[PP-F1] Music for the Soul

[Garou 0]

Garou walked the forests of Floor 3 aimlessly, growing more bored by the minute. My god, haven't I been here already? The boy wasn't sure what do with his time, and he was fairly lost. He lowered his body in a sigh. The reinforced silver chains wrapped around Garou's body were still connected to his white gloves, and he wore his Victorian suit and long-brimmed black hat with pride in the unfitting forest. However, his body shuddered from the discomfort it caused him.

The purple-haired player pulled out a teleportation crystal in surrender. I'm tired of this blasted forest floor. Maybe something interesting is going on in the Starting City. Garou held up the teleportation crystal to the treetops and called out: "Teleport: First Floor, Starting City!" And with that, he faded into blue digital shards.

[Shanok 0]

Shanok was wandering around the starting town, as he went past the area where the teleport arrivals where, he saw somebody teleport in, and so, he waited to see who it was. "Hey!" he exclaime looking at the man who had emmerged from the blue light, "Garou, over here!" he shouted, waving his hand at the purple haired boy.

[Ren 0]

Ren was standing near the center of the Starting City, leaning against the wall of a nearby building. He was staring blankly through the city, lost in his thoughts, pondering about the events which occurred to him since he joined this game called, Sword Art Online.

Small blue particles started appearing within his sight, disturbing his meditation. After a few seconds, they've taken a circular shape, from which a man appeared. Ren slowly walked towards the man whilst flickering his index finger, scrolling through the main menu. Suddenly, he stopped in front of a man, named Garou.

"You've disturbed my thinking." Ren said whilst poking the air a bit. A small window appeard in front of the man, the message written on it was following.

"First Strike Mode."

[Yes][No]

[Garou 0]

The chained boy smiled at the familiar figure of Shanok, the fiery kid who had plunged himself into near death alongside Garou during the Red Diamond Hunt. Garou started to walk towards the other boy when a third player cut him off and accepted him to a duel. "Excuse me, sir? Disturbing you so much that you demand satisfaction?" Garou didn't like (the other player) Ren's attitude, but after walking around in an eternal forest for hours, a duel seemed to be a welcome change of pace.

Garou drew his two-handed shining longsword, Heaven's Beam, out from the sheathe strapped to his back and swung it around, forcing his virtual muscles to flex. He then pressed the [Yes] option with his own gloved finger. He flailed his arms out to shake out the stress of the chains still around his body and held up his sword. "Let's see how strong you are, then."

[Ren 0]

The way which Garou responded, surprised Ren, placing a smile upon his face. Slowly, he drew his sword whilst taking a few steps back, waiting for Garou to get ready as well.

A small box appeard on top of the two dueling players, twas a countdown.

10

9

---

3

Ren fiercely clenched upon his sword, his eyes narrowed, his muscles were getting tense.

2

"I hope that you're ready, because I'm coming!" he screamed at Garou, making him aware that it was about to start.

1

Duel Start.

He wasted not even a second. Ren quickly lunged towards Garou, while holding his sword in both hands, trying to land a thrusting attack towards him.

[Shanok 0]

Shanok looks at Garou and the other guy randomly starting a duel. "Wait what? What's going on here?" he asked as he headed for the two of them to watch the duel and to see what mode it was on. "Oh it's only first strike, but still, why are they dueling?" he added while looking at both of them from a safe distance.

[Garou 0]

Garou stopped the incoming stabbing motion that Ren was performing by moving his longsword on top of Ren's own blade. The immense weight redirected Ren's attack to the tile on the city streets. Garou slid his sword up Ren's sword, his weapon's edge meeting Ren's throat, forming a thin red line. You've disturbed my travels," he said with a smirk.

[Ren 0]

He was a bit too fast for Ren, the only thing he managed to see was the writting "Winner" above Garou's head. Slowly, he started rubbing his neck whilst dropping the sword, as his hand now was extended in front of him.

"Good Game, you've shown excellent swordsmanship." he said with a calm and gentle tone, while hoping that Garou might accept his handshake.

[Shanok 0]

As soon as Shanok saw Garou win the duel, he rushed to him. "You okay?" he asked Garou. "What the heck was that duel for?" he asked the defeated man without waiting for Garou's reply. He angrily looked at the man as he did not like people that randomly attacks his friend.

[Garou 0]

Garou looked at the outstretched hand angrily. You expect after showing disrespect that I'd pay respects to scum like you? he wanted to ask. Luckily, the boy figured Ren might have been joking around the whole time and might really be a fine human being. He sighed and smiled at his opponent, bending down to pick up Ren's sword. Garou put the blade in Ren's hand instead of shaking it and clapping his back. "'In La Kech.' I am another you."

He looked over to Shanok and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that. How do you think I did?"

[Shanok 0]

"Well, I think he didn't stood a chance, you're pretty good you know?" he told Garou while smiling and completely forgetting about the loser of the duel. "Wanna go do something, like, I don't know, eat perhaps?" he then asked him

[Ren 0]

Ren the whole time was keeping his eyes on the two individuals in front of him. After he saw Garou's response, he slowly sheathed his sword, doing a 180 degrees turn whilst asking My name is Ren. May I know yours, before leaving? with the same calm tone.

[Garou 0]

"I am Garou," the boy said politely. "And you're not going anywhere, Ren. You are eating with us." He looked to Shanok and nodded. He doesn't know how to check my name? Maybe he's a little ahead of himself... Even with my reaction time, he still almost cut me. He has technique, just not the experience to go with it. Garou smiled at Ren in a friendly fashion.

[Ren 0]

"I've already made up my mind, there's somewhere I need to attend to. Please do excuse my the rudeness that I've displayed earlier, It was nothing more then a simple test of trust." he replied polity to Garou's invitation.

"We will surelly meet again, Garou. But for now, I really must go. Farewell, and farewell to you too, Garou's friend." he said before he started walking forth, waving back at them whilst he was walking.

[Garou 0]

Garou bowed after the man, not exactly concerned if he saw the gesture or not. "I'm sure we will, Ren," the chained boy said aloud to himself. He turned back to Shanok and grinned. "I'll buy lunch. You know any good restaurants around the city?" Garou tilted his hat upwards, showing his green eyes shimmering with hunger.

[Shanok 0]

"Not really, let's just wander around till we find one that's good, or we could just ask somebody, I guess" he told Garou while walking towards one of the main streets of the starting town.

[Garou 0]

He nodded and send the boy a party invite. Garou led along the bricked road past players around the same level as them. "I think I'd rather just look around..." Garou began climbing a merchant's vending stall with relative ease for being swamped with heavy chains. Players and the merchant starting screaming in confusion. He got on top and jumped at a second story window, hauling himself up onto the roof mere seconds later. Garou gazed back down to Shanok and smirked. "Can you climb?"

[Shanok 0]

Looks at Garou, climbing the building. "... I'll take the road if you don't mind" he told him as all the NPCs were looking at Garou. "So, are you continuing on the roofs or are you coming down here to search with me? If you're continuing on the roof though, where would you want to meet up?" he added, not caring about the NPCs a single bit.

[Garou 0]

The purple-haired lad frowned down on an especially noisy player. "Hey! Look at that pussy-cat climb the wall!" Garou growled at him ferociously and almost like an animal, causing the rowdy joker to slink away in uneasiness. He peered back down to Shanok and leaped down again.

"I'd rather not split up so soon. We just had a little reunion, why run away now?" He started walking deeper into the city without an answer from Shanok.

[Shanok 0]

After a little walk, Shanok saw what looked like a restaurant. "We've been walking for a long time, why not just go in here?" he asked, while pointing towards the restaurant's sign. The sign read The Boar's Tusk. "Boar's Tusk huh, seems like they server barbecue or something" he added as he was walking to the door.