[SP-F7] What He can see

[Alkor 0]

Alkor journeyed to the mountain temple over the course of several days. He made that decision for this training because he had heard from the monks that it was a place of training for those honing their skills as swordsmen and martial artists alike. There, he would be able to sharpen his skills with the blade while also coordinating with Yatagarsu, mastering how to best utilize their bond in conflict.

When he approached with the crow on his shoulder, the Master of the Temple bowed and greeted him warmly. Because of his work in the quest to take down the Amphis Serpens, he had open use of the facilities and no one would disturb him while he instructed Yata.

"Alright," he said to the familiar when they were finally alone. "I'm going to go over some of my sword skills and give you a little bit of a break. Once we take to the dummy, I'll give you some instruction." He reached out and gave the bird a scratch under the chin. 

Edited September 13, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

He struck the wooden target again and again, his blade careening away just fast enough that he could correct the angle and get it back around into a guard. Every so often Alkor spun through and let the blade carry him around his motion, utilizing his momentum as a quick, efficient, yet not impregnable defense. He could prevent some damage, but he simply did not have the ability to soak damage like a tank.

He had designed himself that way, though. Alkor disliked  playing on the defensive. His mind worked in strategies and cohesion, seeking the fastest method for felling a dangerous opponent or the answer to an unsolved riddle. In this world where they had to find the answers to puzzles in order not only to survive, but to move forward, it was imperative that he stay sharp and keep his blade in just as sharp of a condition.

Edited September 14, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

He felt something strange as he went through the motions. Not only did he feel like he was being watched, but like he could see everything around him and in front of him more acutely. It wasn't so much that he could focus on the dummy and find certainty in his ability to connect. He felt more like beyond that, he could see the best places to hit it in order to maximize the amount of damage he dealt with each hit.

It was like a booster for damage, or for critical hits, if he had to describe it. Like if he followed the patterns he was currently seeing, he might strike not only with precision, but his strikes would carry greater weight and be overall more dangerous. Alkor had not felt anything quite like that, and so he attributed the strange sensation entirely to Yata.

But Yata hadn't moved. He hadn't given the bird any instructions, and they hadn't had any sort of contact since he'd bid the crow to take a short rest. 

[Alkor 0]

"Hey," he called over to the three legged crow. "Try flying around and getting a full, 360° view of the dummy," Alkor instructed. It seemed ridiculous, but with what he was currently feeling, the swordsman had to put this sixth sense to the test. He had seen other familiars fight hands on, protecting their Players from damage, healing them, or taking a bite out of the enemy,  but Yatagarsu was different. This crow didn't fight, not in the traditional sense. It could see, and if Alkor's guess was right, it could share information with him innately.

That information, like a tactical readout, could improve Alkor's efficiency in combat. 

When Yatagarsu flew around the side of the dummy, Alkor was suddenly aware of a movement from that side that he hadn't anticipated before. Because the crow saw it, he somehow felt a reflexive response and got his guard up just in time. "Woah," he muttered. 

It was extremely raw, but he suddenly became violently aware. During the trials to tame the crow, the two of them had forged a deep connection.

[Alkor 0]

What happened next was to be expected.

Yatagarasu stared at Alkor, and after a moment of seeming comprehnsion, the bird tilted its head and gave a perplexed caw. While they had forged a connection, it would take time for him to be able to give any kind of orders and for the bird to fully understand what he was attempting to say.

That was when Alkor realized he needed to back up and start from a different angle. "Okay," he said as he sat down cross legged, and bid Yata to perch on his shoulder. "Lets start with some basic commands and get you used to hearing me call them out." 

He stroked his chin thoughtfully as the bird walked across his shoulders and looked around. "Maybe if we can get you used to flying toward a target, and establish some kind of verbal trigger for that, we'll have a pretty good starting off point?"

ID# 168208 Craft: 4 <fail>

Edited September 14, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

Yata circled overhead now as Alkor slowly went through the motions with his sword. There was no proper, formal kata for this type of blade. Eastern traditions eschewed shorter curved swords in favor of the katana, other than the Chinese Dao; but the Dao was largely overlooked for inspiration when it came to Sword Arts. The game put in lots of flashy arts that stemmed from the Falcion, the Shamshir, and other Middle Eastern traditions, but it fell flat for function over form.

Alkor took his own knowledge of the sword and flowed it together with what the system already offered. The precise, swift, yet streaming strokes of Chinese swordsmanship married together perfectly with the vicious maelstrom of blows that came from the desert.

Perfection in balance, not in appearance.

The blade danced left to right and his body moved to an unheard rhythm. Where it seemed he might be open, he wove the blade hence to bar the way. When he spun it round, he opened a new avenue of counterattack as he closed one of his opponent's own. 

Edited September 28, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

Yata swooped down overhead and gave a shrill caw. The training dummy had no specific strengths or weaknesses, but somehow the bird seemed to approach from ways that were not available to Alkor, and when it did so, new avenues of attack became apparent. It was like they shared fields of vision, and wherever an opening became visible to one of them, both of them could take advantage.

For a swordsman like Alkor who sought to optimize his damage output and find the weaknesses in every opponent, there wasn't a better partner in this world or any other. Yatagarsu had weighed and measured him, and the three legged crow had deemed him a worthy master. Or were they equals? He hadn't gotten quite to the point where they were fully acquainted with one another or used to each other's movements.

That was what this training was all about, after all.

Edited October 1, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

Spin, strike, turn, block. 

Parry, slice, turn, intercept. 

If Alkor turned one way, the attack came from a different vector. He was able to control the fluidity of his motion enough to amplify the power behind his blows with momentum, which made up for the inherent weaknesses of fighting one handed. It also meant more wear and tear on his grip, which meant he would have to practice a tighter, higher overhand toward the top of the pommel that way, the blade wouldn't give so much when it collided with a target.

Spin, strike, strike, stop.

Alkor narrowly halted the blade as the monk stepped out in front of him with a friendly smile. "Be wary, friend," the ascetic told him. "There is such a thing as having too much on your mind to truly learn new information." He'd heard it before,  a metaphor involving a teacup that overflowed, and could hold no more tea. Everything that ran over the edge was wasted.

Quietly, he wondered if he was pushing himself that hard, or if he was still not quite there. He had no real metric for how much he had learned or grown.

Edited October 3, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

"Thanks for the advice, si fu," Alkor gave a bow with his curved sword resting behind his arm, one hand open palm with the fingers rigid and pointed skyward in front of him, parallel to his body. There was always a proper etiquette to bowing and it changed dependent on what type of weapon you were using, or not using. This knowledge appeared to be preprogrammed into the sword skills, perhaps as some kind of flavor measure, but Alkor appreciated it.

It meant those designers who intended for the game to be aesthetically beautiful had done their jobs. It meant they put pieces of culture into their work and cultivated an experience that people who were trapped inside a virtual world could enjoy, at the very least. Alkor found irony in how Aincrad was both beautiful and savage, just like the real world.

Perhaps it was someone's eden, though most people affectionately referred to it as a sort of hell. Alkor thought perhaps it might be a purgatory, a proving ground for souls who had not yet made an impact. Like a Midgard for warriors destined for Valhalla.

Edited October 3, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

Yata alighted on Alkor's shoulder as he went through the motions. 

Watching the crow keep his balance by shifting from one shoulder of the swordsman to the other frantically while he twisted and turned was almost too comical a sight. Alkor had to glance around several times to ensure that there was no one making a video of the antics.

Yata unfurled his feathers and stretched out to his full wingspan in protest, and Alkor reached back to scratch the bird beneath the beak. "You're doing great staying on while I move," he praised. "But its honestly going to take a little while before we're fully in synch, you know? So you don't have to rush anything. Just let it happen naturally."

The bird gave a short caw of appreciation.

Alkor wondered if Yata had sensed his frustrations and was actively trying to make things go better, because in spite of their shared failures, Yata continued to perch on his shoulder as he moved now, adjusting to the shifting movements. 

ID# 168209 Craft: 6 <fail>

Edited October 3, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

As Alkor sailed through the motion of a horizontal leap, Yata swept through underneath him as if to give the all clear. As they continued to feel each other out, both parties seemed to get used to the relative proximity of the other and became able to gague distances between them and other things, like a target or a specific position. 

When Yata cawed twice, Alkor twisted his body and moved out of the way of an oncoming strike. It wasn't beautiful, but the coordination allowed for him to tone a massive blow to something he could handle with a one handed block.

Alkor dropped his level as he landed and prepared for another attack from the training dummy. Yata perched himself in the temple rafters, watching closely. When the blow came, Alkor stepped back and out of the way; but the dummy leaned into the strike and pressed the attack. Alkor, better suited to respond to the attack by his snap decision, was able to get his weapon in the way and clear the stroke before it could deal any damage. 

"At least I'm getting better at reacting," he muttered.

Edited October 5, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

"Everything comes in its time," the monk spoke without warning from behind him. "BAlefore the master learns a strong offense, he must first understand the defense he is to undermine. This creates the foundation upon which he is built." Pouring out a cup of tea for the swordsman first, then for himself, the ascetic took a seat on the dirt not far from where Alkor was training. "Tea?" he offered with a kind smile.

"Please," Alkor huffed. "I was just starting to get a bit frustrated."

"Such things are normal as you climb toward the peak of skill. Every so often, you find a pitfall or a challenge that bars your way. Then you take time and assess the situation ahead of you in order to overcome that challenge, and when you do, you celebrate victory no different from when you are faced with an enemy you must defeat."

"So... it's like facing another enemy?"

"Perhaps one might look at it that way," the monk smiled as he handed the cup off to the swordsman. "But, that is another matter. The difference between the calm mind and the chaotic mind."

"That might just be too much philosophy for me to handle," Alkor joked.

Edited October 5, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

"It may serve to consider such things," the monk sipped his drink and smiled contentedly, "especially over a cup of tea. It expands the mind and aids in learning, you know."

"Caffeine," Alkor held up a finger. "It's a stimulant."

The older man let out a chuckle. "You prefer to look at life through a simple lens, don't you?" The words were not unkind, and Alkor did not read into them as though they were. Instead, he heard the monk out. "For some men, there is always an easy answer. To them, there is nothing worth fretting over, and the world inevitably brings a solution to every problem. For others, every problem has a solution that they must find. They struggle, they suffer, and they make their own response- whether or not the world rejects that response. For such men, sorrow and success are two sides of the same coin. One cannot enjoy victory without knowing the bitter taste of defeat."

"So, someone who does not seek those answers cannot taste victory or defeat?" Alkor asked.

Edited October 5, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

"All beings experience failure," the old Master closed his eyes. "What defines them is how they respond to it. One person may let failure rewrite the script their lives follow, while another may experience only a minor inconvenience and seek to make their ideas work regardless. Neither man is inferior, though society has placed negative stigma on the one who passionately clings to his way."

"The definition of insanity," Alkor recognized. "Trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

"It is not always the method that is wrong. Sometimes the circumstances, or the obstacle are ill suited to the method, and in their incompatibility, failure is a natural response."

Alkor blinked. "Wait-" 

"Society wants those with ideas that they do not agree with to let go of those ideas. A man is not wrong for having his way of doing things, and yet, unless he conforms his peers will always ostracize him for that difference."

"So insanity is a perspective from the outside, not within?"

Edited October 5, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

"All things are a matter of perspective, my young friend," the monk gave a toothy smile. "More tea?"

Alkor took a sip, emptied the cup, then offered it for the old man to refill. "All things?" he asked. "What about things like the law? Or rules that we follow in order to keep structure?" he tiled his head, confused. If everything were subjective...

"Everything that is established has come from a state of chaos," came the answer. "We are born into the world naked, without knowledge, without understanding. So too was the world born, devoid of us, and when we were born into it, it lacked understanding or knowledge of us. Society was not born simply from that single, uncertain moment."

"First there were nomads. Hunter gatherers. In time, they established civilizations around river valleys, and developed systems for trade, and for irrigation, and they expanded..."

"Wisdom," the sage held up a finger, "begat a need for structure. And from new knowledge, rules were born. Constructs that held together an already fragile system. Men are fickle. They have beliefs that often clash, and because of that, we have rules to prevent them from simply descending into chaos."

ID# 168210 Craft: 4 <fail> 

Edited October 5, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

"I guess that makes sense," Alkor shrugged. "Seems a little bit hands off, though. Like you're accepting that the outcome you got was only natural, and there was no other choice."

"Interesting that you feel that way," the monk mused. "Perhaps you are not so simplistic as I first thought. Alright, then, answer this: how would you have responded to all of those things culminating, if not with civilization and laws?"

Alkor considered the question for a moment, because he knew there was more to it than it seemed at face value. "Well," he scratched at his chin. "The lack of cohesion between people, or a structured manner for them to live- what we call civilization- divides them back down to tribal lifestyles. Split into smaller cells, they only interact in conflict- but let me postulate a counter argument."

"Go on."

"Do we not already subdivide ourselves within society, and allot for that tribalism with guilds, sports, all manner of competition?"

"Are you saying that the root of all complication is competition?"

"Certainly there are those who would say so; but no, what I'm saying is, aren't we overcorrecting? If we have competition within structured society, why did we struggle so hard to delete it from chaotic society?"

Edited October 5, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

"Because there is friendly competition, and there is war. War can only destroy. It proves nothing to show you are the strongest. War ultimately teaches society who is strong and who is weak, but it does so by destroying the weakness. Chaos allows for that destruction."

"But within civilization, that destruction is unacceptable, and the test of strength allows the weak to examine themselves and fosters growth." Alkor completed the unspoken thought. "So rather than Darwinism forcing evolution, we protect those who the world would otherwise see go extinct and allow them to adapt and evolve in a protected environment. Doesn't that just make them like zoo animals?"

The monk laughed aloud. "You're suggesting that civilization isn't free, and those who are weak exist only st the whim of the strong?"

"Because if it came to that point, the strong wouldn't be bound by the rules of society," Alkor nodded. "It simply suits them to play within those parameters and bide their time. But we see still see instances where they rock the boat. A computer hacker finding a way to beat the system and steal thousands of dollars. A serial killer gone unapprehended. A politician who gets away with corruption."

Edited October 5, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

"The exception, not the rule," the monk sipped his tea and watched Alkor intently. 

"I wonder," Alkor smirked. After a healthy sip of his own tea, he changed the subject. "Lets consider this from an Aincradian example. After enough growth, a Player no longer has to work within the confines of the system, because the numbers start to work for them. With the precise amount of Battle Healing, for instance, a Player heals so quickly that only a boss monster could hope to do them harm."

"I see what you're saying," the monk took a moment to consider the words and translate them in a way that made sense. Cardinal knew what Alkor meant, but the proxy through which it spoke was a minor character, not a narrator. "A man who survives long enough to reach the top has gained enough skill to keep him there. Those who have not strived so far lack such a capacity. But, is that not as it should be?"

Edited October 5, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

"So, those who put in the effort will be rewarded?" Alkor asked. "In theory, sure. But in practice, doesn't that alienate the weak? Those who don't put in the effort? Is it not the same beast wearing a different mask? Another kind of imposed 'fairness?"

"You are every bit the cynic I was beginning to suspect," the monk laughed again. "Very well, let's proceed under the assumption that all of these things are imposed with no true sense of justice, since that appears to be your conclusion."

"With that operator, is there a right answer?" Alkor asked. "I can hardly think that justice has a place in the world when people are so obsessed with their own perceptions of right and wrong."

"So, perhaps you see now that justice is impossible?"

"Is it?"

"In a world that favors the strong, would not justice be at the behest of those with power?"

"No," Alkor shook his head simply. "Because justice is blind to those things. Facts, reason, and truth. No matter how those with power try to distort reality, with ample evidence, even the weak can have justice."

Edited October 5, 2020 by Alkor

[Alkor 0]

"Odd to think that the world is so full of contradictions," he smirked.

"I did say I wasn't super enthused about the idea of philosophy," Alkor grinned as he held his cup out for another spot of tea. "What do you think?"

"About justice?" the monk blinked slowly. "Whether from society, or from the universe, what goes around comes around." 

It was Alkor's turn to laugh. "Now there's an answer I didn't expect. I respect that!" Alkor took his tea like a shot,  finishing in a single gulp. "You're right, too. A man might get away with murder, but eventually his body will fail and his life will fade. There's justice in the nature of life itself. Humanity is by virtue of entering the world its own jury and executioner. Constantly, we judge ourselves and we judge others, and from the moment we are born we are destined for death."

ID# 168211 Craft: 1 <fail>

Edited October 5, 2020 by Alkor