OP - F1 So this is the game...

[London 0]

"So it is true..." London said to himself, his menu open and the log out button is gone. "Just bloody great..." he puffs out a sigh as he falls back to lean onto a brick wall in the main city. He places his right hand on the handle of his rapier and massages the it's barrel pommel with his thumb somwhat nervously. He looks up and watches some players pass by. Hopefully his fencing background would help him here but he had his doubts, this was a video game after all. Well, a death game, but a video game none the less. London begins to gaze downward thinking about whether or not he should join a group to increase chances of saftey or alternatively, go solo as he is used to doing in games like this and not burdening anyone. He closes his eyes and blows out another sigh and looks upward and is silent.

[Arekkusu Sepera 0]

Arekkusu looked outside of his shop through the windows. There were many players walking around the area nowadays ever since he opened it. He didn't know why since he only crafted grenades. He then noticed that there was someone leaning on his wall, and that didn't really look too good for business. But he seemed a bit depressed as well, a lot colder it seemed than most players. He had cloth clothing, proving that he was most certainly a new player. But he already seemed mature, this game didn't have to fix him or damage him if he were one of the unlucky few.

 

Arekkusu decided to approach the player kindly, he didn't want to scare off the player of make him uncomfortable. Maybe he had a reason to be leaning on a wall alone. Arekkusu used to have many reasons to do such a thing, but not right now, not anymore. People changed him, now he would never be caught doing something like that.

 

"Hey there." Arekkusu said when he opened his door, squinting his eyes at the sun. He had been in a dark room for quite a while. "Might I ask you to please not lean on there, I seriously would appreciate it. Also, are you O.k? you don't seem to be too pleased, and once nighttime falls, where might you stay?"

[London 0]

Snapping out of his deep thoughts he looked at the man and then looked back and forth to see if he was talking about someone else. Unfourtnatly not, he was the only one who seemed to be isolating himself, attempting to be courteous to the other players around him he silenty stood upright and walked over to the man calling to him(which wasn't a long walk, the man was already walking towards him) after getting withen normal range for conversation, London greeted the player "Hey." despite how casual this seemed his voice and his overall presence seemed to have a strange air about it, almost a mix between uneasing and calming. He then smirked very slightly before it faded and he returned to being grim faced "I'm pretty sure no one would like to be here, not unless they could log out that is. Apologies about the loitering, do you own that segment of wall or was perhaps driving out potential customers?" Despite how rude such a question might have seemed he was only asking out of sheer curiousity, and his voice seemed to be anything close to hostile. "As for your other question, I'm not really sure, I've no money as it would seem currently at least not until I kill some boar or do some small little quests for npcs or players, The Inn would be a nice place but I may have to resort to resting against a wall in the city or something of the like." As he's talking with the man his eyes occasionally flicks slightly, observing the man, his body language and his equipment to see if he is any threat to him. He takes his hand off his rapier and folds his arms.

[Arekkusu Sepera 0]

"No money and no place to sleep?" Arekkusu recalled to himself, knowing what the situation was like, He was once a new player as well, and he felt so bad when he didn't know how to make money. The player had no way of getting out into the night without dying, he was about to die, there's no way around that... unless Arekkusu helped. This was his chance to help a new player out, no matter if Arekkusu himself didn't get this sort of support. This was a chance to have a new ally, and have him live as well. He hated seeing new players lost and not sleeping under a roof.

 

"Come inside my shop." Arekkusu said to the player as he walked inside. It was small and crowded due to shelves, but it was at least tidy and organized. He looked through his shop items, looking for one specific item. He then pulled it out from the shelf and smiled, it was a good item to have as a new player. He then flicked through his inventory, looking for Col, which was the currency in the game. He sent a trade request to the new player, which then revealed his name.

 

"Here London." Arekkusu said when the request was sent. Arekkusu asked for nothing in the trade request, and in return London would have a Good Monster Grenade and 500 Col. A nice start for a player in Arekkusus opinion. "This should certainly help you along the way, and don't you dare expect to pay me back."

 

(Good Monster Grenade: Monsters won't attack you for 2 turns)

[London 0]

London eyes widen at the generous offer "I....Wow. Thank you, Most people in mmos wouldn't dare to have such generousity let alone speak to another. I apperciate this, I really do. But I can't take this....Arekkusu, I defintely haven't earned such a thing and there are several new players out here that would probably need a helping gerenade like this and a good amount of...col, I really apperciate this but I don't know you, and you don't know me, may I ask why you being so generous?" Arekkusu sees London beinging to be a bit more defensive or edgy, which would be normal finding out you're trapped in a death game and the odds of you getting out are slim. He almost raises his hand to click the bright blue circle infront of him but he hesitates...he begins to think to himself for a moment yes something like this would extremely benifical...but in this circumstances I know my way around mmos enough to be able to level quickly and make some coin, "someone else definetely deserves this more than I do. However, I shouldn't be rude and decline a hand out, everyone needs help now and again but what if I take it, then another player in worse shape than I am ends up killed but would have survived if he or she had something like this..." unaware that he began thinking out loud he put a closed fist up to his mouth and proped his elbow up with his other free hand, obviously thinking.

[Sousuke 0]

Sousuke stepped into his long time friends shop. He had plans of inspecting these grenade things he had been hearing about. The thought of explosives made him smile, they reminded him of his time stationed at the school back home with that girl, Kaname was her name. He would couse all sorts of trouble for them since he never lead a normal childhood he grew up on the battlefield and his first reaction to danger was well, explosives. He once blew up the locker room as the school because he found a hair on the latch of his locker. Now that he things about it that was a strange thing to do but still he wanted to see SAo's grenades. He walked inside and saw Arekkusu making what looked to be a sale with a new player and so he simply leaned against the wall by the door to see how this unfolds

[London 0]

London is muttering to himself as his eyes scan the floor, trying to calculate the best course of action. Yes, he'd love to take the gernade and the free cash, but what if someone else deserved it or needed it more than him? He would let them have those things off course, something about this man's generousity put London in a small state of supicion. He at times he didn't rule out the ridiculous or the extremes, for instance; what this man was only facading as a merchant to lure them in for an assassination or PK, it would be unlikely but he has no reason to trust this man yet, He looks up at Arekkusu for a moment and can obviously tell his heart is in the right place, he returns his gaze at the floor and continues to think. This behavior is somewhat hidden but it's still pretty obvious to both the Arekkusu and the man leaning that he is trying to figure out if he should take the gift or if he could accpet it with nothing in return, excluding any sort of moral contengencies.

[Sousuke 0]

Sousuke rolled his eyes at the boy who was standing there with his menu open. From what he gathered from the situation Arekkusu was trying to help out the new player and he could tell straight away from his military training that this boy was unsure on whether he should take it or not. If Sousuke was in his shoes and it was his first time here he would be doing the same. Debating what this guy here really had in mind, what were his ulterior motives. Sousuke knew Arek a long time though and knew that he wasn't going to hurt him in anyway he was doing what Sousuke does and was just helping out, where Arek hands out cash and equipment however Sousuke teaches them in the ways of battle and helps them stand on their own two feet. He approached the pair and spoke up. ''Hey kid accept the trade already trust me he aint gonna hurt ya and neither am I, I know your feelings I was sceptical at first too but if you look at his player icon he is green so its safe, Orange means player killer but not all the player killers are bad neither.'' he said as he leant on the counter a nodded at arek.

[London 0]

London glaces through the corner of his eye at the man and is still hesitant "That fine and good, and I highly doubt this happens here often but you don't have to be orange to be considered a player killer I assume. What if a green player lured a naive player to a group of oranges and ambushed him, what if a green player deserted a party member to a fight they couldn't win, let them die, and then come back for their equipment? And I'm not so hesitant for that reason alone, what if another player needs these items way more than I do, for all we know a child could be stuck here and something like this would get him by for a couple of weeks depending on inn and food costs. They're are a lot of variables." He looks back at Arekkusu and thinks for a moment I'm curious as to what he has to say about all of this...

[Sousuke 0]

Sousuke gave out a hearty laugh sure the boy was right, there were many variables to play here but he was certainly over thinking things. He wasn't sure why the boy was being so cautious but he was so he had to talk a little sense into him. After all no one got anywhere not trusting people its a kind of risk and reward thing. ''Ok kid you got a smart head on your shoulders there ill give you that and yes some other player will probably stumble in here needing that stuff but Arek here has it covered he has enough money and grenades to go around the whole first floor believe me.'' He said grinning tapping the table, drumming a tune on it with his fingers.

[London 0]

London sighs, folding his arms and stands in silence with eyes closed for a couple of moments. He then opens his eyes and begrudendly clicks the bright blue and white circle to confirm the trade. The new items notification flashes before him in a second and he clicks a button to open his inventory to check out the new items and how the inventory looks like before closing all the menus. He looks at Arekkusu "Thank you again for the gift, it still doesn't feel right taking it but I suppose if I do find someone who truly needs it more than me I can just as easily trade it to them." He looks back at the man inspecting him for a moment "May I ask what is your weapon of choice?"

[Sousuke 0]

Sousuke smiled a sincere smile at the boy when he accepted the trade and said he could always pass the items on to someone self if needed which was a sensible decision to make. When he questioned him about his weapon of choice Sousuke drew his blade and placed it on the table in front of both him and arek. He hilt was a standard black finish with a red jewel carved into the base of the hilt. The blade was around 38 - 40 inches long and was the colour of blood. It emanated a slightly lighter red aura and there was a continuous dripping of blood from the tip. The blood itself disappeared the moment it touched the desk however. ''I my friend use a long sword as my weapon on choice, I do not use shields however since I like to have my off hand free to use for whatever it is required for.'' he explained

[London 0]

London wraps a finger or two around his chin thinking for a second as he examines the blade and begins to start thinking aloud again"Well...You are right that it's a longsword, a strange red aura...possible demon weapon apperance, could actually be an item obtained from a monster and was excedingly rare or it's an illusion and it is purly for asstetics...the handle itself seems to be in proper proportions...it's strange, considering how a longsword is a two handed weapon and this game counts it as one handed which is rather disappointing, the jewel is a nice touch in terms of asstetics but it could get in the way..." He stops for a moment and takes a quick look at Sousuke "One handed, and nothing more....a kin to seems like dueling techniques, probably would be more benificial when used with a rapier and a free hand, a longsword is nice however It'd be wise to take perhaps at the very least a buckler so that you could have some defense, if it's strapped to your arm you still have a line of defense yet a free hand...I doubt the game would allow such a thing. I also take it you're probably going to take on a martial art skill to be able to turn the free handed and longsword as effectively as possible rather than discarding a sheild merely for look cool..."London looks at Sousuke "Correct?" London could be seen to be showing off his knowledge a bit but he's trying to analyze this player to try at least repay him for giving him advice on the game. His eyes still perice cold but they seem to have soften ever so slightly, and he to match his posture, he is actually calm now or at least calming down for overthinking the situation.

[Sousuke 0]

Sousuke listened to the analysis the boy gave him which made him laugh. He sure knew his way around weapons that was for sure but he had completely misjudged Sousuke in terms of fighting style. The thought of using his free hand for martial arts was lost on him. Sure it was a nice enough idea but in the game martial arts was useless in terms of combat efficiency and his idea of using a buckler was preposterous in his mind. He needed his free hand for climbing up taller bosses and using the environment to his advantage, and when it was finally unlocked in the game he aimed to wield another sword in that hand, which would certainly be useful. ''Ok kid you know your way around a weapon that's for sure, however a longsword can be used in a single hand if one knows how as for the free hand its a choice that goes back to my military life before being stuck here in SAO. Its to allow me to climb and get around faster using the environment to my advantage with a weapon drawn, its purely aesthetic.'' he said grinning ''Besides my coat gets me out of most trouble, as I say a best defence is to not get hit at all.'' he said indicating his long black and gold trimmed trench coat.

[London 0]

London chuckles slightly "Very nice coat, I'd like to get one of my own soon, minus the gold trim. But as for the scaling, that would be effective in raid bosses when they are of considerable height but wouldn't it be better if you're going for the acrobatic approach to go with a dagger to be completely nibble since I think a sword would get in the way with scaling. Not only that but what of normal eniemes or duels? Obviously scaling wouldn't be the greatest option tactally since theres that even height, apologies if I'm being a bit critical by the way. Just a suggestion but for raid bosses, perhaps go with a dagger and stab enemies in the back while scaling." He folds his arms, making him seem slightly closed off but he just does this because it's comfortable.

[Sousuke 0]

Sousuke furrowed his brow as he spoke, this boy clearly made sense but didn't seem to understand the fundamentals in play here. Sure a dagger would be more nimble but the reach in most situations would be awful and useless. It would be like bringing a knife to a gun fight. Statically speaking your chances of landing a successful hit would be pretty low in a regular situation. ''Sure kid a knife would let me be more manoeuvrable on the battle field yes, but fundamentally speaking in a normal combat situation it would be next to useless in a straight up fight. Using this sword gives me a nice balance between reach and momentum. The weight is ideal and the sword can be used to inflict deeper and more damaging wounds than a dagger or knife would.'' he explained

[London 0]

"No no no, you misunderstood me." London began " Of course in a straight up fight go with the sword, the weight is obviously ideal and all that, I know how they work, I was refering to scaling a raid boss. To actual climb a huge monster or something like that would not only be tedious with it slashing back and forth but with a sword on your hip it would make it even more annoying. Unless you plan on being an assassin, I wouldn't reccommend the dagger for you. I was speaking about when you're climbing a monster rather than being on top of it, if you're already on top, anything will due...not a battle axe but you get what I mean. Perhaps I'm overthinking things and I don't understand this game to well but I'm speaking tactically here. When facing a regular mob or another player, unless you're really good at it, take the sword as you already are doing. I was just making a suggest for stuff like raid bosses, if you plan on going support and doing something like that but the probably is actually gettting up there I suppose."

[Sousuke 0]

Sousuke nodded in approval this guy definitely knew his way around realistic tactical warfare and he respected that much at the very least but he thought he could throw out something in the open just to add a little more of a ... explanation as to why he finds raid bosses no problem to scale with a long sword. ''I respect that you seem to know your way around tactical warfare kid, but see im a member of a top secret private military contract group, or at least was, and have received the lasted in cutting edge training pushing me to b in top physical condition, besides I don't wear my sword at my hip I wear it on my back. Its easily accessed and doesn't hinder movement what so ever so im free to climb the bosses and get a few good hits off before returning to the ground.'' he said smiling

[London 0]

London sighed and decided not to debate furthur "Fair enough, I'm not a fan of the sword on the back sheathings but do as you please, the game probably will let you do such a thing with no limitations, I see that it wouldn't matter for the dagger since you do wear it on your back, that makes more sense. Apologies for assuming otherwise." He begins to drum slightly on the pommel of his rapier.

[Sousuke 0]

Sousuke could see the boy getting impatient and decided to steer the convocation in a different direction to avoid any unpleasant conflicts. ''Say whats your name anyway I don't think we have been properly introduced, the name is Sousuke if you need anything, anything at all don't hesitate to ask and if you want to steer in a way of lighter armours come to my shop on the fourth floor I can fix you up with something nice.'' he said smiling