Zenshu

“I’m just getting to visit all the wonderful little shops and stores today! This is an exquisite place – I mean, it’s not quite like that shop I just came from, down the way. It was all velvety and fancy and royally. This place is much more inviting.” Zenshu glanced at the individual caring for the shopfront, beaming a bright smile as he glanced over the available items. His eyes wandered across a single piece, one that he knew would likely benefit him the most – especially after his recent endeavours. “Oh, such exquisite pieces too! I’m definitely taking one of these! It’ll fit perfectly

“Uhm…excuse me…? I was sent here by a…a bistro, if you can believe that. I’m still not entirely sure if that’s their name, or just what they like to do. I certainly won’t judge either way, but they specifically told me to say that a bistro had sent them. Which, as I say it aloud, just sounds odd.” Soft blue eyes darted around the interior as Zenshu took in his surroundings. The exterior’s lavish colours had made him halt, wondering if he could even afford the services here. The interior had only embellished the feeling that he was entering a place well out of his league – and that made him ner

“You did a fantastic job. Now, was there anything else?” Zenshu's attention was drawn from the vial in his hand as the alchemist spoke again - the large smile on his face speaking to the pride that the NPC was showing towards Zenshu's success. Lost in thought, Zenshu began to respond - about to tell the NPC that there wasn't anything else, that he had everything he had come for - when he remembered the purpose behind his visit to begin with. “Actually, there is something. The mayor sent me to collect a loan - I've been trying to tell you this the entire time. He thinks he loaned you some

"Oh excellent! You're ready to finish your order then!" The alchemist gave what was likely a beaming smile, meant to show exciting or happiness at the player having completed a piece of the quest. Zenshu, however, missed the smile entirely as his own grin began to falter. "Finish my order? I'm sorry, I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm here to collect payment for the...you're not even listening to me." The NPC began dictating what Zenshu needed to do in order to create his own potion, before settling back and waiting for the player to try his hand. Befuddled, but hoping that this

Zenshu almost couldn't believe it as he lifted the solid piece of semi-transparent ore from the grasses. His eyes blinked twice before registering what he had found, and it took a few brief seconds for his brain to catch up. "Ha! I knew it! A bit of effort, and the reward is mine!" Pulling himself up from the ground he grinned at the little piece in his hand, the excitement coursing through him. Unable to contain himself, he threw his hands into the air above him, screaming into the air - careless of who heard or saw. "Yatta! Now let's get this quest done with! Then...then I can make my w

As the time slowly passed and he continued to find absolutely nothing within the areas he was searching, Zenshu began to wonder if he was going about this the right way. He'd seen others having success while he was out - so he knew it was possible. "Just seems like I'm hitting all the lucky spots - in that they're luckily empty of anything good. Ah well, I guess I should just keep going. I mean one of these times I'm bound to find something!" Although frustratingly dull and slow, Zenshu knew that the only way he was going to succeed at the process was to continue pushing himself alo

"Okay! Fair or not, I think I'm starting to see why people get so frustrated! They do not make this easy, not in the slightest!" He glanced up from his most recent bought of searching, his success still sitting at a mind numbing null amount. He knew that it was likely just a situation of pushing onwards - continuing to browse through the area until he happened to stumble upon what he needed, but he had to admit he wasn't really enjoying himself at the moment. "Well, that's not really a surprise after the action that was had with combat. I mean, searching through grass and stuff is rather

His attention broken away momentarily by the sudden realisation of his hunger, Zenshu found himself questioning if he shouldn't return now for something to eat. "But then I'd have to make my way all the way back to the town, find somewhere to eat, and then make my way back out...maybe if I don't find something in the next few moments. But for now I think I'll focus on searching here." His desire to complete the task heightened by the sudden need to eat something, Zenshu pushed his pace further as he scoured through the area. He wasn't entirely sure what he was looking for, but he figured

Deciding it wasn't worthwhile to fight another of the boars quite yet - especially as the ones nearby seemed to be staying close to one another now that they realised they were being picked off when alone - Zenshu turned his attention back to the gathering that he had tried earlier. Although his previous attempt had been less than successful, he figured that giving enough time and focus he could likely find what he needed in the grasses around him. "Besides, what sort of game would limit you to only finding what you need in combat? I'm sure there's something laying around here. I just ne

The dialogue box popped up as soon as the boar shattered, letting Zenshu know that he had once again found success in his hunt. Whipping the blade around carefully, he let the piece fall back into the sheath in a somewhat smooth movement, before closing out the dialogue box. "I'm definitely getting better at this. A bit more practice...practice always helps! In no time I'll be wiping away these boars and all the other creatures!" He gazed across the field, letting his eyes roam before suddenly remembering the blue colouring his blade had made on the air behind his attack. Curiosity overc

The flash of the blade seemed to push the boar into motion, driving the creature backwards and just out of reach of Zenshu's blade. The blade itself whistling by, leaving Zenshu open for a counter attack that never came. Hopping backwards to avoid any danger from the boar, Zenshu glared at it, wondering why it failed to retaliate against the obvious opening that he had presented. The other creature had so quickly and so willingly struck him, that the actions of this being seemed odd. "I guess that's just good luck on my part. That, or you don't really want to fight - which is just

Safe for the moment from the eyes of the wolf, Zenshu continued his path towards the lone boar. He was fairly confident that the creatures on this floor could all be dealt with, but he also didn't feel like overwhelming himself just yet. Especially not after that first confrontation with the boar. "Get some practice under my belt, then I'll come back and deal with all these different creatures! I mean, it's not like they're undefeatable or anything." A quick nod to confirm his own words, and then he was once again closing the distance on his target. The boar seemed to monitor Zenshu

His first search came up empty. Which truly wasn't a huge surprise, if he was being entirely honest with himself. He doubted that the system would make this quest easy for him. Still, it would've been nice to find at least something for all his hard work. "Not that I can complain too much. The boat gave me a good head start on this. I just need to keep plucking away at it, and eventually I'll find everything I need! Then, I'll just head back and hand in all the materials and get the mayor's owed money. Easy!" His enthusiasm had returned in full, and as Zenshu eyed up the grasses around h

A deep breath as he exhaled, his limbs shaking as he watched the boat explode. A small dialogue box appeared before him, letting him know what he had received from the fight. Almost blindly, he replaced the sword back into his sheath, letting his muscles relax. "Wow. Okay. That was...that was awesome." The tone sounded flat even to himself as he realised just how close to actual danger he'd come. His mind reeled as he tried to compute the reality of his situation. He knew that he'd been reckless, but still...you needed to face a bit of danger to do anything, right? "I just...need t

His swing went wide, the tip of the blade just barely missing the boar’s face as he twirled on past. He felt the sudden impact from behind, tossing him a few feet as the boar rammed into his body. His health bar teetered slightly in response, and Zenshu felt a sudden concern as he realised this wasn’t going well to begin with. Jumping to his feet and dancing away from the creature, he flipped the blade in his hand, bringing back into a proper backhanded grip before rushing forward towards the boar once more. He was determined not to be taken out by a simple creature, and pushed himself in

The first target was closer than he had expected – having snuck up behind him entirely unnoticed. As Zenshu jumped back to place some distance between himself and the boar, he let his gaze roll over the creature. He knew he shouldn’t underestimate the thing, but it seemed so…well, weak. “You’ve got a size advantage, that’s for sure. But you’re just so large. It would be hard to miss you!” His confidence soaring, he reached down and drew the blade from the sheath, eyeing the black blade for the first time since he’d received it. A simple design, the ninjato was nearly forty-five centimetre

Almost bounding, he made his way down towards the gate – waving at the single guard as he’d seen so many others do, although the purpose of it was lost to him. Smiling at the few players he passed, a couple of them nice enough to return his greeting wave, he stopped on the other side of the entrance. Taking a deep breath, he looked around. For the first time, he took in the rolling fields and hills, the plentiful trees and open plains combined into one growing expanse that disappeared onto the horizon. In the far distance he could see the peaks of mountains, jutted against the sky. He won

The shop left behind, Zenshu made his way along the main corridor towards the gates that he had seen from afar. He knew there was more beyond the walls – an entire world out there. He’d known it for a long time, but he’d never actually made his way beyond the walls. Not yet, at least. Since the start of the game he’d been focused on finding friends – collecting allies to assist and stand beside. That had…well, that hadn’t gone as he’d hoped. And then had come the Dark Times. He’d hidden himself away as those few he’d come to stand beside turned their backs on him – either driven away by h

Mouth agape in a half smile as he paused in his reply, Zenshu felt entirely befuddled by the question, and following statement. He hadn't intended on buying anything from the shop, but it seemed like the shopkeeper was under the impression that was why he was here. "Uhm, no, I'm here to collect some money owed to the major. Friendly fellow, but he certainly seems interested in getting his money back." He felt his confusion breaking through the smile on his face. Turning to look at some of the display items, he tried to hide the emotions from the character. He wasn't sure if they were abl

The alchemists shop wasn't at all what Zenshu was expecting to find. In his mind, he had somehow pictured a wizard's tower, with smoke and broth bubbling, and different concoctions exploding periodically. What he found instead, was a plain looking building front of brick and windows. Still, he had to admit it did have a certain welcoming presence to it - and a cute little sign, too. "They did say there was no magic in this game. So I guess it's not too crazy to believe that they would go with the ordinary over the extraordinary. I do kind of wish they'd gone with the tower though, that w

He couldn't help but admire the designs within Aincrad. Even though the game itself was a death trap - one that he would more than likely succumb to, if he wasn't cautious and careful - he still had to sit that it was visually impressive. Every little detail was taken into account, down to the point that if he'd awoken here without knowledge of putting on the NerveGear, Zenshu wouldn't be able to tell immediately that he was inside a virtual world. Of course, up until he began interacting with other players or non-player characters. "The whole death game bit really puts a bit of a damper

The day was absolutely perfect – sun shining down, but not overwhelmingly hot. The wind bristled gently through the town’s streets, playing gently with Zenshu’s scarf and hair. Leaning his head back he smiled towards the sky – or roof, other floor, whatever you wanted to call it. He knew it was all artificial. Even the sun shining down and heating his skin was fake. But that didn’t make it any less enjoyable, at least in his mind. “This place really isn’t that bad, if you forget the whole death thing everyone is so worried about. I mean, look at this place, it’s beautiful!” Speaking to hi

The Basics Time has passed by almost unnoticed by Zenshu, his focus on creating crafts that meet the eyes of all society - real and computerised - having taken up most of his time. But as the game continues to drone on, he feels himself being called towards the front once more... Username: Zenshu Real name: Shigaru Zen Age: 19 > 21 Date of Birth: November 11, 2003 Gender: Male Height: 172 cm Complexion: Pale Eye Colour: Blue Hair Colour: Blue Country of Origin: