[Other FULL] «Sword Art Online: Sanctuary» [IC][T]

[Turnip]

Turnip
HP 100% | LV. 12 | XP 72% | Col 2855
Location - Floor 1: Dungeons​

Turnip, as his username goes, was not a particularly social man... child... man-child, uh - something. He was 20 years old or so, yes, but "mature" is not a word you'd immediately place on him. He seemed to hold many aspects of the typical single-player RPG gamer - so far, he had preferred to stay out of the affairs of most other players in Sword Art: Online, and for the most part, other players seemed to ignore him much the same. Many things contributed to that overall outcome; being a self-dubbed "solo-player" was one of them, though it seemed it had the possibility of getting him into trouble. Another was his general passive attitude towards the other gamers, preferring to grind alone and speedrun quests to race up the levels, rather than socialise and form/join guilds.

The third and final was as much of a blessing as it was a curse - so far, many of the other players in the game... sort of identified him as an NPC. Not just in the sense that he acted like one - as far as any players could tell, from all the information the game was feeding them, he was just any other (though slightly odd and player-like) NPC, as much as he assured them he was just the same as the other players.

In his time playing the game, he doesn't yet know if he's seen the full implications of what this odd status could mean. He certainly can take damage - how else would he have levelled up his Battle Healing skill? - but whether anything else can come of it, he doesn't know, and he doesn't particularly want to find out. For all intents and purposes so far, it seems it's just a way of drawing attention to, and away from, himself.

In many situations, it's just allowed him to walk past people without them giving him a second thought. Who really cares about some random NPC walking by? Out here in the wilderness, though, just outside a dungeon, NPCs were generally quite rare, and so...

Whelp. I'm pretty screwed right now. Turnip thought.

... Yeah, that sums it up fairly well. Turnip was faced with a group of people outside of a dungeon (two of whom just happened to be unconscious). He normally wouldn't pay it much heed, and instead opt to try and sneak past.

Not in this game, obviously. The thought of an NPC out here warranted the thought of a rare quest, perhaps - and even if he did insist he was a player, the thought of a player who appeared as an NPC was just as, if not more interesting. All he could do was pretend to be another player going to grind - which, technically, he was - and desperately hope that no-one particularly noticed him.

Turnip sighed and got up, reaching for his back in the process. He unsheathed his sword - dubbed "Composite Long Bow +1", and held it low and loosely, in a non-threatening manner. The sword glimmered slightly, not that the weapon was particularly flashy; It was a well-worn one-and-a-half handed sword, generally used with two hands. Of course, it could be used in one hand with a shield, if you wanted to risk losing control of it, but Turnip preferred it as a faster alternative to the sometimes clunky two-handed swords.

He felt using some form of one-handed weapon with two hands was perhaps a little wasteful, but felt at ease using a bastard sword in that kind of way. Using a small buckler with it was possible, he supposed, as it left fingers free for the most part, but it still wasn't quite the freedom he felt he needed with his weapon.
As Turnip walked towards (yet still a safe distance away from) the group, he could pick up on a few more details. The two unconscious, it seemed, were PKers, and the rest weren't. Always good to see a moral victory.

If the guy who knocked those two out had a frost/ice/whatever element weapon and didn't use it on them, I'll be really disappointed. Turnip mused to himself. There's definitely something to be had there with "out cold". Hehehee. Was that a giggle? I really shouldn't giggle. Not even in my mind, bloody hell. That's just awkward.

He noticed one of the group, a young girl from the looks of things, leave and go further into the dungeon. The remaining four (excluding the two unconscious) remained outside, and Turnip held his breath as he attempted to stride casually, yet purposefully, past.

 

[Geras]

Rikuto Yuuto Sato / Ryuusa Lvl.06
Dungeon => Town of Beginnings: Marketplace

​

Rikuto watched the exchange that took place between Xenith and Princess. He smiled, happy to see that she had many friends besides her guild members to protect her when she needed them. He didn't care that he didn't get the chance to play hero, he only cared that she was safe. It was then that Rikuto realized that his thoughts were more like the thoughts of a concerned father than an employer. He shook his head to snap himself out of it. Deep down he realized that maybe he had started using Princess as a substitute for Yumi. Doing that to his daughter who had been left with no father was wrong. She was his employee, nothing more. Lost in his thoughts, Rikuto was only brought back to reality when Xenith tapped his shoulder.

When he turned to look at Xenith she looked a little irritated but there was also a hint of concern in her eyes. "Hey, were you listening? They asked if we wanted to go with them." Rikuto gave a blank look signaling that he had no idea what she was talking about. A frown formed on her face. "What's with you today? You're usually even more alert than me." She paused for a moment then shrugged. "Anyway, they were looking for the boss room. With such a large party we could probably stand a good chance in the deeper areas. Maybe earn some good XP?"

Rikuto thought about it for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "You should go if you want, but I'm not coming. My best sword art is better suited for working with people whose abilities I know and can work into a strategy such as yourself and your Ghostwalk. I have a feeling that trying to order around such strong people isn't something I want to try. Until I get to know them better I'd just be getting in the way." Xenith nodded, understanding. "Also, Kouki's still in the shop. I think I've paid enough overtime for one day. I should get back to the store counter." She chuckled and nodded again.

Xenith turned back to everyone and gave them her decision as well. "We'll be leaving now. Ryuusa needs to get back to his shop and I need to get back to collecting ingredients." She then looked directly at Princess and smirked. "Try not to get yourself into anymore danger, and if you do, don't call this guy." She gestured to Rikuto, pointing behind herself with her thumb. "The boss is hopeless when it comes to a little girl in trouble. He'll come to the rescue and forget there's a thing called reason."

Rikuto sighed at the teasing but still laughed. He grinned and faced Godot. "That aside, I am the proprietor of Ryuusa's goods and services, northwest corner of the Town of Beginnings marketplace. As thanks for saving one of my employees I'll give you a discount if you stop by, same goes for that other girl too. Don't let my level deceive you, we've got a wide variety of quality merchandise and do requests as well as enhancements." The blatant advertising may have seemed a little out of place but he really did want to thank them for what they did. He then turned back to Princess. "See you at work tomorrow, Princess."

With that over, Rikuto took his teleport crystal out of his inventory but stopped cold. He sensed someone nearby, his detection skill at work, and turned to see something strange. It was a person approaching them but there was something immediately off. He doesn't have a color cursor. What would an NPC be doing here? He didn't have a gold <<!>> over his head so he wasn't here to initiate a quest. Was someone here in the middle of a quest involving him? Xenith seemed to arrive at the same conclusions and in the end they both decided to leave him be and teleported their separate ways.
_________________________

Rikuto found himself in front of the teleport gate for the second time today. He didn't think about that for long and quickly returned to the store seeing Kouki at the counter and Gothax still browsing. Kouki smiled and said, "Since you're not wailing in despair, I assume she's safe?" Rikuto nodded and was met with a thumbs up from Kouki who returned the place at the counter to him and left. After calculating how much more he would have to pay his employees for today, he simply fell back into his chair and waited for more customers.
​

 

[YellowGardevoir]

Yuri Lowell aka Eclipse​

Yuri frowned as he checked <<Abyssion's >> status. Even after doing four missed quests, he still hadn't unlocked it's ability. It was a good sword, and he wasn't at all unhappy with it, but the fact that it still had un-obtained potential irked him. I still smart from last quest, he thought. He had had to fight off monsters that multiplied when you defeated them. Their individual stats weren't that high, but they swarmed you with numbers. He had barricaded himself in a cave, with an opening only large enough for one of the monsters to pass through at time.

Setting off in a north-west direction, one of the few corners of the map that he had yet to explore, he wondered if anyone else had found the teleport to Floor 2. Probably not, he reasoned. If anyone else had found it they would have messaged the whole server. Still, it seemed prudent to ask around his few friends. I wonder how Lucina's doing? he thought. Bringing up his friends menu, he composed a message.

-Hey, Lucina, it's Eclipse. I was just wondering if your group had made any headway on the portal location. If so, tell me about it!-

 

[Nathan]

Markus Steele || Gothax

​

Gothax was still wandering around the store looking to see if there was something that could sparkle his interest. The shop owner ran away a few time earlier but he could wait a little while closely examining the different items the shop offered. But he had to keep in mind that he only had 200 Col in his pocket which wasn't exactly a huge fortune. "I have to manage it efficiently", he thought. There were a lot of items there and he didn't have a lot of money.
At this moment, the shop owner came back. ''I have to go soon". He looked at the guy in the counter. "Could you show me some of your weapons?", he asked.

 

[SylveonStar]

Maria Renée {Princess}
Guild: The Flaming Blade
Level: 12​

Maria smiled at Godot and nodded. "of course I'll go, I just have to let my guild leader know, though if we do find the teleport I know the guys will want to find us" she said letting go of Xenith's hand. Shiren said goodbye and walked off calling for Lucina and someone named Robin. Ryuusa and Xenith both said they had things to do, Xenith collecting ingredients and Ryuusa to get back to the shop. "I'll see you tomorrow Ryuusa" she smiled and gave him a small wave.

Spotting someone approaching she frowned. What's an NPC doing out here? she thought before turning to Godot. "thanks a lot for saving me Godot, I owe you one, and I don't doubt that my guild will say the same. I stopped grouping with them after what happened to my brother...but I'm trying to move on" she smiled a sad smile at the thought of her brother before opening her menu and sending a message to Psyche telling him what happened, and that she was joining some friends to look for the teleport but she'd message them again if they found anything.

The message she recieved back no more than a minute later made her sigh. To say her guild was mad was an understatement, she was lucky they hadn't told her to report to them, though they promised to berate her for her lapse of judgement later. They had stressed that she should have told one of them, or one of her friends to meet her at the dungeon. "merde, didn't think they'd give me the riot act"

 

[miltankRancher]

dotcom || Level 1 Dungeons
Stalfos III​

Nirvana's sword started to glow blue. The player was obviously more agile than dotcom as its attack managed to hit the monster first, creating a distraction. dotcom crashed his sword against the Stalfos, slicing downwards. Its health started to go down and, to make sure it is really finished, dotcom did a quick thrust upwards, knocking it out. We did it. He looked around and the room for Nirvana but the other player was not there. However, he could feel something breathing on the back of his head so he turned, his swords poised and ready to attack whatever it is. What he saw surprised him. All he saw is a blank air, a shimmering veil as if there were some powdery stuff hanging in the air. What is this? He decided to step back away from it. "What are you?"

(OOC: He's still in <HIDING, right?>

​

 

[machomuu]

William Danielson||Godot
Lv. 11||Floor 1 - Dungeons​

Godot waved to Xineth and Ryuusa as they departed and started to follow Shiren, but then both Ryuusa and Princess seemed to be alerted to...something. He wasn't exactly sure what it was, but not long afterwards they returned to their normal states. Princess thanked Godot for saving him, and then she started to send a message to someone at her guild that she needed to report to. Godot was getting a little nervous about the distance between him and Shiren, so right after Princess finished her message he took her by the hand and ran to Shiren with her.

When he next saw Shiren, she was on the ground, and a man and a woman seemed to be standing over her. Godot jumped to conclusions initially, and almost drew his sword, but then he noticed the look of sincerity on the woman's face. He turned to Princess and said, "Sorry if I was pulling on you a little too hard...I got carried away." He waved to Shiren and the others and said loudly, "Ahoy!"

 

[Satan.EXE]

http://i.imgur.com/06di2A4.jpg

«試練-PATP001»

FL1, Dungeon

2-9: A Young Girl with Potential

|

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To: Shiren
Subject: MY CLOAK

Remember when you ran off just now? Well, you ran off with my cloak and i'd like it back... So unless you bring it back to me before Princess and anyone else see me like this, I and Robin won't reply your call.

"Then how am I supposed to find--" crash! Shiren was pretty much knocked on her face. Man, if that had been real...! She sat up dazed as some girl apologized and ran off. Still feeling dizzy, she got up with a stumble. When she came back to, Godot and Princess were now beside her... And they'd already caught up to Robin and Lucina. Oops! Shiren got out of the cloak and gave it back to Lucina anyway. She smiled a bit, though. "I could make you a new one with better stats too, next time we end up at a shop. I have more than enough money for materials, too, so I could probably make everyone some armor-level clothes." She glanced at Godot. "I don't think I could make them as good as that armor, though... Nothing really beats rare equipment." She smiled. When she glanced at Robin, though, she frowned. "Hey!! You didn't drink your XP potion!!" Pulling off a pouting lip, she crossed her arms and pouted. "You're too far behind, you'll get yourself killed if you don't drink it!!"

​

.

 

[Turnip]

Turnip
HP 100% | LV. 12 | XP 72% | Col 2855
Location - Floor 1: Dungeons​

As Turnip continued his somewhat awkward walk towards the dungeon, and the group of four outside it, he began to feel uneasy in his situation. Two of the group seemed to give him confused looks, but to his relief they soon teleported away. Well, he was halfway out of this, he supposed.

Incredible diversion powers, ACTIVATE! he thought to himself. He didn't actually do anything, and nothing actually happened at all. He just felt slightly at more at ease, now, for no discernible reason.

Another young girl, one of the remaining two, seemed to notice him as well, and the other, a man who looked in his twenties, seemed to notice. Soon enough though, the man grabbed the girl's hand, and they both ran into the dungeon.

"Did they both just run away from me?" Turnip muttered to himself, now no-one was around. "Well, can't say it doesn't hurt a little inside... Ah, well. Grinding time!"

The thought occurred to him suddenly that, although there was no longer anyone in his way for him to get into the dungeon, most of them had moved into it anyway. In that sense, there were still half of the same people within the dungeon, and he was just about to go in there. Not really much to be relieved about.

"Well. Dammit."

Nevertheless, he continued, walking up to the two unconscious PKers. He bent down to one of them, "Can I loot unconscious people? Uh loot, loot, nope. That kind of sucks. Ah, well." He kicked the PKer lightly in the head, "Take that, you dink!"

He moved onwards, but turned quickly just to check that the PKers was still asleep. An amusing snore followed, and reassured, Turnip moved through and into the dungeon. Unsurprisingly, though, there weren't really any monsters. A dungeon it was, yes, but it was a dungeon that, seemingly, several people had just walked through.

Turnip snapped to his left, "Oh, wow! LOOT! Nope, it's just a wall. Would you look at that... Hey, actual loot! Nope, just the ceiling. Ceilings get me every time. Hey, you know what'd be nice? Actually anything!" And so, he rambled on to himself, cynicism radiating from his very presence, fed up with the lack of... things.

He stopped again at the inevitable - he'd caught up to the people who'd ran in before. A group of five again, though he doubted they were all the same as the original five. They'd hardly waste a teleport crystal on going further into the dungeon... could they even do that? He didn't expect so.

Turnip had received a few odd looks with his previous strategy, so he didn't want to go with that again. What can I really do though? He wondered, I could just run past. Roll with it. I don't have the <Sprint> skill though, so... can I run without <Sprint>? The game can hardly stop me. I guess it's just some kind of physics thing. Which is great, because everyone knows, game physics are always impeccable.

Turnip paused for a moment in thought and leant against some loot - sorry, I mean, a wall.

Boots of Speed would be nice. Or Boots of the Fox. Always liked that AC bonus, and Boots of Speed were just awkward if there was anyone else in the party at all... Ah, hell. I'll just run past them. Screw it. It's a legitimate strategy. I've got to get past them anyway, if I'm just stuck behind a load of people, there's no chance I'm going to be able to grind on anything. I'm like a pestle and mortar. Grinding's what I do. Heh, I should write that down on paper. IF I HAD ANY. Well, This thought train has gone on far too long. Running it is, because it's totally inconspicuous.

Turnip strapped "Composite Long Bow +1" to his back again, and took off at a run down the dungeon halls. He kept to the left side so that he wouldn't really be in the way, and so it wouldn't look like he was really trying to attack them. At least, that's the impression he hoped to give. To be honest, the best reaction he could hope to get would be "What the hell is that guy doing? Eugh, better just stay out of the way. Weirdo."

As he neared passing the lot he skidded to a halt and stopped dead. On his left was a hole in the wall. Could this be the loot he had dreamed of...? Concern for the group of others completely forgotten, he peeked around the small indent...

Nothing. It was just an indent, part of the symmetrical design. Just a wall. Turnip just stared at it for a few seconds, completely taken aback by how his sarcastic ramblings had come true.

"I can't even... there's not even a word for how mad I am right now. I..." Turnip face-palmed, (or, uh, helmet-palmed) and simply continued walking into the dungeon, still paying no heed to the group of five he was honestly too pissed off to care about right now.

 

[ShinyDiamond]

Robin - Lvl 10
Floor 1: Dungeons

​

As Lucina was leading the way to the large doors, she reminds Robin about the EXP Potion he received from Shiren. He sighs, knowing full well why he won't use it. "I don't take shortcuts. They're the easy way out," he answers calmly, but groans afterward. Why he accepted from Shiren in the first place was beyond him. Maybe he took it so she wouldn't feel sad. That's reason enough. Robin never has success making friends.

Moving along the corridor, Robin hears a loud call, their names being called. Obviously Shiren, what with that loud voice. Lucina sends a message, probably to Shiren. She mentions to Robin not to make contact with their party. It has to do with her cloak, not wanting a player named Princess, perfect, to see her without it. That did raise a question. "Why hide your gender? I thought at first it gives a high boost in stats." Was that really true? Perhaps there were more that Robin didn't know about. It's best he figures this out soon, or he might not let it go. Afterwards, a couple more movements & Shiren appears under the pair's feet. Robin sighs, still wondering what kind of party he got himself into. Godot & a girl, possibly Princess, follow along. This is Lucina's opportunity to get her cloak back from Shiren if she doesn't want Princess to notice her gender. Yet another girl in the team. Robin's even more uncomfortable than he is now.

Shiren notices that Robin hasn't used the EXP Potion she gave him & pouts. She goes on lecturing him about how he'll get himself killed, being left behind. She's not my mother. Robin can't take this. "I decide when to use it. I don't take shortcuts. That's not how I do things. Besides, I haven't had much trouble with what level I am. All that matters is...I keep everyone alive, even if it's the cost of my life." Robin kept his voice low but firm, straightened out, explained thoroughly. He doesn't care what anyone else thinks, but only cares what he thinks himself.

The whole party was together. "We're wasting time," Robin reminds everyone. "We need to find those large doors & see if there's a secret we might not know about. Lucina...?" He blushes just mentioning her name, avoiding eye contact with her or anyone else. He supresses it & waits for Lucina to continue to lead the group & Princess. Princess looks strong enough with her level.

 

[Colony]

\\Nirvana/Nightmare - Col 1300//
\\Level 10 - Experience 27% - Health 49%//
\\First Floor Dungeon: Secret Corridor//​

Nightmare figured that Nirvana must have stopped him through their subconscious. It was truly a problem since dotcom felt Nightmare's presence and reacted to it. Dotcom looked very startled, one could even say frightened. In his surprise he attempted to locate Nightmare, but he must not have realized that Nightmare was in <Hiding>. Nightmare just looked at the startled dotcom with this look of utter amusement, not that dotcom could see it of course. It was then that dotcom called out to the appearingly empty space.

"What are you?"

The comment was amusing to Nightmare. The question made him think long and hard about it, but the only real answer he could use was his namesake. He was a nightmare of a child, forever personified by resentment and tainted memories. Nothing more, nothing less. Just a side effect from a traumatic event that happened years ago.

Nightmare watched dotcom to see if he would make any reaction, and he actually did see a reaction, but it wasn't dotcom's. The Stalfos, Sindri, stepped towards dotcom, winding it's arm back to unleash a hefty blow. This was either a good chance to have dotcom killed or take advantage of the distraction and finish Sindri off. If he wasn't the one to land the killing blow he couldn't loot dotcom, and that left him with only one option. The hulking skeleton began to bring down his sword on dotcom's back. In the few moments he had, Nightmare closed the distance and moved past dotcom. In a quick motion he started a <Draught of Delirium> and went for Sindri's sword arm. The attack landed perfectly on the enemy's wrist slicing it off cleanly, thus disarming the foe. He continued through with his attacks going after a knee, followed by the other arm, and finally the second knee. The monster was reeling and its health had dropped down to the red, all before the last attack of the five hit combo. Nightmare's <Hiding> broke and in a spinning motion he sliced evenly with the Stalfos' neck. The monster's head went flying, its health bar having been reduced to zero in the process. As an addition, since the monster was killed with <DoD> his health recovered by 20%. Not too shabby.

Nightmare checked the drops to see if anything worthwhile had been dropped, and while looking at the loot drops the quest completion screen popped up listing the <Mercurial Blade> as the main reward along with a boatload of XP, if you include the XP for killing the monster. Yes, level up! Back to the dropped loot. Hmm, Sindri had two <Hammer of Nine Realms> and 500 Col in his drop list. Nightmare retrieved them both, fiddled with his inventory, and equipped one of the hammers. He looked at dotcom and tossed the weapon at him, making sure to unquip it so that dotcom could get it.

"You're lucky, I'm feeling generous. That hammer says it helps develop your <Forging> skill faster as long as you have it in your inventory. Not too bad an item to have."

It was at this point that a different wall opened up, leading into a different passage. Everything was happening so fast that Nightmare immediately ran into the passage way before it had a chance to close, not that it would close or anything. While running up the passage Nightmare navigated through his equipment window and equipped the <Mercurial Blade> he had just earned. It was odd it didn't have a weapon class, but as soon as Nightmare had equipped it it showed up as a ball in his hand, much like how it was before triggering the Sindri trap. He made a swinging motion and with that the ball shifted to become a blade, a curved blade to be specific. This was so unusual! A weapon that shape shifted, who would have thought it? After his immediate excitement was over the exit of the passage could be seen. Once he reached the end he looked around, only to see a fairly large group, which seemed to include mostly women. Nightmare figured that it would be pretty easy prey, but at that moment of wave of sharp pain flooded through his head. Nirvana was taking back his position as the dominant personality. Now with his sense back he walked up to the group and sheathed his weapon. One of the things he overheard was that one of their members was talking about dying. It upset Nirvana, and prompted him to speak.

"You, know, it's usually a better idea for you to be prepared and not die, than to be so blinded by pride that it kills you. Vanity, greed, those kinds of things will kill you if you don't plan ahead."

He kinda wondered if they heard him, since the guy was still talking to one of the other people on the group.

 

[machomuu]

William Danielson||Godot
Lv. 11||Floor 1 - Dungeons​

"Oh, I see how it is..." Godot said, closing his eyes and sighing, not seeming to notice Nirvana who just made his way into the conversation (or, if he did, he was too preoccupied with what he had to say to acknowledge him). He turned to Robin with a look of indifference. "So basically, you don't care whether you live or die so long as we don't die." Godot remained silent for a few moments and said, "Well that's pretty damn selfish. The 'noble hero-types' often are. Always saying things like, 'I don't care about myself...as long as the others stay safe,' and the like. But let me ask you a question." Godot said as he slowly walked about the corridor. "Now, let's say that the boss in the boss room is powerful and you sacrifice your life for some reason...maybe to save Lucina or something. What do you think would happen? She would probably be in shock, and not just that, but she may even become overwhelmed with grief. Why? Because she would think that your death was her fault. It doesn't matter if she actually believes it or not, her mind won't have the time to decide."

Godot turned to Lucina and said, "I'm not saying that you're weak willed or anything; this is just for the sake of being an example. Regardless, shock happens to all of us, and everyone copes with it differently." He turned back to Robin. "My point is, the AI doesn't care about that. They would kill Lucy within a moment's notice, and the whole party's morale would fall by the wayside. We might all end up dying thanks to a single sacrifice. But if you have that satisfaction of having 'saved' someone before you die, it's fine, right?" Godot chuckled and scratched his head. "What's more, you reject not only the affection, but also the help of those who just want to help. Now, I can understand the reason you reject affection. Heck, I might even go as far as say that rejecting bonds so that you minimize emotional impact is a smart idea. But you play the role of the Big Damn Badass Hero and say you want to save people, but when it comes down to it, like in the case of that XP potion, you won't even let people help you help them. Pretty hypocritical if you ask me."

Godot drew his sword and pointed it in Robin's direction. "I'm really tired of this overconfident stoic attitude you have here. That has nothing to do with this, though. If you really want to save us all then change your ways. I don't want your foolish way of life to result in the harm of others." Godot drew closer. "This isn't just a matter of nobility. This isn't a matter of nobility. This is a matter of compassion. This is a matter of trust. This is a matter of efficiency. This is a matter of strategy. Most of all, this is a matter of life or death." While the fire in Godot's eyes continued to grow with each word, his face showed a more nonchalant persona. Even he wasn't sure what his true emotions were at this point. "The fact that you took on those skeletons alone when you had Lucina to help you was stupid. If you think you were making everyone safer, you weren't. There was no possible way that you getting yourself killed would have helped me, Lucy, or Shiren." He sighed and looked at Princess. "I almost made the same mistake today and put a good friend in danger because of it."

He turned back the the My Unit and said, "Having said all of my long-winded speech, here's the deal. I doubt you'll listen to me. You haven't yet and you probably won't now. As such, unless you take advantage of Shiren's gracious offers or leave, I'll kill you right now. You don't seem to be afraid of death, and we aren't fighting the boss yet. Of course, I could be wrong, so I promise that I'll make it swift."

Godot looked into Robin's eyes, trying to figure out whether he really would kill him or not if he were to refuse. He could tell that Robin was young. Young and stupid. Godot may not have liked Robin, but he didn't want to kill him if he didn't have to. He didn't like the idea of killing children. Robin was still growing, and his philosophies and outlook on life was still forming. What's more, in some ways, Robin wasn't that different from Godot and, in some of those same ways, his words were meant for himself as well. He was basing his words off of experience, not just from the game but from life in general. Killing Robin would be efficient, but it wouldn't be right to staunch development so prematurely. Potential for change is always present.

"Alternatively, you kill me, and I won't be a pain in your side anymore. A battle would make this second choice possible, and I won't make it easy if you do. But it won't be a duel. I won't just let you avoid this, and you're going to pick one. So, what'll it be, Robin?"

 

[Geras]

Rikuto Yuuto Sato / Ryuusa Lvl.06
Town of Beginnings: Marketplace

​

I've had way too much excitement for one day, thought Rikuto as he slumped down in his chair. His day was far from over, however. There was still time left before he closed the store, then he needed to gather resources afterwards just like every other day. If this were real life he would have massive bags under his eyes right now. As if echoing his thoughts of unfinished work, Gothax came up to him after his browsing. "Could you show me some of your weapons?" he asked. He was probably having trouble deciding what to get so Rikuto got up and walked him over to the weapons section.

"We have many different weapons here as you can see: curved swords, straight swords, two-handed, one handed, spears, hammers, whatever you like. Is there something in specific you wanted. A fast weapon? A strong one?" Rikuto paused for a moment. "A cheap one?" He needed something more to go off of to help Gothax make his decision. "If nothing here catches your eye you can still request a weapon to be forged or enhanced, as long as you can pay for it."

(OOC: Slightly updated weapons list.)
Rapier: 550_____________________Scimitar: 500
Gladius: 400____________________Sabre: 480
+5 Dagger: 330__________________Dagger: 100
Stiletto: 280_____________________Talwar: 600
Katana: 800_____________________Short spear: 200
+2 Scimitar: 600__________________Scimitar: 480
Wakizashi: 480___________________Halberd: 800
Long spear: 450__________________Claymore: 800

One-handed axe: 400_____________Two-handed axe: 600
Mace: 240______________________Two-handed Warhammer: 800

Throwing knives: 30 each
​

 

[Nathan]

Markus Steele || Gothax

​

Gothax looked at the prices listed in front of him. He found a lot of items he really liked particularly a beautiful katana that would be useful for him when slicing up monsters. Light, quick and effective, he really liked the katana he was seeing. However he couldn't afford it at the current moment. He had to go out, make some money then come back and buy the weapon of his dreams. He looked at the owner of the shop : "Could you reserve me a katana? I'd like it to be light and very good for slicing if possible. I'm going out and I'll pay for it when I return." He really hoped the owner would reserve that katana for him as he really liked the weapon.

 

[Sapphire Rose]

Lucina
Player level 14
Floor 1: Dungeons​

After Lucina and Robin nearly arrived by the large doors that lucina mentioned, Godot, Shiren and Princess walked up to then. Lucina facepalmed when Shiren gave her the cloak back but it was too late since Princess probably had seen her already. "Shiren... What part of "Don't let her see me" don't you understand...?" Lucina said a little pissed. She took her cloak back but only putted it back in her inventory. Lucina sighed and glanced at Princess. "I'm sorry that I kind of lied to you, I'm Lucina and... i'm a female." Lucina reintroduced herself to the little girl. Lucina hoped that Princess wouldn't be angry or think less of her now that she knew the truth.

"So basically, you don't care whether you live or die so long as we don't die." Lucina suddenly heard behind her and saw Godot speaking to Robin. "Well that's pretty damn selfish. The 'noble hero-types' often are. Always saying things like, 'I don't care about myself...as long as the others stay safe,' and the like. But let me ask you a question." Godot said as he slowly walked about the corridor, Lucina was watching carefully and hoped this wouldn't lead to a battle. "Now, let's say that the boss in the boss room is powerful and you sacrifice your life for some reason...maybe to save Lucina or something. What do you think would happen? She would probably be in shock, and not just that, but she may even become overwhelmed with grief. Why? Because she would think that your death was her fault. It doesn't matter if she actually believes it or not, her mind won't have the time to decide."

Lucina glanced at Godot and wondered why he choosed her as an example. "I'm not saying that you're weak willed or anything; this is just for the sake of being an example. Regardless, shock happens to all of us, and everyone copes with it differently." Godot said as he glanced back at her, this didn't answer Lucina's question though. Lucina listened to Godot's rant until he pointed his sword at Robin and suggested a battle. "Having said all of my long-winded speech, here's the deal. I doubt you'll listen to me. You haven't yet and you probably won't now. As such, unless you take advantage of Shiren's gracious offers or leave, I'll kill you right now. You don't seem to be afraid of death, and we aren't fighting the boss yet. Of course, I could be wrong, so I promise that I'll make it swift." Lucina listened carefully with eyes that showed that she was about to jump into this argument.

"Alternatively, you kill me, and I won't be a pain in your side anymore. A battle would make this second choice possible, and I won't make it easy if you do. But it won't be a duel. I won't just let you avoid this, and you're going to pick one. So, what'll it be, Robin?" this was the straw that broke the camel's back. Lucina walked towards them and stood between the two males. Her fear for males didn't matter at this point as she placed her hand on both their chests and pushed them away from each other.

"Enough now." Lucina said as she looked into Godot's eyes first, then Robin's. "No one is going to kill someone here, I won't allow it. You have to go through me first." Lucina said strictly. "And I promise you, you don't want to fight me because i'm not planning on dying. I've got a little sister out there to take care of." Lucina seemed upset for a moment as she stared at the ground.

Another boy had joined them and replied on Robin's earlier comment. Lucina honestly had no time to take notice of him as she had to take care of Robin and Godot at the moment. "Please don't go killing each other, do it for me?" Lucina took a few steps back so that she wouldn't be standing between the two guys anymore. "I have finally made some friends after a whole month, you honestly don't think i'm letting you guys kill each other, right?" a small smile spreaded over Lucina's lips, not only was it encouraging, it was cute as well.

​

 

[IceFyr1928]

Shentso - Floor 1 - Town of Beginnings​

---

WELCOME TO SWORD ART ONLINE!

Those words had seemed so invigorating. So tasteful. So full of life. Of course, he now saw them for what they were: the keys to a prison that he had entered voluntarily. The world may seem real, until one was to puncture the thin shell that defined sanity and safety. Nowadays, one always had to be on their guard. People were to the point of killing others, despite the cost. 2000 had already died. Yet none had yet to even locate the floor's boss chamber.

Shentso looked back down to the floor map arranged in front of him. The inn's sounds barely registered in his head, and the drink he had ordered an hour ago just to keep the waitress out of his hair lay untouched. Occasionally, Shentso would mutter something, or draw an imaginary line with his finger. His other hand rested on the pommel of the sword strapped to his waist.

Shentso did not have much when it came to gear -a leather breastplate, a mail shirt, and a leather cap- and was as equally simple with the steel hunting sword on his belt. To any onlookers, he was but another adventurer trying to make his way through the world. However, if one were to really know Shentso, they'd know that he was deep in the planning process, something that he had fallen into the habit of when he had begun playing MMORPGs ten years earlier. He was currently assessing the floor's geography and towns, searching for various places to do what he did best: powerlevel.

 

[miltankRancher]

dotcom || Level 1 Dungeons
Level 15 || 21% || 7200 Col
Stalfos III​

Before whatever lies in front of dotcom could do something (I mean, how can I know what one can do if I don't even know what that one is?) the Stalfos got back again, apparently still able to battle. dotcom did not know this of course, as he is still staring at the empty piece of air. However, he felt a whoosh of wind and, suddenly, the Stalfos was being butchered by an unseen entity. dotcom could only stare as the yellow portion of the monster's health dwindled down to red. Before it was completely eradicated, dotcom saw Nirvana break out of his <HIDING> and executed the final attack of what seemed a good Sword Art. When he finished, he checked out the loots the monster dropped and threw a weapon towards dotcom. dotcom deftly caught it and checked it. It said:

Hammer of Nine Realms:
Attack Power +3
Attack Speed -1
Forging +1

He already has Alchemy as a skill, but it wouldn't hurt if he tried on Forging also. He equipped the hammer, replacing his <Parry Sword +2>. However, the significant loss on attack seemed ugly to dotcom so he just placed the bag in his inventory and re-equipped his sword. Before he knew it, Nirvana was already running ahead of him, into a newly opened passage. dotcom decided it would not be a loss if he followed the guy. Besides, what else can I do? The teleport is still nowhere to be found. Consider him surprised when they bumped into a large group of players.

"Vanity, greed, those kinds of things will kill you if you don't plan ahead," was all that dotcom managed to hear from Nirvana. dotcom decided just to stay silent, waiting as the others continued to talk. Sooner or later, they would soon have to notice him. Death is what they are talking about. Death is what dotcom have already brought. But death would be a coward's escape.

​

 

[Crunch Punch]

»S C Y K E«
DAMON EAGLE
» Floor One
» XP: 3%
» Health: 100%
» Player (Level 13)​

"Those who live by the sword die by the sword."
Matthew 26:52
The New Testament​

PROLOGUE​

«Tolbana» Town was bustling with noise and work, something which was the norm in the second largest town in Floor One. Tradesmen cried about discounted offers; delicious smells leaked out of restaurants and bars. Men were busy trading for the best weapons possible, women either doing the same or passing time conversing with each other. The sun looked elegant and gorgeous in the cloudless sky, yet the temperature wasn't scorching hot, just about perfect. It really was a beautiful day, in every sense of the phrase.

Locked up in a quiet inn upstairs however, Scyke couldn't care less for the perfect weather outside. He really wanted to. But there was one obvious yet forgettable fact which stuck to him whenever he woke up, whether it was the day after the death of his best friend Sam or today, which marked just over a month of his time in SAO.

He tried strumming on his acoustic guitar again, but even after an hour of practice, the chord still sounded flat, as if all his work till now was to no avail. If this was real life, he would of been a little frustrated but would have carried on, in hope that he would get it in the end. However, this wasn't real life, and Scyke screamed in frustration before throwing away his guitar onto the wall. The collision obviously didn't go off quietly, and there was a few gasps and whispers from the rooms besides his. Scyke didn't react at all at the floating pixels, which were the remains of the trashed guitar. He just stood up, picked up his sheath and curved sword, opened his door and walked out of the inn. Just before he left, a small sigh left from his mouth.

That's guitar number three down in the drain. I really need to stop destroying every time I mess up, but it doesn't even matter, right? It's not like this place is suddenly going to run out of guitars. Scyke slid past two players before continuing his trail of thought. <Musical Instrument> level is nearly level seven... hmm, it looks like with a bit more work I'll be at the next level by tonight. That is, if I do try to level it up tonight. Dunno if I can't be bothered, really. A few more minutes later Scyke stopped onto one of the tradesmen stalls. A huge grin was strapped on the NPC's face.

"Hello there, good sir! What can I do you for today?" shouted the bearded middle-age man, completely oblivious to Scyke's slightly expressionless face. A short pause commenced, with Scyke pondering on what to do. Till now I've only used the curved sword I started out with, which is ok for taking out the low level monsters of Floor One, but I'll need something better if I'm to take out the boss. Anything usable and with better stats would be good, I guess. "I'll examine that Katana you have over there, please." The NPC nodded and crouched to grab the traditional Japanese blade, before handing it to Scyke. He held it firmly in his hands, slowly waving it in-front of him. "Hmm... definitely feels better to use already. It's not weighty, which is nice, since then I can swing it with good speed. Stats wise..." Scyke poked at the sword, bringing up a holographic screen with minor details on just about everything to do with the Katana. "Well, they are pretty standard, and a +15 on Attack, which is nice. Should last me for at least till Floor Three, if I do reach that far. Ok, I'll take it." Scyke grabbed a heavy pouch of Col and handed it to the shopkeeper, who gladly took it and asked if there was anything else he needed. Scyke just said a simple no, thanked the guy and headed off towards the exit of «Tolbana».

"Time to look for that bloody boss room."

 

[SylveonStar]

Maria Renée {Princess}
Guild: The Flaming Blade
Level: 12​

Maria smiled at Godot after he had grabbed her hand to follow after Shiren. "It's okay" she said spotting two people with Shiren, a woman and a man. Hearing her inbox beep again she opened it to see another message from Psyche apologizing for the way he had reacted, he had just been scared for her as had the others. No longer paying attention to what was going on around her Maria shook her head and replied back saying it was alright.

Tuning back in to hear Lucina apologize for lying to her about her gender Maria smiled. Though suddenly Lucina shoved the boy and Godot away from each other scolding them. Remembering that Lucina had understood her french earlier she decided that was the best way to respond to the older girls apology. "Ce n'est pas grave. Vous n'avez rien à être Désolé au sujet, si je pensais différente, j'aurais fait la même chose que vous aviez fait."

 

[Geras]

Rikuto Yuuto Sato / Ryuusa Lvl.06
Town of Beginnings: Marketplace

​

Gothax looked over the weapons once more until his eyes locked themselves onto the katana he had on display. "Could you reserve me a katana? I'd like it to be light and very good for slicing if possible. I'm going out and I'll pay for it when I return," he said.

Rikuto nodded in agreement and returned to the counter."Yes, of course. I'll need a 20% payment up front for reservations, in this case being 160 col. If you can make enough money, I'll enhance it for you too. How much you make will determine how much I can enhance it for you if you're willing to pay."

Honestly, after all that had happened today, Rikuto was glad he could just come back to work the store and reestablish a sense of normalcy. This job was a sort of anchor that kept it from getting to him. SAO, Kayaba, the deaths, just...all of it. It gave him something besides this massive 100-floor task to work towards. Without it, maybe he would have let moral decay get the better of him. He knew he wasn't an incorruptible hero of any kind, that he saw the moment he sold the Luna Cape, a very beneficial item, to a player killer. A minor offense, sure, but it proved that he was capable of breaking his ethical code to further his goals. If his only goal was becoming powerful and beating the game, what else would he be capable of doing in order to accomplish that? Being in charge of the shop wouldn't go so well if he had a red arrow screaming "Player Killer" over his head. In that way, at least, it kept him from losing himself. There were far too many players already for whom beating the game was an obsession, and others who have even become another person entirely because of all this.

This store was his sanctuary.

Suddenly realizing he had been lost in thought again, he blinked a few times before looking back to Gothax in anticipation of the payment. He really should stop thinking so much. It was probably bad for his health.
​