Alkor

"You can ask Lessa how well talking about emotions goes with me," he said, not laughing nearly as much as the woman probably might have if she heard those words. "I won't be much help of you when it comes to sifting through your feelings, unless you just need a brick wall to bounce them off of. In which case, I'm about that useful, and you'll get about as good of a response." Whether or not he meant it as an invitation for Jomei to continue, the man did. Worth note, Alkor seemed at least somewhat appreciative when he shifted topics, because he gave no outward sign of frustration. With

"Hmpf." Alkor let out a tiny chuckle when the man asked him directly about forgiveness, and whether or not he believed he deserved it. That was never a question for him. More to the point, his gaze toward the other man was uninhibited now. "It's not pertinent to me, it just sounded applicable to your situation," he replied. "You can take it or leave it, no harm no foul." He slowly blinked and glanced back toward the dull roar of voices, cheering, booing, excited. "We're all in this place together, but we come from different worlds," Alkor said. "And some of us live in this world, set apar

Alkor's gaze softened a bit as Jomei spoke, focused on the water garden as light dance across the surface. "Some of us will go our entire lives and never deserve people like Lessa," he muttered. "Not as a friend or anything else. The weird thing about people like her is that they don't care. I figure it's called grace, or at least, that's how someone important to me described it- the whole idea of being forgiven, even when you have no right to be. Some folks are just built different. No matter how many times people spit on them, they keep taking it." It was different for him. He couldnt c

"Ah," Alkor replied evenly when the man indicated he would rather not discuss his loss. They had that in common. Asking about it was a matter of congeniality more than interest. Still, the man continued, and he revealed that he had lost. Equally something Alkor would prefer not to talk about, but for different reasons. If he had time to lose a fight, he had time to get back to improving so he would not lose again. Lessa had once pointed out that his mind operated on a single track, in fact. She promptly became the topic of conversation again, and Alkor closed his eyes. Had they not moved

This man was like Lessa in some ways. Whether it was affection toward the woman or genuine concern that prompted him to gush about their conversations or if Jomei generally had the gift of the gab, Alkor could not tell. What he did absently wonder was how these talkative people somehow always seemed to sus him out and decide he would make for an excellent conversation partner. The blonde managed to stifle his groan and continue smiling as he proclaimed that their mutual friend's concerns were valid. Whatever those were, Alkor could only respond with a throaty, "mhm." A veritable flood

"Mmmm..." Alkor reached into his shirt and produced a pipe, which he promptly struck and lifted to his lips. "It's fine, I've had to tell the story enough times that I'm almost numb to it now." There were few people Alkor had seen since his near death experience who knew about it, but those who did demanded answers more intensely than Jomei had. Each retelling desensitized him a little more, but the image of magma burned into his mind still remained. He watched the smoke swirl out from his lips. "...yeah, that makes two of us." Alkor saw the man dissemble into an anxious mess an

Alkor closed his eyes when the man mentioned him sleeping. "I hadn't intended to fall asleep, but I suppose I used more energy than I thought during my last fight." Koga might have called those last words the understatement of the year, but Alkor maintained that in order to improve he had to push himself. To that end, a small rest afterward was acceptable. The dream that came with it was less welcome. He was finally able to force a tight smile when the topic shifted to Lessa. Was the man one of her many friends, or perhaps something else? Alkor absently wondered if he was about to be punc

Their blows reached an impasse as the man hurried away, clutching the amputee in his arms. He didn't see if the potion were administered, nor did he avert his gaze from Setsuna at all. A moment with his guard down would be an invitation for disaster, especially at odds with an opponent like this one. "I don't," he admitted without giving ground. "But it shouldn't matter. One should always strive to find a solution better than the escalation of violence." He knew that Setsuna did not agree, and he knew why she did not. "Every life is irreplacable, and we should not want to add corpses to t

The taste of sherry cake was a welcome reprieve from the Cardinal system's falsification of true flavor. The scent reminded him of home, and the sight of his family gave him a moment of excitement. They were there at the table, sharing Christmas dinner, talking... and his chair was empty. He could see his grandmother smiling at his sister, and his father and mother found their one day of civility a year. They found peace, unity, and happiness in his absence. The one eyesore in the family, their greatest failure, the man who had retreated from their world into the virtual. In that moment, Alkor

Alkor felt the impact rattle through his entire body. If he had been a lower level Player, that kind of raw power would have torn through his defenses and felled him where he stood. Though his focus was on their environment as the true enemy, the man's experiences had taught him not to trivialize the strength of others. Murderers within Sword Art Online exploited the weaknesses of Players who dropped their guard. In instances where the world had offered them a reprieve, the nefarious Player Killers sank their fangs deep and drove poison into the hearts of others. More names for the monument. L

It was the promise of an introduction to the Commander in Braso that swayed him to venture westward first. What little the brokers had pieced together immediately after the floor became available indicated that this was where warriors went to hone their skills. It had yielded no fruit. Despite his best efforts, Alkor was barred entry and murmurs of "no outsiders" became the litany chanted from the top brass to the lowliest barkeep. "How it always happens, that is," an older woman nodded to indicate the soldiers occupying the city as the swordsman ambled past, shrugging off several layers of th

He found himself deeper within the labyrinthine compound, wandering far enough from the group that he could return quickly if called for the next round. Alkor was careful to go just far enough away to evade any unnecessary conversational entanglements. These large events only served to fuel his anxiety. The reward he found was a beautiful panoramic view of autumnal leaves cresting over one of the myriad ponds that flecked the island's surface. Lazily, he leaned against one of the walls and slid down to a seated position before he finally lost himself in the colors. With the lig

Alkor has achieved Paragon Level 28 (169,974 EXP) Alkor's Journal Link Therefore, I would like to claim the following: Paragon Level Reward 5 - 10 Gleaming Scale (1) Can be used to preserve an item's unique enhancement when merging it with another piece of equipment during Item Fusion. Three Gleaming Scales allows an enhancement slot on an item to be rerolled from the Unique Table. Demonic Shards (1) Can be used to upgrade an item from Perfect rarity to Demonic during Item Fusion. Must

Alkor blinked suddenly, as if he and Koga were talking about separate things. And perhaps they were. That seemed to be the case when he'd talked with Lessa on multiple occasions, where she had a very serious concern and he could only focus on very specific, not always relevant parts of what she was saying. Even when he was listening, it seemed, he was not always hearing. Or at least, he wasn't hearing what the other person wanted him to. He winced as Koga continued, reeling away from that initial conflict of ideas and attempting to refocus his attention. Clearly, while Koga had reference

Alkor glanced down when the young woman entreated with him to wake her up on arrival, and he offered a soft smile in response. They had already come this far, and if she was alive, that was a statement to her ability to survive. She had earned whatever small rest that she could get in these hectic times. "You'll know when we get there," he murmured quietly. There were people who hadn't caught on to the finer implications of their plan yet, but Alkor wasn't going to bother explaining. At this point, they had already committed to the ride and whatever came with it. His gaze swept over the screen

He stepped out of the arena and summoned a towel from his inventory. With a ragged breath, he dabbed some of the perspiration from his face and neck before slinging the white fabric over one shoulder and hurrying away from the crowd that had gathered to watch. He wasn't the type to mingle or get heavily invested in social gatherings, and he didn't particularly like the idea of scouting the competition. He preferred to adapt and learn based on his own experience. He planned to continue on toward the beautiful lake view, but was stopped short when he noticed Baldur. He gave a stiff bow, careful

"Locke's interpretation of the Social Contract," Alkor gestured toward the other man, "and Rousseau's are two different things. Admittedly, you're following the logic of the version famously cited as the foundation of American law and political theory, so it makes sense that you're confused." He gestured for a refill of his drink. "Locke talked about the Law of Nature, that is, to respect all things according to life, liberty, and property- the basis for human morality. He posited that so long as those things were respected, it was in the common interest of man to be unified. Once a man's righ

Floorboards rattled as though struck by lightning, and the subsequent thunderclap reverberated through the room. Alkor felt the shockwave shoot up his arm and rack his body with an intense shudder. The weapon had cracked already, put under the pressure of keeping up with the man. Another powerful swing and it would be compromised. These training tools weren't made for the intensity that Koga and Alkor had brought to the room. When his next attack struck true to Koga's side, the bokken splintered. Shards of wood burst across the floor around them and left Alkor with the jagged corpse of a

It wasn't at all like the last time he'd fought someone in this world. Brutality met anticipation in earnest. The wild burning in Koga's eyes mirrored the insanity in the blonde Knight's expression. As his opponent found his footing, Alkor surged forward. The pace wouldn't be allowed to slow at all, the cadence too hot and heavy now with their cumulative sacrifice. If either man stopped dancing for a moment, they would be swept up in the firestorm that existed only for them, in that time, in that place. With wicked wings fanned wide, the Phoenix stretched out its talons to rake the Wolf.

When the kick hit him, Alkor was heaved backward by the force of the blow. Unexpected, but then, Alkor had focused all of his training into the blade. There were many disciplines in Sword Art Online, and each of them gave a Player distinct and different abilities. Knockbacks and crowd control effects were commonplace in online games, and added a layer of difficulty to encounters. It meant a gulf between them for a brief instant. It also meant that Alkor understood the nature of his opponent better, now. He slid out of his opponent's range this time, following the momentum of the blow, a

Alkor had to shrug at that point. "I can't help how other people feel, or what they think is best for them. I don't intend to dictate that to them. God knows, I'm not anyone's dad." He watched Koga now, almost appearing relaxed despite the intensity of their words. "Protecting someone doesnt mean that you make those decisions. It means you do everything in your power to ensure they have the agency to make those calls for themselves." He had learned the hard way that trust and teamwork came from exposure. In order to cooperate with someone, in order to defend them, they had to know your in

He stepped into the ring with a training blade at his hip, immediately thankful that the first round was someone he could let loose with. Koga was like Alkor in many ways. He had a fresh outlook on their circumstances, and he strived to get stronger. There was no better opponent to gauge himself against. The man was clad in the garb of a martial artists and his chosen weapons appeared to be his fists. Alkor could hear the crackle and pop of Koga's knuckles and the excitement that sparked like electricity between them. With a wry smile, the Black Phoenix replied to the man's greeting with only

While large group functions tended to fall outside of Alkor's itinerary, tournaments were the singular exception. He considered his options immediately; because of his disappearing act on the ninth floor, there were still those who were unaware that he was alive. He'd avoided making himself too well known since waking up, but the chance to see where he stood against the frontliners who had come all the way to the twenty seventh was too good of an opportunity to pass on. That is, if there were any of them among those who gathered for what had been advertised as a "Valentine's Day" competit

The wolf invaded his space and subsequently rested its head on his lap, and Alkor glanced down. What an odd happenstance. He never really interacted with familiars, not other than the one he'd attained through that damned quest, and even then he didn't summon it. Something about being alone felt ingrained at this point. Still, he didn't make any move to dislodge Okami. He wasn't hurting anyone, after all. His gilded gaze moved back to Koga when he started talking again, and Alkor folded his hands on the table. "It's the people who are forcing others to do things that I'm skeptical of," A