[SP-F2] Meet Me Here: Part 1

[Aoda 0]

RED = Aoda
PURPLE = Jashin

Purpose. Until this moment, Aoda hadn’t realized that it wasn’t power that he was searching for. It was a sense of meaning. He hoped his new comrade would be able to help him find what he needed. He looked towards the individual strolling ahead of him. Slicked back, white hair covered his scalp, giving the man an intimidating look. That, as well as his blood red eyes, sealed the deal. He wore a dark grey coat (one that you’d normally wear in the winter) which was lined with fur along the collar. A lot of the times he’d leave it unzipped, showing off bare skin; for whatever reason, he didn’t wear a shirt underneath. To finish it all off, the man was dressed in a fairly plain pair of crimson pants. At first glance, Aoda didn’t realize it even had any enhancements on it. Apparently it classified as “light armor”, although he wasn’t sure how.

His weapon was what interested the noirette the most. A scythe as red as a ruby laid dormant in the man’s grip. Some may have considered it to be unorthodox, due to the amount of blades it displayed. There were three of the sharp, red dagger-like objects sticking out of the top part of the weapon. Definitely an uncommon sight to behold. It’s long hilt was the same colour with white tape or bandages surrounding the bottom. A weapon as dangerous as the one who wielded it.

At least, that would be the case if the man was any stronger. But alas, he was as weak as Aoda was. Perhaps a little bit more capable of a swordsman. For now, they were partners. Exactly what they were going to accomplish, he wasn’t sure of.

[Aoda 0]

“Hey, Jashin,” Aoda started, “You never did say where we are going.” The white-haired man continued forward only speaking two words: “You’ll see.”

Well, thanks a lot. The noirette thought, rolling his eyes. Aoda had absolutely no idea where they were going. The mountain path they were taking was beginning to get quite treacherous and steep. Pretty soon they would have to climb the side of it. It was likely, that’s what Jashin had in mind for the two. He was what you’d call a daredevil or a gambler. He loved taking risks.

“At least tell me how much further we have to walk.” Aoda called to his ally, who had walked a little bit further ahead. To his surprise, he didn’t say anything in response. Only gestured for him to come closer to the cliff Jashin had arrived at.

Looking over, it felt as though Aoda could see the entire second floor, although he knew that wasn’t the case. He hadn’t realized how high it was that they had climbed. Interestingly enough, the white-haired male hadn’t started up the wall of the mountain. Instead, he sat down, hanging his legs over the edge. “Nothing crazy right now, I just want to relax for awhile.”

“I won’t argue that."

[Aoda 0]

The lad did the same, his legs now over the side of the mountain. Never in his life has he appreciated Sword Art Online as much as he did in that moment. Aoda had not once seen a view that beautiful.

Jashin began to speak. “Have you ever wanted to go against what everyone wants you to do?” He looked into the distance, a stare that would normally fill a person with fear, or at least intimidate them a little. But with this dark-haired player it was different. He was able to feel some comfort in his friend, despite the fact that they hadn’t known each other for long.

They, like many others, met inside of SAO. It was during a recruitment meeting hosted by a party of players looking for a final member to add to their group and complete quests and dungeons with together. Neither Aoda or Jashin had been accepted, so instead, they decided to form something similar together. If only they were able to actually do the quests together. However they proved to be much too challenging to handle by themselves and they were too stubborn to find more teammates. It was the two of them versus the world, in a sense.

It was time for Aoda to answer the lad’s question. “I guess I’ve never really thought about it. I’ve always sort of done what I’ve been told. I’m a follower, not a leader.” He replied.

[Aoda 0]

“I was the same way. But now that we’re here,” Jashin started, “I feel like something’s different. In a way, SAO is freedom for us.” Not something Aoda had ever thought of in the past. He was tunnel visioned on the fact that the “game” they all played was a prison, a cage. But in many ways, that wasn’t the case. Before Aoda could say anything, his ally spoke again. “You were going to become a frontliner, right? Like everyone else in this game? Why?” The noirette’s first thought was “because that’s what the players would want me to do.”

“I see what you’re getting at. But you wanted the same thing, so what about you?” Aoda asked, wondering where all of this was coming from.

A sigh left the white-haired man’s mouth. He laid down on his back, beginning to speak once more. “I was doing what the system wanted, just like you. But now I’m thinking, what if there’s something else, another route we can take?” Jashin sounded serious about this, however Aoda wasn’t sure exactly what he was thinking.

[Aoda 0]

“There’s been a lot of PKers lately, right?” The raven-haired player spoke up. This brought up Jashin’s attention quickly. “I heard there have been a lot of players dropping to some guy named Dead_Ratter or something. People in town were saying he’s carrying Dual Blades, sort of like that old frontliner.”

“You read my mind. Hear me out for a second.” Jashin began, “I want to start a guild.”

This took Aoda by surprise. Jashin didn’t seem the type of person who’d be interested in guilds and the sort. He always thought that was the reason they had never looked for new players to help them. Now he wanted to lead a guild. He continued his sentence. “There are lots of guilds that help on the frontlines during boss fights. But what about anti-PKer guilds? I don’t know of any, do you?” Aoda didn't. He shook his head “Exactly. We could be the first. You tell me you’re not a leader, but wouldn’t you like to be? You and I could run it and we could find a few more people to join us. While everyone’s out clearing floors and killing bosses, we’ll be out here stopping PKers. Ever wanted to be like Batman?”

Batman. Something only Jashin would say. It was clearly the same person Aoda had gotten used to. “Everyone wants to be like Batman, what kind of a question is that.”