A/N: You know, I've always been absolute shit at writing fanfiction. It doesn't matter what it's for, I just suck at creating a plot with the constraints of what's there already. I prefer making original works. But you know what? I fell in love with SAO last month, and I've decided to fuck it and make one last stab at writing the stuff. So a few precursors to my story:
1) This work is a self-insert, in essence. However, I will try my very best to avoid any stereotypes commonly associated with SI fics. Also, the POV will be first-person. That means there will be no perspective shifts. Edit Chapter 13: The only reason I have a perspective shift there is for the obligatory flashback to another character's point of view. It shouldn't be too confusing since it only covers a time of about 10 to 15 minutes (in story), but it's necessary.
2) I've drawn on influence and inspiration from two fics in particular that I'd like to give credit to: KnightEstoc's Nightblade series and Sgt. Assassin's Sword Art Online: A Life Redeemed, both of which I highly recommend. My character will pull characteristics from both Rythin and Yuuto, respectively.
3) As I mentioned, original work is my specialty, specifically poetry. So as a result, writing straight fiction is a bit of a problem for me. Therefore, and I know you'll hate it for this particular genre, I will be using some straight dialogue from the anime, though twisted a bit to fit the needs of the plot For your benefit (and mine), I'll try to use mostly original dialogue and only draw from the anime for lines I deem crucial.
4) I decided to title this fic Paranoia for two main reasons. Number 1: I am a very paranoid person in general. Number 2: My personality is based off of the very idea that anyone could be a threat. Though I find it difficult to find someone I don't like, I'm suspicious of them until they prove themselves. After all it isn't paranoia if they really are
Chapter 1: Out to Get You
"Let's see, out… to… get… you." I proudly put the finishing touches on my story, saving the document and closing my laptop in one fluid movement. Pumped for what came next, I hurried to my bed and put my new NerveGear system over my head. I was so excited I was literally shaking. I couldn't believe that I had been one of the lucky few to get a copy of Sword Art Online, the first in a line of VRMMOs (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online for those who are curious) to be released. I had waited in line for three days and actually got the last copy to the game. As an avid gamer, I was drooling as I nurtured the game to my chest, not moving it from its spot my entire trek home as I didn't want to risk anyone stealing it.
I took a few deep breaths to calm my raging excitement and waited patiently for the calibration sequence to end. The server officially launched in 10 seconds. I waited with bated breath for the countdown to hit 0 and nearly shouted the key words to start the game: "Link Start!"
I was shot into a sea of color as the game initiated its startup sequence. Soon I came to the character customization screen, and pondered my design for a bit before deciding to make myself very similar to what I was in real life. I wanted to make it seem like I was really there, and no one would be the wiser. I hesitated for a moment when deciding on a name for my avatar, then grinned broadly. I tapped on the virtual keyboard a few times and smirked at the name I had chosen. "Sarok. Has a nice ring to it." With that statement hanging in the air I pressed enter and found myself back in the sea of color I was in before.
All at once the swirling stopped, and I opened my eyes, which I had closed at some point, to find myself fully immersed in what seemed to be the starting town. The Town of Beginnings, I believe was the name. Wasting no time, I made my way to a basic item vendor, looking for a weapon and some armor to use. Before I even bought the game I had debated heavily on what build of player to go for. There were so many to choose from, but the one that caught my eye was the stealth type. With stealth, people ignored you often, something I cherished in real life. Also, another added benefit was the ability to sneak up on almost anything with a high enough skill.
I opened the menu briefly to examine my stats and noticed almost immediately the lack of a log-out button. Hmmm, I thought, pressing a lazy finger to my chin, that's weird. Whatever, the GMs will fix it at some point before I have to go. I shrugged and went back to my player icon. I only had the basics of what I needed, and had started with only a minimum amount of col, the world's currency. Luckily, I was able to sell all my possessions fairly easily and buy new, improved versions of the armor I originally had. I also bought a curved dagger that was ideal for close combat and some potions.
Knowing that many players would be in too much awe of their surroundings to go level up, I took a basic mob-killing quest from a nearby NPC and headed into the wilderness and out of the starting area. I saw a few practicing players here and there, but it wasn't until about five minutes later that I realized two things. First, I was lost. Second, I didn't know how combat worked. I heaved a sigh and wandered for a bit until I heard the telltale sounds of players fighting and mobs dying. Excited, I rushed out of the forest I was in to find a small clearing with two players fighting the common boar-type enemy of the fields around.
The two stopped what they were doing only after I cleared my throat, both of them swinging hastily and pointing their weapons at me. One of them was clearly more experienced than the other, and I assumed he had played in the beta to the game. Shrugging, I put my hands above my head and called out to them: "Yo! I'm Sarok, and I don't know how to fight here! Any chance one of you gents would be able to help me out? Maybe you on the left? You seem to know your way around here pretty well." The character's eyes widened and I smirked. However, he lowered his sword and the other man followed reluctantly. It was clear who held the power.
"Kirito. Pleased to meet you, Sarok. This here's Klein. I'd be happy to help. But just out of curiosity, how'd you know I had experience in the game already?" I smiled and opened my mouth to speak as I strode to meet them, shaking both their hands at once with my arms crossed in the middle.
"Honestly, Kirito, I guessed. It wasn't too difficult to extrapolate the level of ease you feel in this environment. Your very posture speaks of confidence." My grin stayed in place and only grew wider as Kirito flushed and stammered out a quick thanks. One of my unique abilities was charisma, it seemed. "Besides that, Klein seems to follow your lead. This early in the game, unless you're good friends in real life then his actions suggest that you have experience already."
Kirito quickly recovered from his bout of bashfulness and started teaching me the basics of combat. It seemed that though you could fight of your own accord, it was intensely difficult to land a hit without the system's assistance. The system enabled a player to use Sword Skills, predefined combos and attacks meant to essentially do the fighting for you. Now, that didn't necessarily mean that the player didn't get any satisfaction from fighting; on the contrary, the player decided which skills to use and how to initiate them. They could still feel their weapons move and it was exhilarating. I rather enjoyed the happiness I got from slicing through the boars with my dagger.
Soon the sun was setting on the virtual world's horizon. I hadn't realized how late it was, getting too caught up in combat alongside my two new friends. We stopped after a time and walked together to a nearby cliff, sitting down and letting our legs hang over the edge. "Well, guys," I started, throwing an arm over each of their shoulders, "It's been fun and all, but I should be heading out about now. I've got class tomorrow morning and don't want to oversleep again. Hopefully the GMs have fixed that bug with the logout button."
"Yeah, I should be going too," Klein said, "I've got work in the morning and a pizza coming in about 15 minutes. Wait a sec, what the hell?" I glanced at Klein's open menu and saw that the logout button was still gone. I frowned and scratched my chin anxiously.
"That's weird," I murmured. "The bug should have been fixed by now. It's been four hours. What are the GMs playing at here?" I meant to say more but found myself caught in an involuntary teleport as a large gong sounded over the land.
When vision returned to me I discovered that we had been teleported back to the square in the Town of Beginnings. Unfortunately, the three of us had been sitting down at the time of the transportation, so we rather promptly fell to the ground. Letting out groans from the impact, Kirito, Klein and I untangled ourselves and stood shakily, looking to the sky as a golden dome formed over our heads. It appeared that every player in the game had been transported back to the square.
As we watched, a blood-like liquid dripped from the dome and formed a red-robed figure. The figure was massive and the hood was pulled low over its face, leaving it shrouded in darkness. The figure opened its mouth to speak and I suspected that it was going to address the concerns I had about the lack of a logout feature.
"Greetings, players. I am Akihiko Kayaba, and welcome to my game. As you may have already noticed, there is no option to log out in the menu. Don't despair, however. This is not a bug; in fact, this is a key feature of the game." Mutterings broke out among the crowd and I met eyes with Kirito worriedly. "You will not be able to log out until you clear all 100 floors, defeating the final boss. From there, every remaining player will be summarily logged out." I frowned as cries of distaste filled the air. The beta testers had only made it to floor 4 before the game came out, and that was after months of trying.
"That's not all, though," Kayaba continued, "If you die here in the game, the NerveGear will emit a powerful microwave into your brain, killing you in the real world. I would advise you to work together to clear the game if you wish to survive. After all, 243 players have already departed from their lives." My mind went blank as I tried to process Kayaba's words. It made sense in a morbid sort of way; there was no way that the developer would lie about something this large. It would cause too much bad press.
Shouts of despair now filled the square. The mutterings were long gone and players nearly started a riot trying to process the events unfolding before them. "I'd advise you calm yourselves. I still have a few things to say before I let you have free reign on my world." Kayaba's figure rose higher in the sky. "Many of you are wondering 'How could Akihiko Kayaba, creator of Sword Art Online, do all this?' Well, it's simple. My goal has already been achieved. I wanted to create this world and intervene in it. That is why I created Sword Art Online." Alright, now that was sick.
Unfortunately, I found myself sympathizing with the monster before me. His motivations made sense. Before I could properly react to the information I had received from the creator, he spoke one last time. "I would like to leave you all with a parting gift. If you please, look into your inventories to find a useful item for the coming journey." Curious, I opened my inventory with most of the other players to find an object simply titled 'Hand Mirror'. I snorted, taking it out and looking into it. However, it did nothing. Confused, I gazed towards Kirito and Klein to find that their appearances had completely changed. It seemed that the mirror had reverted our avatars to the form we had in reality. Lucky for me, my avatar was my body.
"Klein, Kirito, that you guys?" I said. Klein still had pink hair, it seemed, but overall it was shorter and he was lankier. Kirito, on the other hand, was shorter and skinnier. He looked to be about 13 years or so old. Klein looked about in his early twenties.
Kirito replied first, a steely glint of determination in his eyes. "Yeah, it's me. I see you haven't changed, Sarok. How peculiar of you to use your actual appearance for your avatar. Klein looks different, though. Were you trying to compensate for something with that avatar, Klein?"
"Hey!" Klein regained his senses and protested our teasing. It seemed that we turned to humor in our shock at the words of Kayaba. "I resent that."
"Whatever. Anyway, we should go. I know how to get to the next town without too much trouble, even if we are only level 5 or so. You guys up for it?" Kirito asked hopefully.
"Sure, I'm in. It's not like I've got anyone else to hang out with, after all." I grinned, clapping a hand on Kirito's shoulder.
"Uh, sorry guys, but I've got some friends in here with me, and I can't, uh, I can't leave them. I've gotta go." Klein looked skittish but we understood, nodding and turning to run to the next area.
"Oh, and Klein? Don't die on us." I said, shooting him a friend request and urging Kirito to do the same. Kirito nodded once and opened his menu to send the message, and Klein rubbed the back of his head with one hand.
"Ha ha, uh, thanks guys. Oh, and Kirito? You look a sight better like this. I'd say the same to you Sarok but you didn't exactly change." I laughed.
"I'd say that unkempt face of yours looks hella better on you Klein. See you in a bit!" Kirito and I turned to leave. I lifted a hand in the air in a cheeky wave goodbye, smiling softly. We'd see him again, I was sure of it. Klein seemed to be a strong son of a bitch, and if anyone could survive this death game, it would be him.
Kirito broke into a sprint at the city limits. I kept up fairly easily. As we ran, a pair of wolves spawned in front of us, growling menacingly. It would be no problem for the two us. Laughing, I pulled out my dagger and lunged through the wolf as it pounced, even as Kirito shouted a cry of defiance at the world. He had seamlessly killed his opponent and we continued on into the unknown. Well, it was unknown for me. He had an idea of where he was going. I laughed harder at the thought. We were going to survive. We wouldn't fall to Kayaba's meddling. Kirito, Klein, myself, we were stronger than that.
A/N: And that't the end, folks. This is likely the only other author's note that will be put in the story until the final chapter, so enjoy it while it lasts. All told, the story is 60k ish words. Enjoy it.