Zenshu

The previous evening had been one of true enjoyment for Zenshu. He’d spent a few extra col – nothing too outrageous – in order to enjoy a slightly fancier meal. It wasn’t much, and yet somehow it had made a world of a difference to him. He had spent some time considering that, thinking about how such a small difference in something as simple as a meal could change his demeanor so much. The morning sun had awoken him, and as he pulled himself out of the bed he had rented for the night, he considered the fact that for the first time since Sword Art Online had started, Zenshu was able to ob

Zenshu nodded appropriately as the elderly man spoke, telling a story about western customs and some sort of family – things that were not entirely foreign to Zenshu, but definitely out of context for the situation. Not one to be rude, he politely smiled, nodding where it felt appropriate as the man prattled on. At the mention of the languages, Zenshu couldn’t restrain himself, his words slipping out almost immediately to correct the misunderstanding – albeit, a good explanation in and of itself. “Well, it’s less that the game reads one’s mind, so much as it comes with an integrated tran

Smiling as the elderly man spoke, Zenshu had to refrain from grimacing as the man took his hand in what was likely a sign of respect. The action was far beyond what would’ve been considered appropriate in Zenshu’s world – especially for someone you had just met – but, he assumed the man came from the west, a place the action would likely be acceptable. He was just about to speak when the younger blonde opened his mouth. The words immediately left Zenshu’s mind as he listened – the tone carried an edge to it, welcoming yet warning. The words themselves were far more vulgar than Zenshu had

Zenshu’s morning had been, well, uneventful. He’d survived the recent endeavours curtailing the required running around – and corresponding actions – that hunting down the mayor’s loan had entailed. He had to admit, as easy as the quests themselves were, the truth was he would’ve preferred a much faster avenue of completion. “Well, I’ve just got to focus on getting it completed. Sure, it has me running around a lot – but that’s just good exercise and all! Keeps me fit and sharp. Besides…” His self monologue came to an abrupt stop as he turned the corner towards the main court, his eyes an

Zenshu let his eyes roam over the exterior of the shop. It was very different from the showy, flashy merchants that seemed to scream and shout at anyone who passed by - trying to draw them in for whatever cheap items they were selling. Zenshu ignored most of them - although a few shiny pieces had caught his attention, the shop itself was his desired destination. Stepping up to the shop's door, Zenshu opened the door and stepped into the shop itself. The rows of weapons, the broken training sword, and the smiling blacksmith all greeted him. He waited patiently for the man to finish speakin

The sun – or at least the glow that replicated the sun in this world – had begun to dim as Zenshu made his way back across the fields towards the Town of Beginnings. He spent an unknown amount of time considering his new realisation about the world around him, before eventually noticing that his legs had begun to lock in place. Slowly, mostly due to the limited available movement, he’d begun the small trek back towards safety – unwilling to spend the nights in the fields beyond the walls at this point. “Funny, how some things transpire…” His eyes seemed distant as he spoke, and contrary t

Zenshu let the breath that he’d been holding escape. The tension that had built in his frame since the start of the fight – compiling after the first two strikes that he himself had taken – followed the breath, leaving him feeling deflated. He sheathed the ninjato, letting it disappear back into his inventory with a swipe of the hand. The sudden exhaustion overwhelming him, he collapsed to the ground – relieved that the fight was over, but also that he had come out victorious. “Even the simplest of creatures here are a challenge. That’s a good lesson to walk away from. One that I sho

Seemingly aware of his intent, the wolf ducked underneath his blows before skirting back around towards the field. Zenshu spun quickly, following the creature in order to keep himself from being pinned in a position like he had attempted to force the wolf into – knowing just how deadly that could turn, if given the chance to permeate. The creature growled and swiped a claw outwards, but wasn’t able to land the blow on the moving form of Zenshu, the strike going wide. Stepping aside and back, Zenshu allowed some distance to grow between the two of them, taking the respite to catch his brea

With the first of the two defeated – little more than shards glittering through the air, before disappearing from sight – Zenshu turned his focus on the remaining opponent. He knew that there was no time to let his guard down – even a single wolf was dangerous to him, now. “I know what you can do now, and I’m keeping an eye on you…you don’t have the element of surprise anymore – and now with just the single one of you, I can give you my full attention.” He twirled his sword back into the reverse hold, a slight grin spreading across his face as he eyed his target. “Which means that you can

The sudden shift of direction of the wolf left Zenshu with nothing to strike. The open area where the wolf had been was little more than air, and as he turned to try and find the creature, he felt something tear into his left arm. Turning to face it, he found the other wolf grappling him, trying to remove the arm from his body entirely. He brought his sword up, trying to spin it for a downward strike when something slammed into him, tearing him from the grapple and tossing him to the ground. As he rolled, he spotted the meaning of his sudden tumble. His original target had slammed into h

The pair of wolves watched as Zenshu made his way across the field towards them. Neither seemed overly perturbed by his approach, content to simply watch as he continued along. Readying himself, Zenshu eyed up the two, trying to determine if either would be more powerful, or faster, or more resilient than the other. His review of the two was in vein, however. Both appeared identical to his eyes – if there was any difference, he wasn’t able to locate it through visual inspection. Tossing aside any attempt to find leverage, he decided there was only one course of action to take. “Ill just

A few other players roamed the fields; some engaging groups of boars or wolves together, some wandering about on their own as they searched for whatever it was that they needed. Zenshu watched a couple players tackling a collection of wolves. Battle Axe and curved sword drove the wolves back as the creatures tried to circle around the players, looking for any possible entry through the defences. “Well, standing around watching won’t get my skills perfected in any way. Let’s see…the boars are tough, but perhaps one of those wolves would provide a challenge based upon their agility…but tha

He eyed the pieces on the table, wondering how such things could be considered worthless. To his eyes, they appeared well made – perhaps not the most beautiful of pieces, but effective battle garments nonetheless. “I guess that’s the difference between buyer, and craftsman. All these look fabulous to me…” He eyed the collection with hesitation, not wanting to take away from a possible profit, but also not wishing to upset the blacksmith by refusing his pieces either. “I guess I’ll take these then.” He quickly grabbed a sword and a set of armour at random, before bowing and making his

The blacksmith shot a quick look at Zenshu as soon as he had finished speaking, his eyes hovering over the offered items before nodding at a workbench. “I use these on hilts.” Zenshu nodded as he placed down the tusks, waiting to hear more from the blacksmith. Although he wasn’t too interested in their purpose, he knew that one way to get what you wanted, was to let someone get comfortable – and that sometimes came in the form of allowing them to speak about what they enjoyed, such as their line of work. “Now, I'll have you know that I don't take loans from anyone, especially men the

His return walk was slowed as he saw the glint of something in the grass where the final boarlet had fallen. Stooping to collect the item, Zenshu reviewed it closely, noticing the menu as it appeared before him. “Boar Jerky. Huh, that looks like it might be useful in the future!” Pocketing the piece, he continued his pathway back towards the town, determined to complete the quest now and make his way back to the mayor to return the owed amount. He walked with a content smile, his mood positive as he considered everything he had accomplished as of late. “I’ve returned!” Zenshu called

“Well, that worked far better than I could have expected.” Glancing down at the ninjato, Zenshu smiled to himself. He was pleased with how well his new skills had held up in combat – although, he had to admit that his gear was quickly being outpaced by his abilities. “I wonder if I should bother the blacksmith to see if he could craft me some new pieces…” A sudden thought crossed his mind as he remembered the pieces he had left behind at the appraiser’s store. “Oh! I need to go collect those shortly, I guess. Assuming that they’re done, they did look fairly busy at the time…I’m sure they

“Fine. Have it your way, then.” He muttered aloud to the boarlets, before turning in a wide arc. The three strode past, not anticipating the sudden shift that Zenshu had made as he danced around behind the trio. Bounding backwards, he waited for the three to make their quick turns, before continuing their charge towards him – quickly gaining speed again as they came. “Come on, little piggies. Come meet your end – and once that’s done, I can complete the quest itself! That would be nice, to have this done and over with…and then I can get the mayor his money! Doesn’t that sound fantastic?”

The three remaining moved with an agility that caught Zenshu by surprise. He had figured that with their smaller mass, they’d be able to turn quicker, but their overall speed had an almost impressive standing to it – had they been able to coordinate better, he felt that he would have a bit more fear of them. As if reading his mind, he suddenly felt the slamming of three impacts against his legs, forcing him to his knees as each small boar slammed into him from different angles. Knuckles scrapping the ground as he fought to remain upright, as best as possible, Zenshu cursed himself for not

The boarlets let out a surprised cry as Zenshu’s blade sliced through the mother's side, causing the health bar of the mother boar to deplete entirely as the sword art tore into it. He took no comfort or satisfaction in the success of his attack, knowing that the fight was far from over yet. Zenshu turned to find four of the little creatures making their way across to him, their cries signifying the loss they were simulating, now that their mother was gone. He felt a moment of hesitation as the creatures surrounded him, their tiny bodies pressing towards him as they vied for their revenge

The boar moved quickly beneath Zenshu as he twirled above and beyond the creature. His blade slashed through the air, slashing strongly against the boar as it continued on past, leaving Zenshu to collapse on the ground roughly. Determined not to present himself as an easy target, he pushed himself up and moving, dashing around to the right side of the boar in an attempt to close the distance between the two of them once more – relying on his quick reactions in a hope that he could somehow overwhelm the larger opponent quickly. “Just need to land one, or maybe two, good hits on you! I

Lifting a small stone, Zenshu tested the weight in his hand. It felt light, for its size, but he assumed it would work all the same. Pulling back his arm, he tossed the stone across the field towards the boar, hoping to catch it on its flank and pull its attention towards him. Instead, the stone skipped harmlessly into the field well beyond the boar – clearly missing its mark, and leaving the creature undisturbed. Huffing slightly, Zenshu picked up another stone, pulling his arm back once more and taking a moment to aim the piece this time. Closing a single eye, he launched the stone in a

The boarlet’s had been easy enough to find – they were tiny compared to the boars that Zenshu had fought earlier. He could see how these would be considered the best possible things for a learner’s quest, they appeared weak and rather slow compared to their larger brethren. The danger had been found in the larger, clearly protective mother that seemed to hover around them – always on guard and watching for any threats to her digital children. “Well, just need to find a way to separate some of you, I guess.” He drew his ninjato, swinging it into the more comfortable backhanded grasp that h

Sighing heavily, the blacksmith laid his hammer down before wiping his hands on his apron. “I don’t do anything without payment. Go kill a couple of those pesky boarlets for me, and bring back their tusks. They’re pretty weak, so even you shouldn’t have any trouble. Do that, then I’ll hear you out.” Zenshu nodded enthusiastically, bowing slightly before responding. “Absolutely! I’ll ensure to get you the best tusks that I can find! It won’t be a problem, not at all. And if I find anything else of use, I’ll bring that back as well – just to make doubly sure that I’m not wasting you time an

His face breaking into a smile, Zenshu pushed his way into the blacksmith’s shop, the pungent smell of the forge and smelting metals slamming into Zenshu’s senses almost immediately. Grimacing slightly, he tried to move passed the wall of smoke that permeated the entranceway. Beyond the smoke he found another white bearded man, similar in general appearance to the first he’d been sent to visit. The man – well muscled and clearly used to heavy work, hammered away at a piece on the anvil, focused entirely on his work. Unperturbed by the fact that he was likely interrupting the man – he

“Alright, so I need to find this blacksmith…a man named Lyle? I think that’s what it said.” Zenshu brought up the menu once more, double checking the information he already knew he’d memorised – but still wanting to be sure that he had it correct. The first quest had gone relatively well, but he wasn’t willing to suddenly make a mistake just because he thought that he had everything correct. “As father always used to say, it’s better to check the weather three times, than wander out into the rain without an umbrella.” Content that he at least had the name right, he made his way through th