Author's Note:

Hello,

So this is my very first writing submission to this website. Thought it'd be fun and good practice to write a little fictional piece of my own. Recently, I've been really into the anime Log Horizon, and so, obviously, this story takes place in just that. At the time of this submission, I am at episode 16, so I apologize if for some reason, there are any cringe-worthy inaccuracies with the plot. But seeing as this doesn't even take place in the same country as in the anime, I imagine I can get away with a crime or two. Anyway, thanks for checking this article out. Hope you enjoy it.

ArtilleryTactics

Some background:

This story takes place in Elder Tale, an MMORPG within the Log Horizon universe. However, unlike in the original series, this story revolves around players in northeastern United States rather than Japan. Much like their Japanese counterparts, the U.S. players are trapped in the Elder Tale reality, having become their Elder Tale avatars and adventurers themselves. Most of the industrialized land has reverted back to rural forestry, and major American cities have transformed into vast wastelands of empty streets and skyscrapers.

Despite the initial trauma, East coast Americans have had relative success in discovering the limits and possibilities of their new reality. In addition to learning how to cook food with actual taste, players have discovered that Craftsmen and worker-type classes can develop technology previously unavailable in the original game. The invention (or "reinvention") of engines, firearms, and electrical generators have not only stimulated and rekindled societal productivity—it has led to the creation of new classes and subclasses, and as an unforeseen consequence, new monsters. The world was evolving faster than anyone could have expected.

Almost every player has found a new meaning to life—a new goal to work toward. Certain guilds have undertaken the task of finding an escape from the game while others have begun the quest for more power and reaching the higher level cap. The more ethically noble guilds have taken the responsibility of traveling west to the other cities to help other adventurers, establish wider communication nets, and possibly re-open the Fairy Portals that have gone haywire.

Still, some other players focus on more personal matters—training and leveling, meeting new people, forming new guilds, finding a new home, settling personal vendettas, or even searching for lost friends. This story revolves around one of these adventurers and her quest to find her missing friends as well as learn the secrets behind Elder Tale and the Apocalypse.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

After three days of fruitless searching in the New York tri-state area, 17-year-old Hazel Stratton is slowly losing hope of finding her fellow guild members—her closest friends—who have seemingly disappeared ever since the Apocalypse took place.

I don't understand…I've asked almost everyone, and there are NO other accounts of missing players. Hazel dragged her feet as she walked down the road bordered with various vendors and stalls and the people crowding around to get the best deals. If they were logged in right before the Apocalypse, then they SHOULD be here! Her bangs were now curtains of hair, shading her eyes from daylight as she hung her head, gazing at the moss infested ground, continuing her sloth-like walk. I'm not crazy right? I did have friends? I'm not some socially-deprived lunatic who's resorted to befriending imaginary people?

The clunks and clanks of her iron armor were louder than usual today. Her depressed, heavy steps and defeated posture made the giant steel kite shield on her back ricochet into her iron body cast with every forward movement.

"BAH!" she screamed in frustration as she madly ruffled her short, auburn brown hair, disheveling it more so than it already was. Her spontaneous outburst scared the adventurers and NPC's nearby, causing them to jolt and gaze in her direction. Embarrassed and surprised by the unwanted attention she provoked, she walked faster down the street in hopes of setting some distance between herself and the countless, judging stares.

After her brief power walking session, she found herself lost in thought again, hands behind her head, and looking straight up at the blue sky.

No matter how many times I look, that sky is the real deal.

The valley scenery, the breeze on her face, the feel of a sword in her hand, and the taste of steaming hot food all reminded her that she was no longer just sitting at her computer playing Elder Tale. She was actually in it.

She closed her eyes—still looking up, her hands now serving as a headrest. Even though she was walking, she felt that she could take a nap right then and there. Until her peaceful daydreaming was interrupted by an audible thud and a meaty wall that hit her square in the face and breastplate. In just a matter of seconds, she went from looking at the sky to seeing the world at ground level.

"Ouch…" she muttered as she sat on the ground, wincing from the throbbing feeling in her nose and butt. "Watch where you're going dammit!"

She opened her eyes to find a young man, probably around her age, slumped on the ground in a similar pose. He began feeling his hand through his dark brown hair, just as confused as she was as to what just happened. As soon as she had finished her loud complaint, she regretted speaking too soon when she noticed all of his groceries on the dirt and pavement below them.

"The hell!? Watch where I'm going!? A damn herd of elephants could have been standing in the middle of the street and you would have walked right into them!" He too noticed the damage done and began to scratch his head in disappointment. "Maaan…I just bought those too…", he sighed. "Well, no use crying over spilled milk…or in this case, vegetables."

"I…uh…..I'm…" Zellie struggled to apologize as the quick transition from the boy's anger to passiveness took her by surprise.

He got up, dusted himself off, and strangely enough, stretched out his hand to help the young girl on her feet. "You can call me Novak. And you are?" His game stats suddenly appeared in Zellie's view of him.

Novak

Race/ Human

Monk, Lv. 90

Novak sported a short, dark green, collared vest over a dark, upper body chain mail. His fingerless gloves were also dark green and matched his vest. His khaki pants were baggy, yet tucked in to a pair of black work boots, and they were held up with a wide utility belt lined with big pockets and loops—all of which were occupied with various tools and equipment. His spikey hair looked like it tried to be slicked back but was instead rising to have a windswept appearance instead. He was actually kinda handsome, but certainly an eccentric as well.

She took his hand, slightly blushing, and responded, "Zellie. My name is Zellie". Hardly anyone introduces themselves with their full name on MMORPG's. Identity theft could happen to anyone, and besides, games are more fun when you give yourself a new identity. In her case, Zellie was her nickname in the real world anyway, so she decided to name her avatar the same. By introducing herself, surely her general stats appeared before him as well.

Zellie

Race/ Human

Guardian, Lv. 90

Although her class was Guardian, she never was the type to overdress in head-to-toe armor. She was fine with the Advanced Knight's Body Armor which was a simple iron set, breastplate and pauldrons, to cover her ribcage and shoulders. Besides, she already had her Obelisk Chainmail (Fem. Ver.) that compensated for most of the defense lost from not wearing a full heavy armor set like a conventional Guardian. The chainmail cut off a little above the midpoint of her thighs, and at her waist, she wore the simple complimentary Advanced Knight' s Fauld that matched perfectly with the length of the chainmail, thus creating a sort of armored skirt. From the knee down she wore Castle Knight Greaves to match the color of her Advanced Knight armor set.

And then there was, of course, her Titan Shield, a giant, black flat-top kite shield forged from a rare volcano dungeon ore and the steel scales of the Rembrandt Titan, the final boss of a high-level quest located on what would normally be called Staten Island in the real world. The five-foot shield nearly matched her height of 5' 5" and was almost wide enough to conceal her entire upper body if she were to stand directly behind it. It was definitely her favorite item in her inventory—if not for its mesmerizing jet black finish and dark purple insignia, then the priceless sentimental value it carried. She had obtained this shield thanks to the teamwork and effort of her guild, Iron Hearts. Through hard work and faith in each other's abilities, they somehow managed to navigate the Vulcan Labyrinth and defeat the titan without a single player respawning at the the cathedral. When they returned home, Cecillia, the guild's blacksmith and one of her closest friends in the real world, helped forge her share of the quest rewards into the magnificent shield she held in her hand today. The Titan Shield not only served as a milestone of her guild's achievements—it fired up her determination to confirm the whereabouts and safety of her in-game family.

As expected, picking up her fallen shield as she got up became second-nature.

"I'm sorry about bumping into you like that," she apologized, feeling bad about yelling at him when it was most likely her fault for spacing out, "I've just been stressing out about how-

"No worries, no worries! Say no more!" Novak remarked with a kind smile on his face. Somewhat rude…but he didn't seem to have meant any harm. "A lot of us are facing some stressful problems right now…" His face suddenly flushed with dejection.

"This guy changes mood fast…" she thought.

"Looks like I'm adding dinner to that list too." His attention is directed toward the food on the ground, and he begins inspecting the damage.

"Aw geez…I'm really sorry!" She clapped her hands together and bowed her head. "Please, let me repay you for the damage. How much do I owe you?" She began reaching for the wallet in her item bag.

"Hmm…you're a Lv. 90 Guardian huh?" He rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger, thinking like an old hermit stroking his beard. Then he snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "How about this!" he pointed at Zellie, "Come with me to the hunting grounds! It's still early enough in the day. Instead of wasting any more money on store bought goods, whaddaya say we go hunt down and scavenge for some fresh ingredients!"

"Huh?" Zellie questioned. She couldn't fathom why anyone would want to go through such tedious work for cooking ingredients…nonetheless ask a complete stranger to join them. "I don't know…couldn't I just pay you? If it's interest you want, then I can gladly pay more. Just name your price, and I can—"

"I thought you said you would repay me for the damage," he began in a disappointed tone, "well, not only is my food gone—my will to live is dissipating AS. WE. SPEAK." He fell on his knees, eyes closed, the back of his right hand on his forehead with this left arm hooked upward toward the sky, grasping at an empty skull. "I was in theatre back in the real world y'know." He opened one eye to look up at a confused Zellie and smiled. He quickly stood up and continued, "C'mon, it'll be fun. And tell ya' what: if you help me, dinner is on me!"

Zellie stood there, still unsure of what to think of the guy. But he couldn't be a bad person. Strange as he was, he emitted an aura of friendliness—from the way he talked to his body language and facial expressions. Seeing him stand there, grinning with his hands now on his hips, she couldn't help but return his smile with one of her own.

Why the hell not, right? Her endless investigation and searching has been running her ragged. Her accrued frustration is what led her here in the first place. She could use a change in pace.

Novak once again reached his hand out to the girl. "So, you coming?"

She looked him in the eyes, one eyebrow arched, and then smirked. "You're a weirdo, you know that?"

"Hey! How'd you know my family nickname?" he responded with a wide grin.

She clasped her hand against his with a firm grip. "Haha, I'm in. Lead the way, Mr. Novak!"

"Nice!" he exclaimed as they shook on it, "C'mon, I'll introduce you to a couple people who'll help us out."

And so, the two were once again back to walking.

But this time, side by side.