[PP - F4] <<Essence of Steel>> Reunion [Alkor/Life]

[Lessa 1]

She stood alone, a single pink blip on an otherwise perfectly white canvas. The meadow surrounding her seemed endless, and the snow rolled on for miles before meeting the timberline. The sun hung in the three o'clock position, throwing her long shadow across the dazzling crystals that rest at her feet. It was beautiful, this place. There was a purity to it that took Lessa's breath away. Nothing moved. No bird called from the far-away tree-tops, and no rodent burrowed beneath the drifts. No mobs spawned, and no players interrupted her solitude. Even the snow had ceased its falling. There was no sound. It was as if time itself had halted, allowing her a moment's relief. As she stood there, the sun's rays off the snow and the gentle breeze coloring her cheeks, she felt at peace.

Lungs filled with cold, fresh air. It dried her throat and cleared her mind, before she let it escape past her lips once more. Her breath hung in a small cloud, and her blue eyes watched it as it slowly dispersed. That was her own breathing, so visible against the bitter cold. It was as if her life force was a tangible thing. The woman looked inward, searching for the feeling of her heartbeat beneath her breastplate. She focused on her chest as it rose and fell with each breath, and the faint chill creeping through her gauntlets and nipping at her fingertips. She became aware of the snow beneath her boots, and the stray locks of blonde hair that kissed her cheeks with each gust of wind. "I'm alive," she whispered suddenly, the vapor that accompanied the words confirming this fact. And, at this moment, that's enough.

It was the first time that Lessa had ventured outside of the fourth floor's safe zone in nearly a month. Like a song shared by two ex lovers, this place had been ruined for her. Foolishly, she had believed that avoiding the floor would preserve the memories, both good and bad, that dwelled there. Remaining on the first few floors, the young woman had devoted her days to helping lower level players find their feet. It was what she was good at, after all. But slowly, she had begun to realize that she was neglecting her own well-being. Fewer meals and less sleep took their toll on her, and finally, another player commented on her appearance. "I appreciate everything you're doing for me," he had told her, slashing through his forth boar of the morning with her help, "but when was the last time you did something for yourself?"

This question had haunted her, because the truth was, the answer would not come. In her crusade to help others, Lessa had lost herself. It had been a coping mechanism, and she was not afraid to admit that, but it had gotten out of hand. So she had made the decision to accept the <<Essence of Steel>> quest. Hell Rose was her most prized possession, and one of the few constants she could cling to in this world. If there was truth to this essence rumor, and she truly could improve her weapon, it was worth the risk. And perhaps she could better herself in the process.

[Guest]

In the instant that the last fragment of data filtered out of the Snow Wyvern, Alkor sighed. His white mask mirrored the snowy waste that surrounded him, and the blood red blade that dug into the tundra seemed to weep crimson light. Blizzards on the fourth floor were among the most annoying elements it threw at players.

The Golden eyed swordsman had learned to numb himself to temperature, if only because he was unable to enter safe zones. It became an important skill, survival against the odds.

Peeling the blade back into hand and sliding it into its place at his side, Alkor turned toward the deeper secrets of the floor. The dungeon was not far, and even with no boss, it still hosted difficult enemies. It would still yield valuable experience.

His thoughts went back to a cave, many floors above. The warmth of the ninth floor, and the rest it offered him. The chance to relax and remove himself from the world, if only for a few fleeting hours. That was his respite in a world that wanted him dead. The air here was foul and he disliked breathing it, but he did so out of necessity.

It was when he saw another player walking not so far away that he tilted his head. Golden hair, and... ah. Damn. His name was toggled off, but his health bar indicated his status as a Player Killer. His clothes had been recolored with red accents to replace the gold, and his face was invisible beneath a mask accessory. To this woman, he would appear every inch a devoted, deadly Player Killer.

Lessa. How unlucky, to find a woman who had wanted rid of him so badly she sent a hound to threaten him. Daeron was like to try to kill him, if the need came. It was easier just to delete her. To pretend like a friend was no more, and yet, here she was.

He did not speak, his faceless gaze seeming to follow her as she passed. Perhaps that would cause her to avoid him. Player Killing was a ward enough on its own.

[Lessa 1]

The complete still of the meadow betrayed even the smallest movement, amplifying the sound so that it seemed to echo across the snow. It was in this way that Lessa picked up the soft crunch of snow underfoot. Piercing blue eyes sprung open, darting directly to the source of the noise. There, not too far off, was another player. He stood opposite her, the gentle wind tugging at the soft folds of his cloak. The black and reds of his attire provided a stark contrast against the white snow, and his appearance in this serene place twisted her stomach. At his side rest a red sword, and though she was not close enough to recognize the intricate design, the slight resemblance to a weapon she had once crafted was enough to make her think of him.

 

Slowly, both hands moved behind her blonde head, grasping the sword's ornate hilt firmly. Blue pools never wavered from the stranger as she armed herself, its energy and slight pink hue spilling over as she unsheathed her Hell Rose. She searched his face for answers, but found none due to to the mask he wore. Had the situation been different, Lessa might have found humor in the black man with the white face. But her lips remained drawn in a tight line. Like a standoff in an old western film, neither the woman in pink nor the man in black moved. His thoughts were a mystery, but her own mind raced. There was an air of defiance to this man, and in her blue eyes, a similar emotion raged.

 

"Do you plan to kill me?" Her voice was low, and stripped of emotion. Then, gesturing to their surroundings with the tip of her sword, "it would be a beautiful place to die." The swordswoman paused to take one last drag of the cold afternoon air. Then, hands tightened around her weapon. "But I will not be dying today. And I do not particularly wish to do any killing either." Though indirect, there was some truth behind the threat. Lessa did not wish to kill this man. That being said, she would do so if she felt it was her only option. Once, she had foolishly believed in another way, but the harsh reality of the game had grown clear to her since her visit with her father. Kill, or be killed. Live, or die. And she had something to live for.

[Guest]

It would have been so simple to draw his blade. Lessa would die just as easily in the game itself as she had in the tournament, and Alkor knew it- but he had nothing to prove. His blade remained sheathed as she spoke to him, and in the middle of her weak threat, he began to walk past her unaffected by her words.

Perhaps she would have taken it the same way she always had. He walked away every time they stood at odds. Lessa was the sort of person who confronted others when she had a problem. She talked about those issues, and she tried to resolve them with words.

Alkor had already beaten her at blades, so he had nothing to prove. Even if she knew nothing of who he was, he knew.

She was close enough now to touch her, but he didn't so much as offer her the dignity that came with an active response. The fell wind ripped brutally through them as he was about to pass her side, and he fought the urge to speak up.

He wanted to mock her for her arrogance. The way she had thrown him aside, and forced him to destroy their friendship... it had meant less to him than his emotions seemed to flare about now. The indignity of sending another man to tell him had been enough to cause him to want nothing to do with her.

His anger was nothing like Lessa's... was it? He didn't say hurtful things just to say them. It wasn't his way.

Or, it hadn't been. He twisted with immense speed and drew his blade. It flew from the sheathe at blinding speed, but he stopped short of cutting her. He held the weapon at her throat, staring through the emptiness of his mask at her face.

"Walk away," he said. "You never learned before. Learn now. Walk away."

[Lessa 1]

And yet he approached, apparently impervious to the words she had thrown at him. Across the snow moved the man in black, and though his weapon never moved from his hip, there was a creeping sense of dread in the back of her mind. Would she have to end this man's life? It was beginning to seem that way. Would she be able to do the deed? There was no other choice, if she planned to survive.

 

He had closed half of the distance between them. The rays of sunlight shimmered off the white surface of his mask, but her gaze did not waver. His gait did not change, and neither did his course. He was still coming straight for her. Slowly, her pink blade rose to greet him.

 

What would she accomplish by ending this man's life? Would she live to see another day? Or was there more to it than that? There was some part of her that longed to prove herself. If I cannot protect myself, how can I protect those that I care about? She had sworn to lead them. And if bloodying her hands was the price to pay, perhaps their meeting had been fated all along.

 

Lessa would not strike first. If allowing him to draw first blood was the only way to ensure there was no other option, she would let it happen. But she would show no restraint when that time came. There would be no mercy for this player killer.

 

It was with incredible speed that the stranger struck, drawing his blade and holding it to the soft skin of her throat.

 

That blade. It was as if the blade had been bathed in blood. Her blood, in another lifetime. It pulsated with a faint red glow, much like the sword she herself clutched. It had been the first thing she noticed as Nightbringer came to be atop her anvil.

 

Those eyes. Like the colors of the evening sky back home. Alyssa had always been fascinated by sunsets. It was incredible how a single phenomenon, which repeated itself day after day, could vary so dramatically. Some evenings, light pastels streaked across the blue canvas, mingling with the clouds, and casting a gentle glow across her backyard. Other times, the colors were more vibrant; reds and oranges licking the sky like wildfire. But it had been the golden sunsets that she had liked the best. And that was what she found beneath his mask.

 

That voice. Oh god, that voice.

 

"No," Lessa breathed, her voice barely audible even in the crisp quiet of the snow-covered meadow. "No it can't be." The color drained from her face as she addressed the ghost by name. "Alkor."

[Guest]

He held the blade steady. It was Lessa who wavered. The dark player's eyes left her behind the mask, falling to the floor. His point was made. The blade withdrew when his character name fell from her lips and he slid Nightbringer cleanly away, nary a drop of blood to gorge its appetite.

"Dead," he rasped. The cold gripped his throat and forced an absurd burning into his lungs. "That name is nothing to me."

Once, they had been friends- Lessa and Alkor. They were no longer. To him, she was a whisper on the wind. To Lessa, he was a memory. Alkor was a ghost from the past. Alkor was dead. They could never go back to what they were. He never wanted to go back to what they were.

He turned from her and a plume of steam rose from the masked face. He lifted it and revealed the features of his face. Not Alkor's face, but his own. The name had been toggled off because he refused to be that player anymore. Not just a character in a game. His actions were blood on his own hands. His responsibility was a higher calling.

When he glanced back at Lessa, he did so through his own eyes. "Go now," he said. "You wanted me dead once. I was dead. Let me stay dead."

[Lessa 1]

His words left her dumbfounded. Like a fish out of water, her lips moved pitifully, no sound coming forth. What was there to say to him? His appearance alone was impossible. He had died. For weeks, he had been dead. And she had come to accept that, albeit slowly. Yet here he stood, his mask removed, his face the way she remembered it from their last meeting. A gasp bubbled up from the depths of her throat as her eyes traced his every feature. He truly was a ghost.

 

Yet the words he spoke made no sense to her. She had wanted him dead? Her mind rushed to make sense of this, but she was left completely clueless. He had died. He had been alive when she fell asleep, and he had been gone when she awoke. Lessa had played no role in this tragedy.

 

Briefly, memories of that day on the second floor returned to her. The wind from the nothingness below her, toying with her hair and kissing her face, begging her to jump. And in that moment of immense sadness and confusion, Lessa had blamed his death on herself. The golden-eyed player had begged her to leave and she had refused. Was this what he was referring to? There was no way of knowing for sure.

 

"I don't understand," she finally confessed. "Why would I wish death upon the only person I cared about?"

 

Alkor remained silent. A full minute passed, and then another, before Lessa finally gave in. She stepped backward from his blade, blue eyes torn from his gold ones. "I don't know what is going on," came the blonde's soft whisper, "but I won't beg you for an explanation." The young player glanced out across the frozen field. "If you ever find a reason to contact me, you know how to do it."

 

With that, she turned from him, Long strides carried her away, out of the meadow and into a nearby forest. She did not turn back, for fear of giving in to her desire to return to his side. And though warm tears still cut salty tracks across her cheeks, deep down, she knew that she was making the right decision.

[Life 0]

L stood idly just outside the forth floors tavern, the warmth that radiated from it was comforting as he munched on an apple, though he didn't feel like going inside. It was just one of those days where he felt lost, yet at peace as he stared up towards the cold and heartless sky. It was a feeling of a lone wanderer, a hermit. He had no guild, no friends, no family. For a long time he had just been.. alone. The death threats he obtained from Maris messages didn't exactly help him understand why he couldn't remember a large portion of his past few weeks, or rather maybe, months. However he wasn't the least bit concerned by them, if there had been one lesson he had learnt from his experiences is that eventually, father time brings everyone back home. It was a saying his father used to tell him whenever something upset him, wether it be about his mother, or girl problems. He quickly learnt that it could be applied to just about everything, some things taking more time than others. And so he believed, that with time, he would eventually find his home.

 

He smirked and shook his head, he felt silly to be thinking about all of this nonsense, after all, it's not like the main objective had ever changed. To beat this game and get back to his real home. It seemed as though he had to constantly remind himself that this was only a virtual reality, or rather, a virtual nightmare. L checked his inventory, it seemed as though he was running low on Col. Purchasing his new set of gear seemed to take a large tole on his pockets. Though, was it ever worth it. To be in possession of a katana was something he had always looked forward to, and now he had his own. A smokey katana with tempered black folded steel, it was a masterpiece he had to properly thank Kosan for one day. With that in mind, he felt like there would be no better way to train his skill with the thing and earn his Col back than to farm up. His armour however didn't do him much justice in the cold, but it would have to suffice. He remembered doing the essence of steel quest awhile back, killing the snow beast another time would most likely be the best option for a hefty amount of col.

 

He finished the apple, only leaving the core left. He threw it behind him and it evaporated into a small cloud of particles which quickly vanished. He yawned softly, it was probably best to get a move on before it became too dark. A few moments later and he was out of the small village, if he remembered correctly, the snow beast could be found near a frozen lake, or at least thats where he encountered it with Raidou last time. He stood firm for a moment and scratched the back of his head "I may have to cut through the forest it seems.." He scanned the area for a moment to claim his bearings and once he had a good idea of where he was he continued with a fast and steady pace. It didn't take long for him to bump into an oddly familiar face slinking through the forest. There seemed to be tears frozen, locked away behind a pair of beautiful blue eyes, none seemed to show any sign of escaping any further. 

It was Lessa, as strange as a time it was to meet with her, he was glad he did, it had been a long time since he had seen her, in fact they never really did talk. He wondered why she was so saddened, he half jogged over to her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder "Someone as strong and beautiful as you shouldn't be crying Lessa. Is everything ok?" He gave her a gentle warm hug, it was as much as he could give to her to calm her. He wiped away one of the dried tears  that was delicately painted on her soft cheeks. It was odd to see Lessa this way, she was often strong willed and spirited, a woman he admired. The forest was cold and quiet, much like a winters back home.. however, there seemed to be an odd weight. A dark presence, it wasn't very often he felt such a thing but whatever it was, it wasn't a presence he would most probably be concerned by. 

[Lessa 1]

A sudden presence caused the blue-eyed girl to take pause; the sound of snow crunching underfoot confirmed her suspicion that someone was nearby. Alkor's changed his mind, came her first thought. While she was aware it was merely wishful thinking, Lessa's stomach twisted in anticipation. She turned toward the sound.

"Oh, Life," she murmmered, fighting to keep the disappointment from her voice. Truly, she was pleased to see the young man. Their relationship had always been pleasant, and Lessa considered him a friend. It would be unfair of her to compare him to the ghost she had left in the meadow, so she offered Life a weak smile. "Its nice to see you."

The fight left her as the dark-haired player pulled her into a hug. Her face twisted into an expression of gross emotion, and she buried it into Life's shoulder. The gesture, and his body, were both a welcome warmth, and she lingered there for a moment.

When they pulled apart, Lessa once again did her best to hide the feelings that raged within her. Life, however, gently dabbed the tears away from her stone-face. The breath she had been holding since he first approached her slipped past her lips in a short huff; it hung in a small cloud on the cold air.

"Thank you," was all she could manage.

[Life 0]

He shifted his posture, allowing his left shoulder and hair to droop slightly. His facial expression twisted, his mouth forming into a screwed curious frown. He paused not sure how to approach the situation, it was clear something was bothering her. Social interactions often got the best of him, he wasn't sure wether to ask them what was wrong or just keep the company, sometimes it was wise to just leave the person alone. Not like he could ever get it right anyway. He rubbed the back of his head and looked at her directly with his aquamarine eyes, no longer the crimson that used to plague his existence. He decided the safest option was the best option, if she was willing or comfortable, she would talk to him about it. "If you ever need to talk about anything, just know I'll be here for you Lessa. I'm a message away" 

 

He looked back through the forest, the odd presence he felt was now gone. He looked up to the sky just as an epiphany hit him. "I never sent you a friend request did i?" He smirked and brought up his menu, casually setting up his friend request right in front of her. Giving her a quick glance as he hit 'send'. 

 

 

Friend Request from Life

 

Description: I think this was overdue.
No?

 

Do you accept?
Y/N