Chapter 10: Orange fortune
Ping! Ping! Ping!
The ring of metal against metal rang loud and clear throughout the whole of Lisbeth's Smith shop. It was loud, but not unbearably so. Lisbeth's light pink eyes were narrowed with concentration of the task of forging the knives, using two ingots of mythril as smithing ingredients to create the knives. Eventually, they formed from shapeless ingots to a pair of distinctly shiny knives.
"Well, here you go... They're the best I could make!" Lisbeth handed me a pair of slightly longer knives, fully constructed and very shiny. They were a little bit lighter than my previous Falconer knives, but shined with a gleaming tinge when held in any kind of light, making them look almost, but not quite, glow-in-the-dark.
"Wow... These look great!" I exclaimed. Tapping the weapon with a finger, I manipulated the holographic interface that appeared, to show the weapon name and stats.
The Secret Edges
Stat requirements: STR 40, AGI 50
Speed-based, high class duelling knives. Will adapt to surroundings and will increase further in power when the player is below the 30% health margin.
"Wow, you really outdid yourself, Liz!" I beamed up at her. "These are just what I need... I didn't think the strength boost to be so high!"
"Thanks." She giggled. It really showed, not to judge a book by it's cover. No one would expect this petite girl in pink to be a blacksmith with an insanely high strength stat, like she did.
"Well, you have mine as well." I opened out my inventory and opened up a trade window to Lisbeth. "How much will they cost?"
She shook her head lightly. "Ten, you saved my life from a Player Killing guild... I hardly need payment after that!"
I added thousand cor to the trade window. "Your life wouldn't have needed saving if I didn't make you come with me to the boss." I would have normally loved free stuff, but I honoured deals, and I wasn't going to leave without some kind of compromise.
Lisbeth rolled her eyes. "Geez, I try to be nice and you shove it straight back. I would have thought you'd be happy to leave me with half the mythril."
My head perked up a little. "Oh, that's right... you have about 5 left with you right?" She nodded, but then gaped at the trade window, which showed my 3 remaining mythril ores.
"No! I couldn't take this! I really couldn't!" She flailed frantically, as though it would change my mind.
"Look, take it, or it'll go in the trash. I really don't need these ores clogging my inventory, and frankly, I'm pretty sure Asuna and the rest of the front-liners need the upgrade material."
A weak smile worked its way up to her face. "Well, when you put it that way..."
Her finger moved to the 'accept' button and clicked it, finalizing the deal. I shook her hand and grinned. "Thanks for the knives, and I look forward to coming back."
"Just as long as coming back doesn't mean bringing me to a PK guild ambush." Her eyes glinted. I only chuckled and left the shop.
Evening was fast settling on me. Heck, it was already 6 in the evening! I walked across the street to a crowded restaurant. I was starving from the day's activity, and I was already thinking of the meal I could buy. I almost never had anything to spend cor on, food aside, so I was pretty loaded. Why not treat myself to something a little more expensive, every once in a while? I smiled to no one in particular and strolled through the polished wooden doorwa-
BAM!
I found myself flying backwards from the doorway, and I landed almost face-first into the cobblestone streets. The safe area stopped any of my health going down, but I felt a dulled pain in my face and chest area.
What the hell?
I got up, dusting myself, only to find just about every player, inside and outside the restaurant, staring at me. Their eyes were wide, as though they had never seen that happen before. Couldn't say that I blamed them for it, I certainly hadn't. I could only stare at the red notification that hung, motionless, in front of the restaurant doorway.
PLAYER REJECTED. REASON: PLAYER STATUS
I didn't even understand what happened. Most of the players in the crowd continued to stare, but in a mix of fear and disbelief. I couldn't help myself, but ask.
"Er... Does anyone know why I got rejected?" I asked to no one in particular. No one answered, merely just stared with the same looks of disbelieving terror. Then, a man, maybe just nearing the end of his teenage years, not much older than me, stepped into the clearing and unsheathed his sword. What the hell was going on?
He pointed his sword at me. "Stay away from us... Criminal."
The shock of those words carried down to my spine and caused a deep chill that made me break into a cold sweat. That was right... I was rejected because of my 'orange' status... Many restaurants, shops and inns rejected orange players, for the obvious reasons.
I didn't even bother explaining the misunderstanding. Who would listen? Instead, I turned heel and walked away from a crowd of people, some of which were well respected members of the community, none of which knew me, all of which feared me.
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Food.
At the end of the day, I really did wonder, if all this food is digitised, how did Kayaba Akihiko program the exact flavours and textures into the food we were served? Even quality of the food was not defined merely by ranks. Here I was, slurping C class ramen in a little shack on the North outskirts of town, yet really, I found it more than edible, in fact, it was pretty damn good!
Hot Shio ramen tasted of the sea, a natural-tasting bowl of pure happiness. I could respect people who liked Shoyu ramen more, I didn't mind people having their own preferences, but the ones I really didn't understand were the ones who legitimately did not like Shio ramen. What was not to like about nature in a bowl?
I sat back, sighing happily. The noodles had all been finished, and the vegetables... I stared at the broth in the bowl.
Nope, I can't help it.
I grabbed the bowl and drained all the remaining soup, relishing the heavenly flavour. What can I say, even in the real world, I hated wasting food, hardly like I'm gonna stop now.
"PWAHH..." I gasped. The NPC man behind the counter smiled.
"You look like you needed that one, son." He grinned. I couldn't help but return the gesture.
"Thanks for it, pops. It's great stuff!" I grinned. That was the thing with some NPCs. They had a virtual AI to respond to most stimuli, so it was almost like talking to a player. Not all of them were like that though, some were mindless, quest-giving zombies. There was a variation of sorts. The only thing was that you had to act like this was real life with AIs.
"Ah, don't worry about it boy. Ramen's in my blood, I'm just glad you can appreciate it." He opened a pot and gave it a quick stir, causing steam to rise up. Before the steam could burn him, he withdrew his hand and shut the lid. I had to give the game credit, for a cooking system that was oversimplified, they sure knew how to LOOK like they were really cooking.
"Well, hope you enjoyed it!" And he retreated further back into the kitchen.
I was plenty glad that this shop didn't care about Player status. It would certainly mean coming here for a while, until my orange status was revoked in two weeks. I left the shop, feeling distinctly happier than when I entered.
Alright... well, it looks like I'm going to have to take a break from the front lines. I doubt an orange player would be allowed up there. Yep...
If there was a desk in front of me, I probably would have face-planted. It's official. For the first time in the history of my life in Sword Art Online... I'm bored.
"Hey, boy, come over here, have a seat"
A voice came from an outdoor table, coming from an elderly-looking woman at the head of the table. For an elderly woman, though, she had a strong voice. There were about 3 other girls there, about my age, which surprised me, since female players were the rarer of the SAO community. She beckoned me closer.
As I came and sat down, the three girls looked at me with looks of mixed curiosity and uncertainty, probably because of my orange player indicator. The elder woman, however, took no notice, and set down a deck of tarot cards.
"You seem troubled, boy. Would you like me to read your fortune? We live in dangerous times, after all." The old woman smiled kindly. Fortune telling? I never believed in preordained fate.
"Well, if you could prove to me that you're the real thing, then sure." I shrugged. The girl next to me shot me a glare that screamed 'how dare you doubt her!'
The old woman, much to my surprise, merely smiled. "Of course. Many doubt me before they see me in action." I raised an eyebrow. This woman sure was confident. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Satome, fortune teller and fisherwoman."
Ah. One of many people not at the front lines. I couldn't blame her. Before anything else happened, she drew a card from the deck. "Well, newcomer..."
"My name is Tensei."
"Ah, of course. Tensei, since you have just joined us, let's use this card to represent you." She drew a card that was labelled 'The Fool'. The girls around me giggled like mad. Satome, however, tutted reprovingly. "Now, now, girls. The Fool is known as the newcomer, as he is filled with immense potential for... well, let's just say he's a blank card, to be filled with whatever comes next."
She proceeded to lift the remaining cards and dropped them on the floor. Had she lost her mind? What was that for? But she merely lifted the cards, neatening them up again. "3 cards fall out of the pack...one of which is flipped right-side up. This means... you have 3 people in this world you trust fully, one of which you believe to be your superior."
My head cocked to the side automatically. I wasn't exactly sure about the other two, but it was true that I did see one person in particular as a mentor of sorts. Not that I'd seen much of him lately.
The elder woman took out four cards, one of which was the Fool, placed upright. She layed these out in a diamond shape, The Fool card being put at the bottom.
Slowly, she revealed the card at the top and looked at it closely.
"The Hierophant..." She whispered. "Your mentor. Strong-headed, yet kind. He or she does well in his task... I can assume he or she is part of the front lines, but is... alone. He has once participated in a group, party or guild, but has regretted his decision to join them ever since. He now prefers to keep alone."
I could only gaze at her in amazement, while the girls around me cheered for her. That was... accurate, to say the least. But the part about regretting joining a guild... was new information. It wasn't enough to say that this woman really knew what she was talking about. Before I could fully process how she could come up with that, she flipped the card on the right side of the diamond. Again, she studied it and announced. "The high-priest, one that clings onto femininity, one who holds herself in relatively high esteem, yet feels she can depend on you... Do you know anyone of the sort?" She shot at me. My mouth literally hung open as I nodded. Only Silica. And it seemed to match the description perfectly. "Watch her. She will need your guidance in future, I guarantee it."
The divination continued as she flipped the card on the right. By pure accident or by planned mistake, I couldn't tell, but as she lifted the card, it slipped from her fingers and dropped flat open on the table.
"Ah... Do excuse my clumsiness, but it is all part of the process." The woman continued smoothly. Call me paranoid, but I didn't buy that at all.
"Erm... Miss Satome, how the heck can dropping a card be part of a process? Wasn't it an accident?" I asked politely, managing just to keep the accusatory tone out of my voice.
"Ah, yes, it was an accident." She patiently explained. "But what you must understand is that when we divine someone's fortune, we believe that everything happens for a reason." Satome picked up the card and announced. "Well, 'The Sun'... Normally represents a windfall of kindness and goodwill... However, I can assume from the dropped card that there is a negative connotation..." She thought about it deeply, as I stared. Who could this woman be talking about...?
Satome opened here eyes and looked directly into mine. "This friend... He or she is currently dead set on an important goal. So much so that he or she has lost sight of his or her own life... This person is strong willed, and normally a joyful person, but in attempting to achieve this goal, has lost much merriment."
A shiver ran down my spine as I realized who the avid description applies to; Asuna. Dead set on... She was set on completing the game, working with the top guild, the best of the best, as hard as she could. I could only think how little she had forgotten to take time off of what she considered her duty.
"And now, will you let me ascertain your own fortune?" Satome asked politely. I nodded.
"You've convinced me, Miss Satome, you're the real deal."
"Thank you. It means a great deal to me." She gave a little bow. "Back to business, let me divine your general fortune for now."
The woman replaced the deck on the table. "This is simple. I will reshuffle the deck and draw cards until we come to you, 'The Fool'. The cards drawn will represent the general fortune of the future."
I gripped my knees below the table as Satome began the process. My luck hadn't been phenomenal of late. Would my luck turn for the better, or shatter even further?
Judgement
The Chariot
The Wheel of Fortune
My grip loosened slightly. Judgement didn't sound too good, but the wheel of fortune could be. The elder woman continued drawing cards from the deck.
Temperance
The Lovers
The Fool
The girls around me giggled a little at 'The Lovers'. Satome sat there, studying the cards, deep in thought. Eventually, she lifted her head. "You have much in your future, Tensei-san... Trials will come upon you, and you may be shunned by the community, very possible because of your orange status. No, I don't plan to ask how you got it," She ignored my flinch of hesitation, "but it will bring trials, and... that combined with the chariot shows that you will have to work harder than ever before to avoid being crushed beneath the weight of your judgement."
"Great... Just what I needed." I groaned. "More bad luck."
"Now, now, I'm not quite finished, it isn't all bad." Her eyes twinkled. "There also follows the 'Wheel of Fortune', a card that allows us all to remember that all things will pass. So be sure that your trials will come to an end soon after. What's more, your next two cards are an interesting combination."
The girl next to me giggled some more and nudged me in the ribs. I tried to ignore her, but my face must have looked highly discomfited, because Satome smiled. "Not used to attention, eh? Well, I'll make it brief then. Temperance is a card that represents relationships of all kinds, both friendships, comrades and romances. Combined with the lovers... Well, it's safe to say that you may find that a great deal of people are attracted to you, both in friendship and in love. Since these cards came last, I think these events will come within the next year, this is something that will come with time. I will say... watch who you talk to and how, it may impact them harder than you think." She finished with a wink.
I stood up. "I'm sorry, but I don't see romance coming in a false world." I grunted, uncharacteristically miffed. Before anyone else could say anything, I left.
I didn't know why, but I couldn't bring myself to look back. I wasn't sad, or concerned, even. When I found the emotion in me, I was surprised to find that I was angry.
These people find way too much merriment in a false world that we're all working to get out of. They act as though this is their reality, so they may as well enjoy themselves. As realistic as the world of Aincrad is... none of this is real.
I stopped running and kicked a wall in frustration.
None of this is real. None of us are real. The only thing real about this place is the danger of death. Love doesn't come into it.
And that's that.
T/N: Wow, it's been a while. Chapters will probably be coming slower now that I'm actually trying to make plot up. I'm not sure whether you realize, but this is all "On-the-go" writing. I have next to zero plotline in my head, so the next chapter will probably involve me trying to think of trials of some sort.
Well, to clear up a couple of things, look below. Some people may be confused with the rule-bending that's happened here, so let me clear up how criminal statii work in my eyes.
1st crime - 2 weeks orange status
2nd crime - 4 weeks orange status
3rd crime - Permanent orange status
Orange characters are shunned by the community and banned from any amenity at the Centre of a town.
Red players are given no chances. A player is permanently red once he or she has committed a kill, and is not allowed in safe-areas, making their situation excessively dangerous at all times. They can, however, pay money to NPCs in out-of-town areas to rent for a night, where they are safe. But only at night.
And of course, I changed the paragraphing. When the scenes switch, I will no longer be using commas to separate paragraphs. I'll be using this.
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Because it's badass. End of story.
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Tensei out!