Alkor, First Sword of Aincrad

Alkor · February 16, 2021

Profile

Username: Alkor

Real name: Thom

Age: 24

Gender: Male

Height: 5’8”

About:

History/personality: Born on the Eastern Coast of the United States, Thom was part of a third generation Japanese American household. His childhood was turbulent, as his father was a strict traditionalist and his mother hailed from a very Southern styled caucasian family. Because he did not have the same values as his father, he struggled to relate to the man, and in turn his father often shunned him for not adhering to the nuclear family values that he saw above all else. By the time Thom made it to Elementary school, his father had left with the resolution to go back to Japan and seek life more in line with his viewpoint.

This put strain on his relationship with his mother, who was extremely burned by the way that her former husband treated them. She reasoned that Thom should be fostered by a stepfather who was more loving and who doted on him and his sister. Thom was disgusted with both parents, one for not attempting to work things out and the other for simply accepting it and trying to move on. He became closer to his grandmother, who took him in and allowed him to live and go to school from her home.

Because of her personality, his grandmother was kind- but perhaps too kind. She allowed him to distance himself from others and ultimately develop reclusive tendencies, even to the point of losing friendships because he never socialized with the children who had been close to him when he was younger. Fueled by anger and depression, Alkor slowly and gradually shirked his studies and failed out of school, whereupon he entered the workforce and started to live life as a shut in.

Games became his greatest source of social interaction, with people who did not know him closer than arm’s length. Those people he was close with were friends who accepted that he had no interest in their lives outside of the RPGs, and who were happy to oblige him in that context. The only real exception to that rule was Tobias, his best friend, who attempted to get him out of the house at any given opportunity.

Unfortunately, even that friendship became strained when Thom’s grandmother fell sick with Dementia. In her most lucid of moments she did not know who he was; and this led to Alkor withdrawing from anything other than going to work and coming home. As her live-in caregiver, he succumbed to deep depression and stopped eating. He heard about Sword Art Online around that time, and decided that a virtual world would be the perfect opportunity to escape from his hellish reality.

Virtues:

The First Sword of Aincrad: There are a multitude of people who take on the task of Tank, people who stand vigilant in the defense of the other Players and soak damage at the risk of their own lives. Alkor wields his sword very differently. His desire to end the game transcends himself: he wants to protect others from losing their lives, he wants to preserve their sanity, and he wants to make sure they get out alive. He will gladly put himself in harm’s way to protect another person, but he won’t settle for Self-Sacrifice. He understands his own worth now. He throws everything he has into the pursuit of growth, seeking to hone his skills as a swordsman in hopes of becoming the strongest there is. Every failure is a flame that hones his steel, every mistake is a learning experience. His downfall on the Ninth Floor was a death that preceded his rebirth. While he may struggle with the consequences of his actions, he has resolved never again to give in to the darkness.

The Insight of a Hermit: Because he spends a great deal of time outside of social circles and interaction on the fringe, Alkor has a different perspective on most things. The guilds and raids, parties and market are something he only uses out of necessity. Therefore, because he isn’t saturated, he can see things differently from other people. In addition, because he spends a great deal of time leveling and improving, he also has a good idea of how mechanics work and has a handle on how to approach encounters. He’s a resource for new Players and an asset in a party, even if he doesn’t frequently interact with either.

Brilliant Flame, Soothing Shadow: Alkor’s persona is in stark contrast to the person he was once. He throws himself headlong into everything he does. He seeks to be present and helpful for anyone who needs him. He literally burns brightly to light the way for others in a time of great darkness. At the same time, because he chooses to burn, the shadow he casts is intended to give others comfort. He fights so they might not have to, and chooses to blaze a path forward so that they can eventually be free. He will never turn anyone away, and he strongly believes that the enemy is in front of them, not at their side. He’d rather see someone turn from the path of evil than simply rob them of the choice; and if they don’t want to make that decision themselves, he still doesn’t believe death is the answer. He will gladly burn for anyone, in their brightest day or their darkest night.

Flaws:

Social Ineptitude: Alkor has never really gotten better at talking to people, he just learned to put in more effort. He strains to read any room he’s in, and if there’s a confrontation, he tends to back off rather than engage it directly. His anger is still an issue, though: if someone gets in his face, he’s prone to snapping and shouting back at them rather than trying to resolve an issue amicably. Alkor has none of the qualities that make a leader.

Distant: Because he struggles with the emotions of others and relating to them, Alkor seems aloof. People tend to avoid him because of his past actions, and those who don’t are still outside of his ability to reach. He tries to impart what wisdom he’s gained where he can, but ultimately he’s blunt and at times too direct. Once, NIGHT said of Alkor that he was like Batman- they laughed, but he realized that the woman wasn’t wrong. He is part of the society, but not really part of the community. He isn’t necessarily upset by this, but he knows it is harder to help people when they don’t trust him.

To Suffer Alone: Alkor’s weaknesses with other people cause him to bear most of his burdens in silence. While he will readily help others where he is able, he often takes on too much. This causes him to become avoidant and to not speak up when he needs a hand. The people who he considers friends often will note that he falls out of contact for long periods of time and he spends that time in solitude, working through his thoughts alone. It can be problematic for his interpersonal relationships, and while his outlook is vastly improved over before the calamity on Floor 9, he can still be unreliable or absent when he’s in the throes of a mental and spiritual low.

Profession: --

Vitals:

920 HP 136 EN

Base Damage: 9 Mit: 170 Acc: 4 Eva: 0 Blight: 32 In addition, a target afflicted with Blight loses 20 Mitigation for 2 turns Bleed: 48 Paralyze Battle Healing: 92/turn 8-10 Critical chance 10% increase to healing received

Total EXP: 272,145
Total SP: 205
Current Level: 33
Paragon Level: 50
Unlocked Paragon Rewards:
- Lv. 5 | Gain additional col equivalent to 10% of EXP earned in that thread.
- Lv. 10 | +1 LD to looting
- Lv. 25 | Free Skill respec
- Lv. 50 - (1) Gleaming Scale, (1) Demonic Shard, x3 Paragon Tier Up Tickets, Custom Skill

Inventory

Equipped:

Item Name: Witchfang
Item Tier: 4
Item Type: OHSS
Item Enhancements: CURSED / BLIGHT / BLEED / PARALYZE
Description: "Forged from the fang of a massive Black Dragon slain by a nameless hero in ancient times, it was given
as offering to placate a Sorcerer intent on bringing low the Kingdom. He struck a deal with the hero, in exchange for
a reprieve in his generation, the fang would return to haunt their world one day. Witchfang promises ruin to those who
are struck by it. The weapon's edge is fashioned of Obsidian and invested with myriad afflictions.
One of Aincrad's Cursed Weapons, its very presence inspires fear and invokes the chill of darkness."

Item Name: Titan's Ward
Item Tier: 4
Item Type: Heavy Armor
Item Enhancements: Mitigation 2, Taunt
Description: very long

Item Name: Eye of Osiris
Item Tier: Tierless
Item Type: Accessory
Item Enhancements: ACC III
Description: A pin fashioned in the style of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, depicting the eye of the god Osiris.

Consumables:

Imugi's Inspiration | MASS HP RECOVERY [157448]

Fruit Infused Tea | HP Recovery III [158815] | [158819] | [158822]

Spyglass (2 uses) - Effect: Use to reduce the number of posts required to search for a dungeon or familiar by 5 posts. Effect lasts for one thread. Item is destroyed once all charges have been used..

Galaxial Water Snake x1

Tier 1 Unique Consumable

Provides +1 CD when rolling to train familiars in <<Taming your Friend>>. Can also be used to change a familiar’s appearance to a starry sky’s form of itself. Single-use item. CD buff lasts for one thread.

Gold Star Stickers x1

Tier 1 Unique Consumable | Charges: 1/3 | Untradable.

+1 DMG, +1 LD or +15MIT for one thread. Stacks on top of other food/alchemical consumable buffs, but does not stack with Scent of the Wild totems.

Milky Way Rail Blueprint x1

Tier 1 Unique Consumable

+1 CD to a day's worth of crafts or item identifications.

<<Lightning Rod>> Grants a weapon a one turn paralysis effect on a critical hit. Lasts for one thread. Takes a post action to apply.

Cerberus Soul: Adds 12 Burn damage for two turns to a weapon on a Natural BD roll of 8-10 for the duration of the thread. Does not stack with the Burn Enhancement.

Memory of Battle

Double the bonus from Scents of the Wild totems for one thread

[170465] Well done steak [Protein 2]

[164405] Lemon Berry Palmiers [+3 LD]

[167323] Liquor of Light [+3 DMG]

x3 Demonic Shard

x3 Gleaming Scale

Equipment:

Not Equipped:

Ki'Raion's Tail (OHCS/T2): ACC/ACC/PARALYZE

Zero Degree Icicle (OHCS/T2): Freeze/ACC

[T1E3] Wayfinder (1)

-- [ Loot Die III | +3 LD. ]

"TRINKET: A star-shaped charm made up of various translucent teal-coloured petals, framed with silver and held together with taut strings. At its center is a stylized metal heart, and at one of the petals' ends is a loop tied with a knot, so that the charm is capable of being hung or locked around another object. The item calls back to a foreign myth, representing an unbreakable connection between holders of these charms."

Craft ID: #150874

Story Thus Far: Inside of Sword Art Online, Thom initially decided to distance himself from his real persona. The idea that he could die at any time did not bother him. Instead, he sought comfort in the desire he had to be a hero in a fantasy world. He created the persona of Alkor, a man who sought justice and stood aloof from others in its pursuit. As an arbiter and force for good, he believed that he could protect the other people trapped inside of the game by sacrificing himself if necessary.

Unfortunately, everything began to slip when he started to form real friendships. Friendships with people who weren’t just characters inside of a game, and who accepted their reality. The bosses who took lives weren’t just killing party members anymore. Aincrad was murdering flesh and blood people. Alkor wasn’t just a Hero of Justice. Thom was blurring the line.

When he met Lessa, the confusion became more intense. She was a friend, someone who cared about him and hated to see him acting like some cog in the machine. Her feelings reached him, but they made him hate what he’d become. He hated that he was trapped and that there was no way out, and that he couldn’t disassociate the two personas anymore. Lessa was the first to engage with Thom as a person, even though their initial interaction was violent and toxic.

That was when he began to develop a relationship with Mari. Understanding the lessons he learned from his friendship with Lessa, he attempted to give Mari what she wanted- not just a shoulder to cry on, but the concept of love, which he was far from ready to engage in. He slipped into the persona of Alkor once more, thinking that if he only played the part he could save Mari from the darkness that threatened to drag her down.

When he killed a man for Mari, he realized that he was far too deep. Trapped inside a hell of his own creation, Alkor threw himself deeper and deeper into the Frontline effort, edging the abyss with his well-being. He didn’t care if he survived anymore. It was his firm belief that even if it cost his life, if the others were a step closer to freedom, his sacrifice was not in vain.

The Hydra on Floor 9 ripped Thom out of that darkness. In the seconds before his life was ended, he remembered his grandmother and the life he had outside of Sword Art Online. He struggled and flailed against fate, and with the help of a Teleportation crystal, he put the encounter behind him. Stranded on the ninth floor as the others finished the boss battle, Alkor fell into a coma and was forgotten as the Frontliners left him in the dust.

Two years later, Alkor awakened.

Resolved to make amends for the mistakes he made, Alkor met with Lessa and Mari, and attempted to resolve things. Mari, still believing that Alkor loved her, did not take his apology well at first. She wanted things to go back to the way they were; and so, Alkor distanced himself from her in order to give her time to come to terms with things. Lessa had moved forward and learned that Alkor was not a healthy friend for her the way he had been: she said that if he wanted to be her friend, he would have to prove that things were different, and that he wouldn’t treat her the way he had before.

Armed with value for his own life and a desire for repentance, Thom decided to seek the mantle of Hero in earnest. As himself, not someone else, and with respect and understanding of other people. He hopes that he can make his grandmother proud, even if he never gets the chance to say goodbye. She gave him the tools he needed to grow into a man, and the best he could do now was put them to good use.

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