{SP-F4} Hell Is a Cold Place

[Pinball 1]

It was three in the morning, and dark clouds covered the even darker sky. He hadn't been able to sleep, and something was drawing him to this floor - a feeling he couldn't quite place. There was a light, but steady snowfall - but Pinball had spent enough time on the Fourth Floor during his self-inflicted exile to know that it was just a warning of worse things to come. 
His boots crunched in the snow as he walked; the only sound in the dark, empty woods. Layers of snow covered the trees’ bare branches, a cold substitute for a forest’s usually bright frondescence. Pinball wore his white, fur-lined jacket, unzipped and showing his long-sleeved black undershirt and the leather padding he called armor. The shoulderpads were covered by the jacket, but Pinball figured they would function the same, if he even got hit at all. Plus, the thick coat hid his rather thin frame, which was always a thing he appreciated. One hand was buried in his pant pocket, another shivering fist tightly gripping his Cold Fervor, the demonic weapon’s aura only adding to the severity of the environment’s already chill temperature. A Warrior’s Focus hung from his wrist, the necklace-turned-bracelet almost glowing as it hit moonlight. It was perhaps the only expensive looking item on his person. Around his waist, as usual, hung a cracked jar kissed by frost, a thick black mist slowly swirling within its confines. Parallel the jar hung a couple of ratty leather pouches that looked like they had seen much better days. His face was sour as he marched, almost as if he was holding back tears. 

Edited September 18, 2018 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

* * * * * * * 

The smell of new beginnings. There was a flash of light that momentarily blinded as Finn's dagger reflected the sunlight in its blade. A practiced Finn caught it by the handle as it fell, the blade pointing. He grinned as he straightened himself, his loose clothing falling back as he raised an arm. He had taken his time to make his avatar look as ridiculously flamboyant as possible, and had spent all of his starting money to buy the most gaudy clothes he possibly could. It had been worth it to see the look on her face when they met up.
“How do you expect to kill anything when you’re dressed like that? You’re not even wearing armor. And you picked up a butterknife as your weapon.”
Finn grinned again, lazily pointing the starter weapon at his friend with a wink. “Isn’t that what I have you for? I’m not gonna need to kill anything.”
The girl turned to acknowledge his ridiculously dressed avatar. In comparison, she was much more ready for combat than he was. A leather belt was thrown across her iron chestplate, her starter sword sheathed at her side and the shield she had just recently bought with her starting funds strapped to her back. She didn’t look nearly as ridiculous as Pinball’s character did, either, on account of her having chosen one of the many basic presets available at character creation.  “And… why is that?”

Edited September 18, 2018 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

He paused in the middle of the bustling street, spreading his arms out wide, and twirling his blade with a flourish. He punctuated the exaggerated motion with an exaggerated bow.
“That’s because, my dear Lucy,” he cried, tilting his bowed head to meet her eyes, “I’m not concerned with the petty triflings of you smelly barbarians.” He straightened, resting a hand on his chest and tilting his head skyward. “Nay!” He spoke with the feigned extravagance befitting of someone as ostentatiously dressed as his avatar. “Because I’m a merchant by trade, see, and I plan to rule Aincrad with a golden fist!” There was a pause as Finn waited for a reaction, grinning wildly, chin pointed up. When he looked back down, Lucy was halfway down the street. Finn snorted, his grin only growing wider as he realized what just happened. He ran after her, his boots tapping loudly against the cobbled roads as he pushed past player and NPC alike.  “H-hey! Wait up! Lucy, come on, don't do me like this!”

* * * * * * * 

Edited September 18, 2018 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

The tallest mountain on the Fourth Floor. At least, one of the tallest. In reality, it was just one of the many that dotted the more mountainous side of the floor, and it just so happened to be the one that he had scaled with Tsu - no, Froppy - so long ago. To Pinball, this was the only important mountain. The memories flooded his mind then, and even though he tried to close himself off, his efforts were in vain. He bitterly, yet vividly remembered their experience. They had been questing on Sugutsuya's behalf for an amulet: The Heart of Ice. It was rumored to be one of the most expensive items in the game, yet when they had found it on the peak of this mountain, it had turned out just to be a really pretty Vanity item. Still, Sugutsuya had made off with it, and even though Pinball's mood had been soured at the time, he was happy he had had the chance to spend the time with Froppy. Back then, he really had liked her, and he probably did have a chance. At least, before it happened. Pinball shook himself out of it. The past was the past. He kept walking, higher and higher up the mountain, barely glancing over his shoulder as he passed the miniature flagpole she had somehow gotten her tongue stuck on. 

Edited September 19, 2018 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

* * * * * * *

They've been online friends for a long time. Years, really - he had met her online before he had moved to Japan. She had always been there for him, and had been his only real friend, even though they'd never actually met in real life. The closest thing they had gotten to meeting each other was voice chats - but they had talked every day, and she had stuck with him through everything. That's how you knew friendships were built to last: when they stick with you even when you're at your lowest points. 
Between them, she had always been the more aggressive player of the two. She always shot for the top, while Pinball was more satisfied with involving himself in the more relaxed parts of the game: the economy, the community, and the fun that came with messing up important stuff like guild raids with your own incompetence. Still, she dragged her lazier companion around with her, letting him slack off while she worked.
By the time Pinball had found a shady spot to watch her fight, she had to have been at least two levels above everyone else in the game - especially since most people were busying themselves with the dazzling graphics and the immersion that came with playing a full-dive game of this scope. He sat, leaning against a tree, content with watching as she fought three wolves and a boar by herself. Her health never dropped into the yellow. 

Edited September 19, 2018 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

He frowned as time seemed to momentarily freeze, Lucy's flashing blade pausing mid-strike, only to disappear in a flash of blue light. The mobs turned their heads toward him, and then he, too, felt his avatar's body fading away. 
Confusion, followed by immediate and debilitating fear. He gazed into the mirror clutched in his hands, wide-eyed as his gaudy avatar's face melted away, leaving his own face to stare straight back at him. Finn looked over his shoulder, where he saw Lucy - her avatar, too, was gone now. She seemed to have almost shrunk a few inches, whereas Pinball seemed to grow. A shock of bright-red hair poured over her eyes, hiding her freckles and pale blue eyes. She looked at Finn, her eyes widening as she tried to process what exactly was happening. Kayaba had said it all. In a sudden rush of anger, she threw the mirror onto the floor, where it shattered in a cloud of blue pixels. 
She grabbed Pinball by the wrist, and pulled him along with her. All around them as they walked, he could hear people's confusion slowly giving way to fear. Their walk slowly turned into a jog, and then into a full on sprint. He could barely keep up. He was dumbstruck. He tried to talk, but his words were slurred and incomprehensible. His tongue felt like lead in his mouth.
They didn't stop running until they made it to the next town, through fields and trees, leaving behind them in the Town of Beginnings the horrified screams of the damned. 

* * * * * * 

[Pinball 1]

Memories, memories, memories. God, he hated mornings like this. Why did he always feel so horrible when he woke up? When was the last time he had gotten out of bed and not felt disappointed that he had? He couldn't remember. Pinball trudged through the snow as he walked, dragging his boots. He was leaning heavily on his spear now. He felt physically weighed down with some sort of emotion now. 
It was unfair. Why did he have to feel like this? Did he deserve it? What had he done to? He didn't have the words to describe how he felt, truly. Pinball grit his teeth, his face twisting into a pained expression... but no tears came. Pinball wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. He wanted to drop and roll down the mountainside. But he didn't do any of these things. Pinball lifted his head, renewed determination written all over his face. He was going to make it to the top. And then... 

Edited September 19, 2018 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

* * * * * * * 

Finn stared down at the bowl of noodles put out in front of him, slouching in his chair. Lucy sat in front of him, slurping away. Finn watched her for a bit. She didn't really take much notice of his staring until he asked the question. 
"Why?" 
Lucy stopped mid-slurp, staring at Finn with a mouthful of noodles. 
It had only been a week since the announcement, and from the look on Lucy's face, it was clear she was getting tired of Finn asking this question. She finished chewing, and set down her eating utensils. Folding her hands with a roll of her eyes, she sighed. "Because I care, Finn. We had to get out of there, and we needed to start getting stronger if we wanted to survive." 
We is a... lenient way of putting it. Despite all her prodding, she hadn't actually been able to get Finn to fight anything. Whether it be his stubborn pride or fear for his life, Finn refused to use his dagger. He had traded his ridiculous clothes in for something much simpler, though he still no longer wore armor. 
Lucy still dragged him along regardless, and she was becoming more and more powerful by the day. She had traded her sword and shield in for a two-handed spear, and had been pleasantly surprised by the damage output she had with a two-handed weapon. She was making progress, and was probably the highest DPS in the game at the time. 
"You're my best friend." 
Finn looked up, his heart immediately warming as those four words left her lips. She busied herself with her bowl of noodles again, and Pinball smiled nervously to himself. It made him so happy to hear that. 
So why did he also feel the slightest twinge of disappointment? 

Edited September 19, 2018 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

Skip ahead. Months passed like this. They did everything together. Though she never participated in boss fights on Finn's behalf, Lucy kept growing stronger and stronger. 
He was sat alone in their room, staring at a blank page in his leather bound journal, a quill held loosely in one hand. 
There was no natural lighting in the room, and the candles that were placed around were snuffed out by Finn's insistence. He preferred being in the dark. He spent a lot of time alone, waiting for Lucy to come back from her monotonous grinding... 
So it came as a really big surprise when she came back, holding the hand of some guy with a shock of pure white hair. A dagger was tied to the man's waist, and leather pouches hung from his belt as well. His beaten up leather armor looked like it had seen better days. 
"Finn," she announced happily, holding the guy's hand up, "this is my boyfriend, Sugutsuya." 
Finn stared straight at her, confusion turning into irritation. "Your what?" 

[Pinball 1]

Sugutsuya, the info-broker. Finn never liked him. There was something really shady about him he couldn't quite place, though whatever it was was hidden behind an unfaltering veneer of genuine kindness. Whenever the broker spoke, people stopped to listen. Unlike Finn, he had a way with words that drew people closer to him. Everyone wanted to get their taste of the knowledge that simply cascaded from his lips whenever he spoke.
So it came as no surprise that when Lucy fell for him, she fell hard. 
Sugutsuya had ambitions. He wanted to build a hierarchy that was based on knowledge, and he planned to be the head. He wanted a guild that specialized in secrets the rest of Aincrad had no access to. He wanted so much, but worked so little.
Truth was, Sugutsuya didn't specialize in the all-important info business he wanted to. He specialized in the spreading of gossip. On numerous occasions Finn had saw him disappear into the trees after a group of low-leveled players, hoping to pick up some juicy bit of info he could sell to the older men and women who had nothing better to do than sit waiting in the Town of Beginnings for the game to be cleared. 

Edited September 19, 2018 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

He hated him, and he wanted to make Lucy hate him too. 
It drove them apart. 
They had never argued like this before. Sure, they had had their ups and downs, but they had always stuck together. They were practically inseperable when it came down to it. She was his only real friend, and he always knew that no matter what happened between them, they would bounce back. 
But, apparently, that was not the case. 
She stopped dragging him around everywhere like she always seemed to do, and he stopped sharing a room with her. He didn't have any money, so for the first few days, he slept on the inn's roof. Dangerous, sure, but he figured time would mend old wounds. He figured wrong. Things were never like they were before, and at one point, sticking around was impractical. So he travelled back to the Town of Beginnings alone, cautiously avoiding danger at every corner. He had nobody to protect him anymore, and so he stayed locked away in the starting city with all the other players too fearful to go leave the safe zone. 

[Pinball 1]

He would never forget the day it happened. 
Back in the day, when the news they were trapped in a game was a new thing, the highest level players had set up shelters for the people who were incapable of or were too scared to pursue a life outside the Town of Beginnings. 
Following their argument, Finn spent a good amount of time in these shelters. Despite not having talked in months (they were both likely too stubborn to be the first to apologize), Finn had made it a habit to check his inbox while he ate his morning rations - just in case. There was a part of him that wanted to wake up to a text from her. Like old times. 
That hope died with her. 
That morning, when he opened his menu, his Friends List was empty. Finn's heart dropped in his chest. The next few moments were a haze. He remembered panicking, and the strange looks he got from several passerby as he sprinted down the cobbled roads. He remembered frantically searching for her username on the Monument of Life. He remembered thinking despite his beliefs: Please, God. Please, God. Please, God. 
He remembered his scream when he finally found her crossed-out name. 
Fall damage. Suicide. 

* * * * * * * 

[Pinball 1]

With a final push, Pinball emerged from the blanketed undergrowth of the steep mountain slope. He stood now at the peak of this unnamed mountain, the wind howling in his ears. The snowstorm was only getting fiercer with each passing second. His boots sank into the snow as he walked forward. 
There were a couple of trees on the peak, and then a pedastal that stood in the center of it all. Past that small structure the trees gave way to a sudden drop, and above that was what would be a lovely view of the sunrise - if Pinball hadn't been here for the reason he was. 
He took small, exaggerated steps toward the pedastal in the center of the clearing. There was a small stone hook dug into it, intricate patterns surrounding an indentation in the stonework. It was where the Heart of Ice once rested. Just thinking about it made Pinball's lip curl. 

[Pinball 1]

* * * * * * * 

He was on the Third Floor now. Outside for the first time in months. Following Lucy's death, he had made life as painful as possible for himself. Essentially, he had starved himself. This was going to change. He twirled his dagger in-between his fingers, glancing this way and that as he walked, his other hand buried in his pocket. He was going to go out. He was going to find a quest, and he was going to die fighting. “Hi, I am sorry to bother you, but you seem to be very low leveled. I’d be careful if I were you. If you plan to leave the safezone, make sure you have a higher leveled player there to watch your back.” Pinball turned a curious gaze to the man who had approached him. There was a hand held out to him, belonging to a red-haired youth who couldn't be much older than him, but who wore a cocky, self-assured smirk and had an air of confidence to him that immediately put Pinball on his guard. 
Still. He hadn't been spoken to in so long, he almost teared up. 
I don't want to die. 
Pinball nodded, not quite able to put together a proper sentence. 
"I am Atzo, The Forgotten King and Leader of the Emerald Harbingers. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. If you need anything, please let me know.”
He jumped on it. Pinball took his hand, but couldn't bring himself to look Atzo in the eyes. His voice hoarse and wildly uncertain, Pinball spoke for the first time in God knows how many months. "I'm... Pinball. I'm, uhh... a bit new to this kind of thing." 

* * * * * * *

Edited September 22, 2018 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

Pinball stood there for a long time. The snowstorm was only getting worse, and Pinball could feel the cold begin to creep through his clothes, cooling his avatar's skin. As the sun came up, painting the empty sky a blood-red, Pinball felt his anger and disgust gradually sift through his feet, leaving only an indescribable emptineness. 
He saw it only for a split second, but he did; the scenery in front of him almost seemed to shift. It was something like when enemy monsters in video games use some kind of cloaking device - imperfect, and their silhouette was nearly always visible to give the player some sort of warning.
Immediately he felt his emotion return. The anger bubbling in his chest killed the empty feeling that had swallowed his being just seconds ago. "You [censored] asshole," he cursed, glaring at the silhouette, "I see you." 
The air around the stonework shimmered, the contrast between the scenery and the cloaked figure's only greatening until, almost with a pop, Sugutsuya's Hiding was discovered. 
There, now sat on the pedastal criss-crossed with his head in his arms, looking down at the seething boy's glare, sat the white-haired Sugutsuya. 

Edited September 29, 2018 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

Words can't quite describe the pure, unadulterated anger he felt at the sight of him. His blood boiling and his muscles tense, all Pinball could see was Sugutsuya's stupid, grinning face. 
He felt himself start to plead. Wishing he'd do something so he can lay him out right there. 
Please, he begged, give me a reason. He'd break this guy's perfect nose. He wanted to beat him within an inch of his life and leave him to fight for himself in the snow. He wanted to -
And the wind howled. There was an almost unbearably long pause before either of them moved. Pinball glared, seething. Begging him to give him a reason. He was waiting for something - anything - that'd piss him off in the slightest. I [censored] dare you. 
It was then that Sugutsuya held up a single finger, a confused look twisting his features. He shoved a hand into his coat, digging around the interior pockets for something. Then, he spoke. 

[Pinball 1]

"So I've heard you'be been messing around with my guild," he began, hopping off of the pedastal. There was something Pinball hated in his voice, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it - it was like he was privy to some kind of secret joke, and only he knew the punchline - and by God, it was apparently really funny. You could hear the strain in his voice as he tried to contain this immense amusement. He finally pulled from his pocket an almost transluscent amulet that glittered brightly when it caught sunlight. "This is what you want, right?" 
In a half-hearted toss, he threw it to Pinball. It landed a few feet in front of him, where it sunk into the snow. Pinball didn't flinch, and his eyes never left Sugutsuya's face. "Take it," he insisted, taking a few long, swinging steps to the side, "it's just vanity. Don't know why you let yourself get so worked up over it." Sugutsuya walked past him, grinning as he passed Pinball. 
Pinball turned to watch him walk off, glaring daggers at his back. He could feel the rage bubbling up inside of him, and his breathing steadily got more and more shaky. 
He was almost at the mountain path when Sugutsuya spun on his heel, his smile only growing wider. "I don't think Froppy is interested anymore," he chuckled to himself, "but maybe you should take it with you off the side of that cliff. I'm sure Lucy would love it." 

[Pinball 1]

And while Pinball had never been one to let stuff like that get to him, something inside of him snapped then. 
Pinball would later come to realize how aggressive he had gotten. How quick to anger he was. Maybe he had spent too much time alone. He had spent weeks in silence, ambling lazily about the varying environments of Aincrad's wilds. Suffering. Because it had been punishment. He had deserved every insufferable moment of that self-inflicted exile. In fact, he probably deserved a lot worse. He only ever seemed to hurt people. Pushing them away, breaking their hearts, and just ultimately burning bridges... because he'd told himself he'd hurt anybody he'd get close to anyway. That he'd hurt himself by gettig too close to people. And that kind of toxic behavior, he knew, needed to be isolated. 
But as he flew across the snow, his spear lowered in a charge and his face twisted with disgust, he experienced a profound moment of clarity; he had never been more sure about anything in his entire life. He realized two things: 

1.) That he had always been alone,
and
2.) He wanted this guy to hurt. 

Edited November 8, 2018 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

Time seemed to slow, if only just for a moment,and everything save for the howling of the wind in his ears fell silent as Pinball glided across the snow. He knew he was being stupid. Was he really so easily angered? By a low, cheap taunt like that? He was better than that, surely. 
The old Pinball would have been laughing his ass off if he knew how thin his skin had gotten. But at the same time, he'd go easy on himself. He could get mad. Just this once, he'd give himself a pass, and let it slide. Poor Sugutsuya didn't even have time to fully draw his weapon - he barely had time to turn around before Pinball's Charge hit him like a cannonball. In a fiery blast of cold force, Sugutsuya was sent sprawling backward into the snow, his dagger knocked out of its sheathe and sent flying through the air. Basking in the success of his first strike, Pinball slowly sauntered over to the prone Sugutsuya, almost gloating through the way he carried himself. The smaller white-haired man striggled to lift a hand , forcing his shaking, stunned body to move - only to find his palm frostbitten and shaking violently. Accepting what was to come, yet seemingly amused all the same, Sugutsuya let his arm fall back to the earth, defeated... for the moment. 

Edited November 8, 2018 by Pinball

[Pinball 1]

Pinball stood over the incapacitated Sugutsuya victoriously. 
The gentle snowfall had picked up violently, and Sugutsuya's leather breastplate was already dappled by the fine white powder. Pinball's gloating - or was it hesitation? - wasn't lost on Sugutsuya at all, for he met Pinball's gaze cheerfully. 
"Pinny Poo," he inquire with a friendly, understanding smile, "what's the matter? I-" he waggled his fingers at himself, "-I'm pretty sure you're upset about something." He laughed, a genuine, caring chuckle that seemed to pierce the roaring wind and blinding snowfall. It was the kind of thing that pulled a person's attention... and made them lower their defenses. "Can't we talk about it?" 
"!!!" Already even the coupled effects of Pinball's Freeze and Bull Rush were wearing off, for as he spoke he saw Sugutsuya's frostbitten hand creeping slowly toward the dagger that had landed conveniently close to his immobilized form. 
It was in that moment that Pinball realized he had never met somebody as grotesquely twisted as Sugutsuya. People weren't supposed to act like this! There was something seriously wrong with this guy. And Pinball was getting sick of the disgustingly fake smile he so shamelessly used to deceive.
Pinball cursed aggressively before shoving his spear into Sugutsuya's stomach. As he attacked once more, the info broker's health dropped even further, just barely hanging on the threshold between green and yellow... 

Edited November 10, 2018 by Pinball