[F20 - PP] Catching Up

[Koga 0]

k o g a the elder wolf Spoiler notes none   Koga | HP: 700/700 | EN: 108/108 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 2 | BRN: 56 | BLT: 32/20 | FALN: 8 | REGN 13 | B.HEALING: 38/77 (SURV)   equipped battle-ready inventory T4 Demonic Katana <<Tsuki no Hikari>> [Burn // Blight // Cursed // Fallen] T4 Perfect Light Armor <<Shadow Chance Coat>> [Evasion // Evasion // Regen] T1 Perfect Necklace <<White Owl Necklace>> [Accuracy // Accuracy // Accuracy] None   skills Spoiler | COMBAT Mastery: Damage III | Gain 1 * Tier Damage per rank | 15 SP Battle Healing V | Recover 5% (rounded down) of your maximum HP at the start of your turn | 30 SP Emergency Recovery | When non-fatal damage would leave you with 25% or less of your maximum HP, recover 10% of your maximum HP after the attack resolves. Effect cannot occur more than once per thread.  When activated if the player has lower than 10 energy remaining, simply reduce the player's energy to 0. | 6 SP EN Cost: 10 Energist | Increase Base Energy by 5 * Tier | 8 SP Howl | Gain +2 Hate against up to 4 targets | 10 SP EN Cost: 2 EN Cooldown: 2 Posts Focused Howl | Gain +4 Hate against a single target | 5 SP EN Cost: 4 EN Cooldown: 4 Posts | WEAPON Curved Sword I | +1 DMG when equipped with a Curved Sword | 4 SP Katana V | +7 DMG when equipped with a Katana | 30 SP Stamina | Reduces the energy of all Katana attacks by 2 EN | 4 SP Ferocity | +2 DMG when using Katana Sword Arts | 4 SP | ARMOR Light Armor V | +30 MIT when equipped with Light Armor | 30 SP Meticulous | +1 DMG when equipped with Light Armor | 4 SP Resolve | +1 ACC and +10 * Tier HP when equipped with Light Armor | 6 SP | EXTRAS Familiar Master: Rending | You and your familiar attack in tandem, applying Rend [7*tier unmitigatable damage] to the target that lasts for two turns. | 10SP Cooldown: 5 Posts Survival | Increases Healing effects received from all sources by 10%. Grants immunity to all damage dealing environmental attacks/effects. buffs Spoiler Laurel Wreath | Earn Col equivalent to 15% of player’s EXP earned in thread <<Well Rested>> | -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat. <<Squeaky Clean>> | The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down). <<Relaxed>> | Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. <<Multipurpose>> | Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll.

Floor 20, home of game to hunt, flora to gather and eat, and GIANT FUCKING BUGS. Why in the hell did bugs exist. Normal bugs were bad enough, but giant ones? And Koga had thought the Wasp Queen and her soldiers had been the end of it all. And yet, here he was doing...something. Why was Koga on Floor 20 again? Oh yeah, he'd heard that the food here was exotic. Good, but exotic. Now if he had known that 'exotic' meant 'food made from bugs' he would have instead burnt all the restaurants on this floor to the ground. Instead, now he was sitting cross legged on the floor, facing a stone table, with a giant leaf on it. And on said giant leaf was a Giant Beetle head...delicious..."God, why do we do this to ourselves, Okami?" Koga muttered to his familiar, who was staring at a similar leaf platter in the same manner of disgust as his owner, whining in either fear or disappointment. Or both. Probably both.

Edited December 23, 2021 by Koga

[Alkor 0]

 Level 31//Paragon 21

740/740 HP 100/100 EN

23 Base Damage 30 Mitigation

5 Accuracy 3 Evasion 

32 Blight Damage (20 Mitigation loss for duration) 

48 Bleed Damage

Paralyze

50 Battle Healing 

Survival (10% increase to healing effects applied)

Spoiler

Equipment:

Witchfang : Tier 4 Demonic One Handed Straight Sword // CURSED / BLIGHT / BLEED / PARALYZE

"Forged from the fang of a Black Dragon, this blade promises ruin to those who are struck by it. The blade's edge is fashioned of Obsidian andinvested with a myriad of afflictions."

Cloak of the Wanderer : Tierless Perfect Light Armor // EVASION / EVASION / EVASION

 "Tattered from the wear of many battles, this cloak was once worn by a warrior who faced the trials of the Castle and through the flames found the strength to walk again."

Eye of Osiris : Tierless Perfect Accessory // ACCURACY / ACCURACY / ACCURACY

 "A pin fashioned in the style of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, depicting the eye of the god Osiris."

A drink.

The most recent event was an insane riot that spanned an entire floor of Aincrad and consumed the Players and NPCs in a spiral of lawlessness. People died- whether or not they were real, there were nameless faces imprinted in his thoughts, like some veteran soldier after his war had ended. All he wanted now was to find a place where no one else was and have himself a drink.

The lower floors were filled with people, especially closer to the holidays when people tried to forget their families on the outside and cope with existence inside Aincrad. That meant the ones higher up, especially the middle floors, were sparsely populated. It was the perfect place to get away. In theory.

In practice, the NPCs on this floor were primitive. The food in this area particularly was not appealing to his tastes in the least. While the people around him were content to feast on leaves, tree pulp, water, and the local insects, Alkor just wanted a mug of ale. The concept of alcohol pre-dated modern civilization by thousands of years, so he was confident that the records used in compiling data for creating this floor should have something to slake his thirst...

"...tch."

The closest thing he found was a jar, and the pungent, acrid breath of an aged, fermented wine. The breath that assailed his senses was almost enough to take his knees from under him. "I can't even get drunk in this world," he lamented. "this would taste like death and not even give me a buzz."

Alkor replaced the top on the jug and slid past, then made his way into a nearby restaurant. "I'd like some water," he murmured as a woman swept past and took his order. His eyes swept around and he caught sight of someone nearby- someone who he recognized.

"Koga," he greeted the man as he took a cup of water from the woman, and found a seat on the opposite side of the table. "Looks like neither of us is particularly in the seasonal spirit."

Edited December 24, 2021 by Alkor

[Koga 0]

Koga was surprised when another figure sat down across from him and spoke his name. Normally as soon as Koga would have recognized the voice, he would have broken out into a grin, but not today. "You too, huh?" Koga asked as he pushed his leaf aside. "Long time, no see Alky. Stayin' outta trouble?" Koga finally asked, giving the man a half-decent greeting. Given the look on his face though, Koga was willing to venture the man had not managed to stay out of the odd spot of danger or two. The pair didn't quite seem to have a knack for that.

"What're you doin' here on 20?" the swordsman asked, "Hope it's not for the uh...'delectable' food." Koga gave the piece of 'meat' a sidelong glance of disgust. A quick glance up at the man's face, and Koga quickly got the sense that they would soon be having another one of their 'talks'.

[Alkor 0]

He eyed the contents of his clay cup idly, slowly rotating his wrist to cause a ripple across the surface. When it reached the edge, another followed in its wake. The rhythm mesmerized him momentarily, since he had no proper answer for Koga's first question. What qualified as "trouble," anyway? The act of joining a rebellion, however fleeting, didn't seem to fit the bill of keeping his nose clean. 

What did give him pause was the way Koga addressed him. Possibly the only person who ever called him 'Alky' was Corvo. They hadn't talked in some time, and their relationship had been estranged. Try as he might not to think about it, the relative loss of one of his best friends hadn't felt good. In fact, remembering it now made Alkor more inclined to try the putrid wine.

He took a quick swig of the water and turned his amber gaze to Koga, shaking his head slightly. "Not the biggest fan of pre-civilization victuals, truth be told," he glanced toward the effectively empty restaurant all around them and made a quick, all-encompassing gesture. "More the company that interests me," he shrugged as he replaced both hands in his lap. "Rather, the lack thereof. Had lots to think about lately, what with trying to get involved again."

Between the idea of "duty" and his fear that the frontlines might reject him, Alkor didn't know where to begin unpacking the contents of his mind. 

"You'd think trapped as we are inside a world with a pretty clear and well defined goal that it'd be the easy part."

[Koga 0]

A long silence. That was all that followed for a while as Alkor stared at nothing, and Koga at him. The man had a thought to open his mouth again and check that all was alright, but he knew better than that. Alkor tended to open up on his own, and in his own time.

And the man did, after a few moment. "Nothing's ever easy," Koga said as he swiped open his inventory and summoned out a piece of musubi to eat. "You and I both know that. Least of all to stay motivated, clear cut goal or not." Koga took a bite of his snack, swallowed, before speaking again. "Something is always being thrown at us. It wears you down. At least you're still here trying, a lot of people can't say the same." A lot of people had given up or passed on, or some combination of the two. A combination that became more understandable and more desirable day by day.

[Alkor 0]

"Ain't wrong about that bit, I'd wager," Alkor took another sip of his water before he finally sat back, eyes closed and legs crossed. He elevated his heels on the table and reclined a bit, leant against the wall behind him. "Tireless enemy, singular purpose, infinite creativity, and a well-spring of resources at its disposal. When you put it that way, it's not at all disheartening," with a wry smile, Alkor let the bemused sarcasm die as he struck a match and lit up his pipe. It was less worn than the one he'd broken the last time they met, but with digital pipes, who could really tell if the habit had slowed down?

"At least I'm here trying, huh?" He echoed the sentiment with glassy eyes. A plume of smoke rolled from his lips as he contemplated those words. "Yeah, maybe," he shrugged. "That's true of most folks, though. Anyone who doesn't have it in them to struggle toward something is already dead. That's the whole point, isn't it? We fall out of our mothers and gradually cut away from them and crawl toward whatever fleeting wonder transfixes us. Everyone has something shiny that catches their eye and they chase after it til they catch it. Then what? Follow your dream, find your purpose, and what comes after that?"

At some point, Alkor had come to terms with being trapped inside Aincrad. He'd faced so many demons, and among those, so many reflections of himself. It wasn't this world that scared him anymore.

"Come a day I don't have a sword to swing anymore, and I'm back to stocking shelves at a Grocery store, if that's even still my life outside of this world..." he drew from the pipe again, held the smoke a moment, then locked eyes with Koga as he exhaled. "Most of the people I've met here have something to go back to. A dream to chase. A purpose. A life. It's started to hit me that I don't, and this might be as good as it ever gets for me. The fantasy I always hunted for to escape my reality. I got everything I dreamed about."

Alkor let his gaze fall away as he rested the pipe in his lap, smoking softly.

 

[Koga 0]

Koga couldn't help but chuckle as Alkor spoke. And the man had always thought that he had been the cynical one, not the other way around. Yes, their adversary was the equivalent to a god, at least within this realm, but they had made progress. Slow, steady, and while Cardinal was cruel, it was not unfair. It was designed to be beaten, and one day it would be. But only if they persevered.

But that wasn't what really was bothering Alkor. No, the thing that haunted him was the same exact demon that had haunted Koga when they had first met. That still haunted him. "Do you remember our conversation on Twenty Four? You told me about your grandmother. One of the things you told me was that once you were outta here, you wanted to live a good life. To experience all these wonderful things, to fall in love, everything, all of it to make your grandmother proud. You remember that?" Koga took a sip of water, and when he set the cup down, he stared at the ripples. "That was a good purpose. Honestly, I still think it is but...if its not for you, does it matter?"

[Alkor 0]

He folded his hands and let the pipe rest across his two pointers, stretched out to serve as a makeshift surface for that purpose alone. With his gaze locked on the rhythmic swirls of gray, he listened as Koga spoke. And he was reminded of the words he'd said, which floated back and forth on the stormy sea of life. There were times when they felt real, and there were times when they waxed so far away they seemed like fantasy. In his most lucid moments, he either affirmed them entirely or dismissed them outright. His duality almost felt comical when he was called to account for it.

Despite that, he could not bring himself to laugh. 

"All of that is still true," he admitted. "All things I'd want, in an idealized scenario. I guess the longer we're in here, the less that those outcomes seem real to me," he admitted. Cynicism failed to truly describe the insurmountable anxiety and depression that had manifested around him. It was like standing on a frozen sea, with the ice all around too thin to walk. The water threatened not only to drown him, but to chill him right to the bone and rob him of all faculties. Reflected across the surface, he could see his life playing back like some slow and monotone drama.

He spun the pipe around his two fingers and let the mouthpiece fall comfortably in between his teeth, whereupon he took another drag. With his eyes closed, he removed it and jabbed the other end toward Koga absently, pointing. "But there's plenty of things in the way, things that make it seem nonsensical even without considering the problem of Aincrad. For instance- I've never been in love," he opened his eyes. "I don't know what that's like. I have no frame of reference. The more I think about it, the more it seems like it's not important. Like I'm creating small problems to look away from the big ones."

Maybe his problem was that he overthought everything, but that was part of who he was. Without all these digressions of thought, there would be no "Alkor." Still, the backlash had managed to do him no favors. He blew out the tendrils of ash through his nostrils as he gestured for another cup of water. 

"I want all the answers without having to ask any of the questions," he said, finally. "And I know that's stupid."

[Koga 0]

Koga almost scoffed as Alkor mentioned 'love', jaded as Koga was. "Dude, trust me, love isn't all its chalked up to be," Koga said sourly, before snatching up the cup of 'alcohol' from before Alkor and down it all in one go himself. Quickly he waved down a server to bring them two more. "Ugh, why can't we get drunk in here..." Koga muttered in despair before turning his attention back to Alkor. "Look, Alkor," the swordsman continued, passionately, given the context of the conversation, "even if love sucks, even if all your goals turn out to be dogshit," Koga set the cup down in a gentler manner than he spoke, "its not just about the outcome. Its about everything you experience on the way there. Enjoy it, learn from it. Share it with others. Purpose is what you make of it. You define it." Koga was aware he was ranting at this point, but, did it really matter? "Hell, finding a purpose is a purpose in and of itself I guess. God knows I haven't found mine."

[Alkor 0]

"From one point of view, I know you're absolutely right. I've made huge strides since I got to this place." Alkor smiled faintly as he swigged at his drink. The pipe spun now around his finger, idly, like he'd practiced the motion a thousand times. When the cup hit the table, the pipe met his lips. He was like an old addict, with tricks that made it seem much more impressive than it was. "One of my friends used to say it like... always striving, never arriving. I think that's probably pretty accurate. Thing is, there's that, and there's... emotional stuff. Anxiety. You can be great and still worry that you're not."

The fatal flaw of many heroes was overconfidence. But what of the people that weren't? Those trapped inside Aincrad were socially maladjusted, largely post-pubescent teens and young adults. They still struggled with their identity, and talks of purpose like this were just stepping stones, clear transitions out of that awkward phase, into adulthood. Adults weren't all heroes, either. 

"It's probably okay that we don't know," he admitted at last. "Despite what we're told our entire lives about graduating from high school, going to college, joining the workforce- the whole concept of "what you want to be when you grow up- all of it is so skewed. It's like... putting the cart before the horse, you know?" He remembered all of those conversations, all of the expectations, and all of the weight forced onto his shoulders from the time he was very young. Doctor, Scientist, Lawyer... all the things his parents or his peers said he could do, that he should do, not once considering what he might want. He was pushed to excel and rush headlong toward those things without ever having the chance to experience anything else. He pushed and pushed, until he broke and wanted none of it.

That was how he found himself in Aincrad to begin with. A convenient escape from his failure to live up to the expectations of others. Escape from the life he'd long since stopped caring about living.

It was only in this conflict, in losing the very last thing in the whole world he cared about, that he learned to care about anything else again. With that care, with that renewed interest, it seemed his anxieties returned as well.

"Do you think that's what makes us human?" he asked, suddenly.

[Koga 0]

"Sounds like you're talking about 'imposter syndrome,'" Koga commented as the server returned with more libations for them. The Wolf handed her a few col, the golden coins clinking in her palm as if they were real, and not just bytes of data that'd been assigned a value. "I'm sure more people suffer from it than you'd think."

Alkor went on to say that it was alright to not know. That the views the world had put before them were utterly meaningless and backwards. And with that, Koga couldn't agree more. The world they'd been born into put more emphasis on the results than the process. As if the struggles and obstacles they had to overcome were just mere stepping stones, and not accomplishments in and of themselves.

"I...don't really know this time," Koga answered. "I've never really thought of the search for a purpose to be a part of being human, more like a part of the human condition." Koga took a sip of his new, equally disappointing drink and then furrowed his brows thoughtfully. "I guess if the human condition is part of what makes us human though, then I guess so, yeah." It was a tricky question. Philosophical questions always were. "If it is though, it's a pretty shitty part of us," the man then scoffed before taking another sip. Just because it was, doesn't mean Koga had to like it.

[Alkor 0]

"Hm."

Alkor took a sip of his drink as Koga spoke again, this time pausing to consider all of the new information. He wasn't sure about any of the psychology involved, and perhaps it was the fact that never been great at self-assessment that made him rebuff the idea offhand. There was merit to it, though. The things he didn't understand were often the ones that hit him the hardest. He slowly placed the pipe away, certain that the time for mindless self indulgence had passed. Now they were talking about something with real substance, and it deserved more than passing attention.

When he leaned in a bit, his voice dropped as if he didn't care to be overheard. "I think that's also part of the whole condition you're talking about. Picking and choosing the things we want to hear, and the things we don't." He stayed in that position for a moment, watching for Koga's expression, reading whether or not he was onto something in it. When he sat back, Alkor gave a sigh and shrugged. "But what do I know? The whole concept seems abstract and alien to me. I've never had a reason for doing anything, except for the ones I've made for myself. I can't say I place much faith in prescience. 'God has a plan," or 'we all have things we're good at, you just haven't found yours yet.' Garbage ideas. Bought and sold at discount rates with the intention to keep people from losing hope."

He took one last sip to empty the glass and placed it back down on the table in front of him. "People are free to believe whatever keeps them going, I can't say I hate that drive toward survival. It's the way that those methods affect the people around them that piss me off." He made his stance on that particular matter abundantly clear, because he didn't want Koga to misunderstand. It was only a small part of his point. "There's surviving, and there's how your survival starts to affect the people around you. That's what I'm worried about, I guess. I'd be no different from those predatory evangelists if I started getting people involved in my own struggle for meaning. That circles us back to why I'm here, rather than partying with the others for the holidays, I guess."

[Koga 0]

Koga leaned forward, his chin resting on the palm of his hand as he propped himself up on his elbow. He stared at a spot on the table, a knot in the wood, with his dark brows furrowed in concentration as he considered everything that his friend said. Koga wasn't the kind to pass judgement on these kinds of things, everyone had a right to their own beliefs in his mind. And more importantly, everyone had a reason for them. It was part of the reason he had never been able to see the world in black and white as his parents, and many others he'd known always seemed to.

"I dunno dude, I think there's some value in it all, but its really up to each individual to decide what that is for themselves. That's where I think most people go wrong." Koga idly began to stroke Okami's fur as he spoke, the coarse transparent strands soft to touch. After a moment wolf stood from his spot beside Koga and walked over to Alkor before resting his head in the man's lap to nap. "Sorry about him," Koga said. "Okami, off," curt and short. Okami didn't do more than open one eye and close it again. The wolf knew when his master meant business and right now wasn't one of those moment.

Koga rolled his eyes before continuing. "I think people kinda expect their grand place in the universe to be handed to them on silver platter, ya know?" Koga made a gesture with his free hand. "But the truth of the matter is, whether you get that purpose from some higher power like God or not, you're never gonna know it, not until it happens at least. And even when that does happen, you still have to come to that conclusion. There's not vision or voice whispering in your ear to tell you. And then after that? You gotta decide how to go about it. I think the one's that wind up hurting people and say its some higher calling or purpose of theirs just use it as a convenient excuse, or some way to keep their conscious clean." Koga sat up now, and crossed his arms. "So I guess, the difference between you and those predatory evangelists, and other disillusioned nutjobs is how much responsibility you're willing to take for your own actions. No matter what, no one is forcing you to do anything. At the end of the day you make the choice. So, Alkor," Koga's crimson eyes fixed on the gold of his friend's, "own your choices."

[Alkor 0]

The wolf invaded his space and subsequently rested its head on his lap, and Alkor glanced down. What an odd happenstance. He never really interacted with familiars, not other than the one he'd attained through that damned quest, and even then he didn't summon it. Something about being alone felt ingrained at this point. Still, he didn't make any move to dislodge Okami. He wasn't hurting anyone, after all. His gilded gaze moved back to Koga when he started talking again, and Alkor folded his hands on the table. 

"It's the people who are forcing others to do things that I'm skeptical of," Alkor pointed out. "I don't plan on doing anything else but taking responsibility for my actions.

There was a moment of silence as the woman came around again and refilled their drinks. In that time, he didn't speak or look away from Koga. The gravity of those words was enough in itself to drive home that they had reached an understanding. With more water in hand, the swordsman took a sip to clear his thoughts and erase the palpable tension. "I'm guessing by now you've noticed it, too. People in this world with invisible hands. The ones trying to move other people like pieces on a game board, treating the problems and emotional states of others like tools or toys." He cut right to the point, because now they'd wasted enough time on semantics. "Or maybe you haven't seen that, but you've noticed the ripple effect. People grouping up for the common good, unified by some visionary's ideals. People taking up the cause of righteousness, talking about killing other players for the sake of justice. In this mad virtual world, there are people who make their own laws, and in the worst cases, people who impose their worldview on others. I'm reflective about myself because I don't want to become like those people, but also because I want to protect others from them."

He took one more sip of his drink, then placed the remainder on the table. He would not pick it up again. With his arms folded, Alkor closed his eyes. "I saw the Rebellion in Ladonia. The people divided, the disparaged at odds with the powerful, and I was reminded of how all of these events were influenced by human history. Aincrad isn't just simulating things that aren't realistic, Koga. Humanity is a beast who exploits. Over time, we've developed civilization and domesticated much of those survival instincts out, but they're dormant, not gone. Kill or killed became rule or be ruled. 

You asked me what I'm doing here on Floor 20. I'm an outsider. The large groups of people, the whole society and civilization thing- it's never really been my scene. Everything I've ever been told points toward me being the strange one and condemns that innate drive toward isolation, but... everything I've seen compels me to distrust all those things I was told."

[Koga 0]

Koga's face darkened as he listened to Alkor's words. So they weren't just talking philosophy, or one's own personal struggles, though they both played a part in this play. No, they were discussing other players, themselves. The world as it currently was for them.

"Yeah...I haven't seen it myself, but I've gotten the feeling that things aren't always what they appear. 'Felt the ripples' as you put it." Koga paused as he thought carefully about how to respond. Crossed his arms, eyes drifting away for a moment as he collected his thoughts. "I'm not disagreeing with you here, but ask yourself something for me. If you want to protect others from the kinds of people you're describing, where is the difference. I mean in the most objective way possible," the man said, letting the words hang in the air for a brief moment before proceeding. "If you want to protect others, you can't do it alone. For one, they have to want to be protected. Not everyone does. And even then, even if you figure out some way to protect you and your own from everything else, you still have to convince them, in some small way, that its the how and why and the what is right. We don't live in a vacuum. People are gonna disagree, its inevitable, and if they didn't and they just blindly went along with whatever, well that might be worse." That was the hardest part. As much as someone might try, all of the things they said, did, thought, ultimately had repercussions they couldn't possibly see or comprehend. The Butterfly Effect. "Don't get me wrong, it's good that you're reflective, and are sorting it out for yourself as best you can, but I'm telling you right now, there's no good answer.

Human nature, like you said, is to survive. Kill or be killed, rule or be ruled. That's not gonna change. It hasn't for how many millennia. If I'm being honest, I think the only thing any of us can do is draw a line in the sand and try our best not to cross it."

[Alkor 0]

Alkor had to shrug at that point. "I can't help how other people feel, or what they think is best for them. I don't intend to dictate that to them. God knows, I'm not anyone's dad." He watched Koga now, almost appearing relaxed despite the intensity of their words. "Protecting someone doesnt mean that you make those decisions. It means you do everything in your power to ensure they have the agency to make those calls for themselves."

He had learned the hard way that trust and teamwork came from exposure. In order to cooperate with someone, in order to defend them, they had to know your intentions. Even when they did, there would always be someone who saw the world differently. Sifting a hand through his hair, Alkor sighed. 

"The rift between being complicit and refusing to tolerate that tyranny is almost indistinguishable when talked about. I don't know about you, but I have my fair share of examples to go off of when it comes to taking a stand. I plan to try to live up to those."

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes again. 

"We can only give others the tools to survive on their own," he recalled a lesson from his youth, "what a man does with the gift of life is his choice to make."

[Koga 0]

Koga couldn't help but chuckle a little at Alkor's comment. As weighty as their words might be, neither man needed to fear judgment or admonishment from the other. Only open and honest discussion. As it should always be. The mean leaned forward again picking up his cup and idly swirling it in his hand as he listened to Alkor. Although Koga didn't say it, he wasn't entirely sure that things worked out that way in practice. In fact, Tala had proven as much time and time again. But, perhaps that was simply how siblings were with each other.

"You're not wrong there," Koga said, tilting the cup's bottom towards Alkor as he did. "You know how I feel about freedom of choice and personal agency. But like you said its a blurry line between complacency and tolerance. It's kinda like...God, what was it called again?" Koga tilted his head and peered upwards as he tried to conjure up the name of some long forgotten subject of history he'd learned long ago. "The Social Contract. The implicit agreement between a government and it's people to all work together for the society's benefit. You have to trust that everyone is working together, and in theory, once one side or the other has broken that contract, then the other has the right to overthrow and hit the reset button. But in practice, we've seen how its played out. The French Revolution. Started out as overthrowing the ruling class, and then everyone suffered and the cycle went on for how many years. Its not like all the revolutionaries started out that way, but because a small group of people were able to convince others what the best course of action was, what would guarantee them safety, shit went to hell." Koga had forgotten his point by now, but he wasn't even sure he had one to begin with. All he knew was that things were never as simple as he might've wished.

[Alkor 0]

"Locke's interpretation of the Social Contract," Alkor gestured toward the other man, "and Rousseau's are two different things. Admittedly, you're following the logic of the version famously cited as the foundation of American law and political theory, so it makes sense that you're confused." He gestured for a refill of his drink. "Locke talked about the Law of Nature, that is, to respect all things according to life, liberty, and property- the basis for human morality. He posited that so long as those things were respected, it was in the common interest of man to be unified. Once a man's rights were violated, however, there came a need for change- which we saw manifest in the American revolution."

Alkor took his drink from the woman with a soft smile and took a sip. Still not the harsh flavor he craved, nor the release that came with it. Bittersweet. "Locke fundamentally considers property to be the point at which a man should not be violated. Not so for Rosseau. His treatise on the Contract posits that Society rose out of necessity. During its earliest days, it lacked the consequences that eventually arose out of it. Classes. Divisions between men based on their wealth or station. No longer was man equal under natural law, he was stratified based on the circumstances of his birth, his possessions, things which placed him above his fellows. Property was an inevitable cleave from nature." 

He placed the cup down, now watching Koga again. "They are two different wars, the American and the French Revolutions, born out of two different theories. Yet they both claimed to fight against injustice, against the violation of their rights. Locke's proponents lambast Rosseau's over the matter of ownership, but only a handful of years separate the two events. And between them, a single man fought in both, and saw both countries freed from their own brands of tyranny. Rosseau's proponents didn't look at the King of England and balk at Taxation without Representation, they saw men who felt that their positions had fundamentally changed, and that the society they had been a part of no longer served their best interests. Lafayette fought and bled for Americans because he believed in their right to determine their own destiny, to create their own society apart from the British. 'Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains.'

Did people suffer...?

Certainly, the people suffered. By Jefferson's own words, 'the Tree of Liberty must needs be refreshed from time to time with the blood of Tyrants.' The same Jefferson who spent the majority of the War for American Independence in France." He traced the rim of his cup idly with a finger. "Neither country went into their respective periods of fluctuation or unrest expecting a peaceful transition. No one went in with delusions about there being no sacrifice. To be free, man must shed blood. Safety is no longer a consideration."

Alkor slid his thumb into the cup, pinched it and lifted it to his lips, then downed the last of the water with a contented sigh. His eyes found the empty vessel, and he turned it over. With one hand on the bottom of the cup, he rested his chin on the other. "Our societies wouldn't exist without revolution, just as much as they would not without law and order."

 

[Koga 0]

Now here...Alkor was clearly an intelligent and learned man. Able to recall not just one, but two important revolutionary conflicts, its important figures and how the two had influenced each other. One might say, Alkor was a renaissance man.

Koga on the other hand, was not.

He had a hard time remembering if he had put on pants in the morning. And then remembering he was in a game and that he needed to use his HUD to equip them.

So when Koga looked back at Alkor, trying to listen, comprehend and categorize all the information being relayed to him, he had to make a conscious effort to not stare blankly at him with vacant eyes.

There was a moment of silence once Alkor had finished speaking as Koga's mind churned through the veritable sea of historical information he had probably tuned out during his history class. Not out of disinterest, mind you, but rather a lack of ability to focus on anything for more than a couple minutes.

Finally, Koga nodded slowly. "I never woulda pegged you as a history buff," the man commented before addressing the topic at hand. "I never said though that society can't exist without revolution," he went on, "I get that, but what I'm asking you to consider is how do we come to the decision to do so. Even if its for the right reasons, someone is pushing that idea around, trying to gather people, resources, information. All the things that are required to fight a war. And a great number of the people who took part in both conflicts, I'm willing to bet that, had someone not specifically started asking, pushing for them to act, they never would have. Isn't that what you were concerned about?" Koga took a sip from his cup before setting it back down. "Not that I think that's necessarily wrong, mind you. Sometimes a push is required."

[Alkor 0]

Alkor blinked suddenly, as if he and Koga were talking about separate things. 

And perhaps they were. That seemed to be the case when he'd talked with Lessa on multiple occasions, where she had a very serious concern and he could only focus on very specific, not always relevant parts of what she was saying. Even when he was listening, it seemed, he was not always hearing. Or at least, he wasn't hearing what the other person wanted him to. He winced as Koga continued, reeling away from that initial conflict of ideas and attempting to refocus his attention. Clearly, while Koga had referenced Social Contract theory, it was not the point of his speech. Alkor wondered why he bothered mention it at all, but more than that, he picked up on the actual crux of Koga's words this time. He thought.

"You're saying that you're uncertain about motive, or impetus," Alkor reiterated, structuring his thoughts accordingly. "Alright, we can operate under the assumption that the means are irrelevant. The common nature of man is that of the follower, the man who refuses to break from societal structures and norms." In Psychology, they referred to the phenomenon as the Bystander effect. People were less inclined to take action unless they saw someone else do so beforehand. Heroism was not the norm in society. People taking a stand were an exception to the rule.

That was when Koga said it.

Quote

 I'm willing to bet that, had someone not specifically started asking, pushing for them to act, they never would have. Isn't that what you were concerned about?

"Somewhat," he immediately snapped his fingers and zeroed in on that thought. Finally, they were close to understanding. "I'm less concerned about whether or not they take action, and more concerned that they are empowered to do so, should they feel the desire or need. This system, Cardinal- it doesn't advocate for anyone. The only society, only civilization that exists inside of this game is one that we create, and so I look with skepticism in the vein of Rosseau that people will seek to impose that same disparity on others in this place, where it otherwise would not exist. Already we see it in the form of 'Frontliners' and "everyone else." Do we let those terms create a broad subtext and class system? Or is it more subtle than that?"

He withdrew his hands and placed them palm flat on the table. "My concern is less with action than preparation. I don't want to see a revolution, because revolutions are bloody and people die. I just don't want to see the formation of a system that necessitates a revolution, either. And while I can't stop others from forming groups for the sake of survival..." his voice trailed off, defeated. It was this point that he always circled back to, the point that other people saw value in communal living and functioning as a group. Where he could no longer see anything but grim inevitability, they saw hope. That was the difference between Alkor and everyone else.

"...I suppose I can't help but put the cart before the horse myself," he muttered glumly.

Edited February 6, 2022 by Alkor