A/N: I don`t own anything expect this story and my Oc`s. All rights go to their respective owners.
Today was the day that the game, Sword Art Online, would be playable to the public. The two friends, Saki and Kaito, were going to play the game alongside thousands of other players.
"Link start!" those words brought them to the world of Sword Art Online, or SAO for short. The town they first appeared in was called the Town of Beginnings. Saki had white hair and grey eyes, while Kaito had blue hair and blue eyes, just like in real life. Saki was wearing a white coat with gold trims, covering a black shirt, dark blue pants and black boots with silver plates. Kaito on the other hand, wore a dark blue shirt underneath light metal armor, dark blue pants and black shoes. Both of them also wore black fingerless gloves.
The town itself was filled with shops selling shields and various weapons, while the streets were populated with people. It looked almost just like a real life town.
"Wow, I didn`t expect there to be so many people here" Kaito exclaimed.
"Well, considering this is the first VRMMO ever made, many gamers like us would probably like to play it" Saki stated. "Let`s get out of here before we get trampled". Kaito nodded and they exited the town.
The fields outside the town looked almost as real as the town. Lush green hills as far as the eye could see, with wild boars running around.
"These boar monsters seem like they could help us get used to the game," Kaito stated. As he said that, one of the boars spotted them and charged at them. "Let me deal with this one" Kaito said.
"…Fine, just keep your guard up" Saki replied. Kaito shot him a small smile before taking his axe off his back. He jumped to the side to avoid the boar and then he hit the boar with his axe. The boar screeched in pain as it lost some of its HP. It then charged at Kaito again, only a little faster. This time it hit Kaito, causing him to lose some HP as he flew back and hit the ground. Before it could hit him again, Kaito got up and jumped over it while swinging his axe. It got hit again and its HP went into the yellow. After landing on the ground, he got into a stance. The boar once again charged at him and he swung his axe over his shoulder, causing it to become veiled in a bright light. He then, automatically, swung his axe downwards and then sideways with incredible speed, causing the boar`s HP bar to hit zero and it shattered into polygon fragments.
"Amazing, how did you do that?" Saki asked in shock, though his face only showed mild surprise.
"I…I don`t know" Kaito replied, in just as much shock as his friend.
"Not bad for your first battle" someone said. They turned in the direction of the voice and saw two male players. One had black hair and wore a blue shirt while the other had long red hair with a bandana wrapped around his head.
"Who are you guys?" Saki asked.
"I`m Kirito, a beta-tester and this is my friend Klein" the black haired player replied, introducing the two of them.
"And who might you be?" Klein asked.
"I`m Kaito and this is my friend Saki" Kaito replied, Saki giving a slight nod. "Do either of you know what I just did?" he asked.
"That was a sword skill" Kirito replied.
"A sword skill?" Saki and Kaito asked in confusion. However, Saki only raised an eyebrow while Kaito actually looked confused.
"Yeah, just watch" Kirito said. He then pulled out his sword, moved his body`s position and put the sword over his shoulder, pointing the blade behind him. The sword then began to glow an azure blue color. He swung the sword in front of him and moved his body along, which was followed by an incredible force.
"Whoa" the two friends said in awe.
"Now you try Saki" Kirito said. Saki pulled out his sword, got into position and did the same stance the black haired beta-tester had done. Just like with Kirito, Saki`s sword gained an azure blue glow. He did the same thing Kirito did and the same incredible force followed.
"It`s incredible" Saki said.
"I know right, it`s awesome" Klein exclaimed. The four of them then began to practice against wild boars and wolves.
After a while, Kirito and Klein went back to town, waving goodbye to the two friends. It was afternoon.
"Well, I think that`s enough playing for today" Kaito said as he opened up his menu. Strangely enough however, the log out button was not present. "That`s weird, I can`t log out" he stated. Saki opened up his menu and found that Kaito was right.
"What`s going on?" Saki asked. Suddenly, they could hear the echoing sound of bells tolling. The two of them were then enveloped in a blue light and teleported them to the Town of Beginnings. Other players were also being teleported there by the second. Saki then looked up at the sky and saw a notice floating in the air.
System announcement
He then noticed a cloaked figure floating in the air. The sky had also become filled with messages.
"Players, I welcome you to my world," the cloaked figure said. "My name is Akhiko Kayaba, head programmer and developer of Sword Art Online. As many of you surely have noticed, you can`t log out. This is how the game was originally designed". At this note, many players began to panic.
"In addition, should anyone try to shut down your Nerve Gear, the device will send an electric signal that will fry your brain, killing you. As of this moment, 213 people have attempted to remove the Nerve Gear and have died. There is no longer anyway to revive someone. I advise you to remember this next piece of info well. If your HP hits zero you die in the game and in real life" Kayaba continued. At this moment, Kaito became frozen in fear while Saki clenched his fist in anger.
"So that means… if my health is gone I die?" Kaito thought.
"What kind of sick, twisted game has this become?" Saki thought angrily. Unlike normally, you could see the anger in his face.
"The only way to escape Sword Art Online is to clear the game. You are all currently on floor one of Aincrad. Defeat the boss of this floor and you will be able to move on to floor two. Defeat the boss of floor 100 and you have beaten the game. Only then will you be able to escape. In addition, I have prepared a little present in your inventories. Please take a look". Kaito and Saki did just that and found a mirror in place of their items. They materialized the item and were enveloped in a bright light. After the light died down, they saw that their avatar bodies were replaced with their real ones.
"You may be wondering, why? Why would Akhiko Kayaba, developer of the game, do all this? Simply put, I want full control in a world of my own design. As of this moment, the tutorial is over. Players, best of luck to all of you" Kayaba finished, letting this new reality sink in for the players. He then disappeared into mist.
"Things just got a whole lot more serious" Kaito said.
"Indeed, we need to get stronger, and fast" Saki said. The two friends nodded to each other, knowing what the other was thinking, they then exited the Town of Beginnings.
The death game had begun.
A/N: And that was the first chapter of this story. There is something I need to note though.
My knowledge on this series is limited, so I might mess up a few facts here and there.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed and stay tuned for more.