Episode 2: The Truth of the real world

Aincrad awoke in his bed in the dormitory. He looked around, his dark room calm and collective as everything sat idol. It had been a few months since he had started school and he understood his course too well. He didn't find a challenge in the course, but the one thing he found challenging was the form of fighting. the military battle arts. As he sat at the edge of the bed, he began to contemplate what he should do for his career. Standing up, he walked over to his swords and activated the blades as he swung them around slowly to confirm his form. Sighing he gathered his things and decided to head down to the training floor.

Rebecca woke the same day, looked around her room, and decided to head for the training room. She was falling behind in her physical classes and needed to practice her form. She grabbed her weapons, putting her rapier on her hip and hiding her dagger up her sleeve, then headed for the training floor. When she was about halfway there, she saw Aincrad ahead of her, and jogged to catch up with him. "Hey!" She called to him.

Turning and looking beside him, he gave a weak smile as he continued to walk, Not exactly acting like his normal self. As though there were some issue with him. As they approached the training Hall, he sighed as he walked through the door, only to throw his bag to the side and draw his swords and calling out to the computer system.
"Computer, Difficult Settings access code 4AC665, Difficulty change to Hectic mode, opponent level Twenty-five." He said aloud as he readied himself before removing his jacket and shirt, showing scars he had received from the prior training courses across his back and sides. He turned his music on as large creatures appeared out of nowhere and began to charge him, only to stop as he disappeared like air.

Rebecca leaned against the wall to watch him, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows when he disappeared.

Jumping around and spinning in the air, a blue wave of light formed behind his swords as he collided with the creature and struck it down with the blow. landing upon the creature as it fell, he arose only to be struck back by the creature and was sent flying towards the other side of the room that quickly formed trees to a forest like environment as he crashed into the tree and gasped for air as it was knocked out of him. falling to the ground, he arose to his feet as he groaned before spitting a bit of blood out and turning to look at a giant creature that snarled at him in rage for its fallen companion.

Rebecca grinned and grunted, then made her way to the other side of the room and began to stretch.

Stabbing the ground with his swords he, grunted and cracked his neck as he focused on two of the markings that he had on his legs and arms, allowing speed and strength before looking over to see Rebecca walk towards the other side as he raised a brow.
'wonder how she's been doing so far, I would presume that she is doing decently in her training courses, but no way to find out unless she shows it.' he thought to himself as he watched what she would do.

Rebecca finished stretching and pulled her rapier out of its sheathe, flicking her wrist so her dagger shot into her hand. She called out to the computer, specifying information for her opponents, and crouched down as they appeared. She lunged for one, catching it in the chest with her rapier, then pirouetted gracefully, slashing out with her dagger and slicing one across the thigh. She then used her telekinesis to assist in a splayed out backflip over the one behind her, landing in turn behind it and stabbing with both weapons, her sword point puncturing through its chest from behind, then viciously cut to its sides, slicing it practically in half. It dissolved into mist as Rebecca lowered herself into a crouch, one leg straight out in front of her, the rapier being used as a shield of sorts with the dagger behind her head in an outstretched arm. She glanced at Aincrad, grinning.

Whistling and clapping as he enjoyed a fantastic display of Dexterous acrobatics and skilled swordsmanship as he grinned and pointed upwards towards the sky as a large, behemoth of a creature flew down and landed, causing several trees to collapse from the wind from its wings and rocks to be ungrounded from the fake soil. Pulling up information of the creature, he smirked as he stood next to Rebecca, and smiled as he looked over at her with his markings glowing a deep red instead of a blue like prior times. "Ready for some team play?" He spoke aloud as he held his blades up in preparation.

Art had been taking an early stroll around the campus this morning, before deciding to stop in at the training room to get a bit heavier exorcise. When he walked in to find the others already there he let out a sigh and stood off to the side to watch. "How can you two even breathe in here with all these disgusting pheromones you're practically throwing at each-other?" he said as he covered his mouth with his sleeve and leaned against one of the metal walls.

Jumping around and 'Dancing' along side with Rebecca, he looked over at Art, who had been leaning upon the wall and smirked at his comment.
"Art, are you jealous that I'm dancing with a girl and you're not?" Aincrad said with a cocky tone before landing and having the creature fall to its death from the final blow that he had helped inflict upon the creature. walking over, he looked up at the ceiling and called out to the computer to cancel all program projections and terminate challenge ratings. Smiling, he nudged art on the shoulder for him to go and take a turn as he grabbed his bag and pulled a towel out only to wipe his face in it, which was sweating, and wave as he exited the room before approaching down the hall and abruptly falling down another hole in the ground that had opened beneath him, but he didn't let out a cry of any sort, nor did he expect to hear the floor open or even him fall through a deep hole in the floor.

Art had to stifle a laugh at Ain's remark as he drew his sword and calmly walked into the training area, "Computer access code 8PF516, set mode to assault rush" He stood in the center of the area as nearly a dozen enemies appeared all around him, He glanced over to Rebecca "You do realize he's 8 years older than you?" The enemies started to charge one after the other and Art began parrying and precisely dodging their attacks before lunginf back with wicked jabs and slashes of his own, all while barely moving a foot from his starting location.

((Won't reply until Zach does))

Rebecca walked over to the wall, leaning against it and pulling out a small camp towel from her pocket. She grinned at Art and crossed her arms. "I know. Doesn't mean it's not worth a shot, right?"

Aincrad slammed on the walls, bending and denting the metal that surrounded him, unsure if anyone could hear him, until he sat down and Sighed; knowing someone would eventually sense him. (Give it some time for the story to build before someone comes to look for him please.)

Art finished up his session and let out a drawn out sigh, "Welp... this is too easy..." He turned to Rebecca, "and while I personally find almost all interpersonal relationships to be absurd, I can still say with some certainty that this one does not sound like a good idea."

Rebecca frowned at Art, cocking her head. "Why's that?"

*Waiting for Matt*

"Why does a relationship with a rather questionable man who also happens to be 8 years older than you not sound like a good idea? You tell me if you're as much of a child genius as you claim to be."

Rebecca grinned. "I meant why do you find almost all interpersonal relationships to be absurd?"

"I just don't know why people feel the need to rely on each-other" He got his stuff together and started to leave the training room

Rebecca followed him, considering for a moment. After a few moments, she said, "I don't think it's about relying on each other so much as being close to someone."

Aincrad sat in his dark empty hole, attempting to listen to sounds in the dark, but there were none. He grumbled to himself, cursing under his breathe before hearing a small clicking like locks to an old Cell for prison. He arose to his feet and looked around, but slowly the darkness faded with a dim blue hue as the light in the room slowly rose brighter. Pulling out his handled weapons, he attempted to activate them, but was unable to. He began to panic before shouting out in rage and fear.
"Whose there!?" He shouted in the darkness.

"To what end then? If not reliability then what reason could there possibly be besides just physical attraction?" Art headed down the hallway trying to see where Ain had gotten to.

Turning around, Ain Dodged several attacks from the creature that swung at him, his left arm badly injured and his right eye completely obliterated by a talon that the creature used as one of its weapons. Still attempting to activate his weapon, he grunted and groaned as he dodged another attack, only to be cut on his heel, causing him to collapse from the pain. Finally out of Anger and rage, he crunched the swords handle in his hand, causing it to activate, but the blade seemed slightly larger as he forced himself to stand up and embed the weapon into the creatures flesh as it charged at him. As the creature laid limp upon the floor, he fell backwards and sighed as he looked around with his one good eye. Abruptly, a high pitched beeping sounded off as he attempted to get up and run away from the creature, who was flashing like a bomb.
The Explosion sent him flying back through the hole he fell through, as well as his sword that impaled him through his right thigh. Flying through the open passage and seeing Art and Rebecca walking through the hallway from the Training Hall, he landed limply upon the floor and blacked out from the pain and lack of blood. All the while as he heard a woman cry out in fear and shouted his name as though she were trying to reach him but could not.