It's been one year since I've started Sword Art Online, the death game that imprisoned ten thousand players such as myself to a fate of clearing the game. While it was a video game, death in the game meant death in the real world.

Reality seems so distant now. While we are in a virtual reality ourselves, we all know that it's not true, that we were actually in hospital beds, living on life support. And yet, at the same time, it oddly was. Death meant death. The people inside were still human beings. The only thing that had truly changed was the dimensions by which we lived and died.

Me? I'm just a player who read the manual too much. I knew how to work the system to the point that I could make it on my own, like many other solo players. But I realized that being alone was too dangerous for such a game like this, where players started to turn more dangerous than the monsters that were generated by the game.

Today is the first day I work with the Full Plate Guild. They are an odd group, but with me, we form a full, functioning party of six.

The night I was approached by their leader was a night that I would never forget.

Lancelot looked down his prospect. It was strange how much of a loner his prospect seemed, but nevertheless, he was surprised. Being on the 45th floor was no mean task, especially when one was alone. His group was actually still on the 35th floor, trying to get everyone up to par, but Lancelot didn't go to level up himself. He was here for a different reason entirely. He mustered his courage, and took a few steps towards the player, and sat himself at the table the player was sitting at.

"You seem lonely. Can I have a chat?"

Absurd, how much a little courage could turn into the easiness that he approached people with. If his fearlessness was an in game aspect, Lancelot thanked whatever programmer thought it necessary to incorporate it. The player responded, looking up from his meal.

"... Sure. What do you want to talk about?"

Lancelot locked eyes with the man, and looked him down. He was young, but he had a very focused stance. Dressed in a midnight blue tunic with red edges, the seemingly average player seemed a little more slight than usual. His sword was a one handed weapon, leaning against the table. It didn't have an elaborate hilt, but he knew not to judge a sword by it's cross guard. Lancelot had been observing this player, Dyna, for sometime now, but observations could only take a man so far.

"I saw that you put up an ad to join a guild on the 30th floor, and yet here you are, all alone. I haven't seen anyone really get with you. I want to talk about you, specifically, but first I want to know why a player like yourself hasn't found a party to join."

The player seemed a little surprised, and took a moment to compose himself. After a moment, he slide his meal to the side. His posture suggested that it was a long story.

"Well... the only companionship I ever found was in the beta manual. I was new to games in general, so I wanted to get as much done as possible, but for the first few floors, I was afraid of dying."

Lancelot nodded in understanding. In the first few weeks, there was no one who had a real answer to the game becoming reality, and so the people did the only thing they could; play the game. Those who were truly committed were quickly weeded out, and soon people began to form massive guilds that covered people's needs in society. Some guilds were formed for the purpose of clearing the game, while others formed to make living within the game as safe as possible. Lancelot personally wanted to clear the game, because people weren't immortal. Sooner or later, they would all perish, and Lancelot wanted that day to be in the real world, surrounded by friends.

"Understandable. But here you are, on the front lines."

The player returned his nod, and continued.

"I wanted to be strong enough to survive, and so I lived solely to farm monsters for the past year. I think a lot of people have seen me as power hungry, so that has acted as a general repellant... And sir, the majority have proclaimed me a beater."

Lancelot remained unmoved.

"Are you?"

Affronted, Dyna grit his teeth.

"Absolutely not! I just know everything that the betas know!"

After attracting the gaze of many patrons, the player shied away as the attention centered on him. Lancelot saw this, and noted it.

". . . I believe you. And I want to ask you a question. Do you want to join my party? We're in need of a member, and I think you fit the bill."

Lancelot had a good feeling about this player, Dyna. While it seemed that he didn't have very good people skills, he had a true heart. How did he know? He didn't, aside from the vibe Dyna showed. Dyna was silent for a minute, but then said.

"Well... don't you need more information?"

Lancelot held out his hand and gave a sweeping gesture.

"Anything you deem important."

Dyna squirmed for a small while under Lancelot's gaze, but he stood for a moment, mentally coaxing himself, and when he was ready, he talked. He spoke of what he specialized in, and what Lancelot needed to know, and soon, they were two gamers, talking down the details of the game that they needed to know about each other. For some time, they seemed like any other patrons at the tavern, and the afternoon turned into the evening. By the end of it, they seemed like good friends, and Lancelot stood up, his business almost done. As he walked away, he turned.

"Y'know... you never said whether or not you wanted to join."

Dyna shifted, and and not facing Lancelot, he seemed to have a personal conflict. Nodding slowly, he turned.

"... I might."

Lancelot acknowledged the response with smile, and sent a brief message via PM system. He wrote 'Floor 35, across the street from church house.', and said "Come if you decide. We'd love to have you as a friend."

With that said, the party leader walked out, and went his way.

Dyna approached the house with a knot in his gut. This was his first time ever approaching a party, and since the beginning, he had viewed them as people who ganged up to gain advantages over those who had no allies. Sure, teamwork was handy, but the player wasn't good with people, even when he was trying to survive the death game.

For a moment, Dyna seriously considered turning back. Lancelot would understand, right? Shaking his head, he pushed the self doubt away, if only momentarily. He was a player of his word. He had promised that he would go here, and so he would be here. He strode forward, and knocked on the door, hoping that Lancelot would be there. Instead, another answered the door.

He was a sturdily built man, slightly shorter than his visitor. Dressed all in black, with a yellow stripe going around his midriff, the player had multiple knives hanging from his belt, and the symbol of a snake curled around the sleeves. He had a grim countenance, and Dyna felt intimidated once more by the seemingly sour look that this player gave him as he asked

"Didn't I tell you guys that I wasn't interested in your silly Army? Well, I guess that since you're a messenger, then I'll have to give you a message you won't forget!"

Dyna was too slow to react as the player grabbed him bodily, and threw him into the house. Crashing into a couch, he looked around dazedly and saw three others in the house, looking at him. He didn't have long before his aggressor pursued him once more, and he fired a dart at him. While he was in a safe zone, and therefore couldn't take damage from other players, the dart had a on hit effect that inflicted paralysis. Freezing up, Dyna couldn't move as the player attacking him picked him up bodily and started to slap him around more, saying "Hah! I bet it doesn't feel so good being under somebody's order now! But what are you going to do, bo- Hey!"

He shouted as he was picked up by the scruff of his cloak by another man. He was large, easily the strongest player in the room. He wore no armor, but he kept his sword at his back, a large two handed weapon that looked immensely difficult to use. Wearing a loose, black shirt with tan pants, the expression on his face one of annoyance as he held up his companion.

"BlackAsp, please hold your judgement for our guest. And sit yourself down, for heaven's sake."

The voice belonged to a female player, dressed in oriental robes, with a katana belted to her left side. Her dark hair was let down, and she had a calm aura about her. Next to her was a player with all of her armor on, but her helmet was off, revealing a youthful face. Her hair was kept short, and had a pin through it to keep it out of her face, which seemed just as surprised as Dyna's frozen expression was.

BlackAsp seemed put out after he struggled in the larger player's grasp, but he gave a look of contempt and folded his arms.

"C'mon, Tys, you're no fun. Lance would have let me keep going until I got bored."

The larger player spoke up, his voice as gruff as his appearance.

"That's the third one this month you've terrorized. It's getting old. . . But it is funny..."

Tys narrowed her eyes at the larger player, and they locked gazes, fighting for dominance. The large player sighed, and looked away as the swords woman spoke again.

"Lancelot is busy, so I'm in charge. He said that a new player was coming in. Is that you?"

Dyna couldn't answer. There was still a few seconds left on his paralysis effect. BlackAsp snickered, and Tys blushed from embarrassment of the question that hung in the air. The door opened once more to admit Lancelot, who was dressed in white armor with grey trimming. He carried many food related items, and he looked at the scene, and merely commented as he brushed by everyone.

"Ah, it seems you are all meeting Dyna. Introduce yourselves, if you will."

The large player spoke first.

"My name is Rockblade. I'm the main DPS of the group."

He set down BlackAsp, who folded his arms in defiance, but he spoke anyway.

"I'm BlackAsp, if you haven't gotten it already. I'm a more... technical fighter. Watch your back."

As he turned and left for his room, the swordswoman sighed, as if this was a very regular occurrence.

"You'll have to forgive him. He's very... impulsive, and so it'll take time for him to warm up to you. My name is Tysandra. I'm also a DPS."

She nodded, and sat down. Only the girl in the armor remained. Dyna imagined that she would have a tough sounding voice, but what came out instead forced him to do a double take.

"H-Hi. My name is Alana."

Her voice was soft, and even timid. At Dyna's stare, she squirmed and walked away, trying to avoid his gaze. Dyna looked away, embarrassed. Thankfully, Lancelot came back.

"Alright, Dyna. Show us what you can do."

Dyna stood up, free of the paralysis. He pulled out his sword, a blade of dark blue that had a burning red hilt. He opened his menu, and his stats came up. He started to present himself.

"I was a solo player, and so I had to be very balanced in order to live. I have higher agility, but I can deal damage quickly, and I'm fast enough to cover anyone who'll need help. I will admit that I don't have a lot of experience fighting in a party, but I hope I can learn quickly."

Surprisingly, Rockblade was the first with a question.

"What makes you more than another sword wielder? When there's trouble with other players, can we depend on you?"

Dyna stared straight into the player's face. He just had to tell him what he told Lancelot last night.

"In my experience, guilds were formed by players who wanted advantages over other players. I saw how other players were too afraid to help anyone troubled by guilds, because to the guilds, any one person who interfered with their business were simply just another set of stats against them, and any solo player would at least have some good items. Groups of players are capable of more evil than any single person. So, as I join you, I want to be able to keep that evil from happening. Can you depend off of me? Absolutely. I am dedicated to my cause."

At first Rockblade didn't react, as if he was taking in what the new player had just said. But then a wide smile spilt itself across his face, and he guffawed.

"Hah! Looks like you've picked up an idealist, Lance! I like you, Dyna. You're an honest guy."

Sitting down, he continued to chuckle. Neither Tysandra nor Alana had anymore questions, seeing how their friend had already taken the truly important ones. The silence reigned for a small while, until Lancelot cleared his throat, calling the attention to himself.

"I have an announcement to make, now that we are all here, idealists and all."

Everyone peered at their leader, interested.

"We will spend as long as it takes to get everyone up to level 60, and then we are going on to the next floor, where we will spend two weeks on each floor, getting more levels and equipment as we go. I plan to be a clearing party from now on."

Instantly there was a hodgepodge of reactions, most prominently Tysandra and Rockblade. Dyna was too surprised to really react, and Lancelot held up his hands in a disarming gesture, and the room receded back into silence.

"I know this is sudden, but Dyna is already at level 63, and you, Rock, are only at 53, and you're our most powerful member as of yesterday. If the entire party is at level 60, then we can move past the next few floors and get us closer to the front line."

Tysandra came back with a seething reply.

"Is that's what's important to you? Being on the front line? Think about us, Lance! We could stay here, and make a living here. We're already the highest level guild here."

Turning to the swordswoman, Lancelot locked eyes with her, refusing to compromise.

"That's what's worrying me. We are getting comfortable, and not making the growth we once did. Once we stop progressing, there are going to be higher level players that I can't protect anyone from. And the Army is trying to recruit us. If they fail, who knows who among the other guilds will decide that we will join them because they can bully us into doing so?"

Tysandra bit her lip in frustration, but nodded in agreement. Lancelot was their leader, so he could propose things like this. Rockblade stepped up in her place, trying to combat the change of plans.

"Things will only get harder as we go higher. What safety is there up there?"

Dyna spoke up.

"There will be fewer players. A lot of people are starting to give up trying to clear the game, and considering how close we're getting to floor 50, there's bound to be a hard boss, and now the only larger clearing guilds are trying. Less higher level players will be good if we're trying to avoid trouble with them."

The logic was sound, and everyone was quiet. The decision was clear. After some talking about how their home here would be sold and how far the funds would carry them, the sky was starting to descend into blackness. Dyna stayed relatively out of the conversation, as he was still quite new to the group, and he spoke only when he was asked about aspects about certain higher level floors. As he remained quiet, he looked at how the party interacted with each other.

Lancelot was a clear, decisive leader. He was hard on opposition, but gave his guild mates a clear voice in everything he proposed. His stance was one that would not give in, but Dyna thought he saw something else, and to him, Lancelot seemed to be bluffing somehow. But what would he have to bluff about?

Rockblade aggressively attacked the credibility of the plan, not to tear it down, but to improve it by putting it through a refiner's fire. He seemed to respect Lancelot beyond the fact that he was his leader, but it was unclear why.

Tysandra kept a focused stance, although her demeanor suggested otherwise as she was more submissive to Lancelot. Whether it was trust or blind obedience, no one could tell, but she still remained a voice of reason to mediate between the two men.

Alana was as quiet as Dyna was. She would nod along, and stick close to Lancelot. More than once, as Dyna looked her down, she would lock eyes with him briefly before they both looked away, and shift uncomfortably. Not a word she spake, and everyone seemed used to this fact.

The night waxed, and Dyna excused himself to the room that the party had prepared for him. While it was a temporary residence, the room was well presented, the closet full with different sets of armor. Recognizing Lancelot's armor type, Dyna noted that there was a set that sported the colors of the Knights of the Blood Oath, it's red edges contrasting the white sheen of the full plate. It was also a very low level set, from what Dyna knew of armor. There was a story there. He looked to see if there was anything else Lancelot had left out to suggest more of his character. Aside from the bed, there was a desk with a copy of the player's beta manual.

Very funny, Lance. Dyna thought as a smile curled up his cheeks.

Curious to see what was in the desk, Dyna allowed one look into one of it's drawers. Various pieces of paper lay scattered as charcoal sticks rolled to the end of the drawer, clacking quietly against the wood.

One piece of paper was a Venn diagram, with multiple circles overlapping each other. Upon further inspection, Dyna saw that there was all of the members of the guild had a corresponding circle, and his name had been added. He didn't dare disturb the paper, as Lancelot might see that it had been moved, but it piqued Dyna's mind, and he wanted to know more about what the leader of the Full Plate Guild thought about him. But he was on shaky ground, being as new as he was, so he closed the drawer.

Undressing himself, he collapsed onto the bed. The interview had been exhausting, and Dyna never let himself have a relaxing day. He had a daily routine of grinding for levels, one that had taken most of the morning, and some of the afternoon. He considered himself lucky that he had found the headquarters when he did, instead of getting lost in the city whose layout he had already forgotten since his time there.

Despite how tired he was, the excitement of recent events kept him up, pestering him until he was too tired to even think. It had been a day of firsts.

First guild.

First interview.

First time being paralyzed.

First time falling asleep in a place other than an inn from long hours of leveling.

Sleep came quickly.