[1F - SP] <<Earning a Living>> - Completed

[Shield 0]

Shield physically flinched, taken aback by the unexpected turn this conversation had taken. To hear an NPC speak of anything outside of the game itself was entirely alien, and so casually and with such freedom of thought, or what seemed to be at least.

"I wasn't bitter or angry," Demitrius sighed, looking up at the clear blue sky overhead. "I had lived a good life. I just had no offspring of my own, and I wanted to leave behind a legacy of some sort."

"So you coded yourself into the game," Shield said, finishing the thought.

"Precisely. I knew the game was going to be ground-breaking. We all did. It seemed as good of a place as any. So I started coding."

As he spoke, he made broad, sweeping motions with his arms, doing everything he could to impress upon Shield just how unbelievably monumental of a task this was.

 

[Shield 0]

"For days, I coded. Weeks! Perhaps longer. I can't say for sure. I spent more hours in the computer labs than anyone else that I know of. So much so, that I found out things I wasn't supposed to find out."

Shield's jaw dropped once again, unable to take in everything at once.

"Hold on," he interrupted, holding out his hand to silence the old man. "Are you trying to say you KNEW this was going to happen? All of-" he gestured around at all of the people around them who were trapped in the game. "-this!? And you didn't stop it?"

Demitrius pulled out his pipe once again, packing the contents of the bowl before lighting them up once again. Ever so slightly, he inclined his head.

"And you didn't say anything? You didn't think to stop-"

"Of course I thought to, boy! I'm not a barbarian!"

The shriveled husk of a man puffed out his chest with indignation, turning his rounded nose towards Shield to regard him intently before turning his face forward again, taking several long draws on his pipe.

[Shield 0]

"I believe that Kayaba was suspicious of my spending so much time after hours. I started to see traces here and there that people were snooping around in my files. If I had come forward, I have no doubt he would have been prepared. It would have been the words of a dying man versus the game's father."

The old man shrugged.

"What was I to do?"

It was painful to say it, but Shield did not know what he would have done in that same situation. His eyebrows knit together at the center as he scrunched up his face. It made him look as though the conversation itself was putting a bad taste in his mouth. It was another long time before either of them spoke.

"So what did you do?" Shield asked, watching as the sun was beginning to dip low enough to kiss the rooftops.

"I backed my digital self up as best I could, and I went to confront the media about what I'd found."

[Shield 0]

"If you confronted the media, when why are we still here?" Shield asked as calmly as he could manage, though his voice still shook a little even as he made the attempt.

"I have no way of knowing," Demitrius said apologetically, lifting a hand and shrugging the shoulder it belonged to. "That was the last update that was made to my character file. If I had to guess though... I'm probably dead."

Although he had not wanted to admit to that possibility, this thought had not escaped Shield. He looked down at the ground, his fingers gripping the fabric above his knees, squeezing tightly. It was a shame. This was the sort of person that Shield felt he could have really grown to be close friends with. To think that they were no longer around despite being right beside him was a confusing and upsetting thought.

"Do you think it was Kayaba?"

The busy brows of the old man dipped lower and the wrinkles on his forehead deepened as he drew on his pipe again. There was a thoughtful look in his eyes as he continued taking note of each of the pedestrians traversing the worn stone path.

[Shield 0]

"Very likely," replied the old man with a smile. "He's certainly shown that he doesn't mind playing with peoples' lives. Still, I can't say for sure. Near the end, I was very ill. I could have been hospitalized or even lost control of my car and crashed."

Demitrius glanced over at Shield for the first time in quite a while, giving him a warm smile that almost seemed to have deeper meaning when lined with so much time and experience. He did his best to return the smile, but he was still deeply saddened to lose a friend, even one that he never actually knew. The old eyes returned to the street.

"How things ended for me isn't important," he said, his tone even and his smile unfazed. "I'd rather be known for my life than my death. Wouldn't you?"

"Is that why, then?" Shield asked, his eyes following that of Demitrius, scanning the faces of the hundreds of inhabitants now trapped in the game. "Was this a grasp at immortality, to tell people about your life?"

"I only told you about me because you asked. And because you earned it."

[Shield 0]

He was right. At the time, Shield didn't even get the impression that he had been particularly interested in sharing. He had said what he said to drive Shield forward and help motivate him. A sad little smile traced itself onto Shield's lips as they watched the world go by.

"So it's something else then. A desire to teach people about the things that matter to you."

At the corner of his vision, he saw the eyebrows next to him dip as their owner gave a nod of acknowledgement.

"It's all about taking joy in the little things," creaked the old voice, again, so softly that it was almost a part of the throbbing heartbeat of the passing of dozens of feet. "A sunset, or a cup of tea. Saying hello to a stranger. A simple, two-handed sword that is only spectacular in its design because it is so perfectly functional."

Shield nodded at each of these things, looking at every face that he could as they flashed in his eye for only a few brief seconds before disappearing into the crowd.

[Shield 0]

With a nod, Shield closed his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. Instead of the sights, he focused on the sounds of the street. There were snippets of conversation, the padding or clanking of differently shod feet, the occasional strain of music from those who were performing or just humming as they walked.

"Well, Demitrius," he said with a note of bitterness. "I'm disappointed in your motives."

"Oh are you now?" the old man asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I am. You talk about wanting to teach people to appreciate the little things. Really, I think what you want is to just make more people like you."

"Looks like I've been found out," Demitrius joked back at him, giving Shield a harmless slap on the knee. "It looks like I did too good of a job, if you got this clever this quick. A victim of my own brilliant teaching, I suppose."

[Shield 0]

"I'm glad you passed that part on to me and not the ego," Shield answered back. 

Listening to Demitrius laugh, knowing the truth about him, it made him seem like someone important. He was like a historical figure. His words meant more, and his actions seemed more heroic. He seemed like something more than a human, even though Shield had never even seen him while he was alive.

That may be intentional. Creative types who attempt to recreate themselves often create a version of themselves that they wish to be rather than who they are. Still, whether it was the actual man or the Gary Stu, he did help me see some important things more clearly. If nothing else, it forced me to see the players as more than just participants in my online experience. It's not like I didn't already know that, but getting fresh perspective is always important.

[Shield 0]

As they sat side by side, enjoying the parade of people wandering in either direction, time seemed to stand still. Shield was no longer fighting for his survival. There was no looming presence of a sick and twisted Akihiko Kayaba lurking in the shadows somewhere. It was just him and his mentor learning by observing and letting things be what they were for a while.

"As long as we're being forthcoming about where we come from, I have a few details I keep from people as well," Shield said slowly, but with deliberation. "Not that any of it is damaging to my reputation, mind you. It's just things I haven't shared yet."

The old gentleman didn't speak, and Shield took that as permission to continue. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. It was like being in a confessional, only he didn't feel like the person on the other side was judging him.

[Shield 0]

"It's no secret that I'm eager to get myself out of here," he began. "I've never really talked about my reasons though. Not even to my travel companion."

A small NPC family passed in front of them, two young children, a brother and sister, holding their mother's hands and swinging her arms back and forth with their tiny hands as they walked. They looked nothing like his family had, but he had seen his children walk like that with their mother countless times, his voice caught in his throat as he attempted to continue his speech, but he had to pause and wait until their backs had disappeared into the crowd.

"I'm a father. That much isn't a shocker, especially for someone my age. Still my family was split, and my wife took the kids with her when she left, after leaving me this scar."

He traced his finger along the mark, running the tip of it across the bridge of his nose and down his cheek to the corner of his jaw. 

[Shield 0]

"So you're worried about their safety then?" the old man asked.

"Not exactly. I mean, that thought is in my mind, but despite being a terrible wife, she was a good mother. I don't believe she'd do anything to harm them. Still..."

The words were having trouble coming out. Between the presence of the children that had passed by and the relative novelty of divulging anything to anyone online, real or not, made him feel incredibly vulnerable. He was not used to emerging from behind his armor.

"Still, you want a chance to fix things, at least enough to be a presence in their lives."

Shield nodded heavily. The weight of their absence and the lack of meaningful activity with them had left the gaping hole that he had filled with MMOs. It was the real reason he was here, yet he had never talked about it.

"If nothing else."

Edited January 19, 2017 by Shield

[Shield 0]

Demitrius sat in silence for a long time, and Shield did not interrupt it him with further words. It was hard to say whether this was because the human part of him was wanting to give Shield time to say more, or if he was really thinking, or if it was really a matter of a very sophisticated  AI finally hitting a wall at the concept of 'fatherhood.'

"I am very sorry to hear for your loss," Demitrius finally said, breaking the silence. "I can't imagine what that must be like."

Shield nodded. He appreciated the sentiment, but he did not know what else there was to say on the matter. Finally, Demitrius took another raspy breath.

"Well, then I give the same advice as I have. Work towards your goal, but don't forget to live in the here and now. There's lots of fathering to do right here, my boy."

[Shield 0]

This confused Shield, which was apparent from the look that he gave to the programmer-turned-NPC. He screwed up his face, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Well, look at this place," Demitrius said, gesturing to the street that they had been observing. "This place is filled with kids. Sure, they may not be children, but they're young, and they're scared. The weight of the world, or at least their future survival, has been placed on their shoulders. That should never have been their responsibility to hold."

Some of the meaning began to sink in. He could not become a literal father in the game. That clearly was not how Sword Art Online or virtual reality as a whole worked.

"So I get to shoulder that burden?" Shield asked.

"Haven't you already? If you want so badly to see your children again, you're accomplishing both things at once."

"You're not wrong about that, I suppose," admitted the younger of the two men, catching himself as he went to run his fingers along the scar again.

[Shield 0]

"There's more to being a father than just being protective though," the old man went on. "Help them find happiness. Show them how to find peace in the moment and adventure in the little things. Like the view from the street, or in that little dagger they thought was imperfect."

Shield looked down at his other hand, which still held the jeweler's loupe. He made to hand it back to Demitrius, but the merchant held up his hand in refusal.

"Keep it. I have no need for it, obviously," he said, and gave Shield a sly smile.

As the wrinkled hand went to return to its spot, it vanished. Shield blinked, and by the time he had opened his eyes, the hand was back as if it had never been gone. It was difficult to say whether he had imagined it or not, but the way in which Demitrius seemed to be hurriedly hiding his hand in his coat pocket was telling.

"What was-"

He pointed to where the hand had been, not quite knowing how to finish his question.

Edited January 19, 2017 by Shield

[Shield 0]

"They're probably just doing some program maintenance," Demitrius laughed. "It happens on occasion. Why last week, my head vanished in the middle of issuing a quest. The look on the young lady's face was quite priceless. No need to worry about it."

He stood, his joints creaking as he strained, and Shield made to stand as well. The hand that held the pipe waved away the assistance, and he let out a satisfied sound from the back of his throat as he regained his feet properly.

"I'm going to take a stroll. Mind the shop for me while I'm gone, will you?" Demitrius asked.

"But what if someone needs an appraisal?" Shield asked, not sure what to make of the sudden need for a walk.

"You have everything you need."

"Demitrius!" Shield shouted, not wanting to let him out of his sight.

"Yes, my boy?" his voice crackled back.

"How did you come to be a programmer at your age?"

"Ah, but who said I was old in real life?"

The white-bearded merchant recovered a cane from behind his stall and hobbled out into the street, disappearing into the thick of the crowd.

Edited January 19, 2017 by Shield

[Shield 0]

As much as Shield refused to believe it at first, the longer he waited, the harder it was to stave off the suspicion that Demitrius would not be returning. He waited for a few hours, trying his best to watch the crowd and not worry about the merchant, but as the sun sank below the rooftops and the moon began to dominate the sky left behind by the shrinking sun, it cemented itself in the silence of the empty streets.

I suppose it was inevitable. He was an outlier. A liability. If he knew about things before they happened, allowing anything that he left behind to exist would be dangerous. He could have even been finding ways to reinstall a lougout button, for all Kayaba knew.

Shield stood and looked at the little stall. It was a humble place for a monumentally important person, or at least Shield felt that way about him.

He wanted to make an impact, so he impacted me, I think in hopes that I would do the same to others.

The last words that Demitrius had left him echoed in his mind.

Mind the shop. Is this shop mine now? Is that what he meant?

[Shield 0]

Shield took the prop out of the lean-to so that the roof folded down neatly against the wall, and he took his leave, retiring for the evening back in his room in the nearby inn. He did not sleep at first, but with the thought of carrying on the unique tradition of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, he finally lost track of his worry and slept.

Bright and early the next morning, Shield found himself back at the market, lifting the overhang and setting up the stall for another day at market. He felt out of place, sitting by himself behind the worn little table top. There was not even a sign to announce what the shop's purpose was. He found himself absentmindedly playing with the little brass jeweler's loupe, not really paying attention to the street in front of him. He was too self-conscious to relax, sitting tensely behind the makeshift counter.

[Shield 0]

"Go ahead, honey. Ask him," a voice said softly from a few feet away.

Shield looked up from the counter to see a little girl toddling over to his stall. She could barely see over the top of it from where she stood. A woman, presumably her mother, stepped up behind her and placed her hand on the girl's curly head.

"Mithter? Are you a mer-chan'?" asked the little girl, almost as if her tongue was a little too big to fit in her mouth properly.

Shield gaped at her, unable to make sense of her. An NPC wouldn't be wandering up to shops run by players, but how could someone so young be here in the game with them?

"I know," the woman laughed, fixing her bun of straight blonde hair. "She's too young to play big kid games. Her big brother was showing her what the game was like. He had bought it for himself, but, well... obviously she couldn't log out, just like the rest of us."

[Shield 0]

"Did you know her? In real life, I mean," Shield asked, still staring at the big brown eyes that were still waiting for an answer to their question.

"Never met her before in my life," the woman laughed. "And here I thought I could get into the game to get a break from my kids every once in a while. I guess you never really get to stop being a parent, huh?"

It took everything he had to fight back the lump in his throat as Shield continued to hold the tiny little girl in his gaze.

"No, I guess you don't."

He bent lower over the counter to address her closer to her own level.

"I guess you could say I'm a merchant," he began. "I'm only just starting though."

The little girl beamed and plopped a little iron dagger onto the table, barely able to get it over the edge with her short arms.

"I got it from a loot drop. It's the first weapon she found that actually fit her hands properly." The woman explained, rolling her eyes. "I keep telling her it's too dangerous to go out fighting things on her own, but she wants a weapon."

[Shield 0]

"Is it special, mithter mer-chan'?" asked the little girl as she bounced up and down on her toes, her nose bobbing into view over the counter each time she did so.

"I know it's asking a lot," the woman said, holding up her hands in an apologetic plea. "But this is one of the first times she's smiled much about anything. I don't have much Col, but I can offer you a few materials to cover the cost, if you could be so kind as to appraise it for us."

Even if he had wanted to refuse, Shield would not have been able to find it in his tired old heart to do so.

I think I caught some of your age, old man.

He nodded and took up the dagger, looking it over briefly. The little girl clapped her hands and began bouncing even more violently.

"Let's see... it looks like it's got a rank of Accuracy. That's pretty cool," he said, beaming down at his first customer.

"Thank you," the woman murmured, handing over a lump of material to use.

Shield nodded his acknowledgement and accepted the offer. With his other hand, he installed the loupe in his eye and held up the dagger to examine.

Edited January 19, 2017 by Shield