[F-13 PP] Tools of the trade (Ssendom) [Completed]

[Hunie 0]

Her lungs filled with the dry air. Hunie was tired of running, but she felt like she had no other choice. Never had she imagined that freedom came at such an expensive cost. Freedom from the wheelchair, freedom from her family's paranoia had got her this? A death game in which shadows stalked her. Every alley she went into, fear gripped her. "Sophie... I've been waiting..." was the last time she had heard his voice, echo in another deserted alley on the second floor. That, is what compelled her to run... Run from floor to floor, run far away from him. She didn't even know he was and she had no interest in finding out. Her hand hovered mid air, poised to pull down her menu. She debated whether she should just PM the people who had helped her once, the very first time it happened, but she didn't want to succumb to cowardice again. Hunie didn't want to be a damsel in distress anymore, she wanted to stand up for herself. But she didn't know how. 

The blonde was going to run higher up, but this floor was so desolate, just walking in it sapped her of all her willpower. Gloom hung in the air, depression penetrated through her mind. There was mist everywhere, the entire floor seemed like a giant alley. She heard voices again, this time however, they were playing from memories at least that what she hoped. It was like she was in a movie, she heard a name hang eerily in the mist decorated air. She walked around briskly, till she noticed the gravestones. Her heart literally sank to her feet. She fought the urge to scream and walked on, trying to search for someone to help her, anyone at all. She realised what a large risk she had taken, there could be mobs that would tear her to virtual pieces in seconds... She raced to find the town. The brown grass crackled under her foot, the echoes of just that made it sound like some wicked with was cackling in the distance.  The dome of the cathedral, like everything else was hugged by a thick veil of fog, but she could finally see it's outline. She rushed towards it, hoping nothing bad happened... 

Edited March 18, 2016 by Hunie

[Ssendom 0]

Dom was resting in his bed in the Azure Brigade Guild hall, he happened to take the time to enjoy the leisure capability this world had to offer. That he worked tireless hours succumbing himself to thousands upon thousands of near death experiences to accumulate. The only man to have ever purchased an actual building, Dom had performed many feats in this world that would be considered world firsts. At this point Infamy and Fame followed him throughout his travels in unison. He happened to have the best room cause it also looked over the graveyard but there was forest covered in shaded mist which oddly brought him comfort.

He got out of his bed walking around in his brown saggy frayed pants held up by twin brown gold tipped belts, but the pants still yet covered over his feet. Dom spent a lot of times exploring through the system menu and noticed an option far down in the long list of things referenced as scarring. He activated and it showed the most powerful and deep cuts on him as darker skin since the damaged spots 'scarred' and for some reason he enjoyed the idea of showing his battle scars to prove the trials and tribulations he put himself through to obtain what he has.

Standing at the window without a shirt or the hydra skull, he noticed a girl who looked like she definitely didn't belong on the thirteenth floor was having a colossal freak out and probably a massive mental break down. She began to lose her mind and run toward what she might have thought was a cathedral, but was in fact the Azure Brigade Guild Hall. He shrugged his shoulders and decided to walk down to the front door, opening the door just as some girl was about to approach it. His physique wasn't seen on any other person in this world as his time spent working out in the real world was easily displayed on his scarred chest.

[Hunie 0]

A door seemed to have materialised in front of her, slowly discoverable through the thick haze around it. Hunie's running slowed to the point where she crept up to the door meekly. The door opened by itself. Hunie's heart gave a little jolt had this not been a game, she could have sworn it was her first encounter with ghosts. In games however, such things were possible had happened regularly, for new quests, symbolic representation to access of a new area, etc. However, the game had not opened this door, there was no quest either. She wondered if this was the entrance to the Cathedral she had seen, the dome had still seemed further away, so unless that cathedral was very large, she probably was't at the right place. Maybe she had to go through here to reach it? 

As the blonde walked in, she noticed a man standing at the door. The fog licking at his stature as it swirled its way into the building. He was definitely a little taller than her. She couldn't make much out because the light behind him, made him more of a mysterious silhouette. With the current way he was placed, he almost fit the perfect description of the man that stalked Hunie from the shadows. For some reason though, the blonde didn't think this man was it. She had approached his... dwelling, if one could call the big building behind him that. If he wanted to harm her, he already would have. There was a moment of awkward silence. 

Despite everything screaming at Hunie to turn around and run back all the way down to the Town of Beginnings, she ignored it and walked in. Once the guy in front of her was illuminated, the first things she noticed was the orange marker that hung above his darker head. Any sudden movements could be dangerous, even if she tried to turn around and run. Without trying to make it too obvious, she scanned him from head to feet, trying to read his body for any hostile intentions. She knew what the orange meant by now... All too well. He wasn't wearing a shirt, instead he wore battle scars. The kind that would scare most, but Hunie always admired. They were trophies of achievements... most of the times. With this guy, it could be just the players he had killed, who had marred him, to let everyone know of his brutality. He was well built she noticed, as her gaze fell to his torso. Lose pants hung on him. A sheen of gold was reflected off of his hips... A gold studded belt. Despite the very real danger she had walked into, this whole image made her want to laugh. He looked like a cross between a battle veteran and a under talented but over appreciated rockstar...

The blonde realized she couldn't stand here mute all night. So she smiled weakly, hoping to let him know that she definitely wasn't going to cause any trouble and was hoping he wouldn't cause any either. "Uh... I think I'm lost, which way is the t-town?" She said, her stammer at the end betraying the fear that was creeping up at her.

Edited March 17, 2016 by Hunie

[Ssendom 0]

As Dom pulled the door open, the haze of the deadlands began to seep in slightly like an eerie horror movie or something of the sort. He was expecting the girl to come in, but what he wasn't expecting is just how underprepared the girl truly was to be on the thirteenth floor. Dom had seen his fair share of new armor and dropped armor and it was clear as day that this girl hadn't even managed to get any new equipment.

One thing did strike Dom as interesting, he saw the basic bastard sword that people are given when they choose the Two-Handed weapon as their starter weapon. He was more focused on that and realized that he know's nothing about the girl. There was a bit of an awkward silence and it seemed that both she and he were looking each other up and down trying to decipher who the other is. Dom knew the girl might be spooked by the fact that he is a Player Killer, so he made sure to try and not give off any hostile intentions if'n he had some or not.

She was quite a bit shorter, almost an entire foot shorter than him and she seemed like she took care of her looks in some sort of fashion. It looked as though she had short length hair, but it was up in a messy bun but her bangs came to be about shoulder length so Dom had a pretty good idea of how long it truly was. There was some sweat and a light amount of panting hinting that she had been running and quite a bit.

Finally she spoke, Dom wasn't gonna try and scare her off an any way shape or form. "I can heavily tell you're lost, but it's about to be evening and the fog builds up more in the next hour making it nearly impossible to figure out the direction to town if you aren't already familiar with the floor layout. Also a lot of enemies appear during high fog, and with how you're currently armed up, you're going to need to chill here until tomorrow." His deep voice came off very blunt, since the Berserker wasn't even actually lying to her. he slowly closed the door to the Guild Hall.

Afterwards he looked at her, "Why don't you make yourself comfortable at the table of the Azure Brigade Guild Hall. I'll get you something to eat." He informed her, almost like he wasn't exactly giving her choice, but at the same time no hostile intent could be sensed from his words as they were genuine.

[Hunie 0]

It was obvious, he too was sizing her up, and for once Hunie was glad she didn't come anywhere close to being a formidable match. She looked rather simple, still garbed in the basic clothing that was in her inventory at the start of the game and still carrying the same sword as well. So far she had found herself in no situation where she had to use the weapon. Hunie had some experience with games with similar set ups and usually went for tankish builds, that relied on area of effect damage. Hence, using her personal experience as a guide, her choice was the longsword. 

No other game prior to this had used the full-dive technology and no other game held their players hostage this way either. While in other games she would have already climbed the high ranks, slight fear held her back in this one, apart from the guy in the shadows. Hunie had already figured that floor thirteen was a dangerous place to be. The blonde was surprised that some sort of a grim reaper or zombie hadn't already attacked her. She imagined a scythe slicing her and ending her life... and hastily pushed the thought away. The man in front of filled in the outline of fear she had formed, by explaining that as the sky turns darker so does the situation she had landed herself in. 

 

She looked up at him as he spoke, pushing away the bangs that fell into her eyes with the back of her hand. This wasn't her best hair day, for sure. "You're going to need to chill here until tomorrow." Her eyes widened and she looked up at him. Here? She glanced around. Her heartbeat accelerating even more. With him? Alone? She heard the door slam shut behind her, and jolted in response. That was it she was trapped. She tried to think of ways to get out of this. "Er..." Perhaps he sensed the fear and anxiety emanating from her... "Why don't you make yourself comfortable at the table of the Azure Brigade Guild Hall. I'll get you something to eat." On cue, he ordered. Hunie noticed the command in his voice, perhaps that came from being in a guild, she wondered if he was some high ranking guy. 

 

Her stance relaxed visibly. So, in the nick of time she had found herself a person from a guild again. She had heard whispers about the Azure Guild, also one of the top ones, like the Knights of Blood Oath. Hunie leaned against the wall and caught her breath and nodded. "Thank you." She said softly. "Don't worry about the food..." she added as a formality, but the growling of her stomach gave her away. She pressed it with her hands, willing it to be silent. Why would that even happen in a game. She noticed the orange marker again. Maybe she had been wrong about him? What if this guild was a vigilante guild of sorts, putting people in their place when they stepped out of line... Helping the innocent players who were going to be victims of someone's rash moves. Hunie liked to see the good in people and since this player was helping her, she decided that's what she would do.  The blonde began to walk deeper in, waiting to see the other guild players. 

[Ssendom 0]

It was easily recognizable that the girl was scared beyond the boundaries of reality and fantasy, she was fearful for her life absolutely in the situation she was in. After Dom showed some compassion the girl gave a visible notice that she was attempting to relax. Then she proceeded to mention that there wasn't a worry of food, and it was quite the obvious lie since the woman's stomach growled as they were standing there, "No, it'd be wrong for me to have company over and not to feed them. Not trying to weird you out or anything." He explained to her.

He walked into the kitchen which was at the center of the house next to the stairs that led up to the Commandant's Quarters. The room was open to the dining hall where the table he told her to sit at was, "Look, I know this seems weird. You're in a building alone with a Player Killer that you never met before, but the history behind the crystal is long and I doubt you want to hear about me. If you've ever cracked open the Information Broker's book that they release you'll read a lot about me." He told her as he brought out quite the supply of food material items from the fridge and freezer.

He walked back into the Dining Room which was the room just before the Main Door of the Azure Brigade Guild Hall, He leaned up against the wall with his shoulder, "If you have any questions though I won't hesitate to ask them. And if you want me to get dressed I'll do that, usually people out and about getting stronger and leveling up or spending them with their loved ones instead of residing inside the Guild Hall. So it is often empty in here." He explained to her further wanting to ease up the air between the two of them since he was trying to save her life in all actuality.

The Dining Room and Kitchen connected to the Main Living Room which was massive and quite decorated in the Azure Color Scheme, it was like the entire place was designed by a professional designer of some sort. Each room was a mix of Regal, Majestic, and Soothing all at the same time. Dom spoke up, "So what do you want to eat, I heard your stomach and you're going to need the food to keep up your strength in this world." Dom hadn't made an attempt to try to know anything about the girl since he was letting her choose what she wanted to say or do.

[Hunie 0]

Hunie managed a weak smile at his insistence to offer her some food. Her stomach betrayed her pretty badly, she had no reasonable excuse to say no. The green eyed girl could just refuse but that would be at the risk of some serious damage to any trust they were trying to build. The building was much warmer inside, or at least starkly so, in comparison to what Hunie had felt outside. Whether it was really cold or just the creepiness of the floor that made her shiver, she didn't know. In either case, the softly lit building helped ease her from both. The player had disappeared into the room, that was probably the kitchen, since Hunie heard some clattering. She noticed some stairs that shared the wall with it. She was led into the dining room and she awkwardly placed herself on the chair, still unsure of what to do, but also realising that she didn't have much choice except to be here. The only other option was to get out there and try to find her way to the town herself and from what she had seen, that would be suicide. 

From the kitchen he called out and explained that he understood she found this weird. Her eyes once again widened at the word alone. So there wasn't anyone else here after all. No point letting her mind mull over the details of everything that was wrong with this. She reminded herself that she had no other option. She quickly resumed an impassive but gracious face as as the other player returned to the dining area. He added that he was famous in the information broker's book, or infamous maybe and that the other guild members... were out and about. Hunie took a moment to take the place in, it reminded her a decent bit of the mansion she lived in... So distant those seventeen years felt. Her reality, within a span of months had become this game... Honestly, despite, or rather because of it's regal nature, she didn't like it much. It brought back too many memories of her mansion... And they were rather suffocating.

 

He asked her what she would like to eat and she answered simply "Just a simple sandwich maybe, I don't want to be any trouble, if its ok, I'd like a glass of water, my throat feels rather parched." She asked as gently as she could. Hunie had had servants, and though she was always nice to them, she often assumed a sense of slight entitlement when asking for consumables or any other services like that, she didn't want to let that slip here. "I'm Hunie, Thanks for helping me. You are?" She asked politely. "I'm sorry for showing up like this..." she added, already reworking her blonde tresses to look a little more presentable. "And if I may, would you like to summarise what got you do that? Since I don't have access to the book yet. I'm pretty sure it won't be boring at all.." she said pointing at the crystal above his head. When in doubt, straight is the way to go she thought. If he could convince her, that he hadn't harmed anyone, she'd be far more at ease... Not that if she wasn't convinced she had anywhere else to go really, she would just have to accept his hospitality and hope she hadn't just walked into a trap. 

Edited March 17, 2016 by Hunie

[Ssendom 0]

Dom wasn't one to make simple things, if anything he only ever did something extravagantly. He was focused on cooking his Chicken Breast and side items like Potato Au Gratin, Caesar Salad, and a Carrot-Glazed Carrot with the hint of mint and malten. He made the meal big enough to serve multiple people, since he was the primary cook of the Azure Brigade. He often made full meals that would be able to stay warm so when the others made it through the guild hall they had a fully fresh meal to eat, he almost seemed like he was a father in some regards.

The woman finally answered saying that she wanted something simple, "Nah, you're not of any issue to me. And I am making a full course meal, so no sandwiches." He stated, he picked up the Caesar Salad and a plate with one hand and filled a cup with water in the other with ice cubes to keep it cool and refreshing. He walked it over there placing the plate in front of her and the big bowl of Caesar Salad, enough to fill six or more normal plates. "Please eat." He told her with a smile that seemed almost endearing. Then then turned around and headed back to the food to continue finishing the food.

He listened to her talk some more, and she even introduced herself, "Well, if you would like me to summarize why I am in the book. I am one of the fastest leveling players in Aincrad, I have one of the most devastating fighting styles in this death game, I posses more unique equipment than anyone else in the game, aside from one of my fellow Commandants since we have a system in place to keep each other at our peak of strength." He mentioned, taking a breath to stretch and bring the rest of the food to the table one by one before sitting in the seat across from her with his own plate.

He looked at her, "Now please, eat as much as you please." He chuckled, "So to continue; I am one of the Commandants of the Strongest Guild in Aincrad, I possess one of the very few unique skills, and I am the richest player in the lands. My name is Ssendom, most refer to me as 'Dom' or 'The Berserker' you can take your pick as how you would like to address me." He finished explaining. He prepped his plate with plenty of food and began to eat. He had even brought a full loaf of toasted garlic bread to eat.

 

[Hunie 0]

For someone who came across as rather frightening, the brunette man sure knew how to entertain a guest. A large bowl of caesar salad sat in front of Hunie. The bowl was bigger than her head, she literally could crouch in a manner that it covered her up. He also placed a glass of water in front of her. The ice was melting and the warm air condensed around the glass. Her fingers left a print as she lifted it to her lips and sipped slowly. How satisfying even virtual water could be. She eyed the Caeser salad and he beckoned her to eat. Her request for a simple sandwich had been clearly denied. A full course meal was underway according to the other player. As he vanished into the kitchen once again, she shovelled some salad greedily onto her plate and instantly began stabbing it with her fork to get it into as much of it as she could into her mouth. Before he returned she had managed to swallow a few bites, and as he looked at her, she regained composure and ate like a human instead of a starving monster. 

While he did his rounds between the dining hall and the kitchen he explained a little bit about his achievements. It would have sounded a lot like bragging, but he stated it so matter of factly, almost like Hunie when she told people she had finished her Earning a Living quest. He would say something to the effect of being amongst the most powerful players around as a placed a container of chicken breasts on the table. Then he added that he had a lot of unique items, and a plate of Potato au-gratin followed. Some more claims about him being, practically over powered, equal mostly to his fellow commander and another dish, Hunie presumed he was talking about the guild. 

This went on for a bit, till the table was decently decorated with a fancy meal and the kitchen and the dining hall pleasantly scented thanks to the perfectly blended herbs and spices. This was beginning to feel much like home. He sat across her now and reminded her that she could eat as much as she liked. Silence ensued, except for the light clattering of cutlery against the plates. She had listened to him in silence waiting for the actual answer to follow... It never did. Everythig he had revealed, just made her feel even more helpless if things went awry. I have no chance. Finally he introduced himself after summarising everything he had said, just in case anything got lost in the food serving... 

If all this was true, this could be the last night for Hunie. At least I got to eat a nice meal she mused. "Dom..." Hunie started, retying her hair again, just to buy some time and weigh her options again. "You haven't answered the real question..." She muttered softly, wondering if she should press on. "Why do you have the orange marker?" she asked impulsively, and followed it with a large gulp of the cold water. 

Edited March 17, 2016 by Hunie

[Ssendom 0]

He was enjoying a bit of the quiet in the room as he enjoyed the food he made, it was rare that he got to sit down and have company as he ate food. He couldn't remember the last time he got to sit down and have dinner with someone. Not since the person with whom stole his heart away, just when he was going to continue his meal, she mentioned that he hasn't answered the real question. The food had reached his mouth and he left it there without eating it as he heard the question he really wasn't hoping to hear. 'Why do you have the orange marker?' The words rung in his head like a freight train.

Instead of eating his food he set down his fork, put his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat, "I had a feeling that's what you were really wanting to know, and lass that is going to be a long story. But if you truly wish to know I will have to take you back to the beginning of everything. I hope you have the attention for a full story." He explained, then picked up his fork and finished the bite he had residing on the fork.

He took a second to collect his thoughts, knowing that telling the story was going to hurt just as much as when it all occurred.

He looked back up at her, "So a long time ago, when I was just getting my feet fresh into this world. I happened to take a quest and joined this lovely blue haired lady who wielded a two-handed spear. Her name? Meokka, but you won't find it an any of the new editions of the Information Broker's book. Anywho I digress, me and her did the quest to kill some special nepent. It's been so long since I did or helped anyone do that quest, but we worked together excellently. It's like we were already in sync while fighting, and you could tell there was a bit of a passionate spark between the two of us." He began to explain

[Hunie 0]

Hunie had to give the man some credit for trying to avoid her real question by attempting to distract her with his possessions, ranks, fancy titles and almost fancier food. But the blonde wasn't deterred so easily. Despite being deprived of a very essential part of her life... The freedom to walk around by herself, Hunie was used to getting what she wanted. Even in a circumstance where the odds were so clearly pitched against her, she risked it and hoped to wrench out the information she really needed.

Maybe she would have not pushed, if it wasn't imperative for her to know. In either case, she could never be sure, this whole thing could just be a ploy, he could easily paint some rosy picture about some act of valor that involved killing some baddy to explain his marker... Heck the food could have been drugged and her host could just be playing with her before it all fell into place for him. Hunie was surprised at the unusual amount of morbid and untrusting thoughts that flitted to her head. She wasn't usually this skeptcial, perhaps it was the encounter with this depressing floor that brought this out in her. 

Ssendom finally began to narrate his story, describing the blue haired girl. There was a lilt of sorrow in his voice and The blonde wondered if this was okay. What if she was forcing him to relive something traumatic, just for her own sense of safety? The blonde didn't like the idea of inflicting this kind of mental torture on someone, but the character sure looked tough enough to handle it. It was a gamble and Hunie picked a choice that favoured her safety over his comfort. Her keen eyes watched for his every move, as she tried to calculate how much of what he was saying was true... But as he went on, she got more and more involved in the story and briefly forgot about her own troubles. Maybe it was the home like meal and comfort... Or the tiredness that came with her activities through the day. But this suddenly seemed exactly like being tucked into bed by her parents with a story. Except she was still sitting on the dining table. 

It was usual for Hunie to get ahead of herself while listening to stories or reading them. When her parents took the time to narrate made up bed time stories, she would often interject and give her view on how the story was going to proceed. Occasionally they would humor her and include her suggestions into the story, other times they would flip the plot on its head, presumably just to bother her. Even when reading books or watching shows, Hunie was always speculating... Given that, it took a lot of willpower to not interrupt her host as he started on the allegedly long story about how he'd gone into a quest with this girl and that they were so in sync... It was beginning to take shape of a tragic love story. Hunie nodded earnestly, trying to get him to tell her everything quickly, while also hoping it truly was a long story. "Mhmm" she added nonchalantly. 

[Ssendom 0]

Taking a breath and stopping to take a bite of food and finish it, he continued, "We decided to continue working together after having finished that quest, I asked her out to Dinner since I myself am a Cook by profession. We chose to take on the Wasp Queen next, but before we did we enjoyed a starry night sky on a picnic blanket and we decided we were too old to play the run around of maybe they'll ask me out or whatever. So I asked her directly and we decided to become an item, we fought together but also gave each other space. It was like the perfect romance." His voice trembled a slight bit when he said the last word. The hanging feeling of the word 'But' was coming.

During the time of talking, Dom shifted his hands and body giving a slight hint that telling the story did somewhat trigger emotions in the seemingly emotionless man. Throughout the hard exterior that was prominent to see, Dom was still someone who harbored quite a bit of emotion. But he wanted his guest wasn't in the presence of someone who was going to outright murder them for literally no reasons. So he took his fist to his mouth again and cleared his throat, as if it were somewhat choking to continue to talk about.

He sighed and took another bite of his Potato Au Gratin then swallowed, "But then one day she was doing the quest Guardian of Fire to kill Cerberus. She went with my good friend and who still is my good friend to this day Jomei. And things weren't going well for them, so she sent me a message to acquire help as they were on their last legs of fighting. Without a second thought I ran my ass over to her, vaulting over breaks in the path at full speed where if I had mistimed the jump I would have instantly died in a river of lava. But I made it to them and fought to get them out of the sticky situation. The only thing left was to let them recover their health and energy before fighting Cerberus." He continued to explain

[Hunie 0]

Hunie began to feel rather guilty and cruel. This whole ordeal of making him recount his orange maker story was very apparently taking a toll on Dom. Despite her hunger, she now lost her appetite. Especially as he talked about how he had asked her to dinner and cooked a meal for her. His memories played like a picture in front of her eyes... Hunie imagined that he'd be sitting across someone he'd begun to like, just as he was sitting across her now... cooking scrumptious food, just like he had now. The food suddenly didn't lost its flavor, suddenly she could see an elaborate meal for the one he loved... and the blonde didn't want to eat it. 

She struggled with the choices in front of her once again, she could just ask him to stop... But mingled with a sense of self-protection, there was now a feeling of curiosity. It was strange how no matter how civilised and kind a human mind was, there was always a small corner that yearned for darker things, for darker realities, for crueler facts. How could a seemingly perfect love story like this, end in murder? She thought. The way Dom made it sound, it was unlikely that he'd done something to the girl out of spite. The kind of spite that breeds because of stupid emotions like jealousy or other misunderstandings. So far this didn't look like a vengeful story. Hunie had a considered this possibility when he mentioned that Meokka was questing with some other guy. The blonde was forced to throw the simplistic theory out of her mind when he added he and the other guy were still friends, so he wasn't the victim either...

The story seemed to be making no sense at this point. If she wasn't the victim and his friend wasn't the victim, then who was? She kept her questions to herself. Despite the guy having been warm and friendly, she didn't want to try her luck by pushing any wrong buttons. There was also no point in rushing a man who was reliving something he clearly didn't want to, he was obviously going as fast as he could, why would he want to prolong the torture on himself. It was odd that the game had been on for such little time and already people had formed and broken such strong bonds. The reality of the accelerated pace of the in game life, slapped her in the face. Hunie's eyebrows knitted together as she still, out of habit struggled to predict the out come of this story. 

So now his girlfriend, or rather his ex-girlfriend and friend were in a pinch and he was going to go rescue them. Hunie noticed how he elaborated that he did everything he could to reach in time. Like a part of him still wished that he had reached the area sooner, something which didn't make sense again, because he apparently succeeded in the task of saving the duo... Hunie gave up and decided to just let him finish and not struggle with each piece he was offering. It was like trying to make a cookie out of cookie crumbs. Hunie nodded again punctuating the pause with another "Mhmm..." Hoping it didn't betray her impatience. 

[Ssendom 0]

Dom really wasn't even paying attention to anything she was doing, his gaze was affixed on table top deep in thought about the resurging memories. The point where things would grow dim in his story, he pushed his plate forward a bit to lay both of his arms on the table to look at his hands, "Then while I was searching ahead to scout out Cerberus, Jomei walked up and joined me when he was ready to fight. Just then I turned around to see that Meokka was just simply gone. She was still on my friends list which meant she was alive still, but she was no where to be found." He gritted his teeth as the wheels in his head slowly started to turn in an obvious manner, he was becoming angry and enraged but somehow the feeling of hostility was nowhere toward Hunie and solely toward himself.

He finally let his jaw relax, "I assumed the worse of her, knowing she wasn't dead and the way she ubruptly left the scene made it seem like she had abandoned us within that dungeon of fire. With the quest boss left to be slain, she just outright left the area without a single explanation. I used the rage I had toward her to completely decimate the Cerberus in a single strike, something at the time I was not normally capable of since I hadn't even acquired my first unique item." He explained, clinching his fists tight but still it was obvious that there was more to the story. There seemed to be a massive cliff hanger being left at ever single point in his explanation of the story.

He sighed and stopped clinching his fists, laying a palm flat on the table and scratching the back of his head with the other, "When she disappeared and refused to answer my messages. I assumed she abandoned me, wanted to be rid of my anger and recklessness. So I did exactly what she ultimately didn't like, I risked my neck and strayed away from the people of this world for over a month and a half. Gaining levels at an almost absurd rate, growing in strength in a time frame that no one had ever even come close to matching. I had isolated myself with my emotions and tore myself asunder with my thoughts of hatred toward myself." He continued, now dogging on himself as though it was his fault from the very beginning. But the lingering feeling that the story was to continue some more loomed in the air, He was fighting back some pretty serious emotions that he hadn't shared with another human in a very, very long time.

[Hunie 0]

Hunie's stomach grumbled again, despite her brain announcing that this was a bad time to be munching on food, keeping in consideration that Dom seemed to be going through a difficult time. Slowly, she inched towards the garlic bread and picked up a slice. She held the warm, lightly toasted bread under the table, out of sight and broke a piece and put it in her mouth. Dom continued with his story, reaching what Hunie thought was the most painful part yet. Meokka just vanished, she was alive, but she vanished. 

She just left? Hunie thought, rather surprised with the turn of events. How uncharacteristic. Was all this one sided loee? Had the blue haired girl just been using him? He didn't seem like the kind of guy who could be fooled in such a manner, but he didn't seem like this now. What if back then, he too was... normal? Questions flooded into her mind. She watched his distracted self stretch his arms on the table as if physically collecting the memories from the past and displaying them in front of her. He explained how he'd started his personal power levelling with a vengeance after that. That explained his quick rise to power... Hunie wondered if something could trigger her to risk it all and just go for it, power level till she could face her own enemy.

She assumed that had her brother been in the game with her, who was actually rather inexperienced with games like this and was under any threats, she'd do whatever grinding necessary, even the risky kinds, to save him... She knew he'd do the same, which is why the blonde was glad that he hadn't joined her in playing SAO... She noticed a flash of rage flit across Dom's face. Her heart gave a little jolt, but she quickly realised it was symbolic of the anger he felt against himself, the fury that consumed him for the next phase of the story. 

Her thoughts meandered to her own situation and the helpless rage she felt against the stalker who had made her life living hell, by being somewhat of an omnipresent entity. Mirroring Dom, she too felt the urge to slaughter all mobs in her way and power level till she was strong enough to take on whatever the game threw at her. He talked of regrets, self-imposed isolations and other negative feelings, Hunie's compassionate heart lurched at this. She had played so many games, she forgot sometimes how SAO was different and how real it could be. 

On instinct Hunie extended her hand to pat the one Dom had left on the table, reassuringly... Almost in a way, to remind him that it was all in the past and that he was here now. "Its ok..." She said softly. "What happened then?" She tried offering some simple comfort in order to give him the strength to finish his story. 

[Ssendom 0]

Dom could begin to feel his spine tingle from the rage he had harbored toward Meokka at the time, he was doing his best to hold everything together. But something he wasn't expecting to happen that somewhat jolted his mind out of the sorrow and anger filled emotions that tormented through his mind, the girl placed her hand upon his that rested out on the table. He looked at that then sighed and chuckled slight, "Sorry I'll get to the point." He apologized, he was almost on the verge of tears streaming down his face but he was able to stoicly put them away before they actually carved their way across his cheek.

He took a deep breath then sighed, "A long time later, I am crowned as one of the most powerful people in Aincrad. I get a random message while laying in my bed here in the Azure Brigade Guild Hall. Mind you, this is an elapse of over three or more months. All the message said was 'Help' and I read who it was from and from what floor it was said to have come from. Without a moment's notice everything I had thought negatively about Meokka had changed. I cursed myself multiple times for thinking she would do that to me." He explained the intensity of the story was beginning to build up at this point, "I equipped my entire battle gear and headed straight for Tartarus on the tenth floor. And being the only person who ever traversed the floor it was somewhat easy for me to find her."

The point she was waiting for had finally arrived, "It turns out, that four green players hit her with a paralysis of some sort and transferred her to a secret door on the tenth floor that had a jail cell within it. They continued to torture her in multiple ways by forcing her to accept a duel and damaging her almost to the point of death but then restraining so they could continue to do so." He explained in great detail, "They did it so they could avoid getting the Orange marker of a Player Killer. I happened to intercept them as they were opening the door. They tried to play dumb but then they realized, I wasn't messing around. I walked up and cleaved my blade through the lot of them without remorse, but due to how they treated her she no longer understood whom she could trust. And seeing the Orange Crystal she even put her spear to my neck. I took her home to here, the next morning she was gone without a trace. And now refuses to return my messages, I have never gained closure from the entire thing and it still bothers me to this day. Hence why I refuse to remove my Orange Crystal." He finally finished explaining, he took a long deep breath and sigh, "And that's how I ended up being a Player Killer."

[Hunie 0]

Her hand on his, he thought was a cue for him to accelerate the story. The blonde was surprised that the guy could drop all the anger he had harboured at just one message. Wow, he must really feel for this girl. It felt good that at least love won over hate, perhaps on both sides... Unless this was a trap of some sort. Maybe she was interested again now that he was powerful. Hunie mentally scolded herself for thinking so cheaply of someone. What is wrong with me today? She tried her best to snap out of the negativity. The things he mentioned next had Hunie practically paralysed. Dom elaborated on the horrible things those four did to her.

This wrenched Hunie's heart. It also resonated with her fears because she had a bad feeling it sounded a lot like what her stalker wanted to do. Maybe she wouldn't have it so bad, but Hunie had heard three distinct voices so far so they were at least three of them and they didn't seem to have any great intentions. From the kind of cruelty Dom confirmed existed in this world... Hunie did not want to experiment and find out what her stalker wanted. The green eyed blonde, felt no shame in being a sensitive soul. While the brunette man managed to stop his tears in their tracks, Hunie's were freely flowing down her cheek and gathering at her chin. She sniffled as vivid images of the poor blue haired girl filled her mind. Her hand was trembling, sitting atop his. Maybe he could have eased her into this. She mentally kicked herself for trying to rush the story out of him.

So he killed them all. Hunie was reminded of Raun, the passion that took over his voice every time she asked him what he would do if someone harmed her, hypothetically of course. Although love between siblings and the love that Dom held for Meokka were different, the care and protectiveness anyone feels for their loved ones, is usually the same. Hunie would have done the same, in his place. When he added that he was rewarded by a spear to his throat and an eternal silence from the girl, her hands flew to her gaping mouth, drops of tears fell from the crescent of her chin to her lap. But but... He rescued her. That was cruel... She did understand that some people were against violence no matter what. Thanks to the entitlement that came with being born in a rich family, Hunie had no such qualms, she did think that lifes of good people were worthier than those of greedy sadists like the four green players he had described.  She was sure she would not have punished him, or anyone who rescued her from such a terrible fate. 

Hunie didn't cry often, her tears had dried out when she was a teen crying about how everyone else go to play and run around, while she couldn't. On other rare occasions, when she did cry however, she found it rather difficult to stop. She burst into tears, resisting the urge skip over the table and fling her arms over him. That would be a little awkward, they were still strangers... Of sorts. Hunie was surprised he had just opened his doors to her and had been such a wonderful host without any questions. While she tried to collect herself, she made a mental note to tell him what brought a low level girl like her, all the way to the thirteenth floor. She had a feeling he would empathise, she just hoped it didn't come across as though she wasn't trying to win his sympathy by exploiting everything he just told her. 

Edited March 18, 2016 by Hunie

[Ssendom 0]

It seemed like the entire story seemed to change who was having the mental breakdown, Dom was battling to keep his emotions in check not to give such an embarrassing site to the woman. She was now the one beginning to break down into tears, flustered Dom had literally no idea what to do at this point. He was already bad at relationships as was apparent in the story he gave to Hunie, but dealing with a girl who has having an emotional breakdown. She was beginning to cry and tears were falling, Dom was feeling sorry for telling the story in the first place cause this wasn't the intention of his story.

It seemed the last bit about Meokka not wanting anything more do to with him was the final straw, she broke down completely bawling her eyes out completely. Dom was completely out of his element here, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." He apologized outright, he was baffled. He realized how much of a miserable life he had led up until this point in his entirety of living, but there was really nothing he could do. The Berserker knew he was meant to live out a life of lonliness and solitude, the idea of a true romance was something never set in the stones to happen to Dom.

"Look, you needn't cry over my past. I have learned to accept that my fate doesn't have the idea of Romance riddled into it. I am meant to fight until I die and there isn't much of a way to escape it." His hair dropped over his face as it was apparent he had completely accepted the grim reality, "And I don't want anyone else to suffer in my Grim Reality. So please, don't cry for me." He pleaded with her, he might have just been making everything worse with his honesty. Yet he couldn't help but at least inform her for some reason, then it dawned on him. This was the most he had ever opened up to someone in the world.

[Hunie 0]

Most of what Dom said was inaudible to her, because she could here her own sniffling in her head. Faintly she heard him apologise and while still in the throws of her breakdown, she just shook her head in order to let him know that it wasn't really his fault. A little embaressed of being molly coddled by someone who up until about an hour ago was a complete stranger, Hunie strove to silence herself. The blonde's shoulders finally stopped shaking and eventually the tears abated and her red eyes found his sad ones. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying some more when he mentioned how he had accepted his reality. 

"Y-You won't die, you're stronger than you think n-now." She said while the last of her sobs left her. Her face now assumed a more sterner expression, her features taking a bolder shape. "I'm suffering my own grim reality, Dom. I guess we all are..." she said simply and sighed. "I suppose with your willingness to help as soon as possible, has ridden your brain of curiosity." Hunie said as she wiped away the moisture of the tears from her face till there was no trace left of them except the redness in her eyes and on the tip of her nose. "You were so keen on ensuring I was safe in that very moment, you didn't even ask what I was doing here?" She asked, feeding words to him. "Don't you want to know what I'm running from?" but before he could even ask she decided to share her grim reality... 

"I don't even know if its fair for me to bother you with this." She said weighing her words carefully, but everything that was bothering her was triggered by his story of Meokka, her worries, her fears everything. It was at the tip of her tongue, she doubted she could hold it in even if she wanted. "You should know, you are not obliged to help me and your hospitality today has been more than enough..." The blonde drew a long breath in and chose this moment to survey her surroundings buying a little time and readying herself to delve into describing everything she had been enduring. SAO took cyber bullying to a whole new level, especially because they were stuck in the game. Finally, grabbing the cold glass with a shaky hand and drawing another sip from it, Hunie began. "This is going to sound a lot like what you've already heard, it'll probably be like deja vu, but I promise I'm not making this up Dom." She said, looking straight into his yes. "I think there are others out there, players like the kind of people who had... taken Meokka... and a few are... after me."

She paused to let this sink in. "The worst thing Dom, is that they are extremely stealthy, they're stalking me through the shadows.... and they know my name..." She said, her voice quivering a little. "And by name, I mean real name." She swallowed and summarised how it all began. "It had started in an alley in the Town of Beginnings, one of them called my Sophie and said that they had been waiting for me." Panic started taking over and she was gasping a little. "I had run for the plaza them and sought help, by the time the whole party of people I'd gathered reached the alley, they were long gone..." 

"For so many days I was scared of every getting too far away from crowds... Eventually I decided it was time to try and grow stronger." she explained, her voice betraying the same valor she had sought the day she decided to start heading out. "But they've punished me for that choice Dom, I hear from them almost once everyday, and now they say things like they are going to make me theirs..." She said, knitting her eyebrows and finally burying her face in her palms. "I don't know anything about them, not their face, not their name, the guy could be you and I would never know..." she said, her voice muffled by her hands. She refused to look up at him now, she knew she'd probably find pity in his eyes, something the blonde found rather distasteful, having been a victim to it all her life. "No one has ever attacked me, but I feel like they're just biding their time and it could be anytime now..." She finished. 

Edited March 18, 2016 by Hunie

[Ssendom 0]

What Dom got in return honestly shell shocked him a bit as he pulled up his eyes to meet hers. He had never asked the woman to share her own story, unlike how she did for him. But she began to spill some pretty serious situations. Suddenly her discomfort being in the presence of him and all his actions up until this point rang like an alarm in his head, "I apologize for scaring you if I did." He managed to say at a point where she would make a pause. But she continued on about the reason why she was so terrified for her life, it was becoming as clear as day why she was here now there was a deeper meaning behind it all.

He kept a stern face with udder attention to make sure not to miss a single bit of detail, based on what she was saying it was eerily close to how Meokka was treated and how the entirety of the situation went about. He wasn't taking her situation lightly in his head either, he didn't know exactly how he could help her but there was something he knew he had that might be of use to the woman. Once she was completely done with her story Dom nodded and sighed, "I can see your in quite the predicament, which is obviously a huge dilemma that is affecting your actions as of right now." He stated.

He dropped his finger and selected a single item, he stood up and walked over to her side of the table. He pressed on the item to reveal it and out was revealed a massive Greatsword serrated in all different directions and ways, in fact the Greatsword even stood as tall as the Dreadnought himself. This was sure to give off a bad vibe if any, but Dom looked at her, "Look I may not be able to help with your situation in a big aspect cause I wouldn't begin to think about where to look for these stalkers of yours, but I can give you something to arm yourself against them. This is my weapon Gorehowl, known for it's ability to shred and cause enemies to bleed to their death. But I had it forged with extra weight modifiers to make it perfect for practicing until you are a grandmaster with it, no other weapon will ever seem as heavy as that one." He explained to her hoping to get the idea of hope saddled in her brain.

He cleared his throat, "But I want you to know, if you ever need anything you can call upon me and I'll show up in a moments notice." He informed her, hoping that the idea of having something alike to a guardian angel... except more human... and brutal... and savage... More like a freaking Freight Train Gorilla on her side would ease the idea of the Stalkers trying to get their hands on her. And if you ever get captured and you don't know how likely your survive is, try to discretely send me a message that solely says help and nothing more. I WILL find you." He stated matter of factly with intensity in his voice. He didn't want anyone to have to deal with what he and Meokka ever had to deal with.