[PP-F4] "Your sword, your heart, and your hand."

[Guest]

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He had made it. This place, called the Starglade, was considered remote and ideal for solitude and safety, rarely being approached by monsters. It got its name for the beauty that came at night, when all the stars in the sky were visible and most easily viewed. It was a place in the game where, for the very first time, he felt like there was no real distinction between the real world and this one. For the moments he spent beneath that starry sky, he lost the worry and fear that had strangled him in every other aspect of the death game. For the first time in Sword Art Online, he felt refreshed.

It was in this place where he would train to further hone his skills with his weapon of choice- the One Handed Straight sword. It had been a bite of a hike, and there were questionable instances where he had seen one monster or two who had seemed dangerous, but he had been able to avoid them. Now, with the mask of night over him, he would reflect on the things he had learned, and he would find the disconnect that had plagued him since he first logged in.

"You swing the sword like a man rushed, hurried to get through." The words had come from a training NPC, and they could be said of almost every player in SAO. The fact was, all of them were in that same hurry. They all wanted to be free, and they neglected the small things in pursuit of that freedom. Small, albeit important things like training their skills to become strong enough to reach that final goal. "Your heart isn't in it."

That proclamation, from an AI, stunned Alkor. The computer generated intelligence had questioned his convictions, and he found himself staggering. With stars dancing overhead, the amber eyed swordsman cleared his mind of everything else, and he reached out to grasp those convictions in a deathgrip. Once he found them, he resolved that he would never let them go.

Sweat beaded on his brow and dripped down the arch of his nose as he stood, rigid, staring out at the expansive sky that stretched in every direction for hundreds of miles. It was overwhelming, the sensation of being so small in a world that went on forever. It awakened in him the realization that this was meant in every way to mirror reality. A world where, when you die, life truly ends.

What a perfect epiphany.

[Mayonaka 0]

I let out a deep exhale after walking for what seemed like hours. My eyes trained to the ground as I walked. Through my trip here, to Starglade, I only encountered two or three monsters that weren't very high in levels. And in that time my mind filled with thoughts of my missing sister and how I was going to get out of here; both common thoughts of mine. When I looked up from the ground I pushed my soft pink hair from my face and looked ahead. I saw a tall young man staring into space, and the virtual sky. The night sky was spread out so you couldn't see the end of it, only the darkness lit up by the twinkle of the stars.

I approached the man with a calm walk, determined and bored. Hello sir. Might I ask what your doing exactly?

[Guest]

Quietly and quickly his sword sang from its sheath, and Alkor held the weapon evenly. There were no distractions when he moved the blade elegantly through the air and moved with a practiced fluidity that surprised even him. It felt as thought he had almost come far enough in the skill with that weapon to increase its level, but he wasn't quite there yet.

Every motion felt almost seamless, though he knew that wasn't the case. He was reaching the first of many milestones, and it felt genuinely like an improvement. "Almost," he said aloud, breaking his trance-like state. That was when he heard someone approaching, and she asked what he was doing.

"I lost something," he said in a soft voice, "somewhere along the way. I'm trying to find it." That might not be true exactly, he told himself, I wonder if I ever had it at all. He looked down at his hands, and the sword he held there. It was as though a part of himself were broken, and he was pouring all the effort he could into mending it. But could he ever truly, fully heal something that he wasn't sure of?

When did it become a part of me? he wondered. His hands shook in the gentle nighttime breeze, but hardly enough to be visible. "What are you doing here?"

[Mayonaka 0]

His movements from earlier seemed like he was training, or seemed to be busy if anything. The motions were clear and smooth, like he had been doing them his whole life even. The sword he held in his hands was a regular starter sword, nothing special, but he was made it look as though it was custom made. He ignored me for a moment before half rejecting my question and half answering it with a small mutter. I couldn't make out what he was saying, and I didn't think he would repeat it, so I just left it at that.

This interesting young man seemed to be annoyed by my presence at the least. I wasn't about to let such a thing stand in my way of figuring him out though, so I inquired even more. It's not polite to speak to a lady in such a manner. You mustn't ask questions without getting to know me. Besides, I asked you a question first. You did answer it but I didn't hear you. Please repeat it if you will, also state you name. I said to him with a stern look in my pink eyes, that matched the shade of my hair color.

[Guest]

"U-uh..." Alkor blinked when she spoke, taken aback at the way she spoke. She was much more assertive than he was, and it threw him off. "What...?" He had no idea what she meant- getting to know her? Asking her what kind of questions? What the heck? "...didn't you get here after I did...?"

All these things just murdered his concentration. Alkor fumbled his previously immaculate attempt to hone the sword skill and the blade clattered to the ground uselessly. He decided it wasn't worth arguing over, at any rate. "I'm Alkor," he said, never one to mince pointless words in conversation when it could be avoided. "I said," he turned to face her, amber eyes glowing with an inner fire that could be determination, or annoyance. "That I'm trying to learn something. It feels familiar to me, yet..."

He broke from the conversation after a moment of hesitation. I don't know this person, he reminded himself. I don't owe her an explanation. "Now. Why are you here?" He didn't ask her name, or anything else. She might even be a Player Killer, though she certainly didn't seem the type. They didn't ask your name before doing their grim business. He had no reason beyond that to afford her trust, though, so he didn't. Alkor rarely gave anyone any sort of courtesies.

[Mayonaka 0]

I nodded slowly, taking in what he just said; he repeated what I didn't hear. Alkor spoke of learning something once familiar to him. Or at least that's how I interpenetrated it.Thank you, Alkor. I now see that your aren't another mindless player that can't accept the fact that someone is genuinely interested. The breeze from before now came back to haunt me, making it just a little colder for me. I was entirely sensitive to the slightest bit of weather change. I frowned and equipped my starter jacket. It wasn't much but it did make me a little bit more comfortable.

I'm here because I've heard rumors. I have asked many other players if they have seen another girl like me but none had seen her unfortunately. A couple days ago another player said they saw a girl looking almost exactly like me around here. It just so happened that this was where I thought she would be. I said, practically leaking my weaknesses on Alkor, the young man that I just met. It wasn't very smart of me but I felt as though I could trust him-- or he wouldn't even care and just let the topic of my missing sister slip by him.

[Guest]

"A girl... who looks like you..." he repeated, tilting his head. The implications were all over the place, but he decided it wasn't in his best interest or hers to do too much prying. Instead, he crouched down and collected his sword, swinging it a few times through the air to re-familiarize himself with it. It never hurt, especially after dropping a weapon, to test your grip and its weight. He had learned that over time. "I tell you what," he said in a voice plain enough that she would hear it, even with his back to her. "I don't know anything about this identical friend of yours, I'll be completely honest. I haven't heard a word."

He turned and offered her a weak smile, the best thing he could offer anyone. From Alkor, it may as well have been a huge hug. "Let's trade. I'm working on this skill, and it's slow going. I haven't had much success." He held up the one handed straight sword, his Anneal Blade, and offered it for her to see. "If you practice with me- no hits, I don't want either one of us losing HP- I'll help you search the area."

He didn't want to commit to any further search than that. Being the fourth floor, this was dangerous enough without leaving the Starglade; if they went out into the floor beyond, the monsters might give them real trouble. Alkor wasn't really interested in an Aincrad wide manhunt, either. "What do you say?"

[Mayonaka 0]

I already knew from the moment I had asked that he wouldn't have seen her. If he did then he would have remembered her, she wasn't that hard to forget with hey hyper attitude and bright pink hair. She was all over the place, probably marveled the world of Aincrad even. Of course I didn't say too much information about her out loud to anyone, she was personal to me. Thanks anyways. I said with almost no emotion, this was my response to every player who didn't know her location.

As for your offer, I accept. I will train with you, do as you wish. Though I'm not very experienced in level wise; I know my sword very well. I said and smiled back at Alkor. My smile was more genuine though. I opened up my HUD and equipped my start sword to my side with a quick swipe in front of me. I had learned to use this system on the first day here so I practically knew where everything was, except for the depression site of no logout button...

[Guest]

"Just consider it practice," he said with a smirk as she equipped her weapon, "it's not like we're fighting a boss, right?" He let the reassurance fall wherever it might; her level was of no general consequence when it came to this, and he didn't want her feeling inadequate.

"Ready when you are," he said, dropping into a stance that looked balanced between offense and quick movement. "Remember, aim for weapons. We're not striking to hit the body."

This was a friendly spar, not even a duel. This way, as long as they never actually touched the other player, their cursor couldn't change color. This zone was about as safe as the actual safe zone.

"Aren't these stars beautiful?" He asked suddenly, changing the subject to something lighter. Most people didn't like to talk about fighting while they did it, especially when they weren't doing it to kill.

[Mayonaka 0]

I responded to his instructions with a simple nod of understanding. I had never dueled another player, I rarely even spoke with someone for more than a few minutes so I made sure to remember everything he said about it. It seemed that everyone had something terribly important to do these days, no time to meet n' greet. I guessed the rest of the rules of battle, also added my own when he finished explaining.

I took my blade out of the sheath at my side and pointed it at him, as if I were to strike him directly. Instead, I charged forward and shot my sword forward but stopped right before I hit him, giving him a chance to counter. I think that they shine brighter here than they do back in the real world. Maybe it's just the altered reality though...

[Guest]

"Yeah," he affirmed, bringing his blade up in a fast motion. His right hand reinforced the block against the flat of his sword, and be felt his body shake as the impact ripped through blade, then arm, then shoulder. She had a pretty decent strength score, he recognized, or they were essentially even. Their levels were close enough that it could go plenty of different ways. "The NerveGear has direct access to impulses in the brain. Anything you experience here can be amplified by a subliminal suggestion directly into the brain."

Whether or not she took that in or dismissed it, Alkor let himself smile. Her weapon slid harmlessly along the edge of his weapon when he pulled his hand away, and he jabbed it forward beneath her guard, pulling back on the stroke to ensure it wouldn't hit her. She had enough room to guard, it just might take a little bit more urgency. "They remind me of the beach back home," he said, "the one where none of the homes or streetlights are lit up at night, and you can see for miles."

[Mayonaka 0]

My sword made an ear piercing noise as it slid off of Alkor's blade, he was surprisingly strong. I was strong myself but as of right now we were practically equal, being close in levels and all. Alkor's sword came swinging towards my right arm. I jerked myself to the left and blocked the hit that would have hurt. With a grin I lurched forward, extending my blade out to his chest. I have seen the stars with my sister on the clearest night as I recall. I said, leaving out the part about how I captured that night on my wall with paint, on my mural.

Really? The NerveGear can really do that? I asked, a little shocked at how much I didn't know about this game's history. I didn't know that...I spoke with a questioning tone, as if I half believed him. I knew that he wasn't lying, I did see what he did to all of us here..it still didn't sit well in my stomach to know the capability of the NerveGear.

[Guest]

"Yep..." he replied tonelessly as he took a step back and pulled his weapon upward, almost like an artist might stroke their brush upward on canvas. It was an elegant motion, though the sword struck her sword with cutthroat precision. Their weapons formed a deadlock, and Alkor glanced at her beyond the nexus of the two swords. "It is kind of unnerving," he admitted, "knowing we gave someone that much access to our minds."

Though, the fact that Kayaba had given them a fighting chance to avoid brain death was in its own sinister and disturbing way sort of a comfort. Alkor tugged back on his own weapon, the tiniest of sparks flicking out from the two blades as they separated, almost like tears from two lovers torn apart. "That sounds like a beautiful night," he said, changing the subject to something a bit happier. "I always loved starry nights."

He stood in a resting stance, weapon hanging at his side and dipping to caress the ground at his feet. "You're pretty good," he said, "we shouldn't have a problem looking for your friend around here, if anything does pop up," he said. "What sort of skills have you got, so far?"

[Mayonaka 0]

It always bugs me that I cannot wrap my mind around him. Kayaba I mean, he wanted to control his own world and he is but like you said, I don't think anyone really knows what's actually happening behind the scenes. I said as Alkor and I's blades clashed together. My muscles strained and motivated me to push harder against his sword, to not let up just yet. In an instant he broke the swords apart. I reeled backwards and breathed heavily while he spoke on, resting also.

it was a really good night actually.... I said, remembering the twinkle in my sister'a eyes as she gazed at the stars above. Her eyes trained on the smallest star all the way to the left, it looked like it was going out a little; like a broken lightbulb. On that night she had told me that one day that star would be the biggest and gather everyone's attention. Of course back then when we were little I believed her silly words. But now that I thought about it, her words weren't so silly after all.

I gave him a bared expression mixed with confusion. I'm ashamed of it but I have no idea how to obtain skills. As you see I have the started sword but that about it... Nothing special... I trailed off, embarrassed about not knowing part of the system.

[Guest]

"Here" he said as he's dropped his guard and swiped his right hand in front of him quickly. The menu opened, and he stepped toward her so that she could see his HUD. "Open your menu, then go to your statistics screen. Under that, you should see a category for "skills," and there should be several points available to allocate."

He looked over his own options for a moment before speaking again. "Read over all of them first," he warned, "because once you spend those points, there's not really a way to get them back. You're locked in to your decisions." He backed out of his own menu and stood back patiently. "Go ahead, look over the skills and see what you're interested in. Then you can drop some points into a skill and start using it."

Alkor let his thoughts drift to Akihiko Kayaba for a moment, and he shook his head. "I try not to think too much about the why of it, any more," he said, staring blankly at the sky, now. "Maybe he just got tired of the real world. I think we can all relate to that, just a little bit. Maybe not like that, but..."

[Mayonaka 0]

Okay....I opened my statistics screen with a nod and bit my lip as I read through the skills list, there weren't many in some categories while some had what seemed like a million. I looked at the description on each one, carefully evaluating each one. Also, I thought about how I would benefit from each skill and how I intended to use it. Finally, I pushed a few buttons and chose two new skills to get better at: Howl, a hate skill, and tracking. The reason I chose the hate skill was I secretly was working on becoming a tank, so I could protect other people that I encounter.

All done, thank you....would you mind telling me your name please? I asked the other player and waited for a reply, hoping to obtain his name and possibly a new friend.

[Guest]

"Again?" he asked, now wearing a perplexed look. Alkor blinked, then shrugged. "It's A-L-K..." As he spelled his name for her, the vagabond ran a hand through his messy hair and his gaze traveled to the horizon. How did she forget so quickly? She practically commanded me to give it to her to begin with. As he finished spelling it out, he glanced back at her.

"So," he started, "your friend. You want to split up to search the area, or stay together?"

His hand rested confidently on the hilt of his Anneal blade, the gilded, black cloak set on his frame taking on the glow from the moon. Alkor's smile was gentle and reassuring more than it was happy, but that was perfect to let her know she would be safe. Even if she were a new player, Alkor had experience in helping people stay alive.

He hadn't seen any monsters around the Starglade, which had been a blessing up til now. How long it would stay that way, one could only guess. Monsters appeared everywhere outside safe zones. The difference was that a prepared player was usually a player who survived.

[Mayonaka 0]

I smacked the palm of my hand to my forehead with a smile. Sorry Alkor, I forgot that you had already told me! As for the other matter, I feel like we should split up for that part but I'm afraid that if we do something might happen. If you didn't come back I would feel bad about it, also if you managed to get hurt that wouldn't make me feel well either so I propose we stick together during the search. I said with a confident grin on my face. He seemed like the type of player that went solo but for this, he would have to come along with me.

[Guest]

"Well," he said with a sigh as he closed both eyes and started to walk past her, "if that's what you want."

Alkor folded his hands behind his head in a relaxed position as he moved through the glade, snow crunching beneath every footstep. Steam billowed from his nostrils rhythmically as he breathed, visible only by the intense moonlight in the area. She would probably be matching his pace by now, though he didn't look over to be sure of it.

"So," he began, stretching his shoulders and leaning his torso back at the waist to crack his lower spine, "this friend of yours. You say she looks like you... does she have roughly the same amount of experience?" He asked her in hopes of gleaning what sort of chances the other girl might have on the fourth floor. At her level, it was possible she had managed to either find a safe path through the snow drifts, or someone had escorted her to the glade.

He somehow doubted she'd fought her way to this point. It wasn't entirely impossible, though. He just thought it would come off rude to ask directly. There were a few forms of subtlety he understood, after all. "And how long have you been separated?"

[Mayonaka 0]

Yes, she looks almost exactly like me, only shorter and less mature. As for experience...no. I don't think she even knows what a sword is used for. Axe- she has ADHD and some other things going on so I doubt that she would be holding her own if she had stress. It's not that I don't have faith in her but I imagine that's she running around gushing about how cool this game is..I don't even think she knows the consequences. I admitted, it was hard to talk about my sister like this to something I hardly knew. Yet at the same time I felt like he understood.

I haven't seen her since the day Kayaba came, so that would be the first day I suppose. I said as the cold air blew over my bare shoulders, I didn't mind it at all though.