[PP-F1] The Hunting Thieves Saga - The Shadow of Death - Part 1 (Endilix, Asteria)

[Razum-dar 0]

Raz stood in the town square, fuming a bit at the situation. Here he was, having had his life saved, only to be kept captive by this brute in armor, and then told to go run errands. At least he had been asked to do something that worked with his skillset, though he hardly believed that the smaller redhead he was pushed around by had any real sense of what Raz was actually capable of. Raz simply huffed, and looked around at where he was. It was a festival, one of the many that happened randomly in the Starter City, to promote community and give the players a break from simply grinding all the time and trying to escape.

Banners hung between light posts and flags fluttered in the wind. People went this way and that, merchants attempted to hock their wares, and the din was nearly deafening. He looked around but saw no sign of the man that had wished for him to even be here, but he knew he had to be. He wouldn't leave Raz alone. Raz might escape that way. He huffed again, and set out in search of his target.

Edited April 20, 2016 by Razum-dar

[Aster 0]

'It's noisy...' Aster had ventured into the heart of the Starting City, despite the hustle and bustle she normally tried to avoid. She caught wind of a day-long festival and couldn't help her curiosity from dragging her to investigate. She had a slight pout on her face as she browsed among vendors and merchants. With not a col to her name, she reserved herself to window shopping, very interested to know what the food tasted like. She still hadn't had much experience with the way the NerveGear interpreted senses--the bread she had been given when she first entered the game was hardly appealing.

Still donning her beginner adventurer's clothing, she didn't stand out too much from the other players and NPCs alike shuffling through the crowds. She felt like she was playing the part of an observer, taking in all she could about the city and memorizing bits of information she figured may be important to her later. Occasionally she would look around at the other faces around her, but quickly went back to minding her own business.

[Endilix 0]

Endilix wandered through the town festival, watching Razum-dar from a distance. The boy had claimed to be cunning, inconspicuous, and most of all resourceful. But past that, the boy had needed help getting revenge, and he owed Endilix for saving his life, nearly at the cost of Endilix's own. Endilix would occasionally stop and look at a shop, or speak with a passerby or NPC to pass the time, but one eye was always kept on the other redhead, ensuring that should he ever get any funny ideas, Endilix was right on top of him. The distance wasn't great, but far enough that it didn't look like Endilix was with the boy as he went about his business.

And then Endilix spotted a cute girl with glasses wandering through the festival. She seemed lost, low level, and particularly out of place compared to most people who were either in groups, pairs, or knew exactly where they were going. Endilix gave a chuckle as he wandered over and gave the girl a bow. "Hello, miss. Perhaps you're looking for a knightly escort for the afternoon?"

[Razum-dar 0]

Raz had no idea what he was looking for. He had no idea why he was looking for it. Raz wanted revenge as much as the next guy, but why did that mean stooping to kidnapping? And why a poet? Raz grunted in frustration as he pushed through the throngs of people choking the streets of the festival, looking for anyone, anything that may lead the man to his target. But when Raz thought of a poet, all he could think of was a gathering of people at a jazz bar snapping their fingers to some guy speaking some existential nonsense. The bad news for Raz was, there was no jazz bars in Aincrad that he knew of. Not that he'd ever looked until now.

Raz would catch glimpses of the smaller redhead following him around, and he simply sighed at each one he caught. The man stood out like a sore thumb, and he was close enough that it put Raz on edge that someone would recognize that the armored man was tailing him. Not to mention Raz wanted to lose him somehow in this crowd. Raz wanted to run away. And then the armored man found a girl, and a gleam found Raz's eye, as he saw an opportunity to flee forming right in front of him.

Edited April 14, 2016 by Razum-dar

[Aster 0]

Aster's mind began to wander, paying little attention to the general city sounds around her. She was beginning to get bored of the whole event, as the primary means of entertainment required a full coin pouch. She was just about to search the grounds for anything else of interest when a tall man in a full suit of armor approached her. The girl was taken aback, surprised and confused that someone would speak to her out of the blue. As if by reflex, Aster politely bowed her head in return, attempting to find the right words to respond with. "Oh, err--I'm sorry, I'll have to decline. I wouldn't be able to pay for your services." She was immediately embarrassed to admit she was broke, and for a moment wondered if that wasn't the right thing to say. Even more curious, she wondered if the man was some sort of bodyguard for hire.

[Endilix 0]

Endilix couldn't help but chuckle at the girl in front of him. He kept an eye on Raz as he got farther and farther away, and didn't want to let him out of his sight, so he said, "Come, walk with me. Free of charge. I'm not a knight for hire, just a White Knight who can't help but enjoy the company of a pretty face." Endilix grabbed an apple from a nearby stall as he started to walk off, before handing it to the girl and dropping some Col on the shopkeep's stall counter, still tracing Raz through the crowd. It helped that the boy was a redhead, and that despite as common as they seemed in his little group, weren't all that common as a whole. "What's your name?" Endilix asked offhand, as he turned and flashed the girl his best smile.

[Razum-dar 0]

Raz watched over his shoulder as, despite his attempts to distance himself, Endilix was still nearby. The least he could do is give Raz space. Raz works better with space, he thought to himself as he continued to scan the crowd. The girl had turned out to be less of a distraction, and more of just another thing for Endilix to use to make himself blend in, and Raz was sad about his lost opportunity. But then he spotted a little gathering of people, all seeming to be gathered around a man with some parchment with an accompanied lute player. A poet? Raz supposed that was his best bet, and so he made his way to the crowd, trying to look over and listen in to what the man was saying.

[Aster 0]

Aster wasn't expecting the armored man to accompany her just like that. A little flustered, the girl did as he asked and followed the knight, adjusting her pace once she'd caught up to his. She watched with interest as he casually plucked an apple and left the vendor his payment. Things in this game were still so new to her, despite how much time had passed, and as much as she hated to admit it she was sure there were concepts of gaming and virtual reality that would always elude her. As the man spoke up again, asking her name, the orange-haired girl nervously caught herself, "Ast--err, Aster. And you are?" She stammered a bit as almost gave her name by instinct. Although it was just a few letters shorter, she remembered that it was customary to use screen names.

As she glanced up at the comparatively tall man, she couldn't help but wonder if his attention was somewhere else. His eyes seemed to be looking for or watching something, but it was impossible for her to match his gaze in the crowds around them. He then turned to face her directly and flashed a charming smile. She tensed and averted her eyes, giving a smile smile as she faced forward so as not to seem too rude.

[Endilix 0]

"I'm Endilix, the White Knight," he said simply, as his eyes continued to scan the crowd past Aster. It appeared that Raz had settled in a spot and a potential target, and so Endilix took the time to focus on the girl in front of him. "So, what brings you to the festival? I'm personally doing a bit of recon, and you seemed like you needed some company. Cute girls shouldn't go wandering around in big crowds all alone." Endilix continued to smile as he considered the girl. Starter clothes, glasses, seemingly shy. A bookish type of girl, which Endilix was fine with. It was good change of pace from the stiff friendship that him and Raz had formed and from the wild chaos that tended to be Flints and her actions. Not that he minded either of those, but sometimes a break is needed. Endilix chuckled to himself, and then considered that he was still talking to the girl and probably just ended up confusing her even more. He recovered, his eyes settling on hers once more, "I apologize, just thinking a bit of my friends."

[Razum-dar 0]

Raz pushed through the crowd as best he could, getting some annoyed grunts from people who had settled in. It didn't help that Raz was tallish and stuck out like a sore thumb with his red hair and odd eyes. But that was okay, Raz wasn't doing anything suspicious, yet. He just wanted to hear what this man was saying, and find out if he was the poet he was looking for. Raz started to catch bits and pieces of the words being spoken to a soft tune from the lute, that was only barely audible over the din of the festival. "... Almost like catching glimpses..." Raz could make out some of the words. They certainly sounded poetic, though Raz was never into that sort of thing. "... Images of castles standing stately..." Raz grunted as he pushed through, and before he knew it he was at the front of the crowd, looking at the man speaking right in front of him on the stage. "...Imagined as in fairy tales..." but now that Raz could hear it, he was beginning to tune it out. Poetry simply wasn't the thief's forte. At least he had actually managed to find a poet. That was a good start.

[Aster 0]

"Oh, err--" Aster chose to nonchalantly avoid the man's compliments. 'Recon?' She thought curiously before responding. "Just...exploring, I suppose. I haven't been to one of these events before." She explained simply. She idly pushed up her glasses out of habit. They had likely never slipped down or moved position in this virtual world, but occasionally she found herself displaying the same physical habits she had developed in the real world. The pair continued their slow pace past the stalls of merchants offering their wares. Her eyes fell upon a small stage that she hadn't seen before, and she began to look with interest. A man with a lute seemed to be performing, although at their distance she couldn't hear a thing. She wondered if the performer was an NPC or a player--sometimes she had trouble telling the difference unless she actually spoke with them. Curious, her attention was drawn, but she was content following Endilix's lead, assuming he had some sort of destination in mind.

[Endilix 0]

As Endilix walked along, he had managed to pick up an orange from a nearby stall, and had begun peeling it and popping orange slices into his mouth, as he considered this girl he had managed to spirit away to his side for the afternoon. "Better to explore here in the city than out in the wilds, I suppose. Just be careful of pickpockets and thieves. Always keep your items in your inventory, where they are safe," Endilix said offhand, remembering the thieves that prowled around the cities of each floor. He shook his head, and did a double take at where Aster had been looking. She was looking at the stage where Raz was, and though he had been doing his best to avoid looking at the man since he had stopped moving through the crowd, it appeared that the girl had given him a reason to.

Endilix stopped, and turned with a smile, "Interested in the poet are you? At least, I'm assuming that's a poet. We can go over and take a look, if you would like."

[Razum-dar 0]

As Raz stood and listened to the poet, he found himself entirely bored by the entire affair of what was happening on stage, instead considering his next actions. He stared at the poet, who appeared to be a fairly thin man who was losing his hair. He had small circle glasses and wore a robe style outfit. He appeared to be an older man, but not yet out of his 40s, if Raz had to take a guess. The man appeared to be reciting his poetry from heart, and so was scanning the crowd around him. His eyes would light up whenever he would see Raz, and Raz simply stared at him, curious as to why he would have an interest taken in him. Does he know my mission, or is it my eyes? Raz needs to get this done quick, but how does one kidnap a poet in the middle of a crowd like this? Raz stroked his chin, before looking around the crowd around him, both to see if he find something useful and to check on the status of his watcher.

[Aster 0]

"Pickpockets?" Aster questioned, surprised the game mechanics were advanced enough to work that way. Although, she'd been impressed countless time since she first logged in to Sword Art Online, so her surprise quickly lessened. 'Inventory, huh...' She was familiar with the term, but didn't have much practice utilizing the feature. All she had was the basic clothes she was wearing, and a simple weapon that she didn't want to--and luckily hadn't needed to--equip. She gave a subconscious shrug of her shoulders, for once being thankful that she was broke beyond compare.

As the pair got a bit closer to the main stage, the girl looked more intrigued. "A poet?" She wasn't sure, but the title felt fitting for the old man. Aster stopped next to Endilix, patiently watching the man with curiosity. His mouth moved calmly, but she couldn't quiet here the words he was speaking. In her imagination, he looked like he could be some kind of wizard chanting a spell with those robes of his.

[Endilix 0]

Endilix was intently focused on the poet as he spoke, despite that he couldn't hear the words from where they were standing. The man was a bit mesmerizing in an odd way. The way his mouth articulated the words and the way he moved his hands. It was almost as if he was trying to keep all attention to himself, almost as if he was some sort of distraction. Endilix blinked, and brought himself back for a moment, before looking down at Aster, a frown on his face. "Aster, don't get too absorbed in what's happening. You're liable to miss something..." Endilix said, thought his last few words trailed off as he looked past Aster to see a small hooded figure moving through the crowd, away from her. Endilix noticed a small rope hanging from Aster's belt, and a pouch in the hands of the moving figure.

Endilix growled, shouting, "STOP THIEF!" and the hooded figure turned, wide-eyed. This was only for an instant though, as the hooded figure was then running through the crowd, bumping and pushing through people as he made his escape. Endilix growled again and ran in pursuit, and before anyone knew, chaos had ensued as people began to check their belongings and scatter.

[Razum-dar 0]

Raz turned suddenly as he heard a familiar voice shout behind him. He turned to see the red haired knight burst into a run as chaos suddenly ensued in this small area of the festival. People began to check their things, and eyed Raz suspiciously but as he caught wind of what was going on he checked his belongings as well in a mock showing of possibly being robbed as well. When he felt this sufficient, he turned back to the stage as the crowd dispersed more and people gave cries of, "My things! They're gone!" And just as Raz expected, he watched the poet disappearing into a nearby alleyway. Raz growled, but gave a sneer, "Stupid poet should have stayed on stage where it was safe. Now I'll just catch him in the back alley." And so Raz gave chase, disappearing after the hobbling old man.

[Aster 0]

"Hmm?" Aster mumbled, her attention split between the old man and Endilix, who had started speaking. He caught her full attention when his volume drastically raised, becoming a shout across the crowd. Aster flinched in surprise, catching his words and confusedly looking around to assess the situation. When the girl finally realized the pouch containing all of her crafting materials was missing from her belt, Endilix had already sprinted off after the culprit. Aster was about to attempt to give chase as well when another figure with fiery red hair sped by in the opposite direction. Her eyes carefully traced his potential path in time to spot the old man--who she swore was just up on the stage a second ago--turning around a darkened corner. Aster's head swung back and forth between the armored knight and the peculiar red-head, in this case describing two different people.

Hesitantly, Aster's curiosity ruled her decision. 'Sorry!' She thought towards Endilix, turning away to run the opposite direction. Keeping the red-haired man in her sights, she squeezed through the crowd and eventually broke free to chase after the two figures.

[Endilix 0]

Endilix darted through the crowd of people, bumping against people as he went, only weighed down by his armor. Though his armor was still fluid enough that he was able to keep a good pace, he saw the thief pulling away and cursed, before quickly opening his HUD. He quickly pressed the button to unequip his armor, lightening his load significantly as his brown tunic flowed in the wind, free of its constriction. Endilix picked up his speed, digging his feet into the ground and launching himself forward as him and the thief both broke free of the crowd. The thief turned for only a moment, but that moment was all Endilix needed as he dove for the boy and tackled him to the ground. Both parties gave a grunt as a dust cloud flew up in the air around them.

Endilix coughed as the dust settled to see the boy beneath him, shaken and wide-eyed. "Gotcha, thief," Endilix practically spat at the boy, frowning.

Edited April 20, 2016 by Endilix

[Razum-dar 0]

Raz tried to follow the old man silently and without him noticing, as he hid around corners and behind boxes and barrels in the alleyways, practically gluing himself to them as he went. Occasionally the old man would glance behind him, but would frown as nothing was there and give a, "Peh!" as he went on his way again. Raz would peer around when he heard footsteps. Dusk was beginning to settle on the city, and the shadows were growing by the minute, making it even easier to follow the old man through his winding path. He seemed to be going nowhere in particular, though, and at times even seemed to be going in a circle, and Raz was beginning to question if the old man was senile and had just run away because he was confused.

[Aster 0]

Entering the alleyway, Aster tried desperately not to lose the two men who had slipped down the path. As she approached from the busy plaza, she saw an empty path in front of her. The path looked to wind without forks, so she stopped for only a moment before running down the dimly-lit alley.

Turning a corner, she was just in time to spot the robed figure had a surprising lead, but saw him turning another corner. She moved as fast as her legs would take her, trying to close the gap between them. As she pressed on, the girl made the same turn and saw the poet ahead. "Sto-stop!" She called through heavy breaths, attempting to confront the man.