[OPEN] Let the Music Play

[Yuu]

Yuu realizes that he was daydreaming and found himself in a dark weary area with trees that seem to have faces carved into them. "D-Did someone carve a face on that tree? That can't be it.. I am probably just tired to deal with anything out of the ordinary. Then again.. I am trapped in a death trap with thousands of other players. There is no time for me to mope around. I need to find my way out of here." Yuu continues towards the uncomfortable looking trees and began to scout the area for anything out of the ordinary. There is a melody that is echoing throughout the eerie forest and Yuu stops for a moment to analyze his surroundings. He was about to unsheathe his sword, but as soon as he places his hand on the hilt of his sword, the melody stops playing. Off to the side, there should have been a sign, but it looks like it was torn out of the ground. Yuu walks over to inspect the area and crouches down to search for the sign, when he suddenly realizes that he was in an abandoned graveyard. The melody that was echoing before, suddenly started playing once again. "I have a feeling that I might have set myself up for this. I can either turn around and find my way back to the Town of Beginning or just be an idiot and rush into the cemetery." Yuu lets out a sigh and unsheathes his sword and clenches the hilt tightly. He slowly takes a few steps towards the abandoned site, but suddenly a thick fog overwhelms him and he stands in the middle of the fog defenseless. Yuu hangs his head low and lets out another sigh, as he sheathes his sword and sits down on the gravely floor. He crosses his legs and places his hands behind him, supporting him as he leans against them. "How long is this fog supposed to last? I get this is a virtual reality game, but did "he" have to really optimize the weather to be this thick. I can not see what is ahead of me or around me. Tsk. There is no point in sitting around and doing nothing." Yuu jumps back onto his feet and begins taking small steps, to avoid any danger that could be ahead of him. He stops for a moment and attempts to feel the area around him, but it seems like he still had enough space to move forward. The moment he took a step forward, a gust of wind blew right by him, causing him to flinch. The thick fog began to fade away and straight ahead he could see an abandon graveyard with tombstones that seems to have no names on them. "Are there supposed to be any names on here? T-There should not be any names.. No one has died yet.. Right? This looks abandoned, so this is just for visuals." Yuu says to himself, to reassure that nothing has happened.

Yuu begins to inspect the area and the sound of the same melody grows stronger as he approaches what seems to be a broken down church. He suddenly feels a rush of chill run through the back of him and he chuckles nervously. He wraps his right hand around the hilt of his sword and began walking towards the broken down church. The melody grew louder until Yuu stops in front of the church and it went silent. Yuu gulps and speaks into what seems to be an abandoned church. "H-Hello? Is there someone in here playing a really petrifying melody? I kinda got lost wandering around in the forest. Do you mind pointing me back to the nearest town? Hello?" There was no answer, so Yuu slowly opens the door and makes his way towards the inside of the church. Suddenly, the doors behind him are shut and he quickly turns around, unsheathing his sword. The melody than continues once again, but this time it sounds like the melody was right behind him. Yuu dashes forward and quickly turns around to find a creepy looking man playing a violin. He then realize it was an NPC and sheathes his sword. "I spooked myself. It is just some creepy looking NPC. Now what is NPC doing way out here. Wait a minute.. It has to be some sort of quest, or it could be one of those NPCs that just idle around. All he does is play his stupid violin with some creepy tunes." Yuu sighs and approaches the NPC and suddenly the NPC addresses himself. "Howdy! It looks like you have found yourself in a sticky situation. The doors behind you are completely locked and there is no way out of here." Yuu looks over at the door and walks towards it, placing his right palm against the door. He attempts to push the door as hard as he could, but unfortunately for him, the door is locked tight. Yuu then unsheathes his sword and was about to start hacking and slashing his way out of the church, but realized that the durability on his sword might drop. He slowly sheathes his sword and goes back to the NPC. "There has to be a way to leave this place. I mean, I am not supposed to be trapped in here.. Right? Oh lord, I fell for a trap!" Yuu begins to look for a way out and found another door that seems to lead towards the back of the church and rushes straight towards it. The NPC then turns around and heads towards Yuu's direction. "So you are trying to find your way out of here? Well I have a proposition for you. I am actually looking for someone. He has gone missing for quite sometime and I hear that he was last seen behind this door. The thing is, the door leads somewhere else. If you find him, I can show you a way out." Yuu without hesitation accepts the quest and the NPC opens the door. Yuu slowly unsheathes his sword and slowly takes a few step into what seems like a room and the NPC shuts the door behind Yuu. "You could have also tried pulling the door to open, silly." The NPC said jokingly, before he began playing his melody once again. Yuu lets out a sigh and looks straight ahead and there seems to be some sort of corridor.

Yuu began debating which corridor he should head to, but realizes that it does not matter which one he would take, because he still had to find his way out, regardless on how long it takes him. He lets out a long sigh before heading right and clenching the hilt of his sword, readying himself for any monster that dare to stop him. "I should probably focus on finding this per- ... Who am I supposed to look for anyways? Well.. I guess the first person I would see is probably the NPC I am supposed to take back." He continues his way through the dark corridors and realizes that he made the wrong turn and found himself in a dead in. Yuu began retracing his steps, when he suddenly hears a melody, but it was not the same one from the church. It began echoing throughout the corridor and Yuu took off running without thinking. The melody were being bounced around the corridors, leading Yuu into an area that he was tracing and was now lost. He places his back against the wall of the corridor and slid down to the floor. "Where am I? I should have really put more thought into what I am doing before I do things. I should just rest a bit.. I'm kind of tired of running around all day." Yuu yawns and his eye lids begin to feel heavy, he slowly slips into a nap, as the melody continue to echo around the corridor. The melody continues to play and the sound of water dripping wakes Yuu, he stretches his arms out and slowly reverts his vision back to normal. He slowly stands up and wipes his eyes, but realizes that the melody is still going on. Exhausted, he continues ahead towards the corridor, hoping to find the NPC that is lost in the corridor. Yuu stops for a moment and begins to realize something. "Even if I find where the NPC is, I still have no idea where to go back." He lets out a sigh and continues on the path. As Yuu makes his way towards the melody, it suddenly stops and Yuu began to hear whispers. He grips the hilt of his sword and slowly creeps up onto an entrance. He places his right palm against the door and attempts to push in, but it seems like the door is barred from the other side. "Who goes there? Is that you Zoa?" The NPC then walks up towards the door, but there was no sound of him moving the bar away from the door. Yuu knocks on the door and prepares to talk with the NPC, but there was no movement from the other side. "It seems like Zoa sent you here to look for me! I cannot open this door, I do not trust you. In order to get my trust, there are a few things I would like you to do, before I open this door. Do you agree with my terms." Without any hesitation, Yuu accepts another quest, but it seems like there was no update to his quest log. He leaned against the door, awaiting for something to happen, but it seems like he might be stuck here for a while.

[Elpharae]

Elpharae was quite confused.

The brunette had gone off to investigate an abandoned church for a quest. It seemed rather straightforward at the time-the NPC who gave it was quite direct, and told him to check the building out for him, seeing as how he would "inherit" the structure. Of course, Elpharae needed the experience, and had followed the red haired girl's instructions perfectly. Those very instructions led him to a door. The level three player blinked and looked at the rather elegantly simple building. The door was the exact opposite-ornate and lavish, gilded with opaque gems that seemed cloudy and lackluster, like a drop of milk into a water glass.

At any rate, he gently rapped on the door with one hand twice, listening intently to try to hear anything, but to no avail. It seemed there was no one there, which he had expected, seeing as it was an abandoned church and all. Opening the door with a quiet "excuse me", the brunette placed one hand on his rapier and unsheathed it. There was no need to waste time during a battle to unsheathe a blade. His dark eyes flickered in the dim light, and then he realized he was in a very long, very narrow room.

No. That wasn't right. It wasn't a room...it was a corridor. Like a maze. His eyes widened. Very much like a maze. It seemed like Athena would love this sort of thing, with her analytical mind and all. He brushed it off, though, as a haunting melody began to play. It sounded somewhat like songs he knew, but completely different, and so he followed it, because this was Sword Art Online and that's what you probably should do in games like these. The entrance he had come from had sealed up, anyways.

He encountered another player, and, distracted by his cursor, barely activated his Stealth skill before disappearing just in time for the boy to not notice him. Thanking the lord-which was probably ironic, seeing as how this was a church, if it even was still a church or able to be considered one (but wait, wasn't Kayaba a sort of lord? That was kind of disturbing.)-that he had that particular skill, the player then utilized his Acrobatics skill to not get in the other's way, having to perform a sort of clumsy flip over him that made him land behind the other player-Yuu, was it?-with a rather loud noise. Thankfully, it was covered up by the song.

Pulling himself to his feet, the boy shook his head, the dust bunnies falling off of his hair easily. The NPC-it was behind the door, or should he say they? At any rate, they knew some man named Zora, and Zora wanted them back, but they didn't trust him, which meant that Yuu would need to do as this person wished. But where did Elpharae fit in? His job was to merely check out the church, not to guard it or do any other sort of job. He flicked his hair behind him and sighed, before shimmering back into existence behind the boy.

"Excuse me," He murmured in Japanese, before making his presence known. Acting as if the whole event were completely normal, he blinked before placing one hand on his rapier, which felt reassuring. Sending a nonchalant gaze at Yuu, who had dark hair and pale skin, not that much different from himself, the player continued on, turning to the door, which felt rather strange, but he ignored the feeling and probed on. "Hello? It's another player. What do we have to do in order to make you trust us?"

[Yuu]

Yuu felt a slight movement behind him, but realizes that it could be anything that was lurking around the forsaken corridor. He let out a sigh, as he continues to move along with his quest. Irritated at the fact that he had to navigate his way around a maze. Yuu hated anything Puzzle related and this corridor is the last thing he wanted to be in. He stopped for a sec and waited by the door, as his quest log had never updated. "Why can't this just be a simple quest? Maybe like.. finding a key or or.. Well.. I don't really know what else is out there." He says in a non determined voice. Yuu quickly gives himself a pat on his cheeks and nods his head. "There is no point in crying over spilled milk. I need to get ready and start this quest." He says with a slight determination in his voice.

He then heard a warm, yet clear voice call from behind him. Yuu turns around to see a female player and sees that the player has their hand on the hilt of their weapon. D-Damn.. I might have gotten myself in a sticky situation. [The italics are Yuu's thoughts.] Resting his hand on the hilt of his sword, he smiles at the player ahead of him. The player then turned towards the door and asked what the two players had to do. "Another one? How is this possible? Nonetheless, You two are to find a way into this room. This door is to stay shut until I know that everything is safe. Clear your way here and that will prove to me that the two of you are trustworthy." Yuu sighs in disappointment and walks by the door, placing his palm against the door. This quest is going to be something new for him, as he never really took on a quest ever since the death game announcement. "Well, it looks like the two of us needs to find our way to the other side, right?" He says with a smile on his face.

Walking a few meters away from the door, Yuu begins stretching before looking back at the player behind him. He squints his eyes towards the top of the player and sees that the player is green and sees the name. "El-pha.." He whispers under his breath and faces forward. He shook his head and grabs the hilt of his sword and turns towards Elpharae and glances at the player with a look of determination. He swipes down with his index and middle finger to see that his quest log had updated and swipes away.

Yuu takes a look at his hands before taking a hold of himself. He then looks ahead at the darkness ahead of the two players and grins. I think I am ready for what is ahead of me. It has been long since I have held a sword, but it is just like old times and this time.. I will be fighting for my life. Yuu thought to himself, as he grips his sword. The melody that continues to echo through the corridor gives him the chills, as he let out a sigh. It was not like he was afraid, it was more of a sense of survivability. I-I just met this player.. Can I trust her? I have no information on this player. Yuu thought to himself. There could be many things that go wrong in this situation, but Yuu wouldn't stand a chance even if he wanted to. Elpharae looked like she knew what she is doing and Yuu barely got started, who knows what Elpharae can do. [Yuu does not know that Elpharae is a male, because of how he looks.]

[Elpharae]

Isn't that a little abstract?Elpharae thought blandly, tilting his head as he digested the information. How will doing that help you trust us? Is it in terms of strength...or do tests of character await in the labyrinth? When the other brunette turned to him, asking him a question and then murmuring something, the crossdresser frowned. Just what exactly did he say? At any rate, he straightened up, opening his quest log as well and watching it update. It seemed...his quest was somehow connected.

Yuu gripped his sword in front of him, and Elpharae had already done the same, so there was no point in waiting. Why hadn't he had taken Mapping as a skill? Sighing, the boy merely flicked his hair back and blew his bangs out of his face. A labyrinth, hmm? God, Athena would love this...but that was beside the point right now. "As I see it, we should get to know each other a little better. It would definitely help when fighting...so. Level three. I'm a rapier user, and my skills are stealth, acrobatics, and detection. What did I miss...I emphasize much more on endurance and agility, though I'm mostly an all-rounder...at least for now. Oh, and my sword art is heavily focused on paralysis, with less damage when activated. Yourself?"

He was cross, and when he was upset, he was short and blunt. Ah, well. They were stuck in a godforsaken maze, and had no idea when they were getting out. Elpharae at least had a reason for his feelings. Irrational annoyance at himself aside, the boy smoothed down his emotions and calmly locked them away, coolness settling onto his features. This boy. Was he new at this? At any rate, Elpharae didn't mind taking charge for now, but he would have to be at least more useful when it came to battle.

Assuming that the labyrinth was like what the NPC had said, there were probably monsters lurking in here. But there couldn't be too many...at the most, maybe around six? For two players, that was still quite a bit. He swiped open his inventory just to make sure that everything was still there, and then paused, glancing at the other, wondering what they were thinking. I wonder...how useful could this player really be, under that demeanor? Or are they just as useful as they look? There's only one way to find out, after all...put them in a life or death situation.

Elpharae rubbed his temples, and turned on-or emphasized his Detection skill now. There was no need to worry so much, or at least, not yet. He sent a parting glance at the black-haired boy near him, so similar and different to himself, and turned on his heel. "If what the NPC said was true, we have some monsters on our hands. It's best to deal with them now, while we're still relatively fine and not hungry or anything. And besides...we shouldn't waste time, should we?" He let out a shy smile at the last part, his annoyance finally ebbing away to that simple emotion.

They began to walk down the corridor, which was dark and dimly lit, but clean and even the corners were freakishly sharp and at a perfect ninety degrees. There was something off about this...but Elpharae couldn't place what. "When...the NPC was talking about Zora or someone. Do you know who that is?" He asked shyly, averting his eyes in a single sweep as he kept his Detection skill sharp, making sure that there were no monsters or obvious traps...for now. There would be some, doubtless, that the brunet would eventually not catch. Hopefully this was not like the labyrinth of old myth, though-one that evolved to counteract your mind. He sent a questioning glance to Yuu.

[Yuu]

Yuu notices that Elpharae was frowning and he quickly changes his posture. Was it something I said? Oh no.. I probably said something wrong. The thing that had him dazed was the fact that the two players have to find their way inside the man hole. What is the point in finding a way in? I just need to know where you were and bring you back. Yuu sighs, as tries to map the corridor, but he also realized that he did not put any skill points into mapping.

Seeing that he has a higher level player with him, Yuu listens carefully about how Elpharae was describing himself. “I guess we can get to know each other. I am level one. I am a long sword user, and my skills are detection and acrobatics. I emphasize a lot on strength and agility, but it seems like I need a little bit of endurance sooner or later. My sword art is mainly focused on dishing out damage to anyone who falls prey to it.” He replies to Elpharae. Yuu slowly shuts his eyes and places his palm against the corridor walls, but there was nothing he could detect. It must be how low of a level he is, but almost instantly, he felt a sensation run through the course of his body. Yuu quickly opens his eyes and turns towards the darkness of the corridor.

Could it be? I can sense something, but what is it? Yuu had a puzzling expression and was quite curious on what he was detecting. He did not have a clue on what he was doing and it did not help that the two were stuck in a maze. Maybe if I can maneuver our way around the maze and slowly take out the monsters on our way. He did not want to be responsible for causing a fatal mistake, so he kept his thoughts to himself. Yuu would never allow someone to die because of a mistake he made and he will do his best to compromise with any solution Elpharae had.

Yuu looks over at Elpharae and it looked like he was in a state of concentration. She is over there concentrating on finding her way out of here, while I am over here acting like a fool. If I really think about it, what I could be sensing are monsters that are lurking around. Yuu swipes down his menu and looks over his stats to see what he could get done with what he has. After looking at his low stats, he gulps down regret and swipes away his menu. There should be more to what he could do, but he was just a lowly level one player, who got himself in a situation that could have been easily avoided.

Yuu looks over at Elpharae and see that he had let out a shy smile, but Elpharae is right. They had to deal with the monsters, so they wouldn’t be a problem for them further down the line. “Yeah. We should go take care of them right away. Y-You should take the lead. I do not really know much about what is going on. Heh.” Yuu let out a nervous chuckle, doubting his detection skill, he steps aside and motions Elpharae to take the lead. He continues to leave his detection on, as he continues to scan the corridor for any monsters that were lurking around the area.

As the two head down the corridor, Yuu was making sure that he was walking along side of Elpharae, but at the same time had to keep his eye out for anything that comes lurking from behind them. “Zora.. I honestly do not have a single clue about who that person is. I just stumbled upon the abandoned church and next thing you know, I am trying to find my way out of the corridor, along with finishing a quest.” He replies to Elpharae, as the two stop at large room. Gripping the hilt for his sword, he prepares himself for what seems to be a battle. I guess it is time to see what I can do. I can not go down without a fight. Yuu mentally prepares himself for what was going to happen, as he Detection found a monster lurking within the room.

[Elpharae]

When Elpharae found a monster within a room with his detection, he automatically stepped closer, straining to see in the dark light but ultimately failing. As if something-or someone, he amended, thinking of the mysterious person from earlier-was listening, the room became brighter, but barely, just enough so that he could see. The brunet’s eyes scanned the room warily. But he wasn’t going to complain about the light. Running a finger around the circular hilt of his rapier, he gazed at where he had sensed the enemy and choked back a cry. It wasn’t one monster. It was three. Dire Wolves, but why were they out of the forest and in a domestic environment? His rapier caught the light, catching the attention of one, which snapped its head towards him. He was suddenly reminded of the experience he had in the Black Forest with Athena, Relsaille, and KyleMartin, all surrounded by wolves, and cringed at the memory. He had been severely injured then, and he had only increased by two levels…

And Yuu was only a level one player! When Elpharae was a level one player, he had fought that wolf, and his health was over at twenty-ish points from just one wolf. The brunet swore darkly in French, and decided to activate his Stealth, disappearing into thin air, just as the wolf was about to pounce. He hoped that Yuu would be able to fend for himself, but Elpharae couldn’t focus on that right now-instead, he vaulted over one wolf, and with surprising accuracy, hit it in its pelt before having to scramble back, thanking the gods that he didn’t really believe in that no one could see him right now. The wolf noticed him, nostrils flaring, and nipped at his heels, and Elpharae leaped back into the air, landing on its back with a sickening crunch before stabbing the other one as it bit his opposite arm, hissing in annoyance as five points dropped from his health bar, eyes narrowing as the dark irises flashed in anger. Yuu might not be Athena, who he respected and admired in turn, or any other of his close friends, but he was not going to allow this person to be caught.

Elpharae’s anger gave him adrenaline, and he used his erratic bursts of strength to wrench his arm away, and sent a quick stab at both of them, cursing when he was backed up against a corner, but realized quickly that he was at an advantage-they would have to come on to him one at a time, in order to attack. When the gray one snapped at him, swiping at his leg, he took a risk and blocked his strike, releasing it quickly and shimmering into existence, knowing that there was no point in prolonging things. He repeated a move he had practiced some time in the fields, stabbing it through the eye cleanly and using his rapier as a sort of lever, slamming the wolf’s head to the ground and then racing up its head to the body, which was solid and thick, like rain-slick steps. He made a messy stab at the other wolf, narrowly landing his hit, and rejoicing when he noticed that they were both, at least, heavily damaged. He vaulted over the one he was attacking to the other, making a clean cut before twisting his wrist, making his sword art activate.

It was rather pretty, really-a golden glow surrounded the cool metal of his weapon, making it seem ethereal, almost, and intangible, cutting through the air cleanly, a trail of butter-yellow left behind for the faintest of moments. His weapon came to rest on pelt of each opponent on turn, cutting them open with a fast stab, leaving them both under the status effect of paralysis. He quickly made an array of stabs, trying to be precise and harmful as possible, not caring about his finesse but rather Yuu, who he kept a wary eye on. His own health had dropped by 14 points, but nothing else, and he needed to be careful. As soon as one wolf disappeared, he checked on Yuu, making sure that his fellow brunet wasn’t hurt on a deadly level out of the corner of his eye before he focused on his other prey, eyes cold and detached, even as he made an array of cuts as the wolf began to break free. As a quick attack, he made a cut against its eye, but had to retreat once the wolf began to pounce again, paralysis worn off.

He used Acrobatics to slide over it, stabbing it cleanly and keeping it at bay with a quick kick that was nowhere near Athena’s level, but would have to suffice. As soon as he speared it through its paw, it roared and disappeared, much to his relief. Pixels still hovered in the air, and he sagged against the wall, sending a cool-eyed glance that covered his worry too Yuu, who had also vanquished his enemy. Elpharae ran a hand through his hair, straightening and neatening it, and he unequipped and reequipped his armor, making it less…slime-no, wait, it was drool-covered. Wincing at the utter mess of his hair, he gave up and tied it into a sleek ballerina bun, and then walked over to Yuu. “Are you alright? Do you mind taking a small break? I would hate to fight any more monsters when I’m not in peak condition, and trust me, we’re going to need the energy, if what we just went through was any indication. So soon after we left? Either this is the only test, which I doubt…or there are going to be more.”

He ran a harried hand through his hair, plopping down, cross-legged, leaning against the wall. Memories flitted through his head, but he ignored it, instead running a finger over his rapier, hands then dropping into a tightly curled ball on his lap. Dire Wolves. He hated the things with a passion-always had ever since that day on the outskirts of the forest. They were just programs, he knew, but that didn’t stop him from despising the creatures. Some people felt bad, killing things that could feel pain, but they were off about one thing-they were things. Just an it, a that, a thing. Nothing more, nothing less. So Elpharae couldn’t feel bad, could he? He ran a critical eye over what had just transpired. He hadn’t lost control of himself and gone into a bloodlust. That was good. That was very good. He then turned his gaze on Yuu, getting up on his own, breath caught and serene demeanor restored. “So, shall we be off, then?”

[[GM] John]

Thread closed due to spring cleaning. This is a flat reward, no bonuses will be added. I apologize in advance for the cut taken to your hard work of the past, however full credit cannot be issued due to the nature the thread ended in. You will be rewarded similarly to how solo threads do just without the cap, enjoy the xp from dead threads

The following players were credited for their posting: Elpharae

Tesh word count: 2344
Flat XP rate: 234