also wanted to make some sort of connection, and this seemed like a good start to the situation. “Plus, if you don’t like it I’m sure the system will eventually change it. I’ve heard that if you pick up a profession, the material’s shape and form can sometimes shift, depending on the work you’re doing. So, if you become something like a blacksmith, maybe it’ll change from the chalk to metal bricks and such – you know, to be more fitting with the profession itself? Would be kind of interesting to see chalk become armour and weapons though…although definitely a bit illogical as well.”

As the trio continued their search, Zenshu found himself in a lull. He hadn’t considered what he would do as the others made their attempts to find the materials they needed – he had known that he wouldn’t be able to get directly involved in many ways, truly only there to assist in situations like the fight that had occurred, where he’d had to step in to try and save one of them. Yet, beyond that, he had little to do other than to watch the trio move about and consider his own actions off to the side.

Settling himself in a typical seiza position, his legs tucked back underneath in a comfortable way, he laid his hands on his lap and close his eyes for a brief respite. The wind tickled away at his hair, causing the tunic’s hood to shift and crinkle slightly, before letting it all settle into place. It had been some time since he’d been this close to a group of other players, and Zenshu wondered if he was doing anything that would drive them away.

‘Not like the others, hopefully…I just need to…well, to be a bit calmer. To let them settle in – and only provide help and guidance when they ask for it. If I do that…well, then I shouldn’t have to worry. Besides, this group seems very welcoming and friendly! Maybe we’ll all continue together for a bit, or at least stay in touch!’ He felt himself smile in response to the thought, the idea bringing true joy to him for the first time in quite a while. The loneliness that he had been feeling recently had begun to ebb, and a part of him was worried about what would happen if he failed to hold on to the trio here. Pushing aside the concern, he reminded himself that there was little he could do – if they did decide to leave, that was their choice.

He glanced over at Syra, sizing up the girl. She had been fiery in the fight – putting her all into it, even when things hadn’t gone entirely the way she wanted. Deciding that he could at least give some pointers, he lifted himself from his position and made his way across to her, giving a wave and a bow as he reached her position.

“I just wanted to say that you did tremendously well in that fight! The system seemed to want to really test you, but you put up a good return, and because of that even managed to end the boar in a single hit! It was really awesome to watch. With a bit more practice, I’m sure you’ll be taking on some of the more dangerous stuff around here in no time!” He waved his hand towards the open grasslands, as if to signal all the creatures that roamed around them, before pulling it back to his side. “The system can sometimes be a bit harsh. Just when you think you’re going to land a perfect strike, the target can jump aside, or you can fumble, or something happens – but just keep trying and in time it’ll become natural. I mean, even I had some trouble there, and I used to do this in real life as well! But, they always taught us – ‘practice, practice, and more practice, because even a true sensei can falter if they fail to continue honing their skills.’ I’m sure that it was just meant as a bit of encouragement, but I think it also makes a good point that we can take away for real life. Nothing comes easy, everything takes effort – but from that effort we can have success that we can be proud of…at least, that’s what I think.”

He offered another smile towards Syra, hoping that his words reached her – and hoping that they provided some sort of boost in courage, or guidance. He wasn’t entirely sure that she would take it to heart, or that it would help in any real way, but it was given truthfully and with good intention, so he figured that meant something.

Eyes passing over the field, he confirmed that the older man and his son were still not in harm’s way, before turning his attention back to the fields in the distance. He could see other players out further from the town – some fighting the minor creatures that spawned in the fields themselves, a few challenging what looked like a mid-level boss of some sort. Zenshu felt a sudden pull, wanting to go join those fighting the higher level creatures, before he remembered his purpose here.

‘I can’t be just abandoning my new friends because I want to help clear the level. That wouldn’t be right, nor would it do any good – what if they got hurt while I was away? No, I need to stay here, to focus on the present. Eventually I’ll be on the frontlines. Maybe I’ll even be in a party with these three on the lines, fighting to clear the next floor!’ The idea brought a sudden surge of excitement to Zenshu as he considered it, and he found himself bouncing on his toes slightly in response. Trying to hide the action – mostly out of embarrassment than anything else – he raised his arms above his head, pretending to stretch as he let the energy out. ‘That would be nice, to have these three join me on the frontlines. But I can’t say for sure that they’d even want that. Maybe they just want to stay on the lower levels and provide rear support? Or maybe their goal is to open up shops to help provide equipment and goods to those on the higher floors? There’s nothing wrong with that at all…either way, whatever they choose to do I hope I can keep in contact with them and continue to support them right up until the end!’

He gave a quick nod to himself, as if affirming the idea, before turning his attention back. It would still be some time before they could even consider moving on to the higher level floors – they still had to clear this quest, and the ones that came after it, before they could even consider some of the stronger levelled areas. But Zenshu knew that they’d eventually get there – all of them, together.

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Word Count: 2,004

His surprise at the boar’s sudden dodge of his attack had Zenshu holding his pose a split second longer than the system required, and as he turned to face the creature again – it had already moved on, relatively ignoring him, moving on to dodge another target as Zenshu tried to right himself. He watched as the elderly man stepped forward, providing Syra with a healing potion before setting himself before the boar and calling out to it – likely in an attempt to draw its attention towards himself.

Realising that the situation was being handled, Zenshu stepped back, sheathing his sword and letting the trio take hold of the situation. He knew that his intervention shouldn’t be required if they worked together, which would more likely provide them with the rewards they needed in order to complete the quest.

Smiling, he called out to them even as he stepped away from the fight itself. “It looks like you three have this under control! I’ll let you handle the boar, but I’ll be here if anything turns bad again, okay? This way – if I’m not involved – it’s more likely that you’ll get the material rewards from killing the boar, rather than if I accidentally got the last hit on it and it went to me…then we’d simply be back to starting over all over again!”

He gave an eye around the area, just making sure that no further creatures had started moving towards them, and keeping an eye on the two wolves that seemed to be watching the players – keeping their distance for now, but Zenshu made a move towards them in order to try and drive them off.

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[0] Zenshu | Lv. 5 | HP: 100/100 | EN: 27/28 | DMG: 7 | ACC: 3 | MIT: 13 | Light Momentum [+1 BD]
[0] Syra | Lv.  1 |  HP: 10/20 | EN: 17/20 | DMG: 4 | EVA: 1 | BLD (12 DMG) 
[0] Soren | Lv.  1 | HP: 20/20 | EN: 18/20 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 6 | BLD (12 DMG)
[0] Theodore | Lv. 1 |HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | MIT 8 | THRNS 18

Boar | HP: 30/30 | DMG: 8

Round Three
ID209442 | MOB: 2 | Miss

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Word Count: 277

Zenshu patiently watched as Syra sized up the target, before pulling herself into the ready stance. The tip of her blade quivered on the air – likely the excitement, the thrill of combat rushing through the wielder’s arm and to the sword itself. He smiled, remembering his very first time in an actual tournament – the nerves he’d felt.

Suddenly she lunged forward, the momentum and excitement carrying her towards the target. The sword slashed through the air, racing for the boar before it. Zenshu watched, his own excitement controlled and his outwardly appearance one of calmness. His eyes followed as the sword plunged downwards, suddenly driven point-to-ground as Syra tripped over her own feet, causing her attack to falter, and fail.

Zenshu’s hand had risen, his mouth opening to call out, just as the boar lashed out with its hooves. Syra was sent tumbling backwards, a sharp imprint left where the boar had connected, and her health bar severely depleted. Almost without consideration his blade was drawn, flipped and turned into his reverse grip.

“I’m going to try weakening it, and drawing its attention to me – if you can, you attack it on your next turn. If not, just sit back and I’ll finish it off, okay?” The few spoken words directed at Syra as Zenshu locked eyes with the boar, watching for the opening to present itself. As the creature seemed ready to step towards Syra, Zenshu launched himself forward, slashing along the flank in an attempt to draw the attention towards himself, and away from his downed party member.

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[0] Zenshu | Lv. 5 | HP: 100/100 | EN: 26/28 | DMG: 7 | ACC: 3 | MIT: 13 | Light Momentum [+1 BD]

[0] Syra | Lv.  1 | HP: 10/20 | EN: 18/20 | DMG: 4 | EVA: 1 | BLD (12 DMG) 

Boar | HP: 30/30 | DMG: 8

Round Two
ID209439 | BD: 2+3=5 | Miss [-2 EN; Light Momentum]

Word Count: 260

Zenshu sighed as he laid on the bed, the sun filtering in through the window to awaken him long before his alarm had been set to go off. He’d not had the most restful night of sleep, and he wondered if he shouldn’t try to get some more rest before considering rising for the day. He knew there was much to do – today he intended to finally follow up with the third portion of the introductory quests and get that completed – but that required getting out of bed, something that he wasn’t entirely inclined to do at this point.

“Well, I’m not going to get any more rested laying here thinking about sleeping. Nor will I get any further along with my quests. The best thing to do would be to accept the lesser evil. At least that will be productive!” He sighed again before rolling off the side of the bed, springing to his feet in an lacking way. Rolling his shoulders, he made his way to the washroom to complete the unnecessary, but habit formed morning routine, before heading out of the room for breakfast.

Sitting alone in the small breakfast nook of the inn he had been staying at, Zenshu reviewed the few details of the quest that the synopsis provided. It was limited, really only guiding him on the path towards starting the quest – and telling him that he would need to bring along some sort of consumable item, although he wasn’t entirely sure why.

“I’ll learn soon enough, once I’ve made my way to this…Pete Larkin? Such an odd name, but I guess that’s games for you. I should probably head down to the docks soon and get this all started – who knows how long it’s going to take if I have to run all over the place collecting materials again!”

Quickly cleaning up his eatery area – the old habits of leaving nothing a mess, and making it easier for the staff of the place you’re eating at forcing him to maintain the unconscious actions – Zenshu collected himself and made his way out of the inn, and down the roads of the Town of Beginnings.

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Word Count: 360

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The strewn about clothing bespoke to the difficulties that Zenshu had been having with his designs. He huffed slightly as he glanced over his shop – cluttered with tossed aside materials and pieces of half-completed, yet abandoned clothing. His most recent attempts had been even more disappointing than those he had tried the day before.

“Well, they do say success doesn’t come easy. But this is far harder than I had anticipated. I sure hope that the eventual payoff is worth my time!” Setting aside his feelings of disappointment and despair, Zenshu returned to his work, determined to find success in the shop no matter what it required – and no matter how long it took.

Zenshu watched as the pair went to their searching in the fields – the father and…son?...duo quickly beginning their search, although their efforts appeared to provide no immediate results. Zenshu wasn’t surprised, remembering how long it had taken him to find even a single piece. The memory brought a slight smile to his face, and he quickly called out to the two in an attempt to bolster their spirits – knowing how defeating it could feel to find naught, even when you put in the work and effort.

“Gathering is definitely a refined art, on which I would say takes a lot of time and patience – but can provide some great rewards. Or so I’ve been told, being entirely honest I’ve had limited success with it myself – but perhaps I just don’t have the patience to remain vigilant.” A beaming smile, before he turned to Syra, listening to her request for more combat training. “Well, I could certainly keep an eye and give you pointers – but the materials are only dropped for the one who kills the boar. Which means you’re likely best off to face it by yourself – but I can keep an eye and jump in should there be any dangers!”

Waving a hand towards a boar, he’ll point out one of the weaker ones that were close by – dangerous enough to provide something possibly beneficial towards Syra’s quest, but not so dangerous that he felt she would be in immediate danger. Giving another smile, he’ll glance back at Syra before continuing.

“The key with combat is readying the sword art. Essentially…pulling back into your readying stance – which is different for everyone, but you’ll feel it the moment you begin activating it – and waiting for the right moment…some people say it feels like it clicks into place. Once it feels right, you just release the art, and the system does most of the work for you. A properly placed sword art is unlikely to miss, unless something happens – such as a creature’s defensive measures kicking in. These boars shouldn’t have anything like that though, that’s more of a later on thing…”

He held his sheathed ninjato up before him, smiling again. “You give it a try, and I’ll keep an eye out. If it looks like you’re having any trouble, I’ll jump in immediately, okay?”

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Word Count: 385

Zenshu's eyes roamed over the discarded fabric that he had been working with the day before. Most of it was a complete loss - the designs either I'll fitting, or simply not turning out the way he had imagined. The pieces in his mind, which seemed so simple, had turned out to be far more complex than Zenshu was prepared for - and the final products, if they could even be called that - had been tossed aside as he realised they were doomed for failure. 

"Today is a new day though, so let's not let the failures of the past hold us back! Keep trying, and eventually I'll succeed. I just need to keep practicing, and one day I'll be as good as that NPC - or even better!"

Zenshu stood in the doorway, staring into the shop. It was humble, meagrely stocked and overall underwhelming compared to most well situated storefronts that he had been in during his time in Aincrad. What it didn’t lack, however, was the fact that it was his – that he had earned it.

“This is something that I’m not just going to run, I’m going to run it well. It’s going to take time, and effort – but I have an abundance of both, and I plan on making this a huge success. No matter how much time and effort it takes!”

Determination abundant on his face, Zenshu stepped behind the counter, taking stock of his materials before setting to work on his very first creations in his newly opened shop. It was void of customers, for now, but he knew soon enough he’d be filling orders.

One of the few populated locations in the large city of Yomi, 明るい - written in the Rōmaji language as akarui, or Luminous - this small shop stands out against those around it through the fact that it contains active power, a small light in the otherwise dark and abandoned city. Maintaining the traditional Japanese styling that is found throughout Yomi, the shop contains a windowless front, with a large noren containing the symbol for 'star'.

Upon entering the shop, customers are greeted by a warm and welcoming shop front, containing numerous standing displays of clothing and armour pieces on mannequins, and shelves filled with numerous different fabrics, linens and assorted plush items.

Behind the counter that divides the storefront can be seen a collection of tailoring tools, between a work table that stretches several metres long, a spinning wheel, as well as large cabinets that contain the multiple different materials.

Laid out on the counter for customers are a collection of diagrams for possible creations, commonly ordered items and concepts that are currently available. Alongside these diagrams are custom order forms that can be completed by customers who want something beyond what is currently available.

Current Stock

When ordering, please include the ID Number for reference on purchase.

Royal Blue T-Shirt [T1; Clothing] | LD I
Light Green Haori [T1; Cloth Armour] | LD I
Light Red Haori [T1; Cloth Armour] | EVA I | LM II
White Tunic [T1; Cloth Armour] | LM I
Light Blue Haori [T2; Cloth Amour] | EVA I | REGEN I | LM I
Silver Haori [T3; Cloth Armour] | LM I
Silver Samue [T3; Clothing] | LD I
Red Haori [T3; Cloth Armour] | EVA I | REGEN I
Light Blue Haori [T3; Cloth Armour] | EVA I | REGEN I | RISKY I

As each of the party pulled forth their weapons – or lack of – Zenshu nodded, taking note of the composition of each. Should it come to combat, he figured that most of them would be okay. The elderly man’s lack of weapon worried Zenshu at first, until he realised that the trade off had been much more durable armour – likely with increased capacity slots for upgrades. He considered offering his own weapon at first, before realising the handicap that would cause for himself.

Putting the problem aside, if only for the moment, Zenshu continued leading the group out of the Town. Waving at the guard as they passed the front gate – ensuring the tradition was upheld – he turned back to his conversation with the party. They’d begun asking the taboo – about the real world. At first, Zenshu was silent, unwilling to bring about anything about himself. He wasn’t ashamed of any of it, it was simply an unspoken rule that you didn’t ask about the real world in this game.

But as they continued sharing their experiences, Zenshu realised that he was being the rude one. Remaining silent, ignoring the topic…the very least he could do was share some insight. It didn’t need to be everything, but it couldn’t hurt to give at least somewhat of an answer. Bracing himself, and waiting for the quiet moment when he could interject, he almost fumbled as Soren provided his own reasoning.

“My reason will likely pale in comparison to yours…I didn’t join to escape reality, or to encompass myself in the amazing technology – as wonderful as it is. The reason I joined Sword Art Online was…because of the swords. I competed at national levels in Kendo and Kyoudo, as well as the less common Yabusome. So a game that let me not only act out those skills – well, the Kendo skill at least – but to also give me new avenues of skills…that was something I just couldn’t avoid.” He gave a half-shrug as he paused for a moment, before continuing. His half-grin covering his face, he kept his eyes forwards even as spoke to the others, not wishing to display his discomfort. “Like I said, it’s nothing like wanting to escape reality, or become integrated with amazing technology or anything like that. I just…like swords, and this was just another avenue to work with them. I never anticipated…well, any of this…”

He bit his tongue, stopping himself from saying aloud the remainder of what had been on the tip of his tongue. He knew that he’d shared more than enough, at least to make the appearance of being polite. There was no need to provide anything beyond that. Shaking himself slightly, he turned and smiled at the group as they finally excited the town itself. He somehow thought it would be the first time for some of them, and so he gave them a moment to take in the flowing grass fields, small collection of trees and bushes, as well as the rolling hills. As he glanced around, he could even see a few packs of wolves harassing the many boars that roamed the field.

Unsurprisingly, there weren’t many players out in the field itself, giving them lots of room to work without getting interrupted. His gaze returning to the group, he decided to take the initiative. “So, did you want to focus on gathering, or combat in order to find the materials you need? I can’t really help you find the materials themselves – that’s some each individual needs to do for themselves, but I can give you a lesson on how combat works in this system.”

Pulling up his menu, Zenshu summoned the all black, straight bladed ninjato that was his weapon of choice. Drawing it in a smooth motion, he let it twirl around his right hand into the reverse grip that had become so natural to him. Giving a quick grin at the small group, he rushed forwards towards the nearest boar, sliding across the grass as he lashed out sideways with the blade in an attempt to run it down the flank of the creature.

Sailing past, he landed on the opposite side of the boar, taking a moment as the system locked him in place after the attack. The boar behind him having exploded at the impact, Zenshu wasn’t worried about a counter attack. The moment he was able to, he rose, swinging the sword around his hand before sheathing it again and turning back to the party.

“Combat isn’t too difficult, but make sure you don’t face anything too difficult. Even though the creatures on this floor are more modest, they can still cause harm – and if you’re really unlucky, even kill you. A few players have fallen into that pit…if things look really bad, I can of course jump in and help you out – but even with me around, things can get dangerous…so, let’s all just be careful, okay? If you’d prefer, you can of course focus on gathering…although if you face something that you can loot – weaker creatures, not so much, there seems to be a system limit on that – you can quickly get the materials you need in order to complete the quest!”

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Zenshu | Lv. 5 | HP: 100/100 | EN: 20/28 | DMG: 7 | ACC: 3 | MIT: 13 | Light Momentum [+1 BD]

Boar | HP: 0/30 | DMG: 8

Round One
ID209422 | BD: 8+3=11 | <<ST-I vs. Boar>> | Hit: 7x8 = 56 DMG | Boar is defeated.

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Word Count: 869