Hi guys, the name's Adrenalined and this is my first ever attempt at a fanfic short story of any kind. This is my take if Kayaba was more ambitious in carrying out Sword Art Online and had some hired help to assist him. May consider romantic elements (if my writing capability allows for it).
For the record: I do not possess ownership to Sword Art Online, its characters, locations, items, jargon or any legalese of the trade. I'm just here to tell a damn good story.
Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)
21st June 2020, 21:55 Local Time
Los Angeles Convention Centre, South Exhibit Hall
Kayaba Akihito indulged himself with a generous sip of whiskey, emptying his shot glass in a single gulp.
This was going to be a long night.
Dressed in his iconic lab coat in spite of reminders from the organisers to attend in casual formal attire, the organisers were more than willing to indulge in the VIP's requirements so long as it suited him and the several hundreds of fans waiting in line to catch a mere glimpse or snapshot of the prodigy video game designer, rather young for his age at 22.
Looking down on the assembled crowd standing in the expansive exhibition hall, he estimated that tonight's attendance numbered in the thousands. Unlike the other gaming fans waiting to catch the highlights of the most anticipated games of the year, he himself was waiting in the luxurious confines of the VIP booth. A gilded cage. Yet, he could still make out the identities of the speakers on stage. They were the spokespersons of a prominent international software and computing company. The exact same company, in fact, that he had just pitched his revolutionary «Nerve Gear» to a mere 10 minutes ago backstage. The exact same company that had out rightly guffawed at his brainchild.
"A helmet console that directly interferes with the brain's neural output processes? Our manufacturer would never be able to produce them on a large scale or at such a competitive price!"
How f*cking trivial. Not to mention completely expected of a business executive. They are always so preoccupied by the costs and profits of their products. To think that if his brain was wired a few neurones differently, he might just begin to comprehend the unexplored potential of «Nerve Gear» in the gaming industry. Kayaba knows that there are several key factors to any successful video game: a solid back-story that unifies the characters, fluid game mechanics, a certain "fun factor" and beautiful graphics. All these aspects culminate to serve only one purpose – to draw the players into the "reality" away from reality. The "reality" where life was fun and dangerous. Where slaying mobs, questing dungeons, partying with friends (optional if you are a soloist), getting adrenaline-high from landing the «Last Hit» on nigh-invincible level bosses and basically just living their lives to the fullest, all the while unaffected by the mundane facts of life.
So where does the «Nerve Gear» come in? It serves two functions: the first, being that humans are only capable of processing graphics and details as far as they are able to perceive the world around them – through the human brain. It would be overkill, not to mention exorbitantly expensive, to mass-produce 3D headgear with hundreds of attached micro-lasers to individually carve out each frame directly onto the player's retinas. Well, assuming that the player is even able to register the few extra pixels worth of detail, that is. Secondly, video games have long required the use of a secondary controller to control the ping-pong paddle/ podgy plumber/ pacman/ green elf swordsman/ (strange) monster tamer/ pixelized spaceship across a two-dimensional screen. The result: player control becomes and less intuitive and less-user friendly. After all, why pretend to be in another world when you can live in one, experiencing it through all five of your senses? Watching the starry night sky, hear the battle cries of your comrades, smell the fields of flowers, feel the action of a two-handed battle axe in your hand or even taste the cooking of other players'.
"Baka (idiot)", Kayaba sighed under his breath, "You have no idea what you have just forfeited."
Standing up from his bar seat, he smoothly slides his shot glass back to the bartender. Although he has failed to reach a cordial consensus with his original client (the idiot executive who was later punched in the face by yours truly), Kayaba still had more interested clients that have shown promise in furthering his cause. It would have been pointless for him to travel over 5,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean with only one plan of action. Looking back at the game presentation for the last time, he could see the game trailer rise to a climax as the female protagonist leaps off waterfall before plunging into pure darkness. A small satisfying grin crept on to the corners of Kayaba's face. The plaster hastily pasted over that idiot executive's bloodied nose really suits him well.
010101010101
The Assembly of Kings
21st June 2020, 22:27 Local Time
Starbucks, 603 South Spring Street
The tinkle of small bells echoed silently throughout the buzzing coffee house. Kayaba adjusted his coat as he pushed open the glass-panelled door. The Starbucks interior was decorated with warm hues of mahogany counter tops, supporting columns painted to match the coffee roasts and Mandarin orange wallpaper. The sound system was synced to a local jazz station as it cranked up tunes from Jazz maestros, suddenly switching between Louis Armstrong's "West End Blues" to "Round Midnight" by Theolonius Monk. Although the place was due to close in half an hour, the place was packed with students and a few couples unwilling to set aside their caffeine for a good night's rest.
"I still remember what it felt like to be young", Kayaba quietly reminiscenced as he watched the students' conversations. It was only the occasional bout of friendly teasing and laughter that snapped him back to reality. Unfortunately, he would have little time on his hands for such trivial companionship. The unfolding of his master plan was to occur approximately two years from now. More importantly, it was tonight's meeting that would serve as its catalyst, determining whether he should advance his schedule to make the deadline.
"Good evening, Sir. May I take your order?" the young, female counter staff asked politely.
"Ah, yes please. One medium cappuccino," Kayaba hastily added. He paid for the bill with his smartphone and proceeded to the collection area. His eyes strayed to the back of the café where a group of four men lounged around a low coffee table, playing some sort of card game. After a quick minute or two, his cappuccino was served steaming hot and fresh, just the way he savoured it. Picking up the saucer and cup, Kayaba expertly navigated his way amongst the intricately- laid tables and chairs, past the teasing students and love-struck couples, to the card game he was spectating mere moments earlier. As he closed in on the four players, a casual laughter erupted from their midst.
"A four-of-a-kind! Why «Gentleman», your luck seems to be inexhaustible tonight. You just won the last three consecutive rounds without breaking a sweat!" This came from the South African situated nearest to Kayaba. His black T-shirt had a Pac-Man eating Clyde, the orange ghost, emblazoned on the front.
"You jest, dear «Haxorz»?" the Englishman, who was addressed as the «Gentleman», replied. "Or are you feeling sore that you lost your precious $10k in the last round?" The «Gentleman» had more refined taste in apparel, sporting a white polo shirt, which was much less extravagant compared to his usual taste for designer suits.
This time it was the South Korean with yellow, spiky hair that could not resist a quick jab. "Both you mofo's get off my turf. If you want to survive the night, your hands need to move much faster than «APM 9k»!" To emphasise his point, he shows a single card (the King of Spades) and turns it around promptly. With a deft backhand throw, the card flies across shop, magically sticking to the glass panel across them. The impromptu audience gasped. The card now showed a sarcophagus, dimly lit by two fire torches that flanked it.
The final member merely chuckled, a young white American with chiselled features; barely amused at the cheap sleight-of-hand that could be easily replicated by any street magician. Or was it at the fact that he was the only one who folded his hand of cards, sparring his ten thousand dollars in the last round of the high-stakes poker game? When it came to the «Merc», anything goes. Welcoming the last member of the group, «Haxorz» gestured to the last remaining chair available. Kayaba curtly acknowledges all the attendees of the meeting by their codenames before taking his seat at his end of the round table. As the leader of the small assembly, Kayaba deemed it fit to begin with a short opening.
"Good evening gentlemen, pun not intended, to this exclusive meeting tonight. By gracing us with your presence this evening, each of you esteemed individuals has acknowledged your invitation to join me in a revolutionary breakthrough in modern gaming history."
Kayaba gave a brief pause, ensuring that he held the undivided attention of all four men. With a quick sweep of the eyes, he continues his introduction.
"I am pleased to inform you that the «Nerve Gear» has just undergone the final stages of testing and has passed many of our expectations back at «Argus», my game development company." This roused a brief round of applause. "«Sword Art Online» is to be released in 2022, a mere two years away. If you all have not realised by now, each of you symbolise a significant geographical sphere of influence in the gaming industry."
"«Haxorz», originating from the villages of South Africa, your continent is rapidly modernising, a major shareholder in «Argus» and many other international videogame companies. It is attempting a breakthrough in the video game industry despite heavy trade embargoes against some of its more "questionable" exports.«Gentleman», Europe may be grappling with the Eurozone Crisis II, but the support from the gaming community has hardly faltered. Some of the biggest item exchange markets are on Europe-based servers, drawing an estimated 3.2 billion American dollars and stimulating the international trade market.«APM 9k», South Korea had long been one of the biggest regional customers in Asia. The fact that their national sport is a futuristic real-time strategy is a testament to the nation's passion for the virtual world. Your influence also reaches out to the southernmost tips of South East Asia, hence my reason for appointing you as the Asian regional commander for «Sword Art Online».«Merc», representative elect of the Americas and Canada, these two countries, in many senses of the word, holds a monopoly over the game industry – programmers, sales, players, international teams and championship titles. Though faced with fierce from your Chinese counterparts, the American representatives have consistently outperformed their rivals in both game design and championship winnings."
"It is for these reasons that I wish to expand the distribution of «Nerve Gear» headwear and copies of «Sword Art Online» on a global scale. Some of you are aware of my original, though admittedly, unrealistic target of 10,000 players based in the Japanese peninsula alone. However, with your assistance and an international audience, I want to sell out all of the «Nerve Gear» and instances of «Sword Art Online» within the first three hours of distribution, all 50,000 of them." This drew a unified shock of disbelief. "Fifty-… 50,000 copies in the first three hours alone?!" The cappuccino on the coffee table has now long turned cold and forgotten. This sudden revelation has just turned the dimensions of product demand on its heels. Despite the overt and very much apparent state of shock exhibited by his partners, Kayaba granted them the luxury of a few minutes to let the fact sink in.
"As I am also aware, you individuals have come to me seek out your personal vendettas, be it on the personal or national scale. Some of you seek riches befitting of a king's coffers, a market that sways at your very whim and fancy. Some of you seek a chance of redemption, to prove you and your country's worth to the world. Some of you seek providence, political asylum from your vengeful foes. Some of you seek mysterious goals, an agenda obscured from the light of day, never to be revealed to mankind. In a way, my offer to you is your final chance to life. «Sword Art Online» will prove to be the solution to all of your problems. A shot at new life, new goals, new ambitions to pursue, all the while burying your old current selves in the process."
"Gentlemen, I have a proposition for you that you simply cannot refuse."
«APM 9k»: Abbreviation for "Actions-per-minute over nine thousand", jargon more commonly utilised in real-time strategy games.
Well, yup, hope that serves to pique your interest in the events to come. This first chapter serves as a prologue/teaser for the main event. I welcome constructive feedback, bosses and OC ideas from the crowd. Please provide details such as weapon(s) of choice and abilities (where applicable). Hope to receive favs and comments! :D