[PP-F1] Wanderers (Vashtor & Aquila) (Completed)

[Rusty 0]

The cold, frisk summer air whipped Rusty's coffee-colored hair as he rested quietly reading a small leathery book against the trunk of an old oak tree. He had been tired from the recent battle with his guild and felt like he needed a rest from all the bickering, fighting and hostility. There was nothing in the world right now that could bother him as he felt as peace with the universe. Rusty flipped another page of his book as he continued reading its content as his eyes, with their chocolate iris giving them color, scrolled down the sentences upon the sentences that filled the book with its plot. Right now, this is where Rusty felt at home and it made it very hard for him to distinguish Aincrad from the real world. In fact, he felt so at peace that in rare instance, he began to hum a bit. Of course, this was almost inaudible and his expression remained as neutral as ever.

 

He rarely ever showed his emotions, even when he was alone and nobody else could see or hear him. His cold shell isolated him from the rest of the world and this made him an avid daydreamer. The book itself wasn't very interesting, only describing the fabricated history of Castle Aincrad. Rusty's mind was wandering his childhood, the days where he was a happy child that almost rarely had a frown on his face. Then his imagination drifted towards the accident that changed this joyful exterior and within an instant, Rusty decided to stop thinking about this period of his life. He didn't want to be reminded of it anymore.

[Vashtor 0]

Vashtor had a pleased grin on his face as he stepped through the seemingly endless fields of the first floor, soaking in the sunlight that filled it, exploring and looking around to find something to amuse him. His clothing and the simple axe he had rested across his shoulders marked him as one of those who had only recently gotten their act together to step out into the dangerous parts of the world. His green eyes ran across the horizons of the grassy lands, trying to make out any nearby monsters or players, but seemingly having no luck in those regards. After ensuring he had a firm grip below the sharp side of his axe he scratched his fingers through his crimson hair, unsure what to do if nothing was coming to hunt him or vice versa. At least, that was until he saw a tree in the distance and what appeared to be another player resting against it.

 

With his natural curiosity taking hold of his limbs he starts walking towards the tree with a smile. He was in no rush, the game wasn't going to win itself today, afterall. When he got closer to the tree he could confirm to himself that it was in fact another player, one that was far better equipped than he was. After a slight hesitation to consider if it was worth the risk of a one hit KO from a stronger player, he happily continued his approach at a steady pace, axe harmlessly resting its haft behind his head, axe blade just past his left shoulder while both his arms rested atop the haft on either shoulder. He was clearly off guard, and you don't exactly sheath an axe, not that he had any desire to try in an open field where monsters spawned. "Yo!" He calls to the player, trying to alert the male character to his presence. "What'cha reading?" He initiated the conversation, not taking a seat in case he was unwelcome. It must have been a good book if he risked monsters to read it in peace, or at least that is what he thought.

[Rusty 0]

Rusty let out a long sigh the moment he heard another player approach him. The calm moment he was able to have nd the ability to relax to the fullest were gone as soon as the player appeared and spoke out. Deciding against engaging in a conversation with the boy, Rusty continued reading his book as if he didn't hear anything. The wind continued flowing and his hair continued to flow with it, but it almost seemed to betray him with its constant barrage of cold air. It didn't seem right that he couldn't have a single day to himself without the companies of others and this seemed to be the case almost everywhere. However, if the boy persisted in talking to him, Rusty wouldn't deny his request. He didn't feel like making an argument out of almost nothing although there was plenty of reasons to start one in the first place. 

[Vashtor 0]

Vashtor stared towards the boy who looked a few years younger than him and tilted his head curiously when the boy didn't respond to the question asked of him, or anything else really it seemed. With a shrug Vashtor uses some leverage on his axe to send it falling to his right, the blade impaling itself in the ground as he plops down to take a seat, crossing his legs and resting his left elbow on the knee of the same side. He rested his head on the palm of his hand and said, while intentionally making it sound like he thought the other player couldn't hear him "Ooh, now I really am curious. Not everyday someone gets entirely trapped in the world of books." He grinned as he tilted his head to get a look at the title, for a brief moment wondering why he expected it to be anything else than a lore book. Not like they got magazines or decent non-aincrad fiction to his knowledge.

[Rusty 0]

Rusty sighed as he knew the man was going to continue trying to talking to him. Looking up from his book, he gave a cold stare towards the red-orange haired boy before offering a few words. "I'm an avid reader, so no. It isn't every day you see that." he remarked. Annoyed at the fact that the player was curious enough to utter an "Ooh", Rusty moved to the opposite direction of him before continuing to read. If the boy still persisted after this, then Rusty wasn't even going to try to drive him away. It was useless to beat a dead horse and to explain his intentions was also useless.. Sitting back up, he quickly glanced at the level of the boy, relieved that the boy wasn't really high-leveled, but in fact a "noob" or a low-leveled player in layman terms. The wind had died down however, and he was happy for that since it meant he wasn't as cold as before.

[Vashtor 0]

Vashtor took the boy's rejections in stride, if anything his actions made him grin while mischief filled his heart. Deciding to play with the player's nerves he shuffled forward a bit and stares over his shoulder, reading the book even if it was in the middle. He couldn't help himself, he was a petty being and he had been given a chance to gain vengeance for the cold shoulder by glancing over this player's shoulder! "Hmm... Floating castle, lots of monsters, many floors..." He softly mutters, not really talking to anyone in particular, just stating his thought processes as he had nothing better to be doing as he read.

[Rusty 0]

Rusty decided to close his book up, he was done with ignoring the player. Getting up, he let out a yawn before stretching his arms. "I was looking forward to a day of rest but.. you interfered. You're lucky. Some people would kill you on the spot for annoying them to such lengths, and many would lower your health to the critical zone, letting the boars get you so that they wouldn't be marked as a PKer." He was right and this happened often on this floor and other floor. Still, he had to point out the stupidity in walking up to him, the boy could've been killed on the spot if Rusty was that type of person. Turning to the man, he looked at him with eyes that seemed to be glazed, as if Rusty was a dead man walking. 

[Vashtor 0]

Vashtor grinned and said in turn "He who lives in glass houses." He laughed happily and rested the palm of his hand on the very edge of his axes handle "It's kiiiiinda hard to tell one's level based on what they are wearing. Not that I really deny being underleveled. Just sayin', you looked pretty relaxed." He removes his hand from his weapon to reconfirm he was not a threat "But I do concede your point, though I like to convince myself that PKers prefer prey that can actually fight back." He shrugged "Like some hunter's instinct or somesuch." He didn't really have too strong of an opinion on PKers, outside of the fact he didn't want to meet one by having them running in his direction. Bad things happen in those situations.

[Rusty 0]

Rusty disagreed with the first statement. Usually you could tell a person's level by their equipment because nobody in their right mind would walk around without good equipment. He didn't want to say this however so he just kept quiet. Instead he equipped his rapier in case of any boars spawning in, and put its sheath. "Not all PKers are people with murderous intent, some don't do it on purpose. I look fragile, but I'm capable when needed. Usually my eyes are all I need to scare off a possible killer and also people at that." Rusty eyes certainly looked as if they could stare into souls and his cold expression helped out a lot too. This had become common after the incident, but it was something that was a gift and a curse. Some people could find themselves scared of him and this helped when he wanted to be alone, but after years of being avoided, Rusty despised with a lot of hatred.

[Vashtor 0]

Vashtor kept his same grin on, looking into Rusty's eyes without a care. If anything, his cold stare motivated him to be happy enough to make up for him. "Well, yeah. Self defense might work in the real world since we have a court system. A death is a death here, so I can't really flinch every time I see a color other than green." He shuts his eyes and cracks his neck a bit. "And uh, no offense, but I don't take appearance at face value. If you have the stats for it, you can lift a greatsword as tall as you, even if you were a frail young lady, and I hear some smiths will even make weapons look rusted and battleworn to give them a better atmosphere!" He opens his eyes back up and looks to Rusty "So basically, my gut is what is telling me that you aren't about to stab me."

[Aquila 0]

Aquila walks sedately down the dirt path, his brilliant blue and gold armour shimmering in the afternoon sun. His forearm rested lightly on his sheathed sword, his steps impacting hard with the ground and causing his armour to clink. He wasn't really sure why he had the urge to come all the way back down to floor 1. Even if he was only level 4, it still felt like he had moved so far past this, having set up shop all the way up on floor 7. He rolled his shoulders as he spotted two young men talking underneath a tree. He had thought it best to ignore them and continue on his way, but something about the look in the eyes of that brown-haired one piqued his interest as he diverted his course towards them.

 

He knew he cut quite an imposing figure, but he stopped a dozen feet away from them and spoke in what he thought was a calm and maybe even warm voice. Sadly it actually came out a lot more gruff and menacing, sort of like a bear roaring in agitation.

 

"Is there a problem here you two? I know it's none of my business but you've got one hell of a look on your face." He says motioning to Rusty.

[Rusty 0]

"Most people don't think twice before they attempt to fight. I could just as easily wear starter gear and be in the high 20s levelwise and people would still pick a fight with me. But they don't. Usually because I'm that one person that's weird and not really approachable." Rusty replied, unwavering. What the boy said next was true however, he wasn't one to fight and most likely would never want to fight against another player. He nodded his head in agreement instead of offering words, but turned when a new person entered the field with them. 

 

"Is there a problem here you two? I know it's none of my business but you've got one hell of a look on your face."

 

"So I've been told." Rusty answered, not faltered by the size of the player or by his muscles. There was a slight sarcastic tone to what he said, this was because he didn't appreciate being told the obvious. Also, he wasn't one to start an argument on purpose and rarely did Rusty's temper got out of hand. Nothing really angered him and he didn't care for being the right one in the argument since most people are stubborn in their beliefs.

[Vashtor 0]

Vashtor looked back towards the new arrival, taking in his appearance and the tone of his voice before he would respond. He chuckled softly to himself and stood up onto his legs, retrieving his axe from the ground and idly resting it limply on his shoulder. "Eh. if there is a problem between us, it's my own doing, don't blame him." He shrugged nonchalantly. So far he had a good impression of the armored man, just based on the fact he didn't try to mind his own business. As far as Vashtor cared to think or consider, that meant he cared about people.

 

With that cleared up in his head he looks to Rusty and Aquila before saying "Though if I am totally honest I don't even know his name." He laughed softly and happily announces to nobody in particular "I'm Vashtor! But if that's too unwieldy of a screename, Vash is fine." He didn't care much for routine or formality, he made himself known and left it at that, leaving it to the other two if they cared.

[Aquila 0]

Aquila unequips his helmet, revealing his face. He had a neutral expression as he looked down at the significantly shorter duo.

 

"So I take it you two've just met." He blinks and looks over at Vash.

 

"Aquila, nice to meet you both." His face softens a bit as he gets the feeling that they're just a couple of kids hanging out.

 

"Up to anything particular here or just taking a break to enjoy the view?" He crosses his arm over his chest, his armour clinking as it makes contact, as he moves to stand next to Vash and look out at the setting sun.

 

"Not counting the fact that we're trapped in a deadly game, it really is amazing just how far technology has come, we didn't have anything like this when I was your age." He chuckles a bit and cracks a faint smile.

[Rusty 0]

"My name is.." Rusty paused for a moment, unsure of giving his real name or just to give his username. In the end, he didn't know these people very well so he decided to say his username. "Rusty." He replied. "The only view I wanted to get was my book, before tangerine head over there decided to annoy me to the fullest he could." he muttered, although in a low tone in the hope they didn't hear him. It was a nice view, but it was always there and it would never change. What would be nice to Rusty was if it rained a bit or if became cloudy. That way, he didn't have to make up a reason for why his expression never changed or why he didn't really show any emotion. 

 

"Not counting the fact that we're trapped in a deadly game, it really is amazing just how far technology has come, we didn't have anything like this when I was your age."

That wasn't amazing at all, it was simple science and also the specific use of technology. "What's really amazing is that nobody saw the potential use of the NerveGear in a negative way. Something like this should have shown up in the bug-testing with so much hype surrounding the game." Rusty answered, before turning to look at the two players.

[Vashtor 0]

Vashtor smiled while listening to Aquila's words, and even Rusty's at first, but then he shot his eyes wide and said "Whoa whoa whoa, I am -not- a ginger!" He laughed and flipped his hair "This is red, like, red red. Crimson if it helps?. Dyed it with in-game services." He shakes his head and shrugs, looking into the distance to see the same sights they were seeing.

 

He soaked in the view for a moment or two before saying confidently "Well, most things have a negative.... though some are worse than others, I will admit that. Have too much sugar, you got diabetes. That type of stuff." He takes a long sigh "I dunno how this slipped past them, it is a pretty big deal... But hey, good news, now that people know what can go wrong, it won't happen to anyone else." He smiles at the horizon "So even if we die, odds are we will be the first and last through this method. There is some comfort in that for me, especially since there is a way out." He tries taking a long breath to enjoy the virtual scents. "Feel free to call me a fool, but even in the real world I don't stress that stepping outside could get me shanked by someone who is desperate. There are enough reasons to not do nothing, and plenty to be optimistic. It's just a new way to die, if it even comes to that."

[Aquila 0]

He rolls his shoulders. Bringing a hand up to stroke his beard.

 

"It's definitely unacceptable that something like this wasn't caught. Though I suppose Kayaba went to lengths to cover his tracks so his plan wouldn't be interrupted." He pauses to hmm to himself a bit.

 

"I'll admit I'm a bit worried about how I'm doing in the real world. By this point I'm definitely in a hospital bed, slowly wasting away. I had just started expanding my business, you know. Ran a mechanic shop in Fukuoka that I inherited from my father. Ehhh, he's probably had to come out of retirement to keep it afloat. I hope he can manage all the extra workload I'd taken on..." He frowns a bit.

 

"And not to mention my actual body. Maintaining all of this wasn't a walk in the park, hell I bet I've lost almost 100 pounds in muscle mass already. Gonna be a pain to get all of that back when we get out of here..." He turns to look at the two.

 

"What'd you all do back in the real world? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

[Rusty 0]

I'd rather be back at home than in this game. Rusty sighed looking at the sunset again. It was fake and it wasn't genuine. There was no change in this world and it felt too.. joyful even though the threat of death hanged over everyone's shoulder. Although, here you could kill and probably get away with it. There were even ways to kill where there was no repercussions and you continue living safely inside the safe zones. It wasn't like in the real world, death was everywhere. There was no police and no government in place. It was basically anarchy. Then the man who had appeared said something that made Rusty grow quiet. He was a student in college, but aside from that his life was somewhat miserable. He had good grades, but nobody liked him really and he decided he didn't like his peers either. This left him incredibly lonely, aside from the companionship from his sister and his mom, but he had drifted away from them over the years. In fact, he figured everyone in his situation would like Aincrad better than the real world. Rusty didn't say a single word, however, and his oak eyes drifted downwards to the grass. He didn't want to remember the real world.

[Vashtor 0]

Vash could feel Rusty seeming to lock up thanks to Aquila's question. He was not a psychic so he could only do so much, so he gave the stranger a pat on shoulder and looked to Aquila to answer his question. "I worked the graveyard shift at a convenience store. Not the most exciting work, not the greatest pay... but I'm easy to spend for." He chuckles softly and shakes his head "I'm not very luxurious, I actually rather enjoy things simple." He rests the blade of his axe downward and rests his weight against the haft as if it were a walking stick. "It'll be a huge pain to get a job again when we get out of here, but I actually look forward to feeling pain again." He shrugs "I have this tick where I poke my palm with my nails until I get a slight sting when I am nervous... I have had to force myself not to do it anymore. No pain to feel." He grumbled to himself softly and shuts his eyes. "I feel for you though. My body doesn't take a lot of upkeep, I can only imagine the efforts you go through to keep that form." He smirked mischievously "And I don't have a face that can fit a beard, so kudos to you."

[Aquila 0]

Aquila sideglances Rusty and grumbles slightly, but he resolves to leave it alone. He plops down into the grass and reclines a bit.

 

"Heh, working in an auto shop did a lot to keep me fit, but to maintain all of this I had about another... three, four hours of working out every day? I didn't have much free time for games, even if they are my biggest hobby." He brings a hand up to stroke his beard again.

 

"Thanks, I'm actually kind of glad everyone got reverted to their real appearances, none of the beard options in the character customization really fit my tastes. Didn't have a body type that could match mine either. I can bench a solid 850 pounds, you know." He yawns a bit as the sun sinks lower and lower in the sky.

 

"So now that we've got real life out of the way, what about in game? I myself recently opened a smithy up on the 7th floor. Still working on stocking it though. I've found the crafting system takes a bit of getting used to."