The Tri-Blade Alliance

by Arctic01

Trapped. Like mice in a maze. The walls are closing in, and the only way out is to beat the game. To go it alone would be suicide. We need all the manpower we can get, and then some. Screw the reward. We'll break out of here. And we'll win. With the strongest players and guilds and...him, we can and will beat this game and escape with as little casualties as possible.

1. Chapter 1: Link Start!

The Tri-Blade Alliance

Chapter 1: Link Start!

A/N: Hey guys, it's Arctic01 here! I'm back and collabing another story with SolarEnergy07!

Sorry I haven't updated the Arctic: Origins story, but I have been swamped and, in all honesty, I find the current arc I'm working on to be boring AF. So, I'll rush it and I'm back with a Sword Art Online story.

A teenage male with black hair and red eyes was sitting at his computer. He had been working on it. On his nightstand sat his NerveGear. On the computer, the screen had the words "ACCEPT CHANGES?". He guided the mouse to the YES option and clicked it, and sat back with a sigh. He heard a knock on his door, and he got up to open it. In the hallway of his house stood an older man, possibly in his early twenties.

"Are you ready?" the man asked.

"Not yet, Nii-chan*," the younger male replied.

"Then get ready, it's almost time."

"Got it." He closed the door. The teenager readied his NerveGear, checked to see if the game was ready, and put on his NerveGear as he lied on his bed.

(x)

Another teenage male with black hair and blue eyes sat on his computer listening to the news on the radio near his nightstand.

He was smiling as he thought about how lucky he was being one of the beta testers, among a thousand others. He heard a knock on his door and took off his earbuds. "Onii-chan*, we're leaving," a female voice said.

"Be safe," he replied. When he heard the door close downstairs, a thought came into his mind. He opened his window and shouted down to the two girls who left the house. "HEY!" He shouted.

"Yeah?" The two girls questioned as they turned around.

"Kick their asses for me, okay?!" He smiled and held out a fist. The younger girl gave a happy, closed-eyed smile as she copied what her older brother did.

"Got it!" She replied.

"And save some lives today, Onee-chan*!" He said to the older woman.

"Alright," the woman chuckled.

When they went down the street, he closed his window and prepped his NerveGear. He lied down on his bed and got ready to log on.

(x)

A teenage girl sat on her computer desk, staring out the window in thought. She had long, straight black hair and kind yellow eyes. She was shaken from her thoughts when she heard a knock on her door. "Come in," she said. The door opened and a woman walked in.

"I'm leaving now," she said as she embraced the teenage girl. "Make sure all the doors and windows are locked before you log on."

"Okay, Okaa-san*," the girl said as she returned the hug and gave the woman a kiss on the cheek. When the woman left, the girl locked her window, and proceeded to lock all of the other windows and the back and front doors. When she finished locking the front door, she looked at the time and squealed in excitement. She ran up to her room and put on her NerveGear, after checking it was in place and that the game was inside. She lied down on her bed as the time transitioned from 12:59 PM to 1:00 PM. She smiled.

(x)

Elsewhere, another teenage boy was sitting on his computer desk. When his sister informed him that she was leaving, he gave no response, as the music playing on his headphones was loud enough to block out all other sound. When the girl was leaving, she looked up forlornly at her onii-chan's bedroom window. As she walked to school, the boy prepped his NerveGear and lied on his bed. When the time read 1:00 PM, he smiled.

(x)

The girl smiled.

(x)

The other two boys smiled. Simultaneously, all four teenagers said the magic words: "LINK…START!"

Sight: OK

Smell: OK

Touch: OK

Taste: OK

Hearing: OK

Username: ******

Password: *************

The player looked down at his hands, now clad in brown fingerless gloves. He looked up at the gates and smiled. He looked different now: he was taller, older, and his black hair was longer on one side, as it was swept to the right and hung over his face. He clenched his fists and held one out as he said, "Hello, world. I'm back!" Countless others behind him cheered as the gates to the floating castle Aincrad opened.

Translation: Onii-chan―Older Brother

Nii-chan―abbreviation for Onii-Chan

Onee-chan―Older Sister

Okaa-san―Mom