[PP-F8] Ironclad

[Alkor 0]

Scents of the Wild - Ferocious Foe

 

Many of the more prominent damage dealers he'd met told him the same thing. In order to reliably increase your output, you had to hunt down every resource available to you. Be it food, potions, weapons, armor, or even quest rewards. They only hinted at the last of these things, but some delving with the Info Brokers unearthed the truth behind those prompts. A chain of quests, available from the eighth floor onward that yielded various rewards that bolstered various statistics permanently, for as long as they were in use. This seemed like common sense to him, though he was certain there was more to learn. In order to do this, he resolved to begin with the first quest in the chain. Once that was over with, he might find a more concrete solution in the reward.

His resolution didn't make the Eighth floor any less simplistic to navigate. Regrettably, if he had started this quest a long time ago it would have been more formidable. That didn't mean anything for the latter portion of it, but it did mean that the starting off point and several subsequent quests would be an absolute, grindy slog. "If only I didn't have to go it alone," he moaned audibly as he trekked the distance from the teleporter toward where the quest mob was known to spawn. "But I guess that's pretty much how it goes," he amended. Alkor had started out as a solo Player, and even now, he had grown more isolated from others. Even his attempts to bridge that gap were met with previous understanding of who he was and how he'd acted.

Only Lessa was still really his close friend, and she still had an awkward relationship with him. His actions prior to his perceived death had done him no favors. The people now saw him as aloof, and while he had a pretty strong showing in certain circles, they were limited severely in scope. They only saw him as a reliable damage dealer, but not someone who they wanted to spend a great deal of time around outside of that. The few people he'd talked to since had a more favorable view of him, but only slightly. His experiences inside of SAO had given him new perspectives on things, both inside Aincrad and beyond it.

More recently, he'd visited the monument where his name once was thought to belong. It didn't, in truth, but seeing that for himself brought him some peace. He often thought that he did belong in a grave, and a shallow one at that. He'd been awful to people who called him a friend. Mari, Lessa... Arc... Corvo...

Alkor sighed.

"Stay focused," he told himself. Drowning in his shame and wallowing in sorrows served no purpose now but to chain him down and prevent forward momentum. If he wanted to be stronger, he had to embrace who he was and strive toward who he wanted to be. "Don't fall into that trap again."

With a soft exhalation of breath, he blew out all of his anxiety. When he inhaled again, the fresh perspective flooded his thoughts. He was ready for action.

"Now, to find this "Kumatetsu..."

@Setsuna

 

Alkor

Level 47 | 960/960 HP | 104/104 Energy

14 DMG |  12 MIT | 3 EVA | 4 ACC | BLI 24

Blightsteel [3 DMG/1 CRS] Cloak of the Wandering Warrior [3 EVA] Eye of Osiris [3 ACC]

Rank 5 Curved Sword | Rank 3 Light Armor | Athletics Mod | Precision Mod | Ferocity Mod | Finesse Mod 

Rank 3 [Fighter] Familiar Mastery | Survival | Energist | Extended Mod Limit

Edited February 16, 2021 by Alkor

[Setsuna 0]

A rub of her hands in the earth, a single large paw print drawn upon the mud. The creature was close, a lingering fog bled around her feet. Rumor of the creature being here, this Kumatetsu to which more than a few had almost lost a life too. She was hardly convinced that she could do anything about it, but at the very least she could find its pattern and write to force others to avoid it. A soft exhale as she rose, a perk of her ears words in the brush. Setsuna peels just a bit more of her katana out, forcing that mist to thicken around her. An extra shield to provide her cover, as she was more than prepared to allow disguise to trigger and morph her frame like glass. 

The foliage gives way, and the unexpected. "Alkor." Setsuna quips once she recognizes him, her eyes narrow a bit weighing why he could be here. A tap of the sheathe shut in an instant, the fog fades as her attentions shift back to the tracks that were staggered as if the beast was making large strides or leaping. On the spire of wood a few raked markings, showing its territory to those that would contest it. A shift of her sight back, she was conflicted a bit as the curiosity began to get the best of her.

Setsuna Consumes: Titan's Strength (+3 DMG) 180976-2, Well Done Steak (+2 Protein, -20 MITI) 180857-1, Artisan Carrot Cake (+3 Accuracy, Filled) 175871, Lemon Lavender Bar (+2 Evasion) 175459

Setsuna | HP:900/900 | EN:90/90 | DMG:21 | EVA:5 | ACC:6

Spoiler

Setsuna, Shiva's Embrace
Level: 45
HP: 900/900
EN: 90/90

Stats:
Damage: 21
Evasion: 5
Accuracy: 6

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Shiva's Embrace - Ancestry T2/Perfect/Katana [Damage 3]
Armor: Cold Fabric Kunoichi Wear T1/Perfect/L.A [+3 Evasion]
Misc: Kunoichi Wrapping's T1/Perfect/Trinket [+3 Accuracy]

Skills:
One-Handed Curved Sword [Rank 1]
Katana [Rank 5]
Hiding [Rank 4] +1
Light Armor [Rank 3]

Extra Skills:
Disguise
Familiar (Fighter) R1

Mods:
Finesse Rank 3
Ferocity
Athletics
Vanish
Surprise Attack (Assassin)

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystal*1
Vocal Augmentation - Resonation [T1/Perfect/Support/Instant] +60 HP*2
Bird Seed (T2/Rare/Snack) Vitality 2*1

Housing Buffs:
Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
Squeaky Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Tasty: Turn 2 identical food items into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Hiding): +1 Rank to the Hiding skill.
Advanced Training: +2 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor [Potted Tanabata]: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

 

Edited February 16, 2021 by Setsuna

[Alkor 0]

He was almost to the point where they'd said it usually roamed when he heard something like a twig snapping behind him. If he had more invested into his search skill, he might have taken it as evidence that someone was lurking nearby; unfortunately, Alkor had no interest in hidden Players and most of his time and energy went into honing his skill with the blade. If someone did try to sneak up on him, he would make them regret it. What did surprise him was when the voice cut through the fog of war and it seemed to know who he was. The darkly dressed swordsman shifted his gaze in that direction it had come from, away from the task at hand.

"Who's there?" he questioned. There was more than one Player who probably wouldn't mind attacking him, though he'd done nothing in recent times to warrant it. Most of them forgot he was alive, or never knew that rumors of his death had been greatly exaggerated to begin with. No, this was someone with a distinctly feminine voice. That narrowed it down to several people in his mind, but when he saw the mist break and Setsuna appeared, he seemed visibly relieved. "Oh hey, Setsuna," he greeted her with a smile. "Fancy seeing you here."

It did seem a bit uncharacteristic that the younger woman would happen to be in the same place as him at the same time, but the likelihood that she wanted to handle the same quest abated any questions that arose. "You looking for the bear too?" he asked in an attempt to clear the slightly awkward air. Maybe it wasn't awkward for her, but in spite of many strides he made toward being more approachable and social, Alkor was still weaker than most people in communicating his thoughts and feelings, and he wasn't great at reading the room. "If you want, we can look for it together?"

In all that time, he hadn't thought to draw his weapon. Action came after words now, no matter the situation. Striking another Player was nowhere near the forefront of his mind, and it showed in how he spoke and carried himself.

[Setsuna 0]

A shift of her mask under the lower half of her face, drawing it from its confines. A bit of cloth that adorned her neck, she peels it up and covers her chin and lips. A soft nod, as she affixed it. There was an understanding between them both in a strange twist. The man was reliable, was focused. Setsuna was more than ready for a different kind of exchange, a distraction from the matter at hand that would solve a different problem. "I am, Kumatetsu. Guild tasks as required." Setsuna was and is a very good operative, able to act in isolation where things grew the most dire. The lack of fear made it easier.

There seemed to be a thickened uneasiness in the air, which was as expected as it should be. The pair were on amicable terms, but it was still an oddity. Neither seemed refined in subtly or conversation. "The thing has been praying on some that wander too close, I am attempting to track its movements. The goal is to put it down, and see where it spawns next." She offers him her motives, as the man was more or less trusted enough to confide in. A pause once he offers to assist her, and perhaps himself in the hunt. A recall of the raid and the banshee, she'd seen him fight and he could more than hold his own. "Agreed, two sets of eyes." A soft twist of her frame as if allowing him to take the lead. She operated best from the shadows.

A flapping in the distance, as an array of birds coast the tree line out of fear. A signal on a direction to head, what but a mile. Such fauna had a habit of giving away those without the ability to conceal themselves.

[Alkor 0]

He sighed. Setsuna was extremely mechanical in the way she approached things. It made it easier for him to understand her, because she wasn't subtle. She just said what she was thinking, and explained the process set out ahead of her. On the other hand, she rarely said what she was feeling. It was hard to read her intentions on a personal level. He could certainly empathize with that. There was a time when Alkor was not dissimilar. "Guild tasks, huh?" he said absently. Unlike Setsuna, Alkor was never a very good guild member. During his time in Lessa's Guardians of Aincrad guild, he was a warm body, someone to exist simply so the Guild stayed together. He was a bad friend and rarely went to social events. It seemed like this young lady was very consistent and even did the tasks that her Guildmaster assigned diligently. They were definitely very different in their approach to solitude. "That's good," Alkor said softly, "I owe Raidou a solid anyway, I'm happy to help you out."

When she described the antics of the quest mob, Alkor felt something in the pit of his stomach churn. People should have known better than to wander far from the safe zone without direction. They'd come this far in Aincrad surviving on what they knew, and carefully avoiding the unknown when they were not prepared. The Frontliners and mid-tier Players cleared things and provided the Info Brokers with knowledge that they in turned gave to weaker Players in order to keep them alive. But then, that made sense. It was probably exactly why Setsuna was here now. "I see," he muttered discontentedly.

It was a problem. If this thing kept respawning, and it roamed openly then it would happen upon weaker Players no matter what they tried. If they knew the actual spawn point and had an idea of the parameters of the roaming grounds, though, they could give the Brokers a good idea of what the boundaries for its wrath were. Alkor took the lead she offered with a thumbs up. Neither of them was especially a talkative person, but some things were implicit. Setsuna preferred to move quietly. Alkor was fine with being the center of attention in a fight. 

That was about the only time when he was fine with it.

"Looks like we have a winner," the swordsman said absently as they moved toward the source of the disturbance. Shuffling flora brought Alkor to a pause. "I'm up," he said beneath his breath as he drew his blade into his hand.

[Setsuna 0]

A simple twist as Alkor took the helm, mirroring his strides as best as she could. Her leg span left much to be desired, normally lunging from rising platforms to cover more distance. All emotion was set in a box, far away from where they could do her harm. The girl was surgical in her approach, only operating in blacks and whites. It was Freyd that had tasked her with this, her captain, but she could understand the confusion. "They are regular, mapping floors, dealing with threats both player and monster, and helping deal with questing." The list was read back as if spoken like a chore. "It wasn't Raidou, but Freyd who brought me here today. Like you, Raidou would fail to approve of some of what must be done."

The words felt almost devoid of emotion, nerve dead and simply a restatement as if read from a book. "You would be surprised how many foolish players assume they can handle something they know nothing about, extends their neck asking to have it cut. Knowledge is hard to impart to the brash, but at least we can try." As she passed by another carve of four long blades, a bare spot where the bark had been removed. "Brokers would sell it, no. the goal is to plaster it on the request board, a warning that is broadcast over every floor at once. Rob them an easy penny at anothers expense."

As Alkor began to remove his blade to the shuttering in the distance, Setsuna's eyes flared and within seconds she becomes corporeal and turns into white smoke. But it flickers and does not hold, causing her frame to reappear. "What the?" she murmurs in confusion.

ID# 183110 results: Loot: 1+5=6

Edited February 16, 2021 by Setsuna

[Alkor 0]

"Freyd, huh?" Alkor didn't know the guy, but he didn't necessarily like that he "approved" of Setsuna's methods. Allowing someone to do something was different from condoning it. Alkor wasn't going to stop her, but he didn't have to like it either. He glanced sidelong back at her as she spoke. Setsuna really did the world in a childish way. He could tell there were no gray areas in her subjective from the way she noted other Players in such cold regard. Were they lesser because they were different, or just foolish? He couldn't quite tell what she thought on the matter just from hearing the words. Not that he'd dismiss them readily, or accept them either. Sometimes it was alright just to leave things the way they were. Setsuna had her own path to walk, the same as he did. 

When she said that she wanted to circumvent the info brokers, Alkor had to laugh aloud. What a wild fantasy that was. "The info brokers have to survive too, you know," Alkor smirked wryly back at her. "A lot of risk goes into the work they do. They get paid for things that they put their necks on the line for, or expend hard earned money to learn. You can't call that extortion, honestly, it's no different from paying a tax. You give up a necessary amount of money in order to pay for a service." 

Every member of their community was vital, down to the lowliest newbie on the first floor who hadn't even taken a step out of the Town of Beginnings. It was easy to think that one person or the other was the problem, but everyone had to eat. Some people didn't have the strength to face the Frontlines, and that was fine. Other people didn't want to move forward at all, and they couldn't help but to be afraid. All of them were valid. "But what you want to do," he said quietly, smiling all the while, "that's noble in its own way, too. Some people can't afford the info, and they have the right to survive, just like everyone else. So I can't say you're wrong either," he turned his gaze back toward where they movement had occurred and sank into a combat ready stance. He exploded forward without another word, the blade between Setsuna and whatever enemy stood ahead of them. 

Alkor would protect them all by vanquishing the enemies that threatened their existence. He shot through the underbrush with his blade first, seeking to carve through anything that might be waiting in hiding. The bush sundered, the top half fell away and vanished in a stream of pixels. There was nothing there.

"Maybe I was a little too ambitious," he laughed dryly.

Roll to find Kumatetsu: ID# 183113 Loot: 9 <fail>

Edited February 16, 2021 by Alkor

[Setsuna 0]

The skill enters cool down, something was interfering with its activation. For the first time, she felt exposed and weakened. "There are other ways to survive, then cutting a deal on something that should be commonplace. It is fair that some do put themselves out there to work to gain data. The question is how much is too much? How many times do they sell it before it becomes excessive, they'd earned their fair share. From what I've seen they are greedier than most merchants, always keeping a vice on that golden goose." Setsuna was clearly speaking her mind with no filter, she wasn't one to veil her thoughts and spoke them rather bluntly.

"If they were to offer it freely, would the world allow them to starve? Would you? Charity would breed the same, I am hesitant to believe." She paused as she eyed that skill still counting the seconds, almost nervously. "To believe that the world would be blind to their plight, greed helps no one. Your perspective is warranted, but I cannot say that I feel the same." As she hunched down, holding a lingered right hand over a katana's handle waiting for the pull. A single rabbit hops out and freezes once it notices the player, not quite their culprit. As it would appear, Kumatetsu was not here as such a thing would have been gobbled up in an instant. But the players were hot on the trail, those same aged prints broke through the greenery stamping large dark brown imprint throughout.

ID# 183114 results: Loot: 12, RIP searching

Edited February 16, 2021 by Setsuna

[Alkor 0]

"We don't have that kind of system in place, Setsuna," Alkor explained as he stood upright and glanced over the newly exposed glade. There were marks evidencing that a large mammalian creature had been through the area, but there was no bear in sight. They were on the right track, though. "There's no law and order in Aincrad but for the flimsy market. People can price things however they want, and NPC Vendors compete with even that. Because of the rarity of that information, it necessitates treatment as a service rendered. What you're talking about, society helping those in need, that's fundamentally an aspect of government. It's them taking money out of a collected pool and allocating it to a group in order to fund it. If we had that, the system that seems predatory to you would fundamentally disappear, annexed into a cog in a machine that we never see, but interact with daily." In all honesty, Alkor would have preferred that. The idea that they could come together, that they could find common ground among everyone and advance as a society to the point where they created their own form of governance just made sense to him. But there were too many inexperienced people trapped in this world. They were young, and they wanted to do things in the way that they believed was best. Raidou had the closest thing with Firm Anima, but even that was just a Guild that exploited the nature of the market for profit. The people in it did seem to thrive, to the point where they did their daily tasks. Though, as Setsuna proved, she was acting outside of parameters set by Raidou.

Her very own actions were proof as to why the Brokers functioned the way they did, and why it was unlikely to change. 

"That said, its not like I think you're wrong for wanting to serve a greater good," he said as he walked further into the clearing and made himself a very prominent, visible target. If there was a bear nearby, he was being loud enough that it would make itself known. "I just think you're a bit naïve in your approach. And that's just my opinion. Everybody's got one, right?" he smirked back at her over his shoulder. He was sure she wouldn't like what he had to say, and yet, none of that made her any less in his eyes. People were born into a world filled with conflict. Conflict was natural, and resolving it was part of becoming an adult. The inability to resolve conflict was a sure sign that a person had a long way to go. 

"I... used to think that things were that easy," he said reluctantly, his eyes moving away from the girl. "It's okay to be wrong," he said, a bit more reserved. "As long as you're not satisfied with staying wrong forever."

Still, no bear appeared.

Roll to find Kumatetsu: 

ID# 183115 Loot: 12 <fail>

Edited February 16, 2021 by Alkor

[Setsuna 0]

"We don't do we..?" Setsuna offered coyly, sensing some pause on his tone as she shared his vision. "I appreciate the sentiment, and what you mention does strike me as odd." She weighed what had been happening in the guild as a whole, there were branches. The guild itself operated on votes and not to leaders word only. Just what the hell was Raidou building? To her own shop, her memories jumped. It was Raidou that had set her prices, driving them lower than current stocks. Even the clothes on Alkor's back was her work. "I am naive, and not too prideful to not realize such." spoken as she ushers into the clearing and takes a knee.

Pressing two extended fingers from her right into the print proved it soft, it was fresh and recently created. "I have a lot to learn, clearly. What you say makes me question my guilds motives. I am of the O&I branch. Intel is half of the title, and we do not charge for what we learn as a directive. Raidou's orders. Operations, however, that is handled by Freyd. They are my masters, their wisdom mirrors yours. I find truth in what you say, and perhaps I am wrong. But only time will tell. " She unfolds looking toward Alkor with a pat of the knee to a few falling blades of grass.

ID# 183116 results: Loot: 14, Welp

[Alkor 0]

He listened carefully and considered her words. The way she framed it made it seem like she was a bit skeptical as well, though Alkor wasn't going to press that issue. He'd already said too much that could easily be construed as inflammatory. It was lucky that Setsuna didn't seem to take things personally, because things could have descended into a one-sided argument and the bear could have found them at the most inopportune time. Unlike many people he'd met in Aincrad, this girl was mature when it came to admitting her faults. When she took a knee, Alkor glanced at her thoughtfully. What a strange thing for someone so young to take to a world like this one so naturally. It was probably a survival mechanism, and undoubtedly there were many things beneath the surface that she did not want to bring to light. That wasn't for him to tackle, though. Setsuna probably only barely trusted him enough to work together with him. He wasn't about to jeopardize that by impinging on her personal life.

"Yeah, you're pretty grown up for your age," he said appreciatively. She was, what, early teenage from the look of her? Maybe a bit older, given that they were scanned into Aincrad several years prior and any signs of advancing in age would be lost. "Most girls in your age group think they know everything, I've learned," he laughed dryly, though he did not mean it offensively. "Not to be patronizing. It's good when you don't make a fuss about every little thing. But it's okay to get mad about things sometimes," he winked in her direction.

It was the way she called the others her masters that gave him pause. Was that her own decision, or had it been the way they chose to be referred to? Alkor disliked how it felt. He met Raidou once, they finished a quest together. He never struck Alkor as the type of person who was altogether interested in ruling anyone. Numbers, figures, infrastructure- the guy was a businessman for sure, but he wasn't the most personable one Alkor had ever met. In terms of social aptitudes, they were about the same. Which made him question Freyd more- that guy was an enigma, and his name didn't come up all that often. Alkor knew even less about him than he did Raidou, and if he was in charge of something like the way things operated, he functioned more as the hand where Raidou was more akin to the brain. It made Alkor reach up and scratch his head thoughtfully. 

"That's a lot," he said, "and it all sounds very convoluted. Those are the kind of people who see the world as something that they can shape, and they're the kind of people who take the reins of a world once there's a system to be controlled. If they're trying to create something like that, they're both a lot more subtle than I am," Alkor told Setsuna bluntly, "and a whole lot more manipulative. But that's not really my problem- just something for you to think about. Be careful with that, Setsuna."

Alkor turned his gaze back toward the grove and skimmed it for any sign of movement. Their talking was loud and drawn out- surely something would take notice by now?

Roll to find Kumatetsu: ID# 183117 Loot: 6 <fail>

Edited February 16, 2021 by Alkor

[Setsuna 0]

She looked to him with a strange, pause as if he had deciphered something that most were not perceptive enough to. "Hardship has a way of speeding things along, I was born without vision." She muttered with her ice blue eyes locked to his amber as if contrasted. The tone was default, lacking any real connection what was spoken. Just as a vacuum it felt empty, it felt old, a relic. "Where most can experience the world I was cast into darkness, from the moment I was conceived. I was trapped in my mind, with a roaring place around me that overwhelms the senses." It was a vivid recollection, the screaming of tires the pulling of brakes. The chattering in the distance, a dog barking. Giggling, Laughter, and with its confusion. "When you have only yourself to see, to feel unless another chooses to bridge that gap. You learn you age with that reflection. All I had was what was given to me, and here all I have is what was taken from me. This place gave me sight, but the price it had exacted payment was greater than I was willing to pay."

Setsuna paused and looked to him with a tilt of her head, a pouring of her hair off to one side. She peels down her mask and exposes a face, untouched by time that failed to show the wisdom she held. "The truth is Alkor, I am angry. But I have none left to spare on trivial things. Like sorrow, I have none left to spare... I chose that moniker since they were the first to show interest in the blind girl, lost in her own emotion, like Kyoshi who wished to alter my path in his own right. There has to be someone to shape the world here, to try and take it back. It's manipulative, as much as they don't think it is. That they are, but I am unsure if either wish to be. I trust you enough to express my thoughts, and I would hope you continue to speak your own. A word spoken should not be held for fear of what may come after, so much more is lost when they are left unsaid." This struck so close to home that it stung, burned beneath her skin. For it wasn't until after that she found the strength to speak.

ID# 183118 results: Loot: 1, Totally found it

Edited February 16, 2021 by Setsuna

[Alkor 0]

He felt bad for her, but not the way that she might expect he would. Most people would hear about the life of a blind person and sympathize out of pity. Thom had never thought of any person as less because of their struggles. The truth was, Thom had never really connected with anyone strongly outside of Aincrad. Most people in his life he'd simply pushed away. Loneliness was a world he understood, implicitly.

So, it was that more than anything that he empathized with. No one understood... because no one ever tried. And when you lacked the resources to bridge that gap, you were trapped on one side of an insurmountable distance with no hands held out to pull you across.

There were no welcoming arms to comfort people like them. 

It made sense that she sought shelter in those people who gave her a sense of belonging. Even he understood that desire. "If you'd never told me, I'd never have guessed," Alkor answered after a moment of introspection. "But then, you've had plenty of time to learn to live with sight, now."

Perhaps it was insensitive to verbalize the observation, but it rationalized things for him. A girl living in a world he could never reach... it seemed somehow tragic as much as it did poetic. 

When he saw her face, he felt himself smile without permission. Alkor didn't often give people genuine smiles. They were easy to force- the method acting came with time. Even when he didn't understand, he knew when to smile, or when to just walk away. With Setsuna's trust came the realization that he didn't need his apathetic defense mechanism, either.

"Rare is the man who doesn't realize what he's doing," Alkor said softly as he let his blade rest against his shoulder. "This world stripped away the laws and constructs of society. It left the floodgates wide open for the worst kinds of people to unleash their basest, most vile desires and visit them on everyone. Even the most gentle of us. You're a kind person, I can see that now."

He wasn't going to tell her not to trust them. That was her decision. Alkor found that trying to convince people inevitably led to fights he wasn't going to win. He was tired, so very tired of fighting those. 

"You say that you don't have time," he said, "that you can't waste anything on sentiment. That's ultimately your path to walk, not mine," Alkor turned away from her. "But that's the real tragedy, honestly," he spoke a bit more loudly, both to attract attention from further away, and so that she could hear him even with his back to her. 

"There are things in our world that are horrific. Dying children, perhaps, the most abhorrent," he spoke over his shoulder without looking at her, deep in his own thoughts. "but those things which rob them of the right to live out their childhood are the most heartbreaking of all. Everyone should have the right to know that their emotions are valid. Even the things that seem the most vapid."

It was in that moment that the beast chose to attack. With a mighty roar, it erupted from the treeline and rushed toward the two Players.

ID# 183119  Loot: 17 <Kumatetsu attacks!> (Of course he does!)

Kumatetsu: HP: 300/300 DMG: 75 MIT: 50 ACC: 1 EVA: 2

Alkor - 960/960 HP 104/104 Energy

Setsuna -

 

@Setsuna

Edited February 16, 2021 by Alkor

[Setsuna 0]

"I've grown used to it since." She looked on to Alkor, a smile on his face that was almost painful. He meant well and it was obvious, but she could not find the strength that he had. That kind of feeling was long cast under ice, and her master tried to convince her it was still there. But she could not see it. "I believe you may be right, It may just be optimism that speaks for me. I will see there plans through, whatever they may be. But there is no need for concern, if they were the villain you speak of. Despite any moniker I have given them, I would not hesitate. That is my oath, both one they are fully aware of. They are not above it." An eye checks that skill on her periphial as it refreshes, giving her a sense of security. 

A glance toward Alkor as he turns, assuming he was seeking still the beast in the rough. "I don't have the strength, or the time. Sentiment died for me a long time ago, at that monument are the names of my sentiment. Everything that made me capable of leaving this place gone like vapor. If I were to ever to leave here, I would be truly lost." A crunch and a falling tree, a barreling monster in anger and outrage storms the center and its first swipe heads straight for the girl in silver. In an instant like a blade through water, it passes through creating a swirl of fog.

A glimmer of steel from the bush, a faint fog permeates the floor. The bear hones in on Alkor, rushing and stampeding for him all to be easily reflected by the swordsman. The phoenix completely unscathed as well the creature pauses, before a single cut on its arm forces it to turn. A tiny cyan line. "This is my sentiment now. Absolution." as if the mist itself was speaking.

Setsuna activates Vanish, -6 EN, Vanish CD [0/3]

ID# 183120 results: Loot: 5+5=10, Successfully Stealthed

ID# 183121 results: Battle: 5-3=2, Missed vs. Alkor!, Craft: 6 [Failed to Trigger]

Kumatetsu: HP: 300/300 DMG: 75 MIT: 50 ACC: 1 EVA: 2

Alkor - 960/960 HP 104/104 Energy

Setsuna - HP:900/900 | EN:84/90 | DMG:21 | EVA:5 | ACC:6

Edited February 16, 2021 by Setsuna

[Alkor 0]

He heard those last words spoken as Kumatetsu closed on him, and Alkor closed his eyes. This world wasn't real. She was trapped in a place that had given her hope and taken it away in the span of a breath. Life wasn't fair. Not for a young blind girl, and not for a man who never learned how to be a functioning member of society. It was against that kind of injustice, and no other that he railed. Good, evil- subjective points of view were wasted on Alkor as he gripped his weapon tightly and took hold of his resolve.

Blightsteel glittered a faint orange color as he readied his sword art.

"There's a world beyond this, Setsuna," he said, loud enough that anyone listened could hear. "And even if you don't have eyes to see with, you have a life ahead of you. There's a bright future. That's what I fight for."

The swordsman didn't open his eyes as the creature fell on him; instead, Alkor ripped forward in a flash of speed that beggared belief and his sword ripped violently through the beast time and again. Streams of red data surged forth from newly opened wounds as the darkly dressed man stepped passed the massive bear untouched. 

He turned slightly and glanced back toward Kumatetsu, no sign of Setsuna apparent. It didn't matter. Even if he couldn't see her, he knew that she could hear him. 

"You'll find something to live for, even if it isn't in the past. The future is vast, and you won't know what lies ahead until you get there. Everything in between... is right now. Its beautiful, and its worth protecting."

He hesitated, then added. "Well, for me it is."

 ID# 183122  Battle: 6 MOB: 4

(15×11=165-50=115)

Kumatetsu: HP: 185/300 (-115) DMG: 75 MIT: 50 ACC: 1 EVA: 2

[H:1] Alkor - 960/960 HP 96/104 (-8) Energy 

[H:0] Setsuna - HP:900/900 | EN:84/90 | DMG:21 | EVA:5 | ACC:6

Edited February 16, 2021 by Alkor

[Setsuna 0]

Maintaining Stealth: ID# 183123 results: Loot: 18+5=23, Success, Vanish CD [1/3]

A single line drawn in a glimmer, a cyan dart from the darkness. Setsuna became clear, holding aloft a katana with an edge cold enough that the air froze and fell like dry ice. "Hope your right, Alkor. That there is a world worth returning to." Drawing the weapon to the sheath in her hands like completing a chore, stopping that cascade of fog from its steel. Kumatetsu seemed as if on pause, panting heavily and not taking any motion. As soon as that weapon folds shut, the tsuba connects home the titan falls to pieces. Its torso falls from its midsection in a glide as the legs falter. "I have something worth living for, but only on borrowed time." The beast was down, and a jerk of energy causes it to fizzle out like static on a television. It pops and sends a shower of fragments like glass airborne. "My past is all I live for, and pushing that boundary that attempts to hold me back." She ushers through where it had fallen, the mists part as she walks. Slipping the katana back into the cloth sash around her waist. "Now to see where it respawns."

San Ge [x15], -12 EN (15 - [Finesse 3]), Assassin activated (Attack cannot miss, bypasses Dodge & Parry, +2 DMG)

ID# 183124 results: Battle: 10, Major Critical [+2 DMG] vs. Kumatetsu dealing 25x15=375-50=325 DMG

Kumatetsu: HP: 185/300 (-115) DMG: 75 MIT: 50 ACC: 1 EVA: 2

[H:1] Alkor - 960/960 HP 96/104 Energy 

[H:2] Setsuna - HP:900/900 | EN:73/90 | DMG:21 | EVA:5 | ACC:6

Edited February 16, 2021 by Setsuna

[Alkor 0]

Even at the most intense of moments she was stoic. Alkor couldn't hope to match the ice floes in the girl's veins, not even with his brightest sentiment. It was pointless to push back any further than he had, largely in part because Setsuna was doing just fine.  If she had fallen to pieces or shown any sign of weakness, he might have taken it as leave to speak more frankly. She gave him nothing to work with. All signs pointed to the girl being completely fine with the things she was saying.

He knew better than to try to help someone who didn't want it. Lessa and him had that kind of dynamic, once. She wanted to change something about him that he just didn't see as a problem. Because of that, he grew confused and the fragile grip he had on his reality splintered.

The endgame of that had been less than desirable, but it was a path he had to walk to get where he was. Resigned to the fate that lay ahead of Setsuna, he gave a slight shrug. "Alright," Alkor conceded. "You lead the way. I'm just the sidekick on this adventure," he said with a subdued laugh.

It was clear that the mission came first. 

Alkor followed Setsuna quietly as he slipped the curved sword away, secure at his side where it lay in waiting for a time when he needed it again. "If the Intel I bought is any good, there's a pretty big area where it could spawn. You sure you wanna case the whole place?" he asked.

[Setsuna 0]

A chuckle from Alkor broke the atmosphere, as the silver haired girl trapped in the body of a preteen ushered past him. "Hardly, I feel as though finding it might have been more difficult. The conversation is what brought it to view, perhaps an hour saved or better than alone." She took to a tree, slighting down and removing the mask that she'd placed up upon entering stealth. "The beast will hardly respawn instantly, bosses tend to have longer timers." Removing the habitually stowed blade and ushering it across her lap, she exhales softly to force the recovery to kick in.

"I will, for I must, failure would mean much more than any exhaustion, I may suffer." Removing a small hunk of stone not unlike the monument, a hunk of flint and a couple other pieces. Setsuna draws out her steel, which began to ooze its frost. The girl then took to polishing and sharpening the edge, a habit and a ritual she did on the regular. A sheering of the flakes of white as she drug the stone down it, pulling that blade to a fine point. "I would ask you Alkor, you speak from experience. I am not one to pry, but once someone offered me a hand if I were drowning. The least I can do is lend an ear or a raft. Uriel, from the monument. What was he to you? A friend? Or a traitor?"

[Alkor 0]

He took a seat when Setsuna did, reclined against one of the many trees that flecked the area. While Setsuna set about sharpening her blade, he let his head crane backward and closed his eyes. The moments where he allowed himself to relax were precious and few in number, but this was an opportunity to do just that. It seemed serene in its own way, until the girl asked an unexpected question.

What was he to you?

It was a common thought, honestly. People assumed prior knowledge when it came to murder. A killing born out of ire, or passion. Most people didn't just kill others. That was as true for him as it was anyone else. That only made the words harder to digest.

"...nothing," he admitted, "he was no more than a face in the crowd. I killed him less than minutes after meeting him."

It sounded bad when he said it that way, but that was how Alkor remembered it now. With a clear head and absolved of the belief that anything he did was really "right," he couldn't try to justify the taking of a life with pretty words. But he could tell the story, the way it happened. 

"Uriel was someone that a friend knew from outside the game," he explained. Much of this tale wasn't his to tell, in truth. Mari would doubtless not appreciate one of her most difficult secrets being shared without her consent or knowledge. "I'm still hazy trying to remember the details of their relationship, honestly. It was all very much a blur." That much at least was true. Several years had passed since then, and he didn't want to misremember anything as he recounted the act..

"The man had knowingly forced a child- her child- into this world. He knew there was no way out. He knew the ramifications for dying, and he chose to subject a little girl to that." Alkor was staring now, up at the sky. His eyes reflected a dim light, one that looked almost like a flame on its last legs. The sorrow in his voice echoed in his ears as he spoke. "He antagonized her mother, using her as a tool for his sadistic mind game. I'm not even fully sure of his motive anymore. There's so much of it that had nothing to do with me. But I was there, and I saw it happen. I saw her mind break. I saw the insanity that overcame her when faced with the reality that she couldn't protect her child, and..."

No. He couldn't repeat that. It was too much, the image of the woman killing her own child. His rational mind still rejected it. Everything that happened that day should never have..

"He tormented her," Alkor said flatly. "No one else helped her. No one was there. I told myself, this man is evil. This man can't be allowed to continue to do this, I won't let anyone else become his victim."

He looked down now at his hand, wondering if there was a god, and if there was, if he would forgive him. Alkor laughed at himself for that thought. How childish.

[Setsuna 0]

A tap of a ball of cotton down the length, dabbing on oils to shield it from rust. It was a tool, a scalpel to remove cancer. It needed to be honed, precise and razor sharp. "A dog, a wolf, a traitor then." Setsuna spoke softly with her eyes affixed to the blade, held aloft as she smoothed out the liquid on its surface which took to forming crystals of frost like snow. She'd been where he was pulling from, as if he was recounting her own story with different actors. Within the walls of the village of Tomoika, watching helplessly on as friends were slaughtered while she was safe. An insanity and an anger overtaking all of her senses as the hallway narrowed around her bestowed sight.

"My question is this Alkor, if he could have. How many more would he? Do you think he would have stopped at one? What other outcome could have happened if he was not stopped?" Setsuna asked him curious his answer, thinking hard at the vengeance that she'd enact. To set things right, and do as he was cutting it short before it could spiral out of control. To her, he had done the right thing and in her tone, although unfeeling, it was obvious. People liked to pretend that God would see things right, that some entitity would allow them the opportunity to choose another option. To Setsuna, there was no other outcome other than her solution, there was no god here. Her oath was a reciprocation of that: Violence to put an end to the cycle of cat and mouse, they do wrong, or attempted to be imprisoned, and they do another. In one clean cut...