[youtube]2h5R1lLfAZc[/youtube] [I] “This is so cool, Kazaro,” sounded the voice of the red-head’s closest friend. “I can’t believe you got to play this for a whole month before everybody else!” “Luck of the draw I guess, Leo,” He teased back, testing the weight of his starting rapier. “Hey, how about we break this game in with a practice duel?” The man pulled open a menu and sent a duel request which would declare a winner for whoever ‘killed’ the other. “You’re on, Kaz. How about whoever loses has to pay for drinks after work tomorrow?” “You know I can’t resist a challenge. Let’s do it,” He said confidently as their slightly secluded area just outside of the starting area was closed off as a mini arena for the two and they brought their weapons to a ready position. The two exchanged blows rapidly, Leo blocking with his shield and retaliating with a heavy swing from his straight sword only to be knocked aside and thrust at by Kazaro’s rapier. “You’ll never see me lose to your girly little sword,” Leo teased at his red-haired co-worker. “Hey! It’s a French blade, the sword of a [b]gentleman[/b],” He quipped as their health bars fell at nearly equal rates. Finally, Kazaro stepped forward, his blade flashing a brilliant hue of indigo as it embedded itself into Leo’s chest. “Ha! I got you!” He teased, “See you at the respawn point,” the man pointed out as Leo laughed lightly, shattering into thousands of pieces. [b]Several hours later…[/b] Kazaro stared over the edge of the Town of Beginnings. This small rail was all that was keeping him back and soon his foot was atop it and he could see into the nothingness that would results in his death. He was a murderer. Not only that, but he had killed even his best friend and was left alone in this unforgiving, one-hundred-floored, endless world. He spread his arms and felt himself slowly leaning forward. He was really going to do it – he would never have to worry about being killed, never have to care about going to work, never have to be guilty for Leo’s death again. How could somebody create a game like this and let him [b]kill[/b] somebody before telling them that it would result in a real death? As the air began to rush and everything around him slowed down, Kazaro heard a voice which was so distant that it may as well have been from Europe. A moment later, however, there was something pulling his shirt and he was in the air. Did he fall..? No, something certainly grabbed him… As his eyes flashed open, he hit the ground, directly striking what would, in real life, be his coccyx. “Hey, what the hell?” He asked angrily. A man dressed in heavy armour with long, silver white hair was staring at him darkly. “You’ll never fix anything like that. This world is just as real as the one you came from, kid,” He stated with a flat voice. Kazaro furrowed his brow – he was almost twenty-five, how old was this guy? “Whoever you are here is who you are out there, don’t forget it. Get off your ass and do something, because jumping over that rail isn’t going to help, no matter what happened to you.”[/i] ----- “And that was the day I met Heathcliffe and he recommended I switch to a curved sword… Didn’t say why, but I’m glad I did.” The Vice Commander explained, his hands clasped behind his back as he and Nero walked. Their height difference was quite noticeable, but that was more so because Kazaro would tower over even Fitch and the late Kenshin. Nero nodded, “I met him at a boss fight – he almost took my last hit bonus, but I think he actually let me have it. That was… Floor ten, I think. We’re progressing a lot faster than anybody expected after that first floor. But the last one… I can’t believe I didn’t expect it…” He shook his head, “Of course every twenty-fifth will be a major jump in difficulty…” Kazaro shrugged, “You know, hindsight is twenty-twenty, Nero. You’re a smart one, but you can’t hold on to past mistakes or you’ll end up dead.” Nero opened the door to the inn where the others were waiting and allowed Kazaro to enter before him. The small murmur in the building died to silence as he appeared. Nero came in behind him and the volume rose as rumours were born. As they ascended to the group’s floor, Nero took the lead and, when they saw him, they would notice his armour was white with red trimming and, upon a closer inspection, they would see the lines on it. The leather was dragonhide while the metal was all scales. Rather than selling the rest of his cut, he had a set for everybody fitting their armour types made by Yuna which she would offer to recolour if they so wished. The blade at his side was also new as it seemed heavier and almost [i]carved[/i] from something. It was made of dragonbone and as sharp as a razor blade with rather impressive stats. However, it was also heavier than he was used to. His hand rose and he knocked on the door, “It’s Nero,” He spoke clearly and flatly.