Sword Art Online: A New Beginning

[Mega90]

Rin hung her head in defeat.

“Yeah…well, see. The prices here are insane, and I’d have to waste all the Cor that I have in order to stay for even one night. All I could really afford was a cup of hot milk, and even that gouged me.” She looked up with a weak smile. “Guess I’ll just sleep under the open stars tonight. There’s a nice breeze at least, so it should be nice enough.” She looked at Hiroku and cocked her head slightly.

“What about you? Are you planning to get a room here?”  

[Zarkon90]

The teen shook his head.

"No, I actually came to find you. As for you sleeping under the stars, it is a good way to get robbed. All a player would need to do is take your hand and use it to open your menu. Then select trade and take everything you have. You are safer in here as your character will vanish when you log, but you won't be rested or get the stat regen from sleeping." He smiled and shook his head.

"There are cheaper inns in town that we could take you to but it would be a waste as we are already here."

With that, he again swiped his hand, navigating down the various menus before lightly tapping a button. A moment later a small trade window appeared in Rin's field of vision.The text within the box seemed to shimmer. 'Hiroku has requested a trade. 'Accept Reject'. "Go ahead and tap accept." The tall teen said, shifting his gaze from the door to look at the girl before him.  

[Mega90]

Rin’s eyes widened. “I can’t ask you to do that. Especially not after all the help you’ve already given me.” Though Hiroku hadn’t told her why he wanted to trade, based off of what he had already said, she had a pretty good guess.  

[Zarkon90]

Hiroku shook his head gently. His black hair swaying softly as he did.

"Don't worry about it. I have more then enough Cor and you will want to get a good nights sleep, believe me." Hiroku offered with a smile.

"I could just mail you the Cor I suppose but this is far more convenient not to mention time efficient."  

[Mega90]

Rin sighed and nodded gratefully.

“Alright, if you sure.” She clicked accept and completed the trade.

“Thank you again. You really have done too much for me. Is there anything that I could do to pay you back?”  

[Zarkon90]

"Actually yes." Hiroku said as he entered in the amount and tapped send. A moment later Rin's trade box lit up informing her that she had received 50 thousand Cor.

Hiroku leaned back again as he returned his attention to the door, seeming unfazed by the sizable amount of cash he had just given away.

"I may have unintentionally placed you in danger. If you want a way to pay me back, I will accept your contacting a member of your guild to come and watch over you or at the very least allowing me to bring you to the guilds headquarters as payment."  

[Mega90]

Rin was dumbstruck by the amount of Cor that her inventory now said it held. She blinked hard several times, unable to believe it was real. The currency was virtual, and it didn’t translate into any value in the real world, but while she was logged in, it felt like this game was the real world. Her mind was elsewhere as Hiroku continued to speak, and it was only when he mentioned that he may have put her in danger that her head perked up, looking directly at him.

“What do you mean you may have put me in danger?” Her tone was not in the least bit upset, merely curious. She listened to the rest of his request before shaking her head. “Well, you see, the thing is….I don’t actually know anyone from the guild, and….” She scratched absently at the table. “I don’t even know where the guild hall is.”  

[Zarkon90]

Hirokus brow furrowed.

"Well what about the person that invited you to the guild? Can you contact them? Maybe they can come find us and help you out?" He asked returning his gaze to Rin.  

[Mega90]

Rin thought for a moment, holding her chin in her hand.

“Yeah, that might work. Let me think, what was his name again, umm…” she fell silent as she thought back over the encounter from earlier that day. “Yamen!” She snapped her fingers as she reached the point in her memories when he stated his name. “Will just his name be enough to contact him?”  

[Zarkon90]

Hiroku nodded.

"It should be enough to send him an in game message, yes. Especially given that you are in the same guild. Hopefully he remembers you and doesn't think you are a scammer or PK." He muttered the last part under his breath before returning his attention to the door.

"Go ahead and send him a message. It will say if he is offline and can't be received. Should that be the case," he paused for a moment before shrugging. "We will deal with that issue should it arise."  

[Mega90]

Rin nodded and opened her menu, hesitating for a moment. After clicking through a few different options, she located the mail and quickly typed a message. A few seconds passed before a small ping sounded, signifying that there was a response. She read the message before leaning back in her chair, her shoulders relaxing slightly.

“He’s still online, and he said he’d come now. It should only be a few minutes.” Rin looked up at Hiroku with confusion. “Now, why do you think you put me in danger?” Her tone was becoming slightly more insistent, though it was still soft and quiet.  

[Zarkon90]

Hiroku sighed softly.

"I think we may have been being tracked on our way back to town. If that is the case then it means one or both of us could have been the target." Hiroku closed his eyes. "If it weren't for your guild I wouldn't think you could have been the target solely but as stated, the chance to take down a member of crestfallen is a rare treat for pkers."  

[Mega90]

Rin sighed and dropped her head, mumbling under her breath.

“Great, the newbie paints a giant target on her back on the first day.” She looked back up and cocked her head slightly. “Is there really any glory to be gained of killing someone so low leveled? I mean, there’s not really even anything that they could steal from me. I don’t have enough money to make it worth it, and besides the dress, I really don’t have any items worth anything.” As they were talking, Yamen walked into the Inn. He scanned the area causally for a moment before catching sight of them and walking over to the table.

“Rin, you said you were in trouble?” His voice was relaxed, and despite the nature of the message that she had sent him, he didn’t seem at all concerned.

Rin nodded and pointed to Hiroku.

“This is Hiroku. He saved me from a really strong monster, and then he brought me back to town. He thinks that we may have been followed by someone.”

Yamen lazily raised an eyebrow.

“Followed, huh. If that’s true, they may have followed you, Rin, because of your guild affiliation, but what about you?” He turned to look at the black haired teen who was leaning against the pillar. “What purpose would they have to come after you? Don’t try to tell me that you think you weren’t their target. Call it an assumption, but you don’t strike me as someone who would jump to conclusions and have a stranger contact their guild for protection based off something you saw with your detection skill. Something tells me you know more than you’re telling me.” His eyes narrowed slightly, though his voice retained the same relaxed quality it had held before.  

[Zarkon90]

"Hiroku's gaze lifted. Bright red eyes met the newcomers stare.

"I'm honestly not sure why they would be after me. I have played this game for a long time and made my fair share of enemies and rivals." He offered a small smile.

"But that isn't your problem nor your concern. I simply didn't want Rin here to be in danger, especially considering that it is her first day in the game."

He bowed his head slightly.

"I'm grateful for you coming to get her and for looking after her. I apologize for any trouble that I may have caused you both."

With that, he pushed off the wall, clearly intending to leave.

"Take care of yourselves." Hiroku said with a smile and slight wave as he headed for the door.  

[Mega90]

“Hey, Hiroku.” Yamens voice beckoned to the black haired man as he walked away. “I have to say that I recognize your name. You wouldn’t happen to be ‘THAT’ Hiroku, would you?”

The emotion in his voice was subtle, though present. Hiroku couldn’t tell exactly what the man’s feelings towards him were, and the silence that fell between them created a thick tension.