June 4, 2024:
It had already seemed like time had blended together. It hadn't been a just year; it'd just been an extended winter night. The kind of night we'd grown accustomed to before we ever put on the helmet's most of us would probably smash to pieces the day we could.
Many people had lost hope, a large portion of the deaths had happened during the first month we arrived. Many of the more casual gamers had given up hope, plainly refusing to leave the first floors of the immense castle they now knew as their world. Even though a few guilds were slowly trudging through, the candle of hope is dimming everyday.
I sat alone in the second town on the first floor, Tolbana Town, as the moon drearily moved across the eternally starry sky. A year and a half had passed since this nightmare began and I had slowed down my attempts to assist the cleaners, as they had been called. Up until the 40ish floor, I had fought alongside groups whenever needed but the tedious tasks eventually wore me out and taking a break was no option. I was left behind, many levels behind, to contribute otherwise if I so chose.
"You alright?" A female voice spoke up.
"I wonder how they're doing out there... Have you heard anything?" I responded, turning slightly. A girl sat beside me, in a plain dress as there was no need for armor right now. She shook her head.
"Nothing new, somewhere along the 65th floor or so. They must be training to avoid losing anyone anymore," she said, swinging her legs slightly.
"Hopefully they're alright. They haven't sent for a supply in a few weeks," I said, sighing.
With combat being out of the question for a good while, I had taken it upon myself to be a potion provider for the now 'Knights of the Blood'. With nearing close to 900 skill points in the medicine mixing skill, I was among the best at creating medicine and poisons, the latter of which I used myself mostly. The previous combat experience made it easier to find rarer herbs in labyrinths instead of buying them from other players.
"What's on your mind?" She asked, looking towards me.
"Nothing. I just want this be over already. What about you?" I asked her.
"Well... The same, of course... Remember when we met?" She asked, smiling.
"Which time?" I responded, a faint smile coming onto my own face. She laid her head on my shoulder. "I remember."
November 12, 2022:
Almost a week had passed since the news. Most people were still in disbelief, some had accepted the facts and began making plans, and many, like myself, went to train. I had been slaying boars outside of the starter town for a quest, working on the physical aspects of sword skills. It could be described as a sport somehow; with practice, you'll perfect it.
As I sat on the ground for a few minutes of rest, I could see many people doing the same, each holding their weapon of choice. Many held a standard one handed sword, others held it in combo with a shield, some held spears, broadswords, or axes. I held a dagger, as I preferred the idea of quick strikes.
It was also humorous to see the true faces of some people. Their true identities had been revealed by Kayaba Akihiko when he announced his little death game and some people had completely changed shape or even genders. I didn't change much, just shorter hair, which was fine.
As I laid on the cool grass, a brisk wind blew. I had no idea why what would happen next happened, I believed it had something to do the region I logged in from but before I could think of anything, someone tripped over me, landing knee first into my stomach. As I rolled over holding my stomach, a panicked voice began to speak.
"Oh my god, I am so sorry, are you okay? Do you speak English?" The voice said, as I slowly sat up.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, looking slowly at the body. It was a girl with wavy dirty blond hair, wearing basic metal armor, with a sheathed sword hanging on her hip. She seemed familiar.
"I didn't expect someone to be napping. I was heading back to town to turn in a quest," she said, kneeling down beside me. She smiled. "I'm Abbie."
"Are you from America?" I asked, curiously. Only about 500 Americans had gotten early access to the game and, after months of applying, I had been one of them. The game came with a language barrier but the text could be translated so it wasn't too bad. She nodded in response.
"Yeah, I was so lucky. Same goes to be able to get this name," she said, sitting down. I looked at her. I smiled and hugged her, which resulted in her quickly pushing me away.
"Id never imagine you wouldn't recognize me with a haircut, Abigail Elizabeth," I said, standing up.
She stared up at me, blinking quickly.
"N-no way!" She yelped, jumping up. She hugged me this time and I wasn't going to ever push her away.
June 4, 2024:
Abbie and I had retreated into the inn that we stayed in. With it only being 100 col a night, it was easy for us to pretty much live there until we saved up for a home on some other floor. We made decent income but homes were very expensive so it'd be nice to have some left over. We sat down at the small table in the room. I sighed and let out a yawn.
"If I hadn't brought it up, you would've never recognized me," I said, jokingly.
"You never show me any pictures of you! All your pictures are longer haired," She said, hitting me playfully. She opened up her user interface as she looked over at me. "I wonder how our families are doing..."
"We're still alive so I'm sure they're worried but alright... I bet my dad think all those video games over the years prepared me for this," I said, browsing through my own interface. "I've been level 43 for a month now... I wonder what that one Kiri-whatever kid is already. He was damn good."
I stood up and walked towards the window, leaning forward.
"I can't imagine being alone in this. I'm glad I found you," I said, staring at the moon. "It's almost impossible to meet in the real world but we someone managed to meet here."
"I know. I don't think I would've left the first floor if I was alone. You know how bad I am with training..." she said, laughing slightly. After months of training, I'd managed to get her to a decent level 31, enough to defend from most monsters from where we went.
I turned to her and grabbed her hand.
"Follow me."
June 4, 2024:
The center of the town was still busy with people walking around, it almost never ceased to be. The night lights adorned the town nicely as they reached the small fountain where many people sat to rest around. I'd slowed our brisk jog to an almost immediate stop, turning to her, and grabbing her other hand. She tilted her head to her side, looking around.
"Is everything alright?" she asked again. I nodded.
"Do you know what day it is?" I asked.
"Not really. I haven't checked in a while..." she said. "Why?"
"I don't know what's going to happen. I hope everything gets resolved here and we can get out fine... but I want right now to be a happy day, I'm sick of being worried of what's happening. I'm alright being with you right now," I said, looking at her. The tungsten glow from the lights amplified her hair color. She looked beautiful, simply put, and she was. Inside and out. I leaned forward and kissed her cheek.
"Happy birthday," I said, as the bell signaling 12 in the morning rang. I looked up at the sky. "I wish I could've set up like some crazy firework show or something."
June 5, 2024:
She stood there silently, with a smile on her face. She stared back at me with wide eyes. I wasn't sure what she was thinking at that moment; I just knew we would be alright.
I was with my best friend.