(OP-F7) Ultra Violence

[Terrence 0]

Terrence walked up the lonely mountain, he wore his top hat and his travel suit. He looked occasionally looked up into the rain. He smiled and walked into a cave by cave and sat down. he looked upon a bear who sat quietly in corner. 

[Ethereal 0]

Ether was in his usual meditating spot he chose when on this floor, high above the surrounding plains, he was interrupted by the sound of leather on stone. Ethereal sighed, cracking an eye open to find a player he didn't know had encroached unknowingly into the area. With little sound, he pushed himself off the ground, his black, jagged armour clinking slightly as he rose - his ocean blue eyes observing the player as he drew closer. "Hello, stranger. What brings you to the mountain?" he greeted the man in a friendly manner.

[Terrence 0]

Terrence looked up and saw that he was in The Crimson Inquisition and laughed. He took off his hat like it weighted a thousand pounds. He looked at the man. He knew that attacking some like this would be suicide. He laughed to himself, and smiled," I come to clear my head, It hard for to tread in a world that I don't belong."

[Ethereal 0]

"Well, you've certainly come to the right place. I come here to meditate, so clearing your head should be easy." Ether replied, paying no attention to his strange wording. Always friendly to new faces, he introduced himself. "Let me introduce myself - my name's Ethereal but everyone calls me Ether.". He looked down the hill, into the valleys, gazing upon the most beautiful of plants and animals that SAO could render.

[Terrence 0]

"Oh, my name is Terrence Walker." He said quite frankly and sat back down on a rock. "You seem like a guy fellow. I have you every killed anyone?"

[Ethereal 0]

Ether was taken aback for a second at this sudden and unexpected question, visibly widening his eyes for a second. "No, never. I've had the opportunity several times, but have always let them go. I can't condemn a person to death when all this is at the end of the day is a video game.." he replied, in a lower voice than before, eyes shifting to the peak of the mountain. He had never actually climbed to the very summit, and decided now was as good a time as any. "Fancy walking up there?" he pointed "You can tell me if you have on the way up.".

[Terrence 0]

Terrence nodded his head. As they walked up the mountain he slowly opened his mouth and spoke," In total I killed 23 people. 18 of those are IRL and the others are in here. I plan on making it 25 before I take my own life."  He looked at Ethereal for judgement. He spoke again," When I was ten they maybe kill a guy who was trying to heal a country. A Doctor later announced died of natural causes. I don't remember his name just the face he give me, when I twisted that knife into his chest. I never understood why they made me kill so many good people until, I realized something... There no money in a cure." 

[Ethereal 0]

 Ether was once again surprised, but this time didn't show it. Once they reached the snowy peak of the mount he turned, hair blowing in the breeze. "Do you remember their names, why you killed them, when you did?" he asked in a eerily calm voice. The answers would determine what Ethereal thought of this person - after all, those 18 are gone and 5 players aren't that many versus 10,000. It seemed twisted, but Ether had basically detached himself from that world at this point. 

[Terrence 0]

"Don't remember there names, I not worth to do so. I killed them serve some greater plan that has to be done. The last one is kind of tricky but, last one wasn't fair away." Terrence answered. 

[Ethereal 0]

Ether nodded. He could have guessed at those answers - he had met a couple of people like him before. Jester and Vile for example.

"Alright. Well, you know there are some people who would kill you on the spot if you said this to them.. So why tell me when we just met? Especially with our level difference? " he queried.

He knew he was probably boring the murderer with his questions, as people like him usually have short attention spans.

[Terrence 0]

"Every game has a end. I don't expect to have a different ending... To soil your hands with filth that keep your hands clean is counterproductive... you look like someone who can understand this. After I am long gone you will meet another and another and another until they understand... Problems, they don't disappear they come again to kill the killer, but this is a paradox of course. You might wonder why... the answer is simply, There is no money in a cure...." Terrence smiled guiltily.

[Ethereal 0]

"I get your point but there are many who agree killing PKers is the lesser of two evils. However it's like a hydra, cut off one head and another spawns from the black mass." Ether said as he looked into the eyes of Terrence.

[Terrence 0]

"Thus, the dragon lives forever in the land of Ultra Violence, We, men of philosophy can chose one of 2 roads. The Road of War, to destroy the evil. Or The Road of Ascendence, the road to greatness above the rights of mankind. But, I stand at the crossroad unknowingly standing to await my judgement. He can kill and wage war on the enemies of my forfathers, or seek conquest. I can never be sure of it, each way there is a knife to greet me. I kill but, I don't know where the knife will final chopped down. For the Hydra has a head his and is wait for me to slip up. I will not succumb to dark, Nor light. For we are men of philosophy." Terrence said as he looked into Ethereal's eyes.

[Ethereal 0]

"Sometimes the best thing to do is dance on the edge of the cliff - for one side there is a drop into oblivion and the other there is the facade of sanctuary, that holds nothing but prolonged suffering." Ether looked away. "But you can't fight a Hydra while dancing on the edge of oblivion."

[Terrence 0]

Terrence smiled,"That depends on how well you dance. The problem with my is that any decision I make, the hydra grews stronger. At the time of my death I know that it was over, but the hydra brought me back because I'm one of it's heads. But I wait for someone to dance kill the hydra, starve it of it paradoxical food source and let me die."