[A/N]
Hiya, everyone! My name's Phantom Oracle and this is my very first FanFiction here, but don't get me wrong – I'm not too new to writing. I have another account here, and I've been writing for about 5 years now overall. Glad to meet you all, and just to let you know – I'm a very friendly person, always open to PM's and constructive criticism!
Before we start, I'd just like to take a moment and thank you for clicking on this story!
Anyways, this is just a fresh new start to a hopefully successful FanFic, and I hope you all enjoy Sword Art Online: Dream League! See you all at the end!
Sword Art Online: Dream League
Chapter 1 – Infinity's Desire
[Prologue Arc: 1 of 3]
Aincrad – a floating castle that had so much potential offered when it was first revealed. There, people imagined making new friendships and memories in its gigantic, yet detailed 100 Floors; all filled with buzzling life.
The concept of Sword Art Online was fresh and new, something never seen before. A VRMMO where players had to team up with each other to defeat bosses wasn't new to the scene, but the fact that the world was dynamic in such a way that each floor had to be cleared before moving on to the next was intriguing to most.
1,000 Beta Testers played the game, and instantly fell in love with it. Although they only made it to 10th Floor before the Beta Test was over, the game quickly gained success with positive feedback and a cult following.
10,000 copies of the game were quickly sold out in stores all over the nation of Japan, the popularity of the game gaining jealous attention from players around the world who wanted to play the game themselves.
Count them lucky, for they didn't know what was going to happen – nobody knew.
Sword Art Online was a promising game that everyone thought would be a revolutionary step in the future for VRMMO's all over the world. But all of that changed upon the day of release, something nobody would ever thought of happened – the day all of our lives changed.
We were trapped in the game, and we had to survive.
Starting City, 1st Floor.
November 6th, 2022.
«Iron Sword» acquired. 930 Cor remaining.
"Is…is this what I'm supposed to buy?" I asked with curiosity as I eyed the open shop box hovering before me.
I let out a small gasp as somebody patted my back. Turning to face the culprit, I found my friend, Victoria, standing by my side – a wide grin on her face.
"Cheap and it gets the job done, Saori," she chuckled. "Oh, I mean…Karis…"
I shook my head and smiled, pressing the X on the top right of the shop's box to close it. I looked up to the cloudless, blue sky and let out a sigh.
"It's still hard to believe this is all a game…" I said. "It feels so real…"
"Well, believe it!" Victoria exclaimed. "We were one of the lucky 10,000 to actually get a copy of this game, Karis! Thanks again for waiting with me in line. Just look at all the people around!"
Dozens of voices and conversations all around me littered the market area of the Starting City. Here on the 1st Floor of Aincrad, this is where all of the 10,000 players gathered to begin their new adventures in the world of Sword Art Online. Just like everyone else, I planned on making my own story in this game.
My name is Saori Matsushita, but my in-game name is Karis. The girl standing before me is Yōko Kagome, also known as Victoria. She's been my best friend ever since we were little, and her excitement over this game was what motivated me to stand in line with her for over 12 hours to get our hands on Sword Art Online.
Living in Tokyo's metropolitan area wasn't as bad as it seemed, and although the streets were hectic and busy, it was still filled with life. We attended Sōryū High School, where we were first-years. In our social life, it was just the two of us against the school – we were alone. Being regarded as nerds wasn't too bad, but there were some days where it was just too much.
The 'soft-spoken, shy' Saori Matsushita mixed in together with the 'loud, rambunctious' Yōko Kagome, could prove to be a deadly combination. We were ready to take on the entire school if we needed to, although these days the harsh words and disastrous remarks were something more…easy…to avoid.
VRMMO's were the place we could escape to. If reality doesn't work out for you, why not try out virtual reality? It's as if it's a second chance to live again and correct your wrongdoings.
And here we were – starting our new adventure in the world of swords.
"Now that we have our weapons bought, let's get started!" Victoria said. "Where should we head first? What should we do?"
"If there was only a training area where we could go to…just some place to practice. We're both new to this game after all, and I don't think jumping ahead without learning the basics would be a wise idea…" I said.
"Training area, you ask?" the NPC merchant who sold me the «Iron Sword» spoke up to say. I turned to face him and the old man smiled. "For an extra 500 Cor, I'll sell you a teleportation crystal that will immediately teleport you to the Training Fields, young lady…"
"500 Cor!? You're kidding!" Victoria screamed at the top of her lungs. "That's robbery right there!"
"No-now, Vic-Victoria…"
The merchant laughed heartedly.
"No robbery here, young lady! This is a limited time offer…" he said with an innocent smile. "And if you don't want to buy it, I'm sure somebody else would like to–"
"I'll buy it!" I said, cutting him off mid-sentence.
«Teleportation Crystal: Training Fields» acquired. 430 Cor remaining.
"Thank you for your purchase once more, young lady," he smiled. "And…welcome to Aincrad! May your adventure be filled with fortune and positivity – enjoy it."
"No, no, thank you!" I smiled back, bowing before him.
I took a step back and swiped downward with my middle and index finger, opening up my inventory. I equipped the crystal and held it in one of my hands, taking a glance over to Victoria, who nodded to me.
"Let's go, Karis!" Victoria said with a grin.
I nodded and clutched the crystal together with both of my hands, bringing it closer to my armored chest. I closed my eyes and felt like I was flying through the air.
In a split moment, we found ourselves standing in an open grassy field, with rocks all around. I took a glance and saw «Frenzy Boars» all over the area.
"Whoa…the Training Fields…" Victoria said with astonishment. "Think anybody else knows about this place?"
I looked around and found the entire area to be void of anything but grass, trees, and more roaming «Frenzy Boars». Expanding my search, I found what seemed to be dozens of more floating landscapes and scenery.
"From the looks of it, it seems nobody else is here…that merchant was right."
"AGH! DAMN IT!" I heard a voice shout from the distance.
Victoria turned to face me and grinned.
"You were saying, Karis?" she laughed.
"Ne-never mind…"
"Come on, let's go check it out!" Victoria said as she began running towards the voice.
I nodded and followed after her, running past rocks and «Frenzy Boars» as we made our way to the voice. Soon after, we came to a stop and Victoria ducked behind a large rock, and I followed her actions.
"Wh-why are we hiding…?" I asked out of curiosity, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Shush," Victoria said as she held up a finger. "I'm trying to listen to them."
She peeked her head over and I did the same.
We found two men standing in the middle of the field, one of them with long red hair and a bandana, and the other with short black hair. The one with red hair was sitting on the grassy ground, rubbing his head and an exhausted look on his face.
"Man! Who knew they'd be that tough!" he chuckled.
"You won't be able to hit it like that…" the black-haired man sighed and shook his head. "Use your sword skill and position it properly, then when in range, just let it go. Try again."
"Watch, watch," Victoria nudged me. "Just watching these guys should give us some good pointers, and then we can go try it out for ourselves."
"O-okay…"
A new «Frenzy Boar» spawned near the two men and the red-haired man got back onto his feet.
"You know what to do!" the black-haired man called to him.
"Right!" the red-haired man shouted back.
He positioned himself with his right foot back and his left foot forward, holding his sword with his right hand and keeping the blade aimed at the «Frenzy Boar». The monster squealed before running towards the red-haired man. As it approached him with immense speed, his sword lit up with a red light and as the «Frenzy Boar» reached him, he attacked with his sword.
He cut through the monster as if it was nothing, and in a split second, the «Frenzy Boar» squealed and exploded into millions of crystal fragments that evaporated in the air.
His face lit up with glee and he jumped in excitement.
"I did it!" he exclaimed.
"Amazing…" Victoria whispered.
"Ye-yeah…" I whispered back.
The sound of snorts behind us took our attention away from the two of them. Simultaneously, the two of us turned around and found an angered «Frenzy Boar» standing behind us – its red eyes growing with hate.
"He-hey, Karis…" Victoria's voice broke.
"Ye-yeah?" I gulped.
"Do you…do you think after seeing what those guys just did, you can kill it?"
"N-no…d-do you?"
Victoria sighed. "If only I paid attention to what they were doing…"
The red eyes of the «Frenzy Boar» glowed brighter as it huffed, stomping its back left foot among the grass. It huffed once more before it began charging towards us, its tusks shining under the sunlight.
I closed my eyes and held my hands up, preparing for the attack.
"This is it!" Victoria screamed.
A flash of light brought me to open my eyes. I found the «Frenzy Boar» shattering into a million crystal fragments, and the black-haired man from earlier standing before us, the blade of his «Small Sword» glowing.
"Are you two alright?" he asked.
"Ye-yeah…" I nodded my head. "Th-thank you…"
"Yo, Kirito!" the red-haired man ran up to us, placing his hands on his knees and heaving heavy sighs. "What was that? Where'd you…where'd you go?"
"There was a «Frenzy Boar» about to attack these two," the black-haired man known as Kirito gestured to us. "I got here just in time before it could get a hit in."
"Ouch," the red-haired man grimaced. "You two are lucky, those little bastards pack a mean punch…"
"You would know…" Victoria grinned. "We saw you getting your ass knocked back and forth by them!"
"Funny…" the red-haired man scowled, glaring at Victoria. "Stalking us, eh? Just who are you two?"
"Stalking? You wish, buddy! I'm Victoria!" my friend said as she smiled, placing her hands on her hips. "And this here's Karis! Glad to meet the two of you!"
"Oh, the name's Klein!" the red-haired man grinned as he pointed to himself. "Nice to meet you two!" he then turned towards the black-haired man standing next to him and moved his finger on to him. "And this here's Kirito! Believe it or not, he was one of the 1,000 Beta Testers!"
"N-no way!" Victoria's eyes lit up as she balled her hands into fists and stared at Kirito. "I'm jealous! You're lucky, you know that?"
"Come on, now…" Kirito scratched the back of his head and looked away. "It's not something I'd like to brag about…anyways, it's a pleasure to meet the two of you."
"You as well," I nodded.
"You guys bought a teleportation crystal here too?" Kirito asked with a small smile. "Klein here bought one too – for around 700 Cor. He's completely broke right now!"
"It's true…I am…" Klein sighed.
"Wait…was it from that old guy with the creepy smile?" Victoria asked.
"Yep! Why?" Klein's eyes widened with curiosity.
"I bought mine for 500 Cor…" I said with a half-smile.
"N-no way!" Klein shook his head and narrowed his eyebrows. "That's robbery!"
"I know, right!" Victoria added and nodded her head. "It's definitely robbery!"
"These Training Fields aren't a secret, everyone knows about them. It's actually just a small walk from Starting City…" Kirito half-heartedly grinned. "You didn't really have to buy that crystal in the first place…"
"You're kidding…" Klein grimaced.
"Hah! Good thing I didn't buy it!" Victoria huffed.
"Ah, well…we can always earn that Cor back…" I humbly said with a small smile.
"And you can do that by killing monsters, just like one of these «Frenzy Boars» here. Do either of you want to give it a try?" Kirito asked.
"I will1 Let's do this!" Victoria exclaimed.
"Right," Kirito nodded his head, and a look filled with determination took over. "Equip your weapon, and use your sword skill. It takes a few to activate, and once your skill activates – just let it go and you'll easily defeat it."
A «Frenzy Boar» stood across the field, facing Victoria. It puffed and narrowed its eyes at my friend.
Victoria equipped her weapon, a «One-Handed Mace», one of the basic weapons she bought from the same merchant who sold me the «Iron Sword» earlier on. She readied herself in a battle position, aiming her mace at the «Frenzy Boar», and after a few seconds of waiting – her weapon lit up with a yellow light.
"Your skill is ready!" Kirito shouted. "Go for it!"
"Take this!" Victoria shouted at the top of her lungs before running towards the «Frenzy Boar», with the enemy before her letting out a squeal as it charged Victoria with its sharp tusks.
Victoria hit the «Frenzy Boar» with her weapon, knocking the monster away – before it exploded into millions of crystal fragments. A screen popped up in front of Victoria and she turned around, a wide smile on her face.
"That was amazing!" she exclaimed. "What a thrill!"
"Just what was that?" I asked. "What exactly is a sword skill?"
"Sword Art Online is known for its advanced and diverse skill tree system," Kirito began. "You can do whatever you want in this game basically, except there's no such thing as magic. You have your skills based on what weapon you prefer – whether it be sword, spear, or mace."
"I read in an MMO Today magazine that SAO's skill tree is also linked with how you want to fight during battle," Klein spoke up. "Like your Agility and Defense skills."
"That's right," Kirito nodded. "You can upgrade your skills to be a fast, quick-hitter; or you can be a slow, but heavy-hitting player. It's really up to you on how you want to play. There's also non-combative skills you can use your points on as well."
"Do you want to try, Karis-chan?" Klein said to me.
"Su-sure…" I shrugged.
Swiping down and accessing the menu, I went into my inventory, found my weapon slot and seeing only two weapons there – the starting «Small Sword» and the «Iron Sword» I bought from the infamous merchant.
I equipped the «Iron Sword» I bought and held it in my hands, staring down the «Frenzy Boar» before me. Looking down at my weapon, I closed my eyes and heaved a heavy sigh. When I opened my eyes, I found the blade of the «Iron Sword» glowing blue.
"Remember, same thing with Victoria," Kirito's voice said. "Activate your sword skill, and just let it go. You should be able to defeat it just as easily as she did."
"Got it," I nodded.
"You can do this, Karis!" Klein's voice shouted.
"I believe in you!" Victoria exclaimed.
I charged at the «Frenzy Bear», lunging at it with my «Iron Sword». I felt myself cut through its skin, and as I turned back to find it – the monster burst into millions of fragments, vanishing before me.
A menu appeared in my field of vision.
Enemy Defeated. 24 EXP and 30 Cor acquired.
My eyes widened at the sight and I smiled.
"I-I did it!" I gasped, turning back to face the three standing before me. "I did it!"
"Well, then!" Victoria exclaimed as I felt her wrap her arms around me. "Let's go out and kill some of these bastards! I'm all for it!"
After spending hours farming in the Training Fields that surrounded Starting City, we found ourselves wore out from the day – and that the day itself was tired in the sense that the sun began to set.
"Wh-what a long day…" Klein panted as we stood in the fields. I turned to face the red-haired man and found him with his hands on his knees, letting out a sigh of relief. "Say, with all that farming, what level are you guys now?"
"Hmm…" Victoria hummed before groaning. "Level 2…"
"You're kidding! Same here…" Klein said.
Looking up at the top left corner of my HUD, I saw a blue progression bar that was almost half-way filled. Next to it was a hexagon with the number 2 in it.
"I'm Level 2 as well," I spoke up.
"Although we farm as much as we can, these monsters won't be able to level us up as efficiently as monsters on the higher floors," Kirito's voice said. We turned towards him and he nodded. "Once we get there, we'll be able to level up better."
"We should farm together more often then," Klein said with a smile. "How's that sound?"
And with that, a notification popped up in my field of vision, with words in the middle. Under the sentence was a green checkmark and a red X.
Friend Request from user: Klein. Accept or Decline?
I tapped on the green checkmark, and a new window opened above the friend request.
You are now friends with user: Klein!
The two windows closed and I smiled towards my three companions.
"I like the idea!" Victoria exclaimed. "Friend request accepted!"
"And you, Kirito?" Klein asked.
"Fine, fine…" Kirito sighed.
"Hey, I was going to introduce you all to friends from the real world that I bought this game with. I don't know what you're all up to after this, but I'm going to grab a quick bite of my pizza…once it gets here…" Klein grinned. "I'm going to log out to check."
"I think we'll be on, right, Victoria?" I smiled.
"Yep!" she gave a thumbs up and grinned. "And if we try hard enough, we'll get to Level 3 by tonight!"
"There's no log-out button," Klein said out of nowhere.
"There should be one…" Kirito sighed. "Is it not there? It should be there."
"It's not there," Klein replied.
"You sure?" Kirito asked, before opening his main menu. Moments passed and he raised a brow. "It's not there."
"I told you," Klein shrugged.
"Your pizza's probably cold by now," Victoria grinned.
"The developers should know something's wrong…they should be logging us out themselves so they can fix the situation…" Kirito rubbed his chin.
And with that, we were all enveloped in a blue light. My eyes widened and I felt frozen in time.
"Wh-what…"
Instantly I found myself in the Plaza of Starting City, with Victoria, Kirito, and Klein by my side. More players teleported in from wherever they were, and the Plaza quickly crowded with what seemed to be the entire server.
"We're in Starting City…" Victoria spoke out.
"Someone forced a teleport," Kirito said.
Voices scattered about the plaza, and I found myself lost in a sea of cries and fear.
"Scared?" a boy's voice behind me said. I turned around and found him comforting a girl, holding her tightly to his chest. She nodded her head and he grinned, caressing her hair with his hand. "Hey, don't be. We're going to be okay."
"Wh-what about my sister? How are we going to find Jody?" the girl sobbed. "She could be anywhere! Just look at all the people!"
"Now what?" Kirito sighed.
Red hexagons built up the sky, enveloping all of us in the dome of the Plaza. Within an instant, a large hooded figure hovered over us, cloaked in red garments with a shadowy face.
"What the hell is that thing?" Victoria raised a brow.
I turned back towards the hooded figure and he raised his arms high in the air.
"Attention players…I welcome you to my world," his deep voice began. "My name is Kayaba Akihiko, and as of this moment…I control this world…"
"No way…it's him…" Victoria whispered.
"I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menus – the log out button…let me assure you, this is not a defect in the game," he continued. "I repeat, this is not a defect. Believe it or not, this is how Sword Art Online was designed to be!"
"Yeah, right!" a player shouted behind me. "Don't try to scare us like that!"
"He's kidding, right?" Klein frowned.
"Sounds a bit whack to me…" Victoria shook her head.
"You can't log yourself out of Sword Art Online," Kayaba continued. "And nobody in the real world is able to shut down or remove the NerveGear on your head. Doing so will result in a microwave signal inside the NerveGear to be sent to your skull…and thus, sadly, ending your life…"
The murmurs arose and a chorus of voices covered the Plaza.
"What's he talking about?"
"Oh, seriously? This game sucks! That's a lie!"
"We should get out of here."
"They won't be able to leave…we're locked in…" I said, looking back up at the sky littered with red hexagons.
"This guy's nuts, nobody's going to believe him!" Klein shouted. "Right, Kirito?"
"He's not…" Kirito shook his head. "The transmitter's signal in the NerveGear works exactly like a microwave. Once the safety is disabled…it can fry your brain."
"Can't somebody on the outside cut the power?" I asked with a small frown.
"It wouldn't work," Kirito sighed. "The NerveGear's got an internal battery."
"This is crazy! Totally crazy!" Klein's voice screamed.
"This isn't real!" Victoria shouted.
"Although I gave a warning out, the families and friends of some players have attempted removing the NerveGear while they were logged in still…an unfortunate decision..." he cleared his throat. "And as a result of their poor actions, there are now 213 less players – they have been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world."
"No way, I don't believe it!" Klein said.
"213?" Kirito asked.
"Th-this is madness…" I whispered.
"International media is covering everything round-the-clock, including the deaths. It's safe to assume the likelihood of a NerveGear being removed is minimal – I really do hope this bring some comfort as you all try to clear this game," Kayaba said, silencing all the voices in the crowd. "It's crucial to remember – there is no longer a way of reviving someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, then your avatar will be deleted from the system…forever. And the NerveGear will fry your brain simultaneously…there is only one way for you all to escape – and that's to clear the game."
He took a brief pause before continuing.
"As of right now, you're all gathered on the 1st Floor, the lowest Floor of Aincrad. If you can get through this Floor's dungeon and defeat the boss, you'll be able to advance to the next Floor. Defeat the boss on the 100th Floor, and you'll clear the game – and be free to leave."
The wave of voices arose once more, this time more confused rather than terrified.
"Clearing? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Why should we believe him?"
"Anybody have any idea what he's talking about?"
"Did he just say there are 100 Floors?"
"No way we can clear all 100 Floors! It's impossible!" Klein shouted. "Not even the Beta Tester's made it that high!"
"Ha-have some faith…" Victoria gulped.
"N-no…" I felt tears grow in my eyes. "This…this can't be happening…"
"Last but not least everyone, I've placed a little present in your inventory. Please, take a look!" Kayaba said once more.
I swiped down and opened my inventory, finding a mysterious item in the miscellaneous section – titled «Hand Mirror». My eyes widened with curiosity, and I exchanged confused glances with Victoria.
"What's this? A mirror?" I asked myself.
"Go on ahead! Equip it!" Kayaba's voice ordered.
I let out a squeal as I was enveloped in a bright blue light, hearing everyone's reactions as they were also burning from the illumination.
"Yōko!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
"Saori! Hold on!" Victoria's voice yelled.
The light seemingly disappeared, and I looked down at my gloved hands – nothing had changed. I glanced around and found the people around me weren't hurt at all…but something felt different about what just happened.
"Sa-Saori?"
I turned towards the voice and found Victoria – no, not Victoria, but Yōko Kagome. Instead of her character with long-flowing red hair and crimson-red eyes, Victoria's appearance was now that of her real-life counterpart, Yōko Kagome – with short auburn hair and light-brown eyes.
"N-no way…" I shook my head. "You look exactly just like…"
"Yo-you too…" Victoria raised her finger.
My eyes widened and I looked back at the «Hand Mirror». When I first started the game, I created my character to have dark-blue hair and dark-blue eyes – but I found my appearance in real life staring back at me. Jet-black hair and dark-brown eyes.
"Is everyone okay?" Klein's voice said.
"Yeah, I'm okay," Kirito's voice said.
"So am I," Victoria added.
"Same here," I nodded.
Victoria and I turned towards Klein and Kirito's voices, finding an older man with spiky red hair and the same bandana Klein wore in his spot, and a boy with black hair and gray eyes of our age in Kirito's.
"Wait, who are you two?" Victoria asked, batting her eyes.
"I'm me," the red-haired man nodded. "Who are you guys?"
"Wait a second…" the black-haired boy grimaced. "Is that you, Klein?"
"You're kidding…" Victoria muttered to me. "Look how old he is…he's old…"
"Is that you, Kirito?" Klein pointed his finger at the black-haired boy, who nodded. Klein turned towards Victoria and I. "And you two are Victoria and Karis?"
"Ye-yeah…" I nodded.
"I didn't know you were this old, Klein," Victoria replied.
"Ho-how…how…?" I gulped. "How can this be?"
"The scan," Kirito simply said. "The high-density signal device inside the NerveGear. It can see what my face looks like, but I have no idea how it knows my height and body type…"
"Remember when you had to pat yourself all over to calibrate the NerveGear?" Klein spoke up. "It asked you to touch your body all over. Maybe that's how."
"No way…" I shook my head. "But what's the point!? Why would anyone do this to us!?"
"Don't cry, Karis," Victoria said as she put her arm on my shoulder. "We've got to stay strong."
Kirito raised his arm and pointed up towards Kayaba. "I think he's about to tell us."
"Right now you're all probably wondering why," Kayaba said once more. "Why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of Sword Art Online and the NerveGear, do this? Ultimately, my goal was a simple one – the reason I created Sword Art Online was to control the fate of a world of my own design. And as you can all see…I have achieved that goal."
"What a nutjob…" Victoria's voice whispered.
"You're crazy!" Klein shouted.
"It's not a game anymore…" I said under my breath. "This is real…if we die here…w-we die in real life…"
"Players, don't let my words discourage you – just because you're trapped in this game doesn't mean you can't enjoy it!" he exclaimed. "And with that, I bid you all farewell. This marks the end of the tutorial and the launch of Sword Art Online. I wish you all good luck."
And with that, the red hexagons began to dissolve and Kayaba vanished from where he once hovered. I heard cries all around me and I shook my head, balling my hands into fists.
"Let me out of here!"
"What do we do now!?"
"My God…no! Please let us out!"
"You can't just leave us here! Let us out!"
"We've got to go," Kirito said. He ran between two of the giant pillars and into the jungle of buildings that lay ahead of it. Klein followed him and after exchanging looks with Victoria, we made our way towards them.
We stopped at the edge between two buildings, with a dark alleyway running down the middle. Kirito turned towards the three of us and he sighed.
"Alright, listen up everyone," he began. "I'm heading out right now for the next village, and I want all of you to come with me."
"Eh?" Klein raised a brow.
"Huh?" Victoria and I said in unison.
"If everything he's saying is the truth, then the only way to survive here is to make ourselves as strong as possible. There's only so much Cor and EXP this Floor has to offer…and the hunting grounds around Starting City will be dry soon," Kirito shook his head. "If we get a head start, we'll have such an easier time collecting the loot. Trust me, I know all the safe pathways, and even though we're just Level 2, I can get us there safely."
We all let out gasps of awe. I slowly nodded my head before I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to face Victoria and she shook her head.
"Thanks for the offer and all…" Klein's voice spoke up. We turned to face him and his saddened facial expression. "I can't leave my friends behind…especially after we stayed up all night just to get this game…"
"Kl-Klein-san…" my voice whispered.
Kirito was undoubtedly distraught, as he looked down at the ground and froze.
"Hey!" Victoria's voice shouted. "You've really helped us out a lot already. Don't take any offense to when I say this to you, but we don't need you to hold our hands for us, Kirito-kun. You've done enough already, and we can't thank you enough for that. Right, Karis?"
She nudged my elbow and I nodded.
"Kirito-kun, it seems that we're all supposed to go our separate ways. But trust me as well, we'll find our own way to be just as successful as you are."
"Sorry, but I can't really ask a guy to risk his life for a bunch of strangers now, can I?" Klein's voice shot up once more. "Don't worry about us, and get on over to that next village! In the last MMO I played, I ran a guild of my own, y'know? And like these two said, with the stuff you taught us, we're all sure to get by!"
Kirito looked up at us, his lips curving into a small, soft smile.
"If that's what you all say, then I should get going! I'll be seeing you all. Take care," Kirito said before beginning to run down the alleyway.
"Kirito, I've got to say!" Klein called out, causing Kirito to stop and look back. "You look way better than your avatar like this! Way cooler."
"Yeah, and I think that scruffy face fits you ten times better," Kirito grinned.
And with that, he took off running again, leaving us to watch him. Somebody cleared their throat and I turned to face the source, only to find Klein as the culprit.
"Well, I should be heading out too – can't keep the guys waiting. If you two need anything, contact me okay?" Klein said. We nodded and he smiled. "Take care! Try not to get into too much trouble now, huh?"
"Yeah, yeah…we should be saying that to you!" Victoria chuckled. "Stay safe out there."
"Take care of yourself, Klein-san," I bowed to him. He smiled and nodded in response.
He walked away, waving to us one last time. Klein's footsteps echoed through my mind and before I knew it, they were gone.
It was just the two of us now – confused and lost, but together. It was a luxury that seemed to slip the grip of a lot of players here now, being together.
We watched as Kirito ran down the alleyway, only stopping to take one last brief glance back at us. We waved to him and he smiled to acknowledge us, before continuing on.
"Th-that was a lie, Victoria…" my voice softly spoke. "We probably won't have any clue on what to do…"
"You saw him, right, Karis?" Victoria sighed. I looked at her and found her smiling. "That guy right there – his eyes were filled with determination. You ought to think that he'd do way better on his own than having to carry the two of us, right? He's a Beta Tester after all…"
"Ri-right…" I nodded my head.
I turned back towards the alleyway and saw that Kirito was gone, as if he disappeared into the darkness of the night.
"And besides," Victoria said with a giggle. "I think we'll meet him again someday."
I nodded my head once more and felt my lips curve into a smile.
"We just have to survive until then."
"You know," Victoria spoke up moments later. "I don't think Kirito ever sent us a friend request."
Sword Art Online: Dream League
[A/N]
I find it really annoying how we can't use less-than/greater-than signs. They would've fit much more appropriately in this story rather than using brackets. Oh well, I made it work!
That's all for Chapter 1! What do you think so far? Constructive criticism is welcome, it's just a chance to make this story better for everyone! Once again, thanks for reading and I'll see you all in the next chapter. [:
UPDATE: Updated with Guillemet's - thank you to Agent 94!
Catch any errors? Be sure to leave a review letting me know! PM's work as well. Thank you!