[PP-F9] Hotter than the Sun (Shizuka)

[Grave 0]

"Too... bloody... HOT!" I shouted into the tavern air, leaning back and fanning myself. NOW I was regretting cursing the frozen wasteland of Floor Four; Floor Nine was just about a flattened volcano, with more volcanoes populating it. One can only imagine how hot it would get OH WAIT I experienced how hot it got! And I waited for ages for a nice, chilled glass of wine... only to get something lukewarm, and it tasted like someone distilled all the grape juice out and left just the alcohol. It was safe to say I was no fan on the floor, but I decided to give it a chance and pay my respects. "I hate this..." I mumbled, before I heard some hurried footsteps, as if turning around, nearby. I was so close to not bothering to look up, energy literally burned from me, but decided to raise my noggin and-

Holy crap pink hair. I caught a glimpse of pink hair... but I was not sure who from, sadly. I scanned the people in and outside the open door of the tavern, looking for whoever had the pink hair. I wondered if maybe they were the one who had turned to me...

[Shizuka 0]

Shizuka had been sitting on the second floor of the tavern. The tavern was organized in quite a strange manner. It was structured with two floors and on the second floor, there was a square hole in which people from the second floor could look down on the first floor. Of course, this means the second floor was a lot smaller than the first due to the fact that there was less land mass up there. However, Shizuka was the type of person that would chill by the second floor instead of the first. Too many people did not bid Shizuka well at all as she was the quiet type and she had become quieter and quieter as the days went by. Times have frozen for Shizuka... There was no enjoyment, no taste in the life here. Indeed, her life had been utterly clutched and taken away from her when an exaggerated event happened on the frozen land of the fourth floor. Since that event, her heart had been frozen into a bitter, winter, isolated red blob and her eyes, full of spirit, had been changed into something completely opposite. Her love for the fourth floor and its beauty had been changed and she hadn't been on that floor for quite a while and she didn't plan to ever be there again as it would definitely bring back those dreaded memories that she had worked so hard to rid of. Shizuka, her black hood down, revealing her pink cloak as she chewed on a piece of bacon that she had ordered. She didn't mind the heat at all since it was a completely different atmosphere than the floor that she hated with all her heart. With a quiet sigh, she looked away from the table that she sat by herself and looked at the first floor, wondering if there was anyone there and having scanned the area, she saw nobody. With yet another sigh, she put up her black hood and closed her eyes, taking a rest from her day of material gathering.

[Grave 0]

THERE.

I spotted the movement of the pink again, and saw someone - supposedly a girl - pull a black hood over their head. I jumped up from my seat and made sure to keep a close eye on her location. I clambered up the steps, fleet-footed, wanting to quickly get to her. I looked around the second floor; more people wore cloaks than I realised, and it pissed me off. However, with just the right angle, I was able  to spot the pink haired female, whom I had marked as my target. I adjusted my coat and slowly strode towards her, giving her a gentle tap on the shoulder. "Is... this seat saved for anyone?" I asked, gesturing to the seat across from her. "If not... I hope you would not mind if I seated myself at your table?"

[Shizuka 0]

Shizuka looked up at the man who had engaged her curiously. Indeed, it was quite rare for someone to willingly walk up to someone like Shizuka and introduce themselves. Shizuka was quite tired but she didn't exactly mind company either even though she would prefer not to talk at the moment. Indeed, she had become a much more enclosed person these recent days. Because of this, she had become less popular in the world of Sword Arts Online. Not many people was willing to participate in grinding with her. One, due to her suddenly changed attitude in the game and two, due to the fact that she was part of the well-known Azure Brigade. The guild was no doubt the best guild in Aincrad and they weren't exactly known for being the most modest of players. Almost every single member is depressed like Shizuka was. With a sigh, she took another bite of the bacon that she had ordered and nodded her head in response to the man's question. "Sure," Shizuka said, not sure why someone would WANT to sit next to her. But like she said, she could care less. As she chewed the bacon to bits and soon swallowed it, she looked at the man once more well flashing the Azure Brigade sign which was kept at the right side of her black cloak. Her hair was, of course, partially concealed by her cloak but the pinkness could still be seen from the outside. "May I help you?" Shizuka asked, curious as to why the man had sought her out.  "Pardon me, I guess it is impolite for me to ask that question before providing you with comfort. May I get you something to drink or eat? Mr...." Shizuka asked, realizing soon that the man had not quite introduced himself yet.

[Grave 0]

I smiled down at the female as she, with lacking emotion, accepted my request to sit. She seemed quite... shut down, like a 'sleep' button had been pressed on her and she was left in standby mode. The symbol she kept flashing... I recognised it from somewhere, I just could not place where. I believed it was the symbol of one of the higher ranking guilds in Aincrad. She asked if she could help me, and I began to reply, but was cut off as she apologized for her impoliteness. "Ah, no, that will be fine... I have to be totally honest with you, the beer here is-" I lowered my voice so that the customers nor the NPCs could hear me, "-absolutely [censored]." I said with a wide, playful grin. She asked of my name, and I could not help but smile again, this time apologetically. "I am terribly sorry, I should have introduced myself earlier! My name is Grave... I know, it sounds very, very grim... but I chose it for the irony. The fact that, no matter what, I will face death with an arrogant grin and polished knuckles. I... originally chose it just for the irony though, since I am far from what you might call 'dark and brooding'." I rambled on, before realising that done so. "Oh, sorry again! I, uh... got a bit carried away." I apologized, scratching the back of my neck embarrassedly. "I-if you would not mind, what is your name, love?" I asked, trying to get a good look at the pinkette under her hood. "And why do you keep that hood on? Are you not hot here? I am sure you would look much more noticeable and stunning with it off." I complimented her casually, as if it was nothing far from the norm. My hands found their way to the back of my head, and I leaned back in a relaxed manner. "I guess some people just do not like the attention though... you did seem somewhat reluctant when I came over here..." I noted without glancing at the girl.

[Shizuka 0]

Shizuka was merely asking for the man's name and for whether he wanted to have something to drink. However, all she had managed to obtain was a censored word about how bad the beer here was and a long blob of how the boy had originated. Shizuka sighed as she stopped paying attention as soon as the man stated his name like Shizuka had wanted him to. All the rest was completely useless. Geez... How long are you going to talk, Shizuka thought, taking a sip of her hot chocolate while pretending to pay attention while looking down at the table. Well, this sure gives away a lot of his personality. Shizuka realized as she shifted her body position on the chair in order to become comfortable while sitting there because it sure might take a while for the man to finish talking. However, after the man had blurted out stuff that Shizuka had no intention of knowing about him, Shizuka looked up to see that the man had finished talking and was now uncomfortably looking around as if there was something awkward here. Uh oh.... I didn't hear what he said. Shizuka thought, looking around as well to see if there was anything unusual that the man was looking at. After a while, Shizuka decided that there was nothing that was out of the ordinary here... Just a bunch of people talking trashy and useless words while drinking virtual beer to celebrate something... Probably their first kill... What a bunch of useless folks. Shizuka thought, directing her eye at the man once again. She did catch a glimpse of what the man had said... Something about people not wanting to have attention. Attention... That was what I used to seek out for. "Attention? That was what I used to seek out for. My story rotates around the basic concept of attention. I was cheerful, happy and full of brightness when I came to this world. However, did I get attention? Nope. I was just a pink-haired healer that couldn't kill anything. I was just someone that really wasn't worth anyone's time no matter how cheerful I was. Lack of attention had changed me into what I am right now... Someone even worse than before... Someone that truly isn't worth anybody's time. I'm surprised that you even came by to talk to me. My name is Shizuka, darkened healer of the night." Shizuka said, not revealing any more than she had already revealed to the stranger. 

[Grave 0]

The hooded girl seemed to be spacing out; I had learnt to keep an eye out for a girl's body language to tell if she was getting bored of me. To my surprise, it happened more often than not. But this girl... she was certainly not listening, but this time I understood why; I really was rambling on, about something no one but me would care about. Now that I thought about it, many subjects I touched on were like that, something no one but I was interested in. It seemed, however, that she did manage to catch some of my 'speech', declaring her drastic change from an attention seeker to... well, the polar opposite, really. Something she mentioned, however, caught my attention. "W-wait... a healer?" I asked, surprised, giving off a small laugh. Not in amusement though; in joy. "What does it matter if you cannot kill anything? Being there to support the 'killers' is just as important as their job! Without a healer, a weak dagger-user is as good as dead against, say, a minotaur. With someone like yourself, though... I could see myself being able to maul my way through anything with your support." I explained, again rambling on, but this time I was trying to get a proper meaningful message across. I just hoped the girl would take it. When she introduced herself as Shizuka, I could not help but stand up and bow. "The pleasure is all mine, Shizuka." I said, before seating myself once more. "I would like to ask... how would you like to hunt with me some day? I would be honored to see your skills in action." I requested, grinning widely.

[Shizuka 0]

Shizuka smiled. The man was pleasing to talk to. He had a flirtatious attitude and a comical tone. However, it was unlike Shizuka to flirt back. The man behaved like gentlemen yet occasionally spoke with jokes and a voice of a boy. Indeed, one would not have a problem communicating with this man. However, his strength is probably opposite. From what Shizuka learned in the glorious frontlines, she knows that people change as they progressed onto fighting the floor bosses. The more experience you have in this game, the more darkness will invade your spirit until. Boom... Thunder came running down from the sky. With a look above at the ceiling, Shizuka began to hear raindrops coming down upon the roof of the ceiling. The rain was nice... Much better than the sunny atmosphere that invaded the world of Aincrad in general. Even though this floor was full of heat and volcanic ranges, there was an occasional rain... Probably to keep the heat in control and provide some sort of balance to this floor. Shizuka liked it... The feeling of heat being washed away is like all her troubles and depression being washed away by the occasional rain until the rain dies and so does her heart. "I do not see why not. In fact, now seemed like an absolutely brilliant time for some mob killing... Don't you think so?" Shizuka said with a straight and serious tone as in fact, she was serious. Indeed, she liked the rain... She liked material gathering in the rain and she expects that the rain would be just as fitting with mob killing as well. 

[Grave 0]

No. No. No.

Nonono. That was all I could think of. Sure, I despised the heat on the floor... but it started raining! Why... what did I do to deserve the rain?! It followed me! Such horror! I thought coming to Japan, I had escaped the fearsome downpour! BUT NO! I could not escape a horror I was born to be cursed with! Why did the gods hate me so? It was damp and wet, and brought back terrible memories... why could I not live without the rain following my tail?

"Alright." I responded blandly. I had to deal with it... had to be strong! I would not let the chance to hunt with a healer go to waste, whether it was rain, hail or a bloody tornado! "Shall we?" I asked, shifting from my seat and politely standing by the table. My legs were shaking; I had no voluntary wish to face the rain, but I gulped down my terror and beat it up with a mental baton.

PS: I am not actually scared of rain. I have no idea what was going on here.

 

[Shizuka 0]

The man's flirty attitude seemed to have suddenly broken down with Shizuka's comment and observation of the fact that it was raining outside. It was as if something scary had went across his mind all of a sudden. Through Shizuka's observation, she realized that he was probably scared of the rain, which all makes this a lot more interesting for Shizuka. With a creepy smile, Shizuka let down her black cloak and looked around to spot a waiter in the distance. With a raise of a hand and a whistle, Shizuka signaled for the man to come and take the Col. Soon after, Shizuka walked down from the deck of the tavern and into the depths of the rain. "Well, I guess it is only right for a gentleman to lead through the darkness." Shizuka said, allowing the man to take a step outside and lead the way.

(Sorry short post)

[Grave 0]

(Don't worry, I can't say I'm proud of my post length!)

I smiled at how quickly Shizuka took care of her payment and followed her lead down the stairs and outside. She likely saw my little self-conflict about the rain. In truth I was only putting on a show... really. See? I casually walked into the pouring rain behind Shizuka, hands in my pockets, silver hair slowly being slicked back by the torrent. "Tell me; do I look like a badass in this rain?" I jested, drawing the girl's eyes to me as I stood dramatically in the downpour. She seemed like she would need a few good jokes on the journey, and I had no wish to deny her that. "Why yes, it should be the job of the gentleman." I agreed with a cheeky smile, striding out with the pinkette at my heel. "So, you like the rain, hey?" I asked, slicking back a drenched fringe to reveal my piercing silver eyes. "Being from London, this kind of thing is pretty much daily life..." I muttered bitterly, throwing a look to the damned skies above.

[Shizuka 0]

Before leaving the tavern to head into the depths of the downpour, Shizuka looked around once more. Truly, it was an astonishing tavern. The main tavern of the ninth floor was filled with all sorts of hyperactive, drinking people. Everyone seemed so happy with their huge bottles of manly bear being bumped against each other. The waiters and waitresses trying hard to get to everyone without anyone being frustrated from waiting and the cooks in the back trying their hardest to cook for the hungry NPC and players. Everyone seemed to be in harmony... If only the world was like this. Shizuka thought. This utmost perfect teamwork... Absolutely amazing. Shizuka looked up and her table had already been occupied by a random NPC even though it was yet to be whipped by the waiter that had taken her order. 

It was then that Grave introduced the fact that he was from London. London was a significant place. It held value within the name. It was the place that Sherlock Holmes captured many murderers within that fantastic fantasy mystery book. A hard read, but one that held a small place within Shizuka's heart and Shizuka, who has never been in the actual capital could only picture what the place was like from the many movies and from the words that described the place inside the numerous descriptive words inside the Holmes series.

One of the greats... That was how it had been often described to be. Shizuka thought and followed Grave. "London... London is a great place. A place of murder yet a place of music and art. A place of darkness yet a light was present within the darkness of the world. His name was Sherlock Holmes... Within the darkness, he exposes the crimes, within the light, he breaks them. What a person he was... If only he was real. Then perhaps peace be upon this world. Oh, oops. Sorry about that, Sherlock Holmes was someone I learned in history that I actually cared about." Shizuka said, stopping before she gets too inside the life of Holmes.

"He has not cried... Even though the sky itself cries above him, he was not influenced. 'My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people don't know.' He would say as he roamed through the criminal streets." 

Soon, after walking for a while, Shizuka could see that there was something hidden within the darkness. It was a volcanic ogre. A red ogre that was masked within the darkness. It's eyes glowed yellow yet it looked fragile, perhaps it was weakened by the sudden downpour that had come upon it. A sad sight it was and in no condition was it willing to fight. Shizuka sighed and walked the other direction. "A weakened mob is a worthless mob. A weak player is a worthless player." Shizuka said, staring ahead with a straight face. Yet... A weak player needs to be protected from death by the strong.. And a weak mob, the same. Shizuka thought, proceeding to walk through the rain.

After a while of tedious walking, Shizuka soon found a mob that was strong. It didn't seem to be weakened by the rain, probably because it was located right next to its volcanic shelter that was releasing heat energy through the sky, causing the mob to literally glow as it noticed the two players. "Please. engage in combat, Grave. We have got a problem on our hands." Shizuka thought and turned behind Grave for any healing that needs to be done.

[Grave 0]

My ears perked up when Shizuka began to speak of London, perfectly loud enough to pierce the drumming of the rain. "Oh, you like London?" I asked with a soft smile, making sure to keep my hair slicked back. She spoke of the legend of Sherlock Holmes, who originated from my hometown. She used different contrasts to explain London, and my grin only grew wider; Shizuka really knew her way around words and weaving them to craft a scene. "No, please, if you wish to go on, please do. Holmes was a great man, and as you say, if he existed maybe our world would be better... who knows, he might have sent Kayaba's sorry ass into jail by now." I chuckled at the thought of a fictional detective busting a technical genius who had trapped thousands of players in a death game. "You have a sense for literature, I take it? Very admirable." I complimented.

The two of us halted outside of the home of some volcanic being, the rain sizzling on its body. I took a low stance, prepared to fight... until Shizuka turned a blind eye and strode off. "Wait, are we not-" I began to ask, until she spurted a short mantra. "I see..." I threw a look over my shoulder at the cowering creature and smiled. "Is there anything not to admire you for?" I asked, aleady finding quite a few things that caught my attention about the girl. As cold and sorrowful as she seemed, Shizuka seemed to hold a fondness for the creatures in the world, treating them as she might a real animal. As much as the usual hierarchy was 'the strong prey on the weak', for humans it was not the same. The strong fought and fought, until the other became weak and required protection. Shizuka treated digital monsters the same way.

The terrain began to rise and become more rugged, gnawing at my feet through my shoes. Thankfully, it seemed our journey had come to a halt as a glowing shelter approached, some snake-like creature within, uncoiling itself and unfurling what seemed to be a frill behind its neck. "Snakes? Really?" I sighed, before taking my stance. I heard Shizuka behind me and grinned. "It is not often I say this, but... I hope I will need some healing. It will be a blessing to see you at work." I remarked, before rushing towards the serpent through the downpour. It hissed at me with a tongue that sounded like a crackling furnace, before lunging, aiming to take my head off. My hands grasped the frill around its neck, keeping the gnashing fangs barely away from my face. "Damn, you are ugly!" I shouted, before throwing the serpent to the side.

I sat back on my feet, my hands at my sides in needle positions and glowing a furious crimson. The same colour materialised as dots covering four of the snake's vital points; its lungs, heart, throat and head. The connection made, my hands thrust forwards, striking each spot in quick succession with the power of two strikes, until it was sent flying by one final blow to the head. The crimson energy floated down around me as scarlet sparks as I caught my breath. "Right... I am good for now. Hopefully I will take some damage next time, right?" I called back to Shizuka with a thumbs up.

ID: 51603 BD: 9 (7 + 2) MD: 1 (3 - 2)

Sword Art Used: Acupuncture - 8 x 4 x 2 - 18 = 64 - 18 = 46 DMG (8 NRG)

Party
Grave: 64/64 HP | NRG: 8/16 | D: 8 | M: 9 | T: 7 | A: 2 | E: 2
Shizuka: ???

Enemies
Fire Serpent: 79/125 HP | D: 24 | M: 18 | Special Ability: Fire Spit - On a natural 9 or 10, the attack inflicts burn on the target, damaging them for 4 DMG each turn and ignoring MIT.

Edited March 16, 2016 by Grave