PP - F1 Crash Course (Kyr)

[Calrex 0]

"Another day, another stretch of time spent on the first floor..."

Calrex gave a small sigh as he made his way through the Starting City, his hands in his jacket pockets. Maneuvering through the cobblestone passageways by this point had most definitely become second nature to the bluenette. Weaving around players and NPCs alike he kept his eyes forward, "What the heck what I doing here again? Oh right...it's been some time since I last went there...I wonder if it's still standing..."

"So many memories there. I wonder if it's why I frequent this floor so much..."

After a few more paces his blue eyes fell upon the establishment he was looking for. Even after the extended period of time away, the cafe still stood upright, as if untouched by time. People still came in and out, as if there was nothing different from when he had first stepped through its doors compared to now. "The Starlight Cafe..."

The Ultramarine Knight could still remember the first time he walked through the entrance of the cafe alongside Teayre and Oikawa after spending some time training out in the fields. Those simpler days as a low level seemed far off now, even if it was at most only a year ago. Now here he stood, the highest level player in all of Aincrad, still yearning to grab a simple iced mocha from the humble spot. Before stepping inside he looked upwards to see that his familiar, Roc, was circling overhead, most likely occupied grabbing his own nourishment. Entering through the doors he gave a friendly smile and a wave to the NPC waiter before taking a seat near a window.

Sitting down he ordered the drink he wished to have before looking out through the window, "Certainly a lot of memories in this place. Compared to back then...I guess things really much different from before.

[Kyr 0]

"There's not enough time to stop," he complained. We have daylight burning, and once we run out, we can't do anything worthwhile outside of town. You keep forgetting that night time training at our level is a deathwish, don't you, Kyr?" Juan recanted his usual fit of protest as the two low level players stopped outside of a quaint café, all because Kyr wanted a mocha latte. "Now let's get out of here before we lose our chance."

"You go on ahead," Kyr waved off the other man. "I ain't throwing my neck on the block until I've had my damn latte." A string of profanities spilled from the elder man as he threw up both hands and walked away in exasperation.

"I won't go outside this town without you, Kyr, and you know it. I have too much at stake to risk it. So whenever you get your head out of your ass, come find me and we can do something productive." He fumed at a dull murmur for several seconds before his voice was no longer within earshot, and Kyr sighed.

"I really am glad he tries so hard to push me," Kyr muttered, "but sometimes it really gets annoying." And training with him feels like an exercise in futility, because he never gets any better. From one day to the next, his style doesn't evolve. He's linear, and I don't learn anything from watching him.

The jade eyed youth swept a lock of black hair from his face and returned his attention to the matter at hand. "Ah, chocolatey goodness. Come here, delicious..." 

A few steps later, the door swung shut behind him and the fledgling player found himself face to face with an NPC that urged him to give his order. He said a few words, the waiter responded, and he handed over the Col that his drink cost.

He took a seat in one of the booths closest to the wall, away from the central hub of a room where so many of the people still stuck on the first floor conglomerated. Kyr never liked to feel like one of them. "One day," he vowed quietly. "One day, I'll get strong, and I'll get off this floor. Then, I'll aim higher and higher. One day, I'll be on the front lines, too."

[Calrex 0]

Not too long after Calrex noted a lower-level player walking into the Starlight Cafe did his order arrive, the NPC waiter placing the cold chocolatey elixir in front of him. The bluenette gave a nod of thanks as the suited up individual returned back behind the counter. Picking up the clear glass he took a small sip as the mixture of coffee, chocolate, and cooling bits of water passed down his throat. Feeling the refreshing chill he gave a small sigh of relief before glancing back out the window.

"I still remember the first time I came here with Teayre and Oikawa, back when he told us that his favorite treat here was the strawberry cheesecake. I swear if I ever needed to think of something to get him, I might as well just come back here and get a slice of that dessert. Back then we were all for the most part equals in terms of title and status, with Oikawa having only a level or two on me and Teayre. Now we're all across the spectrum in level, and Teayre is the bearer of Battojutsu, Oikawa is the representative of the Azure Brigade, and I'm the highest level player."

With another gulp a quarter of his iced beverage had vanished as he casually glanced around the room, seeing that the cafe was fairly empty at this time, with only a few small parties spread around. The closest individual in his area was another young man who apparently had ordered the hot original version of Calrex's own drink, "Good choice, heh. Looks like another new player. From the way he's talking, it sounds like he's trying to get to the frontlines as soon as possible. I guess that seems to be the goal of most people that want to get out of here."

The bluenette closed his eyes for a bit as he recalled how he got to where he was, "I guess I probably could have taken things a bit slower. Where the heck did all of the time go?"

[Kyr 0]

Kyr overheard the tail end of someone as they said something along the lines of, "...where did the time go," and he deliberately snorted. Time flowed the same in Aincrad as it did in the real world, but there was a significant problem with that. It meant that time spent in SAO was lost in the real world. Whenever he thought of the time he'd spent trapped in this world, it almost set a fire ablaze in his heart and mind. This game deserved to be destroyed, from within or without did not matter. Akihiko Kayaba had turned something beautiful into a perversion of what it could have been. People the world over unraveled as they lost loved ones and bickered amongst themselves.

He quietly sipped his latte when the NPC brought it to him. His fingers trembled angrily as the mockery of a real world drink tickled his senses and simulated the feeling he knew all too well. For a moment, he became hyperaware. The rush of caffeine pricked at his mind and the world came to life.

Then, he was back in Aincrad. He sat there within an even higher awareness of the collective plight of everyone trapped there. Hot liquid scalded his hand as he gripped the cup like a vice and it spilled over the rim.

"Bah, I'm wasting time," he spat as he lifted the drink to his lips and finished it in a hearty gulp, then stood up. It had only been a minute or two since he entered the café to begin with, but to sit idle for too long begged one to lose themselves to thought. That was dangerous in SAO.

He thummbed through his menu and equipped his two handed sword quickly, which appeared in a brilliant flash of blue at his back. A few moments passed as he readied himself, then he looked to the door. "Maybe I should grab one for the road," he muttered.

[Calrex 0]

"Hm?"

Looking over at the person that was sitting next to him Calrex made note of his words as the young man's original more relaxed demeanor seemed to have been overtaken by one of slight irritation and impatience, "That's not a good sign..."

Seeing the player equip his weapon the speed that the bluenette was consuming his iced mocha picked up to about three times the speed, "Definitely not a good sign. If I can guess he's probably heading to the fields to take on some creatures to train. At his level...that's borderline suicide. Not on my watch..."

Hearing the sounds of him sucking on ice he released the cup and gently set it back down on the table, slowly getting to his feet. The other person had yet to leave, so it was still a good time to interject. Giving a small calming breath to center himself Calrex walked over, "Um...excuse me, I saw you were gearing up. Do you happen to be getting ready to train? I was about to head out into the fields as well. Those boars have taken out more players than and field boss has, so if its of no inconvenience we could party up for a bit to make sure we don't get taken by surprise."

[Kyr 0]

"If you're offering, I won't say no," Kyr replied evenly as he began to shift past the seemingly strong player. "I'm not afraid, and that's the only thing that's ever gonna make me better." True though it was that fear kept people alive, it also had the tendency to hold them back. For so long now, it had afflicted Kyr thus, and at last he had grown tired of it.

"So, here..." he flipped through his menu with graceless inability and sent a party invite to the player, totally unaware of how skilled the man might be. As the window appeared before his blue haired friend, Kyr set his eyes on the world beyond the doors. "Here we go!"

Without hesitation and with little warning, Kyr burst through the exit and broke into a jog toward the edge of town. He unslung his blade and let it drag along the ground where it clattered loudly against the cobblestone. "This time, I'm ready!" he asserted.

"Let me at those damn boars!"

[Calrex 0]

Calrex gave a nod as he gave a small sigh of relief to himself, "At least I'm able to keep him from getting in too far over his head so soon."

Accepting the party invite the bluenette made note of the young man's avatar name, "Kyr huh? Alright then. He's level...one...it's a good thing I caught him when I did."

"W-Wha?"

Before he could get himself ready mentally for the outing his new teammate was already out the door, heading towards the edge of town. Calrex swore that he saw a small cloud of dust behind Kyr as he made his way down the trail, "Well at least he's got spirit...come on Roc we've got work to do."

Responding to his partner's words the blue peregrine falcon changed his route towards the exit out of the city. Rushing after Kyr the bluenette quickly caught up, sliding to a stop next to him, "Alright hold on we'll get them in just a set. First of all let's get out of the safe zone. However, just to be in the safe side I'll take point. I've got an aggro-gaining ability so that you won't have to worry about being attacked while you're attacking."

[Kyr 0]

"Huh," Kyr responded when the man mentioned his ability. "That's pretty nifty. You must be one of those tanky types." With a quick glance in Calrex's direction, he assessed the other man and nodded. "Alright, then you go ahead. I'll take care of mopping the floor with the boars."

Kyr wore a mischevious grin at the thought of tearing apart his piggish adversaries while they threw themselves against a wall to no avail. "That's a far cry from what I'm used to," he laughed aloud at the silent joke. "Thanks for coming along, buddy. This'll be a nice change of pace."

He hefted the weapon up into a ready stance and stared down the blade toward a nearby boar. "Since we have a system, I'll defer to your lead for now!"

[Calrex 0]

Calrex couldn't help but give a small laugh at Kyr's comment on his build, "Well, I wouldn't really say tanky. Compared to some other more defensive players I'm at best an off-tank. Nonetheless let's get this show on the road."

ID: 49645
Battle Dice: 9 (Accuracy +3) = 12 (Disregarded Due to Howl)
Mob Dice: 2 (Evasion +2) = 0
<<Howl>> Activated (+3 Hate to all enemies)

Giving a calming breath Calrex clenched his hands into fists as the energy from his <<Howl>> skill built up in his forearms. Squaring his stance the bluenette brought his arms to the side before slamming them together. The impact noise was amplified by his aura, echoing out into the distance. As it passed by a single boar the creature turned and immediately charged at the higher-leveled player. Giving a small smirk he quickly weaved out of the way of the rush, giving a nod to his teammate, "Alright, let it have it!"

HP List
Calrex: 271/271
   Energy: 59/59
Kyr: ??/??
   Energy: ??/??

Enemies:
Boar: 2/2

Edited February 29, 2016 by Calrex

[Kyr 0]

"You got it!"

Kyr hardly waited from the instant Calrex popped his hate skill. The bastard sword glided upward and down in a single, destructive slash toward the boar, which seemed solely focused on the stronger player. As he came perilously close to hacking a nice chunk off the side of the thing, Kyr grunted in disapproval as the pig shrugged safely out of harm's way.

"Woah," the newer player gasped, "how did I miss?"

Unlike most newer players, however, his disbelief did not beget shock. The moment his weapon cleared out of the original arc, the swordsman swung it back around and into a ready position. Already, he had begun to accrue some accumen with his preferred weapon. "Keep it steady," Kyr called to Calrex, "I'll get it with the next one!"

 

Spoiler

ID: 49646, BD: 4, MD: 1

Misses all around.

Calrex: 271/271 HP

59/59 E

Kyr: 8/8 HP

0/2 E

Boar: 2/2 HP

 

Edited February 29, 2016 by Kyr

[Calrex 0]

ID: 49735
Battle Dice: 8 (Accuracy +3) = 11(Disregarded Due to No Action Taken)
Mob Dice: 1 (Evasion +2) = -1
No Action Taken

"No worries, just get ready for the next opening! I'll keep it focused on me in the meantime. Sometimes it takes a bit of time for your body to get used to finite wrist and arm control in the game, and at other times the calibration might need a bit of auto-adjusting to your movements."

Leaping left and right to avoid the boar's charges Calrex gave a few quick breaths with each dodge, "I still remember when I was low-level and had trouble striking these guys. Nowadays it's a rare occurrence for that to happen."

With a final leap the bluenette flipped over the boar's strongest charge, landing behind it as the creature smashed headfirst into a nearby tree, "Alright, give it another shot when you're ready."

HP List
Calrex: 271/271
   Energy: 59/59
Kyr: 8/8
   Energy: 0/2

Enemies:
Boar: 2/2

Edited February 29, 2016 by Calrex

[Kyr 0]

Again, he took a powerful swing at the boar. He let out a huff of annoyance as the strike went wide once more, frustrated by his inability to make his mark. "I thought I was ready, anyway," he grumbled bitterly. "Does this part get easier, or am I stuck slashing air for the rest of my life?"

He realized how terrible that sounded in Sword Art Online. "The rest of his life" could very well be three minutes, if he took one false step. A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead as fear slipped into the forefront of his mind. Don't think that way, Josh, he reminded himself. You have to get back. Remember all the people who are waiting for you.

ID: 49932, BD: 2, MD: 2

Misses all around.

Kyr: 8/8 HP | 0/2 E

Calrex: 271/271 HP | 59/59 E

Boar: 2/2

[Calrex 0]

ID: 49934
Battle Dice: 2 (Accuracy +3) = 5 (Disregarded Due to No Action Taken)
Mob Dice: 1 (Evasion +2) = -1
No Action Taken

"I won't worry too badly. This part of the game will be pretty frustrating because you don't have anything to increase your control over your weapon, but that is easily solved later on when you get some better equipment. For now it's better that you get accustomed to the game's movements and controls, because if you don't it might spell trouble later on."

Weaving out of the way of another charge Calrex looked to see that boar roll across the ground as it tripped on its own hooves before getting back to its feet, "Take your time and focus your strength into controlling your weapon over dealing a strong strike. Damage is still fairly arbitrary, with a light strike being practically equal to a strong one, so focusing on scoring a direct hit is more important than how hard that hit is."

HP List
Calrex: 271/271
   Energy: 59/59
Kyr: 8/8
   Energy: 0/2

Enemies:
Boar: 2/2

Edited March 2, 2016 by Calrex

[Kyr 0]

"So.... more like- that!"

As Calrex finished explaining the importance of striking over outright damage, Kyr immediately understood. Accuracy and consistency far outweighed pure power in terms of battle. The system remained largely stacked against newer players because of raw inequality of numbers. It stood to reason that they needed to put forth effort to mitigate that advantage, but the game seemed hellbent on stopping them.

Kyr doubted that had been the original intention of the Cardinal System. Somewhere along the line, the rationale of the AI become vicious. It learned from players, and from the way players interacted with parts of the system. It watched the human psyche deteriorate, and it created logic around the things it discovered. SAO was a perfect example of why humanity should never develop sentient technology. If a machine ever became powerful enough to play god...

He watched as the boar evaporated in a stream of data, then turned to regard Calrex. "I think I get it," he stated.

 

ID: 50387, BD: 7, MD: 8.

Boar and Kyr both successfully hit.

Kyr deals 2 damage.

Calrex: 270/271

Kyr: 8/8 | O/2 E

Boar: DEAD

[Calrex 0]

Calrex gave an approving nod as he watched the boar get cleaved in two by the lower-level players massive two-handed sword, "Nice shot. Yeah I think the system is starting to finish calibrating to your movements. Things should be synching just about right now. In any case once you're ready I'll aggro the next boar."

Putting his hands into his jacket pockets the bluenette gave a small calming exhale as he relaxed his fighting stance, "It's been a while since I've seen a low-level two-handed sword wielder. The last was...I believe Lindow? Everyone else usually chooses a single hand weapon, but the damage capabilities of a two-handed weapon is certainly higher, at least from what I've seen. Wielding a one-handed straight sword seems to be the most rounded out in terms of techniques, and with the extra Sword Art from the Martial Arts skill it also deals a decent amount of damage. His weapon is certainly specialized for damage and area of effect attacks, to my knowledge."